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Brewery day trip: A Silicon Valley taproom trio to explore

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 15:55:55 GMT

My Bay Area brewery tours have taken me to taprooms across the region, from the Tri-Valley’s Inc 82 and Danville Brewing to Pacifica’s Pedro Point. This month, Silicon Valley beckoned with breweries ranging from Floodcraft to Taplands and more.Taplands, Santa ClaraFounded in by Matt Hartenstein in 2016, this taproom is also a bottle shop and occasional brewery. Hartenstein is a longtime homebrewer and self-avowed “old-time beer nerd” who wanted to have a craft beer bar, but didn’t want to give up his hobby — so he figured out a way to do both.The focus is clearly on the taproom, with a nicely curated, rotating lineup of 25 beers plus a cask engine. Hartenstein likes to keep a diverse portfolio of styles. The idea, he tells me, is  to have brews that are “good for people who both know good beer and don’t know what they want.” Education is a big component here, and the bar’s vibe aims to welcome beer geeks like him as well as newbies eager to learn. That’...

Donald Trump digs in on election lies, attacks E. Jean Carroll in town hall

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 15:55:55 GMT

By Jill Colvin | Associated PressDuring a contentious CNN town hall Wednesday night, former President Donald Trump dug in on his lies about the 2020 election, downplayed the violence on Jan. 6, 2021, and repeatedly insulted the woman whom a civil jury this week found him liable for sexually abusing and defaming.Trump, returning to the network after years of acrimony, also refused to say whether he wants Ukraine to win the war against Russian aggression and said the U.S. “might as well” default on its debt obligation, despite the potentially devastating economic consequences.The live, televised event — held in early-voting New Hampshire — underscored the challenges of fact-checking Trump in real time. The former president was cheered on and applauded by an audience of Republican and unaffiliated voters who plan to vote in the GOP primary, as moderator Kaitlan Collins sometimes struggled to correct the record as Trump steamrolled with untrue statements. “You are a na...

Five-bedroom home sells in Saratoga for $4.4 million

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 15:55:55 GMT

14830 Vickery Avenue – Google Street ViewA 2,511-square-foot house built in 1963 has changed hands. The spacious property located in the 14800 block of Vickery Avenue in Saratoga was sold on April 21, 2023. The $4,350,000 purchase price works out to $1,732 per square foot. The property features five bedrooms, three baths, a garage, and two parking spaces. There’s also a pool in the backyard. The unit sits on a 0.5-acre lot.Additional houses that have recently been purchased close by include:In December 2022, a 2,896-square-foot home on Lomita Avenue in Saratoga sold for $4,050,000, a price per square foot of $1,398. The home has 3 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms.A 2,915-square-foot home on the 20100 block of Bonnie Brae Way in Saratoga sold in August 2022, for $5,250,000, a price per square foot of $1,801. The home has 5 bedrooms and 4 bathrooms.On Oak Place, Saratoga, in March 2023, a 1,009-square-foot home was sold for $2,000,000, a price per square foot of $1,982. The home has 2 bedroom...

Expel Santos? GOP leaders show no interest in doing that

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 15:55:55 GMT

By Kevin Freking | Associated PressWASHINGTON — Protecting a narrow, four-vote majority, Republican leaders in the House are making clear that they intend to let the legal process play out with New York Rep. George Santos before they take steps to force his resignation or expel him.The freshman congressman was accused Wednesday by federal prosecutors of embezzling money from his campaign, falsely receiving unemployment funds and lying to Congress about his finances and could face up to 20 years in prison if convicted. Santos pleaded not guilty.Republican leaders, who for months have faced mounting questions about Santos after most of his campaign biography was exposed as a lie, were unmoved and brushed aside calls — including from some colleagues — that they take immediate action to push Santos out of Congress.“In America, there’s a presumption of innocence. But they’re serious charges. He’s going to have to go through the legal process,” said House Maj...

San Jose: Police arrest man after finding ‘destructive device manufacturing operation’

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 15:55:55 GMT

SAN JOSE — Police said they found an operation to manufacture destructive devices inside a San Jose business during a security sweep on Monday, and they arrested a 48-year-old San Jose man.While responding to a report of a commercial burglary in the 1200 block of Old Bayshore Highway, police found what appeared to be the manufacturing operation inside the business, according to a news release. During the investigation, police identified a suspect and arrested him on suspicion of felony reckless possession of destructive devices and precursor materials.Police did not say in their news release how they came to identify the suspect as being responsible for the operation.Investigators obtained a search warrant for the man’s residence, and upon searching both his home and the business, found more than 100 pounds of precursor explosive making materials, assembly equipment and completed explosives.Related ArticlesCrime and Public Safety | Speed cameras in San Jose and Oakl...

