Bay Area

"The California Highway Patrol has arrested 47 suspected drunken drivers in the Bay Area during its first holiday enforcement period from 6 p.m. Wednesday to 6 a.m. today, up from last year's 45 arrests during the same period. MORE NEWS Polanski prepares for luxury Alpine house arrest 11.26.09 Experts: Bishops covered up priests' child abuse 11.26.09 Attorney says dinner crashers shouldn't need him 11.26.09 Statewide, the CHP has arrested 271 alleged drunken drivers during its first 12 hours of holiday enforcement, also an increase from last year's 237 suspected DUI arrests, according to CHP Sgt. Trent Cross. There have been no fatal crashes involving alcohol in the Bay Area within the first 12 hours of the maximum enforcement period, and there were no fatal crashes during the same time in the Bay Area last year, Cross said. The CHP holiday enforcement period lasts from 6 p.m. Wednesday through midnight Sunday. Firefighters quickly extinguished a structure fire that damaged a... more... - Spidra Webster from Bookmarklet

"Let's hope you weren't planning to cook that turkey over an open fire. Air quality officials have called a Spare the Air alert for Thanksgiving, meaning the burning of wood and manufactured fire logs is banned both indoors and outdoors from midnight tonight until midnight Thursday. The use of any wood-burning device, including fireplaces, wood stoves, pellet stoves and outdoor fire pits, is illegal during that period, the Bay Area Air Quality Management District said. The wood-burning ban covers Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, Napa, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, southern Sonoma and southwestern Solano counties. Air quality in the Bay Area is forecast to be unhealthy, and wood smoke is the largest source of wintertime air pollution in the region, officials said. When there is no wind to disperse pollutants from smoke, they become trapped close to the ground and can build up to unhealthy levels, making it difficult for people with asthma and other respiratory conditions to breathe." - Spidra Webster from Bookmarklet

"Sweets and pie: Jennifer Millar of Sweet Adeline Bakeshop and Tom Schnetz of Flora and Dona Thomas are teaming up on a new Berkeley project. The pair has taken over the former Spud's pizza space (3290 Adeline St.) to open Addie's Pizza Pie in February or March. Millar says the plans are to make thin-crust New York style pizza and frozen custard, popular in the East and Midwest. "It's like soft serve, but better," says Millar, adding that no one around here is making the dessert. As for the pizzas, she says they'll make eight signature pies a day and a few seasonal ones. The pizza will be sold by the slice or the pie. Customers will also be able to build their own. Millar says there will be salad offerings as well." - Spidra Webster from Bookmarklet

"Like most of my problems these days, I blame Tony Romo. I was having lunch with Justin Berton and Will Harper, at a Mexican place on 4th and Bryant -- right across the street from Hotel Utah. I didn't have money for the parking meter, and planned to get change from the restaurant and come back. But we immediately started some stupidly absorbing conversation about one of our fantasy football teams, and the parking meter remained unfed. jasonspooner.com Wonderful things happen in unexpected places. Less than an hour later, we were standing on the corner saying our farewells (Will works on the other side of SOMA), when Justin pointed out that a metermaid parking enforcement officer had pulled up next to my car. Fourth and Bryant has the slowest light on the planet, and the car was nearly half a block away, so I was basically screwed. And not only would I get this ticket, but I would have to watch the whole thing helplessly, sort of like that anxiety dream where your legs are caught in... more... - Spidra Webster from Bookmarklet

"For years, Lassaad Bokri had sought asylum in the United States, saying he faced torture and even death if forced to return to his native Tunisia. The 38-year-old San Francisco man's immigration lawyers had taken his cause to the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, where in 2007 he won the right to stay while immigration courts considered his request. At about 1:30 a.m. Tuesday, Bokri was at his cook's job at Bellissimo Pizza on Sutter Street when a woman came in. She behaved strangely and appeared drunk, witnesses later told police. She asked another worker for water, and he gave it to her. When Bokri went outside a few minutes later for a smoke break, the woman - identified by police as 25-year-old Maryam Achekzai - walked up to him and started shouting at him. The victim's friends say she was harassing Bokri about the length of his beard, but police have not been able to confirm that. There is no indication the two knew each other, police say. When Bokri told her to leave,... more... - Spidra Webster from Bookmarklet

First time I've followed a Twitter feed of someone I do not personally know. - Chester from Bookmarklet

Forbidden Island (a local tiki bar on Alameda) has created the Black Orchid Club as a promo. Every Wednesday for the past couple weeks, there's been a new drink unveiled. Each drink comes with a trading card. Those who have corralled most of the trading cards get into the club. I think there are other special things one gets. Anyway, cool little promotion. If it were easier for me to get to Alameda, I probably would have participated. Me likey fruity drinks and tiki bars. - Spidra Webster from Bookmarklet

