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Oakland loses contract dispute with developer in latest battle over coal

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:00:56 GMT

OAKLAND — The developer fighting for years to transport coal through Oakland is on the way to another legal victory that could thwart efforts by the city’s leaders to prevent the pollutive substance from being stored at the harbor.In a tentative ruling, an Alameda County court judge found that the city breached its contract with developer Phil Tagami by not granting him an extension amid delays in the planned construction of a large marine terminal at the city’s port.The Oct. 27 decision, while not yet final, could pave the way for Tagami to store large amounts of coal at the planned 34-acre terminal before shipping it overseas, despite criticism from environmental advocates that the substance could further pollute West Oakland.Attorneys for Tagami’s firm, Oakland Bulk and Oversized Terminal LLC (or OBOT), successfully argued that the delays were the result of unforeseen events — namely, the city’s own efforts to stall the project.“OBOT prov...

Pac-12 power ratings: Oregon’s on top, Utah slips and USC staggers through another week

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:00:56 GMT

Even for USC, the noise is next level these days.The Trojans have two losses but are being treated like they have six.Fans and talking heads alike are wondering whether defensive coordinator Alex Grinch is about to get fired, quarterback Caleb Williams is ready to shut it down for the season and coach Lincoln Riley is seeking salvation in the NFL.Did we mention USC has only two losses?The issue isn’t with performance. The 24th-ranked Trojans (6-2) are exactly who we thought they would be: Dynamic on offense, wobbly on defense and at the whim of the breaks and bounces.Which brings us to the theme of this column: The breaks and bounces.For all the fingers pointed at Grinch and Riley and the offensive line, the Hotline believes a critical piece has been overlooked.What if we told you the Trojans are actually better than last year in perhaps the most important efficiency metrics?— Last season, USC’s offense averaged 7.2 yards-per-play. This season, the Trojans are humm...

Huge San Jose housing development is eyed at ex-Fry’s Electronics site

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:00:56 GMT

SAN JOSE — A huge housing development with several hundred residences could be built on the site that once housed the Fry’s Electronics headquarters and one of the failed retailer’s most iconic stores, city documents show.The potential residential project also suggests that the site’s owners have ditched their plans for a vast tech campus totaling millions of square feet on the property.The tech industry’s move to significantly scale back its appetite for new plans for office space in the Bay Area, including Silicon Valley, has made speculative office projects a much less feasible proposition.Bay West Development, which had proposed an office campus with up to 2 million square feet of office space on the Fry’s site at 550 East Brokaw Road, is now instead pushing forward with a proposal to build residences, including multifamily apartments.All told, at least 500 residential units — and possibly more than 1,000 housing units — might be b...

Oregon man accused of killing Bay Area boy in 1987 pleads not guilty

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:00:56 GMT

Charged with the 1987 murder of a 6-year-old Vallejo boy, Fred Marion Cain III pleaded not guilty and denied all enhancements during a brief jail arraignment hearing Friday in Solano County Superior Court.Shackled and again seated in a wheelchair at the defense table, Cain, 69, and his attorney, Chief Public Defender Oscar Bobrow entered the plea in Department 11 in the Justice Center in Fairfield.Later during the proceeding, Judge William J. Pendergast assigned the case to Department 9, denied bail for Cain, then scheduled a readiness conference for 8:30 a.m. Jan. 22, when it will be heard by Judge Wendy Getty. She has been assigned the case.RELATED: Exclusive: Man charged in Vallejo boy’s killing is now a suspect in killing of Martinez boyFred M. Cain III (Solano County DA’s Office) But before the proceeding ended, Pengergast heard an objection from Chief Deputy District Attorney Paul Sequeira, who asserted that the Public Defender’s Office representation of Cain presents a p...

No more attending classes: These community colleges let students learn at their own pace

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:00:56 GMT

Elaine S. Povich | Stateline.org (TNS)Jaqueline Yalda, who has been a campus police officer at El Paso Community College in Texas for a decade, sought a promotion earlier this year. But first, the department required her to complete a college-level course in criminal justice.It had been many years since Yalda had taken any college classes. And at age 38, she felt a little intimidated.But, a few weeks later, Yalda had earned an ‘A’ in Introduction to Criminal Justice and was promoted to sergeant. Now, she’s eyeing moving up to lieutenant, which will require finishing her full associate degree.Her secret? Taking the course at El Paso Community College through a “competency-based education” program, which let her move through an online course at her own pace. She finished in four weeks, faster than the eight allowed, and said professors responded quickly online when she had questions.“This was my first time taking a CBE course,” Yalda said in a phone interview from the police headquart...

