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'Kinky, Curly, Coily' natural hair festival happening in Austin this weekend

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 15:00:22 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — In all its kinky, curly, coily glory, one of the only black natural hair festivals is back—this time, with a new reason to celebrate. Since Gov. Greg Abbott signed the Crown Act into law, banning hair discrimination in the state, the fourth annual festival hopes this year's event will continue an important conversation about hair acceptance. From 12:30 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday, Cha'Keeta B Music will teach people how to style their natural black hair. The event will be held at Dottiewood Studios with tickets ranging from $25-$35.It will include demos on how to care for black hair, different hair products and salon vendors answering questions."We just had to pass a law telling people not to discriminate against our hair, so obviously representation in educating other people that don't have hair like ours is very important," event organizer Lauren Riggins said. "If anybody else wanted to come and learn about our hair, because maybe they have mixed children or...a frien...

Armed suspect injured in police shooting at Little Tokyo hotel 

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 15:00:22 GMT

An armed suspect was shot by police after allegedly threatening hotel staff with a knife early Sunday morning. Authorities confirmed that the suspect walked into the lobby of the Miyako Hotel on 1st Street in Little Tokyo around 3:30 a.m. armed with a knife. "He was inside the lobby with a knife, and he refused commands given by the officers, at which time an officer-involved shooting occurred,” said LAPD Captain Elaine Morales.  An armed suspect was shot by police after allegedly threatening hotel staff with a knife early Sunday morning. (KeyNewsTV)An armed suspect was shot by police after allegedly threatening hotel staff with a knife early Sunday morning. (KeyNewsTV)An armed suspect was shot by police after allegedly threatening hotel staff with a knife early Sunday morning. (KeyNewsTV)The LAPD’s Force Investigation Division is handling the investigation. (KTLA) Man shot in face at Dockweiler Beach, suspect gets car stuck in sand and flees on foot The suspect was...

Authorities: South Bay man arrested for having guns in defiance of court ban

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 15:00:22 GMT

A South Bay man was jailed this weekend on allegations that he kept an array of guns in the face of a court-ordered weapons prohibition from an ongoing family violence case, a discovery made in light of recent “erratic” behavior that included a threat to shoot police, authorities said.Russell Charling, a 41-year-old San Martin resident, was arrested Friday afternoon after Santa Clara County Sheriff’s investigators learned that he “was in possession of illegal assault rifles,” according to the agency.That would be in violation of a restraining order issued against him in connection with a family violence charge that court records show was filed in January. He also has a conviction from a November 2021 family violence charge that was still being adjudicated as recently as May.According to the sheriff’s office, Charling was familiar to deputies after they confiscated what they thought were all his guns after the Superior Court issued the criminal res...

Cupertino Rabbit Project leaps into action with unveiling of 12 sculptures

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 15:00:22 GMT

Cupertino Rotarians and city officials hopped over to the Chamber of Commerce on June 20 to check out 12 rabbit sculptures set for installation around the city.In total, 38 fiberglass sculptures are due to be installed as part of the Cupertino Rabbits Project, spearheaded by the Rotary Club of Cupertino and the Foothill-De Anza Foundation. The public art project is intended to celebrate the Year of the Rabbit in 2023.It’s also a fundraiser for the Ukraine Project, helping build residences in Kharkiv, Ukraine to replace those destroyed in the war. To date, about $11,000 has been raised toward the effort.Bidders can purchase the rabbits at a public auction at the close of the exhibition on Sept. 9. Proceeds will fund Rotary-supported initiatives such as Rebuilding Together Silicon Valley, SunWork solar panel installations and Winterfest at Via Services.“We’ve wanted a project to bring our community together in playful and positive ways, and the Year of the Rabbit exhibition is just th...

Playful People Productions host summer dance classes in San Jose

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 15:00:22 GMT

Neighborhood NotesROSE GARDEN>>Registration is open for Playful People Productions’ summer dance classes at San Jose’s Historic Hoover Theater, 1635 Park Ave.A Masterclass in Musical Theater Dance exploring topics such as rhythm and musicality, energy, floor barre, standing barre, dance and acting integration, dance and singing integration, dance audition technique and rehearsal technique is set for July 10-21. Classes are held Monday-Friday, 7-9 p.m., for the two weeks of the program. Dancers should come prepared with water, a towel, jazz or character shoes, a notebook and pencil. Yoga mats are also recommended. Registration is $250.The class will be taught by The T (also known as T Saffold), a teaching who was recently seen as Donkey in Playful People Productions’ “Shrek the Musical.” He will also be directing a fall master class production with Playful People.For those looking for something a little more basic, Playful People staff member Emily Pennington will be teaching b...