Before you leave the bay area (boo!) I will take you for tiki drinks. - Ragani Harris

Yay! - Spidra Webster

"At first look, there wasn't a ton to love about the recently shuttered concert venue at Konocti Harbor. Architecturally, the 5,000-seat amphitheater on the edge of Clear Lake always reminded me of the place where Spinal Tap got second billing to a puppet show, right after Nigel left the band. starpulse.com A venue so awesome, it took four guitarists to tame it ... And yet there was something really cool about Konocti, in a blue collar drink-your-Pabst Blue Ribbon-in-the-great-outdoors kind of way. The entertainment was mostly wholesome, favoring singers who kept the language PG-13 and told everyone to drive safe at the end of the night. Lynyrd Skynyrd (pictured, right) seemed to play there every two weeks. This is where I would imagine John McClane would watch most of his concerts. Two weeks after Konocti closed, with no certain future, I think it deserves a proper wake. Primarily, it filled a need, housing acts that were too small to headline the Shoreline Amphitheater and too big... more... - Spidra Webster from Bookmarklet

"Paola Bagnatori stared at the photograph on the wall of the San Francisco museum that she runs. For once, she wasn't simply staging an exhibition - she was in it. The picture was taken in November 1946. She was 17 years old on a ship headed for America. Italy was virtually bankrupt; and Bagnatori's father, a colonel who'd been looking forward to a dignified and comfortable retirement, no longer had a pension. "He didn't know how to do anything. He basically had to start his life over," said Bagnatori, managing director of the Museo ItaloAmericano at Fort Mason, where an exhibition titled "In Cerca di Una Nuova Vita" ("In Search of a New Life") examines Italian immigration to California from 1850 to the present. Starting over is a major theme of the show, which runs through March 28 and takes visitors into the lives of the Italians who came to California in three waves spanning almost 160 years. The first arrivals, flocking to the state from the mid-19th century until shortly before... more... - Spidra Webster from Bookmarklet

"Two men who used pellet guns to shoot at cars on Interstates 680 and 880 earlier this year will be sentenced to more than three years in prison after pleading guilty to three felonies apiece, Alameda County prosecutors said today. Shawn Philip Wagner and Rojelio Gomez, both 21 when they were arrested in May, will also pay restitution to the 42 victims whose cars were hit by pellets. Most of the shootings happened on I-680 between Mission Boulevard and Washington Street in Fremont. The two men were also connected to nine shootings that occurred on I-880. The shootings, which took place over several months, resulted in vehicle damage and a minor injury to one driver, according to the California Highway Patrol. Wagner and Gomez each pleaded guilty to two felony counts of assault with a deadly weapon and one felony count of vandalism, authorities said. Each will be sentenced to three years and eight months in state prison." - Spidra Webster from Bookmarklet

"A worker at a Sutter Street pizza parlor was stabbed to death early this morning, and police have arrested a woman on parole for assault who they say had just visited the restaurant for a drink of water. The victim, a 28-year-old man whose name has not been released, was stabbed at 1:30 a.m. outside Bellissimo Pizza at 920 Sutter St., near Leavenworth Street, said Lt. Mike Stasko of the San Francisco police homicide detail. The victim died a short time later at San Francisco General Hospital. Stasko said the alleged assailant, 25-year-old Maryam Achekzai of Hercules, had asked a pizzeria employee for water a few minutes before the attack, then had gotten her drink and left. The victim was taking a break outside the pizzeria when Achekzai returned and stabbed him, police said. The assailant ran down the street, dropped the knife, then started to flag down motorists. A driver who stopped to pick her up later told police that the woman said someone was trying to kill her, Stasko said.... more... - Spidra Webster from Bookmarklet

That's just plain sad. Especially going into the holidays. I don't know why but senseless death around the holidays just seems exponentially more tragic to me. - tinypants - Hagitha of FF

