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Top Stories: Nov. 4, 2009

Two Teens Arrested in Halloween Murder Case; San Jose Named One of Nation's Cleanest Cities

by Staff on Nov 04, 2009
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City to Host Skating Championships
San Jose is not known for its icy climate, but it does have its share of world-class figure skaters. Olympic gold medalist Kristi Yamaguchi grew up in San Jose, and so did U.S. champion Rudy Galindo, who won the Gold right here in San Jose in 1996. The two of them used their star power to bring the U.S. Skating Championships back to San Jose in 2012.

Once again the event will take place at the HP Pavilion, where it was hosted over a decade ago, and where the San Jose Sharks just won their fifth straight game. In other words, San Jose really is a city of champs on ice.
Read More at NBC Bay Area.


Teens Suspected of Shooting 12-Year-Old over Color of Sneakers
The SJPD arrested three teenage gang members for shooting a 12-year-old trick-or-treater in the head and stabbing a 13-year-old. Both of the victims attend Lee Mathson Middle School. The shooting victim remains in critical condition. Police have not identified the attackers, apart from saying that one was aged 15 and that the other two were 16.

One possible motive for the crime may have been the color of the sneakers that the younger victim was wearing. A classmate of the victim reportedly told police that the boy was wearing Nike Cortez shoes, which are used to signify gang affiliations. The rumor circulating in the schoolyard is that the attackers asked the boy what gang he belonged to, and when he denied being involved with any gang, he was shot. The principal of the boys' school, Orlando Ramos, told police that the students “were absolutely not involved in gangs."
Read More at ABC 7.
Read More at the Mercury News.


Parents Receive Medical Bill for Murdered Son
When Scott Hawkins was killed last week, his parents' world crashed in on them. As reported on SanJose.com, the quiet 23-year-old from Santa Clara was allegedly stabbed to death by his college roommate, who apparently went berserk. By the time the police came to arrest him, the perpetrator was apparently beating himself over the head with a baseball bat.

But things just got worse for Gerald and Elizabeth Hawkins. Just ten days after their son died, they received a bill for $29,186.50 from UC-Davis Medical Center, the hospital where there son was taken. A follow-up letter included with the bill and addressed to "Dear Patient" read: "UC Davis can no longer provide follow-up care or any other non-emergency care to you. Please go to a County clinic for all non-emergency care or to get a referral to another doctor."

In addition to the insult, the bill also raises questions for the Hawkinses about how their son actually died. They were told by the President of CSUS that he died in his dorm room, but the itemized bill included costs for a "patient monitor," trauma rescue services, intubation, and cardiopulmonary resuscitation.

Hospital spokeswoman Carole Gan said that the bill should never have been sent to the Hawkins family, and that the medical center will take up the costs with the victim's insurance company, Kaiser Permanente.
Read More at the Sacramento Bee.

Bulldogs Shot After Mauling Officer
Animal control often had problems with two bulldogs owned by Lorenzo Garcia, 27, and Jesus Guzman, 29, so it was no surprise when neighbors called to report that the dogs had broken into their yard. This time, however, the dogs turned on the officer and bit her nine times before they were finally shot by the police. According to SJPD Spokesman Ronnie Lopez, it took the police 11 shots to finally put the dogs down—one died and the other was later euthanized. Garcia and Guzman were arrested by police, and the animal control officer was treated in hospital and released.
Read More at ABC 7.


Palo Alto Voters Reject Business Licensing Tax
Voters in Palo Alto rejected a new business licensing tax proposed to help cover the city's $10 million deficit. The proposal, entitled Measure A, was defeated by a 56-44 margin. As reported in SanJose.com yesterday, manufacturers, wholesalers, retailers, and other small businesses would have been required to pay $75 for their first employee and $34 for every additional employee. Professional services, real estate brokers, and other, non-classified businesses would have to pay $95 per every additional employee, while landlords with four or more rental units would have to pay $25 per unit. Mayor Peter Drekmeier argued that the anticipated $3 million revenue from the new taxes were critical if the city was to continue to provide basic services.
Read More at KCBS.


San Jose Scores High Among America's Clean Cities
Forbes magazine ranked the nation's 40 largest cities and found that San Jose is one of the cleanest. The city ranked eighth, below Sacramento (2nd), Riverside (3rd), and San Diego (6th), but far ahead of San Francisco, which tied for 15th place with Minneapolis and Washington DC.

The rankings were based on four distinct gauges: 1) the number of uncontrolled hazardous waste sites designated by the government for its Superfund cleanup program (SJ has 17); 2) the number of facilities releasing toxic chemicals (SJ has 81); 3) the 2007 air quality ranking (the city came in at 33rd), and 4) the number of pounds of toxic chemicals released in the area. It was in this final category that San Jose excelled, with only 417,505 lbs. In contrast, the highest ranked city, Las Vegas, releases over two million lbs., while Houston, ranked one of the most toxic cities, released 88 million lbs.

Forbes also noted that there were several contributing factors to each of these gauges. New York City, for instance, which ranked just below San Jose, has an air quality ranking of 5, largely due to the city's high density and the widespread use of public transportation.

Based on the figures, local environmentalists have a good idea where to focus their efforts to improve the city's standing: We still have a way to go to improve our air quality.
Read More at Forbes.



by Staff on Nov 04, 2009
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