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San Jose leaders will let “Trash Bag Church” good deed go unpunished

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 14:30:24 GMT

San Jose City Councilmember Omar Torres tells me the city won’t be moving forward with any action against Jim Salata, the CEO of Garden City Construction who led a crew to remove the tattered tarp from downtown’s historic but dilapidated First Church of Christ, Scientist.Salata must have ruffled some feathers at City Hall in late August when crews removed the shredded black plastic that earned the building the nickname “Trash Bag Church.” Torres told this news organization city staff informed him that Salata didn’t have permission to enter the property to do the work — though he had a code to open the gate because of previous work he’d done on the site — and the city was considering fining him for trespassing.The idea of punishing someone for doing a job demanded by both Mayor Matt Mahan and Torres just a few days previously came as a surprise — and was seen by some as a slap in the face to Salata for his act of “vigilante ...

Suspect charged in rapper Tupac Shakur’s fatal shooting appears in a Las Vegas court

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 14:30:24 GMT

LAS VEGAS  — A self-described gangster who police and prosecutors say masterminded the shooting death of Tupac Shakur in Las Vegas in 1996 made his first appearance Wednesday before a Nevada judge.Duane “Keffe D” Davis, 60, was arrested last week during an early-morning walk near his home in suburban Henderson. A few hours later a grand jury indictment was unsealed in Clark County District Court charging him with murder.Grand jurors also voted to add sentencing enhancements for the use of a deadly weapon and alleged gang activity. If Davis is convicted, that could add decades to his sentence.This booking photo provided by the Las Vegas Police Department shows Duane “Keffe D” Davis, Friday, Sept. 29, 2023, in Las Vegas. Davis was charged in the 1996 fatal drive-by shooting of rapper Tupac Shakur. (Las Vegas Police Department via AP) Davis denied a request from The Associated Press for an interview from jail where he’s being held without bond. Los Angeles-based attorney Edi...

Los Gatos updates tobacco ordinance to significantly increase fines for retailers

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 14:30:24 GMT

Fines for tobacco sale violations in Los Gatos just got more expensive.The town council unanimously voted to update its tobacco sales ordinance at its Oct. 3 meeting, increasing the fines for retail violations and including e-cigarettes in the town’s definition of tobacco products.Under the new ordinance, the fees for retailers who violate the town ordinance increased from $100 to $1,000 on the first instance, from $200 to $2,500 on the second offense within a five-year period and from $500 to $5,000 for a violation committed more than twice within a five-year period.Fines for retailers who sell tobacco products without a tobacco selling permit went up from $100 to $2,500 for the first offense, and from $200 to $5,000 for a second offense within five years.The new ordinance aligns with a recent update of Santa Clara County’s tobacco sales ordinance, which passed earlier this year. Los Gatos needs its own ordinance for local enforcement.Carol Baker, co-chair of the Tobacco Free...

Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk announces new rides opening next spring

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 14:30:24 GMT

SANTA CRUZ — After a six-year absence, the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk announced it will be replacing the Ferris wheel that was dismantled in 2017 with the new “Dream Wheel.”“Ferris wheels are as much a part of a classic seaside amusement park experience as wooden roller coasters, carousels and cotton candy,” said Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk Director of External Affairs Kris Reyes. “We are thrilled to add Dream Wheel to our lineup of amazing rides and I know our guests will love the stunning views.”Related ArticlesEntertainment | Disneyland theme park expansion envisions 16 rides and an outdoor show Entertainment | See inside Disneyland’s $6,000 a night two-story DVC Grand Villa suite Entertainment | The classic theme parks that influenced Walt Disney’s creation of Disneyland, including one in the East Bay Entertainment | Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk hosting scary screenings throughout October Entertainment | ...

Pac-12 picks ATS: Arizona is a huge underdog at USC one year after it won at UCLA under similar circumstances

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 14:30:24 GMT

The sixth Saturday of the Pac-12 season is the final Saturday without a scheduled matchup of ranked teams. That doesn’t mean the upcoming weekend should be ignored. The stage is set for drama to dominate the proceedings. Oddsmakers have assigned single-digit point spreads to three of the four games.Our focus here is the lone matchup viewed as a potential blowout: Arizona’s last scheduled trip to Los Angeles before the conference breaks apart.The Wildcats are three-touchdown underdogs against USC, and for good reason.Arizona is unranked; USC is undefeated.Arizona hasn’t won in the Coliseum since the Pac-12 was the Pac-10; USC hasn’t lost at home under coach Lincoln Riley.Arizona quarterback Jayden de Laura is questionable because of an ankle injury; USC’s quarterback, Caleb Williams, is the reigning Heisman Trophy winner and 2023 frontrunner.But where the oddsmakers see a lopsided affair, the Hotline sees a trap game.After all, the Wildcats faced nearly ...

