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Avoid prison by paying up? Judge’s ire in Steve Bachar case spotlights plea deals contingent on money upfront

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:50:59 GMT

When Denver District Court Judge Eric Johnson rejected a plea agreement in a white-collar crime case last week, he gave a very specific reason for throwing out the deal.“Justice in this society cannot be seen as buying oneself out of a felony conviction,” the judge told defendant Steve Bachar, who’d accepted an offer from the Denver District Attorney’s Office that would have allowed him to avoid jail time and have a felony theft conviction wiped from his record if he pleaded guilty and met certain conditions, including paying $174,000 upfront to the victim in the case.Johnson called the deal “contrary to justice” during the hearing Friday and noted that people have gone to prison for stealing much less money. His refusal to accept the deal put a spotlight on plea bargains in which prosecutors require defendants to pay upfront restitution as part of the agreement, a practice seen on occasion in Colorado’s courts.Critics like Johnson say the d...

Yosemite National Park makes list of ‘world’s greatest places’ of 2023

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:50:59 GMT

Gather round, some hot new travel inspo just dropped. TIME magazine has just released its annual list of the World’s Greatest Places, and we’re here to tell you the where, the why and the what behind its picks.The nominations came from TIME’s international network of correspondents and contributors, which were then vetted by the publication’s editors who also “combed through local news from the Arctic Circle to Brisbane, Australia, to find the most-buzzed-about openings,” Emma Barker Bonomo, senior editor at TIME, tells CNN Travel.“The list we selected reflects a couple big trends in travel right now: sustainability, and authenticity. Many locations on this list are finding ways to let tourists visit with a more limited environmental impact. And many have responded to travelers’ desire to have unique, local experiences by offering indigenous-led tours or curated home stays.”Here’s our pick of their picks — and you can...

San Jose church site owner works with city, seeks housing tower sales

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:50:59 GMT

SAN JOSE — A China-based real estate firm whose top executive is snarled in legal thickets is cooperating with city officials to rescue a storm-bashed San Jose historic church — even as it seeks to sell other choice downtown housing sites.Recently, a top San Jose city official went inside the downtown San Jose First Church of Christ Scientist, currently shrouded by a tattered tarp. City staffers and local observers became alarmed about the church’s condition after rains and winds tore through the coverings this winter.The church is in “surprisingly” good condition, according to Nanci Klein, the city’s director of economic development and cultural affairs, after the parcel’s owner, Z&L Properties, granted city officials access to the site.Z&L Properties, a unit of a China-based real estate firm, is attempting to unwind its holdings in downtown San Jose through previously completed sales and current attempts to sell properties.Here are...

Borenstein: California’s population boom is over, plan accordingly

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:50:59 GMT

California’s years of major population growth have ended, and a state forecast suggests that the numbers might peak by as early as 2030 and then start to decline.At the turn of the century, when the population was about 34 million, state forecasters were predicting 45 million by 2020 and 59 million by 2040. That isn’t happening.Instead, California’s population hit 39.5 million in 2020, dipped down to 39.0 million in the first two years of the pandemic and, according to data published by the California Department of Transportation, will max out at about 40.5 million by the end of the decade.Whether it’s talk of a new BART transbay tube, keeping underutilized schools open or continuing to sink billions into high-speed rail, it’s time for local and state government officials to recalibrate. Projects that were conceived based on the assumption of an expanding California population will no longer make sense. We shouldn’t keep planning and budgeting as if the state’s numbers w...

FBI’s Los Angeles office offers $20,000 reward in case of missing American woman who was kidnapped from her home in Mexico

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:50:59 GMT

By Taylor Romine and Karol Suarez | CNNMore than a month after a 63-year-old US citizen was kidnapped from her home in Mexico, the FBI has announced a $20,000 reward for information leading to her whereabouts.Maria del Carmen Lopez was kidnapped February 9 in Pueblo Nuevo, a municipality in the southwestern Mexican state of Colima, the FBI’s Los Angeles field office said in a release Thursday.Lopez is also a Mexican citizen, according to a statement from the Colima Attorney General’s office, which said it is working with the FBI on the investigation.Though the FBI did not share details on the case, it described Lopez as having blonde hair, brown eyes and tattooed eyeliner.The FBI’s announcement comes nearly two weeks after the violent kidnapping of four Americans in the Mexican border city of Matamoros, two of whom were killed, and three weeks after the disappearance of three women who crossed into Mexico to sell clothes at a flea market.The investigation into Lope...

