Letters: Fine inadequate | Invest in housing | Innocent Gazans | Vaccination rates | PAC money

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 10:44:14 GMT

Letters: Fine inadequate | Invest in housing | Innocent Gazans | Vaccination rates | PAC money Submit your letter to the editor via this form. Read more Letters to the Editor.Speed camera fineis too little to deterRe: “Map: Speed cameras are likely to be placed on these San Jose streets” (Nov. 20).Speed cameras seem to be an adjunct to the understaffed San Jose Police Department. A test program is a great idea. However, the proposed fines are: drivers going 11 to 15 mph over the speed limit will be sent a $50 ticket. Sixteen to 25 mph over the limit is a $100 ticket, and 26 mph over is $200. Those who exceed 100 mph will receive a $500 penalty.That last fine is preposterous. Anyone driving on city streets at 100 mph, regardless of the posted limit, should face severe consequences — perhaps confiscation of the vehicle and/or jail time.Mike RobertsSan JoseS.J. must invest invaried housing plansI am writing to emphasize the critical need for increased efforts in creating more affordable housing options for the residents of San Jose. The escalating cost of living in o...

Huge project at old Bay Area mall changes focus as real estate shifts

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 10:44:14 GMT

Huge project at old Bay Area mall changes focus as real estate shifts CUPERTINO — A vast redevelopment of the old Vallco Mall in Cupertino will shift gears in a fast-changing economy — a move crafted to make the project more feasible and enable the first buildings to sprout by late 2024 or in 2025.The Rise, as the ambitious mixed-use development is known, could bring about a new downtown for Cupertino that would emerge from the cleared-away remnants of the moribund Vallco Mall.For that to become a reality, the project’s owner, an affiliate of busy Bay Area developer Sand Hill Property Co., proposed on Tuesday several key changes in the development.The towers in the project will be considerably shorter and the development itself will be reconfigured to make it easier to coax lenders to provide construction financing for an array of properties that together could coalesce to create a new city center for Cupertino.“Challenging market conditions of the past year have affected real estate projects throughout our region, and The Rise...

Rep. Greene says GOP colleague got physical with her

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 10:44:14 GMT

Rep. Greene says GOP colleague got physical with her By Melanie Zanona | CNNIn a private meeting with House Speaker Mike Johnson last week, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene accused fellow Georgia Republican Rep. Richard McCormick of getting physically aggressive with her, according to multiple sources familiar with the matter – a charge that McCormick has denied, saying it was a “friendly gesture.”Greene claimed to Johnson that McCormick grabbed her by the shoulders and shook her following a public spat they had over competing resolutions to censure Democratic Rep. Rashida Tlaib of Michigan, the sources said, and asked the speaker to address the issue. McCormick voted against Greene’s censure resolution and then introduced his own, more narrow version – which prompted Greene to say to reporters at the time that McCormick had his “ego bruised.” She also publicly bashed other Republicans who voted against her resolution.In a statement provided to CNN, McCormick said the interaction was intended to be friendly, but he apologized to the congre...

Johnson demanding border changes in Ukraine aid bill

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 10:44:14 GMT

Johnson demanding border changes in Ukraine aid bill By Stephen Groves and Lisa Mascaro | Associated PressWASHINGTON — House Speaker Mike Johnson told fellow Republicans on Tuesday that sweeping changes to U.S. border policy would be their “hill to die on” in negotiations that have already grown tense as Congress considers President Joe Biden’s $110 billion package for the wars in Ukraine and Israel and other security needs.Johnson delivered the hard-line message Tuesday morning ahead of classified briefings the Biden administration organized to underscore how desperately the aid is needed. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was scheduled to address the senators via video but had to cancel his appearance, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said.Instead, the meeting erupted in frustration and yelling as Republicans insisted on including border security in the discussion. Democrats have dismissed the Republican border proposals as attempts to return to the draconian policies of former President Donald Trump.Bide...

Steve Jobs wrote a check in 1976 to Radio Shack. Now it’s up for auction

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 10:44:14 GMT

Steve Jobs wrote a check in 1976 to Radio Shack. Now it’s up for auction It’s a pristine piece of Silicon Valley history — and it comes with a famous autograph.A check that Apple co-founder Steve Jobs made out to Radio Shack on July 23, 1976, just months after the pioneering computer company was founded, has gone up for auction.The latest bid tops $30,000, with less than a day remaining in the sale by RR Auction. Bidding will close Wednesday, Dec. 6, with any initial bids required by 3 p.m. PST.The check is made out on an Apple Computer Company account opened at a Wells Fargo branch in Los Altos. Listed is Apple’s first official address at 770 Welch Rd., Ste. 154, Palo Alto — “the location of an answering service and mail drop that they used while still operating out of the famous Jobs family garage,” the listing says.RR Auction, a Boston-based specialist in Jobs and Apple memorabilia, calls Radio Shack an “unsung hero” of the personal computing revolution and notes that co-founder Steve Wozniak would spend...

