Gas explosion in San Francisco Bay Area damages homes, 6 taken to hospitals
Read full article: Gas explosion in San Francisco Bay Area damages homes, 6 taken to hospitalsFire officials say six people have been taken to hospitals after a gas explosion started a major fire in a San Francisco Bay Area suburb.
Uber plans to offer autonomous taxi rides in San Francisco starting next year
Read full article: Uber plans to offer autonomous taxi rides in San Francisco starting next yearUber said Wednesday that the San Francisco Bay Area will be the first market for its specially built autonomous taxi, which is expected to launch in late 2026.
Shots fired, driver hurt and held after truck rams into Coast Guard base in California
Read full article: Shots fired, driver hurt and held after truck rams into Coast Guard base in CaliforniaLaw enforcement officers have fired shots at a vehicle that backed into a U.S. Coast Guard base in the San Francisco Bay Area that had been the site of protests against federal immigration agents.
California's long-delayed bullet train slated to run in the Central Valley by 2032, report says
Read full article: California's long-delayed bullet train slated to run in the Central Valley by 2032, report saysCalifornia's long-delayed high-speed rail project is slated to be operating in the Central Valley by 2032, according to a report released Friday by the High Speed Rail Authority.
Silicon Valley-backed voter plan for new California city qualifies for November ballot
Read full article: Silicon Valley-backed voter plan for new California city qualifies for November ballotA Silicon Valley-backed initiative to build a green city for up to 400,000 people in the San Francisco Bay Area has qualified for the Nov. 5 ballot.
Massachusetts fugitive dubbed the 'bad breath rapist' captured in California after 16 years at large
Read full article: Massachusetts fugitive dubbed the 'bad breath rapist' captured in California after 16 years at largeAuthorities say a fugitive dubbed the “bad breath rapist” has been arrested in the San Francisco Bay Area more than 16 years after he fled following a conviction for sexually assaulting a coworker in Massachusetts.
CLIMATE GLIMPSE: Fires in Chile, California rains and Spain drought spread pain of weather extremes
Read full article: CLIMATE GLIMPSE: Fires in Chile, California rains and Spain drought spread pain of weather extremesWeather and climate extremes, such as wildfires, drought and flooding, are taking a toll around the world.
Second atmospheric river in days blows into California, knocking out power and flooding roads
Read full article: Second atmospheric river in days blows into California, knocking out power and flooding roadsThe second of back-to-back atmospheric rivers is drenching Northern California, flooding roads, knocking out power to hundreds of thousands and leading forecasters to warn of possible hurricane-force winds and mudslides as it heads south.
WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert expects to add another expansion team soon
Read full article: WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert expects to add another expansion team soonWNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert said at her annual state of the league address before Game 1 of the WNBA Finals that the league most likely will be adding another expansion team soon.
Drive behind the flame: How Henry Ford established a charcoal company in Michigan’s UP
Read full article: Drive behind the flame: How Henry Ford established a charcoal company in Michigan’s UPBarbecue season is here, and if you plan on grilling this summer, you will most likely pick up a bag of charcoal from the local grocery store.
:strip_exif(true):strip_icc(true):no_upscale(true):quality(65)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/gmg/EZLMOH3NABDNDJJ3LPUO4C4SZY.jpg)
The Latest: Biden makes economic case for vaccinations
Read full article: The Latest: Biden makes economic case for vaccinationsPresident Joe Biden is championing the fight against COVID-19, requiring workplace vaccinations to force the roughly 67 million unvaccinated American adults to roll up their sleeves.
:strip_exif(true):strip_icc(true):no_upscale(true):quality(65)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/gmg/7OVA4Q47JRDDRNCL3EVB7OB6FY.jpg)
Mask mandate reinstated in San Francisco Bay Area amid surge
Read full article: Mask mandate reinstated in San Francisco Bay Area amid surgeHealth officials in San Francisco and six other Bay Area counties have announced that they are reinstating a mask mandate for all indoor settings as COVID-19 infections surge.
:strip_exif(true):strip_icc(true):no_upscale(true):quality(65)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/gmg/36HGXZK6XVAKHG3US3NPLLSFDM.jpg)
California lifts virus stay-at-home order and curfew
Read full article: California lifts virus stay-at-home order and curfewPublic health officials said Monday that the state will return to a system of county-by-county restrictions intended to stem the spread of the virus. The turnaround puts California in a starkly different place than it was last month, when some Southern California hospitals overwhelmed by virus patients were crafting emergency plans for rationing care. Newsom crafted the stay-at-home order in December as coronavirus cases worsened and in anticipation of surges from holiday gatherings. The lifting of the stay-at-home order allows restaurants to serve diners outdoors and places of worship to offer services outside. Public health experts had mixed views on the state's decision to lift the order.