Bay Area News Group girls high school athlete of the week: Jenna Balousek and Morgan Overton

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:50:59 GMT

Because of a production error, the athlete of the week poll was not taken down Wednesday at 5 p.m. So this week, the top two finishers in the boys and girls polls have been named athletes of the week.Carondelet lacrosse player Jenna Balousek and Dublin lacrosse player Morgan Overton are the Bay Area News Group’s girls high school athlete of the week for March 5-11.Balousek, also a junior, scored three goals and had one assist in the Cougars’ matchup against Campolindo. In the previous game against Dublin, she put in four goals and dished out two assists.Overton, a junior, scored four goals, had five draw controls and contributed an assist in Dublin’s 15-4 victory over Foothill. The junior scored a goal against Marin Catholic a few days later.Congratulations to all the candidates for this week’s recognition.To nominate an athlete for next week’s poll, email [email protected] by Monday, March 20, at 11 a.m. Please include stats and team results.We also review stat...

Opinion: Cruel Big Tech layoffs will prompt more quiet quitting

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:50:59 GMT

As I walked to my car from class recently, I found myself experiencing déjà vu. A student in my MBA class at San Jose State University was distraught after being laid off from a Silicon Valley tech company in a Zoom call.  After working there for 17 years, she was instantaneously cut off from all connections at the company.I saw the same level of shock, pain, anger and disbelief as I had witnessed in 2008. I was teaching in Chicago when a student in my MBA class shared that she and other employees had been given notice and instructed not to return to work until notified if they had a job. She sat in class preoccupied and stressed not knowing what was next for her family.We all found this to be cruel and heartless. Then another student shared that his company was escorting employees off the premises carrying boxes of their personal belongings daily. These are among countless stories of what employees endured during the Great Recession.While technology now allows for virtual layoffs, ...

Bay Area News Group boys high school athlete of the week: Christian Preciado and Michael Castaneda

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:50:59 GMT

Because of a production error, the athlete of the week poll was not taken down Wednesday at 5 pm. So this week, the top two finishers in the boys and girls polls have been named athletes of the week.Westmont baseball player Christian Preciado and Valley Christian baseball player Michael Castaneda are the Bay Area News Group’s boys high school athletes of the week for March 5-11.Preciado, a junior, went 2 for 3 and knocked in the only run as Westmont defeated Moreau Catholic 1-0 in a non-league game. Also went 2 for 3 and scored the only run as the Campbell school edged Scotts Valley 1-0 in non-league play to improve to 4-1 this season.Castaneda, a senior, pitched five scoreless innings to pick up the win as Valley Christian defeated Elk Grove 7-1 in a non-game game. Also went 2 for 3 with a double and an RBI, raising his batting average to .429. He improved to 3-0 this season with a 0.00 ERA over 16 innings.Congratulations to all the candidates for this week’s recognitio...

Four-bedroom home sells in San Ramon for $1.9 million

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:50:59 GMT

1405 Bayberry View Lane – Google Street ViewA 2,501-square-foot house built in 2015 has changed hands. The spacious and recently built property located in the 1400 block of Bayberry View Lane in San Ramon was sold on Feb. 28, 2023. The $1,850,000 purchase price works out to $740 per square foot. The property features four bedrooms, four bathrooms, an attached garage, and two parking spaces. It sits on a 3,331-square-foot lot.Additional houses have recently changed hands close by:In October 2022, a 2,660-square-foot home on Bayberry View Lane in San Ramon sold for $2,070,000, a price per square foot of $778. The home has 4 bedrooms and 4 bathrooms.A 2,545-square-foot home on the 4800 block of Cornflower Street in San Ramon sold in July 2022 for $1,950,000, a price per square foot of $766. The home has 4 bedrooms and 4 bathrooms.On Nutmeg Park Street, San Ramon, in June 2022, a 3,112-square-foot home was sold for $2,710,000, a price per square foot of $871. The home has 4 bedrooms and...

Judge to rule on Elizabeth Holmes' restitution, freedom

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:50:59 GMT

SAN JOSE, Calif. (KRON) -- Disgraced Silicon Valley entrepreneur Elizabeth Holmes is facing a big day in court Friday in San Jose. A federal judge is slated to make a ruling over how much restitution she must pay her victims. Holmes, 38, of Woodside, defrauded sophisticated investors out of hundreds of millions of dollars through Theranos. She founded Theranos, a blood testing company, at age 19 after dropping out of Stanford University.The dramatic downfall of Theranos threw a bright light on Silicon Valley’s dark side, exposing how its culture of hype and ambition could veer into lies.Theranos CEO Elizabeth Holmes and her brother arrive for a state dinner on April 28, 2015, at the White House. (AP Photo /Andrew Harnik /File)U.S. District Judge Edward Davila sentenced Holmes to serve 11 years in prison and she is scheduled to report to prison next month. Her co-conspirator and ex-boyfriend, Sunny Balwani, was sentenced to nearly 13 years and he was supposed to begin serving his pri...