Erika Towne

Though there were no fireworks as is typically associated with the Fourth of July, Sunnyvale certainly put on a good party for our nation’s 250th birthday. Downtown was packed on the afternoon of July 4, as thousands of people roamed the closed-off streets in the city’s Historic Downtown district, enjoying food, games, music and, this year, rides.

The Planning Commission recommended moving a downtown property from the Mills Act, approved zoning code clean-up recommendations.

Santa Clara county employees are collecting grapevines sold at Costco because they may have the GWSS, which could spread Pierce's disease.

The Sunnyvale Junior All Stars swept through the NorCal Tournament to advance to the Western Regionals in Bend, Oregon.

Bank of America's free charm bracelets were the most popular items at the FIFA World Cup matches this year, including at Levi's Stadium.

Today, the San Jose Sharks took care of arguably one of the team’s most important pieces of business this offseason, especially in this offer sheet era. General Manager Mike Grier announced this morning that Macklin Celebrini agreed to a new, five-year contract that will keep the young forward with the team through the 2031-32 season. The deal will make Celebrini the highest-paid player in the league (for now) and carries a cap hit of $18.8 million per season when it goes into effect in 2027-28. The Sharks only lock Celebrini up for one year of his unrestricted free agency; however, San Jose gets a steal in the sense that it is not a max deal, which means it’s less than 20% of the salary cap. Sharks memorabilia

The Tony Award-winning musical RENT is known for tackling the difficult subjects of poverty, drug addiction and living with HIV/AIDS in the 1990s. Which is why it’s hard to envision teenagers capably taking on the subject matter. However, the 33 students aged 13 to 20 at the Roberta Jones Junior Theatre have managed to do just that with self-assurance and maturity. In RENT: School Edition, we follow a group of friends through a year of their lives in New York’s East Village.

The San Francisco 49ers started training camp in mid-July, with veterans reporting to camp on July 25, but just before things got underway, star Fred Warner and some key members of the 49ers front office took some time to thank the men and women who keep Santa Clara safe year-round. On July 23, they spent the day with members of the Santa Clara Fire Department (SCFD).

Vector Control will spray parts of the City of Santa Clara and San Jose on Aug. 4 after it found a mosquito with West Nile virus.

The top 25 under 25 Sharks survey is back for another season, and it’s another good season to be an optimistic San Jose Sharks fan. Once again, the prospect pool is loaded with riches, and the under-25 crowd is chockful of talent. Before we jump into the new additions, let’s take a look at what last season’s list looked like.