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'Waste of time': Community college transfers derail students

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:00:22 GMT

First came the good news. After taking classes at a community college, Ricki Korba was admitted to California State University, Bakersfield, as a transfer student. But when she logged on to her student account, she got a gut punch: Most of her previous classes wouldn’t count.The university rejected most of her science classes, she was told, because they were deemed less rigorous than those at Bakersfield — even though some used the same textbooks. Several other courses were rejected because Korba exceeded a cap on how many credits can be transferred.Now Korba, a chemistry and music major, is retaking classes she already passed once. It will add a year to her studies, plus at least $20,000 in tuition and fees.“It just feels like a waste of time,” said Korba, 23, of Sonora, California. “I thought I was supposed to be going to a CSU and starting hard classes and doing a bunch of cool labs.”Every year, hundreds of thousands of students start at community colleges hoping to transfer to a...

Cobra Man Digs Dandelion Gum

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:00:22 GMT

Black Moth Super RainbowDandelion Gum (Graveface)Cobra Man Digs Dandelion Gum: Andy Harry of L.A. disco-rock duo Cobra Man told us about his love for a Black Moth Super Rainbow gem.(Graveface)Andy Harry: I don’t have one favorite album of all time, but I do have favorite albums from different time periods of my life. My family moved around the country a lot when I was a kid, and different places we lived as I was growing up have different albums tied to them for me.I remember listening to the album Dandelion Gum by Black Moth Super Rainbow for the first time while driving at night along the beach in Massachusetts with a friend. It was around the same time I had began an obsession of teaching myself to produce music. When I heard the soaring synth leads in the opening track “Forever Heavy” it felt like I had finally found something that I’d been searching for but didn’t realize it yet. The synth work on the album is incredible in the most hazy way, and the combination of vocoder with...

The dad whose wife and child were among 5 killed by a neighbor in Texas describes how the massacre unfolded

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:00:22 GMT

Authorities are pleading for the public’s help as they search for a shooter suspected of killing five people — including a 9-year-old boy — after the child’s father asked the gunman to stop firing his rifle near the family’s home.More than 250 law enforcement officers and $80,000 in reward money have been devoted to capturing Francisco Oropesa, 38, who police say gunned down his neighbors Friday night at their home northeast of Houston. He’s considered armed and dangerous, an FBI official said.Moments before the massacre, Wilson Garcia and two other men had walked over to Oropesa’s yard to ask him to stop shooting so close to their home because their baby was sleeping, Garcia told CNN. They’d asked Oropesa to shoot on the other side of his property, he said.The gunman later came to Garcia’s home, shooting his wife, Sonia Argentina Guzman, in the doorway before killing three other adults and Garcia’s son, Daniel Enrique Laso-Guzman, the grieving father said.“One of the people who die...

San Jose hotel project site is seized in real estate loan foreclosure

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:00:22 GMT

SAN JOSE — A foreclosure auction has cleared the way for a South Korea-based group to take ownership of a San Jose site where a hotel with hundreds of rooms has been approved — yet never built.The hotel development property was bought for $27.6 million by the owner of the foreclosed loan, a group operating out of South Korea, after a brief public auction that was held in downtown San Jose on April 26.A 200-room hotel has been proposed for an empty site at 7 Topgolf Drive in north San Jose’s Alviso district. City officials approved the hotel but the project was never built.Pine Tree Specialized Private Investment Trust and KEB Hana Bank, which provided the original financing for the vacant land, filed a default notice against the loan and began a foreclosure process a few months ago.Pine Tree Specialized and KEB Hana Bank found an investment group willing to assume control of the loan.Sol San Jose Owner, a real estate entity based in Seoul, South Korea, was assigned...

Do stagnant California credit scores suggest consumer struggles?

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:00:22 GMT

”Survey says” looks at various rankings and scorecards judging geographic locations while noting these grades are best seen as a mix of artful interpretation and data.Buzz: The average credit score was stable last year in California – as well as across the nation – after a string of previous improvements.Source: My trusty spreadsheet looked at “FICO” credit scores by state as compiled by Experian, reviewing data for September 2022, September 2021, and 2019’s second quarter. These are estimates of bill-paying ability, scored on a scale from 300 to 850.ToplineCalifornia’s 721 average credit score in 2022 ranked 25th among the states. The same score in 2021 ranked 24th best. The U.S. averaged 714 for both years.Back in pre-pandemic 2019, California’s average score was 208 (No. 27). That 13-point improvement over three tumultuous years tied for eighth-best in the nation. In the same timeframe, the national score was up 11 points from 703.DetailsThere’...

