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For Shailene Woodley, ‘everything’ was on Rodgers’ terms

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For Shailene Woodley, ‘everything’ was on Rodgers’ terms

Shailene Woodley and Aaron Rodgers have reportedly broken up — again — perhaps for good after the actor finally realized something about the football star that should have been pretty apparent back in the fall when he flouted NFL COVID safety protocols and dragged her into his anti-vaccine Controversy.

“Shailene felt everything was on Aaron’s terms and it wasn’t making her happy,” an insider told People magazine, which reported that the couple had ended their on-off relationship.

Perhaps the same insider, or a different one, told E! News: “Shailene tried to give it another shot and was spending time with Aaron. But she quickly saw that everything was on his terms and nothing was going to change. There was no reason to continue and she’s done with it again.”

The Green Bay Packers quarterback, 38, and the “Big Little Lies” star, 30, initially broke up in early February, just after he won his second-straight NFL Most Valuable Player Award.

Three months earlier, he had tested positive for the virus, admitted he was not vaccinated and was accused of deliberately misleading reporters about his vaccine status and of violating NFL COVID safety protocols.

Rodgers’ response to criticism was to go on “The Pat McAfee Show,” rail against the “woke mob” and say he’d been getting medical advice from controversial podcaster Joe Rogan — comments that led to him being widely accused of disseminating misinformation about the pandemic and of being an arrogant, narcissistic crackpot with a persecution complex.

Even though Rodgers might have been all those things, Woodley apparently decided to give him another chance. They reconciled later in February.

The Chico-reared former Cal Golden Bears QB went back on McAfee’s show to praise Woodley as his “person” and to credit her for transforming his life, helping him to become a better, more grateful person, as well as an NFL quarterback capable of winning two back-to-back MVP awards.

Rodgers also apologized to her and to other friends, loved ones and colleagues for his controversial statements about COVID-19 vaccines. Rodgers, who became the butt of jokes, suffered significant damage to his once-golden reputation his as a likable American sports hero. The glow around him and Woodley, as a beloved celebrity super couple, also began to dim.

“One thing I’m sad about and apologetic about is that I didn’t realize in the midst of the COVID conversations, how much my situation was affecting my loved ones and my people, the people who support me and love me,” Rodgers told McAfee. “I didn’t realize the kind of shrapnel that was being flaked off (onto these people) of what felt were bullets coming at me.”

It’s not clear if Woodley and Rodgers officially reconciled, but it was reported that they were trying “to figure things out.”

As part of that process, they spent time together. In March, they hung out together in Los Angeles and attended his teammate David Bakhtiari’s wedding in Montecito in early March. They also flew off to Palm Beach, Florida, enjoyed breakfast together back in Santa Barbara and then turned up in Nashville, where they were spotted sharing a table at an upscale boutique hotel bar.

A source told E! News that they never really reconciled and that Woodley only accompanied her ex-fiance her to Bakhtiari’s wedding to “support” him.

When the coupe initially split in February, a source told People that their relationship “just wasn’t working.”

“They’re very different people with busy careers and there were obstacles that they couldn’t surmount,” the source said at the time. “They will remain friendly; there’s no bad blood and no drama. It just didn’t work out for them.”

More than a year ago, Woodley and Rodgers stunned the world by announcing that they secretly had begun dating and gotten engaged while holing up together during the COVID-19 pandemic. The couple were always vague about the timeline of their romance. Reports suggested that they began dating in July 2020, around the time that he broke up with retired NASCAR driver Danica Patrick.

San Jose former eBay exec pleads guilty in pig fetus stalking

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San Jose former eBay exec pleads guilty in pig fetus stalking

When former eBay executive James Baugh of San Jose first launched the harassment campaign against a couple publishing a newsletter with content critical of the e-commerce giant, Baugh suggested to his operatives that they send the pair “scary masks, live insects, or embarrassing items” , such as pornography and strippers,” according to an FBI affidavit. Minus the strippers, that’s what they sent — and more.

