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San Jose Mercury News: California & The West
Foreclosures boost Bay Area home sales
Bargain-hunting home buyers scooping up foreclosure properties deserve credit for some rare good news about the battered Bay Area housing market: Home sales in the region were better last month than they were a year ago, the first time that's happened since 2005.
by
smcallister@mercurynews.com (Sue McAllister
Mercury News)
20 Aug 2008 at 6:56am
Caltrain addresses bike crunch
Whether motivated by high gas prices, global warming or physical fitness, thousands of Caltrain's regular passengers are lugging their bicycles aboard.
by
editor@mercurynews.com (Shaun Bishop
Bay Area News Group)
20 Aug 2008 at 6:54am
Rep. Honda, a low-key unifier, to address Democratic convention
If ever there was an election cycle that was ready for a Spanish-speaking, Japanese-American politician who likes singing karaoke and counts Silicon Valley among his key constituents, this is it.
by
mostrom@mercurynews.com (Mary Anne Ostrom
Mercury News)
20 Aug 2008 at 6:52am
Fisher: Healthy way to lose weight for good cause
You may think you have tried everything to get rid of that spare tire around your waist. But have you ever tried donating it to charity? That's right.
by
pisher@mercurynews.com (Patty Fisher
Mercury News)
20 Aug 2008 at 6:51am
San Jose airport losing three East Coast flights
Flying to the East Coast? Better get ready to stop halfway there. Mineta San Jose International Airport is losing three more daily cross-country flights, leaving travelers with only one transcontinental non-stop. Vote: Should city pay airlines?
by
editor@mercurynews.com (Joshua Molina
Mercury News)
20 Aug 2008 at 6:49am
Transit union says Sept. VTA strike possible
Light-rail users may want to think about dusting off their commuter bikes this fall. The union that represents 1,400 bus and train operators, as well as the mechanics, for the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority began passing out fliers this week about a possible strike on Sept.
by
lernandez@mercurynews.com (Lisa Fernandez
Mercury News)
20 Aug 2008 at 3:34am
City lures tech chief from Sacramento
San Jose hired Sacramento's top technology official Tuesday as the city's new chief information officer to oversee computer and telecommunications purchases and use in city operations.
by
jwoololk@mercurynews.com (John Woolfolk
Mercury News)
20 Aug 2008 at 3:34am
Not guilty plea in brutal slaying
One of the transients suspected in the brutal rape and killing last year of a 46-year-old Cambodian immigrant has pleaded not guilty.
by
mgomez@mercurynews.com (Mark Gomez
Mercury News)
20 Aug 2008 at 3:34am
Man turns himself in, admits hit-and-run
A 28-year-old man walked into the Gilroy Police Department on Monday afternoon and took officers to a car in Morgan Hill that he was driving, police said, when he struck two pedestrians and left the scene.
by
lernandez@mercurynews.com (Lisa Fernandez
Mercury News)
20 Aug 2008 at 3:34am
County set to spray for oriental fruit fly
A program to eradicate a small infestation of the exotic pest oriental fruit fly will begin today in an area of about 10 square miles in Santa Clara County.
by
hhayes@mercurynews.com (Holly Hayes
Mercury News)
20 Aug 2008 at 3:34am
The Desert Sun, KESQ : Palm Springs
$1,000 a Day Fine Imposed for Mobile Home Park with Toxic Tap Water
Starting Tuesday, Riverside County is fining La Quinta Ridge Mobile Park owners a $1,000 a day for health violations connected to its toxic tap water.
http://www.KESQ.com/global/story.asp?s=8868212
District OKs $100M school bond
Desert Sands Unified School District trustees authorized a $100 million bond issuance to build permanent classrooms on several campuses at the board's regular meeting Tuesday.
http://www.mydesert.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080820/NEWS04/808200323/-1/RSS01
20 Aug 2008 at 2:11am
Commission: No plastic ban before public is heard
The public will have the opportunity to weigh in on a possible Palm Springs plastic bag ban during a forum in January, the Palm Springs Resource Conservation Commission voted Tuesday.
