WET Must Wait

Jul 07, 2010, by The Fly Business Comments (1)

The grand reopening of WET on June 26 turned into a wash after owner Mike Hamod had to shut the party down little more than 24 hours before the fete for the club’s remodeling was to begin. According to Hamod, fixtures being sent from Florida and Chicago did not arrive until Friday afternoon and were unable to get proper city inspection.

Thanks to the miracle of social networking, the 3,000-plus people expected to swarm the corner of South First Street and East San Salvador were alerted that the party was off before a bottle-service-starved riot broke out

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San Jose Should Disown Joey Chestnut

Jul 07, 2010, by Pete Campbell People, Culture, Media Comments (34)

Hard to believe that the Mercury News would provide space on its front page (let alone any page) to cover the annual spectacle that is the Nathan’s hot-dog eating contest.  Why would anyone have even the slightest interest in such an exhibition of gluttony?  Unfortunately for us, San Jose gets its name attached to the madness, as the “winner” of the event, Joey “Jaws” Chestnut, lives in San Jose.  Why would anyone celebrate this guy?  Is there any way that we can distance ourselves from Mr. Chestnut?

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Education and Independence

Jul 06, 2010, by Joseph DiSalvo Politics Comments (23)

Many times in this weekly post I have opined that the education of all our children is our most important nationally priority. I frequently get chastised on SJI for supporting a system of public education that is perceived as weak and inadequate. There is no doubt in my mind that our public education system is our best path to the ideals that our Founding Fathers dreamed and that we commemorated on Sunday.

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Prioritizing Services That Touch Residents

Jul 05, 2010, by Pierluigi Oliverio Politics Comments (81)

Hope your Fourth of July holiday was fantastic. On June 29, prior to the holiday the Council made the final vote for a balanced budget. More than 20 people spoke at the Council meeting and all but one advocated that the Council not outsource janitorial services but rather keep the janitorial staff employed, since they provide an incredibly valuable service. You would have thought janitorial was listed in the city charter by the speakers’ comments.

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Cordell: No Spy in IPA’s Office

Jul 01, 2010, by Jessica Fromm Politics Comments (27)

LaDoris Cordell, San Jose’s Independent Police Auditor, says a study has concluded that there is no spy inside her office.

“I am greatly relieved that the investigation has determined that there are no leaks of confidential information by any member of my staff,” Cordell said at a press conference outside her downtown office this afternoon.

Cordell announced her conclusions in response to a June 9, 2010 article in the San Jose Mercury News. The newspaper claimed that confidential information from inside the IPA’s office had been leaked to SJPD Sgt. Bobby Lopez, the former president of the San Jose Police Officers Association, during his tenure.

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Tea Party’s Over

Jul 01, 2010, by Silicon Valley Newsroom Culture Comments (13)

By the time this article hits the streets, there likely won’t be a place in the valley to buy a bottle of kombucha tea. Nob Hill on Santa Teresa Boulevard had a few last Friday; Cosentino’s Market on Bascom Avenue had a couple more. Even over the hill in Santa Cruz, grocers expected to run out by the end of the weekend.

It started quietly, about two weeks ago. First, megastore Whole Foods announced it would join roughly a dozen suppliers in stopping sales of all unpasteurized kombucha tea products. The issue: concerns that the fizzy, fermented elixirs may contain more alcohol than the “trace amounts” listed on the label.

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