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Niles: Why saying ‘no’ is important for Disneyland

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:01:51 GMT

Here is a word that needs to be heard more often at Disneyland and other theme parks across the country and around the world.No.As a leader in the hospitality business, Disneyland is not in the business of saying “no” to its customers. When I went through my “Disney University” training before starting in the parks at the Walt Disney World Resort, I was taught to avoid the word. If something was not possible to deliver for a guest, hospitality training instructs to offer some alternative rather than just refusing.That is a great idea for serving an individual customer, but good customer service is a collective act as well as an individual one. What you choose to do — or more to the point, ignore — for one guest can affect the experience for others.Last week, I spent the day at Disney California Adventure. As I often do, I visited alone, so I took advantage of the many single rider queues in the park to lessen my wait times. Single rider queues are one of those features that looks li...

Three years later, COVID ‘Patient Zero’ returns to California hospital that saved his life

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:01:51 GMT

Three years since his miraculous death-defying recovery Gregg Garfield, aka COVID Patient Zero, returned to Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center in Burbank on Monday, May 8, to thank the staff who nursed him back to life.Garfield was given a 1% chance of survival when he was admitted to the ICU after contracting COVID-19 during a ski trip to the Italian Dolomites in February of 2020.He suffered from collapsed lungs, sepsis, failed kidneys, low blood pressure, acute respiratory syndrome, pulmonary embolism and the loss of several fingers and toes. He was in a medically induced coma for 31 days during which his heart flatlined on four separate occasions.But on May 8, 2020, after 64 days in the hospital, Garfield did what doctors had thought impossible: he walked out of the front door. And now, three years to the date later, he had the privilege of reuniting with staff as a completely healthy man.“I got to go to every department in the hospital and see all of the people that made tha...

Silicon Valley Modern Home Tour swings through Saratoga

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:01:51 GMT

Saratoga home on tourThe Silicon Valley Modern Home Tour will swing through Saratoga on Saturday, May 20, when visitors can meet the architects from MDesigns who remodeled a 1970s house on Via De Marcos that is one of six homes on tour.Architects and designers from the other five homes—located in Stanford, Palo Alto, San Mateo, Redwood City and Los Altos—will also be on hand for the tour, which runs 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Participants in the self-guided tour can ask questions as they explore the homes.This year’s tour is in person for the first time since 2019. Tickets are $20-$90 at Eventbrite.com.Sidewalk office hoursSanta Clara County Supervisor Joe Simitian will hold “sidewalk office hours” Saturday, May 13, 10:30-11:30 a.m., at the Saratoga Farmers’ Market at West Valley Community College.Simitian invites community members to stop by to share their thoughts and concerns about local issues, ask questions and learn about county services and more. All questions are welcome, and no appoint...

Saratoga crime report for the week of May 12

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:01:51 GMT

APRIL 25Possession of a controlled substance, suspended driver’s license: At 2:03 a.m., deputies stopped a motorist at Allendale Avenue and Quito Road for a traffic violation. An investigation revealed the suspect was in possession of methamphetamine and driving with a suspended license. The suspect was cited and released.Injury collision: Occurred at 12:07 p.m. at Prospect Road and Lyle Drive.APRIL 27Battery on school grounds: At 10:26 a.m., deputies responded to a report from school officials of two students fighting at Prospect High School on Prospect Road. An investigation revealed the students engaged in mutual combat. The case will be submitted to the District Attorney’s Office for review.Injury collision: Occurred at 9:13 a.m. at Saratoga Avenue and Palo Oaks Court.APRIL 29Non-injury hit and run collision: Occurred at 3:37 p.m. at Big Basin Way and Ambric Knolls Road.APRIL 30Injury collision: Occurred at 4:37 p.m. at Cox Avenue and Regan Lane.

Jordan Poole has little answers amid tumultuous postseason

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:01:51 GMT

LOS ANGELES — Jordan Poole sat in a folding chair facing the inside of his locker with his back turned to the center of the cramped visitors locker room at Crypto.com Arena.He didn’t want to talk much after the Warriors’ 104-101 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers.“I don’t got nothing for y’all,” he said as music blared from his iPhone.Poole, a key piece to last year’s improbable championship run, has had a rough go this time around in the playoffs and he’s provided little answers as to why, mainly because he’s also said he’s stumped by what’s going on.Monday wasn’t Poole’s night, but neither was Saturday or Thursday and some other games before that. Poole played his way into a nine-figure extension last offseason by stepping up big when Stephen Curry was injured and being a dependable sixth man on a championship team. But he hasn’t been able to replicate that on a consistent basis this year. What&#...

