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Commuter pleads for better metering light strategy on 880: Roadshow

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:10:41 GMT

Q: I commute on Interstate 880 in the South Bay. A while back, Caltrans changed the metering light strategy. Please tell me this is some experiment gone wrong that will soon go away. As I drive to work at 5 a.m. with minimal traffic, the lights are all on, slowing any poor car trying to merge onto the freeway. Same thing on my way home. Transitioning from 237 to 880, we all stop, then go without spacing between vehicles. Why bother?This seems like a waste of fuel/battery charge and a safety concern at some short merges.Russ BakerA: Victor-the-Caltrans-spokesman for Santa Clara County said that advance warning signs were repaired on this connector and the metering light is working. I’m not sure this addresses all the concerns you raised. Please let me know if the situation has improved.Q: A reader recently claimed that the suggestion that we report bike lane obstacles by calling 311 is impractical. He said the only option was to leave a voicemail there.This is incorrect. When I...

Loophole costs San Jose thousands of homes

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:10:41 GMT

(BCN) -- The builder's remedy has come to roost in San Jose, with a major project now planning to scale back by several thousand homes.One of the first significant projects to see a new application under builder's remedy is on the San Jose Flea Market site. The developer plans to reduce the project size to 940 residential units from nearly 3,500 previously approved as a part of a high-density, transit-oriented development near the BART station. Boarded-up San Jose home shown in realtor’s viral video sold for $780K San Jose is beginning to experience the fallout from failing to create a state-approved housing plan, which could allow the state to force San Jose to greenlight housing projects that don't meet the city's general plan, known as builder's remedy.San Jose City Councilmember David Cohen represents District 4, where the Berryessa BART Urban Village project is slated. The approved plan is to rezone a 61.5-acre portion of the San Jose Flea Market to include up to 3.4 million...

Southbound I-680 closures this weekend

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:10:41 GMT

PLEASANTON, Calif. (KRON) – There will be major closures on southbound I-680.The purpose of the closure is to replace deteriorating southbound lanes that have become a safety issue for drivers. The closure will be at 9 p.m. on Nov. 3 from until the morning of Nov. 6. San Jose water main breaks, 24 customers impacted The closure begins in Pleasanton with all I-680 southbound lanes. The closure will begin from the I-580 connector to Koopman Road. Saint Patrick Way, Bernal Drive, Sunol Boulevard, and Stoneridge Drive will all be closed.Caltrans advises drivers to use Highway 84, I-580, or alternative routes.Northbound of I-680 will all remain open.

Stock market today: Wall Street’s best week of 2023 heads toward unblemished finish after job report

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:10:41 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Wall Street’s best week of the year is getting even better Friday following a cooler-than-expected report on the job market.The S&P 500 was 0.9% higher in early trading and on track to rise every day this week. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 182 points, or 0.5%, as of 9:45 a.m. Eastern time, and the Nasdaq composite was 0.9% higher.Stocks have surged more than 5% this week on rising hopes the Federal Reserve is finally done with its market-crunching hikes to interest rates, which were meant to get inflation under control. Friday’s jobs report underscored that pressure is easing on inflation after it showed employers hired fewer workers last month than economists expected.Treasury yields in the bond market tumbled immediately after the jobs report, releasing more of the pressure that had built up on Wall Street. The yield on the 10-year Treasury eased to 4.48% from 4.67% late Thursday and from more than 5% last week, when it hit its highest level since 20...

Missy Elliott, Willie Nelson, Sheryl Crow and Chaka Khan ready for Rock & Roll Hall of Fame

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:10:41 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Fans of hip-hop, country, pop, funk, R&B and rock all have reason to cheer the 2023 class entering the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.Missy Elliott, Kate Bush, Willie Nelson, Sheryl Crow, Chaka Khan, “Soul Train” creator Don Cornelius and the late George Michael will be inducted into the hall on Friday night in New York. The ceremony is also streaming live for the first time on Disney+.Also entering the hall are The Spinners, Rage Against the Machine, DJ Kool Herc, Link Wray, Al Kooper and Elton John’s longtime co-songwriter Bernie Taupin.The ceremony in Brooklyn will feature either as presenters or performers John, Brandi Carlile, Dave Matthews, H.E.R., Chris Stapleton, St. Vincent, New Edition, Stevie Nicks, Adam Levine, Carrie Underwood, Common, Ice-T, LL Cool J, Miguel, Queen Latifah and Sia. There’s even money that John will sing some of the songs he wrote with Taupin.Elliott becomes the first female hip-hop artist in the rock hall, which called her “a t...

