Why there were no posts yesterday

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Mylar balloons are to blame:

About 11,500 homes in El Cerrito, Albany and Berkeley were without power this evening after Mylar balloons drifted into power lines, Pacific Gas & Electric officials said.

The outages were first reported about 7 p.m. and were ongoing at 9 p.m., with two locations in El Cerrito identified as the sources.

The metallic balloons, popular during graduation season and outdoor celebrations, can cause surges and short circuits in the power lines.

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