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Letters: Shelter help | Social workers | ‘Bulb Guy’ | ‘Killing device’

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:31:26 GMT

Submit your letter to the editor via this form. Read more Letters to the Editor.Animal shelter mustseek more helpRe: “At beleaguered shelter, care for pets criticized” (Page B1, Nov. 9).I was deeply disturbed to learn about the conditions at the San Jose Animal Care Center.From the unnecessary amputations, like the dog Sparrow had to suffer, to rapidly declining live release rates, such as the rate for cats dropping from 90% in 2020 to 75% in 2023, there is ample evidence that practices in this establishment must change.To mitigate these harmful outcomes, the shelter could focus on foster programs to open up space in the shelter or collaborate with rescue organizations for additional resources.Erin GribiSan JoseRespect social workers’recommendationsRe: “Who failed baby Phoenix?” (Page A1, Nov. 12).As a retired social work educator, and past member of the Santa Clara County Child Abuse Prevention Council, I have followed the tragic saga of baby Phoenix w...

Has the GOP already run out of time to stop Trump?

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:31:26 GMT

By Steve Peoples, Meg Kinnard and Thomas Beaumont | Associated PressCOLUMBIA, S.C. — The Republican Party’s once-crowded 2024 presidential primary field has suddenly shrunk to just a handful of viable candidates.But a day after Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina stunned many of his own staff by suspending his campaign, it’s unclear whether the GOP is any closer to coalescing behind a clear alternative to former President Donald Trump. Instead, the fight between Nikki Haley and Ron DeSantis for a distant second place appears to be intensifying. And some lower-tier candidates insist on battling for relevance, despite growing pressure to bow out of the race altogether.Meanwhile, Trump’s team is cheering on the muddle for second place with Iowa’s Jan. 15 kickoff caucuses just two months away.Still, there were new positive signs on Monday for Haley, Scott’s South Carolina rival, who had been rising in the Republican contest even before the senator’s sudd...

Oakland’s new fire chief promises better mental health services for firefighters

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:31:26 GMT

OAKLAND — Living at his family’s home after college graduation and coming to accept that an NBA career was out of the question, Damon Covington was restless about how his life would proceed — until a voice in his head told him he should be a firefighter.He knew next to nothing about how to become one, and even less about the Oakland Fire Department, where he started out two decades ago. Now Covington is the city’s new full-time chief, after four months of holding the interim role.“Oakland really raised me, helped me cut my teeth, realize what it means to give back to my city,” Covington said Monday at his swearing-in ceremony, on a sunny morning near the city’s ferry terminal.His hiring will fill one of the biggest gaps in institutional leadership in Oakland, where the police department has been without a full-time chief for nine months. Covington’s salary hasn’t been announced, but his immediate predecessor, Reginald Freeman, ma...

Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez’s latest extravagance: A ‘10,000-Year Clock’ built into a mountain

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:31:26 GMT

For the couple who have everything and who could always have more, more, more, Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez have invested some of their billions into building a unique project: A subterranean clock built deep into the side of a mountain range in West Texas.Sanchez tells a writer for Vogue that the “10,000-Year-Clock” offers her and her future husband, the second richest man in the world, a way of “thinking about the future.”The irrepressible Sanchez opened up about the 10,000-Year Clock while flying the Vogue writer on a helicopter tour of Bezos’ West Texas ranch, one of the more than half a dozen luxury properties in his estimated $500 million real estate portfolio, as the New York Post also reported. In a new exclusive interview, Lauren Sánchez discusses going to space, giving back, and her high-flying romance with Jeff Bezos. Read the full profile here: https://t.co/qXtkaXgN1C pic.twitter.com/rz2CPDCF27— Vogue Magazine (@voguemagazine) Novembe...

Three-alarm fire burns in Oakland hills near Holy Names University

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:31:26 GMT

OAKLAND — A three-alarm fire involving four separate blazes was burning Monday afternoon in the Oakland hills above Highway 13, officials said.Crews had still not contained the fires as of 3:40 p.m., more than an hour after they were first reported.Fire department spokesman Michael Hunt said there were four different vegetation fires involving trees and brush between Redwood and Joaquin Miller roads, about a two-mile stretch of the hills.Related ArticlesCrashes and Disasters | Two-alarm fire guts East Bay convenience store Crashes and Disasters | Oakland: Person badly burned after fire breaks out in tent Crashes and Disasters | Veteran Oakland firefighter named new chief of city’s fire department Dozens of firefighters responded to the scene after the initial call at 2:30 p.m.Northbound lanes of Highway 13 at Interstate 580 were shut down.There were no reports of any structures, including at nearby Holy Names University, be...