Baugh, 47, pleaded guilty Monday to five counts of stalking, two counts of witness tampering and two counts of destruction, alteration and falsification of records in a federal investigation. His sentencing in federal court in Massachusetts is scheduled for Sept. 29. He was one of seven former eBay employees — including two former Santa Clara Police Department captains — charged with criminal offenses in relation to the campaign.

The Boston-area married couple, Ina and David Steiner, who published an online shopping newsletter that contained reports and comments critical of eBay, were “terrified” and suffered “substantial emotional distress” from the year-long harassment campaign, the affidavit said.

At the initial meeting in a room at eBay’s San Jose headquarters to plan the campaign against the couple, Baugh was joined by Stephanie Popp of San Jose, eBay’s senior manager of Global Intelligence; Stephanie Stockwell of Redwood City, an eBay intelligence analyst; Veronica Zea of ​​Santa Clara, an intelligence analyst on contract with eBay, and three other intelligence analysts, according to the affidavit.

Baugh, formerly eBay’s senior director of safety and security, provided additional guidance to the operatives, screening a clip from a 1988 movie called Johnny Be Good, in which two friends arrange the delivery to their football coach’s home of hundreds of dollars in pizzas, an elephant, a male stripper, an exterminator and Hare Krishna missionaries, the affidavit said.

Starting in August 2019, Baugh’s team sent the Steiners a preserved fetal pig, a Halloween mask of a bloody pig face, a how-to book on surviving a spouse’s death, a funeral wreath, pizzas — and live maggots, spiders and cockroaches, according to to the affidavit.

That same month, “Hustler: Barely Legal” pornographic magazines arrived at the homes of two of the couple’s neighbors, addressed to David Steiner, according to the affidavit. A Craigslist ad invited “singles/couples/swingers” and local college students to the Steiners’ address for free booze and “a good time,” and another Craigslist ad soon after also gave the couple’s address, inviting guests for threesomes and bondage, according to to the affidavit. The harassment also included vulgar, abusive and threatening posts and messages on Twitter, the affidavit said.

Baugh and others charged in the conspiracy made several trips to Natick, Massachusetts, to surveil the Steiners, buying a GPS tracking device they planned to hide on their car, with Baugh practicing installing it on a similar vehicle, according to the affidavit, which indicates the device was never planted because the couple spotted the surveillance and contacted police.

Although the affidavit refers to eBay “Executive 1” and “Executive 2” as members of eBay’s executive leadership team, whose text messages — sent before the harassment campaign — included statements such as “take her down” with regard to Ina Steiner, neither executive was charged. Court documents indicate Executive 1 was former eBay CEO Devin Wenig and Executive 2 was his communications head Steve Wymer, Recode reported in 2020. Wenig, who resigned from eBay in September 2019, told Recode the texts had been “wildly misinterpreted and taken completely out of context in some media reports” and that he had given “no direction” or “tacit approval” for the campaign . Wymer told Recode, “I would never condone or participate in any such activity.” eBay did not immediately respond to questions Tuesday about Baugh’s guilty plea and any actions it took regarding Executives 1 and 2.

The Steiners, who produced the newsletter EcommerceBytes with Ina as reporter and editor and David as publisher, have sued eBay, Baugh and the six other former eBay employees, along with Wenig and Wymer, alleging the campaign left them “fearing for their lives.” Wymer, who left eBay in 2019, had been terminated by the company, according to the suit in Massachusetts federal court. The Steiners are seeking unspecified damages.

Earth, Wind & Fire saxophonist Andrew Woolfolk dies at age 71

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Earth, Wind & Fire saxophonist Andrew Woolfolk dies at age 71

By Scottie Andrew | CNN

“September,” Earth, Wind & Fire’s effervescent ode to the last night of summer, is an enduring jam for all seasons. Part of its alchemy lies in Andrew Woolfolk’s jubilant saxophone.

Woolfolk, a longtime Earth, Wind & Fire member whose sweet signature instrument made songs like “September” impossible not to dance to, has died, group member Philip Bailey announced. Woolfolk was 71.

