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Free tuition pulls thousands of college students back to the classroom

Published Thu, 06 Mar 2025 12:52:17 GMT

Community college enrollment took a steep dive during the COVID-19 pandemic, hitting its lowest numbers in 30 years. Now, colleges across the Bay Area are trying to lure students back with a tactic that might be hard to resist: free tuition.“When I first started, it was like a ghost town,” said Omolola Atolagbe, who began at Oakland’s Laney College in 2021. “Now, you see students everywhere — in the library, the student center, all over campus.”Laney is one of four colleges in the Peralta Community College District that is waiving course fees for the 2022-23 academic year — an attempt to not just reduce costs for students, but to get them back into the classroom.So far, the program has paid off: there are nearly 2,200 more students enrolled in its four campuses this spring compared to last, with a 33% increase in Black students and 22% increase in Latino students.Any student who is a California resident and completes the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is eligible f...

No California salmon: Fishery to be shut down this year

Published Thu, 06 Mar 2025 12:52:17 GMT

By Alastair Bland | CalMattersMost summer mornings at first light, Jared Davis is a few miles west of the Golden Gate Bridge, motoring his charter fishing boat Salty Lady over the Pacific Ocean. His eyes sweep the horizon, looking for diving birds, but mostly he watches the screen of his dashboard fish-finder for schools of anchovies — a sure sign that salmon are near. When the signs look good, he throttles down to trolling speed and tells his customers to let out their lines. “Drop ‘em down!” Davis calls out the window. “Thirty to 40 feet!”When the bite is steady, the Salty Lady may have 20 customers on board, each spending $200 for the chance to catch salmon. On the best days, fishing rods bend double the moment the lines go down, and a frenzy of action ensues, often amid a hundred or more other boats. Hooked Chinook thrash at the surface, and the deck becomes strewn with flopping fish.Last year, California’s commercial and recreational fishing fleet, from the Central Coast to the...

The seven most expensive reported home sales in Saratoga the week of March 6

Published Thu, 06 Mar 2025 12:52:17 GMT

A house in Saratoga that sold for $8.6 million tops the list of the most expensive real estate sales in Saratoga in the past two weeks.In total, 7 real estate sales were recorded in the area during the last two weeks, with an average price of $3.8 million, $1,270 per square foot.The prices in the list below concern real estate sales where the title was recorded from the week of February 20 to the week of March 13 even if the property may have been sold earlier.7. $985,000, condominium in the 19100 block of Vineyard LaneThe 1,132 square-foot condominium in the 19100 block of Vineyard Lane, Saratoga, has now been sold. The transfer of ownership was settled in February and the total purchase price was $985,000, $870 per square foot. The condominium was built in 1971. The condominium features 2 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms.Vineyard Lane6. $2 million, condominium in the 14600 block of Stoneridge DriveThe sale of the condominium in the 14600 block of Stoneridge Drive, Saratoga, has been final...

49ers agree to terms with former Raiders No. 4 overall pick Clelin Ferrell, per report

Published Thu, 06 Mar 2025 12:52:17 GMT

Clelin Ferrell, a defensive end who went to the Raiders two selections after the 49ers selected Nick Bosa, is reportedly joining the 49ers on a one-year deal.Ferrell, 25, was taken by the Raiders at No. 4 overall in 2019 out of Clemson after being the Ted Hendricks Award winner as the nation’s top defensive lineman. The pick was criticized in draft circles, with Ferrell regarded by most as a player that could have been selected much later in the first round.The 49ers have already lost defensive ends Samson Ebukam and Charles Omenihu in free agency to the Indianapolis Colts and Kansas City Chiefs, respectively.49ers reached agreement today on a one-year deal with former Raiders’ first-round draft pick Clelin Ferrell, per source.— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 15, 2023Ferrell, whose signing was first reported by ESPN’s Adam Schefter, never became the kind of quick-twitch pass rusher associated with a No. 4 pick but had his moments as a base end and was regarded...

Author Ian Falconer dies; wrote beloved ‘Olivia’ series for children

Published Thu, 06 Mar 2025 12:52:17 GMT

Associated PressNORWALK, Conn. — Author and illustrator Ian Woodward Falconer, known for his “Olivia” book series for children, has died.Falconer’s lawyer and agent Conrad M. Rippy said Falconer died March 7 of natural causes while with family in Norwalk, Connecticut. He was 63.Falconer’s “Olivia” books featured a clever piglet with a great imagination named Olivia, a character he developed for his young niece in 1996. (Simon & Schuster)Falconer’s “Olivia” books featured a clever piglet with a great imagination named Olivia, a character he developed for his young niece in 1996. Family members and friends encouraged him to keep working on the character.He turned down publishers who wanted the text be written by an outside author. “I am afraid my vanity wouldn’t allow me to relegate myself to ‘illustrated by,'” he said. “I also thought my instincts about the story were, if unpolished, right, a...

