The San Jose Redevelopment Agency held a public meeting on March 11th at City Hall. The purpose of the meeting was to notify the public about the Autumn/Montgomery Demolition Project. Project Manager Bill Ekern waited alongside his project coordinator, for the residents of San Jose to show up.
After ten minutes of waiting, the meeting began. With only two residents in the audience, and one council member, Bill Ekern joked, “Good thing the two of you showed up, or we’d have no one to talk to.”
The two young women in the audience were dressed in casual attire, jeans and a sweatshirt. One had a backpack next to her feet, and a notebook on her lap. She told the two men that they had come to the meeting as part of a project for one of their political science classes. The two meeting leaders and the students engaged in a quick conversation about the purpose of the redevelopment agencies and how they worked with the city on different projects.
A display board with a large photograph of the Autumn/Montgomery area was turned toward the audience. The purpose of the project was to knock down a few old buildings over by the Amtrak station. The buildings had been unoccupied for years, and some had become home to harmful chemicals. The agency wanted to use the land for a possible parking lot and buildings that would house businesses. They went over the benefits of the project with the audience. The first benefit was the employment opportunities new business buildings would bring. Also, there was unconfirmed talk about the Oakland A’s baseball team moving to San Jose. The parking lot would help accommodate visitors in the future.
The mentioning of the Oakland A’s coming to San Jose excited the two girls. The conversation quickly turned to the debacle over which city was going to host the team. The city of Fremont had initially planned on housing the team until the project was cancelled by the team. The two locations chosen for the ballpark interfered with traffic and resident approval, which was the reason San Jose was next in line. The conversation came to an end soon after discussing the possibility of a ballpark in San Jose. As the girls gathered their belongings and shook hands with Bill Ekern and his project coordinator, I approached them for their feedback on the meeting.
“Even though I came here for an assignment, the meeting was way more interesting than I thought it would be”, said 21-year old Monica Colagio.
“I am just surprised that we were the only ones who showed up. This definitely shows we need to be more involved, especially when people complain about not knowing what’s going on around them,” added Maria Chavez, 23.
Even with the lack of public turnout, the meeting went on. Both interesting and informative, it certainly captured the attention of the young students who attended.
Thursday, March 19, 2009
Sunday, March 1, 2009
Revised Leads 5:
Delayed ID Lead:
A Springfield pipe fitter suffered third-degree burns yesterday afternoon at the Springfield Municipal Power Plant after accidentally touching a power line with a piece of angle iron.
Immediate ID Lead:
Duane La Chance, 55, suffered third-degree burns yesterday afternoon at the Springfield Municipal Power Plant when he accidentally touched a power line with a piece of angle iron.
Delayed ID Lead:
One Springfield man was hospitalized today after a vehicle struck his Ford Focus on U.S. 63, one-tenth of a mile north of Blue Ridge Road.
Immediate ID Lead:
James Cunning, 20, was hospitalized today after a vehicle struck his Ford Focus on U.S. 63, one-tenth of a mile north of Blue Ridge Road.
A Springfield pipe fitter suffered third-degree burns yesterday afternoon at the Springfield Municipal Power Plant after accidentally touching a power line with a piece of angle iron.
Immediate ID Lead:
Duane La Chance, 55, suffered third-degree burns yesterday afternoon at the Springfield Municipal Power Plant when he accidentally touched a power line with a piece of angle iron.
Delayed ID Lead:
One Springfield man was hospitalized today after a vehicle struck his Ford Focus on U.S. 63, one-tenth of a mile north of Blue Ridge Road.
Immediate ID Lead:
James Cunning, 20, was hospitalized today after a vehicle struck his Ford Focus on U.S. 63, one-tenth of a mile north of Blue Ridge Road.
AP Style Ex: M-R
1) He hopes to make a billion dollars by the time he's 40. Already he figures his net worth is between $2 million and $3 million, depending on current stock prices. (3)
2) Lt. Col. John Carpenter was a midshipman at the U.S. Naval Academy and served in the 7th Fleet. (4 pts. - this one's tricky, so give it some thought)
3) Twenty-one winners were named two days after the 3rd annual Procrastination Awards Ceremony. (3)
4) It was a one-sided game, and he was a poor loser. After losing the playoff when his ball went out of bounds, he made an off-color remark that could be heard in the stands. (4)
5) Hundreds of people attended Sunday's race to watch 75 top bicyclists pedal across the finish line. (3)
6) Every winter, the Joneses and the Kinneys pore over travel brochures, planning their summer trip together. This year they’re hoping to go to Panama City, Fla. (3)
2) Lt. Col. John Carpenter was a midshipman at the U.S. Naval Academy and served in the 7th Fleet. (4 pts. - this one's tricky, so give it some thought)
3) Twenty-one winners were named two days after the 3rd annual Procrastination Awards Ceremony. (3)
4) It was a one-sided game, and he was a poor loser. After losing the playoff when his ball went out of bounds, he made an off-color remark that could be heard in the stands. (4)
5) Hundreds of people attended Sunday's race to watch 75 top bicyclists pedal across the finish line. (3)
6) Every winter, the Joneses and the Kinneys pore over travel brochures, planning their summer trip together. This year they’re hoping to go to Panama City, Fla. (3)
News Story 5: Runaway Truck
Several people were injured today after the driver of a runaway truck smashed into the side of a single-story house in El Cerrito.
The 10-wheel hauler asphalt truck snapped a power pole and destroyed other vehicles on Moeser Lane before setting fire to the area.
El Cerrito Police Detective Sgt. Shawn Maples was one of the first rescue workers to arrive at the scene. After hearing cries coming from the burning truck and house, he dug quickly through the debris and spotted the driver lodged between the wheels of the truck. With the driver’s legs mangled and unable to move, Maples pulled the driver to safety with the help of Police Chief Scott Kirkland. "We dragged him out in a heartbeat while the truck went up in flames. I just wanted to get him out of there", Maples said.
Three other vehicles on the scene were also destroyed. The driver of a Honda sedan was pulled to safety after his car was found crumpled. Rescue workers had to peel the roof of the car off to get to the driver. Another sport utility vehicle holding a man and boy inside was stuck in the shrubbery next to the burning house. The force of the truck’s collision was so strong that it knocked over a third vehicle from Moeser Lane to the next street, Richmond.
Residents were also affected by the crash when power was knocked out in El Cerrito, Richmond and Berkeley.
One witness who lives across the street from the single-story home that was destroyed in the fire, was on his way to work around 1:30 p.m. when he heard the booming noise, “First, I thought it was a major earthquake. This is unbelievable”. His front yard was littered with bricks, broken glass, car parts, splintered wood and palm fronds.
The San Jose man identified as the driver of the asphalt truck broke both legs in the crash and is listed in serious but stable condition at John Muir Medical Center in Walnut Creek.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
