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Valley Fair in San Jose adds merchants, hits record sales and visits

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:21:58 GMT

SAN JOSE — Westfield Valley Fair in San Jose has begun to attract visitors and retail activity at levels that top the big shopping mall’s trends prior to the outbreak of the coronavirus.The retail center is also going through a stretch where it is attracting merchants at a brisk pace, according to Sue Newsom, senior general manager with Westfield Valley Fair.After the opening of the popular Eataly Italian food hall at Valley Fair, the retail complex is preparing for the openings of other high-profile merchants.Plus, Valley Fair has achieved key benchmarks lately, the center’s officials say.Customers visit Eataly, an Italian food hall located at Westfield Valley Fair mall in San Jose, June 2022. (Dai Sugano/Bay Area News Group)“Our foot traffic has been exceptional,” Newsom said. “We now are way beyond our pre-COVID retail sales and foot traffic.”Valley Fair also climbed to a fresh pinnacle for visitors, as measured by foot traffic.̶...

Trial begins for Colorado stepmom accused of killing missing 11-year-old Gannon Stauch, dumping body in Florida

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:21:58 GMT

Gannon Stauch Jury selection began Monday in the murder trial of the Colorado Springs woman accused of killing her 11-year-old stepson and then driving across the country to dump his body in Florida.Letecia Stauch, 39, is charged with first-degree murder in the death of Gannon Stauch, who disappeared from the family’s Colorado Springs home on Jan. 27, 2020, prompting extensive searches for the boy. Letecia Stauch was the last person to see Gannon alive, and investigators believe she killed the boy in his bedroom while the two were home alone that afternoon.Gannon’s body was found in March 2020, inside a suitcase under a bridge near Pensacola, Florida. He had been shot in the jaw, stabbed in the chest and back, and suffered a skull fracture, authorities said. His body was wrapped in bedding from the family’s home, and bullets found in the suitcase appeared to have been fired from a gun kept in the family’s home, investigators previously testified.Stauch pleaded not guilty by rea...

Single family residence sells in Fremont for $1.5 million

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:21:58 GMT

4839 Sterling Drive – Google Street ViewA house located in the 4800 block of Sterling Drive in Fremont has a new owner. The 1,132-square-foot property, built in 1953, was sold on Feb. 9, 2023, for $1,500,000, or $1,325 per square foot. The property features three bedrooms, two bathrooms, and a garage. The unit sits on a 9,298-square-foot lot.These nearby houses have also recently been sold:In December 2022, a 1,900-square-foot home on Mattos Drive in Fremont sold for $1,610,000, a price per square foot of $847. The home has 4 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms.A 1,492-square-foot home on the 4900 block of Sterling Drive in Fremont sold in July 2022, for $1,700,000, a price per square foot of $1,139. The home has 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms.On Mattos Drive, Fremont, in August 2022, a 1,497-square-foot home was sold for $2,150,000, a price per square foot of $1,436. The home has 4 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms. 

Two vacationing teens killed sledding down half-pipe at Colorado ski Resort

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:21:58 GMT

Two teenagers on spring break from Illinois were killed at Colorado’s Copper Mountain Ski Resort on Sunday evening after sledding down a half-pipe together and launching off a snowbank into the air.The teens, aged 17 and 18, “came down hard on the hard ice” below the half-pipe, according to a Summit County Sheriff’s Office statement, which said they experienced “blunt-force trauma.”They received immediate medical attention but could not be revived and were pronounced dead at the scene, the statement said.Summit County authorities on Monday weren’t able to say whether the half-pipe was closed. Sheriff’s deputies responded around 8:36 p.m., agency officials said.The two teens “were sliding on some sort of article together,” Sgt. Wanda Wilkerson said.Copper Mountain representatives said they were unable to comment.Related ArticlesCrime and Public Safety | Collision in San Jose injures two pedestrians Crime and Public Safety | 2 skiers killed in large late-win...

How Zach Braff got through a bad time to make ‘A Good Person’

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:21:58 GMT

Characters who never fall down, never have to crawl and struggle to regain their emotional footing, hold little interest for Zach Braff.The “Scrubs” TV alum’s four feature films — 2004’s “Garden State,” which he wrote when he was 25, 2014’s “Wish I Was Here,” 2017’s “Going in Style” and now “A Good Person,” in theaters March 24 — all reflect his preference for flawed individuals, ordinary people who get pitched a curveball that dramatically changes the game of life.His protagonists don’t necessarily do the right or rational thing, but their actions ache with an authenticity often overlooked in major studio productions. It’s a calling card of Braff’s to highlight the unpredictable nature of people, a tradition he used to joke about when he was on the celebrated hospital sitcom, which ran for nine seasons.“We would say that a lot on ‘Scrubs,’” recalls the 47-year-old South Orange, New Jersey, during a recent interview in San Francisco. “We would say, ‘Don’t do that …...