Spain’s teenage crown princess to start three-year military training

Published Thu, 06 Mar 2025 12:52:17 GMT

Spain’s Crown Princess Leonor, the 17-year-old heir presumptive to the throne, will start three years of military training in preparation for her future role as head of state, Spanish Defense Minister Margarita Robles confirmed at a press conference on Wednesday.Crown Princess Leonor of Spain, 2022 in Madrid, Spain. (Photo by Carlos Alvarez/Getty Images) “In the Cabinet Meeting today, we have approved a royal decree whose aim is to give structure to the military training and career of (Princess Leonor),” Robles said.As the elder of King Felipe VI’s two daughters, Leonor is first in the line of succession and so will become the supreme commander of the armed forces when her father either steps down or dies.Her military training will last for three years as she spends a year each with Spain’s army, navy and air force at their respective academies, just as her father did years earlier, before becoming king.“It shows that we will have, when the time comes, a supreme commander who i...

Stabbing at San Jose middle school being investigated by police

Published Thu, 06 Mar 2025 12:52:17 GMT

(KRON) -- Units with the San Jose Police Department are currently investigating a stabbing at Sunrise Middle School, according to a tweet from SJPD. A 15-year-old student sustained a non-life threatening injury, according to police. The suspect, who is also a student, is in custody police said.This is a developing story. Check back for updates.

Complete interview with former California Governor Jerry Brown

Published Thu, 06 Mar 2025 12:52:17 GMT

(Inside California Politics) — In early March, Inside California Politics visited former California Governor Jerry Brown at his ranch in Colusa County for a wide-ranging interview on his life after politics, current issues facing California and the nation, and what he thinks American politicians should be doing during the time they wield the power to make changes. The complete interview below has been lightly edited for clarity.Nikki Laurenzo: Governor, what's life like out on the ranch? Former Gov. Jerry Brown: The obvious: it's good. It's a good life. It's beautiful out here. There's animals. There’s hawks. There's eagles flying around. There's wild boars, jackrabbits, squirrels, coyotes, and, of course, all the cows. And then there are over 300 different identified wildflowers right on this ranch and they will start coming out now— a few have come out already. So it's a symphony of creation, which I'm right in the middle of. So I thoroughly enjoy it. Laurenzo:...

The big takeaways from Jerry Brown's Inside California Politics interview

Published Thu, 06 Mar 2025 12:52:17 GMT

(Inside California Politics) — Former California Governor Jerry Brown spoke with Inside California Politics co-host Nikki Laurenzo about his thoughts on several topics, including political figures that naturally seek the presidency, and several potential wars that the U.S. may face.Homelessness in CaliforniaThe former Democratic governor took a forceful approach to solutions for California's homelessness problem. "Well, I think they have to find a way to get enough shelter and then you need a law that says you can't pitch your tent on the street," Brown said. "...And then if you go somewhere, if you have any ability, you should have to pay for it in some form of work or some contribution back to your society." Dr. Mark Ghaly discusses the end of California’s COVID-19 state of emergency Brown said he supported Gov. Gavin Newsom's CARE court, a program of court-ordered treatment for adults who have specified psychotic disorders, but noted potential barriers to the program's success....

One person shot in Antioch road rage incident

Published Thu, 06 Mar 2025 12:52:17 GMT

(KRON) -- One person was shot Tuesday in what police are describing as a road rage incident in Antioch. The Antioch Police Department received a call shortly before 8 p.m. on Tuesday advising that someone was shot on Lone Tree Way at the intersection of State Route 4. Officers responded and found one victim suffering from a gunshot wound, according to Antioch PD. PHOTOS: Van full of marijuana explodes on Highway 101 The victim was transported to a hospital and is expected to survive. Officers determined the shooting stemmed from a road rage incident between two unrelated vehicles. One of the occupants of a vehicle involved in that incident shot at another vehicle and inadvertently injured the unrelated occupant of a nearby vehicle.An investigation into the incident remains active, police said.