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Reader’s dream of all AVs strikes chord with autonomous fans and foes: Roadshow

Published Fri, 07 Feb 2025 15:15:58 GMT

Q: I share Wes Christensen’s enthusiasm for the potential of AVs. As a retired programmer, though, I have some pessimism.For AVs to truly work, they must talk to one another in real time, and the infrastructure must be smarter. Programming autonomous behavior is very difficult.Doing this will require standards. The government is pretty good at getting technology companies to agree upon standards, but it is not a rapid process.Edward MontgomeryA: Yours was one of many points of view on his thought-provoking comments.Q: I don’t know if we’ll ever see 100 percent autonomous vehicles, but Wes’ prediction of no traffic lights might rankle some non-autonomous pedestrians. The mix of human-driven cars and AV’s is a dangerous one, and hard on AV designersA big issue with interacting with driverless vehicles is not being able to make eye contact. Many collisions are avoided when someone realizes that evasive action is needed, or when someone catches a driver’s attention and stops...

Records reveal Concord Naval Weapons Station developer has ties to Saudi, Qatari money

Published Fri, 07 Feb 2025 15:15:58 GMT

The new master developer slated to transform the former Concord Naval Weapons Station has financial ties to Arab states in the Persian Gulf, linking the long-controversial project to a history of human rights violations, ethical quagmires and shady business dealings involving the Trump Administration.The vision for the sprawling acreage is a huge mixed-use and transit-oriented community — the largest development currently underway in the Bay Area. It would comprise roughly half of the site’s total 5,046 acres just south of the still-existing Military Ocean Terminal Concord, an ammunition depot that sits on the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta.The Concord City Council — acting as the authority for the site’s redevelopment — unanimously approved Brookfield Properties’ massive 2,300-acre plan for the barren land in a four-hour meeting Aug. 26.This news organization, through a review of public records, has since learned that the real estate portfolio of Brookfi...

How California’s current COVID wave ranks among the pandemic’s Top 5

Published Fri, 07 Feb 2025 15:15:58 GMT

California’s sneaky summer COVID wave is reaching heights not seen in more than a year as highly contagious strains of the virus continue to spread with the promise of a new vaccine days away.The state’s test positivity rate has now topped 14%, the highest since July of 2022 and the fifth highest mark since the pandemic began in early 2020, according to the latest California Department of Public Health data.Since federal and state authorities have stopped tracking COVID case counts, the percentage of lab-processed COVID tests that are positive has become one of the best indicators of how much the virus is spreading in the community, similar to how influenza has been tracked historically.The virus has been active from coast to coast, with some East Coast schools requiring masks, and First Lady Jill Biden testing positive at the end of the Labor Day holiday weekend. In an appearance at the White House Wednesday, President Biden caused some confusion by contradicting CDC gu...

Huge South Bay office campus occupied by high-profile tech firm lands buyer

Published Fri, 07 Feb 2025 15:15:58 GMT

MILPITAS — A huge South Bay office campus occupied by a top-notch tech firm has been bought by a Midwest buyer in a deal that points to pockets of strength in a wobbly Bay Area office sector.The five-building research and office campus in Milpitas was purchased for slightly under $192.5 million, according to documents filed on Sept. 9 with the Santa Clara County Recorder’s Office.The campus is bounded by Sandisk Drive, Murphy Ranch Road, Technology Drive and McCarthy Boulevard, public records on file with the County Assessor’s Office show.A tech campus consisting of five office and research buildings on Sandisk Drive in Milpitas. (Google Maps)Chicago-based Blue Owl Capital bought the vast campus, which totals 580,400 square feet, according to the county real estate documents.Western Digital, a manufacturer of computer drives and data storage systems, acting through an affiliate called Sandbox Expansion, sold the tech campus. Western Digital also occupies the f...

Opinion: Why negotiating drug prices won’t hinder new cures

Published Fri, 07 Feb 2025 15:15:58 GMT

Big Pharma is pulling out all the stops to avoid lowering drug prices for seniors.Several pharmaceutical companies, including Merck, Johnson & Johnson and Bristol Myers Squibb; the key pharma lobbying group Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA); and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce have recently filed lawsuits against President Joe Biden’s administration, arguing that the Inflation Reduction Act provision that allows Medicare to negotiate drug prices with pharmaceutical companies is unconstitutional.Their legal strategy is tantamount to “throwing the kitchen sink at the government,” as one expert described it, with various lawsuits arguing violations to the First, Fifth and Eighth amendments.The pharmaceutical industry has argued that negotiating Medicare prices with the federal government will force them to pull back on developing groundbreaking new treatments. As Eli Lilly CEO David Ricks said in an interview this summer with CNBC, “I’m really worried about ...