:strip_exif(true):strip_icc(true):no_upscale(true):quality(65)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/gmg/3ZDVEIBCXFHZ5BN5G6CB47PMD4.jpg)
Southern California, San Joaquin Valley under restrictions
Read full article: Southern California, San Joaquin Valley under restrictionsSome counties have opted to impose them even before the mandate kicks in, including five San Francisco Bay Area counties where the measures also take effect starting Sunday. San Francisco resident Michael Duranceau rushed to a market to load up on supplies. The 11-county Southern California region, which includes the cities of Los Angeles and San Diego, had only 12.5% of its ICU beds available, the California Department of Public Health reported Saturday. The figure was 8.6% for the San Joaquin Valley region, composed of a dozen counties in the agricultural Central Valley and rural areas of the Sierra Nevada. ___Associated Press writers Olga R. Rodriguez and Juliet Williams in San Francisco, Robert Jablon and Brian Melley in Los Angeles and Adam Beam in Sacramento contributed.
:strip_exif(true):strip_icc(true):no_upscale(true):quality(65)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/gmg/ZDKGMCUACJGGNCFPCXEGJGKXAE.jpg)
San Francisco Bay Area issues new stay-at-home order
Read full article: San Francisco Bay Area issues new stay-at-home orderThe health officers in six San Francisco Bay Area regions have issued a new stay-at-home order as the number of virus cases surge and hospitals fill. (AP Photo/Eric Risberg)SAN FRANCISCO – The health officers in five San Francisco Bay Area counties issued a new stay-at-home order Friday requiring some businesses to close and banning all gatherings, as the number of virus cases surge and hospitals fill. The Bay Area counties are so closely connected that it was much easier to implement a regional order, officials said. The Golden Gate Restaurant Association in San Francisco said most restaurants “cannot make it financially on takeout alone." ___Associated Press writer Jocelyn Gecker in San Francisco and Brian Melley in Los Angeles contributed.
:strip_exif(true):strip_icc(true):no_upscale(true):quality(65)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/gmg/S6DJSGSX4JCP3PDY7COZLOIYQE.jpg)
Trump changes course, approves California relief for 6 fires
Read full article: Trump changes course, approves California relief for 6 fires“Just got off the phone with President Trump who has approved our Major Disaster Declaration request. White House spokesman Judd Deere previously said California’s disaster declaration request “was not supported by the relevant data” needed for approval. Newsom asked for the major disaster declaration on Sept. 28 to cover fires in Fresno, Los Angeles, Madera, Mendocino, San Bernardino, San Diego and Siskiyou counties. The White House said Trump quickly approved wildfire relief that was supported by damage estimates. PG&E equipment is being examined in connection with the Zogg Fire in Northern California, and Southern California Edison equipment is under scrutiny in the Bobcat Fire near Los Angeles.
:strip_exif(true):strip_icc(true):no_upscale(true):quality(65)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/gmg/5SI444PGBBBG5ID5WI5PL2AUMU.jpg)
Power cut to thousands in California to prevent wildfires
Read full article: Power cut to thousands in California to prevent wildfiresPacific Gas & Electric has cut power to portions of Northern California hoping to prevent wildfires during hot, windy weather throughout the region. Some restorations began Thursday afternoon, and by evening the number of customers without power was about 30,000, the utility said. Many in wine country north of San Francisco were feeling drained by what seems like a never-ending wildfire season in the region. ___This story has been corrected to show massive power outages happened in 2019, not 2018, and affected 2 million people, not 5 million. ___Associated Press writer Jocelyn Gecker in San Francisco also contributed to this story.
:strip_exif(true):strip_icc(true):no_upscale(true):quality(65)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/gmg/DMLNMXKTZNCYLGZXSZCCW2FYGQ.jpg)
Facing new fire threat, PG&E cuts power to tens of thousands
Read full article: Facing new fire threat, PG&E cuts power to tens of thousandsSAN FRANCISCO – Pacific Gas & Electric began turning off power to more than 50,000 Northern California customers Wednesday evening as dry, windy conditions renewed the threat of fire in a season already marked by deadly, devastating blazes. Preemptive electricity cuts are a strategy aimed at preventing fires from being started by power lines that have been damaged or knocked down amid high winds. PG&E equipment sparked several massive blazes that destroyed tens of thousands of homes and killed more than 100 people since 2017. A second shutoff for around 700 customers was expected Thursday afternoon in far northern counties as winds were expected to arrive there. PG&E senior meteorologist Scott Strenfel said the forecast calls for two “back-to-back" periods when so-called Diablo winds sweep the region.
:strip_exif(true):strip_icc(true):no_upscale(true):quality(65)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/gmg/ZY5ZXXWBK5HXJNASH2427DO2BM.jpg)
50,000 allowed back home as gains made on California fires
Read full article: 50,000 allowed back home as gains made on California fires(AP Photo/Aron Ranen)SAN FRANCISCO More than 50,000 people forced to flee their homes were allowed to return by Thursday night as firefighters made progress in their effort to put out massive and deadly wildfires in Northern California. Cooler weather and higher humidity, along with an influx of equipment and firefighters, continued to help hard-pressed crews fighting some of the largest fires in recent state history, burning in and around the San Francisco Bay Area. In heavily damaged areas, crews were working to restore electricity and water so more people can return to their homes, Santa Cruz County Chief Deputy Chris Clark said. Solano County, north of San Francisco, began allowing people back home on Thursday. Firefighters and utility workers were clearing areas for returning residents after crews increased containment of the massive cluster of fires north of San Francisco to about 33%.