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken says ‘we need to do more to protect Palestinian civilians’

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:10:41 GMT

KHAN YOUNIS, Gaza Strip (AP) — U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said more needs to be done to “protect Palestinian civilians” in Gaza and that, without that, there will be “no partners for peace.”Speaking to reporters in Tel Aviv on Friday, Blinken also said, “we need to substantially and immediately increase the sustainable humanitarian assistance” into Gaza.He also said it was critical to restore the path toward a two-state solution to the Israel-Palestinian conflict, calling it the only “guarantor” of a safe and democratic Israel and independent Palestine. He said work on that must begin “not tomorrow, not after today, but today.”THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP’s earlier story follows below.KHAN YOUNIS, Gaza Strip (AP) — U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken urged Israel on Friday to do everything in its power to protect civilians caught in the fighting in Gaza and ensure they receive humanitarian aid, while underscoring the country’s right to defend itself. Israel, mea...

WTOP’s Beer of the Week: Suarez Family Palatine Pils

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:10:41 GMT

(new Image()).src = "https://capi.connatix.com/tr/si?token=9be9c680-c459-4acb-af21-654a2ccca384&cid=c2ffed0c-3624-46c0-b10f-97c976d290a3";cnx.cmd.push(function() { cnx({ playerId: "9be9c680-c459-4acb-af21-654a2ccca384",mediaId: "5680fd59-f504-473e-b682-d3fa8806f086"}).render("4e605fb40ff246569af5a61f35165444"); });No need to sneak past the palace guard for a glass of this!WTOP’s Brennan Haselton is joined by Neighborhood Restaurant Group Beer Director and James Beard Award nominee Greg Engert to talk about Suarez Family Palatine Pils for the latest edition of WTOP’s Beer of the Week.Brewery: Suarez Family Brewery, Hudson, New YorkDescription: A focused and lush expression of our house pilsner, featuring a creamy texture with pronounced notes of Earl Grey tea and a nice clean snappiness.ABV: 4.9%Pairing suggestions: Clams, oysters and crabs, seared halibut, fish and chips with malt vinegar, and Indian curriesSource

Virginia voter guide: What you need to know for the 2023 general election

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:10:41 GMT

The upcoming election in Virginia could very well be the most closely watched contest in the country come November.Control of the Virginia General Assembly is on the table this November with just a handful of competitive districts potentially determining whether Republicans will have a majority in both chambers of the state legislature. Going into Election Day, the GOP has a slim majority in the Virginia House with 50 Republicans, 46 Democrats and four vacancies. In the Virginia Senate, meanwhile, Democrats hold a similarly narrow majority. Of the 40 seats in the Senate, there are 22 Democrats and 18 Republicans. With Republican Glenn Youngkin in the governor’s mansion, Republicans are looking to win unified control — by flipping the State Senate. Democrats are looking to retake the House, which would bolster their power in Richmond. Either outcome would have significant consequences for Virginia over the next several years.Many voting and election questions can be answered on...

US employers pulled back on hiring in October, adding 150,000 jobs in face of higher borrowing rates

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:10:41 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — The nation’s employers slowed their hiring in October, adding a modest but still decent 150,000 jobs, a sign that the labor market may be cooling but remains resilient despite high interest rates that have made borrowing much costlier for companies and consumers.Last month’s job growth, though down sharply from a robust 297,000 gain in September, was solid enough to suggest that many companies still want to hire and that the economy remains sturdy.And job growth would have been higher in October if not for the now-settled United Auto Workers’ strikes against Detroit’s automakers. The strikes likely shrank last month’s job gain by at least 30,000, economists say. The strikes ended this week with tentative settlements in which the companies granted significantly better pay and benefits to the union’s workers.The unemployment rate rose from 3.8% to 3.9% in October. In another sign of a possible softening in the labor market, the Labor Department revised down its...

This is the most banned book in Colorado: report

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:10:41 GMT

(NEXSTAR) — During the last school year, there were at least eight instances of books being banned in Colorado.That's according to PEN America, a nonprofit freedom of expression advocacy group, that tracks book challenges and bans in the U.S. This data was tracked between July 2022 and June 2023.Though Colorado's total trails far behind Florida’s staggering 1,400 book ban cases during the same time, controversy over books isn’t non-existent in the state.Between Jan. 1 and August 31, 2023, the American Library Association‘s Office for Intellectual Freedom tracked eight attempts to restrict access to books in Colorado — and about 130 books were challenged in that time.As of last year, the most banned/challenged book in Colorado is Maia Kobabe's 2019 graphic memoir "Gender Queer: A Memoir," ALA reports. Reasons given for the book’s challenges include claims that it’s sexually explicit and complaints that it shows LGBTQIA+ content. Colorado adults: Can you answer ...