Bailey, co-lead singer of the genre-spanning band, said on Instagram that Woolfolk died after a six-year illness.

Andrew Woolfolk, the saxophonist for the band Earth, Wind & Fire, performs at a concert in 1982 in London. Woolfolk joined Earth, Wind & Fire in the 1970s, playing sax as well as flute and percussion, and was with the group on and off until 1993. (Solomon N​​​Jie/Getty​ ​Images​ Archives​)

“I met him in High School, and we quickly became friends and band mates,” Bailey wrote. “Great memories. Great talent. Funny. Competitive. Quick witted. And always styling.”

Woolfolk joined the band in the early 1970s, according to the band’s official roster. The EW&F lineup changed often throughout the years, but Woolfolk officially played the sax (as well as flute and percussion) with the group on and off until 1993.

But he hadn’t originally planned on joining the band — as Bailey describes in the 2014 memoir “Shining Star: Braving the Elements of Earth, Wind & Fire,” Woolfolk was studying music in New York when Bailey called him and asked him to join the group after the two had played together in Denver. Woolfolk became known as one of the “original nine,” Bailey wrote.

When he toured with the band, Woolfolk would stop the concert cold with rip-roaring saxophone solos, commandeering the stage until the rest of his bandmates joined in. He wasn’t the group’s lead, but onstage, he possessed the unmistakable charisma of a star.

Offstage, Bailey wrote in his memoir, Woolfolk was a “jolly prankster” who “might fill your hotel room trash can with hot water and balance it atop your bedroom door, just waiting for you to return late at night.”

Eleven Hurricanes hoping to hear name called in NFL draft, but many aren’t expected to get picked – The Mercury News

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Eleven Hurricanes hoping to hear name called in NFL draft, but many aren’t expected to get picked – The Mercury News

Miami Hurricanes fans waiting to hear their favorite players’ names called during this week’s NFL draft will likely have to wait a while.

UM has several players hoping to get picked in the draft, which starts Thursday at 8 pm, but they are projected to be selected in the later rounds — if they’re chosen at all.

The Hurricanes have had a player selected in every draft since 1974. They have had more than one player selected in every draft since 2009.

UM was 13th among colleges with 25 players in the NFL last season, according to the NCAA. Here are the players looking to join them. All draft projections are from The Athletic.

Bubba Bolden, DB

Bolden spent three seasons at Miami and certainly made his mark. The hard-hitting safety he played in 23 games for the Hurricanes, making 127 total tackles with 10 tackles for loss, two sacks, six pass deflections and two interceptions. In 2020, he was an All-ACC second-team pick. His last season cut short due to a shoulder injury, limiting him to seven games, but Bolden still managed to make 43 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss and one sack. He is projected to be drafted in the seventh round.

Amari Carter, DB

Carter, a Palm Beach Gardens High alum, is a five-year UM veteran. He played in 58 games, making 173 tackles, 9.5 tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks, six pass deflections and two interceptions. Last year, he had 45 tackles, three tackles for loss, half a sack and an interception. He is projected to go undrafted.

Navaughn Donaldson, OL

Donaldson was a highly touted freshman coming out of Miami Central High, and he was a key contributor to the Hurricanes’ offensive line. He played in 48 games and started 43 despite missing most of the 2020 season due to ACL and MCL tears. Donaldson is projected to go undrafted.

Jonathan Ford, DL

Ford, a Dillard High alum, played in 50 games and made 31 starts with the Hurricanes over five years. He racked up 60 total tackles with eight tackles for loss and three sacks. Last season, he had 14 total tackles and one tackle for loss in 10 games. Ford is projected to go undrafted.

Mike Harley Jr., W. R.

Harley, a St. Thomas Aquinas High alum, is one of the most successful wide receivers in UM history. In five seasons, he set a Hurricanes record with 182 career receptions, and he racked up 2,158 yards with 15 touchdowns. Last season, Harley had 57 catches for 543 yards and five scores. He was a 2020 All-ACC third-team pick. Harley is projected to go undrafted.

