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Milpitas model train enthusiast tracks his passion to his grandpa

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:02:16 GMT

Milpitas photographer and filmmaker Robert Burrill showed another side of himself March 18 at the annual meeting of the Bay Area Garden Railway Society, aka BAGRS. The model train enthusiast brought pieces from the Rural Burrill Garden Railroad, which he built in memory of his grandfather Charly, who was a track inspector for the Maine Central Railroad for 50 years.Burrill, a BAGRS member, started building his railroad in 1996, laying 30 feet of track on a $30-a-month budget. The first loop went around his entire backyard. Many hours of work later, the track switched out and over the first loop to form a second loop, then climbed out of the backyard to circle the house and a dinosaur mountain with a lit glass tunnel.During the pandemic, Burrill created a model of the 1934 America’s First streamliner and its dining cars, along with a switch tower to control the new electrified switches.BAGRS was formed in 1988. Promoting modeling and garden railroading in the San Francisco Bay Area, ...

Former Los Gatos town attorney condemns commissioner’s censure

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:02:16 GMT

Los Gatos’ former town attorney said the disciplinary process used against a planning commissioner last month went against the town’s code of conduct, adding another criticism to the process as the American Civil Liberties Union of Northern California announced they now represent the commissioner in question.Rob Schultz, who served as Los Gatos’ attorney from 2013 to 2021, said in a text message to Mayor Maria Ristow obtained by this newspaper through a public records request that his replacement, Gabrielle Whelan, and town staff “didn’t follow the procedures as set forth in the code of conduct,” and in doing so, set a risky precedent.“Just my opinion, it should have been a minor violation with private counseling like we did on many other times for far worse things,” Schultz said. “Not sure what Gabriel (sic) was thinking by not following the procedure set forth in the code of conduct.”Schulz did not respond to requests for comment in time for publication.Los Gatos Town Council cens...

Campbell crime report for the week of March 31

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:02:16 GMT

March 13300 block of Budd Avenue: Someone tagged the men’s bathroom. Staff was unable to make out what was written.Overnight in the 500 block of West Rincon Avenue: Someone drove through the grass and did doughnuts, damaging the grass.11:02 a.m. in the 2300 block of West Campbell Avenue: A man was found to be too intoxicated to care for himself.3:03 p.m. in the 1200 block of White Oaks Road: Someone rented a white 2017 GMC Savana van and did not return it.10:30 p.m. at Winchester Boulevard and Sunnyoaks Avenue: A man, 57, was stopped for a traffic violation and found to be DUI.1:03 a.m. at Campbell Avenue and San Tomas Expressway: A man, 36, was a passenger in a car stopped for a traffic violation. He lied about his name and was eventually discovered to have three felony warrants. He possessed a key fob to a car reported stolen out of San Jose, which was located. He also possessed methamphetamine and has prior convictions for auto theft.10 p.m. in the 1300 block of Camden Avenue: A ...

Taste-Off: The best tater tots in supermarket freezer cases — and the ones to avoid

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:02:16 GMT

Warning: There’s absolutely nothing healthy or nutritionally redeeming about “tater tots.” They’re straight up junk food, loaded with fat and salt. But they’re also crispy, salty and simply irresistible — at any age.Ore-Ida’s Tater Tots were invented in Oregon in 1953 as a way to use up potato scraps. The tots are essentially shredded potatoes mixed with seasonings, oil and starch before being shaped into tiny cylinders and fried. The result is a pile of crunchy potato croquettes loved all over the world.Besides their appeal as a crispy snack or side, tots are a fantastic shortcut ingredient in an egg scramble, a cheesy casserole or a diner-style skillet dinner. But the best part about them is that you simply can’t mess them up. Whether you bake them too long or not long enough or serve them hot or at room temperature, they’re just plain tasty.While Ore-Ida retains the greatest share of the Tater Tot market — and the trademark for that name — mult...

There’s knowledge in every glass at Testarossa University

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:02:16 GMT

It may be spring break for most colleges, but Testarossa University is in full swing with a lineup of classes revealing the secrets of the vineyards.Testarossa winemaker Bill Brosseau has been working with most of the vineyards in the brand’s portfolio for at least a decade, longer in some cases—to wit, Garys’ and Pisoni vineyards since 1999 and 1997, respectively. There’s a lot of history stored up in the memory banks and in the bottle.First up is a vertical tasting of Doctor’s Vineyard and Tondre Grapefield pinot noir, two of the winery’s most popular vineyard sources, on March 26, 2-4 p.m. Educators will lead the class through a tasting of six wines that reflect the unique terroir of these two very different vineyards in the Santa Lucia Highlands.The art of wine and food pairing is a never-ending source of discussion and experimentation. This class calls on the pairing skills of resident Chef Nadiv Geiger. Six current and library wines will be presented along with Nadiv’s creativ...