49ers captains: Brock Purdy, Deebo Samuel join six-man crew

Published Fri, 07 Feb 2025 15:15:58 GMT

SANTA CLARA – Brock Purdy is not just the 49ers’ season-opening quarterback. He is a first-time captain, which is a distinction that eluded Trey Lance a year ago.A key difference: Purdy proved his leadership ability – and availability — on the field.“I mean, it’s hard to be seen as a leader when you haven’t been out there before,” coach Kyle Shanahan said. “Guys can think you’re a leader, you can act like a leader, but guys don’t follow many people who don’t produce on the field.”Purdy produced eight straight wins, up until his elbow injury in last season’s NFC Championship Game.“That’s why (Purdy) got so many votes this year, because I think they believed in him and felt he was one of the leaders last year,” Shanahan said. “Not because he’s being some vet and talking to guys a certain way. (It is) just because of how he prepares, that they can count on him and how he handled a number of situations when he got in there.”Teammates elect...

Attempt to rescue stranded sailboat near Stinson Beach traps second vessel

Published Fri, 07 Feb 2025 15:15:58 GMT

A vessel was stranded near Stinson Beach after attempting to help tow a sailboat stuck since July, the Marin County Sheriff’s Office said.The rescue boat appeared to run aground over the weekend amid heavy surf while trying to tow the Chandalar, a 33-foot-long, 10-ton sailboat, during a high tide, sheriff’s Sgt. Adam Schermerhorn said. The boats are trapped on Upton Beach, near Stinson.The Chandalar has been stuck in the sand since July 31. Authorities gave the vessel’s captain until the end of August to remove the boat.On Aug. 29, U.S. District Court Judge James Donato granted a temporary restraining order preventing authorities from removing the boat. The restraining order ends in a few days, Schermerhorn said.Related ArticlesCrashes and Disasters | ADA-compliant dock installed at Vasona Lake in Los Gatos Crashes and Disasters | Sailboat stays stuck at Stinson Beach as owner works to remove it “In the event the judge extends it further, the owner wi...

California college student with airsoft gun and pocket knife in class is arrested

Published Fri, 07 Feb 2025 15:15:58 GMT

Officers arrested a Pasadena City College student who had an airsoft gun and a pocket knife while in a math class this week, authorities said.The college’s police force received an anonymous report at 7:26 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 5, that a student in a classroom had a weapon,  said Alex Boekelheide, a Pasadena City College spokesperson.The tip contained information about the student’s clothing, which enabled officers to identify him.College police asked Pasadena police for assistance, and they headed to the campus.Officers entered the classroom and detained the suspect without incident, Pasadena police Lt. Tim Bundy said.The suspect, a 25-year-old Rosemead man, was arrested on suspicion of possession of a weapon on campus, which is a misdemeanor, and violating a Municipal Code, which is an infraction, he said.Under the city code, no person shall carry an air gun in the city, except when going to or from a place designed for using one.Related ArticlesCrime and Public Safety | ...

Opinion: How we can ease emotional struggles of family caregivers

Published Fri, 07 Feb 2025 15:15:58 GMT

As family caregivers embark on a journey of compassion, selflessness, and dedication to those who need them most, behind the scenes lies a profound emotional burden that often goes unnoticed. The emotional aspects of family caregiving can be overwhelming, impacting the caregivers’ mental health and ability to provide the best possible care. It is crucial to shed light on the realities of this demanding role and acknowledge the dire need for adequate support.Family caregivers like “Jane” might feel isolated and overwhelmed and unsure of where to turn for support. Jane has a full-time job and also cares for her elderly and chronically ill mother. Jane’s job has good benefits, and her mother has some retirement savings, but Jane is still unable to afford more than occasional in-home care, and assisted living is far outside her budget. Like many caregivers, she and her mom have too much money to qualify for public benefits like MediCal but not enough to pay for long-term car...

WB I-780 reopens after overturned tanker truck spills asphalt

Published Fri, 07 Feb 2025 15:15:58 GMT

(KRON) -- An overturned tanker truck collision that occurred on I-780 near 2nd Street in Benicia Wednesday morning has since reopened. The truck spilled asphalt across the westbound lanes, according to a Sig Alert. The truck that overturned was hauling 6,000 gallons of hot asphalt. All lanes are currently blocked and are expected to stay closed for most of Wednesday night. The California Highway Patrol said no one was hurt in the crash, which happened just before 9:30 a.m. Quarantine in effect for portions of Santa Clara County due to oriental fruit flies The tanker ended up leaking across all the lanes of the westbound I-780 and on the right embankment of the freeway and into a ditch.Environmental regulators have been called to assess whether any of the substance has reached local waterways. At least one resident asked authorities if the substance hit her fence.All traffic is being diverted off the freeway at Fifth Street. The CHP is asking people to avoid the area while the clea...