Last week was a dreary week in San Francisco, full of weak and weary souls unable to forget that bleak game in which their proud team's championship hopes ended up as dying embers. Sorrow for the lost Super Bowl! A second championship celebration within four months in front of City Hall's door? Nevermore. Read More

There’s no telling how effective Ray Lewis will be today against the Indianapolis Colts after missing 12 weeks with a torn right triceps. Fortunately, for the Ravens, he’s already provided an emotional lift. With his announcement that he will step into retirement after Baltimore completes its 2013 playoff run, Lewis gave the slumping Ravens a boost heading into their wild-card game. “Just having him back on the field is an inspiration,” Baltimore defensive coordinator Dean Pees said. Read More

When California voters approved Proposition 14 in 2010 — an initiative to allow open, multiparty primaries — the idea was to cut down on the rancorous, ideologically extreme rhetoric that had become commonplace in the races leading up to the general election. However, local residents voting in state Senate races Nov. 6 will see a quirky side effect of the law that probably was not envisioned. Read More

A Marin County man is recovering at home after being attacked by a mountain lion in the Sierra Nevada foothills early Sunday morning. The 63-year-old man, who does not want to be identified for now, was in a sleeping bag on a sandbar along a tributary of the Yuba River near Nevada City when he was attacked around 1 a.m. Sunday, California Department of Fish and Game spokesman Patrick Foy said. "It was a remote area few miles northwest of Nevada City. It was a secret spot he knew about," Foy said. Read More