Bay Area Storm: Winds expected to gust near 50 MPH alongside heavy rain Tuesday

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:02:16 GMT

Consistent downpours and swirling winds graced the National Weather Service forecast in the Bay Area yet again on Tuesday in a storm which could bring more wind damage and power outage issues to the region.After Sunday saw scattered showers and Monday was filled with pockets of blissful sunshine, Tuesday’s conditions could prove to be disruptive through Wednesday morning.“It’s a good idea to stay indoors if at all possible today and wait for the storm to finish before venturing outside,” NWS meteorologist Rick Canepa said.Problem is, the storm was expected to be an all day event, according to Canepa. The heaviest rains were predicted for the morning hours, NWS projections showed, with peak time coming between 7-10 a.m. The rainfall was expected to calm slightly in the late morning and continue at what Canepa called “stationary” levels all the way through to Wednesday morning.In all, San Jose and Oakland were forecast between one-quarter and one-ha...

How many Bay Area concrete buildings might fall like those in Turkey’s deadly earthquake?

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:02:16 GMT

The scenes of tilted, crumbled and collapsed concrete buildings after powerful earthquakes jolted Turkey and Syria last month are sobering. In Turkey alone, the shaking wrecked some 185,000 buildings, and the death toll in both countries has topped 48,000 people.Could the Bay Area’s concrete buildings suffer a similar fate when The Big One strikes?Fortunately, experts say California wouldn’t see the level of devastation like that in Turkey and Syria. But there is a danger, and experts say some buildings erected before 1980 using inflexible or “nonductile” concrete construction will fall. The trick is figuring out which ones — and what to do about them — before it’s too late.“I don’t think there’s any question there’s risk,” said Terrence Paret, a senior principal with the engineering firm Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates in San Francisco. “If the San Andreas fault went off here and the shaking was as intense as what t...

What went right for the Warriors in fourth quarter of rare road win

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:02:16 GMT

HOUSTON — Coach Steve Kerr couldn’t remember the last time the Warriors won a road game this season.This reporter promptly reminded him Monday night it was Jan. 30.“Thanks,” he replied. “That doesn’t make me feel any better.”Warriors’ wins away from Chase Center have been few and far between this season, but Golden State took advantage of its best chance to get a victory on this five-game road trip.Despite playing what Kerr thought was their worst game of the last four, the Warriors overcame a sloppy first half to put an end to their 11-game road losing streak with a 121-108 win over the West-worst Houston Rockets.A fourth-quarter push with the team’s best defensive effort of the night put the Rockets away for good.Kerr pointed to the three-man combo of Draymond Green, Anthony Lamb and Jonathan Kuminga as being the difference in the final quarter. They deployed a switchable scheme, which helped the Warriors push the pace and get ...

Google was beloved as an employer for years. Then it laid off thousands by email

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:02:16 GMT

By Clare Duffy and Catherine Thorbecke | CNNOn the morning of January 20, one Google employee had to call tech support after getting hit with an unusual error message when they tried to log in to their work system.Another employee’s manager was on vacation, so they had no one to reach out to when rumors of layoffs started to swirl.A third was waking up to demands from their toddler when their phone started to buzz with text messages asking, “Are you safe?”The three employees, who spoke to CNN on condition of anonymity, were all among the 12,000 workers laid off by Google that day. While the extent of the layoffs was staggering, and by far the largest cuts in its history, it was the way the cuts were handled that stunned many inside and outside the company.Google, which for years ranked as the top company to work for in the United States, laid off thousands of workers by e-mail. And not just any employees: Decades-long veterans of the company, at least one employee on health leave, a...

Photos: Christian McCaffrey's NC penthouse hits market for $3.75M

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:02:16 GMT

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (QUEEN CITY NEWS) - Though 49ers player Christian McCaffrey is in San Francisco, he's still got a home in Charlotte.That includes a premier 3-bedroom, 3.5-bath, two-story penthouse located in Skye Condominiums high-rise Uptown building. He's asking for $3.75 million.“To me, this penthouse was more than a home," McCaffrey said. "It allowed me to feel a part of the city that I love so much every time I look out the window." Michael Jordan in ‘serious talks’ to sell majority stake of Hornets, ESPN reports If it sells anywhere near that amount, it would be the most expensive condo ever sold in Charlotte on a per-square-foot basis, according to his real estate agent, Victoria Speer of Ivester Jackson Christie’s International Real Estate.(Courtesy: Mario Bianco – SkyCam Digital)(Courtesy: Mario Bianco – SkyCam Digital)(Courtesy: Mario Bianco – SkyCam Digital)(Courtesy: Mario Bianco – SkyCam Digital)(Courtesy: Mario Bianco – SkyCam Digital)(Courtesy: Mario Bianco – SkyCam...