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Wish Book: Hidden Villa seeks help to boost scholarships for young people to discover nature, farming

Published Fri, 07 Feb 2025 09:00:00 GMT

Generations ago, there were so many orchards and fruit trees in the South Bay that it was known as the “Valley of Hearts Delight.” Stanford University was built on a farm. And the Peninsula — a sweeping landscape of scenic ranches, dairies, and flower fields — was one of California’s most productive agricultural regions.Everything changed after World War II, when suburbs, freeways and technology companies wiped away much of that rural sense of place.But on a winding road in Los Altos Hills, Hidden Villa remains. The 1,600-acre working farm grows not just carrots, lettuce and pumpkins, but also curiosity and love of nature.Founded in 1924, the nonprofit farm provides tours to more than 10,000 school children every year, in grades K-12, teaching them about where their food comes from, real-world biology, and how to be good stewards of the environment.Hidden Villa also offers summer camp programs, a youth hostel, and hiking trails for the public. The Trust for H...

Free rent? With apartment supply increasing, landlords turn to concessions

Published Fri, 07 Feb 2025 09:00:00 GMT

A $2,000-a-month studio apartment might not be considered a good deal in most parts of the country. But in the Bay, it might be — especially if the landlord throws in a sweetener.At least, that’s how Gwen Wang, 23, felt when she got a discount on a new studio in the Skylyne Apartments in Oakland. Her complex offered two months rent free on a studio typically priced at $2,400 a month, bringing her closer to her budget of $2,000 a month.“With the promotion, it made sense to rent here,” Wang said.As thousands of new units hit the market around the Bay Area, concessions — such as free rent or free parking — are becoming more common, especially in apartment complexes. As of October, two in five apartment listings in the San Francisco and Oakland metro areas were offering concessions, and half of listings in San Jose offered them, according to a new study from Zillow.“As a way to incentivize renters to come in, concessions are rising across the board,” Zillow economist N...

5 things to know about Thursday’s Newsom-DeSantis debate, including how to watch

Published Fri, 07 Feb 2025 09:00:00 GMT

It may not have the historic impact of Nixon v. Kennedy, or deliver the memorable lines of Carter v. Reagan, or even Benson “You’re no Jack Kennedy” v. Quayle.In fact, one of the debaters insists he isn’t even running for president, though no one believes him. The other is indeed running — but so far behind his party’s leader in the polls many don’t believe him either.Nevertheless, ladies and gentlemen, we present “DeSantis vs. Newsom: The Great Red vs. Blue State Debate,” coming Thursday evening to your cable TV screen or radio hosted and moderated by Fox News Channel host Sean Hannity.President Joe Biden talks with California Gov. Gavin Newsom and his wife Jennifer, San Francisco Mayor London Breed and Rep. Kevin Mullin, D-Calif., as he arrives at San Francisco International Airport for the APEC summit, Tuesday, Nov. 14, 2023, in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci) Why are we having this debate?A fair question, given Cali...

Bicyclist loves Hillsdale road diet, suggests improved signage to make it even better: Roadshow

Published Fri, 07 Feb 2025 09:00:00 GMT

Q: In contrast to many others, I love the road diet on Hillsdale Avenue in San Jose. I cannot drive and cycling is my only method of independent transportation. Making Hillsdale-Capital accessible to bicycles opens up a lot of territory for me.That said, better signage might correct two problems. The first is adjacent to Cherry (Paul Moore) Park where a food truck frequently parks near the bike path. Patrons line up there and block the bike lane and customers park illegally. I don’t wish to cause economic hardship to the vendor or gastronomic hardship to customers, but I suggest that the vendor post a sign (e.g. “Don’t block the bike lane”). The city might also post a sign or restripe the 45-degree angled spaces that people mistake for parking places.The other problem is that some people mistake the dedicated bike lane as an exit from a 24-hour diner. Better signage might help.— Kary Lynch, San JoseA: I’ll forward your suggestion to the city. I...

The 49ers have unlocked a new dual-threat weapon — this time on defense

Published Fri, 07 Feb 2025 09:00:00 GMT

SANTA CLARA — Deommodore Lenoir is used to being overlooked, and not just because at 5-foot-10 he’s closer to the ground than most in his position.He was good enough in high school in Los Angeles to be recruited by Oregon, where he was good enough to ascend to the All-Pac-12 second team and good enough to be drafted in the fifth round of the 2021 NFL Draft by the 49ers.There were 171 players selected before the 49ers called, 26 of them cornerbacks. Lenoir had a chance to make a roster but was no one’s idea of a shutdown or Pro Bowl cornerback.Yet in his third season, Lenoir is good enough to be considered on the verge of greatness by middle linebacker Fred Warner.“Demo doesn’t get nearly the credit he deserves,” Warner said.If there is a versatility match on defense to what the 49ers have on offense with Christian McCaffrey, it’s Lenoir. McCaffrey excels as a running back and a receiver. But there are a lot more running backs who do both tha...

