The explosion in San Bruno is raising serious concerns about the state of the San Jose Fire Department and how quickly off-duty firefighters would be able to respond to a similar tragedy if it happened in the city. Only one in four SJFD firefighters lives in San Jose proper, and just over one in three lives in Santa Clara County.
Articles by Danny Wool
When budget cuts did away with the school bus, parents formed their own “walking school bus” to get their kids to school. About twenty kids from Bagby Elementary School walk to school together each morning, accompanied by a parent or two, and some special guests as well, including the Mayor and the Chief of Police.
Despite campaign promises of greater transparency, a panel headed by Mayor Chuck Reeds rejects two requests from local residents that the SJPD release information to them. In the case of a 911 call claimed as a false report, Vice Mayor Judy Chirco called the request for information “almost vindictive.” The SJPD argues that 911 calls are exempt from disclosure.
Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger is in Shanghai this week, hoping to drum up some business for California. Sure, all the jobs and innovations are moving West to the Far East, but he wants to reverse that trend and have Silicon Valley host the 2020 World Expo. To win it though, means Silicon Valley will be competing with Houston, New York, and even Los Angeles.
Google has been rolling out its latest feature, Google Instant, to some pretty hilarious results. The new feature guesses what you are probably searching for, based on some top secret algorithm that God himself couldn’t figure out, but one can only assume has to do with the popularity of searches. Justin Bieber fans, beware.
A rally and interfaith service are planned for this Friday outside the County Building in San Jose to protest the planned burning of the Koran in Gainesville, Florida. The event coincides with the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Fitr and the second day of Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year. More information about the event will be provided at a press conference today.
The “Case of the Missing Fairy” came to a happy ending yesterday, when the missing statue of the Wilis was carted back to the city. The thief’s identity remains unknown. Attorney Anthony Pagkas, who represented the most recent possessor of the statue, would not confirm that his client was the original fairy-napper, but only that they decided to do the right thing.
Just one day after Oracle announced it had hired former HP CEO Mark Hurd as co-president, HP retaliates with a lawsuit to prevent Hurd from taking the position. The lawsuit claims that Hurd is in breach of contract and that his hiring by Oracle puts HP trade secrets at risk. The suit is seen as evidence of a growing rift between the two Silicon Valley giants.
Mark Hurd, who was forced to resign as head honcho at Hewlett Packard last month, has taken on a new position as president of Oracle. The move was made possible with the resignation of Oracle’s former president, Charles Phillips.
USAgain, a for-profit venture designed to keep clothing out of landfills, is spreading its drop boxes across the Bay Area, and raising questions about recycled clothing. Green and white drop boxes have already popped up in Los Gatos, Sunnyvale, and Mountain View, and dozens more will blanket the Bay Area over the coming months.