Trailblazing quilt celebrates Friends of Stevens Creek Trail’s 30th anniversary

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 15:00:22 GMT

Trailblazing quiltThe Friends of Stevens Creek Trail group is celebrating its 30th anniversary by publicly displaying a quilt made from previous years’ Trailblazer race shirts. Sunnyvale Mayor Larry Klein unveiled the quilt June 21 at the Sunnyvale Community Center.The quilt was made by Tom Frankum, a Friends board member from 1997 to 2007 who served as president in 2000-01. Frankum, who now lives in San Diego but has continued to be an active Friends supporter, is also a running enthusiast.The quilt is set to move to Cupertino in July and Mountain View in September after being displayed in Sunnyvale.The 29th annual Trailblazer Race is set for Sept. 24. The event is a fundraiser for the Friends, a nonprofit dedicated to extending Stevens Creek Trail and wildlife corridor from San Francisco Bay to the Santa Cruz Mountains. For more information and to register, visit https://www.stevenscreektrail.org/Events/trailblazer.html.Public Safety graduationFive Sunnyvale Department of Pu...

Milpitas district’s dual enrollment program honored by county

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 15:00:22 GMT

‘Exemplary’ dual enrollment programThe Milpitas Unified School District/San Jose City College Dual Enrollment Program was recently selected as one of five recipients of the Glenn Hoffmann Exemplary Program Awards, presented by the Santa Clara County School Boards Association.“This award validates all the collaborative, hard work that we’ve done,” said MUSD program coordinator Karisa Scott in a statement. “It shows the outcomes of what can happen when we have a shared vision and we have such excellent, collaborative partners like SJCC.”The program started with 30 students and has grown to approximately 150 juniors and seniors in its third year, with a 90% success rate. When dual enrollment students graduate from high school, they not only earn a high school diploma but also have the beginnings of a college transcript with up to 30 credits. Depending on their selected pathway, students can graduate with workforce certificates.For more information about the program, visit https://mmchs...

Cupertino mail carriers log 1M accident-free miles in decades-long careers

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 15:00:22 GMT

Million Mile mail carriersEight Cupertino Post Office mail carriers were honored on Friday, June 16, for each driving one million miles over decades-long careers without so much as a fender-bender. Honorees included Jeanne Ulmmer, a mail carrier for 36 years; Dominic Commisso, 35 years; Ricardo Mariano, 40 years; Johnny Kuo, 36 years; Steve Dear, 33 years; Joe Castanon, 24 years; Mariano Divino Jr., 35 years; and Daniel Chen, 36 years.“Safety is not just a buzz word; our postal drivers take safety very seriously,” district manager Raj Sanghera said in a statement.Each driver was presented with a plaque from the National Safety Council and earned automatic membership in the council’s Million Mile Club.Grants for end-of-life careThe Chinese American Coalition for Compassionate Care recently received program grants from the Palo Alto Foundation Medical Group and Mettle Health of Mill Valley and the Stupski Foundation of San Francisco.The Cupertino-based nonprofit, which provides suppor...

Saratoga’s community college designs program for students of color to study abroad

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 15:00:22 GMT

As she walked along the vibrant streets of Brixton, London’s Afro-Caribbean cultural hub,  West Valley Community College student Tiffany Hayes could feel the pride from the locals.Neighbors shouted, “Brixton is the best place!” and “Make sure you tell them the whole truth!” to the tour guide who Hayes and her fellow students followed.“At the end of the day I was reflecting that there’s no other way that I could have gotten the flavor of a place without actually having been there,” Hayes said. “Like reading about it in an article or a course reading would pale in comparison to actually walking the streets and eating in Brixton village and being in that place.”Hayes was among 16 community college students who embarked on West Valley’s unique 10-day program out of that brings students to iconic historical sites in Europe through the lens of the Black experience.Renée Kazemipour Paquier, dean of professional studies and health and human development, said the program was designed b...

Former Los Gatos resident wants ‘best grapes possible’ for his Cordant wines

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 15:00:22 GMT

Former Los Gatos resident David Taylor might not have known it at the time, but the seeds of Paso Robles wine country that were sown when he attended Cal Poly as an electrical engineering major would blossom decades later into one of the most prolific wine regions in America.Taylor lived in San Jose and Los Gatos for 18 years, where he and his wife DeAnn raised their three children, before moving to San Diego and then to Paso Robles. His engineering career in Silicon Valley included stints at Cypress Semiconductor, GoPro, CineForm and C-Cube Microsystems.By the time Taylor made his move there, Paso Robles was rocketing to popularity, not just in California but around the world. Taylor wanted to be part of something that would combine his entrepreneurial skills with his passion for pinot noir, so in 2014 he started Cordant Winery.“The idea was always to find the best grapes possible for pinot noir, as well as Rhones,” he says. “My vision was for a different style—not that big, jammy ...