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Catch Me Up: Daily news roundup for June 25, 2025

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Catch up on Bay Area news today, including construction kicking off on San Jose’s BART extension, a drop in Sonoma County homelessness with a rise in families affected, teen arrests tied to Bay Area burglaries, and a tragic boat accident at Lake Tahoe.


Hello, and welcome to Bay City News for Wednesday, June 25, 2025. Here is a look at some of the top stories from across the region.

In San Jose, construction has officially begun on the Silicon Valley BART extension project. Heavy equipment is now at the Newhall Maintenance Yard, pulling clay from underground to create a launch structure for a tunnel boring machine. This $12.75 billion project includes a five-mile underground tunnel and four new stations across San Jose and Santa Clara. However, the Valley Transportation Authority, or VTA, is seeking a new contractor for the tunneling phase, as the current offer is nearly double their budget. Officials aim to open the extension by 2037.

Meanwhile, a new report from Sonoma County shows a 23% decrease in the overall homeless population over the last year. However, preliminary findings also indicate a concerning trend: homeless families have increased by 37%, reaching their highest numbers since 2020. The chronically homeless population also grew by 20%. Youth and veteran homelessness, thankfully, saw declines. County health services officials credit targeted projects for the overall reduction, but warn that potential federal and state funding cuts could reverse this progress. The final report is expected later this summer.

Shifting our focus to local law enforcement, San Jose police have arrested six teenagers in connection with a series of armed vehicle thefts, business burglaries, and attempted carjackings. The incidents occurred across the city between December of last year and March of this year. Police say the suspects, all males aged 14 to 16, allegedly used stolen vehicles to ram into stores or rip off doorframes before looting businesses. Three of the juveniles were apprehended during a pursuit in March, with three more arrested in San Jose and Milpitas on June 17.

In other developments impacting California’s economy, the state’s vital honey bee population is under severe threat from parasitic Varroa mites. These mites infect bees with viruses, causing deformities and colony collapse. This poses a major risk to the state’s multi-billion-dollar agriculture industry, particularly the almond sector, which relies heavily on honey bee pollination. The state Assembly recently passed a bill to establish a Managed Honeybee Health Program. This program would provide grants for research and projects aimed at supporting managed honey bees, including improved foraging and health. The bill now heads to the State Senate, though securing funding may be challenging due to the state’s budget deficit.

And in a significant legal victory for California researchers, federal judges have ordered the restoration of millions of dollars in federal grants that were canceled by the Trump administration. Over 800 science research grants nationwide, including approximately 430 in California, had been terminated. Judges ruled that the cancellations, which targeted programs related to diversity, equity, and inclusion, as well as racial health disparities, were both “illegal” and “arbitrary and capricious.” While the timeline for funding restoration remains uncertain, the rulings are seen as a critical win for scientific research and university operations across the state.

Finally, some tragic news from Lake Tahoe. Eight individuals have been identified as having died after a boat capsized during stormy weather last weekend. Among the victims are three Bay Area residents: 37-year-old Joshua Pickles of San Francisco, along with his parents, 73-year-old Terry Pickles and 71-year-old Paula Bozinovich, both from Redwood City. The incident occurred on Saturday, June 21, near D.L. Bliss State Park. Joshua Pickles’ widow issued a statement expressing her family’s profound pain and anguish, while also thanking first responders for their assistance.

And those are some of the top stories we’re following. Thank you for joining us for Bay City News.

The post Catch Me Up: Daily news roundup for June 25, 2025 appeared first on Local News Matters.


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