LinkedIn cuts over 700 jobs, kills app in deepening China pullout

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:01:51 GMT

By Edwin Chan | BloombergMicrosoft Corp.’s LinkedIn plans to shut its jobs app in China and cut about 716 jobs, as the US professional networking service further shrinks its presence in the world’s No. 2 economy.LinkedIn, citing intense competition, will phase out the InCareer local jobs app by August. It intends to cut local engineering and product teams, while downsizing functions such as sales and marketing, it said in a blogpost.The move extends a withdrawal from the world’s largest internet market that began about two years ago, after LinkedIn ran into regulatory scrutiny and local rivals flourished. The US company will keep an office and staff there, in part to support a business helping domestically based companies recruit and train talent abroad.“We’ll focus our China strategy on assisting companies operating in China to hire, market, and train abroad,” the company said in an internal memo. “Though InCareer experienced some success in the past year thanks to our strong China...

Dead dolphin washes ashore in Pacifica

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:01:51 GMT

(KRON) — A dead dolphin washed ashore at Rockaway Beach in Pacifica Sunday, the Marine Mammal Center confirmed. Officials said it was a Risso's dolphin, also known as a gray dolphin.The Marine Mammal Center said when crews responded to the reports to pick up the dolphin's carcass on Monday, it had washed back out to sea. Officials said they have not heard reports of the dolphin since.Details of the dolphin including the cause of death remain unclear."Although not rare, it’s not as common to see Risso’s dolphins wash ashore along the central and northern California coast compared to common dolphins, bottlenose dolphins and harbor porpoises," Marine Mammal Center officials said.Officials said the Center has responded to other Risso's dolphins washing ashore in the Bay Area before, including one in September 2021 at the same beach in Pacifica. Risso's dolphins are not considered endangered or threatened in the U.S., according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association.This com...

Oakland teachers strike enters Day 4

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:01:51 GMT

OAKLAND, Calif. (KRON) — The negotiations between the Oakland School District and its teachers have been constant, yet are still at a standstill. Teachers are asking for what are called "common good goals" in their contracts which revolve around resources for students in need.It's now Day 4 of the Oakland teachers strike with 3,000 members of the Oakland Education Association picketing outside schools asking for better pay, more resources for students and better working environments.The district has offered a historic pay raise totaling to around $70 million, which gives teachers up to a 22 percent pay raise and a $5,000 bonus.But the group said it really wants resources for unhoused students, including places for them to stay.This is all happening just 2 weeks before summer vacation and impacting almost 35,000 kids.The School District's board president Mike Hutchinson said he hopes an agreement is made before the district has to decide to extend the school year, or call an early en...

Peke, Frenchie, Aussie and, yes, PBGV make dog show finals

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:01:51 GMT

It could be the day for the petit basset griffon Vendéen named for Buddy Holly. Or the Pekingese could notch his breed’s third Westminster Kennel Club dog show win in little over a decade.And what about the French bulldog that nearly won last year? Or will the purple-and-gold best in show ribbon go to … Ribbon? Buddy Holly the PBGV (for short), Rummie the Peke, Winston the Frenchie and Ribbon the Australian shepherd are headed to the Westminster Kennel Club dog show finals Tuesday, along with three other finalists yet to be chosen.The first four got their chance to vie for the best in show trophy after making it through two rounds of judging Monday. First, each bested other dogs of its breed, and then of its “group” — toy dogs or hounds, for example. Ribbon, the Aussie, is “like the fun girl at the party,” handler Jessica Plourde said. Buddy Holly is “just a PBGV through-and-through,” said handler and co-owner Janice Hayes. (The full name of the merry, low-slung French r...

For these hounds and humans, dog show a couples’ competition

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:01:51 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — As otterhounds lined up to be judged at the Westminster Kennel Club dog show Monday, Tips and Creed could be forgiven if they secretly were rooting for each other. Same goes for their owners and handlers, Tom and Debbie Develin. The Boyertown, Pennsylvania, duo are a couple. The dogs are, too, in a manner of speaking — they live together and have had a litter.Although there are a number of husband-and-wife professional dog handlers who sometimes compete against each other at the United States’ most illustrious dog show, that’s less common among so-called “owner-handlers.”“We cheer each other on and then see how it goes,” Debbie said. The Develins, both retired from managerial jobs, got their first otterhound years ago after Tom learned that the dogs had a reputation for friendliness. They live up to it, he says. Tips and Creed make therapy visits at hospitals and elsewhere when not busy with dog shows, agility, obedience and other canine sports.Tom ...