http://www.mydesert.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080820/NEWS01/808200327/1143/RSS27
20 Aug 2008 at 2:32am
Desert Regional Ordered to Pay $25,000 Fine
Desert Regional Medical Center in Palm Springs is being ordered to pay a $25,000 fine after it failed to investigate sexual abuse allegations against an employee.
http://www.KESQ.com/global/story.asp?s=8865922
More valley dwellers can buy houses
Nearly half of the Coachella Valley's households can afford to buy an entry-level home here, new figures released Tuesday show. The 48 percent who could afford a home during the second quarter is a marked improvement from just a year ago.
http://www.mydesert.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080820/BUSINESS04/808200326/-1/RSS01
20 Aug 2008 at 2:36am
Authorities on lookout for two suspects in stickup
Palm Springs police are searching for two men suspected of robbing a victim at gunpoint this past Thursday evening in the 400 block of Sunrise Way
http://www.mydesert.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080820/NEWS0801/808200348/1143/RSS27
20 Aug 2008 at 3:43am
San Bernardino Co. Deputy Arrested, Charged with Assault
A San Bernardino County Sheriff's deputy is faceing several charges connected to a big rig fire last week.
http://www.KESQ.com/global/story.asp?s=8867971
U.S. gymnast flips flawlessly on balance beam to earn first gold medal
Shawn Johnson finally won Olympic gold in Beijing today, edging teammate Nastia Liukin in the balance beam final with a daring, difficult routine that scored 16.225.
http://www.mydesert.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080820/SPORTS/808200329/-1/RSS01
20 Aug 2008 at 3:53am
Police: Jonathan Disario, 18, armed and dangerous
The Palm Springs Police Department is asking the public's help to find an 18-year-old suspect in an armed assault, according to a department news release.
http://www.mydesert.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080820/NEWS0801/808200341/1143/RSS27
20 Aug 2008 at 3:40am
Bermuda Dunes Man Among 55 Arrested in Child Porn Sting
Authorities say 55 men, including a Bermuda Dunes man, have been charged with possessing child pornography following an eight-month investigation.
http://www.KESQ.com/global/story.asp?s=8867567
Fun facts about the old Pacific Coast League
In the first half of the 20th Century, the PCL was THE baseball league in the West. It was really a third major league, with AAAA status (in 1952).
http://www.mydesert.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080820/COLUMNS53/808200334/-1/RSS01
20 Aug 2008 at 3:15am
Mounted police unit faces budget shortfall
Donations have helped the Palm Springs Police Department's Mounted Enforcement Unit to keep running for years.
http://www.mydesert.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080819/NEWS08/808190312/1143/RSS27
19 Aug 2008 at 2:18am
Armed Theft Suspects On-the-Run in Palm Springs
Two men who robbed a man of his wallet and keys after he parked his car in Palm Springs remained at large Tuesday, authorities said.
http://www.KESQ.com/global/story.asp?s=8865670
Indio City Council to discuss tax reduction at meeting today
The Indio City Council will meet at 5 p.m. today in City Council chambers, 150 Civic Center Mall.
http://www.mydesert.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080820/NEWS03/80819038/-1/RSS01
20 Aug 2008 at 2:17am
SF Gate
Fairfield man charged in fatal Bay Bridge crash
Alameda County prosecutors charged a Fairfield man today with vehicular manslaughter for allegedly being drunk when he rear-ended another car at more than 100 mph on the Bay Bridge, killing a passenger. Jerell Puno, 22, was charged with gross vehicular...
by hlee@sfchronicle.com (Henry K. Lee)
20 Aug 2008 at 2:07am
Plastic-bag lawsuit in Manhattan Beach
Plastic bag retailers and manufacturers are suing Manhattan Beach over the city's recent plastic bag ban. The Save the Plastic Bag Coalition says the city violated the California Environmental Quality Act by failing to conduct a full environmental impact...
20 Aug 2008 at 2:00am
Weather won't be clearly better
This woman running along the bay shoreline in San Francisco on Tuesday had her timing right. The weather today is expected to be several degrees cooler in San Francisco, reaching only 63 degrees. For the foggy forecast, see page...