In California, students with unstable home environments most likely to be sent home from school, new study shows

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:00:56 GMT

Across California, the two groups of children living in more tenuous home environments — foster youth and those experiencing homelessness — are also the most likely to be sent home through punitive, out-of-school suspensions, new research shows.That’s according to the UCLA Civil Rights Project and the Oakland-based National Center for Youth Law, which published a report Monday examining suspension data throughout the state. In 2021-22, the report found that California educators punished foster youth with out-of-school suspensions at the highest rate: for every 100 foster students, 77 days of instruction were lost due to out-of-school suspensions, compared to an average of just 10 days for all students.Homeless students were the second most likely to be suspended, with 26 days lost per 100 students. And despite the high figures, those numbers actually represent a slight drop from before the pandemic. In 2018-19, the year before COVID-19 drove students from the classroom, ...

Putin calls meeting after Israeli-hunting mob storms airport

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:00:56 GMT

Associated PressMOSCOW — Russian President Vladimir Putin called a meeting of security and law enforcement officials Monday, the day after a mob stormed the airport in the southern region of Dagestan after a flight from Israel landed there.Hundreds of angry men, some carrying banners with antisemitic slogans, rushed onto the tarmac of the airport in Makhachkala, the capital of the predominantly Muslim region, on Sunday night, looking for Israeli passengers on the flight from Tel Aviv, according to Russian news reports.More than 20 people were injured, with two in critical condition, Dagestan’s Health Ministry said. The injured included police officers and civilians, it said.At least 60 people were detained in the unrest, the local Interior Ministry said. It was not clear if charges were filed against any of them, but Russia’s Investigative Committee said it opened a criminal probe on charges of organizing mass unrest.Russia has issued carefully calibrated criticism of bo...

Uber driver left car running for 3 weeks to avoid rental payments, Florida deputies say

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:00:56 GMT

A Florida Uber driver is accused of using a stolen rental car to give rides and then leaving the car running for weeks to avoid it being disabled, deputies said.The 27-year-old Uber driver was renting a Chevy Equinox from a company in Orange County when he stopped making payments, according to an Oct. 26 news release from the Polk County Sheriff’s Office.The rental company reported the vehicle as stolen, deputies said, and called the driver every day about the missing payments.The company had installed devices in their rental vehicles that could be remotely activated to stop the car from restarting in the case that someone stopped paying for the vehicle, the sheriff’s office said.But the driver knew about this feature, so instead of returning the Equinox or making the payments, he chose to leave the vehicle running for “three straight weeks” to prevent it being disabled, according to the release.During that time, he was using the car to drive for Uber, including on the night of Oct....

Delta flight out of San Jose diverts to Sacramento due to engine troubles

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:00:56 GMT

(FOX40.COM) -- A Delta Air Lines flight heading to Salt Lake City, Utah, from San Jose was diverted to Sacramento International Airport (SMF), according to the airline. Officials with the Sacramento International Airport said that the Airbus A22-100 was experiencing engine trouble after departing from San Jose. 15-year-old arrested in fatal San Jose hit and run that killed pregnant mother and baby At around 7:40 a.m., the aircraft safely landed at SMF. KRON's sister station FOX40.com has confirmed that the plane is located at gate A3 and undergoing maintenance. According to Delta Air Lines, the flight was scheduled to leave San Jose at 6 a.m. and arrive in Salt Lake City just before 9 a.m.

1 person shot and killed Sunday, Hayward police investigating

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:00:56 GMT

(KRON) -- One person was shot and killed Sunday in an incident that police are investigating as a homicide, the Hayward Police Department said Monday. Officers responded around 2:46 p.m. Sunday to a report of a shooting on the 400 block of Berry Avenue.At the scene, officers located the victim, a 55-year-old Hayward resident, suffering from gunshot wounds. Medical personnel arrived and the victim was pronounced deceased at the scene. 15-year-old arrested in fatal San Jose hit and run that killed pregnant mother and her child The victim's identity is being withheld at this time, police said. No one has been arrested in connection with the incident.Police are actively investigating the incident as a homicide. More details will be released when they are available, according to police.