Opinion: Don’t cancel students with strong views on Israel and Gaza

Published Fri, 07 Feb 2025 09:00:00 GMT

Campuses across the nation are debating what is and isn’t free speech. CEOs and online trolls are canceling young people whose positions they consider hateful. Pro-Israel and pro-Palestinian faculty are taking sides. Students are hollering at administrators to do the same.I am a lecturer in rhetoric at San Diego State University. Our biggest problem on campuses isn’t apathy, equity or AI. It’s that we aren’t teaching kids to grapple with complex ideas.I don’t just mean they lack the ability for analytical thinking or deep focus — though these are real and troubling issues — but that young people today do not know how to figure out what they think. They know how to summarize.Don’t blame the kids, or even social media. Their unnuanced arguments are a flaw of our education system. But the urgency of the Israel-Hamas conflict presents an opportunity to encourage young people to understand complex issues and articulate thoughtful positions on them.In my class, I often introdu...

Walters: Will Newsom vs. DeSantis be a real debate or just mudslinging?

Published Fri, 07 Feb 2025 09:00:00 GMT

Most political “debates” are not worthy of the name, particularly those involving more than two opponents.The participants come with pre-digested talking points that they attempt to make without truly engaging with others who are trying to do the same thing. The typical format, with questions from a panel of journalists, muddies the waters even more.A real political debate is one-on-one, with at most a moderator to keep matters under minimal control, allowing the protagonists to pretty much decide what they want to say on the topic at hand.Fox News commentator Sean Hannity says he wants California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis to have a real debate tonight over their very different approaches to governance in two of the nation’s most diverse and populous states.Focusing on health care, education, crime, homelessness, poverty and the myriad other issues that governors face these days would be a refreshing departure from the buzzwords and personal invective that mark...

Weed dispensary plans new downtown San Jose store in expansion move

Published Fri, 07 Feb 2025 09:00:00 GMT

SAN JOSE — A successful weed dispensary plans to open a store at a high-profile downtown San Jose location, a retail outlet that could help revitalize the city’s urban core.Purple Lotus, which is the No. 1 weed dispensary in San Jose, has struck a deal to lease a prominent ground-floor space at 66 West Santa Clara Street, a prominent location in the downtown.“We really believe in downtown San Jose,” said Matt Krishnamachari, founder of family-owned Purple Lotus, a cannabis dispensary that for roughly 14 years has operated out of a north San Jose site near the corner of Commercial Street and Old Oakland Road.For several years, the downtown San Jose location that Purple Lotus has leased was the site of a Peet’s Coffee shop and then a Verizon store, according to Mark Ritchie, president of Ritchie Commercial, a real estate firm that arranged the lease for Purple Lotus.“This location is retail-ready for us,” Krishnamachari said.Purple Lotus has l...

California police investigating whether NBA player Josh Giddey was involved in relationship with a minor

Published Fri, 07 Feb 2025 09:00:00 GMT

By Wayne Sterling | CNNPolice in California are investigating whether 21-year-old Oklahoma City Thunder guard Josh Giddey was involved in a relationship with a minor.“The Newport Beach Police Department is aware of information being circulated online involving an alleged relationship between professional basketball player Josh Giddey and a female minor. The Newport Beach Police Department is actively seeking additional information related to these allegations and pursuing all leads and evidence to obtain the facts of the case,” the police department said in a statement Wednesday.It is not known what ties, if any, Giddey, who is from Australia, has to the city.“The Newport Beach Police Department aims to ensure a fair and thorough investigative process while maintaining the privacy and dignity of everyone involved,” it said. “At this time, NBPD Detectives are still conducting an active investigation.”CNN has reached out to Giddey’s agents, the Thunder and the NBA for comment on the p...

Where to watch the Gavin Newsom-Ron DeSantis debate

Published Fri, 07 Feb 2025 09:00:00 GMT

There’s nothing official about it, but there should be plenty of smoke — and maybe a little fire ­— when two governors, one a Democrat and the other a Republican, meet for what is being called a debate on the Fox News channel.The chief executives in question — Democrat Gavin Newsom of California and Republican Ron DeSantis of Florida — have been doing more than their fair share of sparring over recent months.Florida sent planeloads of undocumented immigrants to California in June. And before that, DeSantis made news with everything from regulating how racism, sexual orientation and gender identity are taught in schools to wresting local political control away from Disney’s Florida operation after the entertainment giant disavowed his “don’t say gay” policies.RELATED: California versus Florida: A look at the states before Newsom debates DeSantisAnd then there’s the small matter of the 2024 presidential race. DeSantis is running for the Republican nomination but hasn’t made much of a ...