20 Aug 2008 at 2:00am
OAKLAND / Man charged in fatal 100-mph bridge crash
Alameda County prosecutors charged a Fairfield man Tuesday with vehicular manslaughter for allegedly being drunk when he rear-ended another car at more than 100 mph on the Bay Bridge, killing a passenger. Jerell Puno, 22, was charged with gross vehicular...
by Henry K. Lee
20 Aug 2008 at 2:00am
Bill would make hybrids heard on streets
Electric and hybrid vehicles may be good for the environment, but a California lawmaker says they're bad news for the blind. State Sen. Alan Lowenthal, a Long Beach Democrat, is pushing a bill aimed at ensuring that the vehicles make enough noise to be heard...
20 Aug 2008 at 2:00am
S.F.: Hospital address gets clearer
RESULTS: DAY 19 S.F. address is clearer: Every couple of minutes, patients walk in and out of the St. Luke's Monteagle Medical Center on 1580 Valencia St. in San Francisco. On Tuesday, those patients sauntered past new white numbers that displayed the...
by Jonathan Curiel
20 Aug 2008 at 2:00am
Budget impasse hits home for child care center
Kathy Sapp, who operates a state-funded day care center in her East Oakland home, has been running on fumes since the state Department of Education - its purse strings tied because of the budget impasse - stopped paying her and hundreds of other child care...
by cheredia@sfchronicle.com (Christopher Heredia)
19 Aug 2008 at 2:07am
Alligators have new swampy home in park
You know the job game? That's the game people play, almost automatically, when they meet at a bar or a party. Everybody says their name and what they do for a living; coolest job wins. Rick Cleveland wins the job game hands down. Every time. "Animal...
by mstannard@sfchronicle.com (Matthew B. Stannard)
19 Aug 2008 at 2:00am
Metal thieves strip urns, one with remains
Metal bandits have been pillaging pipes from Bay Area homes, eviscerating statues at public plazas and plundering fixtures from private businesses all for the quick cash of recycling metal scrap. Now, Union City police believe, they've even taken someone's...
by mkuruvila@sfchronicle.com (Matthai Kuruvila)
19 Aug 2008 at 2:00am
LAKE BERRYESSA / Boy drowned while trying to save friend
A San Francisco boy drowned while trying to help a friend having trouble swimming in Lake Berryessa, authorities said Tuesday. Alan Diaz, 14, was swimming with friends Sunday afternoon when a 14-year-old girl began showing signs of distress at Oak Shores on...
by hlee@sfchronicle.com (Henry K. Lee)
19 Aug 2008 at 2:00am
All charges dismissed in 2 beatings
An Alameda County judge reluctantly dismissed all charges Tuesday against a man accused of beating two elderly Berkeley men - both of whom later died - on the grounds that the defense wasn't done cross-examining one of the victims at the time of his death....
by hlee@sfchronicle.com (Henry K. Lee)
19 Aug 2008 at 2:00am
Foreclosures smack home prices - down 29.3%
Cut-rate foreclosed homes being unloaded by banks wreaked havoc on the Bay Area's median price in July, sending it down nearly 30 percent to a level not seen in more than four years. A third of all existing homes sold in the nine-county region in July were...
by csaid@sfchronicle.com (Carolyn Said)
19 Aug 2008 at 2:00am
Long-vacant S.F. bank site draws interest
Roosting pigeons and vagrants drinking malt liquor may not be long for the landmark Hibernia Bank building, where prospective tenants hope to rehabilitate the shuttered Baroque-inspired edifice in San Francisco's Tenderloin. David Jackson, executive director...
by jcote@sfchronicle.com (John Coté)
19 Aug 2008 at 2:00am
S.F. cuts misuse of disability parking fine
While the prices of many parking infractions in San Francisco are going through the roof, there's one violation that has become a relative bargain - misusing a parking placard for people with disabilities. That used to cost miscreants $500 a pop. Now, the...
by matierandross@sfchronicle.com (Phillip Matier,Andrew Ross)
19 Aug 2008 at 2:00am
Contra Costa Times: Bay & State
Alameda police seek second suspect in homicide
Anthony Harris, 19, sought in slaying of Troy Lancaster.
by
phegarty@cctimes.com (Peter Hegarty / Alameda Journal)
20 Aug 2008 at 1:08am
Assembly passes contentious for-profit college bill
After three years of failed votes, the Assembly OKs a watchdog agency to oversee 1,700 private and vocational schools.
by
mkrupnick@cctimes.com (Matt Krupnick / Contra Costa Times)
20 Aug 2008 at 1:04am
The Queen: Biodiesel. Want fries with that?
