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Opinion: Daniel Ellsberg legacy inspires whistleblowers and truth-tellers

Published Fri, 07 Feb 2025 13:05:06 GMT

Few people have understood and described the insidious corrosiveness of government secrecy as clearly as Daniel Ellsberg.Ellsberg, who died Friday at age 92 at his home in Kensington, is famous for providing the Pentagon Papers — a top-secret history of the Vietnam War — to the New York Times in 1971. While no one was clearer than Dan about how secrecy threatens democracy by preventing the public from making informed decisions, he also taught me how access to secret information actually causes government officials to make what he called “smart dumb” decisions.I first met Dan when I was helping to create the Freedom of the Press Foundation, co-launched in 2012 by several Electronic Frontier Foundation staffers, along with others. EFF is a nonprofit defending digital privacy, free speech and innovation. Our co-founder and board member, John Perry Barlow, who was also deeply involved, brought Dan into the planning. EFF served as legal counsel for the fledgling organization....

Single family residence in Milpitas sells for $2 million

Published Fri, 07 Feb 2025 13:05:06 GMT

166 Caladenia Lane – Google Street ViewA spacious house located in the 100 block of Caladenia Lane in Milpitas has a new owner. The 2,468-square-foot property, built in 2014, was sold on May 31, 2023. The $2,015,000 purchase price works out to $816 per square foot. The property features four bedrooms, three bathrooms, a garage, and two parking spaces. There’s also a pool in the backyard. The unit sits on a 3,196-square-foot lot.These nearby houses have also recently changed hands:On Cobblestone Loop, Milpitas, in October 2022, a 1,951-square-foot home was sold for $1,575,000, a price per square foot of $807. The home has 3 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms.In January 2023, a 1,951-square-foot home on Los Coches Street in Milpitas sold for $1,530,000, a price per square foot of $784. The home has 3 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms.A 1,200-square-foot home on the 100 block of Sinnott Lane in Milpitas sold in September 2022, for $1,100,000, a price per square foot of $917. The home has 3 bedrooms 1 bat...

Elias: Newsom should appeal decision to free Manson Family member

Published Fri, 07 Feb 2025 13:05:06 GMT

Rarely have judges so widely missed the forest for the trees as in a late-May decision by a panel of the state 2nd District Court of Appeal to overturn Gov. Gavin Newsom’s refusal of parole for a deadly former member of the notorious Manson Family.Related ArticlesLocal Opinion | Opinion: Valley Water project protects Milpitas residents, businesses from flooding Local Opinion | Opinion: Saratoga mayor offers safety tips for summer Local Opinion | Opinion: Expanding RYDE enables senior mobility and empowerment Local Opinion | Elias: Newsom would be wise to stick with his planned transit funding cut Local Opinion | Elias: Redefining homelessness for Medi-Cal coverage bold but may not fly At issue is the freedom of Leslie Van Houten, a teenage member of Charles Manson’s murderous gang in 1969 when she helped in the murders of Los Angeles grocer Leno LaBianca and his wife, Rosemary, in their home just o...

Skelton: California lawmakers aren’t fooling anyone with budget charade

Published Fri, 07 Feb 2025 13:05:06 GMT

The California Legislature has passed another so-called on-time state budget. Wink, wink. It’s barely a half-baked budget.Voters in 2010 passed a ballot measure that required lawmakers to adopt an annual budget by June 15 or they wouldn’t be paid.Ever since, they’ve followed the letter of the law, but not the spirit. On party-line votes, they’ve passed the broad outline of a budget before their deadline, but without the needed details on many disputed items.In the Capitol, it’s dubbed the “paycheck” budget.The negotiated nitty-gritty comes later in “trailer” bills. And dollar amounts are updated in a “budget junior” that amends the original paycheck version.So, the politicians have found a legal way around the voters’ edict. They still get paid, but it has become common for the budget — that takes effect July 1 — not to be completely wrapped up until late August or even September, at the end of the legislators’ annual session.The truth is, however, that their new budgeting process i...

Heavy drinkers really don’t ‘handle their liquor,’ study says

Published Fri, 07 Feb 2025 13:05:06 GMT

Heavy drinking does slow mental processing and motor skills, even if the person is used to alcohol. Heavy drinking does slow mental processing and motor skills, even if the person is used to alcohol. (CNN) — It’s a misnomer that heavy drinkers can “hold their liquor,” a new study found.Instead, people with alcohol use disorder — what used to be called alcoholism — were significantly impaired on cognitive and motor tests up to three hours after downing an alcoholic drink designed to mimic their typical habits.“It seems to be a popular perception that experienced drinkers can handle their liquor — like two cowboys in a bar in a drinking competition, and they have some macho strength to take in so much alcohol and ha...

