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Casa Bonita eliminates tipping, going against service industry norm

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:35:51 GMT

Guests who dine at the Casa Bonita will not be asked to tip on their meals and drinks, challenging the conventional service industry model in Denver and beyond.The Lakewood landmark made its highly anticipated reopening to the public on June 23, offering locals the chance to buy tickets that include a meal. Tickets cost $39.99 for adults and $24.99 for kids ages 3 to 12. Kids under 3 are free.Higher-ups made the decision to eliminate tips — and raise the service staff’s base pay — after a soft opening period during which “we found guests simply weren’t tipping,” according to an emailed statement from Casa Bonita management.“We believe that’s due to our unconventional, pre-pay ticketing system,” the statement said.Staff were notified just days before the reopening. According to contracts reviewed by The Denver Post, Casa Bonita originally was planning to pay bartenders $14.27 an hour plus tips. That was amended to a flat fee of $30 an hour without tips, according to...

U.S. Supreme Court rejects Colorado’s standard for criminal threats

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:35:51 GMT

The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday strengthened First Amendment protections for threatening statements and found that Colorado prosecutors and judges violated a man’s Constitutional rights in a recent stalking case.The court’s ruling in Counterman v. Colorado will make it more difficult for prosecutors to prove criminal charges against people who make threats, Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser said in a statement Tuesday.The justices ruled that prosecutors in a criminal threats case must prove not only that a person made threatening statements, but also that the person intended the statements to be threatening. Colorado’s legal framework previously required prosecutors to prove only the impact the statements would have on a reasonable person, not the speaker’s intent.In the 7-2 decision, the justices rejected that objective standard in favor of a subjective standard that considers the speaker’s intent. They cited concerns that the objective standard ...

Kathy Rodriguez Hospitalized Following Deadly Motorcycle Crash on Highway 198 [Hanford, CA]

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:35:51 GMT

Head-On Collision Near 7th Avenue Kills 52-Year-Old MotorcyclistHANFORD, CA (June 27, 2023) – Saturday afternoon, Kathy Rodriguez was hospitalized following a fatal motorcycle accident on Highway 198.The deadly collision happened shortly after 12:45 p.m. at the eastbound 198 near 7th Avenue, east of Hanford.According to the police, an eastbound 1999 Toyota pickup truck veered to the left for unknown reasons. The pickup went across the center median and crashed directly in front of a Harley-Davidson motorcycle in the opposing lane.Tragically, the first responders declared the 52-year-old motorcycle rider dead at the scene.Meanwhile, paramedics airlifted his 49-year-old passenger, Kathy Rodriguez, to a hospital for treatment of significant injuries.The 18-year-old Toyota pickup driver, Juan Estrada, did not sustain injuries despite not wearing a seatbelt.At this time, the identity of the deceased motorcyclist remains undisclosed to the public, pending notification from the next ...

Elizabeth Higuera Cano, Jazmin Higuera Cano Killed in Hit-and-Run Crash on Paradise Valley Road [San Diego, CA]

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:35:51 GMT

Tony Garcia Arrested Following Fatal Two-Car Collision near Munda RoadSAN DIEGO, CA (June 27, 2023) – Early Monday morning, sisters Elizabeth Higuera Cano and Jazmin Higuera Cano died after a two-vehicle crash on Paradise Valley Road.The incident happened on May 14th, at around 2:30 a.m., on Paradise Valley Road near Munda Road.According to reports, a 2003 Ford F150 was traveling eastbound on Paradise Valley Road when it collided with a 2000 Honda Civic traveling westbound making a left turn onto Munda Road.Responding medics discovered four victims, two of whom were taken to the hospital and died from their injuries. They were identified as 25-year-old Elizabeth Higuera Cano and 23-year-old Jazmin Higuera Cano.Meanwhile, the 22-year-old female Honda driver and a 25-year old male passenger suffered non-life-threatening injuries.The Ford driver, who fled the scene immediately, surrendered to police a few hours la er. Police identified him as 53-year-old Tony Garcia of San Diego....

Raga jazz violinist brings East-meets-West show to Bay Area

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:35:51 GMT

Carnatic violinist Arun Ramamurthy is making the world safe for raga.Raised in a highly cultured South Indian family in central New Jersey, he started to learn the classical music tradition by studying vocals with his mother, a respected Carnatic singer.“My dad organized concerts and tours for Carnatic artists, so our house was filled with Carnatic music and musicians,” Ramamurthy said. “And out in the world I was hearing jazz and hip-hop and funk.”He’s been on a mission ever since to connect the music of the hearth with the sounds he encountered outside his home. Involved in an array of ensembles created to bring together artists steeped in classical Indian music with other styles and idioms, Ramamurthy introduces his new raga jazz trio to the Bay Area over the next week with a series of performances.After a solo recital Friday as part of vegan chef Philip Gelb’s Oakland dinner series, Ramamurthy kicks off a busy run of trio shows Saturday afternoon on a Yerba Buena Gardens Festiva...

