B-R-E Properties has bought half of what was once the Town and Country shopping center in downtown Sunnyvale, and hopes to convert it into a housing and retail complex. The property, which has already changed hands several times this year, sold for $19 million.
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An independent, five-month audit of PG&E’s smart meters, released on Thursday, found that it is not the smart meter that’s the problem, but the customer service people receive when they submit their complaints. The study was ordered by the California Public Utilities Commission after receiving a torrent of complaints that recently installed smart meters failed to gauge electricity use accurately.
Dr. Daniel Garza of Stanford is trying to calculate how much force there is when two football players crash into each other. He also hopes that by measuring this force during games, doctors will be able to determine when it’s time for a player to take a break, for the good of the team but also for their own well-being.
Located on The Alameda in San Jose, Wine Affairs is a wine bar and retail shop that focuses on eclectic and small production wineries you’re not likely to find elsewhere. The bar also offers a wide range of wines by the glass dispensed from a high-tech machine that preserves the wines with nitrogen. The lineup of wines changes periodically and allows you to try before you buy. Certified sommelier Chris Kay is the shop’s wine buyer.
Premier football intangibles, a great work ethic and a charismatic personality have made Andrew Luck the face of the Stanford Cardinal. With the loss of Toby Gerhart, last season’s Cardinal starting running back and Heisman Trophy runner-up (now playing in the NFL for the Minnesota Vikings), the team’s heavy running offense from last year is expected to revert to the pass-heavy style that had the school being called “Quarterback U” in its prime.
The coyote population is exploding along Saratoga Creek in Santa Clara County, with calls complaining about the animals double what they were last year. Some areas, particularly around the town of Saratoga, have already issued warnings to local residents, urging them to keep their pets indoors and small children tended.
In the war for more eyeballs, Google and Facebook are competing for new audiences by offering users rentable movies and free fantasy sports leagues. Google is negotiating with Hollywood studios to stream hit movies directly to viewers for a fee. Facebook and Electronic Arts are offering a free fantasy football app.
Veggielution, San Jose’s premier urban farm, is holding a benefit dinner Saturday, Sept. 11 at Eulipia. I got a chance to sample some of what consulting chef Joseph Gaudet will be cooking up for the event. Taking inspiration from Veggielution’s one-acre farm, he prepared the preview meal right on the farm with delicious results.
After the decision to use a closed-door approach to replace SJPD Chief Rob Davis raised some eyebrows, the city held a public meeting last night to discuss the appointment. About two dozen people shared ideas about the qualifications and experience sought for in the ideal candidate. Among the requirements discussed was greater openness to the city’s ethnic communities.
It was a violent weekend in San Jose, marred by three homicides. On Friday night, a 28-year-old woman was shot on Morris Court. On Saturday night, three people were shot in a parking lot outside an apartment complex on San Antonio Court. On Sunday morning, police shot and killed a 42-year-old man described as “armed and confrontational” in South San Jose.
