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Share the Spirit: La Familia offers ‘peace of mind’ for thousands of East Bay residents

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:15:49 GMT

For weeks after his brother’s suicide in January, Jamaal Morgain barely ate. He refused to – he wanted to waste away, to spiral back into the dark pit of depression he’d known all too well through a lifetime of homelessness, crime and addiction.Luckily for him, someone refused to ignore the warning signs.Eyeing Morgain’s thinning frame, a counselor at La Familia finally needled an answer out of the 31-year-old Pittsburg native as to why he looked so frail.The breakthrough that came next was nothing new at the East Bay nonprofit, which has spent decades working to help impoverished, at-risk and recently-incarcerated residents improve their mental health by almost any means necessary.La Familia Transitional Age Youth Program client, Jamaal Morgain, delivers packages as part of his route in Alameda, Calif., on Friday, Oct. 27, 2023. Morgain, who left the foster youth program at age 18, found himself homeless and incarcerated, but turned his life around thanks to La Familia Transi...

Free rent? With apartment supply increasing, Bay Area landlords turn to concessions

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:15:49 GMT

A $2,000-a-month studio apartment might not be considered a good deal in most parts of the country. But in the Bay, it might be — especially if the landlord throws in a sweetener.At least, that’s how Gwen Wang, 23, felt when she got a discount on a new studio in the Skylyne Apartments in Oakland. Her complex offered two months rent free on a studio typically priced at $2,400 a month, bringing her closer to her budget of $2,000 a month.“With the promotion, it made sense to rent here,” Wang said.As thousands of new units hit the market around the Bay Area, concessions — such as free rent or free parking — are becoming more common, especially in apartment complexes. As of October, two in five apartment listings in the San Francisco and Oakland metro areas were offering concessions, and half of listings in San Jose offered them, according to a new study from Zillow.“As a way to incentivize renters to come in, concessions are rising across the board,” Zillow economist N...

Police activity impacts Caltrain service at 4th and King in SF

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:15:49 GMT

(BCN) -- Police activity is affecting Caltrain operations at the rail line's 4th & King station in San Francisco on Thursday morning, according to alerts from the city's emergency services.Both inbound and outbound services of Caltrain are affected by the police activity. Travelers are advised to expect delays and use alternate routes, an alert from AlertSF said shortly after 6 a.m.There were no further details about the police activity immediately available.This is a developing story.Copyright © 2023 Bay City News, Inc.

Suspect in deadly Oakland shooting last week arrested

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:15:49 GMT

(BCN) --Oakland police said Wednesday they arrested a suspect in a deadly shooting in the city's Havenscourt neighborhood last week.James Wheeler, a resident of Oakland, was arrested for his alleged connection with the homicide of Johnny Johnson on Nov. 21 in the 6900 block of Bancroft Avenue. Wheeler was arrested last Friday, according to police. Suspect who critically injured dog during San Jose road rage incident arrested Oakland police said that shortly after 11:30 p.m. on Nov. 21, their officers learned of a shooting in the area. When officers arrived, they found a victim seated inside a vehicle while suffering from at least one gunshot wound.Copyright © 2023 Bay City News, Inc.

Motorcyclist involved in fatal traffic collision near Morgan Hill identified

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:15:49 GMT

(BCN) -- A motorcyclist who died in a collision last week in an unincorporated area of Santa Clara County was identified Wednesday by the Santa Clara County Medical Examiner's Office as Ramesh Babu Krishna Sastry, a 68-year-old Los Gatos resident.The collision occurred between Morgan Hill and San Martin at about 2:45 p.m. on Nov. 22 at Uvas and Watsonville roads. One dead after 3-vehicle collision on I-80 in Richmond The collision was being investigated by the California Highway Patrol.Copyright © 2023 Bay City News, Inc.

One dead after 3-vehicle collision on I-80 in Richmond

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:15:49 GMT

(BCN) -- A man was killed and one person injured Tuesday night after three cars collided on eastbound Interstate Highway 80 in Richmond, a California Highway Patrol spokesperson said.Around 9:51 p.m., three vehicles were traveling on I-80 East when they collided just west of Carlson Boulevard, CHP said. A man driving a Nissan Frontier pickup, who was approximately 65 years old, was killed. A person driving a Toyota RAV4 was taken to the hospital with minor injuries, and the two occupants of a Lexus GS 350 were uninjured. Richmond man involved in fatal collision on Highway 1 identified The collision shut down the freeway for approximately three hours and traffic was diverted off to Carlson Boulevard. The freeway reopened at 12:53 a.m. Wednesday.The cause of the crash is still being investigated, but drugs or alcohol are not suspected, CHP said.Copyright © 2023 Bay City News, Inc.

Drunken driver gets 10 years for killing Marine veteran, his dog in Prince William Co.

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:15:49 GMT

A drunken driver who hit and killed a Marine Corps veteran and his dog during an evening walk in June 2022 has been sentenced to a decade in prison.Luis Alfredo Perez, Jr. and his Akita mix were killed on June 18, 2022.Gentil Mwenze Banze, who pleaded guilty in July to involuntary manslaughter while driving under the influence, received the maximum sentence — 10 years in prison — from Prince William County Circuit Court Judge James Willett. After his release from prison, Banze will be under supervised probation for three years, according to court records.Prosecutors said in the early evening hours witnesses saw a 2016 Ford Focus, swerve and almost hit other vehicles, leave the roadway, before jumping the sidewalk and hitting Perez and his dog, who were walking on Old Bridge Road.After hitting the pair, the car crashed into a utility pole, bringing down live power lines, and causing an explosion.Later that evening, Banze admitted he had been drinking Guinness beer — three hours after...

Protected: Views from the frontlines: Maryland’s mental health crisis

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:15:49 GMT

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Shane MacGowan, lead singer of The Pogues and a laureate of booze and beauty, dies at age 65

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:15:49 GMT

LONDON (AP) — Shane MacGowan, the boozy, rabble-rousing singer and chief songwriter of The Pogues, who infused traditional Irish music with the energy and spirit of punk, died Thursday, his family said. He was 65.MacGowan’s songwriting and persona made him an iconic figure in contemporary Irish culture, and some of his compositions have become classics — most notably the bittersweet Christmas ballad “Fairytale of New York,” which Irish President Michael D. Higgins said “will be listened to every Christmas for the next century or more.”“It is with the deepest sorrow and heaviest of hearts that we announce the passing of our most beautiful, darling and dearly beloved Shane MacGowan,” his wife Victoria Clarke, his sister Siobhan and father Maurice said in a statement.The singer died peacefully with his family by his side, the statement added.The musician had been hospitalized in Dublin for several months after being diagnosed with viral encephalitis in late 2022. He w...

Global leaders pay tribute to Henry Kissinger, but his record also draws criticism

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:15:49 GMT

TOKYO (AP) — Global leaders paid tribute to former U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger on Thursday, but there was also sharp criticism of the man who remained an influential figure decades after his official service as one of the most powerful diplomats in American history.Kissinger, who died Wednesday at 100, drew praise as a skilled defender of U.S. interests. On social media, though, he was widely called a war criminal who left lasting damage throughout the world.“America has lost one of the most dependable and distinctive voices” on foreign affairs, said former President George W. Bush, striking a tone shared by many high-level officials past and present.“I have long admired the man who fled the Nazis as a young boy from a Jewish family, then fought them in the United States Army,” Bush said in a statement. “When he later became Secretary of State, his appointment as a former refugee said as much about his greatness as it did America’s greatness.”Kissinger served two preside...