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San Jose-based nonprofit’s founder sees neurodivergency as asset

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:46:11 GMT

Dreamzilla Inc., a San Jose-based nonprofit dedicated to celebrating neurodiversity, announced its first-ever scholarship recipients.Brittany Duncan of Huntersville, NC, Julianne Lukassen of Cheyenne, WY, Austin Riley of Ontario, Canada and Serafino Palumbo of Girard, OH all received funding from Dreamzilla to aid in pursuing their educational goals. The winners have a variety of neurological differences such as autism and ADHD.“Scholarship applicants must be neurodivergent,” said Ken Loh, co-founder and treasurer/secretary of Dreamzilla. “They must have some sort of personal or professional aspiration that they are pursuing, yet have a financial barrier to overcome.”Dreamzilla Inc. was co-founded in January 2022 by CEO Kyle Loh, a race car driver with autism and ADHD.“We felt that there were probably many other neurodivergent individuals who really wanted to follow their passions,” said Ken Loh, who is Kyle’s dad, “but for whatever reason they weren’t able to. We suspected that mis...

Here’s how San Jose’s smash-and-grab prevention funds will be spent

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:46:11 GMT

As Bay Area residents continue to be bombarded with videos of masked thieves breaking jewelry shop cases or plundering pricey purses from designer boutiques, San Jose’s police department plans to spend millions on salaries and a controversial surveillance technology to combat smash-and-grab crimes that have become a major worry for public safety and economic vitality across California.Part of an injection of over a quarter-billion dollars in state money from Gov. Gavin Newsom, more than half of San Jose’s $8.4 million in funds will go towards salaries, benefits and overtime for a group of officers devoted to retail theft prevention.Another chunk — $3.1 million — will be spent on purchasing automatic license plate readers, which advocates claim can help police rapidly identify criminals but have also raised privacy concerns.The remaining half-million will be spent on an evaluator who will measure the effectiveness of the crime-fighting technology — as we...

Latest line: A good week for YIMBYs, a bad week for election officials

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:46:11 GMT

YIMBYsThe “Yes in My Backyard” movement wins big as Gov. Gavin Newsom signs multiple bills to streamline housing construction, ease selling and renting of backyard units, and to allow religious groups to build affordable housing on their land.    Election officialsA new report shows that 41% of California’s chief county election officials have left since November 2020, due in part to stress and threats linked to Donald Trump’s lies that he lost re-election because the count was “rigged” or “stolen.”   Roger BenitezAfter overturning California’s law to ban high-capacity gun magazines, the San Diego judge sees his decision temporarily blocked by the Ninth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals. But it or the Supreme Court could still uphold his ruling later. 

How a fight over 1,000 feet of Bay Area road led to lawsuits and allegations of corruption

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:46:11 GMT

The final 1,000 feet of a remote stretch of road outside of Fremont has turned into an unlikely battleground over public access in the Bay Area, and a war of words that has spiraled into allegations of county corruption and even attempted restraining orders.The drama centers on Morrison Canyon Road, a rural road that dead ends into the sprawling property of CEO and rancher Christopher George.It’s also the access point for the relatively new Vargas Plateau Regional Park, a popular park for hiking, biking and horseback riding.Related ArticlesLocal News | Google opens visitor center in splashy dragonscale building Local News | ‘Coal war’ in Oakland could be settled by judge ruling in contract dispute Local News | Which way does beach sand flow? Studies challenge established views on sand migration along California coast Local News | Prominent Bay Area environmental group names new leader Local News | ...

They said it: More housing coming to California

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:46:11 GMT

“The era of saying no to housing is coming to an end.”— State Sen. Scott Weiner, D-San Francisco, after Gov. Gavin Newsom signed multiple bills streamlining the construction more housing, even in communities that have tried to block it for years.