Commuter: When will the County Connection consider using alternatives for fuel? For the bus company's sake, use filtered cooking grease to replace gasoline (and save money).
by
editor@contracostatimes.com (The Queen of the Road / Contra Costa Times)
20 Aug 2008 at 1:03am
Sacramento Bee
Algebra 1 requirement highlights teacher shortage
Now that the state has mandated Algebra 1 for all eighth-graders within three years, a deeply entrenched problem has become even more urgent: California does not have enough qualified teachers of mathematics.
Isabel Montoya, center, a junior math major, tutors students at California State University, Sacramento. The university now allows students to take teacher preparation courses while completing undergraduate work, rather than waiting until after they earn a bachelor's degree.
Scott Farrand, left, a mathematics professor at California State University, Sacramento, involved in developing new teachers, talks over a math problem with Marco Zepeda-Hernandez of Sacramento.
by dkollars@sacbee.com (Deb Kollars)
20 Aug 2008 at 2:00am
Sacramento City Council cancels contract for free Wi-Fi network project
Sacramento is logging out of the wireless Internet game.
by rlillis@sacbee.com (Ryan Lillis)
20 Aug 2008 at 2:00am
Natomas activist's dream house is a place for victims of teen prostitution to...
In Sacramento and across the country during the past two years, law enforcement has been cracking down on pimps who lure girls into the dark world of prostitution.
Jenny Williamson, left, is encouraged by Sister Mercedes Braga after discussing her plan Tuesday to open a home in Sacramento for children who have been victims of sex trafficking. With pimps now the main focus of prosecution, young prostitutes often have no place to go and return to the street.
Jenny Williamson has been researching a home for victims of child prostitution for seven months. Now she's ready to start fundraising, to apply for a license and to talk to potential staff members.
Jenny Williamson, center, embraces Sacramento Police Sgt. Pam Seyffert, left, who is a local leader of a national task force to investigate sexual exploitation of children. Teenage prostitutes are considered victims while prosecutors focus their attention on convicting the pimps.
by chubert@sacbee.com (Cynthia Hubert)
20 Aug 2008 at 2:00am
South Watt to be closed all weekend near Folsom
Drivers, beware. Gawkers, too. Sacramento County bridge builders hope to pull off a dramatic, C.C. Myers-style construction coup on busy Watt Avenue this weekend.
by tbizjak@sacbee.com (Tony Bizjak)
20 Aug 2008 at 2:00am
Some Twin Rivers teachers upset about extended class time
A decision to add 25 to 30 more teaching minutes every day for elementary children in the new Twin Rivers Unified School District has upset many teachers there.
by dkollars@sacbee.com (Deb Kollars)
20 Aug 2008 at 2:00am
Capital's summer cool-off feels just right to some
As far as Johnnie Powell knows, summer's end won't arrive for another month. The tilt of the Earth and the rest of the cosmos ordain it so.
Matteo Gomez, 8, center, and cousin Carlos
Leon, 12, use foam claws to shade their view
Tuesday at Raley Field during a River Cats game.
A cool summer night makes for pleasant River Cats baseball viewing Tuesday for Tahoe Park residents Raymond Ashcroft, center, and Nolan Berggren, right, at Raley Field. After a stretch with highs in the 70s and 80s, forecasters expect 90-degree days to return Friday.
by bcalvan@sacbee.com (Bobby Caina Calvan)
20 Aug 2008 at 2:00am
Library displays State Fair memorabilia
Visitors to Sacramento's Central Library can step right up to see a collection of memorabilia from the California State Fair.
