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San Jose cop who wrote racist texts should face steeper punishment, say Black community leaders

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:56 GMT

A coalition of the South Bay’s Black community on Thursday called for a former San Jose police officer who authored a slew of racist text messages to face more accountability and that any criminal cases involving the law enforcement official be dropped immediately.Mark McNamara resigned last week after correspondence surfaced showing him mocking a controversial shooting he was involved at a downtown San Jose taqueria and writing to another officer “I hate Black people,” among other text messages released.The incident has already led Santa Clara County’s District Attorney’s office to review at least one case involving McNamara unrelated to the taqueria shooting.“We have a challenge in front of us, San Jose,” said Rev. Reginald Swilley at a press conference Thursday morning at the city’s African American Service Agency. “How are we going to deal with bad policemen? Are we going to let them continue to infect everybody we hire? Or are we going to be brave enough and say, ‘This guy can’...

Campbell: Iconic Kirk’s Steakburgers — the city’s ‘original burger joint’ — is relocating

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:56 GMT

The old place on Bascom Avenue is shuttered, its vintage sign nearly obscured by an overgrown tree.But there’s welcome news for fans of Kirk’s Steakburgers posted out front: This classic burger joint, established 75 years ago, will be back in business soon — across the street at the Grill’em location. That restaurant is closing Nov. 15.The Kirk’s building is being torn down to accommodate a housing project.“Thank you all for your support and patience as we navigate our move! We have been hard at work packing, cleaning and organizing for our move, to our new location,” the Kirk’s owners posted on Facebook. “Rest assured we are doing everything in our power in order to reopen as quickly as possible. We are hoping to be in and ready to serve by the end of November. We will do our best and will keep you updated along the way.”In the meantime, Kirk’s fans who need a fix can head to Palo Alto, where there’s a location...

Rain forecast for Bay Area next week. How heavy will it get?

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:56 GMT

Thanksgiving is still two weeks away, but the Bay Area could be about to shift into winter weather mode.A storm from the Gulf of Alaska is expected to bring the first significant rainfall of the winter season to Northern California next week.Forecasters say it is still early, and the numbers could change. But on Thursday the National Weather Service predicted there is roughly a 70% chance that parts of the Greater Bay Area — including the North Bay, San Francisco, the Santa Cruz Mountains and Big Sur — will receive 2 inches or more of rain next Wednesday through Friday.San Jose and the East Bay are expected to receive less, with specific forecasted totals coming in the next few days. In the Sierra, the storm is forecast to dump at least 1 foot of snow above 6,000 feet, the National Weather Service says. That would more than double the total that has fallen so far since Oct. 1, bringing it up to historical averages for this time of year after a relatively dry autumn so fa...

49ers’ Brock Purdy has refreshed mind and body for stretch run

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:56 GMT

SANTA CLARA — Brock Purdy does not look stressed. He is sitting in a folding chair at his locker, with Thursday’s practice script in one hand and his right foot propped up against the stall.He smiles while reminiscing about recent trips to the Jacksonville area, from offseason throwing sessions near Ponte Vedra Beach to last summer’s lakeside engagement to his fiancé.He takes the 49ers’ three-game losing streak quite seriously, mind you. But he also is taking a glass-half-full approach into Sunday’s game against the Jaguars, and he does so with a refreshed mind and body from last week’s bye.Sure, the 49ers (5-3) as a team definitely needed the break to recharge and recalibrate, including left tackle Trent Williams and wide receiver Deebo Samuel, both of whom practiced Thursday and should return from two-game absences.For Purdy, last week’s downtime offered something new, seeing how last season’s bye came a month before he relieved Jimm...

Sonoma Valley High lockdown lifted, threat deemed unfounded

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:56 GMT

(KRON) -- A lockdown for Sonoma Valley High School and several other area schools has been lifted after an unspecified threat was deemed unfounded, the Sonoma County Sheriff's Office said. Earlier, several schools were under lockdown, including Sonoma Valley High and Creekside High School, which share the same campus.Adele Harrison Middle School and Prestwood Elementary were also on lockdown due to their proximity to Sonoma Valley HS, authorities said. There is no threat to these two schools, according to the sheriff's office, but they are on lockdown “out of an abundance of caution.” Silicon Valley nudist resort goes on market for $32 million Authorities advised people to avoid the area of all four schools as the lockdown continues.Sonoma Valley and Creekside high schools are located on Highway 12 south of MacArthur Street.Video from the scene showed numerous police vehicles outside of the schools with parents and students gathered in the vicinity. As of 3 p.m., students at some ...

