The Reporters' Notebook is your place for updates from the field all day long. Watch stories develop throughout the news day as reporters send in behind-the-scenes angles and extra essentials to give you the full story.
If your Memorial Day travels landed you at Mineta San Jose Airport yesterday, chances are you waited a while for a taxi. Frustrated drivers put it in park for a few hours, to try and send a message to the airport and the city. Their complaint: too much competition. They say shuttle services are getting more of the longer -- thus higher-dollar -- fares and they're stuck with the quick trips downtown.The airport spokesman says they're trying to work out a deal that's equitable for all parties, including taxis, shuttles, the airport and especially passengers. He says it's just disappointing the drivers' frustration boiled over yesterday, after a busy holiday weekend. The drivers say they hope to have a formal meeting within two weeks.
Whale Watchers Say Goodbye
Posted by Jodi Hernandez at 2:10 p.m.
Hundreds of whale watchers have gathered at the Golden Gate Bridge hoping to get a peek at the mama and her baby one last time before they return the ocean. Tourists from all over the country say they have been following the whales progress on the news. They are thrilled they have a chance to help see the whales off as the pair heads home. Loraine and Roger Bessant are visiting San Francisco from England. They say they're impressed at the effort to save the injured animals."We both travel the world taking photos of various animals including whales. It's nice to see there's a great concern and they got out of there," said Roger Bessant. We ran into a couple from San Jose who have been following the whales' journey closely. Larry Raab says he and his wife Maria "every day get the paper and every morning watch the news to see where they're at."The Raabs traveled to Rio Vista on Sunday to see the whales but missed them. They were hoping to catch them at the bridge, but the whales never appeared. But the Raabs weren't at all disappointed. They're just happy the whales found their way home. With tears rolling down her face Maria Raab said, "I love the whales I do I really do. Good luck baby and mama."READ MORE: Officials Hopeful Whales Made It To Sea
Updated: My Donkey's a Movie Star
Posted by Garvin Thomas at 1:59 p.m.
We went to talk with the caretakers of "Perry" the donkey in Palo Alto. Perry (and one other donkey, Niner) are the latest in a long line of donkeys who live in park in the Barron Park section of Palo Alto. Perry is also the donkey used as the model for the Eddie Murphy-voiced character, Donkey, in all three Shrek movies.Perry's handlers have a beef, however. He never got a credit in any of the movies and, worse yet, for his key contribution to one of the highest grossing movie franchises of all time the Barron Park Donkey Project received a one-time donation of $75. They feel a little shortchanged, to say the least.We've contacted DreamWorks (the movie company which made the Shrek films), and are awaiting a response.READ MORE: Handlers: Dreamworks Shortchanged Us For 'Donkey' Inspiration
Update On EPA Battle
Posted by Mike Luery at 1:01 p.m.
There was a showdown in Sacramento today over the right to regulate greenhouse gases. Attorney General Jerry Brown blasted the Bush Administration for not letting California enforce a state law requiring automakers to reduce carbon emissions by thirty percent.Under the federal Clean Air Act, California needs a waiver from the federal Environmental Protection Agency before enacting the tougher standards. California made that waiver request 18 months ago - and guess what, we're still waiting. That angers Jerry Brown who said today, "The automobile industry is very happy about that because they don't want to do anything. They're in a stall too. They're suing us in Fresno. They're suing us in San Francisco."The car makers say the new regs are purely symbolic and will not help to reduce global warming in any way. California is one of 12 states asking the feds to stop interfering with stricter greenhouse gas emission standards. The other states following California's lead are Connecticut, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont and Washington.
Thousands Of Riders Get Ready For AIDS Lifecycle Ride
Posted by Marianne Favro at 12:58 p.m.
More than 2,500 people are tuning up their bikes and getting in some last minute cycling before they pedal off Sunday for the AIDS/LifeCycle Ride. They will ride 7 days and cover 545 miles from San Francisco to Los Angeles.The ride will raise $9 million for support services for AIDS and HIV patients.Watch my report tonight at 5 p.m.
This morning during our 10 a.m. newscast, we visited a hair salon that customers are truly itching to get into. When you walk in, it looks like a slightly upscale salon -- nice mirrors on the wall, wood floors and fancy lighting. But the stylists don't carry scissors; not even hair driers -- just fine toothed combs and special shampoos to help rid you of those annoying little critters that like to call our scalps home: LICE! The newly opened "Hair Fairies" in Pacicifc Heights is the only salon we know of in the Bay Area that specializes solely in lice removal.I'm still setting up my 10 a.m. assignment for tomorrow. (I have a pretty good idea, but not set in stone yet.) On Friday, don't miss me at Infineon Raceway for the vintage car races.
EPA Out Of The Way
Posted by Mike Luery at 11:09 a.m.
California Attorney General Jerry Brown today accused the Bush Administration of using "stall tactics and "endless stonewalling" by ignoring California's demands to enact tougher clean air standards. California is one of 11 states pushing for stricter standards in an effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, but under the federal Clean Air Act, individual states need a waiver to enforce tailpipe regulations that are more rigorous than the national standard.California asked for such a waiver nearly 18 months ago, with no green light yet from the federal Environmental Protection Agency. At a news conference in Sacramento this morning, Brown blasted the feds. "If we do nothing the EPA handcuffs California, because that will encourage 'do nothing' everywhere else in the country and throughout the world," Brown said.Governor Schwarzenegger is also urging the EPA to 'get out of the way' and let California take the lead in setting standards to reduce global warming.
Working in San Jose: A Bike Story And A Taxi Story
Posted by Kris Sanchez at 11:05 a.m.
