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Folks tend to travel long distances to eat on Thanksgiving. But for unhoused residents in San Jose, Thanksgiving dinner is coming to them. Amid the homeless encampment at Columbus Park in San Jose, faith-based nonprofit CityTeam helped brighten up Thanksgiving for many unhoused residents by bringing hot meals to the park. The nonprofit has a tradition...
Suspicious death stirs San Jose homeless housing complex residents
Formerly homeless residents are on edge following a suspicious death at a downtown San Jose homeless housing complex. A woman who was visiting a tenant died early Monday morning at Second Street Studios, according to residents, the San Jose Police Department and housing provider First Community Housing. A group of residents are pushing the complex’s...
San Jose mayor, law enforcement address recent string of retail robberies
Facing a spate of organized retail thefts and robberies over the weekend, San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo and local enforcement are looking for ways to beef up security during the holidays—including use of surveillance technology. “I’m releasing a proposal with colleagues for investment in automated license plate readers and other surveillance tech that will assist...
San Jose closes safe parking site earlier than expected
San Jose is shutting down a controversial safe parking site for unhoused residents just three months after it opened. The city announced the closure of the temporary safe parking site at 71 Vista Montaña on Monday. The site, which opened in early September, was potentially slated to remain open for nine months. But the city...
San Jose airport taxi drivers protest fee increases from dispatcher
The Mineta San Jose International Airport taxicab dispatch contractor is asking independent drivers to pay increased fees. Some drivers aren’t having it. Dozens of independent taxicab drivers are protesting rules from Safer, LLC, the airport’s taxi dispatch contractor. According to drivers, they began a strike on Nov. 16 and plan to stay off the job...
Where to find free Thanksgiving meals in San Jose
Braving the chilly weather on an early Tuesday afternoon, hundreds of San Jose residents filtered through the Sacred Heart community center on South First Street to receive food boxes for Thanksgiving dinners. “This is our 57th year giving out food boxes to the community,” Demone Carter, community engagement director at Sacred Heart, told San José...
San José Spotlight wins award for coverage of VTA mass shooting
San José Spotlight this month won a national award for its breaking news coverage of a mass shooting in May at a VTA light rail yard that killed nine transit workers. The award from the Local Independent Online News (LION) Publishers recognizes our nonprofit newsroom among the top news publications in the country. LION Publishers is...
San Jose prepares to settle litigation with injured cop watcher
San Jose appears to be settling litigation with a resident injured while trying to film police officers. Last week in closed session, the San Jose City Council discussed a lawsuit brought by Nicholas Robinson, a security guard who records police interactions. Robinson was arrested while monitoring police conducting an arrest near Highway 101 in November 2018. He...
San Jose’s downtown Willow Glen springs back to life as holidays arrive
The quaint character of downtown Willow Glen stores and eateries is re-emerging, even though the COVID-19 pandemic hit businesses hard. Last week, tree-lined Lincoln Avenue, between Minnesota Avenue and Willow Street, saw foot traffic increase as customers wandered into retail boutiques like Bella James, to paint pottery at Petroglyph or shop for gifts and lunch...
Different hiring experiences for San Jose coffee shops, eateries
The solution to the ongoing labor shortage might seem as simple as paying employees more, but “more” isn’t always available. In the restaurant industry, budgets are straining to cover the increased costs of ingredients due to widespread shortages. That doesn’t necessarily translate to passing costs onto customers. For some businesses the answer isn’t that simple. “You...