TasteFood: A wholesome grain salad topped with shrimp

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:00:22 GMT

There is something intrinsically gratifying about a hearty grain salad. Fresh and chewy, brimming with greens and chopped vegetables, it’s nutritious, versatile and satisfying. This bulgur salad is tumbled with lemon, spices and fresh herbs, along with chopped peppers and grated carrot for juicy sweetness and crunch. It’s spread over a bed of greens and topped with shrimp for a light and healthy complete meal.There are myriad iterations of a grain salad. For instance, quinoa or couscous can be substituted for the bulgur. The shrimp may be omitted or switched out for crumbled feta for a vegetarian option. The salad can be arranged on a platter or stuffed into pita pockets. The consistent key is to generously season the grains. Don’t be shy with citrus, spices, garlic and, of course, salt to drive flavor into the dish. Add a combination of crunchy chopped vegetables and greens for texture, nutrients and additional flavor.Don’t be intimidated by the lengthy list...

Is San Ramon parakeet seeking a divorce from her 7-year partner?

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:00:22 GMT

DEAR JOAN: I have two parakeets, one male and one female, who have lived together in the same large cage for approximately 7 years. They were a gift from my children.They had been getting along with each other very well until this past year, when I started to notice the female becoming a bully. She began to peck at the male in what seemed to be an aggressive manner. It was always short-lived, and he seemed to withstand her aggression, but he would back away from her.Lately, however, she has increased her attacks and his little face has looked bruised, brown and injured. So, I made the decision to house them in separate cages, since I doubted she would return to being civil with him, and I felt badly that he was being battered. They remain in the same room together, and can see and hear each other every day.So far, they seem to be doing OK living in their own cages; they’re eating, drinking and chirping, but I’m sure the first few days they felt confused, wondering, relie...

Mortgage fees to rise for buyers with high credit scores, fall for those with lower scores

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:00:22 GMT

Heads up, homebuyers! Big changes have arrived in the way mortgage fees are calculated, and they could offer a windfall — or an unexpected surcharge — for your next home purchase.Starting Monday, some fees will rise for homebuyers with higher credit scores, while buyers with lower scores will see a fee reduction. In the Bay Area, the change could shift total mortgage closing costs by thousands of dollars.The move is part of a broader effort by the federal government to “increase support for borrowers historically underserved by the housing finance market.” That includes people of color who have long faced discrimination in homebuying. Still, borrowers with lower credit scores will, for the most part, still pay much larger fees than those with higher scores.Felicia Mares, a real estate agent in Oakland, said the change is a net positive. She said many of her clients with lower credit scores struggle to pay the steep closing costs that come with the Bay Area’s exorbi...

San Jose: Pedestrian killed in early morning collision

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:00:22 GMT

A pedestrian died early Monday morning after she was struck by a vehicle on San Jose city streets, according to authorities.San Jose police responded to the crash in the area of Tully Road and Lanai Avenue at 4:32 a.m. In a tweet, police said the victim, a woman, was pronounced dead at a local hospital.The driver remained at the scene and cooperated with the investigation, police said. Street closures were in place around the area as of 6 a.m. Monday.Units are currently investigating a vehicle collision involving a pedestrian in the area of Tully Rd and Lanai Av. The adult female pedestrian was transported to a local hospital with life-threatening injuries where she was later pronounced deceased. pic.twitter.com/yOdcT7XcZT— San José Police Media Relations (@SJPD_PIO) May 1, 2023Related ArticlesCrashes and Disasters | Fremont: Hit-and-run collision suspect taken into custody Crashes and Disasters | Motorcyclist in Redwood City dies after car crash ...

Pedestrian killed in crash in San Jose

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:00:22 GMT

(KRON) -- The San Jose Police Department is investigating a pedestrian vs. vehicle crash near Tully Road and Lanai Avenue early Monday morning, the department tweeted. The victim, and female pedestrian, was transported to a local hospital with life-threatening injuries but was later pronounced dead, according to officials.Officials said to expect delays and avoid the area if possible. Regulators seize First Republic Bank, third bank to fail in two months The driver remained at the scene and cooperated with police on the investigation, police said. The cause of the crash is still under investigation.This is San Jose's 12th fatal collision, 13th traffic death and the 10th pedestrian death of 2023, officials said.This story is developing and will be updated.