:strip_exif(true):strip_icc(true):no_upscale(true):quality(65)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/gmg/JXMQITFL7RHMRGDWGLZX66I3SU.jpg)
Crews keep working to pen in huge California wildfires
Read full article: Crews keep working to pen in huge California wildfiresBut officials warned the danger was far from over and admonished residents to stay out of evacuated areas. It is highly dangerous in there still, Jonathan Cox, a Cal Fire deputy chief, of the blaze north of Santa Cruz. Luckily for me, I have a 13-year-old daughter who is very cautious about wildfires. The siege of wildfires in the state has been astonishing, especially since Californias peak fire season usually is during the hot, windy days of September and October. If you think its going to be too much to get your sprinklers on before you get out of there, forget those too.
Transit system apologizes to black rider cuffed for eating
Read full article: Transit system apologizes to black rider cuffed for eatingBART officials said the officer was passing by on another call when he asked Foster not to eat. When the officer walked by again and saw Foster still eating, he went to issue a citation. Foster said Monday that he knew eating was not allowed on trains but did not realize it was banned on platforms. The transit system carries about 400,000 people daily, linking San Francisco to the East Bay. Another protest is planned for the weekend, called "Eat a McMuffin on BART: They Can't Stop Us All."
Utility says power lines may have started 2 California fires
Read full article: Utility says power lines may have started 2 California firesSAN FRANCISCO, CA Pacific Gas & Electric Co. said Monday its power lines may have started two wildfires over the weekend in the San Francisco Bay Area. PG&E told the California Public Utilities Commission that a worker responded to the first fire around 4:45 p.m. Sunday and was told firefighters believe contact between a power line and a communication line may have caused it. Contra Costa fire Department personnel on site told the worker they were looking at the transformer as a potential ignition source, a company official wrote. Powerful winds are driving multiple fires across Northern California and forcing power shut-offs intended to prevent downed power lines that can spark blazes. PG&E is under severe financial pressure after its equipment has been blamed for a series of destructive wildfires in Northern California over the past three years.
Utility says power lines may have started 2 California fires
Read full article: Utility says power lines may have started 2 California firesSANTA ROSA, CA Pacific Gas & Electric Co. power lines may have started two wildfires over the weekend in the San Francisco Bay Area, the utility said Monday, even though widespread blackouts were in place to prevent downed lines from starting fires during dangerously windy weather. Powerful winds were driving multiple fires across California and forcing power shut-offs intended to prevent blazes. PG&E said a contractor working in Humboldt County died in a vehicle accident during the power shutoff Friday. More than 900,000 power customers an estimated 2.5 million people were in the dark at the height of the latest planned blackout, nearly all of them in PG&E's territory in Northern and central California. Separately, the company told regulators that it had failed to notify 23,000 customers, including 500 with medical conditions, before shutting off their power earlier this month during windy weather.
Ferocious winds fuel blazes throughout Northern California
Read full article: Ferocious winds fuel blazes throughout Northern CaliforniaCalifornia Fire officials said Sunday that the fire had grown to burn over 85 square miles, and officials reported containment had dropped to 5%. In the San Francisco Bay Area, two grass fires briefly halted traffic on an Interstate bridge. In the San Francisco Bay Area, gusts knocked over a 30-foot (9-meter) tree at a farmers' market in Martinez, injuring nine people, including a toddler. During the 2017 fires, winds up to 90 mph (144 kph) lasted for about 12 hours. ____Associated Press writers Daisy Nguyen and Janie Har in San Francisco, Christopher Weber in Los Angeles and Julie Watson in San Diego contributed to this report.

New technology could transform space travel for NASA
Read full article: New technology could transform space travel for NASAA San Francisco Bay Area company responsible for a 3D printer on the International Space Station is anticipating even bigger things in the future. Distributed by LAKANA. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Google will build 15,000 Silicon Valley homes
Read full article: Google will build 15,000 Silicon Valley homesJustin Sullivan/Getty Images(CNN) - Google is teaming up with an Australian developer to build $15 billion worth of homes, offices and retail space in the San Francisco Bay Area. The tie-up with Lendlease is part of Google's $1 billion pledge in June to help create more affordable housing options in the Bay Area. The tech giant committed land worth $750 million to building residential projects, as well as $250 million to encourage developers to build affordable housing. Silicon Valley, home to some of the world's biggest tech companies, has been grappling with a housing crisis for years. A shortage of affordable housing across the Bay Area is pushing out middle and low-income workers like teachers and restaurant employees.
:strip_exif(true):strip_icc(true):no_upscale(true):quality(65)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/gmg/HGHPCP72NBC5NA7SKBLB3R5TMA.jpg)