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Opinion: Senior year is a costly high school rite of passage

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:20:00 GMT

Editor’s Note: This article was written for Mosaic Vision, an independent journalism training program for high school students who report and photograph stories under the guidance of professional journalists.For seniors, their final year in high school is the culmination of what they have been working toward for their entire lives. But many students may not realize the joys of graduation come with a steep price.As a college-bound senior, I’ve learned that prices can leap by the hundreds of dollars — from entrance exams to graduation pictures to prom expenses. Here are the costs I confronted and how they skyrocketed.One of the highest costs of being a senior is applying to college. I applied to nine schools, and it cost me $630.Depending on which school you apply to, it could cost anywhere from $60 to $90 just to submit an application. This doesn’t even factor in what comes later — your deposit once you get accepted, tuition and housing.There is an option for a fee ...

Wine Country Adventures: 10 ways to eat, drink and play in Sonoma Valley in 2023

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:20:00 GMT

Spring has arrived in Sonoma’s wine country, painting the hillsides in shades of green and the sunny yellow of mustard blossoms. It’s bud break season in the vineyards, and there’s a sense of possibility everywhere you look. After staying close to home for so long, everything feels new these days, as we ramble through The Barlow and stroll Sonoma streets, explore new eateries and gambol through winery sculpture gardens.Whether you go now or wait for one of wine country’s big events, the Healdsburg Wine & Food Experience in May, say, or Taste of Sonoma in June, fresh opportunities to eat, drink and play abound. Here are 10 possibilities to while your weekend away.Troubadour’s sumac-roasted carrot and burrata sandwich is laced with pesto and arugula. (Troubadour Bread & Bistro) EAT: Troubadour Bread & Bistro, HealdsburgWhen in wine country, who doesn’t need a damn-good gourmet deli sandwich? Reasonably-priced meals are an absolute m...

SF Giants’ Thairo Estrada finds ‘big brother’ in Venezuelan countryman Wilmer Flores

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:20:00 GMT

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Mostly known for its cacao trees and chicken farms, the little agricultural town of Bejuma, Venezuela, is particularly proud of perhaps its most famous export, the one who plays second base for the San Francisco Giants, who made it all the way to the big leagues, despite growing up unable to afford a glove on his hand or cleats on his feet.Over the winter, Thairo Estrada made a triumphant and long-awaited trip home.It had been four years since he had seen his mom, Ana, or his dad, Jairo. His first-born son, Santiago, who remained in Venezuela with his mother, is growing up quickly — now 8 years old.Estrada was an up-and-coming prospect with the Yankees the last time he visited home; he’s now a full-fledged big leaguer. In preparation for his homecoming, the mayor of Bejuma and governor of Carabobo, the state in northern Venezuela, held a ceremony to recognize what Estrada had accomplished in the time since he left home.“When you have goals that you wa...

Baby Brandon kidnappers back in court Monday for sentencing: updates

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:20:00 GMT

SAN JOSE, Calif. (KRON) -- The two people who admitted to kidnapping a three-month-old baby in San Jose last year will be sentenced to prison today. Yesenia Ramirez and Jose Portillo pleaded guilty to the kidnapping of three-month-old baby Brandon Cuellar. Anti-trans rant at Cheesecake Factory in San Francisco caught on video Ramirez could be looking at 14 years in prison and Portillo at five. Prosecutors are not happy because they wanted the two to have more than 16 years in prison instead of the deal they took with the court after pleading guilty. San Jose police say the two were in a relationship and that they tried to kidnap baby Brandon multiple times and even attempted to cut the brakes on Brandon's mother's car.Follow for updates:9:50 a.m. -- Defendants requested to change clothes after seeing TV camerasBaby Brandon kidnappers sentencing in San Jose: For the sentencing hearing, @kron4news has a camera in the courtroom recording. (We can't shoot live video). In...

Preliminary 3.0 magnitude earthquake strikes San Jose neighborhood

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:20:00 GMT

(KRON) -- A 3.0 earthquake struck the Silicon Valley Monday morning. The quake, which hit shortly after 9 a.m., had its epicenter near Seven Trees, a San Jose neighborhood that was formerly an unincorporated census-designated place.There have been no reports of damage or injuries.This is a developing story. Check back for updates.

