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NEWTOWN, Conn. (AP) — The planned permanent memorial to honor the 26 people killed in the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in Connecticut will be simpler but maintain the essence of the original design, members of the memorial committee said. “The heart of the memorial is still the sycamore tree with the water around it and the names of the victims inscribed on the side of the water,” Dan Krauss, the volunteer chairman of the Sandy Hook Permanent Memorial Commission, told the Connecticut Post. “You still have the engagement with the water and the peacefulness and reflection of walking along side of the ponds.” Changes include eliminating the planned pavilion, narrowing paths and limiting paved surfaces at the donated 5-acre site. The alterations will drop the estimated project budget from $10 million to $3.7 million. “We could not afford to do the grand design, but we preserved the centerpiece element we loved so much - a delicate and respectful … [Read more...] about Plans for permanent Sandy Hook memorial site scaled back

The East Bay Dragons in the '60s or '70s. The East Bay Dragons in the '60s or '70s. Photo: Steve Sparshott / Creative Commons Photo: Steve Sparshott / Creative Commons Image 1 of / 7 Caption Close Image 1 of 7 The East Bay Dragons in the '60s or '70s. The East Bay Dragons in the '60s or '70s. Photo: Steve Sparshott / Creative Commons How Oakland's first African-American motorcycle club helped inspire a new TV show 1  /  7 Back to Gallery "So I'm from the San Francisco Bay Area, and I just kind of thought, well, what do I know?" showrunner Nichelle Tramble Spellman (“The Good Wife,” “Justified”) explained during Apple TV+'s press junket for “Truth Be Told,” the … [Read more...] about How Oakland’s first African-American motorcycle club helped inspire a new TV show

One of Chesa Boudin’s first planned policy changes when he takes over as San Francisco’s district attorney next month seeks to answer a question that has long ignited debates in the city: Should people accused of crimes face harsher punishments if their actions allegedly benefited a street gang? The former public defender, who takes office Jan. 8, promises to put an end to filing what are known as gang enhancements against defendants — charges that can add years to felony sentences. Gang enhancements have drawn increased opposition in California, driven by statistics showing that they are disproportionately applied to people of color in poor neighborhoods. Many law enforcement leaders say the charges are an important tool that allows them to hold gang members accountable for the fear they create in communities when they protect turf, intimidate witnesses, recruit new associates and commit violent crimes. But critics say gang enhancements yield arbitrary and excessive … [Read more...] about SF DA-elect Chesa Boudin sets new course in gang cases, citing charges ‘infused with racism’

Denver’s proposed fee for single-use bags is just the beginning of what City Council President Jolon Clark envisions as a “war on plastics.” And it’s an overdue war, he said. Denver lags behind many cities both statewide and nationally in the increasingly popular sustainability movement. Cities such as Seattle and San Francisco have already diminished their environmental footprints with bans and fees on plastic bags and are now taking aim at plastic straws and take-home food containers. At least 13 Colorado cities have already enacted fees or bans on plastic bags.“I hope we’ll go from the dinosaur in the room, taking on bags, to finally being a progressive leader on this issue at the city level and the state level,” Clark said. The council will host a public hearing on the proposed fees Dec. 16. Mayor Michael Hancock supports the measure, which could come into effect in July, though he threatened to veto a similar measure in 2013. In 2013, … [Read more...] about War on plastics: Denver’s proposed bag fee just the beginning

In 1998, when House Republicans set out to impeach President Bill Clinton for lying about sex, they claimed lofty ambitions.“This has to be a bipartisan exercise,” Rep. Henry J. Hyde of Illinois, then chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, told me back then.He failed. His committee produced four articles of impeachment, all but one on strict party lines. The full House approved only two: perjury and obstruction of justice. The Republican-led Senate acquitted Clinton of both charges; no one in the president’s party voted against him. History repeated itself last week in mirror image. This time the president was Donald Trump, and the committee chairman was Rep. Jerrold Nadler, a New York Democrat. Just as in Clinton’s day, members of the majority party pleaded with the president’s supporters to wrestle with their consciences. Advertisement But no Republican broke ranks. No consciences were wrestled — not visibly, anyway. Just as with Clinton, … [Read more...] about Column: To this impeachment ‘connoisseur,’ Trump’s case looks familiar