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Unveiling Amina’s Journey: From Personal Experiences to a Riveting Book Series

Published Fri, 14 Feb 2025 00:14:00 GMT

In literature, a unique alchemy occurs when an author blends personal experiences with imagination, crafting a narrative that resonates deeply with readers. Amina Al Sherif, the mastermind behind the Nadiri series, has done just that.Amina Al Sherif’s journey from Cairo, Egypt, to the United States in 2010 as a first-generation Arab-American and African-American is a testament to the rich mosaic of human experiences. Drawing inspiration from her own life, Amina embarked on the path of crafting Nadiri.The series follows Hagar Khalifa’s odyssey of growing up straddling two worlds — her mother’s American Christian world and her father’s Egyptian Muslim heritage. What sets Amina’s work apart is her ability to seamlessly weave personal experiences into a fictional tapestry, capturing the essence of multicultural identity and the struggle for self-discovery.Nadiri is more than just a coming-of-age tale; it delves into many pressing themes that resonate in tod...

AG Bonta Announces New Cannabis Enforcement Program

Published Fri, 14 Feb 2025 00:14:00 GMT

Attorney General Rob Bonta announces new CAPP program to help municipalities deal with illegal commercial cannabis activities. Fresno will be the first city to take part in the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) Cannabis Administrative Prosecutor Program (CAPP). When announcing the program on Tuesday, the DOJ noted CAPP will provide partner cities and counties DOJ legal support to address illegal cannabis activity through administrative enforcement and nuisance abatement. Essentially, the city or county signs on to ramp up local enforcement and then the DOJ provides extra resources. The DOJ will provide educational materials for locals to build out their programs and provide mechanisms for evidence collection in future statewide enforcement operations that have been umbrellaed under the new Effort to Prevent Illicit Cannabis. As for enforcement actions, CAPP will provide attorneys to act as administrative prosecutors before local hearing bodies when necessary. CAPP also will provide bodi...

Biden administration proposes more background checks for guns

Published Fri, 14 Feb 2025 00:14:00 GMT

By Lindsay Whitehurst | Associated PressWASHINGTON — The Biden administration is proposing a rule that would require thousands more firearms dealers to run background checks, in an effort to combat rising gun violence nationwide.The proposal comes after a mandate from President Joe Biden to find ways to strengthen background checks following the passage of bipartisan legislation on guns last year.People who sell firearms online, at gun shows or other places outside brick-and-mortar stores would be required to be licensed and run background checks on the buyers before the sales under the rule proposed by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.A firearm-industry trade group swiftly raised concerns about the proposal, though, and said it could face a court challenge if finalized in its current form.The bureau estimates that the rule would affect anywhere from 24,500 to 328,000 sellers. It is aimed at those who are in the business of gun sales, rather than those with pe...

Five-bedroom home sells in San Jose for $2.4 million

Published Fri, 14 Feb 2025 00:14:00 GMT

508 Wagman Drive – Google Street ViewThe spacious property located in the 500 block of Wagman Drive in San Jose was sold on Aug. 17, 2023 for $2,414,000, or $1,078 per square foot. The house, built in 1965, has an interior space of 2,239 square feet. This two-story house provides a generous living space with its five bedrooms and three baths. Inside, a fireplace adds character to the home. Additionally, the house includes a two-car garage, offering generous space for vehicles and storage requirements.These nearby houses have also recently been sold:On Bevans Drive, San Jose, in August 2023, a 1,655-square-foot home was sold for $2,625,000, a price per square foot of $1,586. The home has 4 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms.In June 2023, a 2,239-square-foot home on Bevans Drive in San Jose sold for $2,850,000, a price per square foot of $1,273. The home has 5 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms.A 1,654-square-foot home on the 5000 block of Mitty Way in San Jose sold in August 2023, for $2,328,000, a pric...

Letters: Causing gentrification | Housing falsehoods | Electric vehicles

Published Fri, 14 Feb 2025 00:14:00 GMT

Submit your letter to the editor via this form. Read more Letters to the Editor.Places like Lafayettecause gentrificationIn her recent opinion piece “Popular California housing narrative upended by planning expert,” (Page A12, Aug. 27) Lafayette City Councilmember Susan Candell writes that state law promoting housing “actually harms residents and communities due to gentrification and displacement.”Candell started her career in local politics by fighting against the Terraces of Lafayette, a 315-home development proposed on an old rock quarry — no risk of gentrification there. The Terraces, first proposed in 2011, would be 20% low-income, but they have been delayed for over a decade in large part because of Candell’s antics.Furthermore, Candell presides over the city of Lafayette, where more than 70% of residents are White. The median home value in Lafayette is $1.7 million.In reality, wealthy, racially homogenous communities like Lafayette cause gentrification in communities of color...