Lacking size, how the Warriors can use preseason to sharpen their defense

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:46:11 GMT

LOS ANGELES –The Warriors put together a veteran-laden roster in the offseason at a slight expense: They’re short on size and, with some lineups, athleticism.All that smart basketball with future Hall of Famers is expected to fill the gaps, where they can combat youth and speed with the most feared NBA players of the last decade orchestrating fast-paced and intuitive offense. That strategy should pay off in the aggregate of a regular season, but being small can come back to bite defensively — especially against a team built like the Los Angeles Lakers.All the defensive miscues that plagued the Warriors last year have come into play in their two preseason games against the Lakers. Seven-footer Anthony Davis’ presence in the paint has historically sent the Warriors offense into a tizzy, but they’ve had just as many issues containing Davis, LeBron James, Austin Reaves and a mosaic of players shooting open 3s on kick-outs.If the Warriors are vying for a cha...

Pegula beats Yuan to claim Korea Open title. Fernandez wins Hong Kong Open

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:46:11 GMT

SEOUL (AP) — Jessica Pegula beat Yuan Yue 6-2, 6-3 in the final of the Korea Open on Sunday for the fourth title of her career. The top-seeded Pegula dropped only one set through the tournament and becomes the first American since Venus Williams in 2007 to win the title in Seoul. “My mom is Korean and she was adopted from here so it’s really special to be able to win here,” Pegula said. “In the last few years, as my ranking has gone up, I’ve definitely felt so much more support from the fans, a lot more than I expected coming back here from five years ago. So it’s really special.”Playing in her first career final, 128th-ranked Yuan showed no signs of nerves and earned a break point in Pegula’s opening service game, which the American saved with a forehand winner. The world No. 4-ranked player then won eight consecutive games to take the first set and build a 3-0 lead in the second as a quick victory looked likely. Yuan then rallied to get back to 4-3 but Pegula’s power from th...

Truck hit by train in Silver Spring

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:46:11 GMT

A flatbed truck was hit by a train in Montgomery County, Maryland, after breaking down on railroad tracks.It happened shortly after 11 p.m. Saturday night at the Linden Lane railroad crossing in Silver Spring, according to Montgomery County Fire and Rescue.No one was hurt when the CSX train carrying gravel slammed into the truck, according to fire officials.The train stayed on the tracks.Some road around the tracks were closed following the collision.ICYMI (10/14 ~11p) Train vs Tow truck, no injuries https://t.co/I8y755Kewu pic.twitter.com/pMmnPzZ2Dk— Pete Piringer (@mcfrsPIO) October 15, 2023WTOP has reached out to CSX for comment. A map of the area is below. Source

Auston Matthews scores another hat trick as Toronto Maple Leafs beat Minnesota Wild 7-4

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:46:11 GMT

TORONTO (AP) — Auston Matthews registered his second hat trick in two games to open the season, and the Toronto Maple Leafs beat the Minnesota Wild 7-4 on Saturday night.William Nylander had two goals and an assist for Toronto, and Ilya Samsonov made 28 saves. Calle Jarnkrok had a goal and an assist, and Tyler Bertuzzi also scored. Mitch Marner and Morgan Rielly each had two assists.Matthews is the fifth player in NHL history to open a season with back-to-back hat tricks, joining Alex Ovechkin (2017-18), Cy Denneny (1917-18), Joe Malone (1917-18) and Reg Noble (1917-18).“I want to play at the highest level that I can every night,” Matthews said. “I’m not really thinking in the past or thinking about years in the past. It’s all about today.“Just trying to go out and put in my best effort and do what I can to help the team.”Toronto coach Sheldon Keefe said it has been fun watching Matthews go to work.“You don’t expect back-to-back hat tricks, of course, but I’ve gotten somewhat comfor...

Police search for vehicle in serious hit-and-run in Denver

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:46:11 GMT

DENVER (KDVR) -- A Medina Alert was issued for a vehicle in a hit-and-run crash with a pedestrian early Sunday morning, according to the Colorado Bureau of Investigation.The crash happened in the 6700 block of Leetsdale Drive around 3 a.m. The pedestrian suffered serious injuries.The vehicle was described as a 2005 white Ford Explorer with Colorado license plate CJKK91.CBI urges anyone who sees the vehicle to call 911 or the Denver Police at 720-913-2012.