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Letters: Choosing fine | Increase punishment | Renew CTC | Successful program | Gun safety | 32-hour work week

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:15:10 GMT

Submit your letter to the editor via this form. Read more Letters to the Editor.City choosing fine overchurch restorationRe: “Officials eye fine for tarp removal” (Page A1, Sept. 19).The City of San Jose needs to get its head screwed on straight and thank Jim Salata, not fine him, for cleaning up The First Church of Christ, Scientist site.Next, the city should recover the church and assess the owner the cost of the work, then use eminent domain to take over the property and find a new buyer to develop the site, keeping and restoring the church as part of the final development.David MichettiWalnut CreekSettle Levi’s curfewissue by raising finesRe: “City, venue officials continue raucous fight over concert curfews” (Page A1, Sept. 8).It is a sad commentary on our society when a curfew issue percolates to the local paper.One would think an event organizer is smart enough to shift a starting time to avoid this deadline. Given the size of these events, a $1,...

Q&A: What you need to know to — once again — get free at-home COVID tests

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:15:10 GMT

The Biden administration announced Wednesday that it would once again begin mailing rapid at-home COVID tests to American households, free of charge. The news comes amid one of the largest COVID surges the country has seen, with hospitalizations and deaths both rising, though far from record highs.Here is what you need to know about the rebirth of this federal program:Q: When can I get more free tests?A: Every U.S. household can request a new shipment of free tests, starting Monday, Sept. 25. The tests will be available through the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ COVID website — covid.gov/tests — and will be delivered by the U.S. Postal Service.Q: How many free tests can I get?A: Each household is eligible for 4 free tests delivered directly to the home, regardless of how many tests your household received in previous rounds.The program, started in January 2022 by the Biden administration, distributed more than 600 million tests before officials halte...

King Library 20th anniversary celebration looks toward the future

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:15:10 GMT

Wednesday afternoon turned out to be a really bad time to try to study in silence at the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Library in downtown San Jose. You couldn’t blame students and other patrons from thinking there was a loud party going on because that’s exactly what was happening — the 20th anniversary celebration of the library, a joint venture between San Jose and San Jose State University.The festivities opened with the Spartan Marching Band blasting tunes on the outdoor plaza and even the opening bars of the SJSU Choraliers’ rendition of the Beatles’ “Blackbird” was drowned out by the buzz around the indoor atrium. On the other hand, if the city hadn’t entered into a groundbreaking partnership with SJSU, the party wouldn’t have been nearly as fun since the city doesn’t have its own marching band.San Jose City Librarian Jill Bourne, who is marking her own 10th anniversary in the post, rattled off a few key statistics: The...

Biden cancels $37M in student loan debt from for-profit school

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:15:10 GMT

By Katie Lobosco | CNNThe Biden administration is canceling nearly $37 million of federal student loan debt for more than 1,200 borrowers who attended the University of Phoenix because it found that the for-profit school misled students about job prospects.Taking a narrower approach to student debt forgiveness, the Biden administration has continued to cancel some borrowers’ debts under existing programs after the Supreme Court blocked its broad student loan forgiveness program that promised to forgive up to $20,000 for low- and middle-income borrowers.Similar to Wednesday’s announcement about the University of Phoenix, the Department of Education canceled $72 million in federal student loan debt in August for more than 2,300 borrowers who attended the for-profit Ashford University in California.Altogether, the administration has canceled more than $117 billion of the nearly $1.7 trillion of outstanding federal student loan debt since 2021.The former University of Phoenix students n...

San Jose police set to classify gun-pointing as a use of force

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:15:10 GMT

SAN JOSE — Four years after it was recommended by the city’s civilian police auditor, the San Jose Police Department is expected to begin classifying instances where officers point their guns at people as a use of force.In a memo to the City Council that was formally reviewed Tuesday, police Chief Anthony Mata wrote that SJPD expects to update its duty manual to include the change by the end of the month. In doing so, San Jose joins an array of big cities — including Oakland, San Francisco, San Diego, Los Angeles, Seattle, Denver, Washington, D.C. and New Orleans — in the practice.The memo accompanied a 2022 annual report from the Office of the Independent Auditor that was originally scheduled go before the council June 5, before it was deferred to a later date. The postponement roughly coincided with an embarrassing episode two days earlier in which former auditor Shivaun Nurre got into a loud public argument with police officers working at the San Jose Gree...

