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Downtown San Jose hotel tower deal nears, may lead to housing highrise

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:50:06 GMT

SAN JOSE — A downtown San Jose hotel tower could become a housing highrise, depending on the outcome of a real estate deal that’s headed into its latter stages, according to the property’s principal owner.The owner of the landmark Signia by Hilton San Jose, an 805-room hotel, is actively seeking a buyer for one of the two towers of the lodging complex.Up for sale is the 264-room south tower, which would be converted to a new use. The 541-room north tower would remain a conventional hotel, said Sam Hirbod, the principal owner of the double-tower hotel complex.Long-term lodging stays or a housing complex are among the potential future uses of a repurposed and redeveloped south tower under a new owner, according to a marketing brochure that’s being circulated by JLL, a commercial real estate firm that’s seeking buyers for the highrise.But the notion of extended lodging stays in the southern tower is encountering opposition from a coalition headed up by lab...

Barabak: Can Newsom kinda-sorta run for president and still do his job?

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:50:06 GMT

He ran TV ads taunting Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and raised billboards in seven states telling women that California would defend their access to abortion.He lashed out at fellow Democrats for being insufficiently incandescent in their rage over the Supreme Court’s impending reversal of Roe vs. Wade. “Where the hell is my party?” Gavin Newsom demanded.Then, just last week, California’s gallivanting governor announced the formation of a nationally focused political action committee, accompanied by all the trappings of a budding White House bid:A fundraising blitz.A launch video ablaze with ripped-from-the-headlines imagery, urgent narration by Newsom and a lineup of political villains — Donald Trump, Marjorie Taylor Greene, DeSantis — whom Democrats love to loathe.Finally, a campaign-style swing, with wife and kids in tow, to meet with Black leaders across the South, the first of a promised series of road trips to places, Newsom declared, “where freedom is most under attack.”All of w...

Opinion: How community solar could transform clean energy access

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:50:06 GMT

Community solar is finally about to have its moment in the sun.Signed into law last year, Assembly Bill 2316 requires the California Public Utilities Commission to assess new community renewable energy program proposals with a focus on serving low-income customers. This will make solar power an option for all residents, not just wealthier homeowners.Community solar allows families to subscribe to a project through a community solar provider. Customers will receive a community solar credit on their utility bill, saving them money on their energy bills. The customer’s participation in the community solar program supports the development and operation of a community solar project that provides energy to the grid.While California has the most rooftop solar installations in the country, solar energy is still out of reach for many residents. This includes the 44% of Californians who rent their homes, homeowners whose roofs are unable to host solar panels, or those who don’t have the resou...

Fact check: Donald Trump delivers barrage of false claims in first post-indictment address

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:50:06 GMT

By Daniel Dale | CNNFormer President Donald Trump made a speech at his Mar-a-Lago resort on Tuesday night after he was arraigned in Manhattan on felony charges of falsifying business records — and delivered a barrage of false claims that have been previously debunked.Trump pleaded not guilty to all the charges Tuesday.The former president was repeatedly inaccurate when he pivoted to the subject of the federal investigation into his handling of official documents. He also repeated some of his favorite falsehoods on a variety of other subjects.Here is a fact check of some of Trump’s claims.Presidential Records ActTrump, denouncing the August federal search of Mar-a-Lago, claimed that the Presidential Records Act requires prolonged negotiations over the return of documents.He said: “Just so everyone knows, I come under what’s known as the Presidential Records Act, which was designed and approved by Congress long ago just for this reason. Under the act, I’m supposed to negotiate with NA...

Detached house in Saratoga sells for $4.2 million

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:50:06 GMT

13313 Via Madronas Drive – Google Street ViewA 3,059-square-foot house built in 1962 has changed hands. The spacious property located in the 13300 block of Via Madronas Drive in Saratoga was sold on March 9, 2023. The $4,200,000 purchase price works out to $1,373 per square foot. The property features five bedrooms, three baths, a garage, and two parking spaces. The unit sits on a 0.4-acre lot.Additional houses have recently been purchased nearby:In September 2022, a 2,153-square-foot home on Charters Avenue in Saratoga sold for $3,950,000, a price per square foot of $1,835. The home has 4 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms.A 2,148-square-foot home on the 13100 block of Via Arriba Drive in Saratoga sold in February 2023, for $3,100,000, a price per square foot of $1,443. The home has 3 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms.On Via Escuela Court, Saratoga, in August 2022, a 3,340-square-foot home was sold for $4,850,000, a price per square foot of $1,452. The home has 5 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms. 

