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In push for accountability, San Jose’s homelessness spending to be audited by the state

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:15:55 GMT

Following an 8% increase in homelessness in San Jose from 2019 to 2022, California is set to take a close look at how much the city is spending on addressing the issue.On Wednesday, the state’s Joint Legislative Audit Committee voted unanimously to approve an audit request made by Sen. Dave Cortese (D-San Jose) last year. The audit comes at a time when California has spent $15 billion on homelessness over the last several years.Cortese says he wants to make sure that money is being spent correctly—and he wants to do it now, while the state is still committed to making an “unprecedented investment” in combatting homelessness.“Our residents deserve to know how the dollars are getting there and how they’re being invested, what’s working and what’s not and I think we need to know that, as well,” he said. “Adding transparency will help both the state and local jurisdictions work together to best spend these dollars going forward.”Cort...

Marin resident gives 120-acre ranch to therapeutic horse-riding group

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:15:55 GMT

Kayla Andersen, left, works with Madison Carratturo in a therapeutic horse riding session at Halleck Creek Ranch on Thursday, March 16, 2023, in Nicasio, Calif. (Frankie Frost/Special to the Marin Independent Journal)Ariel Aycock, 7, rides Skippy in a therapeutic horse riding session at Halleck Creek Ranch on Thursday, March 16, 2023, in Nicasio, Calif. (Frankie Frost/Special to the Marin Independent Journal)Kayla Andersen works with Liam Aycock, 10,in a therapeutic horse riding session at Halleck Creek Ranch on Thursday, March 16, 2023, in Nicasio, Calif. (Frankie Frost/Special to the Marin Independent Journal)Ariel Aycock, 7, pets Skippy in a therapeutic horse riding session at Halleck Creek Ranch on Thursday, March 16, 2023, in Nicasio, Calif. (Frankie Frost/Special to the Marin Independent Journal)Ariel Aycock, 7, learns the correct way to hold the reigns in a therapeutic horse riding session at Halleck Creek Ranch on Thursday, March 16, 2023 in Nicasio, Calif. Atlantis Langowsk...

More support of permanent option for slain San Jose Safeway employee’s roadside memorial: Roadshow

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:15:55 GMT

Q: I would like to help contribute to a permanent memorial for Manny Huizar. When they create a fund for it, could you let us know the details? I’m sure I’m not the only reader you’re hearing from.Betsy Gebhart, San JoseA: You most certainly are not. I’ve continued to receive responses about roadside memorials, and, specifically, the one that had been set up to honor Manny Huizar, a young employee who was murdered when he tried to stop a late-night shoplifter who shot him in June, 2022 at the Safeway on Hamilton Avenue at Meridian.The discussion started when someone wrote to ask when the roadside memorial created outside the store would be taken down, as some neighbors felt it was not being well-maintained and were tired of it. Others responded that a permanent memorial would be appropriate here, and said they would help pay for it.Q: I reside in Mexico for six months of the year and have seen hundreds of roadside memorials, both temporary and permanent. They...

A proposed multi-billion regional bond signals a shift in how Bay Area affordable housing is funded

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:15:55 GMT

A renewed push to tackle the Bay Area’s housing crisis at a regional level is underway, and it could be the solution for cities and counties tapped out of local funds for affordable housing.The Bay Area Housing Finance Authority, or BAHFA, was created in 2019 to address the area’s housing shortage. It’s a first-of-its-kind financing authority in California that has coalesced as advocates and state leaders move to take a more regional approach to combat the state’s housing-affordability problems.A recent report from BAHFA and Enterprise Community Partners found that there’s a $7.6 billion gap in public financing that needs to be filled in order to unlock nearly 33,000 new homes in the Bay Area.The organization is currently helping oversee a potential housing bond for the November 2024 election that could bring in $10 billion to $20 billion for affordable housing in the Bay Area, depending on the amount key players decide to pursue.That could mean as much...