"Hey everybody, The next Dr Sketchy's (Tuesday Nov 24th with Eva Von Slut) is the next and LAST opportunity to draw something to submit to our SF Flickr / Promotional contest. We want YOUR art to use on Dr Sketchy's SF cards, posters, email promotions, and for the website. Here’s what to do: • Draw something fabulous at Dr Sketchy's SF • Scan it • Go to www.flickr.com/groups/drsketchyssf/ • Post up to 3 drawings • Put ‘Contest’ in the photo title AND tag it ‘Contest’ • Post them by December 1st http://www.flickr.com/groups... We will pick some drawings to use for promoting Dr Sketchy’s SF. This is a great way to promote your art and get credit and notoriety!" - Spidra Webster from Bookmarklet

beautiful - Caroline

This looks like it is going to be very cool. - Spidra Webster from Bookmarklet

"Bad news for Oakland today. CQ Press has released their annual City crime rankings, and Oakland is even closer to the top of the list than usual. The rankings are based on the incidence of murder, rape, robbery, aggravated assault, burglary, and vehicle theft in all US cities with more than 75,000 residents. Out of 393 cities considered, Oakland clocked in as the 3rd most crime ridden, topped only by Camden, NJ and St. Louis, MO. Other cities joining Oakland in the top 10 include Detroit, MI, Flint, MI, New Orleans, LA, Birmingham, AL, Cleveland, OH, Jackson, MS and Memphis, TN. The past few years have seen Oakland playing musical chairs with St. Louis, Camden, and Detroit at the top of the list, ranking 4th in 2007 and 5th in 2008. Oakland's defenders are generally quick to dismiss the list, either questioning its methodology or claiming the City is just doomed to sky-high violent crime because of its demographics. In their rush to repudiate the rankings, they tend to forget that... more... - Spidra Webster from Bookmarklet

"On the night of Nov. 20, 1969, two rented boats filled with activists billing themselves "Indians of All Tribes" pulled ashore on Alcatraz. The lone inhabitant, a caretaker of the island's empty federal prison, offered no resistance beyond a few startled shouts. Saturday, a handful of those initial occupiers and their supporters returned in very different circumstances: with the government's blessing, on a ferry that services this outpost of the National Park Service that receives 1.3 million visitors a year. "This is a significant day for the island," said Howard Levitt, chief of education for the Golden Gate National Recreation Area. "The occupation is considered to be a milestone in the self-determination and civil rights movements. We honor that." The Park Service was not involved in organizing the morning-long ceremony to commemorate a 19-month event that remains a keystone in the turbulence of the late 1960s and early '70s. Nor was the ceremony linked to other events related to... more... - Spidra Webster from Bookmarklet

"An Alabama couple following directions from a GPS device got stuck and were rescued from the snowy, mountainous back road where a San Francisco man got lost and died in 2006, authorities say. The Curry County sheriff's office says Charles and Karen Hill of Florence, Ala., didn't know what conditions lay ahead when they tried to take the narrow, twisty Bear Camp road through the Coast Range of Southern Oregon. When the Hills got stuck Thursday in their two-wheel-drive pickup truck, they used a cell phone to call for help. Rescuers got to them about three hours later on four-wheel-drive vehicles and snowmobiles, the sheriff's office said. In December 2006, James Kim died of hypothermia after getting stuck in a storm and trying to walk for help. His wife and two daughters stayed with the vehicle and were later rescued. He was attempting to drive from Interstate 5 west to the Oregon coast. The Hills were driving east from coastal U.S. 101 to get to the interstate, the sheriff's office... more... - Spidra Webster from Bookmarklet

"The San Francisco police evidence lab failed to process DNA samples from the 2007 slaying of a transgender prostitute for two years, leaving the suspect free allegedly to rape and brutalize at least three other transgender women before being arrested, The Chronicle has learned. Donzell Francis, 41, of San Francisco, is now in custody and awaiting trial on kidnapping and sex assault charges stemming from an attack that happened six months after Ruby Ordenana was raped and strangled. Court records show that Francis has a long history of drug crimes, brutality and violence. In 2001, he used a razor to slash a woman's face in San Francisco and was imprisoned for five years. His DNA was placed in a state databank in 2004. After being paroled and finding work with a South San Francisco mechanical contractor, authorities say, Francis allegedly embarked on a string of savage attacks, mostly on transgender prostitutes, beginning with the slaying of Ordenana on March 16, 2007. Protocols... more... - Spidra Webster from Bookmarklet

Wow. I sort of want to walk over there and gawk. - Kendra K from Bookmarklet

OK, so I get mad: I'm a native, I'm enormously proud of my Berkeley education (which cost almost nothing, 'cause in the 60s CA actually supported higher ed), and I'm extremely frustrated. - Walt Crawford