Cam’Ron Harris, R.B.

Harris became a key contributor to the Hurricanes’ offense during his four years at Miami. He racked up 1,794 rushing yards with 22 touchdowns, including 409 yards and five scores last year despite a season-ending knee injury. He also had 393 career receiving yards with four touchdowns. Harris is projected to go undrafted.

DeAndre Johnson, DL

Johnson spent one season at Miami after four years at Tennessee. He played in 12 games last year, making 26 total tackles with 8.5 tackles for loss and 4.5 sacks. He also had a forced fumble. For his career his, Johnson has 84 total tackles with 24 tackles for loss and 14.5 sacks. Johnson is projected to go undrafted.

D’Eriq King, QB/WR

King has two potential routes to an NFL roster. He primarily played quarterback in college, but has worked out at receiver to make himself more versatile and appealing to NFL teams. King’s college career came to an end when he suffered a season-ending shoulder injury last season. The shoulder injury came on the heels of an ACL and meniscus tear King suffered in the Cheez-It Bowl in 2020. King threw for 767 yards, three touchdowns and four interceptions with 96 rushing yards in three games last season. In his career his, King threw for 8,378 yards and 76 touchdowns and had 2,055 rushing yards and 32 rushing touchdowns. He is projected to go undrafted.

Zach McCloud, DL/LB

McCloud has been on the Hurricanes since 2016, playing in 64 games. McCloud, a Santaluces alum, has spent time at linebacker and defensive line, making 193 total tackles, 22.5 tackles for loss and 10 sacks. Last season, he had 28 total tackles, 7.5 tackles for loss and 5.5 sacks. He is projected to go undrafted.

Charleston Rambo, W. R.

Rambo spent one season with the Hurricanes, and he made the most of it. After four seasons at Oklahoma, Rambo transferred to Miami and made 79 catches for 1,172 yards — both school records. He also had seven touchdown catches and was an All-ACC second-team pick. Rambo had 155 catches for 2,352 receiving yards and 16 touchdown catches in his career. He is projected to go in the fifth or sixth round.

Jarrid Williams, OL

Williams played two seasons for the Hurricanes after four years at Houston. The offensive lineman started 20 games for Miami over the past two seasons at offensive tackle. Williams is projected to go undrafted.

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Zach LaVine could miss Game 5 after the Chicago Bulls star enters health and safety protocols for 3rd time in the last year – The Mercury News

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Zach LaVine could miss Game 5 after the Chicago Bulls star enters health and safety protocols for 3rd time in the last year – The Mercury News

Facing elimination in their first-round series with the Milwaukee Bucks, the Chicago Bulls were dealt another blow Tuesday when Zach LaVine entered health and safety protocols.

LaVine will likely be out for Game 5 of the serieswhich tips off Wednesday night at 6:30 pm The Bulls will drive up to Milwaukee to prepare for Game 5 Tuesday night.

With Alex Caruso in concussion protocolthe Bulls might be down two starters for their must-win game.

LaVine has averaged 19.3 points per game on 42.9% shooting in the first four games of the series. He is one of three Bulls players — alongside DeMar DeRozan and Nikola Vučević — to average double-digit scoring in the first four games of the Bucks series.

This is LaVine’s third round in the league’s health and safety protocols in the last year. He previously tested positive for COVID-19 last Aprilmissing several weeks during the Bulls’ push for a play-in game. LaVine tested positive again last December during the league-wide outbreak following the omicron variant surge. LaVine said he was asymptomatic during both bouts of the virus.

Bulls assistant coaches Chris Fleming and Damian Cotter missed Games 1 and 2 after testing positive for COVID the week before the series began. At that time, coach Billy Donovan said most of the Bulls players and coaching staff were not required to participate in a regular testing cadence.t

Donovan said the NBA allows individuals to wait 90 days after testing positive for COVID or receiving a booster shot to begin testing again. This policy doesn’t change after individuals on a team return positive tests and Donovan wasn’t required to test even after his assistant coaches tested positive.

