A dramatic increase in influenza-like illnesses and emergency room visits in Santa Clara County has prompted health officials to urge residents to get vaccinated. County data focused on local wastewater readings this month shows a rise in RSV, or respiratory syncytial virus, as well as influenza and COVID-19. The concentration of RSV in wastewater has...
Author: Lorraine Gabbert (Lorraine Gabbert)
Student homelessness grows in San Jose school district
The number of homeless high school students and families in one East San Jose school district has increased threefold in just three years. The East Side Union High School District has approximately 900 unhoused students, compared to 300 in 2020. Officials said the number continues to climb and cite inflation, cost of living increases and...
San Jose nonprofits are food lifeline for Thanksgiving
Each year, the lines are long at Sacred Heart Community Service in San Jose, as people and cars queue up for nutritious boxed holiday meals. From Monday to Wednesday, the nonprofit distributed approximately 3,500 free boxes of food. Each box, valued at $150, included a chicken, ham or turkey and all the fixings for the...
San Jose schools to teach media literacy in misinformation fight
California passed a bill last month to help students tell fact from fiction, especially regarding social media. Now it’s up to school districts to incorporate media literacy into the curriculum. The bill, AB 873, was authored by local Assemblymember Marc Berman and signed into law on Oct. 13. Its purpose is to integrate media literacy...
UPDATE: East San Jose teacher leads in crowded education race
In a crowded race to fill a vacancy on a prominent Silicon Valley education board, one contender has emerged as a clear frontrunner — and is positioned to win the seat. In a special election Tuesday, initial returns show Clay Hale, 28, leading his closest competitor to represent Area 7 on the San Jose-Evergreen...
Silicon Valley labor leaders make 2024 election endorsements
The South Bay Labor Council’s endorsements for the November 2024 election reveal notable surprises and omissions. The Labor Council, which represents more than 100 unions in Santa Clara and San Benito counties, is throwing its weight behind a number of candidates running for open seats on the San Jose City Council. Babu Prasad, president of...
Silicon Valley arts programs funnel millions into economy
Tech might be king in Silicon Valley but the economic effect of arts and culture on the region should not be brushed aside — it brings millions of dollars into Santa Clara County. The Arts & Economic Prosperity 6 study showed Santa Clara County’s nonprofit arts and culture industry generated $384.5 million in economic activity...
San Jose college district election: What you need to know
The San Jose-Evergreen Community College District will be adding a new trustee to its board after the Nov. 7 special election. The community college district, which is governed by a seven-member board, has five candidates vying for the District Area 7 seat: Diego Barragán, Lisanna Dominguez, Stephen Eckstone, Clay Hale and Anthony Macias. The seat...
‘A dedicated public servant’: former Santa Clara mayor dies
Former Santa Clara Mayor and Councilmember Patricia Mahan died Saturday. Mahan, age 71, died from liver, kidney and heart failure. She fought cancer five times, according to her sister, Jeannie Mahan. After becoming a lawyer in 1980, Mahan opened a private practice, specializing in tax and estate planning, later becoming a consistent presence on the...
‘Burning Man meets Golfland’: Urban Putt San Jose will change the game
Aliens, mysterious spirits and time machines are about to collide in the most unexpected way, and it has nothing to do with Halloween. A new entertainment destination will soon open in downtown San Jose. Urban Putt San Jose will bring interactive miniature golf, food and craft cocktails to the city’s core in 13,000 square feet...