Category: The Mercury News

By Khalida Sarwari Unhealthy conditions caused by the Camp Fire in Paradise have forced a number of local schools around the Bay Area to move students indoors or cancel outdoor activities this week. The Bay Area Air Quality Management District has extended an air quality alert for the Bay Area through Friday, advising the public to avoid outdoor activity as much as possible and to keep windows and doors closed indoors. While most schools remain Read More …

By Khalida Sarwari Cupertino residents are anxiously waiting for the final tally in an extremely tight City Council race because the three candidates who eventually emerge as victors could decidedly stay or change the course of the city’s near-vacant Vallco Shopping Mall. Since Election Day, incumbents Mayor Darcy Paul and Councilwoman Savita Vaidhyanathan and newcomer Liang-Fang Chao have maintained their lead for three open seats, but so far with 11 percent of the votes still Read More …

By Khalida Sarwari Inside his bright and tidy first-floor apartment at the Saratoga Retirement Community, Lawrence “Larry” Hawkinson sifts through relics like a belt buckle that once adorned the waist of a German soldier in the First World War and the commendatory note King George V sent to his father. As the country prepares to observe Veterans Day — originally known as Armistice Day — the 94-year-old shared vivid memories of his father, who served in Read More …

By Khalida Sarwari Nicole Taylor, a long-serving steward with roots in the Bay Area nonprofit and philanthropic sectors, has been named the new president and CEO of the Silicon Valley Community Foundation. Her appointment ends the organization’s months-long search to replace ousted founding president Emmett D. Carson in the wake of a scandal that roiled the Mountain View-based philanthropy. Taylor, 49, comes with an impressive resume, including her most recent stints as vice-president at Arizona State University and Read More …

By Khalida Sarwari Tuesday was a big night for incumbents in Los Gatos as all three held onto their seats in the town council race, unofficial election results showed. Mayor Rob Rennie secured 31.16 percent of the vote, Councilwoman Marico Sayoc came in second with 27.38 percent and Vice Mayor Steve Leonardis took third with 25.86 percent. Rennie will return for a second term to tackle issues such as traffic congestion and oversee a new Read More …