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FRIDAY, Jan. 9, 2026
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City pays couple $175,000 BY ADRIANA HERNANDEZ Daily Post Staff Writer
San Carlos paid a couple $175,000 after a sewer pipe broke, contaminating the soil under their house with water containing human feces, according to a settlement the Post obtained through the California Public Records Act. Gerard and Bianca Zelnik, who lived at 620 Terrance Road, started noticing
main pipe that ran below the Zelniks’ home was broken, causing sewage water to get into their yard, driveway and a strong smell coming from the front of But the smell continued for another under the house, the suit said. The city fixed the sewer on May 8, their home on June 30, 2016, according three years until the couple found wet to the lawsuit filed on June 19, 2020. soil around their fence, leading them to 2019, but didn’t finish sealing the pipes properly, the suit said. Sewage was still They asked Public Works to inves- file a claim on Nov. 15, 2019. tigate the odor and said it was coming The city responded to the claim on surrounding the couple’s home, and from their neighbor’s dog’s feces, the Nov. 27, 2019, blaming the couple for water was beginning to pool beneath it, [See PAYS, page 22] suit said. the delay in repairs, the suit said. A
Broken pipe spewed feces
Nine years in prison for fatal crash
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ICE OFFICER ID’D: The AP has identified the ICE officer who shot Minneapolis woman Renee Good as Jonathan Ross. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem had not identified who shot Good, but spoke of an incident last June in which the same officer was injured when he was dragged by another driver’s fleeing vehicle. Court records from that case identify the officer as Ross.
BY ADRIANA HERNANDEZ Daily Post Staff Writer
LOCALS LOCKED OUT: Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz insists that the state must play a role in investigating the fatal shooting of a Minneapolis woman by an ICE officer. Walz pushed back yesterday against the Trump administration’s decision to keep the investigation solely in federal hands, calling Kristi Noem “judge, jury and basically executioner.” SENATE WANTS WAR LIMITS: The Senate advanced a resolution yesterday that would limit President Trump’s ability to conduct further attacks against Venezuela, sounding a note of disapproval for his expanding ambitions in the Western Hemisphere. Democrats and five Republicans voted to advance the [See THE UPDATE, page 4]
NEW FIRE STATION COMING
Palo Alto officials yesterday broke ground on the new Fire Station 4 at 3600 Middlefield Road. The project will cost the city $18.2 million for an updated station, which is expected to be completed next year. Photo from Paul Sakuma.
A woman who was driving on the wrong side of Interstate 280 near Woodside before colliding with another car – killing the car’s driver – was sentenced to nine years in prison after taking a plea deal yesterday, a prosecutor said. Constellatia Martin, 24, Campbell, pled no contest to manslaughter, hit and run and driving under the influence of drugs, said Chief Deputy District Attorney Shin-Mee Chang. Martin was facing a maximum of 14 years and 8 months in prison, District Attorney Steve Wagstaffe previously said. Martin was found 150 feet from the scene on [See CRASH, page 22]
Battle brews over Caltrain control BY STEPHANIE LAM Daily Post Correspondent
Members of the Caltrain board from San Francisco and Santa Clara County voted to forge ahead with plans to gain greater independence from San Mateo County Transit District, or SamTrans,
despite pushback from San Mateo County board members, who say they should focus on addressing an upcoming multi-million dollar deficit instead. The board voted 5-3 yesterday to create an internal committee to make suggestions on the governing agreement
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between the two agencies. The recommendations will need to be brought back to the board within six months for further discussion. The board didn’t say who will be on the committee. Those who supported the plan in[See CALTRAIN, page 22]
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