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Cupertino: Newly released emails reveal conduct of two council members at the center of a recent investigation

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:36:25 GMT

Two Cupertino councilmembers at the center of a recent investigation accused city staff of cutting backroom deals, criticized them for their work and often made large requests for information, according to hundreds of pages of newly released emails by the city.The 185 emails between Councilmembers Kitty Moore and Liang Chao and City Manager Pamela Wu would normally be exempt from public view but City Attorney Christopher Jensen posted the emails on the city website following a recent council decision to release a portion of the communications included in the investigation.The investigation, which was conducted by Santa Rosa-based employment attorney Linda Daube, revealed a culture of distrust in city staff by Moore and Chao and show how emails sent by the pair were often construed by their recipients as “threatening, accusatory and somewhat coercive.”Tensions have intensified in recent years between councilmembers, particularly those backed by Better Cupertino. Since 201...

Bay Area News Group girls athlete of the week: Justine Valdivia, Wilcox softball

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:36:25 GMT

NEW: PREP SPORTS MAILBAGThe Bay Area News Group is introducing a high school sports mailbag in May. Get your questions in as soon as possible. Our debut edition is an open forum. Got questions about spring sports playoffs, coaching changes, an early peek at football season, etc.? Send questions to [email protected]. Please include “mailbag” in the subject line.Wilcox softball player Justine Valdivia is the Bay Area News Group’s high school girls athlete of the week for May 8-13 after she received 50.13% of the vote at the 5 p.m. deadline Wednesday.Sobrato softball player Sofia Ferrante (18.68%) placed second and Mountain View gymnast Alyssa Ong was third.Congratulations to all the candidates for this week’s recognition.Valdivia, a senior, pitched six and a third innings against Los Altos on Tuesday, and then threw nine innings and walked just one batter against a ranked Milpitas team. Valdivia also went 2 for 4 with an RBI against Milpitas, her second multi-hit ...

SF restaurant that hosted anti-trans dinner has Yelp page disabled amid backlash

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:36:25 GMT

SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) -- A restaurant in North Beach thought it was hosting a fundraising event for the San Francisco Republican Party. But now that restaurant, American Bites on Greet Street, says it's embarrassed that the dinner turned out to be an anti-trans event.San Francisco Chronicle opinion writer Soleil Ho attended the event last Thursday at American Bites and was the first to report that it was actually an anti-trans meeting. Bay to Breakers street closures for this weekend The restaurant has since admitted that this was true.In their column, Ho said that at the meeting, various anti-trans topics were discussed with participants yelling vulgar comments as high-profile transgender people's social media accounts were shown on a big screen. Dodgers un-invite SF drag group from pride event, appearing to bow to conservative pressure The restaurant has since put out a statement saying that the trans community was heavily targeted in the meeting and apologizing, saying:"As a c...

Bay to Breakers street closures for this weekend

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:36:25 GMT

SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) -- The Bay to Breakers race returns to San Francisco this weekend. The iconic and colorful race will take place Sunday, May 21 beginning at 8 a.m. As one of the largest running events in the world, the Bay to Breakers race attracts thousands annually, many of whom wear colorful costumes and takes runners through nine of the city's most notable neighborhoods. Beginning at the bay and ending on the Great Highway, where the breakers crash onto the beach, the race will result in many street closures from the starting line at Main and Howard streets on the east side of the city to the finishing line on the Great Highway. Bay Area city drops out of Top 10 in most-populous US cities Here is a complete list of expected street closures, according to the San Francisco Municipal Transit Authority.Bay to Breakers street closures:Starting line area street closuresThe following streets will be closed starting at 7 p.m. on Saturday, May 20Main, between Mission and FolsomHow...

Profits Skyrocket for AI Gun Detection Used in Schools — Despite Dubious Results

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:36:25 GMT

“If you are serious about our systems, then let’s jump on a quick call this week,” Anthony Geraci, a sales representative of Evolv Technology, wrote in an email to New Mexico’s Clovis Municipal Schools last November. “This is not a pressure tactic.”There was, however, pressure: If Clovis didn’t purchase the systems by the end of the year on a four-year agreement, Geraci explained, the prices would escalate. “We just want you to know this option exists and don’t want you upset when you hear that others have taken advantage of this option,” Geraci wrote.The tactic eventually worked. It would be another high-priced sale for Evolv, a leading company in the world of weapons detection systems that use artificial intelligence. Join Our Newsletter Original reporting. Fearless journalism. Delivered to you. I'm in Local media reported in March that Clovis bought the tec...