Pedestrian in wheelchair struck, killed during hit-and-run in Prince George’s Co.

Published Fri, 07 Feb 2025 13:05:06 GMT

A person in a wheelchair was killed in a hit-and-run crash in Hyattsville, Maryland, during the pre-dawn hours on Saturday morning.An unidentified driver struck the pedestrian nearby University Boulevard and Riggs Road on June 17. Prince George’s County police said officers responded to the crash at around 3:20 a.m.The pedestrian was in the roadway, but police didn’t say if the person was in the crosswalk at the time of the crash. Police said the person died at the scene.After the crash, the driver of the striking vehicle, which police described as a silver Volkswagen, left the scene.The pedestrian hasn’t been publicly identified, as police work to notify the person’s family.Police are asking anyone with information to call the Collision Analysis and Reconstruction Unit at 301-731-4422. Anonymous tipsters can call 1-866-411-TIPS (8477), or go online at www.pgcrimesolvers.com.Here’s a map of where police said the crash happened. Source

Former 2nd-ranked tennis player Anett Kontaveit retiring because of a back injury

Published Fri, 07 Feb 2025 13:05:06 GMT

LONDON (AP) — Former second-ranked tennis player Anett Kontaveit will retire after Wimbledon because of a back injury.The 27-year-old Estonian has lumbar disc degeneration and said it “does not allow for full-scale training or continued competition.”“Today I am announcing that I am ending my career as a competitive athlete,” she posted on Instagram. “It is impossible to continue at the top level in such a highly competitive field.”Kontaveit’s best result in a Grand Slam tournament was reaching the Australian Open quarterfinals in 2020.Wimbledon starts on July 3.___More AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis and https://twitter.com/AP_SportsSource

Stewart-Haas Racing shuffles NASCAR team crew chief lineup

Published Fri, 07 Feb 2025 13:05:06 GMT

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Stewart-Haas Racing made a flurry of organizational changes to its crew chief lineup Tuesday that begin this weekend at Nashville Superspeedway and are aimed at improving the team in time to qualify its drivers for the playoffs. Kevin Harvick, who is retiring at the end of the season, is the only SHR driver currently eligible to make the 16-driver playoff field. The changes were announced one day before SHR is expected to name Xfinity Series regular Josh Berry, who recently filled in for Chase Elliott when he was injured, will replace Harvick next year in the No. 4 Ford. Among the changes made was Xfinity Series crew chief Richard Boswell was promoted to crew chief Chase Briscoe and the No. 14 team in the Cup Series. Boswell had been the crew chief for SHR’s No. 98 Xfinity Series team with driver Riley Herbst, but Boswell guided Briscoe to eight Xfinity Series wins from 2018 to 2020.Boswell has been crew chief for Herbst since 2021.John Klausmeier, who h...

Hunter Biden agrees to plea deal on federal tax, gun charges

Published Fri, 07 Feb 2025 13:05:06 GMT

Hunter Biden, President Biden's son, will plead guilty to tax crimes and unlawful possession of a weapon in a plea agreement reached with prosecutors, according to court papers filed Tuesday.The plea deal, which must be accepted by a judge, would likely keep Hunter Biden out of jail.Hunter Biden, 53, has been under investigation for tax matters since 2018, according to The Associated Press. He reportedly paid off his tax liability in 2020.Hunter Biden was charged with two counts of willful failure to pay income tax. The third charge stems from possession of a firearm in 2018, a weapon he was in possession of while using crack cocaine. The president's son has denied drug use when applying to secure the gun.The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.DEVELOPING

CPW: Boaters watch out for car in Arkansas River

Published Fri, 07 Feb 2025 13:05:06 GMT

CAÑON CITY, Colo. (KXRM) — Colorado Parks and Wildlife is warning boaters in the Royal Gorge area about a car that rolled into the Arkansas River and will likely be a hazard until it can be removed.CPW posted about the car on Facebook on Monday along with accompanying photos of the nearly submerged car.CPW said the car is in the river about half a mile below the Parkdale boat ramp, halfway to the Highway 50 bridge. It is just right of the middle of the river and is mostly covered in water. It will likely be entirely covered as the water level rises, CPW said. Moose dies after jumping from 2nd-story deck CPW warned that from far away the car will look like a flat rock barely below the surface, which should give boaters plenty of time and space to get around it to the left if they know what to look for.Courtesy: Colorado Parks and WildlifeCourtesy: Colorado Parks and WildlifeCPW said the car will not be removed from the river until the water level drops, so boaters should be aware i...