Agrihood: Combined affordable senior housing, urban farm welcomes residents in Santa Clara

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:15:10 GMT

SANTA CLARA — Across the street from Valley Fair Mall, Asian cucumbers, Glass Gem corn and Swiss chard sprout up on a nearly quarter-acre farm reminiscent of the region’s days as the Valley of the Heart’s Delight.The homestead now makes up California’s largest combined urban farm and affordable housing development that’s been years in the making. The Agrihood welcomed its first residents this summer into its 165 affordable units set aside exclusively for veterans and seniors over the age of 55. An additional 195 market rate homes also are also expected to eventually be built on the same property.At an unveiling ceremony Wednesday afternoon, Santa Clara Mayor Lisa Gillmor called the Agrihood “one of the most important projects” ever approved in the city.“We’re preserving part of the agricultural history of not just Santa Clara, but this entire valley,” she told the Mercury News. “This was one of the last remnants of ag...

How Oakland A’s latest pitching prospect fared in MLB debut

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:15:10 GMT

OAKLAND — Applause form Joey Estes’ cheering squad boomed loud over the Coliseum’s tiny crowd of an announced 5,602 on Wednesday afternoon. The Oakland A’s season may be hard to watch, but bits of excitement can still puncture the quiet.Estes’ family and friends had plenty to see in the 21-year-old’s MLB debut. He gave up three home runs over his 4 2/3 innings pitched, leading to a 6-3 A’s loss against the Seattle Mariners.But Estes also showed flashes of why he’s the A’s No. 13-ranked prospect. He recorded his first two strikeouts and showed nearly his full pitching arsenal: A mid-90s fastball with a changeup and slider, he also threw in a few cutters, according to Statcast. Estes is the fifth A’s pitcher to start for his MLB debut this season.The playoff-contending Mariners came out hot against Estes with Dominic Canzone’s two-run home run in the second inning — the runner on reached via third baseman Jordan D...

Former Congresswoman Jackie Speier, less than a year into retirement, to run for her old county supervisor seat

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:15:10 GMT

Less than year into retirement, former U.S. Rep. Jackie Speier is looking to return to her first elected job as a candidate for San Mateo County supervisor, setting up a contest with a much younger candidate and renewing questions about aging politicians clinging to office and refusing to yield to the next generation.“I’d like to get something accomplished,” Speier said in an interview Wednesday, a subtle dig at her “frustrating” years in Congress. “I love this county, I spent 40 years representing it. My experience can help us move through some of these vexing issues that we have.”Speier’s return to local politics after 14 years in Congress has already tilted the outcome of the March 5 District 1 Supervisor race from a three-way contest to a runoff. The two leading candidates by fundraising, Emily Beach and Gina Papan, both Democrats like Speier, announced they will end their campaigns for the nonpartisan seat and support Speier.̶...

SF Giants’ playoff hopes wilt away in sweep against D-backs

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:15:10 GMT

PHOENIX — With each passing game, the San Francisco Giants’ path to the postseason gets narrower.They have 10 to play, and with a 7-1 loss to the D-backs Wednesday afternoon, fell further out of the playoff picture than they have been since it was worth paying attention. They were swept in the two-game series, outscored 15-5 and outhit 27-9, sending them 4½ games back of Arizona, 3½ back of the Cubs for the third and final spot, and on the wrong side of tiebreakers against both teams in the unlikely scenario they come into play.“Obviously these were must-win games, and going back several games, those were also must-win games,” manager Gabe Kapler said. “Now, the math is not on our side.”If their four-game set at Colorado to open this road trip represented a golden opportunity, these two games in Arizona might as well have been a last stand. They went 1-5 over the six-game stretch and will take a .500 record with them to Dodger Stadium for the last leg o...

Gun, extended magazine seized from Santa Cruz County students

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:15:10 GMT

SANTA CRUZ, Calif. (KRON) -- A handgun with an extended magazine was brought onto a school bus by a Santa Cruz County student before it was found by a staff member, deputies said. The incident happened on Tuesday morning while students were riding a bus to Renaissance High School, an alternative school in the Pajaro Valley Unified School District. Several students began vaping in the back of the bus, prompting a staff member to escort the students off. "Shortly after being escorted off the bus by staff, one staff member believed someone from the group discarded something in a nearby bush. When staff went back to the area, they found the pictured handgun and extended magazine," the Santa Cruz County Sheriff's Office wrote. It's unclear if deputies have been able to figure out which student in the vaping group brought the weapon. The Sheriff's Office said it is "looking into the incident," and an investigation is ongoing. Santa Rosa student, 14, arrested for bringing imitation firea...