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Bay Area Snapshots, San Francisco, The Bay Area »

[By Beat News Service | 19 May 2013 | Comments Off]
Tens of thousands turned out to party on the streets during the 102nd running of the Bay to Breakers footrace in San Francisco May 19, 2013. (CALIFORNIA BEAT PHOTO)

Some came dressed like Waldo, pirates, or the Super Mario Brothers.

Others came wearing nothing at all.

Tens of thousands of costumed revelers crowded sidewalks and streets Sunday morning for the 102nd annual running of the Bay to Breakers 12K footrace, a quintessentially San Francisco event that brought out fun, frivolity, and — despite an official ban on alcohol — booze-fueled partying on the streets. 

Oakland, The Bay Area »

[By Beat News Service | 1 Dec 2012 | Comments Off]
A driver proceeds cautiously around fallen rock on Skyline Boulevard in Oakland. ANDREW LEONARD / CALIFORNIA BEAT PHOTO

After a brief respite from an onslaught of stormy weather Saturday morning, another powerful storm to moved into the Bay Area at night bringing with it more rain, wind and the prospect of flooding along two swollen rivers.

Heavy rain began falling during the evening hours Saturday. The brunt of the storm, the third in the past four days, will strike Sunday morning, according to the National Weather Service.

BART Police Shooting, Oakland »

[By Beat News Service | 29 Nov 2012 | 2 Comments]
Production of the movie "Fruitvale" on July 28, 2012 at an East Bay BART Station. (CALIFORNIA BEAT PHOTO)

A movie about the New Year’s Day 2009 shooting of BART passenger Oscar Grant by a police officer has been selected to compete for best dramatic film in the 2013 Sundance Film Festival, festival organizers announced Wednesday.

“Fruitvale” depicts the hours before Grant’s slaying by BART Police Officer Johannes Mehserle at the Fruitvale BART Station in Oakland. The shooting was captured on numerous cameras by witnesses and immediately went viral on the internet.

Political Beat, The Bay Area »

[By Nathan Wyss | 24 Nov 2012 | One Comment]
US Congressman George Miller joins OUR Walmart strikers at the store in Richmond, Calif. (Nathan Wyss/ CALIFORNIA BEAT PHOTO)

Amid the Black Friday shopping frenzy, workers, protesters, labor groups launched what they called a nationwide strike against big box retailer Walmart in protest of the company’s treatment of employees.

The company said the strikes, which took place at select stores around the country, were “made for TV” events attended largely by non-Walmart employees.

Cops & Courts, Silicon Valley »

[By Beat News Service | 21 Nov 2012 | Comments Off]
Memorial services for Rory Park-Pettiford, the San Jose man killed during a robbery rampage Friday, are scheduled for Saturday. (Courtesy Photo)

Memorial services have been scheduled for Saturday for Rory Park-Pettiford, the man killed by two armed robbers during a carjacking attempt outside a San Jose 7-11 convenience store Friday night.

Police said Park-Pettiford, 22, of San Jose became the innocent victim of a robbery rampage targeting four businesses committed by Jonathan Wilbanks and a 15 year-old boy who was arrested in Concord Friday. 

Cops & Courts, Silicon Valley »

[By Beat News Service | 18 Nov 2012 | Comments Off]
Police arrested Jonathan Wilbanks, 26, of San Jose in connection with a series of robberies, a murder and wounding of a police officer Friday night. (Courtesy San Jose Police Dept.)

Residents in several San Jose neighborhoods said Sunday they were still shaken following a violent citywide robbery spree that left one man dead and a police officer wounded Friday night.

San Jose Police said 26-year-old Jonathan Wilbanks of San Jose and another unidentified man who police are still searching for began the spree by holding up a Little Caesar’s Pizza Restaurant on the 2800 block of Story Rd. at 7:25 p.m. In each robbery, Wilbanks and the second suspect presented a gun and demanded money from employees.

Oakland, The Bay Area »

[By Beat News Service | 18 Nov 2012 | 4 Comments]
Hostess Brands Inc. will shut down its operations after a week-long strike by its bakers leaving 18,500 employees out of work. (CALIFORNIA BEAT PHOTO)

News of the demise of Hostess Brands, maker of Twinkies and other popular snack cakes for the past 82 years, has left nostalgic fans scrambling to stock up on boxes anywhere they can find them.

But Bay Area Twinkie-lovers were hard-pressed to find the endangered treats at supermarkets, drug stores and bakery outlet stores over the weekend. Loaves of Wonder Bread, also baked by the Hostess company were in high demand too.

Cops & Courts, San Francisco »

[By Beat News Service | 17 Nov 2012 | Comments Off]
Security camera footage from Yerba Buena Gardens shows a man who allegedly beat then robbed an elderly man Oct. 24. (Courtesy SF Police)

Police were seeking two men who attacked and injured a 63 year-old man near San Francisco’s Metreon during a violent cell phone robbery that happened Oct. 24.

Authorities released footage from Yerba Buena Gardens security cameras that police said purportedly shows the two robbery suspects moments before the 6:30 p.m. attack.

Cops & Courts, Oakland »

[By Beat News Service | 13 Nov 2012 | Comments Off]
An ATM's security camera captured a man believed to have kidnapped a woman and drove her around town Nov. 7 in a robbery attempt. (Courtesy Walnut Creek Police)

Walnut Creek Police released images captured by an ATM’s security camera of one of two men who kidnapped a woman in a terrifying robbery spree Nov. 7.

Police said the 57 year-old woman was abducted while walking to her car after work in the Shadelands Business Park area of Walnut Creek at 7:30 p.m. The men forced her into her car, placed a blindfold over her eyes, and drove her around Contra Costa County making an unspecified number of stops at ATMs to withdraw cash. 

Cops & Courts, Political Beat »

[By Steven Luo | 7 Nov 2012 | Comments Off]
california-flag-bear

California Governor Jerry Brown and state Democrats scored significant victories in Tuesday’s general election, as voters approved Brown’s proposed income and sales tax hike to support education and rejected a measure which would have weakened union influence in politics considerably.

And as of Wednesday morning, Democrats were elected or leading in 28 of the state’s 40 Senate seats and 54 of the 80 Assembly seats — results which, if they hold, would give them two-thirds supermajorities and the power to raise taxes without Republican support for the first time in recent memory.