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Room rate was $249, but didn’t mention $90 in fees. California bill aims to stop that

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:01:36 GMT

Ted Mermin booked a hotel room for his family of four, advertised online at a reasonable-sounding $249 a night. But when they checked out, they were told there was an additional $50 “resort fee” plus a $40 charge for “incidentals.”There wasn’t a “resort” at the place, and the hotel couldn’t tell Mermin what the “incidentals” fee covered, though he noted it wasn’t the empty soap and shampoo dispensers. As executive director of the California Low-Income Consumer Coalition, he pushed back, and the proprietor waived the additional fees. But Mermin cited it to explain why his organization backs a California bill aiming to outlaw hidden or “junk” fees.“In my case it’s an inconvenience,” said Mermin, who would not identify the hotel or its location. “But for many Californians, hidden fees like this are the difference between whether a person can make it through the month and pay for the ne...

What you need to know about trap plants in your garden

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:01:36 GMT

You’ve probably heard the advice to those who like to go hiking in bear country: You don’t have to be the fastest runner in your group, you only have to be faster than your slowest friend.In the gardening world, trap plants are the equivalent of that slow friend.Trap crops have long been used by farmers to draw pests away from the main crop. Sometimes they are the same cultivar planted a few weeks earlier than the protected crop. This gives them a head start so the pest insects will start feasting before the main crop emerges. They are planted on the perimeter because the marauding insects will encounter them first before heading further into the field. Once the trap crops are covered in pest insects, they are either treated with pesticide or removed.Trap crops can be useful to the home gardener as well. Perhaps you’ve noticed that out of maybe 12 kale plants, one will seemingly collect all the aphids in the neighborhood. Don’t try to figure out what that one plant did to deserve su...

Dead & Company kicked off there farewell tour with a soaring show in LA

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:01:36 GMT

“I need a miracle,” read the signs held by dozens of fans outside the Kia Forum before Dead & Company took the stage Friday for the first of two shows in Inglewood this weekend.“I need a miracle.” It’s been Deadhead code for decades, long before Dead & Company brought three surviving members of the legendary San Francisco group together with singer-guitarist John Mayer in 2015 to keep the music of the Dead alive. In the parlance of the parking lot, it’s a prayer, a plea from the ticketless to the ticketed for a way into the show.Now the miracles are running out. For Dead & Company, despite success enough to fill arenas and stadiums, this is the final tour. What began at the Forum on Friday and Saturday will end at Oracle Park in San Francisco on July 14-15.John Mayer of Dead & Company performs on the first of two nights at the KIA Forum in Inglewood on Friday, May 19, 2023. (Photo by Drew A. Kelley, Contributing Photographer)Mickey Hart of Dead & Company performs...

Those crazy beautiful, neon glowing waves are back along the California coast

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:01:36 GMT

The bright, glowing waves are back in the Southern California.Photographer Patrick Coyne ventured out in the early-morning hours of May 19 and captured the electric blue waves crashing near the Manhattan Beach Pier.Coyne, of Torrance, has spent the past three years searching for the bioluminescence from Ventura to Orange County, venturing out in the dark of night to capture nature’s light show.The photographer had not seen the glowing waves at the Manhattan Beach Pier since 2020.“The glowing waves were pretty sporadic but bright!” Coyne wrote along with a video posted on social media, noting he wasn’t sure how long they would last. View this post on InstagramA post shared by Patrick Coyne (@patrickc_la)Bioluminescent waves are tricky to track, but Coyne and a handful of other photographers have spent countless hours searching and documenting the phenomenon.  Related ArticlesEnvironment | America’s top 100 secret beaches include 8 California gems Environment | ...

San Jose residential complex pushes ahead with construction loan

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:01:36 GMT

SAN JOSE — A portion of a residential complex in San Jose has landed a key construction loan that could help clear the way for the project to be built, public records show.The project site consists of rental apartments that are being built by Hanover Co. and for-sale townhouses that are being developed by Trumark Homes, according to Erik Schoennauer, a land-use expert who is providing consulting services.The residential complex would be built at 905 North Capitol Avenue in San Jose, documents on file with city planners show.The project site consists of two parcels at the corner of North Capitol and Penitencia Creek Road. The apartments would sprout on one parcel and the townhomes on the other.A total of 32 townhomes and 345 apartments are being planned for the development site.Wells Fargo Bank has provided Trumark with a construction loan for the townhomes segment of the project, documents on file with the Santa Clara County Recorder’s Office show.Portion of a residentia...

