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Xcel Energy wants a $312M boost in its electric rates, but opponents urge cuts instead

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:59 GMT

Xcel Energy is seeking a $312 million increase in revenue in an electric rate case, but the state agency that represents the public wants regulators to instead cut the utility’s revenue by $26.6 million and block it from recovering millions of dollars of investments for transmission projects.If approved, Xcel Energy’s rate request would raise residential monthly rates an average of 8.2% and monthly rates for small businesses an average of 7.7%. Xcel, Colorado’s largest electric utility, says the increase would pay for investments in its distribution and transmission systems and information technology and ensure it can meet the state’s targets for cutting greenhouse-gas emissions.The Colorado Public Utilities Commission is considering the rate increase in the aftermath of skyrocketing natural gas prices that sent heating bills soaring this winter for customers of Xcel and other utilities. The outcry over the huge spikes led to hearings by a select legislative ...

Jeffrey Neuman’s canny drama, “The Headliners,” wows at Pluss Theatre

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:59 GMT

In the Mizel Arts and Culture Center’s Pluss Theatre, something special is taking place: A new play is coming into its own. Having donned the stuff that full productions are made of — attuned scenic, lighting, sound and costume design (always costume design) — “The Headliners” is getting its world premiere.And the Cherry Creek Theatre’s staging of Jeffrey Neuman’s wise play — which runs through May 21 — quietly wows.Neuman sets his engaging drama — with music and a little bit of sashaying — in 1908, the year New York City’s vaudeville quasars Eva Tanguay and Julian Eltinge decided to flip the script on the institution of marriage (or perhaps punk their audiences) with a public engagement to take place on stage. She’d wear the tux. He, a masterful female impersonator, would be the bride.With some psychological accessorizing and a deep dive into the historical record by the playwright, “The Headliners” pulls the curtain on the pair as they head into their reall...

2 Riverside County deputies injured, 1 critically, after crash in San Jacinto

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:59 GMT

Two Riverside County Sheriff's deputies were injured, one of them critically, in a crash in San Jacinto early Friday morning.At about 2:15 a.m., a Riverside County Sheriff's Department vehicle was involved in a collision with another vehicle at Esplanade Avenue and State Street, according to Sgt. Deirdre Vickers.The deputy driving that vehicle was taken to a local hospital in critical condition. The driver of the other car was also hospitalized, though their injuries are unknown.A second deputy at the scene was also injured and hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries, Vickers said.While the exact circumstances of the second deputy's injuries have not been released, Vickers said they are "unrelated to the traffic collision."No further details were available.

Carpooling in Bay Area is bad enough without HOV lane ‘bait and switch’: Roadshow

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:59 GMT

Q: I think someone in the state bureaucracy is guilty of bait and switch. When I considered buying a car, I was enticed by the offer of being allowed in HOV lanes if I drove an electric vehicle, presumably because such vehicles had no harmful emissions and the state encouraged carpooling to get some cars off the road. I paid $30 for decals so police could see my car was OK in the restricted lanes.Then a new rule was announced: one needed 3 passengers to drive without a fee in express lanes being installed throughout the Bay Area. Oh, and if one has an EV, the new rule with 2 people in the car, is that they pay a reduced rate for the express lane.I submit that the fair solution to this bait and switch would be that no fee should be charged for an EV with 2 people. What do you think?Bob PierceA: Regional officials promoted this change for several months prior to making the change. I do understand your frustration.Q: So many people go over double white lines to enter HOV lanes. It’s ve...

Why Mother’s Day is the most hated day in the restaurant industry

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:59 GMT

By Alexandra Peers | CNNMother’s Day is one of the busiest days for the American restaurant industry. It also has a reputation among waiters and restaurant staff as one of the most grueling days on the calendar.“Every server knows that working on Mother’s Day is hell. In fact, if I die and go to hell, I completely expect it to be Mother’s Day. 365 days a year,” wrote Darron Cardosa, in his book “The Bitchy Waiter: I’m Really Good at Pretending to Care.”What’s so bad about it? From big groups that show up in waves (“most of us are here!”), to food-fussy kids and grandmas to splitting the check dramas and three-coffee-cup lingerers, restaurants hate this holiday. This year is expected to be particularly challenging as high inflation and rising menu prices give some restaurant-goers an extra sense of entitlement.“The anticipation alone can make you anxious,” said Joe Haley, an abstract artist who works as a s...