Peruvian court orders release of former President Fujimoro

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 10:44:14 GMT

Peruvian court orders release of former President Fujimoro Associated PressLIMA, Peru — Peru’s constitutional court ordered an immediate humanitarian release Tuesday for imprisoned former President Alberto Fujimori, 85, who was serving a 25-year sentence in connection with the death squad slayings of 25 Peruvians in the 1990s.The court ruled in favor of a 2017 pardon that had granted the former leader a release on humanitarian grounds but that later was annulled.In a resolution seen by The Associated Press, the court told the state prisons agency to immediately release Fujimori “on the same day.”Fujimori was sentenced in 2009 to 25 years in prison on charges of human rights abuses. He had been accused of being the mastermind behind the slayings of 25 Peruvians by a military death squad during his administration from 1990 to 2000, while the government fought the Shining Path communist rebels.Fujimori’s 2017 pardon granted by then-President Pablo Kuczynski was annulled under pressure from the Inter-American Court of Hu...

MLB Draft lottery: Unlucky Oakland A’s miss out on top-3 selection yet again 

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 10:44:14 GMT

MLB Draft lottery: Unlucky Oakland A’s miss out on top-3 selection yet again  Things are so bad for the Oakland A’s these days that they can’t even get rewarded in the MLB Draft.After finishing with the worst record in baseball last year (50-112), the A’s were one of three teams, along with the Kansas City Royals (56-106) and Colorado Rockies (59-103), that were given the best odds to earn the No. 1 overall pick in MLB’s draft lottery.With an 18.3% chance to land the top pick, the A’s fell all the way to No. 4 overall when MLB announced the order on Tuesday afternoon.A similar thing happened last year, when the A’s also had an 18.3% chance to land the top pick but fell all the way to No. 6 in the lottery. They selected college shortstop Jacob Wilson out of Grand Canyon University.Wilson, who hit .333 with an .866 OPS over 26 games in his minor league debut this year, is now ranked as the No. 68 overall prospect in the game by Baseball America. All five players who were selected ahead of Wilson are currently in the top 20.The A’s poor luck opened the door for ...

DVC coach accused of assaulting pleads not guilty

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 10:44:14 GMT

DVC coach accused of assaulting pleads not guilty (KRON) -- A Diablo Valley College professor and track coach accused of human trafficking entered a plea of not guilty Tuesday at an arraignment. Prosecutors allege that Kyle Whitmore coerced a woman to be his girlfriend for hire and then abused her. ‘Thrill Kill’ murderer released back into Santa Clara County He's also accused of sexually assaulting women on a makeshift dungeon in his mother's basement. Whitmore also had a bus that was used for sexual activities in another area, but it was separate from the dungeon.A criminal complaint alleges one of his victims is a student at Diablo Valley College. A judge has already ruled there is enough evidence for this case to move forward. At least one family member attended Tuesday's arraignment at Contra Costa County Superior Court in Martinez. Whitmore, wearing a green jail suit, chose to sit next to his criminal defense lawyer Darryl Stallworth in the jury box, rather than the defendant's table.Whitmore's attorney entered a not guilty...

Limp Bizkit announces 'Loserville Tour' with Corey Feldman as opening act

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 10:44:14 GMT

Limp Bizkit announces 'Loserville Tour' with Corey Feldman as opening act NOBLESVILLE, Ind. — Limp Bizkit is rollin', rollin', rollin' into 2024 with a brand new North American tour.The nu-metal/rap-rock band, which rose to prominence in the late '90s and early 2000s with hit songs like "Nookie" and "Break Stuff," is bringing their "Loserville Tour" to 24 cities in the summer of 2024, Live Nation announced Tuesday. Blink-182 announces US concert dates for ‘One More Time Tour’ Opening acts include Bones with Eddy Baker & Zavier Wulf, N8NOFACE, and actor-musician Corey Feldman. Rapper and former reality personality Riff Raff will also "host & MC each night," according to Live Nation.Wes Borland, left, and Fred Durst of Limp Bizkit perform at Inkcarceration Music and Tattoo Festival on Friday, July 14, 2023, at the Ohio State Reformatory in Mansfield, Ohio. (Photo by Amy Harris/Invision/AP)Scheduled tour stops, as of Tuesday, include:July 16 – Somerset Amphitheater – Somerset, WisconsinJuly 18 – Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre STL – St...

San Francisco police ask for help finding dog

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 10:44:14 GMT

San Francisco police ask for help finding dog SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) -- A fluffy dog was inside a San Francisco dog walker's van when a thief stole the van and drove off Tuesday, according to police. The Dogwalks.com van was parked on Sacramento Street and Mason Street when someone stole it. The brown and gray dog, named "Murray," remained missing as of Tuesday afternoon. San Francisco police are asking for the public's help to find the pooch. A dog named "Murray" is missing in San Francisco. (Image via SFPD)This van was stolen with a dog owner's beloved pet inside. (Image via SFPD) "Help us find Murray! Anyone who locates Murray or the van should call 911 and report their current location," the San Francisco Police Department wrote on X. The van is marked with large logos reading "Woof Pack" and "Dogwalks.com."