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Want to stay on the Bay Area’s famed floating island with palm trees and lighthouse? Now you can.

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:39:56 GMT

Long ago in a wine cellar deep below the waterline in San Francisco Bay, Tony Bennett broke out into his beloved signature song as he visited Forbes Island, a then-popular floating restaurant near Pier 39.It was Bennett’s birthday, and he and another friend came to the human-made island to tour it, recalled its builder and then-owner, Forbes Thor Kiddoo.“I was showing the wine cellar, and then he just started singing, ‘I Left My Heart in San Francisco,’ and so I let him finish because he’s got a wonderful voice and it’s a famous song,” Kiddoo said of the impromptu intimate performance.“We’ve had so many parties and so many great times,” he recalled of the floating island’s former glory days.Not that all was smooth sailing for Kiddoo, who built Forbes Island by hand, launching it in 1979 in Sausalito. After living and working there for decades, the Brooklyn native ran into trouble with a state commission that made him move his self-propelled concrete and steel island. He ...

Bay Area youth who grew up with the climate movement celebrate landmark Montana case

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:39:56 GMT

Myroslava Fisun, 17, always wanted a seat at the table. Whether it was pollution in the San Francisco air or plastic in the water, witnessing the effects of climate change made her feel scared. But she wasn’t going to let that fear stop her from fighting to save the planet.“When I just started my environmental advocacy, it was hard to connect with organizations as a youth because they were like, ‘Oh, but do you have the 10-plus years of professional experience?'” Fisun recounted. “And it’s like, ‘No, but I’m still an environmentalist.'”After Montana District Court Judge Kathy Seeley ruled Monday in a historic youth-led Montana lawsuit that the state’s approval of fossil fuel projects violated their right to a “clean and healthful environment,” Fisun feels relieved — and energized to keep the momentum going.“Now that young people are influencing policy, now that policy around climate is starting to ha...

‘How can we survive?’: Labor talks worry deaf-school teachers in Fremont

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:39:56 GMT

FREMONT — High school teacher Ty Kovacs flipped through photo boards on a recent morning at the campus library at the California School for the Deaf in Fremont, stopping and pointing at a picture taken of the school’s basketball team in the late ’80s.“That’s me,” said Kovacs, who wore No. 32 for the California School for the Deaf Eagles and graduated from the storied school in 1989.Now, Kovacs fears the school’s future is at risk as teachers and staff bargain with the state for pay raises they say are desperately needed to keep up with the Bay Area’s high cost of living and fill positions as more and more educators consider leaving for competitive wages elsewhere or retiring.“The school is going to be shut down,” he said, adding that the result would amount to “cultural genocide” because of the services the school offers deaf students.Bargaining teams with Service Employees International Union Local 1000, which ...

Editorial: California should ban tackle football in high school

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:39:56 GMT

Every parent whose child plays tackle football should be aware of the newest study of the risks.Medical researchers for decades have known of the link between boxing and Parkinson’s Disease. The sad decline of Muhammad Ali is the most prominent example of the devastating impact of a disease that currently afflicts an estimated 500,000 Americans.Now a study published Friday by Boston University researchers working with the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research shows that participants with a history of playing organized tackle football have a 61% greater risk for Parkinson’s Disease or disease-related symptoms. The longer an athlete plays, the greater the risk. Those competing in college and the NFL had nearly triple the odds of later developing Parkinson’s compared with those who played only youth or high school football.The findings add to the growing case that tackle football should be banned at all California public schools.At the very least, t...

San Jose office building tumbles into loan default for second time

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:39:56 GMT

SAN JOSE — A San Jose office building has tumbled into a loan default, a disquieting indicator that post-coronavirus economic gremlins still bedevil the Bay Area real estate market.The office building whose mortgage is delinquent is at 110 Baytech Drive in north San Jose’s Alviso district, according to documents filed on Aug. 15 with the Santa Clara County Recorder’s Office.Money360, an online marketplace for real estate loans, provided the financing in 2019, the county records show.The original loan that’s in default totals $16.3 million according to the public real estate documents.Including the principal, late fees, interest, penalties and other costs, the current amount owed is slightly over $18 million.The mortgage delinquency represents the second time in about a year that a real estate loan for the building has landed in default.In August 2022, a notice of default was filed against the building. County records show that within the next several days, th...