Volunteer middle school coach accused of recording sex with 12-year-old student

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 15:55:55 GMT

The FBI has issued a complaint alleging a volunteer coach at an Oakland County, Michigan middle school filmed himself having sex with one of the school’s 12-year-old students at his home in Detroit.Named in the complaint is Daveughn Ryan Gray, 20, who is alleged to have arranged an Uber drive to take the girl from a sleepover at a friend’s house to a home in Detroit where he lives with his mother, and enticing her to have sex with him. The sexual encounter was allegedly recorded on his cell phone and a phone the girl had with her at the time.Officials are seeking federal charges of production, possession and distribution of child pornography against Gray, reportedly an unofficial boys basketball coach at the school.Police were contacted by a teacher at the middle school after another student reportedly showed her a video screenshot of the encounter as recorded on a cell phone that the girl had borrowed. The screenshot had also been shared on Instagram.The school isn’t explicitly nam...

CA Instacart workers to get millions in restitution: find out if you qualify

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 15:55:55 GMT

SAN DIEGO -- Did you work for Instacart in California between Sept. 13, 2015 and Dec. 15, 2020? If so, you may qualify for a restitution payment. The San Diego City Attorney's Office announced Thursday that millions of dollars in Instacart funds are ready to be distributed to some shoppers and drivers who were underpaid as independent contractors. Here’s how much Black Californians could individually receive in reparations payments The funds come from a $46.5 million settlement from a lawsuit that the city attorney’s office filed against the giant grocery shopping app four years ago. The suit alleged that the San Francisco-based company misclassified its shoppers as independent contractors when they should have been considered employees.Although the settlement was reached in October 2022, the final judgment was entered by the court only recently, the attorney's office explained.“It’s gratifying to see hardworking Instacart shoppers receive the compensation they deserve. At the hei...

Convicted felon ditches backpack full of guns, drugs while fleeing police on motorcycle

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 15:55:55 GMT

(KRON) -- A convicted felon wearing an ankle monitor fled San Rafael police officers on a motorcycle early Thursday morning before crashing in a wooded area near the Falkirk Cultural Center, San Rafael PD officials said. The vehicle did not have license plates or registration.When a Healdsburg police officer tried to stop the motorcycle around 2:15 a.m., the driver took off at a high rate of speed leading the officer and officers with the Sonoma County Sheriff's Office on a chase. The suspect ditched a backpack with a loaded gun and drugs inside at the Sonoma County/Marin County line, police said, before making his way into San Rafael.A California Highway Patrol helicopter also got involved in the chase.The pursuit eventually ended in downtown San Rafael in a public parking lot at the Falkirk Cultural Center. With nowhere else to go, the suspect tried to drive into a nearby wooded area but crashed. Police said he then tried to hop and fence but was quickly apprehended with the assis...

Westbound Hwy 12 in Santa Rosa reopened after overturned big rig

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 15:55:55 GMT

(BCN) -- The westbound lanes of Highway 12 in Santa Rosa have reopened after a big rig overturned early Thursday morning. Drivers should expect residual delays in the area.The roadway was closed about 4 a.m. Thursday between Brush Creek Road and Farmers Lane on the city's east side. Police had initially estimated the roadway would open about 6:30 a.m. but had extended it to 8:30 a.m. They urged motorists to use alternate routes in the meantime. Copyright © 2023 Bay City News, Inc.

Swiss parliamentary panel seeks easing of export controls on weaponry

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 15:55:55 GMT

BERN, Switzerland (AP) — A parliamentary committee in Switzerland on Thursday recommended easing export controls for Swiss-made war materiel to help prop up the domestic defense industry as Western neighbors urge the country to do more to help Ukraine defend itself against Russia.The passage of two motions by the Security Policy Commission of the upper house of parliament, the Council of States was largely a procedural step, but it highlighted the economic and political pressures on Swiss lawmakers.The Council commission took into consideration Switzerland’s longtime policy of military neutrality and the effects of export restrictions on Swiss defense contractors. Its sister commission in parliament’s lower house took a similar position in January.The war in Ukraine has prompted Swiss government officials to grapple with their country’s longtime conception of neutrality, which is enshrined in the constitution and prohibits exporting weaponry to active war zones. The policy also bars...