Road closures, flooding and power outages greeted commuters, as expected, Wednesday morning, and it was just the beginning of the storms expected to wallop the Bay Area this week.
Up to an inch of rain fell in parts of the region, which led to closures of roadways in Palo Alto and highway ramps in Marin County. In San Francisco, Great Highway was shut down in both directions by noon because of flooding, but otherwise no major flooding was reported in The City.
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To help prevent expensive lawsuits over disability-access violations, a pilot program launched Tuesday offers financial assistance to small-business owners in the Sunset and Richmond districts who want to get certified inspections.
The initiative is a “proactive” effort to address litigation problems, said Supervisor Carmen Chu, who helped launch the program and who represents the Sunset.
“One thing businesses can do to safeguard themselves from lawsuits is by becoming compliant,” Chu said. “This program sets aside money to do free inspections.”
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After a close election and more than two weeks of counting votes, incumbent Chris Jackson will remain on the City College of San Francisco board of trustees.
Jackson narrowly defeated challenger Amy Bacharach to secure the fourth open seat on the seven-member board. He will join incumbents Steve Ngo and Natalie Berg as well as newcomer Rafael Mandelman on the board for four-year terms.
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When Cable Car 26 rolled onto the streets of San Francisco for the first time earlier this month, Norma Apilado Bernal knew it would be the last piece of artwork she’d get from her husband.
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Her husband, Efren Bernal, is the official cable car painter for the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency. No. 26 was the last vehicle he put his artistic touch on before being diagnosed with lung cancer. His family says the 62-year-old only has a few weeks to live.
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Supervisor Jane Kim wants The City to give the San Francisco Unified School District $2.7 million to help pay for programs that could help more students graduate on time.
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As big-box merchants prepare to kick off the holiday season with Black Friday shopping deals, small businesses are also preparing for the weekend — but many say it’s not particularly beneficial to their operations.Black Friday does not play a role in the bottom line of some 75 percent of small businesses nationwide, according to a recent report conducted by Braun Research and released by Bank of America.
Fewer than 1 percent of small businesses said that they wouldn’t be in business without Black Friday, according to the study.
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A shooting in the Hayes Valley neighborhood Saturday night sent one person — who may not have been the intended victim — to the hospital.
According to San Francisco Police Department Officer Gordon Shyy, around 6:15 p.m. a male walked up to two people on the sidewalk of the 500 block of Grove Street and shot at them.
A 52-year-old man was hit in the leg and transported to San Francisco General Hospital with injuries that were not life-threatening. The suspect fled and is still on the loose, Shyy said.
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Almost half of The City’s public high school juniors are in danger of not graduating next year if they do not successfully complete the coursework under new San Francisco Unified School District requirements.
If students don’t comply with the standards by graduation time, they will have to return for a fifth year, move to a continuation high school or obtain a General Educational Development diploma through San Francisco City College or another institution.
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What a difference a year makes.
In 2011, Lake Tahoe ski resorts were struggling to make enough snow to open for winter sport enthusiasts by Thanksgiving, but this year they are getting help from Mother Nature.
By Sunday night, resorts in Lake Tahoe could see as many as 2 feet of new snow as two storms move through the area, according to National Weather Service forecaster George Cline. More storms are expected next week as well.
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The start of crab season went off without a hitch this year, bringing Dungeness from the ocean floor to the dinner table sooner than in the 2011 season.
“We got what we were asking for,” said Larry Collins, president of the San Francisco Crab Boat Owners Association. “We had no problems. It was nice having an easy year.”
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The commercial season, which opened Thursday, runs through June. Boats left shore Wednesday in hopes of getting traps set up in anticipation of the start of the season.
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Just when education officials thought they could breathe easier with the passage of Proposition 30 last week, now the potential for billions of dollars in cuts from the federal government looms.
If Congress doesn’t act by Jan. 1 on a combination of spending reductions and expiring tax breaks, known as the “fiscal cliff,” K-12 education stands to lose $4 billion nationally.
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San Francisco has launched a website to help businesses apply for tax credits for the employees they hire.
The move is one step toward correcting the criticism that The City is tough for businesses because of all the paperwork and departments that owners must navigate in order to get up and running and take advantage of tax credits.
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An aging pipeline burst in Daly City early Tuesday morning, spilling tens of thousands of gallons of water and mud onto nearby streets and a park.
Though no homes were damaged, 12 residences on Lausanne Avenue and Clayton Court were evacuated while crews tried to clean up the muddy mess. In total, five blocks — on Bonnie, East Moltke, Ford and Price streets and Clayton Court — were hit by the mud.
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With thousands of ballots yet to be counted, City College of San Francisco’s board of trustees race remains in limbo.
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City College of San Francisco officials can breathe a sigh of relief following Tuesday’s election, as two measures to support education were approved by voters, but administrators admit they are not out of the woods just yet.
Despite the boosts in funding, CCSF will still need to look closely at its finances in order to become fiscally stable.
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