Thanksgiving brings inherent risk of cooking fires
With Thanksgiving approaching, local fire agencies are warning residents about the cooking-related dangers the holiday can pose.
Burn ban declared indefinitely
Fire authorities have enacted a burn ban in Santa Clara County due to record-low rainfall, low humidity, dry fuel moisture levels and increased fire activity. “These conditions are expected to continue with no forecast of significant rainfall in sight,” reads a press release from CalFire, which declared the suspension of all open burning not only in Santa Clara but also in Alameda, Contra Costa, San Mateo, Santa Cruz, and portions of Stanislaus and western San Joaquin counties. “With recent significant local fire activity in addition to several instances of individuals being cited for violation of this burn ban, CalFire would like to re-emphasize that this ban is necessary for public safety,” the press release continued. Burning for agricultural, land management, fire training and other industrial purposes may proceed only with a CalFire inspection of the burn site and a special permit, authorities said. Camp fires are allowed only in designated campgrounds, or in established facilities on private property with permission of the landowner and jurisdictional authority. Those burning under a special permit must also check with the regional air quality management district for additional regulations and requirements, according to the CalFire press release.
Oily politics: Rivas targeted
The state’s petroleum industry is spending $320,000 in the District 30 State Assembly race to defeat fundraising frontrunner Robert Rivas. The San Benito County supervisor hopes to succeed Anna Caballero, who is running for state senate this year and represents a district that stretches...
St. Louise gets repairs
Santa Clara County has completed several major renovation projects at its two hospitals—St. Louise Regional Hospital, O’Connor Hospital—and at the DePaul Health Center, and is completing several new upgrade projects.
A total of $90 million in equipment and facility improvements have occurred or are taking...
PHOTO: Bikers ring in 2023 in downtown Gilroy
The only rumbling that was louder than the bikers’ stomachs were the motorcycles they rode into downtown Gilroy during the annual Burrito Run on Jan. 1. The gathering has been a New Year’s Day tradition for more than four decades, beginning when a small...
DA launches new online data portal
The Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office launched a public data dashboard last week to support what they said will promote “transparency, accountability, and community engagement” within the criminal justice system.
The DA’s office intends to update data regularly on victim and defendant race and...
The Red Barn’s future?
As proposed in May of 2006, Christmas Hill Park's Red Barn could one day become the Ranch Site Community Center - a two-story, 13,450-square-foot building with meeting rooms, a reception area, multipurpose room, patio areas, an office and a commercial kitchen. The project was estimated then to cost between $3.5 million and $4.2 million.