Tom Tolley, library technician for the Sacramento Room, checks over materials from the California State Fair, some dating from the 1880s. The exhibit is on display at the Sacramento Central Library.
by esanchez@sacbee.com (Edgar Sanchez)
20 Aug 2008 at 2:00am
Sacramento council OKs nearly $300,000 for abandoned cats
The city's cattery is about to get a whole lot swankier.
by rlillis@sacbee.com (Ryan Lillis)
20 Aug 2008 at 2:00am
Citrus Heights police seek casino gunman
Citrus Heights police are investigating an incident Friday night at Phoenix Casino in which a masked gunman walked into the crowded card room, robbed the cashier's cage and walked out with an undisclosed amount of cash.
by drichie@sacbee.com (David Richie and Kim Minugh)
20 Aug 2008 at 2:00am
Global warming threatens pika, lawsuit claims
WASHINGTON – Compared to the polar bear, the American pika is tiny.
The American pika, left, is endangered, say environmentalists, who want the Bush administration to protect it.
20 Aug 2008 at 2:00am
LA Times: California
Federal probe focuses on wife of L.A. City Atty. Delgadillo
Investigators are seeking information about her consulting business and taxes, sources say.
Federal authorities investigating Los Angeles City Atty. Rocky Delgadillo and his wife are seeking information about her consulting business and taxes, according to sources familiar with the inquiry.
20 Aug 2008 at 2:00am
Twins chase the news on L.A.'s dark streets
Austin and Howard Raishbrook, each equipped with scanners and cameras, roam freeways and byways, shooting fires and wrecks for TV.
I t was pushing 11 on a Friday night, and Austin Raishbrook wanted to be prowling the streets of Los Angeles looking for murder and mayhem.
20 Aug 2008 at 2:00am
Board approves law that holds parents accountable for kids' graffiti
The L.A. County supervisors' measure will allow authorities to hold taggers and their parents liable for civil damages.
Seeking to hit graffiti vandals and their parents in the pocketbook, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday unanimously approved a measure that would allow authorities to hold taggers -- and their parents -- liable for civil damages. It takes effect in 30 days.
20 Aug 2008 at 2:00am
Schwarzenegger's push to hike sales tax riles GOP
The governor says a temporary increase could help close the budget gap. But his party's leaders want to borrow.
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has taken on an unlikely role as one of the Capitol's most steadfast champions of a tax hike, spurning his fellow Republicans' uncharacteristic effort to borrow their way out of budget trouble.
20 Aug 2008 at 2:00am
College leaders hope to renew debate on a lower drinking age
The current limit ignores the reality of drinking on campus and pushes it underground, they say. Opponents say a rollback to age 18 would reverse declines in teen drunk driving.
As college students gear up for annual back-to-school parties, a group of university and college presidents in California and across the country this week pushed for a national debate over whether the drinking age should be lowered from 21 to 18.
20 Aug 2008 at 2:00am
Tunneling nearly complete for Inland Empire water project
Breakthrough expected today at Devil Canyon in the San Bernardino Mountains. The Inland Feeder Project will connect the California Aqueduct to the Diamond Valley Lake.
Even in the world of big-ticket water projects, where delays, cost overruns and controversy are frequent, the inelegantly named Inland Feeder Project was in a class of its own.
20 Aug 2008 at 2:00am
California National Guard losing budget battle in Legislature
Democrats in the state Senate block a $3.3-million allocation to give educational benefits to Guard members.
While they have been beating back wildfires across the state and fighting wars on two fronts overseas, the citizen soldiers of the California National Guard have also been waging a battle in the Legislature -- and losing.
20 Aug 2008 at 2:00am
Retired L.A. cop's got the material for a million stories
I f you'll indulge a confession, I'm a happy guy sitting across from a cop -- or even a retired cop -- with my notebook on the table and a beer in my hand. They've all got stories, some funny, some dark, some of them even true.
20 Aug 2008 at 2:00am
New principals begin work in L.A. mayor's schools partnership
They are hired as part of an ambitious, high-stakes effort to improve some of the lowest-achieving campuses.
Tim Sullivan's first day as Markham Middle School's principal was Monday. He quickly found out that the computers didn't recognize his employee identification number and that he didn't have enough staff to register about 300 sixth-graders for classes the next day.
20 Aug 2008 at 2:00am
Orange County transfers 1,200 acres to developer-backed land trust
The firm wants a toll road built through the property but says it will keep open space undeveloped.
Orange County supervisors Tuesday approved a plan to give control of 1,200 acres of open space to a land trust backed by a developer that supports building a six-lane toll road through the property.
20 Aug 2008 at 2:00am
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