San Francisco tech executive killed in stabbing near SoMa

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:50:06 GMT

SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) -- A tech executive died after an apparent stabbing near SoMa early Tuesday morning, and police are asking for the public to come forward with any information, according to the San Francisco Police Department. The victim is Bob Lee, 43, of Mill Valley. Not only was he the founder of mobile payment service Cash App, he was an executive at cryptocurrency MobileCoin and part of mobile payment service Square.No arrests have been made and no description of a suspect has been released. San Jose purse-snatching suspects who targeted AAPI community arrested Around 2:35 a.m., officers were called to the 400 block of Main Street, near the Highrise Condos, after receiving a report of a stabbing in the area. Officers found Lee suffering from what appeared to be stab wounds. Lee was provided medical aid by officers and emergency medical responders before he was taken to a local hospital. He later died of his injuries. KRON On is streaming now.embed-container { position: re...

Allergy season in full swing following recent storms

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:50:06 GMT

(KRON) -- Seasonal allergies are at an all time high mostly due to the recent rainfall. If you’re experiencing them for the first time, you’re not alone.The Center for Disease Control says 26 percent of U.S. adults and 19 percent of kids get them every year. And this year a lot of us may get them.Seasonal allergies normally happen during spring when the body reacts to pollen from grasses and trees. Over the last few months, rainfall has been significant across the state impacting the growth of trees and the amount of pollen put out. In addition we have had high winds moving that pollen all around.Pollen.com ranks pollen levels from zero to 12, eight being considered a medium high. By this weekend, the Bay Area may be around a 10.6.KRON4 meteorologist John Shrable said, “Pollen levels are particularly high, even compared to the past few years. High levels of ash, elder juniper right now. And our pollen levels are actually going to increase into the weekend. Which I know for families ...

As Villa soars, Unai Emery changing opinions in England

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:50:06 GMT

English soccer’s perceptions of Unai Emery are starting to change.During a testing 18-month spell at Arsenal in 2018-19, Emery was placed in an almost impossible situation — the successor to longtime manager Arsene Wenger and the face of a club going through upheaval behind the scenes as it adapted to a status outside the Premier League’s title-chasing elite.He was mocked for his tactics and, reportedly, his ability to communicate because of his broken English.Now at Aston Villa, Emery is working more in the shadows, away from the glare and scrutiny that comes with being at one of the country’s top clubs.Well, maybe until now.Since the Spanish coach took charge of Villa on Nov. 1 as the replacement for Steven Gerrard, only Arsenal and Manchester City — the two teams fighting it out for the title — have collected more than Villa’s 32 points.The team from central England has soared to seventh place and is in the running for European qualification, from being in 16th and just one...

Cooper gets backing as Forest slides down Premier League

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:50:06 GMT

NOTTINGHAM, England (AP) — Nottingham Forest manager Steve Cooper was given public backing by the club’s owner Wednesday as the team slides down the Premier League standings.Forest hasn’t won any of its last eight league games and dropped to 17th place, one spot above the relegation zone, with a 2-1 loss at Leeds on Tuesday.Clubs typically don’t respond to media speculation about a manager’s position but Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis wanted to put the record straight with increasing reports about Cooper’s future.“No one denies that our club is in a difficult position in the Premier League,” Marinakis said in a statement, “but we wish to end the speculation and the false and disruptive reporting in the media to confirm that Steve Cooper remains our manager at Nottingham Forest.”Marinakis stressed, though, that “results and performances must improve immediately.”“We have all been disappointed with recent performances,” he said, “and it is v...

Stafford deputies: Marine snapped teen suspect’s knife in half to stop stabbing

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:50:06 GMT

Three Marines intervened to prevent a potential stabbing when deputies say a teenager pulled a knife on a victim at a restaurant in Stafford County, Virginia, on Saturday.It happened at 25 Dunn Drive in North Stafford around 1:30 p.m. on Saturday, according to a news release from the Stafford County Sherriff’s Office.More Stafford County NewsMore Local NewsMore Crime NewsTwo teenage boys were assaulting a male victim and stole his phone before deputies say one pulled out a knife.The Marines at the restaurant separated the 17-year-old and 14-year-old suspects from the victim. One Marine broke the knife in half, deputies said.A marine broke the knife in half, which deputies say prevented a stabbing at a Stafford County restaurant. (Courtesy Stafford County Sheriff’s Office)The suspects left the scene but were found in a nearby parking lot at 394 Garrisonville Road and taken into custody.A 17-year-old boy, who was armed with a knife, is charged with assault and battery, rob...