2 Santa Rosa deaths tied to carbon monoxide poisoning

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:56 GMT

(KRON) -- Two people found dead in Santa Rosa on Tuesday are believed to have been killed by carbon monoxide poisoning, the City of Santa Rosa announced Thursday. Santa Rosa's police and fire departments went to 2705 Range Ave. just after 9:30 a.m. on Tuesday after the bodies were discovered. The city said a maintenance representative at an apartment complex went inside a unit for routine maintenance and found the two elderly adults unresponsive. Multiple Sonoma schools on lockdown due to threat The Santa Rosa Fire Department went inside and determined that the subjects may have been exposed to carbon monoxide. An air monitor confirmed high levels of carbon monoxide were present. A dog was found awake and alert in the bedroom, and it was turned over to Sonoma County Animal Control. All other units at the complex were ruled to be clear of carbon monoxide and no other residents had medical complaints, the city said. A preliminary investigation suggests that the carbon monoxide pois...

SF to use emergency systems to coordinate impacts at APEC conference

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:56 GMT

(BCN) -- Please be patient.That advice was repeated by several San Francisco officials at a Thursday press event detailing what residents might expect next week when the city hosts the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation, which runs from Saturday through Nov. 17.The city activated its Emergency Operations Center on South Van Ness Avenue that will serve as the main place for coordination between city, state and federal agencies, as well the hub for public communications.Police Chief Bill Scott said the city is expecting over 20,000 people across 21 member APEC economies and hundreds of CEOs from around the world. Traffic on SF Bay Bridge will be impacted by APEC summit "This city knows how to facilitate First Amendment activity," Scott said, anticipating hundreds of organized protests. "We do it time and time again. We respect people exercising their First Amendment rights, but we will not tolerate violence and property destruction. If you see crime, please report it. Don't stand an...

Giant lasers to light up San Francisco for APEC

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:56 GMT

SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) -- San Francisco's giant lasers are back. This time, 12 laser beams will light up the city nightly in celebration of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) 2023 Summit.Organizers with arts nonprofit Illuminate and the Civic Joy Fund said beaming lasers will shine along Market Street from sunset to sunrise, November 13-16.The lasers will feature a never-before-seen array to showcase San Francisco, signify unity between cooperating nations, and impress a global audience. Dubbed "Illuminate San Francisco," lasers will emit a "nightly canopy of light and joy above Market Street - the City’s civic spine," organizers wrote.Lasers will emanate from Harry Bridges Plaza in front of the Ferry Building and beam at a 3-degree angle over Market Street, just clearing the top of Twin Peaks.(File photo courtesy Illuminate) "We look forward to helping San Francisco shine when the eyes of the world are upon us," saidBen Davis, Illuminate's founder. "Especially with internat...

Sham Conviction Overturned for Oren Miller, the Jailed Villages Politician Railroaded by Ron DeSantis

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:56 GMT

Oren Miller has been exonerated. On Thursday, a Florida appeals court overturned the conviction of the 73-year-old retiree turned former Sumter County commissioner, who was removed from office by Ron DeSantis in 2021 amid a battle with the Florida governor’s high-dollar donors. The court took the unusual step of not just vacating the previous conviction, but also instructing the lower court to insert a new verdict of “not guilty.” The saga of Miller and his fellow commissioner, Gary Search, who was similarly prosecuted, captured national attention earlier this year after The Intercept reported on the backlash to their effort to roll back property taxes in The Villages retirement community. A surge in public support for Miller’s legal defense fund enabled him to appeal his conviction.Ahead of the investigation into Miller and Search, as The Intercept previously reported, a top Villages official, who has hosted DeSantis for fundraisers, told Search on Election Day he had the pers...

Maryland Democrats Threaten Funding of Immigrant Rights Group That Called for Gaza Ceasefire

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:56 GMT

A group of Democratic state senators in Maryland is threatening to strip state funding for an immigrant rights group after it called for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and condemned the “utilization of US tax dollars to promote the ongoing violence.”The nine lawmakers who represent Montgomery County — Maryland’s most populous county — said in a statement on Wednesday that the remarks by CASA were “hurtful, divisive, and antisemitic.”CASA is a Maryland-based advocacy organization that also provides services for the state’s immigrant communities, and it receives millions of dollars from the state and local governments to do that work. The Democratic delegation, whose members sit on influential committees in the state legislature, suggested that it may cease state support for the organization. “This might be an appropriate time to reevaluate the state’s mechanism for providing financial aid and support to our immigrant community,” the senators wrote. “More specifically, we must ensure ...