How senior centers in San Jose are faring as COVID wanes

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:35:51 GMT

Editor’s note: This story is part of the annual Mosaic Journalism Workshop for Bay Area high school students, a two-week intensive course in journalism. Students in the program report and photograph stories under the guidance of professional journalists.On a bright Friday morning at the Akiyama Wellness Center in San Jose’s Japantown, an exercise class consists of six seniors and one instructor.Four years ago, the same room might have been filled by 20 participants. For Akiyama, part of the Yu-Ai-Kai Japanese American Community Senior Service, this is only one example of COVID’s lasting mark on their programs since reopening.Even after returning to in-person services four months ago, the number of seniors attending activities has dropped 30% to 50% from pre-pandemic times. However, that has been somewhat offset by those who continue to participate in Zoom sessions, which Yu-Ai-Kai implemented during quarantine to keep its community engaged.“We could get up to 60 people logging...

San Jose: Man dies from injuries in motorcycle crash

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:35:51 GMT

SAN JOSE — A motorcyclist has died from injuries in a crash from earlier this month in North San Jose, police said.The crash was reported at 10:38 p.m. on Montague Expressway near East Trimble Road, according to San Jose police. An initial investigation found that the rider was eastbound on Montague just past Trimble when he lost control of his 2011 Harley-Davidson while entering the driveway of a parking lot.He was initially stabilized at a local hospital, but he died from his injuries June 24, police said. The Santa Clara County Medical Examiner-Coroner’s Office has identified him as 61-year-old Richard Anthony Lucas of San Jose.The fatal crash marked the city’s 23rd traffic death of the year. Anyone with information about the incident can contact SJPD Traffic Detective Keith Aldinger at 408-277-4654 or by email at [email protected] ArticlesCrashes and Disasters | 5 killed in single-car crash on California freeway Crashes and Disasters | ...

Fake cop who pulled over a real cop sentenced to one year in jail

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:35:51 GMT

A Macomb Township man who posed as a Detroit cop and pulled over an off-duty police officer in Oakland County was recently sentenced for the crime.At a June 22 sentencing hearing, 52-3 District Judge Lisa Asadoorian ordered Christian Katan Mansoor, 18, to spend a year in the Oakland County Jail and fined him $1,825 for the April 3 incident in Rochester Hills. Mansoor pleaded guilty to the misdemeanor charge in May.Christian Mansoor (Oakland County Jail photo) According to the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office, the case unfolded near M-59 and Crooks Road in Rochester Hills, where sheriff’s deputies were dispatched after the Waterford Township cop reported someone in a silver BMW with red and blue lights drove up behind her and tried to pull her over.After the alleged phony cop — later identified as Mansoor — passed the Waterford officer near Dequindre and Hamlin roads, she reportedly followed him to confront him, the sheriff’s office said.She identified herself as a police officer...

San Jose airport passenger trips rise ahead of summer travel season

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:35:51 GMT

SAN JOSE — San Jose International Airport zoomed to higher levels of passenger trips in May, a hopeful sign ahead of summer travel season — yet the Silicon Valley aviation hub remains below its pre-COVID record heights.The South Bay airport accommodated slightly fewer than 1.06 passenger trips during May, San Jose officials reported Tuesday.“We couldn’t be more pleased to see passenger traffic continue to move in this direction,” said Keonnis Taylor, a spokesperson for San Jose International Airport.Among the encouraging long-term trends at San Jose airport: Over the most recent one-year period that ended in May, the travel complex averaged 1.01 million passengers a month, this news organization’s analysis of the airport’s flight statistics shows.During the 12 months that ended in May, San Jose International Airport accommodated 12.08 million passenger trips.Even so, the airport still faces a lengthy convalescence to fully recover from its coronav...

Five-bedroom home sells in San Jose for $2.7 million

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:35:51 GMT

6258 Calle Bonita – Google Street ViewA spacious house located in the 6200 block of Calle Bonita in San Jose has new owners. The 3,297-square-foot property, built in 1973, was sold on June 9, 2023. The $2,731,000 purchase price works out to $828 per square foot. The property features five bedrooms, four bathrooms, and a garage. There’s also a pool in the backyard and two parking spaces. The unit sits on an 8,325-square-foot lot.These nearby houses have also recently been sold:In November 2022, a 2,727-square-foot home on Balderstone Drive in San Jose sold for $2,000,000, a price per square foot of $733. The home has 5 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms.A 1,710-square-foot home on the 1400 block of Corte de Rosa in San Jose sold in May 2023, for $1,785,000, a price per square foot of $1,044. The home has 4 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms.On Via del Los Grande, San Jose, in April 2023, a 1,796-square-foot home was sold for $1,822,000, a price per square foot of $1,014. The home has 4 bedrooms and 2 ba...