Woman convicted in stabbing death of Monterey County high school student granted parole

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:01:36 GMT

SALINAS – A King City woman responsible for the murder of a Salinas High School student in 2013 has been granted parole, the Monterey County District Attorney’s Office announced Thursday.Earlier this month, the California Board of Parole Hearings granted Angela Zuniga parole and a future release date of May 1, 2024. By then, Zuniga will have served nine years and eight months of a 15 years-to-life sentence. Zuniga was granted parole in her first hearing with the state board.It’s been nearly six years since Zuniga’s sentencing in 2016 for the second-degree murder of 14-year-old Ricardo Ruiz – and almost exactly 10 since the case began.According to Herald archives, Zuniga and a female friend took a bus from King City to Salinas on the afternoon of May 17, 2013. The two got off at East Alisal and California streets when, around the same time, Ruiz and four teenage friends were walking to a taco shop at the corner of East Alisal Street and Madeira Avenue.Zuniga, a documented Sureño gang...

Bay Area hotel market struggles with post-COVID hangover

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:01:36 GMT

The Bay Area’s hotel industry is still struggling to rebound from coronavirus-linked shutdowns, even as the lodging sector outside the region has flourished. And not everyone is in agreement about what’s to blame.San Jose’s core hotel markets have been far slower to recover financially from the pandemic than those in other major city centers in the western United States. Hotel revenues in San Francisco and Oakland also remain sluggish.Downtown San Jose ranked dead last in the peer group of 14 markets in terms of its recovery, according to information that STR, which analyzes the hospitality market, provided to this news organization. San Jose’s airport area was nearly as feeble.“San Jose has a heavy reliance on high-tech business travel, which has not rebounded post-COVID,” said Alan Reay, president of Atlas Hospitality Group, which tracks the lodging sector.Together, San Jose’s hotel markets downtown and near the airport generated revenues ...

3 pedestrians killed in Highway 101 crash in Sunnyvale

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:01:36 GMT

SUNNYVALE, Calif. (KRON) -- Three people were killed in a multi-vehicle collision on northbound Highway 101 in Sunnyvale early Monday morning, according to the San Jose California Highway Patrol office.A call came into the San Jose CHP just before 12:30 a.m. reporting a car hitting the center median between Lawrence Expressway and North Fair Oaks Boulevard. Shortly after, several more cars crashed, officials said.San Jose CHP officials said three pedestrians were killed.A detour is set up to divert traffic off at Fair Oaks Avenue, according to the California Highway Patrol incident page. There is no estimated time of reopening.The southbound lane also had a multi-vehicle collision after a body was ejected from the northbound to southbound freeway. One witness from the southbound side told KRON4 they were involved in a collision after avoiding a body in the lanes. This story is developing and will be updated.

Schembechler son resigns at Michigan after offensive social media activity revealed

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:01:36 GMT

ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) — A son of longtime Michigan football coach Bo Schembechler has resigned from his position with the Wolverines, with the school saying it was aware of his social media activity that may have caused “pain” in the community.Glenn “Shemy” Schembechler stepped down Saturday, just days after he had been hired as assistant director of recruiting on Jim Harbaugh’s staff.The Detroit News reported Saturday that Schembechler’s Twitter feed contained posts and likes of offensive material, including some that suggested slavery and Jim Crow were positives to strengthen Black individuals and families. “We are aware of some comments and likes on social media that have caused concern and pain for individuals in our community,” Harbaugh and athletic director Warde Manuel said in a statement. “Michigan Athletics is fully committed to a place where our coaches, staff and student-athletes feel welcome and where we fully support the University’s and Athletic Department’...

Nationals Notebook: Those miracle Marlins

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:01:36 GMT

The good news for the Washington Nationals is they won two of three over Detroit after getting swept by the Miami Marlins, which ranks near the bottom of the big leagues in run differential. The bad news is the one team it looked like they could pass in their climb out of the NL East is a Marlins team that isn’t going quietly into the night.Manager Skip Schumaker, in his first season at the helm, has the team from South Beach exceeding expectations thanks to their performance in nail-biters. They’re 15-2 in one-run games this year, including a pair of victories last week against the Nats.That’s helped offset a lineup tied for 28th in runs scored and a pitching staff that ranks 18th in team ERA over the first three months of the season.The beauty of a Major League Baseball season is that over a full campaign, one has a chance to see the entire tapestry develop with 162 pixels as opposed to 17 NFL snapshots or 82 NBA/NHL photos.Eventually, every team finds its level,...