It began with a cough. And then the coughing wouldn’t stop. “We would cough, cough, cough for like five minutes straight,” said Emily Tobita, 18, of the Richmond district. “At the end of really bad fits, we’d end up throwing up.” Emily and her twin brother, Zak, had pertussis, a once-uncommon childhood illness that has made a resurgence in recent years. The potentially fatal disease is better known as whooping cough for the gasping sound that sufferers make after each violent coughing session. Read More

The crisis pregnancy center targeted by city officials for alleged deceptive advertising respects a woman’s right to choose an abortion, a spokeswoman said today.  First Resort, which has offices in San Francisco, Oakland and Redwood City, was the subject of a cease-and-desist letter from City Attorney Dennis Herrera, who gave the center a deadline of Aug. 31 to correct what he called misleading ads, including a paid Google search result and a website that imply the group refers women for abortions. Read More

BART directors are preparing to name former Seattle transportation chief Grace Crunican general manager of the Bay Area’s transit system. Director Joel Keller said he could not deny reports that Crunican was the board’s choice. “We haven’t completed everything that needs to be completed – there’s still background and compensation,” he said. “It’s not a final decision.” Keller said he expected the appointment would appear on the agenda for the board’s August 11 meeting. Read More