The first thing you’re likely to notice as you enter Mama Kin in downtown San Jose is the live band onstage, or the line of hopefuls with guitars signed up for the open mic if it’s Tuesday. Music is essential to Mama Kin’s atmosphere—appropriate for a venue named after an Aerosmith song—as is the selection of Cajun...
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San Jose airport expects travel bump over Thanksgiving holiday
San Jose leaders are cautiously optimistic an uptick in air travel over the Thanksgiving holiday is a sign the local airline industry—and by extension, the economy—is rebounding from COVID-19. The Mineta San Jose International Airport predicts about 438,000 passengers will pass through its doors over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend. According to airport data, 73,862 passengers...
World Cup a win for downtown San Jose
The United States soccer team may have tied England at the World Cup’s Friday match, but the game was a win for San Jose regardless of the results. World Cup watch parties—organized by the San Jose Earthquakes soccer team, local businesses and the San Jose Downtown Association—have activated San Pedro Square in a way the...
Why East San Jose students are missing school
One East San Jose school district is looking at how post-pandemic challenges are contributing to students skipping school, as chronic absenteeism rises in the local education system. One out of five students in the East Side Union High School District were chronically absent in the 2021-22 school year, missing class as families struggled with financial...
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Thanksgiving in Silicon Valley: A mission to feed the needy
Ivan Diaz spent the last couple nights in his backyard cooking 10 turkeys at a time in a large smoker. But the 63-year-old is not throwing a Thanksgiving extravaganza at his home in San Jose’s Seven Trees neighborhood. He was preparing the meat as part of a feast he and other volunteers whipped up to...
Collins: How is today’s housing market different than 2008?
As the Federal Reserve raises interest rates in an attempt to reduce inflation, there is growing uncertainty in the economy. Some are worried about the increasing interest rate’s impact on “kitchen table issues” such as credit card bills and utilities. However, this anticipated economic downturn looks different from the last major economic decline of 2008....
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‘Almost hopeless’: San Jose homeless residents prepare for winter
While many Santa Clara County residents are gathering for Thanksgiving in warm settings, dozens of homeless people living in tents, RVs or cars in and around San Jose’s Columbus Park are facing a more somber reality. Many residents there claim the city illegally trashed or destroyed their shelters and belongings in recent sweeps, and are hoping...
Op-ed: Speaker Pelosi is stepping down, but her legacy remains
Last week in the chamber of the House of Representatives, Speaker Nancy Pelosi delivered magnificent remarks about our Constitution, our democracy and her decision to relinquish power, as great leaders do. As Bay Area members of the California delegation representing Santa Clara County, we celebrate her decades of consequential leadership and her unparalleled record of...
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San Jose art pavilion only opened once
A grand art installation in San Jose’s SoFA district was supposed to stimulate economic growth and revitalize the downtown—but it’s unclear if it will ever do so. The curvaceous, fiberglass art installation and event center known as the Serpentine Pavilion was completed in late 2021, with plans to stay for eight months. It’s been a year, and the pavilion...
Robinson: A tale of two cities
First, congratulations to Matt Mahan for winning the San Jose mayor’s race. He wasn’t my choice, but I wish him the best of success. Mahan won the race for mayor, but his opponent Cindy Chavez did not lose. Electorally, San Jose is a tale of two cities. One, a voting majority made up of neighborhoods...