Police officer charged with lying about leaks to Proud Boys leader

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:36:25 GMT

A police officer was arrested Friday on charges he lied about leaking confidential information to a leader of the far-right Proud Boys extremist group and obstructed an investigation after group members destroyed a Black Lives Matter banner in the nation’s capital.An indictment alleges that Metropolitan Police Department Lt. Shane Lamond, 47, of Stafford, Virginia, warned former Proud Boys national chairman Enrique Tarrio that law enforcement had an arrest warrant for Tarrio related to the banner’s destruction.Tarrio was arrested in Washington two days before Proud Boys members joined a mob in storming the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. Earlier this month, Tarrio and three other members of the group were convicted of seditious conspiracy charges for what prosecutors said was a plot to keep then-President Donald Trump in the White House after he lost the 2020 election.A federal grand jury in Washington indicted Lamond on one count of obstruction of justice and three counts of m...

PGA Live Updates | Club pro Michael Block joins more famous company on PGA leaderboard

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:36:25 GMT

PITTSFORD, N.Y. (AP) — Club professional Michael Block has joined considerably more famous company near the top of the leaderboard at the PGA Championship.The 46-year-old Block, the head pro at Arroyo Trabuco Golf Club in Mission Viejo, California, birdied three of his first five holes of the second round to climb to 2 under as he heads to his second nine at Oak Hill. That put Block two shots behind first-round leader Bryson DeChambeau, who will begin his second round Friday afternoon.This is the fifth PGA appearance for Block, who qualified by finishing in a tie for second at the PGA Professional Championship this month. He has yet to make the cut in six previous starts at major championships.Block began the second round by rolling in an 8-foot birdie putt on the par-4 10th hole at the East Course. He hit his approach to tap-in range on the par-4 12th and drained a 12-footer for birdie on the short par-4 14th.Block is putting himself in solid position to make it to the weekend. The...

Italian teams bidding for clean sweep of European trophies

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:36:25 GMT

MILAN (AP) — Italian teams are bidding to achieve what they have only done once before: a clean sweep of all three of Europe’s top club competitions.Inter Milan is aiming to end a 13-year wait for the Champions League trophy, while Roma is targeting a second straight European title after reaching the Europa League final and Fiorentina is in the Europa Conference League final.In 1990, AC Milan won the European Cup and Juventus won the UEFA Cup — the previous names for the Champions League and Europa League. Sampdoria won the now-defunct European Cup Winners’ Cup.“Inter, Roma and Fiorentina have been extraordinary, they have accomplished an exceptional result for the whole movement,” said Gabriele Gravina, the president of the Italian soccer federation. “The enthusiasm generated by this success is something unique so I congratulate the respective directors, technical staff and the players because the three finals are the result of very solid technical projects.”Gravina will attend all...

Dortmund midfielder Bellingham sidelined with knee pain ahead of key game

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:36:25 GMT

DORTMUND, Germany (AP) — Jude Bellingham is likely to miss a crucial game in Borussia Dortmund’s challenge for the German title after knee pain ruled him out of training with the team this week, coach Edin Terzic said Friday.The England midfielder felt pain in Dortmund’s 5-2 win over Borussia Moenchengladbach last week and hasn’t been in full training since. Terzic said there is “a big question mark” about whether he can play in Dortmund’s game against Augsburg on Sunday.Bayern Munich leads Dortmund by one point in the Bundesliga standings with two games to go. If Bayern beats Leipzig on Saturday, Bayern’s big advantage on goal difference means Dortmund would realistically need a win to keep its title chances alive ahead of the final round of games next week.The 19-year-old Bellingham has scored 14 goals in 42 games for Dortmund this season, including four in his team’s last four Bundesliga games.Bayern coach Thomas Tuchel is set to have Yann Somm...

Lifting the lid: Virginia health department rolls out COVID data tied to what you flush

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:36:25 GMT

At the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Virginia Department of Health began pushing to use wastewater to track the spread of coronavirus. Now that data is available to the public.The dashboard, now available where the state’s coronavirus dashboard is located, uses wastewater from 36 treatment plants throughout Virginia to track and monitor the virus.“Used with other data, wastewater data can provide an indicator of community transmission that does not depend on COVID-19 lab testing or health care provider reporting,” said Dr. Karen Shelton, Virginia’s state health commissioner.The department said that the virus is shed in the bowl movements of infected people, even if they’re without symptoms, so detection is possible in sewage systems days before you start feeling sick.“Wastewater surveillance has proven to be a helpful tool in monitoring trends of viruses; we are excited to also explore the potential of utilizing this technology for the fent...