“We’re all concerned,” Donovan said. “You try to be as safe as you can as much as you can. I don’t know if it’s going back up again, but that’s certainly a challenge when that happens.”

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Denzel Washington pauses to inspire Heat during Hawks series, ‘Keep raising the standard’ – The Mercury News

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Denzel Washington pauses to inspire Heat during Hawks series, ‘Keep raising the standard’ – The Mercury News

It turns out, the Miami Heat’s blowout victory over the Atlanta Hawks on Sunday night might not have been the highlight of their weekend trip to Atlanta.

Instead, it well could have been a poignant and powerful moment with two-time Academy Award winner Denzel Washington at their team hotel ahead of that Sunday romp.

There, gathered in a semicircle around the 67-year-old actor, director and producer, the Heat found themselves in rapt absorption as Washington offered impromptu words of inspiration.

“Keep raising the standard about how you carry yourself, as you all do,” he said to his engrossed audience of players and team staffers. “Keep teaching, keep leading, keep following. You know, learn from the best. That’s what I’ve done. Try to, and pass it on.

“Last thing I’ll say, which I’ve said a lot of times, you’ll never see a U-Haul behind a hearse. I’ll say it again, you’ll never a U-Haul behind a hearse. The Egyptians tried it. All they got was robbed.”

With several offerings “amen” to that comment. Washington continued.

“Even money aside, you can’t take it with you,” he told them. “But you can, you can leave it with us — influence, your power, your wisdom, your ability to touch people.

“Because everybody’s watching you all. Everybody got a favorite guy.”

The Mount Vernon, NY, native then shared a moment about his own sports passion.

“I spoke to the Dodgers the other day. I even went in with a Yankees hat on. I don’t care,” he said. “Elston Howard was a black player in the 60s and I wanted to be him. I tried to walk like him, you know. You know, and stuff. You know, what you all did. I tried to walk like him and stuff. I ended up playing catcher.

“So you know that they’re watching you, and they’re following you. And especially for young boys, listen to your elders and lead quietly.”

He paused, then added, “and win.”

And then, as he shook hands with those gathered and asked where they stood in the series against Atlanta, he referenced the unique look of Hawks All-Star guard Trae Young.

“And tell that little boy to get a haircut,” he said with a smile amid laughter. “What kind of haircut he working with?”

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MASN will return to in-person broadcasts on road, beginning with Orioles’ series against the Yankees – The Mercury News

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MASN will return to in-person broadcasts on road, beginning with Orioles’ series against the Yankees – The Mercury News

Television broadcasters from the Orioles-owned Mid-Atlantic Sports Network will travel to regular-season road games this week for the first time since 2019, MASN spokesperson Todd Webster confirmed to The Baltimore Sun, beginning with the Orioles’ series against the New York Yankees on Tuesday.

The Washington Nationals broadcasters, who share the network yet are mired in a lengthy legal dispute over television rights fees, will also be in San Francisco for a series against the Giants this week.

MASN broadcasters have been calling games remotely from their home stadiums at Oriole Park at Camden Yards and Nationals Park, continuing a trend that began in 2020 amid the coronavirus pandemic, but they had been the only team in Major League Baseball to not have broadcasters travel to road games this season.

During broadcasts of the Orioles’ series against the Oakland Athletics and Los Angeles Angels, the feed was noticeably delayed from the video. And during one spring training game, an on-site MASNsports.com reporter handled the broadcast because of technical difficulties.

“Advances in technology give modern sports networks’ on-air talent the flexibility to broadcast games live from either the game venue, the studio, or their homes,” a MASN spokesperson told The Sun. “This week, MASN’s talent teams will call the games live on location during the O’s road trip starting at Yankee Stadium and the Nats road trip beginning in San Francisco.”

In March, a memo from MASN human resources generalist Emily Dow stated that out of “an abundance of caution due to the ongoing COVID pandemic,” the network would continue to call games from the teams’ home stadiums. at Oriole Park at Camden Yards and Nationals Park.