Bay Area music: Here are 3 intriguing local artists worth hearing today

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:21:58 GMT

Here are three Bay Area musicians worth listening to this month:Kimberlye GoldThe San Francisco native is an acclaimed singer-songwriter who handles a number of different genres, from pop to country to R&B, and has drawn comparisons to such platinum-selling artists as Sheryl Crow, Bonnie Raitt and Carole King. She recently released a new EP, “Soliloquy,” which features contributions from members of Tower Of Power and Pacific Mambo Orchestra. Listen on Spotify and other streaming services. For more information, visit kimberlyegold.com.Aki KumarThe San Jose bluesman has so much good music to enjoy on his website, akikumar.com, as well as on Spotify, YouTube, Apple Music and other sites. Yet, the specific tune we’ve been grooving to lately is his (comparatively) recent single, “Tonight with a Fool,” a cover of the Little Walter Jacobs classic that Kumar did with blues piano great Henry Gray.Varsha SaxenaThe Palo Alto-based artist makes enchanting, soot...

All lanes open after car fire on Bay Bridge blocked eastbound lanes: Video

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:21:58 GMT

SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) -- A car caught fire this morning on the Bay Bridge and temporarily blocked two left eastbound lanes. Video of the incident showed the car engulfed in flames on the eastbound lanes of the bridge just past Treasure Island.The left lanes of traffic that had been blocked have now reopened, according to the CHP. Drivers had earlier been advised to expect delays, use alternate routes and avoid the area. All lanes are now open, although residual delays are expected. Another storm hits Bay Area: Flood Advisory in effect Flames from the car had also spread to a nearby emergency call box. The car appeared to be blocking traffic in the far left lane and two emergency vehicles appeared to be on scene. It's not known if anyone was injured in the fire.Bridge cam video from another angle showed that the blaze had been extinguished and several firefighters were inspecting the burned-out vehicle.

Two guns recovered in separate Hayward traffic stops

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:21:58 GMT

(KRON) -- Two firearms were recovered in two separate traffic stops in one night, according to a news release from the Hayward Police Department. Along with the handguns, officers also recovered ammunition and a bulletproof vest with armored plates. Both vehicles were initially pulled over for equipment violations, police said. Uber passenger hit, killed on I-580 freeway off-ramp Both handguns were within reach of the vehicle occupants at the time they were pulled over."While most traffic stops do not end with arrests for possession of weapons and ammunition, these instances are good reminders for our officers to use safe tactics and clear communication during every interaction with the public," police said.No one was injured during either of the incidents, according to police. Photos accompanying the press release showed two handguns along with ammunition and the bulletproof vest.

16-year-old arrested for suspected armed robbery in San Francisco

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:21:58 GMT

SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) -- Three suspects were arrested, including a 16-year-old, in connection to an armed robbery that happened Friday in San Francisco, according to the San Francisco Police Department. The incident happened around 2 p.m. while the victim, a woman, was walking on Amazon Street near Vienna, officials said.Two suspects allegedly approached the woman and robbed her at gunpoint, taking her purse and a rosary from her neck, police said. The suspects then allegedly fled in a getaway car waiting for them. Oakland Starbucks workers file petition to unionize The woman and other witnesses were able to give police a description of the suspects and officers were able to find the getaway car, a white Jetta, on Silver Avenue and Revere Avenue in the Bayview District. Police said they were able to take one suspect into custody immediately while the other two fled on foot and led officers on a foot chase.(San Francisco Police Department)(San Francisco Police Department)During the...

Oakland Starbucks workers file petition to unionize

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:21:58 GMT

(KRON) -- Workers at a Starbucks in Oakland filed a petition with the National Labor Relations Board to unionize, according to a press release from Starbucks Workers United. Baristas at the Oakland Starbucks location at 1211 E. Embarcadero Cove have now joined nearly 300 stores and more than 7,500 workers across the country attempting to unionize. Video: Stonestown Mall brawls involving teens overwhelm security, result in injuries “Starbucks loves to talk about the progressive values it holds,” said Oakland barista Nick R. in the press release. “Unfortunately, it does not always live those values, especially when it comes to supporting its partners. I'm voting for the union because it's a way for us partners to hold Starbucks accountable.”"I am joining Starbucks Workers United because I believe in workers rights, and I know that we deserve to be fully supported in our store," said Richard M., another worker at the store.Conditions at the store that are behind efforts to unionize c...