Series of smaller earthquakes hit near Pacifica

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:15:55 GMT

(KRON) -- A series of magnitude 2.6 to 3.5 earthquakes hit about near Pacifica Tuesday morning, according to the United States Geological Survey. The first quake hit just after 6 a.m. It had a depth of almost 6 miles with light shakes reportedly felt down the Peninsula, parts of the East Bay and as far south as Santa Cruz, according to the USGS's Did You Feel It? reports.A 3.5-magnitude earthquake was the first in a series of small earthquake to hit near Pacifica. (United States Geological Survey)The second and third earthquakes hit at 6:03 a.m. and 6:04 a.m., according to the USGS. The USGS reported both as 2.6-magnitude quakes.Small earthquakes in the Bay Area this morning. Felt like someone was shaking my car. After working in the Midwest for two years, I forgot what they felt like and just got used to tornadoes and blizzards.👀 ❄️ 🌪️ None are fun, be safe everyone!— Michael Thomas (@michaeltnews) March 28, 2023Several viewers told KRON4 they felt its impacts, but no damage ...

Posters near Vatican urge pope to stop Latin Mass crackdown

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:15:55 GMT

ROME (AP) — Posters calling on Pope Francis to stop his crackdown on the old Latin Mass were plastered around the Vatican on Tuesday, in the latest display of conservative opposition to the pontiff.The posters featured images of Pope Benedict XVI and St. John Paul II and quoted from their texts speaking positively about the old rite, which Francis has sought to restrict.“For the love of the pope. For peace and unity of the church. For the free practice of the traditional Latin Mass,” the posters read.They were referring to Francis’ decision in 2021 to overturn one of Benedict’s signature liturgical decisions and reimpose restrictions on celebrating the old Mass. Francis said he had to act because the spread of the old rite was dividing parishes. He said Benedict’s decision to liberalize its use in 2007 had been exploited by people opposed to the modernizing reforms of the Second Vatican Council, the 1960s meetings that allowed for Mass in the vernacular, not just Latin.The poster in...

Russia convicts father of teen who drew antiwar pictures

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:15:55 GMT

TALLINN, Estonia (AP) — A Russian court on Tuesday convicted a single father over social media posts criticizing the war in Ukraine and sentenced him to two years in prison — a case brought to the attention of authorities by his daughter’s drawings against the invasion at school, according to his lawyer and activists.The case of Alexei Moskalyov, who was indicted and tried in his hometown of Yefremov, about 300 kilometers (about 186 miles) south of Moscow, has drawn international attention and is a grim indication that the Kremlin is intensifying its crackdown on dissent, targeting more people and handing out harsher punishments for any expression of criticism of the war.In a twist to the case, the 54-year-old Moskalyov fled house arrest overnight, court officials said, and wasn’t present for the outcome of his trial. He had been wearing a bracelet that tracked his movements but apparently had taken it off.Moskalyov was accused of repeatedly discrediting the Russian army, a cr...

Ibrahimovic injured again, misses Sweden vs Azerbaijan

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:15:55 GMT

STOCKHOLM, Sweden (AP) — Zlatan Ibrahimovic missed Sweden’s match against Azerbaijan in European Championship qualifying on Monday because of injury.Sweden coach Janne Andersson didn’t disclose the precise nature of Ibrahimovic’s problem when confirming the AC Milan striker’s absence ahead of the game.“It’s really frustrating for him and really frustrating for us. Unfortunately, that’s where we are,” Andersson said of Ibrahimovic, who made his first national team appearance in a year on Friday in the 3-0 loss to Belgium.Ibrahimovic has recently returned to fitness after nearly eight months out with a knee injury.Milan plays Napoli in the first leg of the Champions League quarterfinals on April 12.___More AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer and https://twitter.com/AP_SportsSource

Analysis: Ravens are Lamar Jackson’s best, only option

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:15:55 GMT

PHOENIX (AP) — Lamar Jackson’s frustration over contract negotiations reached a boiling point when he announced Monday that he has requested a trade from the Baltimore Ravens.Staying in Baltimore might be his best and only option.“We made a decision to go with Lamar Jackson five years ago,” Ravens coach John Harbaugh said Monday at the NFL owners meetings in Phoenix soon after reporters informed him that Jackson revealed he asked for a trade on March 2. “Why? Because we love him. We love the way he plays. We love his mindset. We love his charisma, his style. The way he is in the locker room. Everything about him, we love him. I love him personally. I love being the coach of the team he’s playing for. That’s what you do. You build a team around your players, and that’s what I’m excited to do.”If the two sides can’t agree on a long-term deal by July 17, Jackson could play this season on the $32.4 million franchise tag.The 2019 NFL MVP hasn’t generated any interest in free agency...

Mexico president: Migrants set fire to mattresses in immigration center in protest after learning they would be deported

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:15:55 GMT

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexico president: Migrants set fire to mattresses in immigration center in protest after learning they would be deported.Source