The memo said that there would be no travel for broadcasters “at this time,” leaving the window open for an eventual return that has now taken place.

According to The Athletic, the Orioles Radio Network still isn’t traveling to road games. The Nationals Radio Network’s broadcasters are team employees, however, and have traveled since the beginning of the season.

When the coronavirus pandemic shortened the 2020 season to 60 games, television and radio broadcasters from across the league called games remotely, using video feeds on monitors from each team’s home ballpark. Some teams returned to the road in 2021, and all but MASN had begun traveling again in 2022 before Tuesday’s game against the Yankees.

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Becoming the ultimate versatile player has driven Marwin Gonzalez’s career – The Mercury News

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Becoming the ultimate versatile player has driven Marwin Gonzalez’s career – The Mercury News

TAMPA — Marwin Gonzalez struggled at first base. After coming up as a shortstop and playing second base and even third, he instinctively knew how to follow the ball and play the angles. But first base, standing there and waiting for the most part, that wasn’t easy.

But he knew that his career depended on it.

“The only chance that I had to play was like, moving around,” Gonzalez said. “And that’s what I knew was going to get me in the lineup everyday.”

That is exactly what has him on the Yankees roster right now. Not only can Gonzalez play every defensive position in the infield, he also plays the outfield well. That he also can switch hit makes him the ultimate versatile player.

And that gives Aaron Boone a lot of flexibility off his bench, something the Rays have used well against them over the past few years — and what they had been hoping to get from Tyler Wade for the past few years.

“With a four-man position player bench, you like to have that flexibility,” Boone said. “It’s huge. Having that flexibility to be able to give a guy a day off because you can slide (him in there) or rotate the (designated hitter) and use him in different spots is huge.”

Gonzalez came into camp late after signing a minor league deal with the Yankees. Coming off his worst year since his first two in the big leagues, he had to prove he could still contribute offensively for the Yankees to add him to the 40-man roster. He did that.

But so far, Boone has used Gonzalez very little. He has one hit in five at-bats. Gonzalez was 7-for-20 with three home runs and nine RBI in seven spring training games. His defensive versatility allowed the Yankees to make the decision to go with 16 pitchers to start the season and just a three-man bench.

“Let’s say when you are giving a guy a day off, you can target more from a matchup standpoint when you have the flexibility to move around,” Boone said. “Giancarlo (Stanton) being able to go to the outfield now on a more regular basis helps, but that’s going to be important and certainly something you’ll see as far as the leadoff spot.

“I mean, every day will be a little different because we’ll have a regular out of there,” Boone continued. “Like we’ll have a regular out of there tomorrow. And that guy will probably be in there the next day.”

The Yankees got their first real taste of versatility in DJ LeMahieu, who doesn’t regularly play shortstop or the outfield, and like the flexibility he’s brought to their roster. As the Rays have shown, however, there is a benefit to having multiple players who can move around the field and fit into any spot when needed.

Gonzalez was a key player for the 2017 World Series champion Astros, which was also a career season for him. He was an early hybrid of this era along with Ben Zobrist, who was valued not as a shortstop or a second baseman, but for all the positions he can play.

“It’s been changing a lot. I think like when everything started for me it was like one or two guys in the whole league (who did it) and then the next few years again like Kike (Hernandez),” Gonzalez said. “And then now I see like all the teams are trying to like, even before they get to the big list the young guys are being moved around in the minors. it’s one thing you’re seeing every team try to do now.”

For Gonzalez, versatility has kept his career going and it’s something he sees only being valued more in the future. In fact, this spring he made sure to mention that to Yankees prospect Oswaldo Cabrera. Like him, the 23-year-old Venezuelan broke into professional baseball as a shortstop, but Gonzalez encouraged him to learn about other positions.

“I told him it’s good to keep your options open,” Gonzalez said, “to move around and see what happens. I think the way the game is going that could help him and others.”