San Jose officials urge residents to prepare for incoming rainfall with possible flooding in the months ahead

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:31:26 GMT

As the season’s first intense smattering of rain descends upon the Bay Area Tuesday, San Jose officials are advising residents to keep their curbs free of debris and to call 311 in the event of heavily backed-up storm drains.The National Weather Service’s latest forecast predicts rain to start around midnight on Tuesday morning, with nearly an inch of water expected to fall on San Jose, a storm that is being described as a “typical winter” system as opposed to the atmospheric rivers that barreled through the region this past winter.Even so, San Jose’s Mayor Matt Mahan and Valley Water CEO Rick Callender on Tuesday said agencies were preparing for the worst by ordering outreach teams to make contact with homeless residents who reside along the area’s rivers and closely watching the most flood-prone parts of the city.Officials are also making plans for what is expected to be a very wet winter, the second straight year of rain-filled weather for the Bay Area.“It looks like we have El N...

All northbound lanes of Highway 13 closed due to nearby fire

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:31:26 GMT

(KRON) -- A vegetation fire in Oakland on Monday blocked all of the northbound lanes of Highway 13, according to a 511 alert. The fire has since been contained. The lanes are blocked between I-580 West and Lincoln Avenue. The Oakland Fire Department said the fire is in the area of Holy Names University, which was located at 3500 Mountain Blvd. Video: Three people rappel down Transamerica Pyramid OFD said crews are on scene fighting four vegetation fires. All of the fires are between the on-ramp near Redwood Road above Highway 13 and the Joaquin Miller Road exit. There are no structures threatened by the fires, per OFD. They spanned about 1.5 miles. Drivers are asked to avoid that area of Highway 13 and expect delays. This is a developing story. Stick with KRON4 for updates.

'I'm going to have to take you out': Pelosi delivers chilling testimony in DePape trial

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:31:26 GMT

SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) -- Paul Pelosi said he realized he was in "serious danger" when David DePape broke into the Pacific Heights home he shares with his wife, former Speaker Nancy Pelosi. Taking the stand Monday in DePape's federal trial, Pelosi recalled that he was sleeping at the time of the break-in and was woken up when DePape came into his bedroom.'I'm going to have to take you out': Pelosi gives chilling testimony"He burst in the door and that wakes me up," Pelosi recalled. "The door opened and a very large man came in, with a hammer in one hand and some ties in the other hand. He said, 'Where's Nancy?' He was standing in the doorway, he was three feet away from me."Pelosi told the court he tried to remain "as calm as possible," telling the intruder, "She's not here. She's in Washington." He also reiterated that he had never seen DePape prior to him bursting into the bedroom, which was located on the third floor of the home. Video: Three people rappel down Transamerica Pyram...

Concord City Council to discuss Naval Weapons Station project Tuesday

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:31:26 GMT

(BCN) -- The Concord City Council on Tuesday will host a study session on a conceptual land use plan to develop the former Concord Naval Weapons Station land and drafting an outreach program. The city in September approved an exclusive agreement to negotiate (EAN) between the city and Brookfield Properties to develop the project. The EAN allows for a 120-day initial negotiating period, to allow Brookfield to prepare and propose a term sheet to the city. A city staff report for Tuesday's meeting says Brookfield is preparing a conceptual plan and financial details for a term sheet that still needs to be negotiated with the city. APEC: How to navigate traffic, street closures, and tow away zones The study session will provide the council and the public the chance to hear and comment on Brookfield's thoughts about a conceptual land use plan that could translate into a successful specific plan. Brookfield will also map out its current and future plans for community outreach and phasi...

Bowser declares public emergencies over spike in youth crime, opioid overdoses

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:31:26 GMT

D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser has declared a public emergency over two issues facing the nation’s capital. The first is a dramatic spike in juvenile crime and the second addresses the evolving opioid crisis.Bowser said the emergency declaration is designed to help the government spend money quicker to secure resources needed to address both problems.“I see this, as most emergencies are, as an administrative tool,” Bowser said. “Largely, it will help us in a contracting aspect. It could impact how we deploy personnel but, mostly, it’s a contracting vehicle.”Emergency over youth crimeWhen it comes to tackling juvenile crime, the goal is to procure more beds at youth shelter homes around the city. Right now, juveniles who are arrested can be sent to the D.C. Youth Services Center, essentially a jail-like facility in Northeast, released to parental supervision, or assigned to a bed at what’s referred to as a shelter home, where kids are supervised to an extent, but are still free to see fami...