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Crosscurrents

Daily news roundup for Monday, November 23, 2015

Image source: http://bit.ly/1OocUAt
"Backbone Campaign," by Flickr user StepsBooksNotBarsProjection. Used under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0 / resized and cropped.

Finally, Good News on the School to Prison Pipeline // New America Media

"Studies show that the vast majority of youth in the juvenile justice system were suspended from school before winding up incarcerated or on probation. And the majority of adult inmates in state prisons around the country were once in the juvenile system. Hence the pipeline – from school suspension to juvenile hall to the penitentiary."

"But, just like school suspensions can lead to youth detention, reducing suspensions can have the opposite effect."

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Comedy hits home for those on the Street// SF Chronicle

"In San Francisco, weird combinations are the norm ... So maybe comedy and homelessness isn’t so strange. But still, the promotion for “Blanket Statements,” a night of comedy with W. Kamau Bell, caught our eye. The Dec. 3 show will benefit the Gubbio Project, which allows homeless people to sleep during the day on the pews of St. Boniface Church in the Tenderloin."

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Rapid bus project in East San Jose becomes endless big dig // San Jose Mercury News

"Not too long ago, the five refrigerators at Sweet Passions Bakery in Little Portugal were filled with creamy cakes for weddings, quinceaneras and birthday parties. But now that the street has been torn up by an ambitious transportation project gone terribly wrong, only a few cakes sat on the shelves last week."

"After several construction mishaps, a $114 million rapid-bus project that was supposed to be completed in October and improve transit service for San Jose's often-neglected East Side now could stretch into 2017. The bureaucrats and politicians in charge have apologized. And the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority has approved "relief" grants of up to $50,000 to businesses hurt by the upheaval after an emotional public forum on the mess."

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130 free home solar systems offered to eligible residents of Richmond and North Richmond // The Richmond Standard

"As we reported this past summer, GRID Alternatives will install 130 free solar systems over three years in the homes of low-income Richmond and North Richmond residents as part of a partnership with the city."

"To qualify, residents must own and also live in their homes in Richmond and North Richmond and must also make less than 80-percent of area median income, according to GRID Alternatives. An example provided by the nonprofit: A four-person household in Richmond with an income of $71,600 would qualify."

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Exclusive: Historic West Oakland train station close to sale to Oakland developer // San Francisco Business Times

"Two weeks ago, Oakland Mayor Libby Schaafcelebrated her 50th birthday in a 103-year-old train station in West Oakland, where she raised $1 million for college scholarships from philanthropists."

"After the event, the train station went dim again. It has no permanent tenant and is rented out sporadically. But the decade-long effort to revitalize the station may get a new boost: Owner Bridge Housing, the nonprofit affordable housing developer, is in contract to sell the property to Citrine Advisors, an Oakland-based developer that specializes in historic renovations."

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Free 'Black Friday' Hiking in East Bay Parks // NBC Bay Area

"The East Bay Regional Park District announced on Friday that its 65 parks stretched along 119,000 acres will waive fees on Nov. 27."

"The park district is the latest entity to combat the annual shopping craze the day after Thanksgiving by encouraging people to spend the day instead outdoors. Most parks are free, said park spokeswoman Carolyn Jones, and the district will likely just waive any parking fees at those parks."