49ers schedule: Week-by-week analysis on road to Super Bowl

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:59 GMT

SANTA CLARA — Like to go bird watching? Desire more stress around the holidays? Willing to become a night owl?Then the 49ers’ 2023 schedule is for you!That’s right, it’s here, a 17-game parade route to the first Super Bowl in Las Vegas. Yep, off they’ll go, defending their NFC West crown, winning that third-time’s-a-charm NFC Championship Game, and, ultimately, preserving a Super Bowl lead for Lombardi Trophy No. 6.How do birds factor into this? The 49ers will have to dethrone the Philadelphia Eagles from the NFC nest, while other regular-season bird hunts come against the Seattle Seahawks (twice), the Arizona Cardinals (twice) and the Baltimore Ravens (on Christmas night). Perhaps the Atlanta Falcons await in the playoffs.Holidays? Yep, aside from their second-ever Christmas game (see: 1993 loss to the Houston Oilers), the 49ers will spend Thanksgiving dinner at the Seattle Seahawks’ house, and New Year’s Eve comes with an afternoon d...

Hiltzik: Age is an unreliable indicator of one’s intellect, energy or ability

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:59 GMT

The cry is heard that America has become a “gerontocracy.” That’s supposed to be bad, it’s argued, because our superannuated political leadership is out of touch with the electorate and blocking younger and (theoretically) more vigorous and intellectually vibrant leaders from taking their hour upon the stage.Earlier this year, CNN called President Biden’s age a “hot topic.” Leaving aside that news organizations such as CNN have helped make it a hot topic, the real question is whether it’s anything more than that. The answer is no.“Leaning into this language about a ‘gerontocracy’ is a distraction technique,” says Tracey Gendron, chair of the Department of Gerontology at Virginia Commonwealth University and author of the 2022 book “Ageism Unmasked: Exploring Age Bias and How to End It.”“It’s just the latest thing that’s keeping us from looking at things that are more important, like ...

Bay Area News Group boys athlete of the week: Matthew Foley, Amador Valley baseball

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:59 GMT

NEW: PREP SPORTS MAILBAGThe Bay Area News Group is introducing a high school sports mailbag in May. Get your questions in as soon as possible. Our debut edition is an open forum. Got questions about spring sports playoffs, coaching changes, an early peek at football season, etc.? Send questions to [email protected]. Please include “mailbag” in the subject line.Amador Valley baseball player Matthew Foley has been named the Bay Area News Group’s boys high school athlete of the week for May 1-6 after he had 40.03% of the vote at the 5 p.m. deadline Wednesday.Branham baseball player Evan Williams (30.35%) finished second and Woodside baseball player Harry Pelzman placed third.Congratulations to all the candidates for this week’s recognition.Amador Valley High baseball player Matthew Foley 2023 Amador Valley High School Varsity Baseball photo day at Amador Valley High School in Pleasanton, CA Feb. 23, 2023. (Photo by AGP Sports)  Foley, a junior, pitc...

Offices, 850 homes may sprout near San Jose BART stop, new plans show

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:59 GMT

SAN JOSE — Well over 800 homes and a big office complex would be added to a mixed-use development that’s slated to sprout near a San Jose BART station, city planning documents show.The project is in the late stages of approval by San Jose officials and is headed for a final decision by the City Council following its endorsement by the municipality’s Planning Commission.The development consists of housing and a large office building that would be built at 1655 Berryessa Road in San Jose on a site that’s slightly more than 13 acres, according to the proposal that’s being shepherded through the approval process by Borelli Investment Co., a real estate firm, and The Schoennauer Co., a land-use consultant.The property where the project would be built is a wedge-shaped site that’s owned by The Facchino family, whose first local business was a Depression-era trucking operation in downtown San Jose.The site is a few blocks from the Berryessa BART station ...

The real reasons stores are closing in San Francisco and other big cities

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:59 GMT

By Nathaniel Meyersohn | CNNNordstrom. Walmart. Whole Foods. Starbucks. CVS.These big chains and others have closed stores in major US cities recently, raising alarm about the future of retail in some the country’s most prominent downtowns and business districts.Several forces are pushing chains out of some city centers: a glut of stores, people working from home, online shopping, exorbitant rents, crime and public safety concerns, and difficulty hiring workers.To reinvent downtown retail, drastic changes may be required.That means denser neighborhoods with a broader mix of affordable housing, experiential retail, restaurants, entertainment, parks and other amenities, which won’t happen overnight.RELATED: Are the Bay Area’s largest downtowns caught in a doom loop?“Once [these cities] become true urban neighborhoods, then you will find retailing start to come back in different ways and forms,” said Terry Shook, a founding partner at consulting firm Shook Kelly...