Sale closed in Saratoga: $4.1 million for a four-bedroom home

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:39:56 GMT

20462 Glen Brae Drive – Google Street ViewA 2,476-square-foot house built in 1965 has changed hands. The spacious property located in the 20400 block of Glen Brae Drive in Saratoga was sold on July 24, 2023. The $4,105,000 purchase price works out to $1,658 per square foot. This single-story home offers a roomy layout with four bedrooms and three bathrooms. Additionally, the house is equipped with a two-car garage, accommodating vehicles and storage needs efficiently. The lot size of the property measures an impressive 0.3-acre and features a pool for added enjoyment.These nearby houses have also recently been sold:In March 2023, a 2,411-square-foot home on Glen Brae Drive in Saratoga sold for $4,150,000, a price per square foot of $1,721. The home has 4 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms.On Chalet Lane, Saratoga, in September 2022, a 2,862-square-foot home was sold for $3,750,000, a price per square foot of $1,310. The home has 4 bedrooms and 4 bathrooms.A 2,416-square-foot home on the 20200...

Opinion: California cities lose money, harm citizens with ‘poverty tows’

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:39:56 GMT

In California, if you don’t have enough money to pay for parking tickets, the government may take your car.Every year, tens of thousands of low-income Californians lose their vehicles simply because they cannot afford to pay for parking tickets. City governments tow the cars not because they are currently parked illegally but because their owners haven’t paid past parking fines. The vehicles then run up storage fees at towing facilities — fees that low-income vehicle owners also cannot pay.As a result, the cars are auctioned off. The outcome is that our cities are not only punishing people for being poor, but also taking away their lifeline for climbing out of poverty.That is not the way California’s cities should be treating their most economically vulnerable residents. Losing a car can cost individuals their job, their medical care, their childcare and even their personal safety.Many cities require vehicle owners to pay all their parking ticket debt, snowballing late fees an...

2 restaurants suffer water, fire damage after blaze in Santa Rosa

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:39:56 GMT

(KRON ) -- A two-alarm fire at a two-story commercial building in the 500 block of Fourth Street early Wednesday morning, according to the Santa Rosa Fire Department.Firefighters found water coming from both stories of the building that housed several different businesses. Crews found a fire burning inside Thai House Restaurant with the fire being somewhat contained by a fire sprinkler that had activated, SRFD said.The fire was eventually contained and no occupants were found in the restaurant. Belly Left Coast Kitchen Tap, the business below, had significant amounts of water that had poured down from the Thai restaurant, officials said. 4-year-old girl killed, parents injured in crash near Oracle Park Crews worked to remove water from both floors of the building. No other businesses were affected. Damages are estimated to be around $150,000, SRFD said. Thai House Restaurant and Belly Left Coast Kitchen Tap Room will be closed for an unspecified amount of time due to water and fi...

Guaranteed basic income program for formerly incarcerated moves forward with vote

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:39:56 GMT

(BCN) -- A pilot program to provide guaranteed basic income to 100 Santa Clara County residents who have been incarcerated or were otherwise under supervision by the justice system took another step forward Tuesday as the county Board of Supervisors was updated on a potential budget and planning process. The program will provide $1,200 a month for two years, if approved. It is one of four guaranteed basic income initiatives being tested by Santa Clara County, most of which are in the planning phase. Supervisors also approved a separate pilot program to train formerly incarcerated or otherwise justice-involved people to work in food service by setting up a cafeteria at the Civic Center. Ky Le, a deputy county executive who gave the presentation Tuesday, told the board that the guaranteed basic income program would cost $4 million. Supervisors allocated $2 million from the county's American Rescue Plan Act funds, which will be supplemented by $1 million each from the state...

Niger Junta Appoints U.S.-Trained Military Officers to Key Jobs

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:39:56 GMT

U.S.-trained military officers have been appointed to head five of eight regions of Niger by a junta that includes at least five U.S.-trained military officers, The Intercept has learned. While the Pentagon claims its instruction doesn’t lead to mutinies, innovative research by a former Pentagon analyst indicates the opposite could be true.The Nigerien junta, which calls itself the National Council for the Safeguarding of the Fatherland, seized power on July 26 and detained the democratically elected President Mohamed Bazoum. Earlier this month, the junta reportedly installed eight top security officials to govern its seven regions and the capital district. This consolidation of power included the appointments of Brig. Gens. Iro Oumarou and Ibrahim Bagadoma; Col. Maj. Oumarou Tawayé; Inspector General of Police Issoufou Mamane; and Col. Labo Issoufou. All have “participated in U.S.-sponsored training,” a State Department spokesperson said in response to questions from The Intercept....