Man arrested for allegedly killing father in San Jose

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:20:00 GMT

SAN JOSE, Calif. (KRON) -- San Jose police arrested a man suspected of murdering his father in San Jose's sixth homicide that happened over the weekend, according to SJPD. Saturday just after 6:30 a.m., officers responded to the scene on the 2500 block of Fontaine Road.Officers said they found an unconscious man not breathing. The victim was pronounced dead at the scene. San Jose man arrested on suspicion of killing his wife identified An investigation led officers to a man staying at a nearby motel, later identified as the victim's son, as a person of interest, according to officials. He was arrested for homicide. The motive and circumstances surrounding the incident are under investigation.The identity of the suspect and victim have not been released.Anyone with information is asked to contact Detective Sergeant Vallejo #3810 or Detective Harrington #4365 of the San José Police Department’s Homicide Unit via email: [email protected] and/or [email protected] ...

BART plans to maximize police presence on the system

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:20:00 GMT

SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) -- BART Police Chief Ed Alvarez will head up a news conference Monday morning in which he is expected to outline the details and benefits of a new plan to maximize BART police presence in the system. Bay Area Council COO John Grubb and Union Square Alliance CEO Marisa Rodriguez are also expected to speak.The news conference will be held at the Powell Street Station concourse level near the entrance to the mall.

San Jose man arrested on suspicion of killing his wife identified

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:20:00 GMT

(KRON) -- A San Jose man arrested last week for allegedly killing his wife has been identified, the San Jose Police Department announced on Monday. The arrest stems from an incident on Tuesday, March 14 when officers responded to the 1300 block of Foxdale Loop on a report of a deceased woman at a residence. Baby Brandon kidnappers back in court Monday for sentencing When officers arrived, they found an adult woman who was not conscious or breathing. She was pronounced dead at the scene. Officers made contact with the victim's husband, Alejandro Mozo-Crisostomo of San Jose. He was arrested by patrol officers at his residence and booked into Santa Clara Main Jail, the San Jose Police Department said.The motives and circumstances surrounding the homicide are under investigation. This was San Jose's 5th homicide of 2023.

The Pentagon's Obsession With Secrecy Protected a Marine Accused of Sexual Assault

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:20:00 GMT

When a low-profile U.S. military base in Syria came under rocket attack last week, a U.S. Central Command spokesperson accused the assailants of endangering civilians and undermining “the hard-earned stability and security of Syria and the region.”But exclusive records obtained by The Intercept suggest that U.S. personnel at Mission Support Site Green Village in northeast Syria have been under attack before — not just by local fighters, but also by fellow U.S. personnel. A National Guard soldier was assaulted by a U.S. Marine there in July 2018, according to a detailed criminal investigation report obtained via the Freedom of Information Act.Shortly after being deployed to the base in northeast Syria, the soldier from the 65th Field Artillery Brigade said that, during a bathroom break while on guard duty, she was approached by a Marine. “I heard from one of your guys that you like to get around,” he allegedly said before grabbing her arms, pulling her toward him, and attempting to k...

Dominican police arrest 19 in high-profile corruption case

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:20:00 GMT

SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic (AP) — Authorities in the Dominican Republic have arrested 19 people in a sweeping corruption case that accuses a well-known former presidential candidate and three former officials of embezzling nearly $350 million and illegal campaign financing.The arrests are the latest in a string of investigations that officials have launched in the past two years as part of a crackdown on rampant government corruption in the Caribbean country.Among those detained Saturday night is Gonzalo Castillo, a former public works minister who won 37% of the vote when he ran as presidential candidate for the Dominican Liberation Party in the 2020 general elections. Also arrested is a former treasury minister, Donald Guerrero; former comptroller general, Daniel Omar Caamaño; and former administrative minister to the presidency, José Ramón Peralta.Prosecutors said they are accused of paying bribes, laundering assets and illegally financing the previous electoral campaign o...