San Jose mayor wants Meta, Snapchat and TikTok to shut down sideshow content

Published Fri, 14 Feb 2025 00:14:00 GMT

Seeking to clamp down on sideshows’ wreaking havoc in San Jose, Mayor Matt Mahan is asking social media companies to shut down videos showcasing the raucous street gatherings that often attract hundreds or thousands to events and result in a deluge of widely shared videos.The request is raising a mountain of practical and legal questions from content moderation experts who contend that reining in the videos could be exceedingly difficult for companies to do effectively or ethically.Mahan sent a letter to TikTok, Snapchat and Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram, requesting they boot users off their platforms for 30 days if they share videos about sideshows — and indefinitely if users don’t stop after an initial violation.At sideshows — which originated in Oakland four decades ago — a driver or multiple drivers take over a blocked-off intersection and do stunts such as doughnuts, sometimes with passengers hanging out precariously from the car’s ...

Bay Area mother of four dies after collapsing on high school football field

Published Fri, 14 Feb 2025 00:14:00 GMT

The Mountain View High School community is mourning the loss of Lucinda Daniels on Thursday.Daniels, 44, died on Wednesday morning, according to a close family friend. Her mother, Olga Gonzalez, first told KTVU of Lucinda’s death on Wednesday evening.“She was a really, really, good mom,” Gonzalez told the station. “She was a good football mom, too. Her happiest place was there.”She first collapsed last Friday, when she rushed down from the stands at a Mountain View football game to check on her injured son, Dillon, who broke his leg and dislocated his ankle.Lucinda Daniels at a 2022 Mountain View football game against Wilcox. (Photo courtesy of Ally Bocchieri) Dillon’s dad, Dale, passed out on the field before Lucinda collapsed. Dale checked out OK but Lucinda was rushed to the hospital and determined to have suffered a stroke, according to family friends. A second stroke Saturday left her without brain activity. An organ donor, Daniels was put on ...

One dead following shooting in Union City

Published Fri, 14 Feb 2025 00:14:00 GMT

UNION CITY — A shooting Wednesday night ended with one person dead, and investigators looking for who did it, police said.Officers found the victim down when they arrived to the 33500 block of 7th Street after being called there about 10:30 p.m. on reports of a shooting, according to a statement from Union City police. Police said the victim had more than one wound.Police worked to save the person at the scene along with medics. An ambulance took the person to a hospital, but rescue efforts there did not succeed.Authorities did not identify the person Thursday afternoon. Police spokesperson Sgt. Jean Jimenez said he could confirm only that it was an adult because of the nature of the investigation.The homicide is the second one investigated by Union City police in 2023.Police said they believe the incident is an isolated one but were still trying to verify it.“We’re still working on a motive right now,” Jimenez said.Police did not release any information on p...

Letters: Streamline transit | Residential treatment | Best choice | Mug shot | Bad situation

Published Fri, 14 Feb 2025 00:14:00 GMT

Submit your letter to the editor via this form. Read more Letters to the Editor.Instead of raising fees,streamline transitRe: “Stalled bridge toll hike indicates public’s discontent” (Page A12, Aug. 27).I am glad to see that the $1.50 rate hike bill has been paused.We cannot just keep piling taxes upon taxes and fees upon fees to solve these transit issues. I would like to see the various transit agencies have their systems reviewed as there seems to be a lot of overlap of services/routes.Until we have a unified discussion, all the agencies will keep competing against each other, vying for more tax money instead of figuring out how to combine and streamline.Jim PollockLos GatosBiden’s experiencemakes him best choiceRe: “Democrats need a new standard bearer” (Page A12, Aug. 27).Mr. Lane is looking for a “younger person” to replace Biden in his letter. Just “younger”?How about Elon Musk? He’s a younger person. Or maybe ...

'Sick and tired': Oakland restaurant acquires parking lot, hires security to prevent car break-ins

Published Fri, 14 Feb 2025 00:14:00 GMT

(KRON) -- Car break-ins and thefts are some of the issues the city of Oakland is facing. One Oakland restaurant is fed up with it. "We have heard you loud and clear. We are sick and tired of our city not stepping up, so WE DID," NIDO’s BackYard wrote in an email Thursday. NIDO’s BackYard announced it has acquired a parking lot directly across the restaurant at 104 Oak St. In addition, the business hired security guards to watch over the lot. Customers will now be able to their cars with the peace of mind that their car is unlikely to be broken into. The parking lot is accessible for customers during NIDO BackYard's operating hours.NIDO’s BackYard is open Monday to Friday from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. On weekends, it is open from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. In 2019, 5,041 car thefts were reported in Oakland, according to the FBI’s crime report. Oakland's rate of 1,161.4 thefts per 100,000 people tops any other city in the country. Study: Oakland has the highest car theft rate in the nation The r...