Free Republic

The intersection of El Camino Real and Jefferson Avenue in Redwood City echoed with chants for saving democracy as about 100 people gathered on Tuesday, March 4, to protest President Donald Trump’s policies and executive orders. The significance of the day: Trump’s first State of the Union Address in his second term. “Too many people are silent,” said Lori Schulman, a Redwood City resident. “And I think the issue is that silence is essentially going to kill us.” The protest was organized by Indivisible Portola Valley, a group founded in 2017 by residents of Portola Valley and neighboring communities during...

The Redwood City [CA] Fire Department and Mountain View [CA] Fire Department crews are responding to a large fire at Sims Metal, a metal recycling facility on Seaport Blvd. in Redwood City. Fire officials shared news of the fire at approximately 3:20 p.m. Thick, dark smoke is in the air, accompanied by “the smell of burning plastic,” fire crews said. Stabbing reported at high school in Gilroy Officials said there is potential for smoke impacts in the area and downwind neighborhoods. Smoke is making its way to Sunnyvale, but Sunnyvale’s Department of Public Safety said there is no active fire...

How to get Black Lives Matter paintings off the street. In Redwood City, California, an inspired attorney had a novel approach to removing a city-funded mural on the street stating, “Black Lives Matter.” Maria Rutenburg told Redwood City that if it was going to turn the pavement into a public forum, people with alternative views should also get free speech access. Rutenburg then asked the city to paint ‘MAGA 2020’ next to black lives matter. The city quickly decided to remove the BLM graffiti.

SNIP But, last Thursday, the city washed the sign away after being contacted by local real estate attorney Maria Rutenburg, who said that if the street was now a public forum, she wanted a sign of her own reading “MAGA 2020.” “I saw “Black Lives Matter” sign appearing on Broadway Street on the asphalt and I figured that’s gonna be a new public space, open for discussion, and I wanted to get my message out, too.” Rutenburg said. “MAGA” is, of course, short for Make America Great Again, a rallying cry for supporters of President Trump. Faced with the possibility...

REDWOOD CITY, Calif. – Two California Highway Patrol Officers came up with a technique on the spot to stop a speeding Tesla Model S with an allegedly drunken driver asleep behind the wheel on the 101 Freeway in Redwood City on Friday, authorities said. The encounter took place just before 4:30 a.m. on the southbound freeway near Whipple Avenue, the CHP said in a written statement. The officers saw the car traveling at about 70 mph and realized the driver appeared to be unconscious, officials said. The driver showed no response when the officers activated their emergency lights and sirens...

SAN LEANDRO (KPIX 5) — Two East Bay teenagers have been arrested for killing a man over an iPhone X. The victim: Danny Carlos, a 32-year-old father from Redwood City. The deal started on the ‘letgo’ app. What was supposed to be a quick sale turned into a robbery and eventually murder. “Danny was doing everything right in regards to using the app,” said Alameda County Sheriff’s Department Sgt. Ray Kelly. .... They got search warrants for the letgo servers and found out who Carlos was communicating with on the app. That led detectives to 18-year-old Jordan Patton and 18-year-old...

Working on my boat at Bair Island and heard the explosion about five minutes ago. Looked up and saw the smoke and thought, from the direction, it was a boat at Dock Town so we went to investigate. Turns out to be the cement plant at the Port of Redwood City. Lots of black smoke and flames visible from more than a mile away. Lots of sirens immediately.

A 47-year-old San Jose man was severely injured Friday night when a group of nine to 15 people robbed and attacked him at the Redwood City Caltrain station, authorities said. Late Saturday, the man remained hospitalized in critical condition, said Caltrain spokeswoman Christine Dunn. She said the man was waiting for a southbound train when he was attacked about 7:30 p.m. and then left on the ground at the station. The assailants fled before police arrived. "This is a very unusual situation," Dunn said. "We have almost 40,000 riders a day who have every reason to feel safe while riding...

Wassup, pagans? Me and the rest of my heathens plan to gather Saturday in Redwood City to celebrate the change of seasons. Well, I might not be there, but the the Druid posse should be in full effect. I don't mean a rival to the now defunct Taliban gang. I mean reconstructed Celtic-religion adherents from the Fellowship of Druidism for the Latter Age. I got the word as a member of the San Jose Pagan/Magick Meetup Group, although I admit I've yet to attend a face-to-face event. It's more a matter of motivating the body off the couch than encouraging...

REDWOOD CITY, Calif. — Dozens of middle school students will be tested for hepatitis and HIV after their substitute science teacher allowed them to share needle-like instruments to prick their fingers for blood. The teacher, whose name was not released, was giving a life-science lesson to five seventh-grade classes Thursday at John F. Kennedy Middle School when he asked for volunteers to have their blood drawn using lancets so they could look at it under microscopes. Lancets are similar to the tools that diabetics use to test their blood sugar.