‘Making Homes Work’ helps disabled adults make their homes more accessible

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 14:30:24 GMT

The Bay Area Housing Corporation received a matching grant from Santa Clara County to support its Making Homes Work program.The Los Gatos-based program helps families modify their homes by installing ramps, remodeling  bathrooms or improving wheelchair access through hallways and doors, which enables people with disabilities to stay in their homes rather than moving to specialized housing.“We recognize that people with (intellectual and developmental disabilities) have few housing options,” said Kris McCann, executive director of Bay Area Housing Corporation. “The cost of housing in Santa Clara County for the size of a home required for a specialized licensed home averages $2.4 million. Once the costs of rehabilitation of the home and long-term maintenance are added, the expense for opening a new specialized residential home becomes prohibitive.”Approximately 80% of Santa Clara County residents who have intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD) live in their family homes. T...

Live: Sen. Dianne Feinstein lies in state at SF City Hall

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 14:30:24 GMT

(BCN) -- U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein, who died last week at the age of 90, will lie in state Wednesday at San Francisco City Hall and a public memorial service will be held Thursday on the steps of the building. On Wednesday, the public will be invited to pay their respects and sign a condolence book between 9 a.m. and 7 p.m. inside the rotunda of City Hall, where Feinstein became San Francisco's first woman mayor and first woman president of the city's Board of Supervisors before moving on to become the longest-serving woman senator in U.S. history.Feinstein's memorial service Thursday was initially planned to take place at the San Francisco War Memorial and Performing Arts Center, but has been relocated to the steps of City Hall at 1 p.m. There will be standing room available in Civic Center Plaza for members of the public, who should expect limited shade and warm weather, according to Feinstein's staff. Following the service, Feinstein will be buried at a private ceremo...

BART reports major delays between San Bruno, SFO

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 14:30:24 GMT

(BCN) -- BART is reporting major delays for trains Wednesday morning due to an equipment problem on the tracks between San Bruno and San Francisco International Airport. 20,000 Kaiser health care workers on strike in the Bay Area The transit agency initially issued an alert shortly after 6:45 a.m. about the problem, which is causing delays for trains in both directions through the area.BART did not specify what equipment was causing the delays. Copyright © 2023 Bay City News, Inc.

Texans’ C.J. Stroud is off to a sizzling start as several other NFL rookie QBs struggle

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 14:30:24 GMT

Rookie quarterbacks are getting their chances early this season.One is taking advantage of the opportunity in extremely impressive fashion.After all three first-round quarterbacks started the opener, two more were forced into action because of injuries this week, with Aidan O’Connell getting the nod for the Raiders and Dorian Thompson-Robinson for the Browns.This marked just the third season since the 1970 merger when at least five rookie quarterbacks started in the same week this early in the season, with it also happening in 2012 and 2021.While Bryce Young, Anthony Richardson, O’Connell and Thompson-Robinson all ended up on the losing side, No. 2 overall draft pick C.J. Stroud extended the solid start to his career.Stroud threw for 306 yards and two TDs to lead Houston to its second straight win, 30-6 over Pittsburgh. Stroud’s 1,212 yards are the second-most ever for a player in his first four games — trailing only Cam Newton’s 1,386 in 2011 for Carolina — but it...

SoftBank’s Son says AI will surpass human intelligence in a decade, urges Japanese firms to adopt it

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 14:30:24 GMT

TOKYO (AP) — Softbank CEO Masayoshi Son on Wednesday said he believes artificial intelligence will surpass human intelligence within a decade, urging Japanese companies to adopt it or be left behind.Son, speaking at a corporate conference in Tokyo, said “artificial general intelligence will surpass the total intelligence of humankind by 10 times in 10 years.”It will affect every industry, from transportation and pharmaceuticals to finance, manufacturing, logistics and others, and the companies and people that work with AI will be the leaders in the next 10 to 20 years, Son said.Son, who founded SoftBank and is a leading figure in Japan’s business world, has enjoyed both victories and defeats in his array of technology investments. He latched on to the potential of the internet decades ago, and now is seeking to invest in AI-related companies.“I want to be on the side of progress,” he said. “It would be sad to be on the side that gets left behind, like an old, shutt...