"As hundreds of students rushed the building today where UC Regents were meeting - throwing wet red bandannas meant to look like blood - the regents' finance committee voted to recommend a 32 percent student fee increase, setting off planned protests at several UC campuses. IMAGES View More Images MORE NEWS Dems hope Palin disrupts GOP's game plan 11.19.09 More people fall behind in state taxes 11.18.09 Senate girds for historic debate on health bill 11.19.09 The vote all but ensured that the full governing board on Thursday will raise the annual price of a UC education to $10,302 for next fall. UC police in riot gear arrested at least 14 people at UCLA, where the meeting was taking place, and at least one student was injured. The meeting was shut down three times when students in the audience rose to chant against the fee increases, swear at the regents, and sing "We Shall Overcome." The vote was being protested at several UC campuses. At UC Berkeley, about 1,000 students, faculty,... more... - Spidra Webster from Bookmarklet

"Rep. Jackie Speier took one of the biggest risks of her political career recently -- she agreed to appear on "The Colbert Report" --- and the segment aired last night. How dangerous can this be? When Rep. Linda T. Sanchez (D-Lakewood) appeared on the show a while back, Colbert coaxed her into saying "I took money from Jack Abramoff" in Spanish, then berated her for doing so. It could have been worse. When Sen. Barbara Boxer was on, Colbert read aloud steamy sex scenes from her novel. It's so dangerous that Rahm Emanuel once warned Dems not to appear on the show. Nothing on that level with J.Speier. Among the highlights: Stephen tried to get Jackie to say that she was "gay-married" (since she said she not only supported gay marriage but had married gays); and asked whether she thought President Obama was a "great friend" to gay rights or "greatest friend." Given her serious demeanor, we weren't quite sure at times that Jackie was in on "The Reporrrr's" inherent satire -- but she... more... - Spidra Webster from Bookmarklet

"A shortage of funds has prompted UC Berkeley to abandon its plan to construct a new Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive downtown. The building, a distinctive and innovative design by Tokyo architect Toyo Ito estimated to cost $143 million, was to replace the museum's present, seismically endangered quarters on Bancroft Way, completed in 1970. "While the architectural plans will change," Cal Chancellor Robert J. Birgeneau said after the announcement, "what will not change is our shared goal of building a dynamic, welcoming and seismically safe new museum at the corner of Center and Oxford streets." A defunct printing plant occupies the site of the proposed museum, and the university owns the property. Museum Director Lawrence Rinder explained the decision to change course - taken by the chancellor, the museum's board president, its chairman and Rinder himself - as a consequence of the global economic downturn over the past two years. "It is ultimately the chancellor's... more... - Spidra Webster from Bookmarklet

I was trying to guess which building based on the description of it being a defunct printing press. I thought it was the old UC Print Services Bldg at Center & Oxford rather than the UC Press building a little further north. I assumed UC Press was still working in that building. - Spidra Webster

"Somewhere in San Francisco, Heidi Kooy runs what she calls the "Itty Bitty Farm in the City," which includes two chickens and a goat. Kooy is one of many Americans who have started to raise poultry in urban settings in order save money on food costs. Chickens provide eggs and natural fertilizer for gardens while eating the bugs that could harm crops." - Spidra Webster from Bookmarklet

"As the University of California's Board of Regents considers steep fee increases today, students, faculty members and union workers on several UC campuses were preparing to leave their classes and jobs for the first of a three-day protest. The combined labor strike and walkout of classes will target layoffs, furloughs and cuts to programs across the UC system in the wake of severe reductions in state funding for higher education. Thousands of students and UC employees were expected to converge on Berkeley's Sproul Plaza for a noontime rally today, to be followed by a march, organizers said. It is the first major protest over budget cuts since Sept. 24, when an estimated 5,000 demonstrators participated in a walkout and rally at UC Berkeley and smaller demonstrations were held on other campuses. Meeting in Los Angeles, the regents are expected to approve a 32 percent student fee increase, the eighth hike since 2002, pushing annual tuition above the $10,000 mark for the first time.... more... - Spidra Webster from Bookmarklet

"Andrea Lewis had the kind of rich, deep voice that was made for radio, her vocation for the last decade of her life, or for singing, her lifelong passion. Ms. Lewis, a program host and news anchor at KPFA-FM in Berkeley and a contributor to the Progressive magazine and other publications on the political left, died of a heart attack Sunday at her home in San Francisco. She was 52. Ms. Lewis, a native of Detroit, came to KPFA in 1999 without radio experience, having worked as an editor for Mother Jones magazine, Pacific News Service and other Bay Area media organizations for 16 years. She was hired as co-host of the station's main public affairs program, a two-hour weekday morning show. "She was a natural fit for radio, calm and thoughtful," said Lisa Rothman, the show's executive producer. "If someone said something she disagreed with, she would reflect and figure out how to talk about it. And she had that amazing deep, warm, compassionate voice." Ms. Lewis took a year off in 2007-08... more... - Spidra Webster from Bookmarklet