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Letters: BART study | Danger is point | Carbon capture | Delay election | Personal responsibility

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:31 GMT

Submit your letter to the editor via this form. Read more Letters to the Editor.Taxpayers deservefurther BART studyRe: “Common sense says build BART to downtown San Jose” (Page A12, July 16).Former San Jose Mayor Gonzales’ op-ed opines on bringing BART to downtown regardless of the devastating effect on local business. According to him, we have done all the studies necessary before launching this 19th-century debacle. Perhaps he should take a close look at the results of past local government issues from his years as mayor and compare them to BART and VTA.Two memorable missteps come to mind: 1) Garbage Gate (secret negotiations that continue to cost every household dearly today); 2)The City Hall Rotunda debacle — a totally useless meeting facility that stands as a tribute to poor architectural design, lost space that we continue to pay for.Compare these to BART and VTA whose management structures have caused one to be on the fast track to bankruptcy and the other to be h...

Suspect arrested on suspicion of attempted murder in Brentwood shootout that killed 17-year-old

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:31 GMT

BRENTWOOD — A 20-year-old Walnut Creek man who survived a shootout involving two others that killed a 17-year-old last week has been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder, authorities said Tuesday.The July 14 shooting happened during an attempted robbery that happened about 7:45 p.m. in the 800 block of Marjoram Drive, police said. Two suspects, the 20-year-old who’s been arrested, and the 17-year-old who died, are suspected of trying to rob a 21-year-old Antioch man, according to police.All three fired guns, police said.Authorities did not identify the 17-year-old Tuesday, citing the investigation and the lack of notification to his relatives.Brentwood police spokesperson Lt. Walter O’Grodnick said police arrested the 20-year-old at the scene, and booked him after the shooting. He also is suspected of attempted robbery, conspiracy, assault with a deadly weapon, false imprisonment, discharging a gun at an occupied vehicle, and carrying a loaded gun in public, O...

Diana’s iconic black sheep sweater could fetch $50K

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:31 GMT

Associated PressLONDON — A red sweater adorned with a flock of sheep worn by the young Princess Diana is expected to sell for more than $50,000 at auction.The playfully patterned wool jumper featuring a single black sheep amid a pattern of white ones headlines Sotheby’s online Fashion Icons sale in September.The 19-year-old Lady Diana Spencer was photographed in the garment at a polo match in June 1981, soon after her engagement to Prince Charles, who was then heir to the British throne.Diana was already becoming a style icon —- and one of the world’s most photographed women — and the moment gave a big boost to designers Sally Muir and Joanna Osborne, who made the sweater for their small knitwear label Warm & Wonderful.A few weeks later, Muir and Osborne received an official letter from Buckingham Palace explaining that Diana had damaged the sweater and asking whether it could be repaired or replaced. The original was returned, showing damage to a sleeve the designer...

Antioch claims subpoenaed officers have ‘industrial injuries’ to avoid testifying about racism, alleged crimes

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:31 GMT

The city of Antioch is resisting subpoenas for at least five of its police officers called to testify about racism and alleged crimes within the department, claiming the officers are out on injury leave and therefore unavailable, this news organization has learned.One of the five is a K9 officer and central focus of an ongoing FBI investigation who was allowed to keep his canine partner while on leave and later claimed he was injured while walking the dog, multiple law enforcement sources say.Antioch Police Chief Steven Ford has signed sworn declarations under penalty of perjury that the officers — some under FBI investigation and others who sent racist texts to colleagues — have “not been medically cleared by (their) physician to attend court.”Those documents, obtained by this news organization, say the five won’t be available to testify in a Friday hearing that will explore the department’s alleged violations of the Racial Justice Act. The hearing could result in serious cri...

Feds charge suspect in violent Oakland home invasion with trafficking meth and fentanyl

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:31 GMT

OAKLAND — A 29-year-old Oakland man has been charged with distributing methamphetamine and fentanyl, after authorities raided his home in a home invasion and assault case and allegedly seized distribution-quantities of both drugs, court records show.Maxfer Palma was under investigation in a March 13 home invasion that targeted a woman who had previously lived with Palma and at least two of the other suspects, when Oakland police raided his apartment on Foothill Boulevard and seized more than 200 grams of fentanyl and more than four pounds of methamphetamine, along with two unregistered guns, authorities said. He has not been charged in connection with the home invasion, but was indicted on charges of drug trafficking, one of which carries a mandatory minimum 10-year prison term, court records show.A federal judge has ordered Palma to remain jailed while the case his pending, at a July 13 court hearing. His next court date has been set for Aug. 22.The investigation into Palma s...

