BART’s board of directors agreed last week to ease restrictions for bikes on trains but was not willing to make the changes permanent.The agency’s current policy bans bikes from trains during commute hours and at some stations. But on Thursday, BART’s nine directors elected to lift that ban for a five-month test period. The agency’s staff had recommended a permanent end to the restrictions.Starting July 1, bikes will be allowed on board at all times, although they will still be barred from the first three cars of a train. They also will be off-limits on crowded trains.
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A 21-year-old man who was struck and killed by a garbage truck Thursday morning while riding his bicycle to work through the Mission district had just moved to The City, a relative said Friday.The fatal accident was reported about 6:45 a.m. Thursday at 16th Street and South Van Ness Avenue.The bicyclist, identified as Dylan Mitchell, and the garbage truck were both traveling east on 16th Street when the truck began to make a right turn onto South Van Ness, according to police.
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A Woodside man was found guilty of murdering his wife and covering it up as a suicide to collect insurance money this afternoon in San Mateo County Superior Court, prosecutors said.
After four days of deliberation, the jury returned with a guilty verdict of first-degree murder for Pooroushash "Peter" Parineh, 67, in the shooting death of his wife Parima Parineh on April 13, 2010.
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An earthquake has struck Northern California's Plumas County with a preliminary magnitude of 5.7.
Rafael Abreau, a geophysicist with the U.S. Geological Survey's National Earthquake Center, says the temblor struck at 8:47 p.m. and was centered six miles west northwest of Greenville, and 26 miles southwest of Susanville.
Abreu says there have been no reports of damage in early field reports.
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The San Francisco Veterans Administration Medical Center is eyeing an expansion into Mission Bay to increase the size of its research facilities. The veterans hospital, located in the Outer Richmond district, houses the top research program in the VA system and it’s currently gathering information to gauge the feasibility of expansion and whether it can be funded through a private-public partnership.
“We have a sufficient space gap,” VA Medical Center spokeswoman Judi Cheary said. “We are so cramped at the current location.”
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One of the largest proposed condominium tower projects in recent years — which includes the Mexican Museum’s long-awaited permanent home — received key approval Thursday, but by a slim margin.
The plan by Millennium Partners — which built the nearby Millennium Tower as well as the Residences at the Four Seasons — to construct a 510-foot building at 706 Mission St. was approved by the Planning Commission by a 4-3 margin Thursday despite concerns about parking limits and the “piecemeal” way The City enforces a limit on shadows cast by tall buildings.
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Formation of special districts where property owners pay a fee to fund services such as security and graffiti cleanup beyond what The City can provide is an increasing trend and one celebrated by Mayor Ed Lee.
On Thursday, the Board of Supervisors Government Audit and Oversight Committee approved moving forward with the renewal and expansion of the Central Market Community Benefit District and the formation of the Top of Broadway Benefit District.
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Backers of a November referendum of the contentious 8 Washington St. condominium development on the waterfront picked up a key endorsement Wednesday from the local Democratic County Central Committee.
An endorsement from the local Democratic Party is one of the most influential in San Francisco politics and is being celebrated by opponents of the 134-unit development.
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FRIDAY, MAY 24
On the town
Two novelists: Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist Adam Johnson (“The Orphan Master’s Son”) appears in conversation with novelist Anthony Marra (“A Constellation of Vital Phenomena”). [7:30 p.m., Booksmith, 1644 Haight St., S.F.]
SATURDAY, MAY 25
A great hike
‘Floral Finder’: We’re at the end of wildflower season, but don’t tell Ring Mountain that. The tiny but mighty open space preserve on the Tiburon Peninsula has a wide range of wildflowers and jaw-dropping views.
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Operating under a tight schedule and even tighter budget, Muni is about to hand over its $1.6 billion Central Subway plan to a man who has a contentious history with The City and a reputation for exceeding project costs.
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