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‘Plane swap’ stunt gone wrong is investigated by FAA

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‘Plane swap’ stunt gone wrong is investigated by FAA

(CNN) — A live-streamed, mid-air “plane swap” stunt that ended with a plane crashing in the Arizona desert is under federal investigation after organizers painstakingly defied a government order.

In the stunt, two pilots on separate aircraft were to skydive into each other’s planes, leaving each aircraft pilotless for less than a minute. But one of the pilots did not successfully reach the other aircraft. That plane “crashed after it spun out of control” and its would-be pilot landed safely by parachute, the Federal Aviation Administration said.

Organizers asked the FAA for permission to stage Sunday’s event, which was sponsored by the energy drink company Red Bull and aired on the streaming service Hulu.

They outlined a number of safety precautions including practice runs using “safety pilots;” holding the event over a remote stretch of desert; and equipping planes and pilots with parachutes.

“At this point we have conducted more than 100 vertical dive test flights with zero safety issues,” organizers wrote in a request to the FAA in February.

On Friday, the FAA denied the request to leave the planes empty during the televised stunt. They said the team could “perform this demonstration in compliance with FAA regulations by including an additional pilot for each airplane.”

Instead, the stunt was carried out as originally planned. The single-engine Cessna 182 planes were flown to 14,000 feet, then dropped into nosedives in close formation as the pilots left the cabins.

The pilots — Luke Aikins and his cousin Andy Farrington — planned to recover the planes before they reached 4,000 feet. Aikins was able to get into one plane and land it safely. Farrington was unable to get inside the other. He parachuted to safety. A parachute automatically deployed for the plane, slowing its descent, but it suffered considerable damage on impact. Nobody was injured.

The FAA has not said what kind of punishment those involved could face.

Consulting on the stunt were two engineering professors from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo. Leo Torres and Paulo Iscold developed the autopilot system to fly the planes pointing toward the ground, the San Luis Obispo Tribune reported.

Last week, the FAA announced it revoked the pilot certificate of a YouTuber the agency said crashed his plane on purpose. Trevor Jacob posted a video in December showing him parachuting from an airplane he claimed had engine failure. The FAA says Jacob was “careless and reckless.”

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Cryptocurrency firm agrees to move to downtown San Jose office tower

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Cryptocurrency firm agrees to move to downtown San Jose office tower

SAN JOSE — A cryptocurrency company has leased a big chunk of space in a downtown San Jose tower, an agreement that bolsters the commercial real estate market in the city’s urban core.

Okcoin, which has an operation in San Francisco, has leased 35,000 square feet in an office tower at 160 W. Santa Clara St. in downtown San Jose, according to multiple sources with direct knowledge of the real estate transaction.

The cryptocurrency company confirmed its downtown San Jose lease agreement.

The deal helps bolster the wobbly and vacancy-plagued office market in downtown San Jose.

Cushman & Wakefield commercial real estate brokers Brandon Bain, Jeff Cushman and Alex Lagemann and brokers from Savills, a real estate firm, helped to arrange the lease.

“It’s good to get a fresh office tenant to move into downtown San Jose,” said Mark Ritchie, president of Ritchie Commercial, a real estate firm.

A lease of this size could enable Okcoin to shift about 175 workers into downtown San Jose, based on typical space requirements for this type of office space.

“The downtown San Jose office market is poised for a comeback,” said Bob Staedler, principal executive with Silicon Valley Synergy, a land-use consultancy. “The improvement in the market is real and it is sustainable.”

The lease is a big win for the building’s current owner, a group led by John Barrett, a private real estate investor who heads up Burlingame-based Barrett Block Partners.

The 15-story tower’s value appears to be rising steadily. In 2020, Barrett’s group paid $131.8 million for the highrise, Santa Clara County records show. The tower was bought for $101.5 million in 2018 and for $81 million in 2014.

Okcoin leased space on two floors of the building, which totals 229,000 square feet. The company has begun to move into its new offices.

“This is a significant office lease for downtown San Jose,” Ritchie said. “Hopefully it’s the first of many.”

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