Remembering Nancy Pyle as a tenacious politician with style

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:31 GMT

When you envision former San Jose City Councilmember Nancy Pyle, who died last Friday at age 85, you may immediately think of the stylish outfits that earned her a reputation as the best-dressed member of the council during her tenure from 2005 to 2013. But to only remember her that way would be a disservice to the tenacity she showed over decades of service.She may have dressed to the nines, but Pyle fought like Rocky Balboa.It’s easy to forget that the former elementary school teacher, who had a 25-year career mostly in the San Jose Unified School District, twice ran unsuccessfully for the Almaden Valley seat, losing to Pat Dando in 1995 and 2000. She finally broke through on her third attempt in 2004 when the popular Dando was termed out. But even then she had to overcome a 12-point advantage in the primary by her opponent, Rich De La Rosa, who was endorsed by Dando.While her time in office was one of the city’s most economically challenging, Pyle continued to fight &...

Bay Area tech layoffs hit mainly non-tech workers: CBRE report

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:31 GMT

SAN JOSE — The massive tech layoffs that have jolted the Bay Area job market have primarily affected non-tech employees of the companies that have orchestrated the local job cuts, a new report released Tuesday states.The new CBRE report — which determined that the Bay Area is the nation’s top region for tech talent — offers a fresh look at the nature of the tech layoffs that have haunted the Bay Area economy for more than 18 months.“Even as the tech sector’s resilience was tested in 2022, the (Bay Area) region continues to lead with the largest tech talent labor pool and highest number of tech roles of any U.S. market,” stated the new “Scoring Tech Talent” report from CBRE, a commercial real estate firm.The CBRE report for the first time examined and compared wages in key tech regions. The Bay Area is paying the highest wages for tech workers.In 2021, annual tech wages averaged $185,425 in the Bay Area, $172,009 in Seattle and $121,794...

San Leandro’s first Restaurant Week features special events, deals, contests

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:31 GMT

The inaugural San Leandro Restaurant Week will run through this Saturday, July 22, with more than 35 restaurants, brewpubs and other culinary purveyors holding special events or offering deals.The promotion, presented by the San Leandro Chamber of Commerce in junction with the city, is a competition too. Prizes will be awarded to customers in the categories of most restaurant check-ins, most amount of money spent on Restaurant Week meals and highest number of social media tags.The list of participants features some of the city’s long-lived restaurant favorites. Think contemporary Italian/steakhouse Paradiso, Emil Villa’s barbecue pit, seafood specialist Horatio’s, Porky’s Pizza Palace and Fifth Wheel Food, a diner that originally served truck drivers.Other restaurants include Habibi’s Birria, Le Soleil, Dough Zone Dumpling House, Poke Kitchen, Pistahan, Scends, Sistas Soul Food Kafe, Los Cantaros, Mai Thai, Moussaka, Paradiso, Banju Bay, Kendejah, King ...

Walnut Creek man arrested after teen fatally shot in botched robbery

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:31 GMT

(KRON) -- A Walnut Creek man is facing a slew of felony charges after he attempted to rob an armed Antioch man in Brentwood.Antonio Barajas, 20, was booked into the Martinez Detention Facility jail on the following charges: Attempted murder, attempted robbery, conspiracy, assault with a deadly weapon, false imprisonment, and discharging a firearm.The charges stem from a botched robbery in Brentwood that unfolded at 7:45 p.m. on July 14.According to the Brentwood Police Department, Barajas and a 17-year-old boy were armed with guns when they tried to rob a 21-year-old Antioch man. The Antioch man also had a gun. "All three exchanged gunfire on Marjoram Drive," BPD wrote. The teenager and the Antioch man were struck by bullets, while Barajas was uninjured. Police officers found three firearms at the crime scene. The 17-year-old boy later died from his gunshot wounds. Barajas remained locked in jail as of Tuesday afternoon in lieu of $2.5 million bail.

Organization helps raise funds to pay medical bills for pets with cancer

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:31 GMT

(KRON) -- Ken Wayne has the story of how Magic Bullet Fund helped one Bay Area pet owner whose dog was diagnosed with cancer.