Vacant Mountain View Kohl’s turned into temporary robotics hub
Though it appears to be an abandoned department store from the outside, the former Kohl’s building in Mountain View’s San Antonio Shopping Center has actually been transformed into a temporary robotics and STEM hub for local students.
More Local news
Defense seek recusal of Santa Clara DA in Stanford retrial
With a new trial looming for the five Stanford students who broke into a university building during a 2024 protest, their defense attorneys are calling for the District Attorney’s Office to be recused.
Free meals, classes return to Mountain View Senior Center after construction
In-person dining, free grocery distribution and other services are returning to the Mountain View Senior Center this week after being relocated due to recent construction.
Developer proposes 38 rowhomes for Mountain View’s Stierlin neighborhood
Mountain View’s Environmental Planning Commission gave the green light last week to a project that aims to add 38 rowhomes to the city’s Stierlin Estates neighborhood.
Subscribe to Express!
Get the Express daily newsletter right to your inbox to stay updated on the latest local news.
Food
Chinese tea chain plans Bay Area debut in downtown Palo Alto
A Chinese tea chain with more than 10,000 stores globally is making its Bay Area debut – in downtown Palo Alto. Auntea Jenny, specializing in fresh fruit teas and other tea-centric drinks, expects to open this summer along University Avenue.
An Atherton resident’s new yogurt brand takes inspiration from her childhood in Korea
Diana Lee is a self-proclaimed yogurt freak. The Atherton resident and Gunn High School alum is so passionate about the gut-friendly, high-protein snack that she quit her tech job to start her own yogurt company – and she’s documenting the…
San Francisco bone broth cafe is expanding to the Peninsula
A new Peninsula cafe won’t be brewing coffee or steeping tea – it’ll serve bone broth. Trad Bone Broth turned heads with its San Francisco debut in 2022, and now it’s in the process of expanding to downtown Burlingame, with…
Arts & Culture
What’s up this week: Violent Femmes, comedy, jazz and more
Coming up this week: Violent Femmes’ 45th anniversary tour at The Guild; comedian Marsha Warfield at Stanford Live; Edward Simon Trio in Palo Alto; author Drew Daywalt at Kepler’s and more.
No ‘strangers’ here: Menlo Park author publishes collection of short stories about meeting of cultures
Margaret Kahn draws on a wide-ranging career in linguistics and living abroad to craft stories that explore the mingling of cultures. She shares her book “Familiar Strangers: Stories from America and the Middle East” March 10 in Redwood City.
Arts news: Film festival call for entries, Music@Menlo season unveiling and more
United Nations Association Film Festival seeks documentary film submissions; Music@Menlo holds Feb. 28 event unveiling its 2026 season and more.
Spotlight
Changing diet to generate a healthier microbiome and a healthy individual
Stanford microbiologists Justin and Erica Sonnenburg are working to understand the complex microbial community that resides within the human gut and its potential for helping people live healthier, longer lives.
Ivy League mentorship for college applications and career foundations through meaningful projects
Path Mentors was born out of dissatisfaction with the toxic high-pressure environment that college admissions has created. Founded in 2019 by Columbia graduates, the Path Mentors’ team of nearly 100 mentors from a wide range of professions including technology, finance,…
Community Calendar
Did you miss
‘This blight just seems unacceptable’: Large pit prompts frustration from neighbors
A deep exposed hole in a residential area of Mountain View has drawn the ire of neighbors, led to warnings from the city and sparked a lawsuit claiming that the excavation caused a wooden fence to collapse and damaged an…
Changing gears: Local nonprofits provide bikes to low-income residents
As local governments work to meet the rising need for social services, some area nonprofits have also stepped in to address a more specific gap: transportation.
Real Estate
March tips for your Peninsula garden: Soil prep, frost damage and growing carrots in heavy clay
Now is a good time to plant carrots. Carrots thrive in cool weather and can be planted before the final frost of spring. Early planting leads to sweeter, crisper harvests. If you have a light, fluffy soil, perhaps in a…
Leaf bumps on your Midpeninsula oak? Here’s what to know
If you’ve noticed unusual bumps that look like tiny “horns” or brown spots on the leaves of your oak tree this winter, you’re not imagining it. Many residents in the region are seeing a higher population of tiny gall wasps,…
In 1950, Palo Alto’s Lawrence Tract redefined who could live where
Lined with trees and modest one-story homes, Lawrence Lane in Midtown Palo Alto may look like a typical 1950s neighborhood today, but when construction on the first homes began on Feb. 23, 1950, the subdivision made headlines. The 6-acre, 25-home…
The Six Fifty
Where to chase waterfalls and hike among green hillsides after the wet Peninsula weather
Soak in the late winter and early spring sights and sounds with The Six Fifty’s guide to post-rain hot spots.
Downtown Sunnyvale developments: Where to play, dine and unwind in a transforming Silicon Valley corridor
What comes to mind when you think of downtown Sunnyvale? For many locals, downtown is synonymous with Murphy Avenue, the Heritage District’s character-filled block of restaurants, small businesses and historic buildings.
Nature events, reopenings and more: Here’s the latest outdoor recreation news around Silicon Valley
Just because it’s a little chillier outside doesn’t mean you can’t bundle up and spend time moving and learning outdoors on the Peninsula.