Today I'm working on a couple of stories in San Jose. May is "Bike to Work" month and I'm looking to catch up with a group of employees at San Jose City Hall who've been motivating each other to bike to work as many times as possible.They even have a point system going! Since tomorrow is the last day, I want to see how they're doing.I'm also checking on a story about taxi operators at Mineta San Jose International Airport. About a hundred of them put it in park yesterday out of frustration with how the dispatch works at the airport. I've talked to a taxi driver and am working to get comment from the airport.
Wayward Whales Leave The Bay (Probably)
Posted by Cheryl Hurd at 11 a.m.
It's been a couple of weeks since Delta and Dawn came to the Sacramento area.I have not covered even one whale story.Today is my day and it might be the last day we get to see the huge mammal up close.Marine biologist are so happy to get a chance to study two whales in their own backyard. Delta and Dawn were last seen last night around 8:40 p.m. There may have been a sighting near the Golden Gate Bridge this morning.Today, I will check out what scientists have learned about humpback whales over the past 10 days. Whale watchers, stay tuned.READ MORE: Officials Hopeful Whales Made It To Sea
Are Delta And Dawn Gone?
Posted by Christie Smith at 10:47 a.m.
It was a whale of a ride and this morning it appears to have come to an end. The state Department of Fish and Game says the two wayward humpback whales have not been spotted this morning in the San Francisco Bay. There are two boats outside of the Golden Gate Bridge looking for the mother and calf. Additional boats are inside the bay. The duo was first spotted on May 13 and made it as far inland as the Port of Sacramento -- some 90 miles away -- on their wrong-way journey. After many rescue attempts, they appeared to leave the Sacramento River in Rio Vista on their own.They swam under several bridges, finally reaching the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge last night. According to the state Department of Fish and Game, the whales were last spotted after 8pm Tuesday near Tiburon. The search continues this morning. A spokesperson says if the whales are not spotted by this afternoon, we can assume they have made it under the Golden Gate Bridge and returned to sea. Marine biologists are thrilled with what they have learned about humpbacks through these whales - nicknamed Delta and Dawn.For 10 days they have monitored their health, breathing patterns, and activity. Yesterday, they took samples from the calf. They previously took samples from the mother. This should reveal where they came from and more about their health. It is important that the whales get back to salt water because of wounds suffered perhaps from a boat propeller. Yesterday, their skin condition was improving. If they join other whales in the Ocean, experts may still be able to tell that it is Delta and Dawn because apparently whales have a pattern on their fluke similar to a fingerprint. If Delta and Dawn have indeed returned to the Pacific Ocean, they certainly brought a thrill to Northern California, but they are where they belong.READ MORE: Officials Hopeful Whales Made It To Sea
Palo Alto Donkey A Movie Star
Posted by Garvin Thomas at 10:18 a.m.
Donkeys in Palo Alto's Barron Park are a tradition dating back to the 1930s. Right now, there are two donkeys living there, being cared for by a dozen neighborhood volunteers. One of the two, a miniature donkey named "Pericles" (or, Perry) is well know to adults and children living in the area.Turns out, though, Perry is well known far beyond the park, as well. He is model which animators used to create "Donkey" the Eddie Murphy voiced star of all three Shrek movies. We've been told, though, that Perry's caretakers aren't exactly singing the praises of DreamWorks, the makers of Shrek. We're heading over to the park to ask them what has them so disappointed.READ MORE: Handlers: Dreamworks Shortchanged Us For 'Donkey' Inspiration
Cupertino Structure Fire
Posted by Bob Redell at 6:07 a.m.
I saw paramedics working on a woman when we first walked up on the scene of this fire. Fortunately, she's going to be OK. She hurt herself jumping from the second story of her burning home here in Cupertino. The fire's out and no one else was hurt.READ MORE: Fire Damages Cupertino Home, Carport
Faith Healers Charged With Grand Theft
Posted by George Kiriyama at 2:40 a.m.
San Jose Police say it's possible more victims in a faith-healing scam may come forward this morning. Detectives know of at least six cases, but the number of victims may actually be in the hundreds. "It's only the tip of the iceberg," detective Manuel Jurado told NBC11 News. Police say 23-year-old John Salazar and his 34-year-old brother Carlos told their clients they were "cursed" or "possessed" and promised to cure them of their problems if they would pay them thousands of dollars. They would wear robes and do magic tricks to convince their clients of their so called powers, investigators said.San Jose police began their investigation last August after a woman filed a report she had paid the Salazar brothers $10,000 to help her baby daughter. Carlos Salazar was arrested in April in Houston after returning from a trip to Columbia. Detectives are still searching for John Salazar. Police believe he may be in the Salinas-Monterey area working as a faith healer. The Santa Clara County District Attorney's Office charged the two men with five counts of grand theft and one count of attempted grand theft.READ MORE: SJPD: Suspect Sought In Faith Healing Scam
Ocean Dawn for Delta and Dawn?
Posted by Ethan Harp at 12:01 a.m.
The most-watched event in Northern California over the last two weeks could end early this morning under the cover of darkness and sea. After more than two weeks off-course, the humpback whale nicknamed "Delta" and her calf "Dawn" are less than 10 miles from the Golden Gate Bridge and the Pacific Ocean, where their normal, healthy migration might finally resume. The pair's wayward course took them as far as the Port of Sacramento. But Tuesday afternoon, the two managed to make it from the Carquinez Strait past the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge. The duo spent the evening in the waters surrounded by Tiburon, Larkspur and San Quentin. If the pair sticks around today, expect slight delays on ferry service from San Francisco to Larkspur and Vallejo. The pair may also finally be tagged with a satellite tracking device.READ MORE: Officials Hopeful Whales Made It To Sea
Learn to handle your interviews less like interrogation and more like a friendly conversation and you will have more success landing that new job. More
Giuliani Visits Peninsula
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