San Francisco, CA
Wilmer Flores homers again to help San Francisco Giants cap sweep of Houston Astros | TSN
HOUSTON (AP) — Wilmer Flores homered again and Luis Matos and LaMonte Wade Jr. also went deep to lead the San Francisco Giants to a 6-3 win over the Houston Astros on Wednesday to complete a three-game sweep.
It’s the fourth home run this season for Flores, who hit just four in 71 games last season. His four homers were tied with Aaron Judge, Kyle Tucker and Seiya Suzuki for second-most in the majors entering Wednesday night’s games.
Flores got things going with his two-run shot to the seats in left field off Framber Valdez (1-1) with one out in the first. Matos made it 3-0 with his shot to center field to start the second.
Heliot Ramos doubled with one out in the inning to extend his streak with an extra-base hit to six games to start the season, tying Felipe Alou (1963) for the longest such streak in franchise history. The double drove in two runs to push the lead to 5-0.
Jeremy Peña walked and stole second base with two outs in the second before scoring on a single to center field by Zach Dezenzo to cut the lead to 5-1.
Valdez allowed four hits and five runs with nine strikeouts in five innings after throwing seven scoreless frames on opening day.
The Astros loaded the bases with no outs in the fifth to chase Landen Roupp. Randy Rodríguez (1-0) took over and Yordan Alvarez hit a two-run single to cut the lead to 5-3. But Rodríguez retired the next three batters, with two strikeouts, to limit the damage.
Roupp allowed four hits and three runs with eight strikeouts in four-plus innings. Camilo Doval pitched a scoreless ninth for his second save.
Wade’s pinch-hit home run with one out in the eighth was his first hit after opening the season 0 for 16.
Key moment
Rodríguez’s performance in the fifth in working out of the jam to keep the Giants on top.
Key stat
It’s the first time the Giants have swept the Astros since August 28-30, 2012, in Houston’s last season in the National League.
Up next
The Giants are off Thursday before Justin Verlander (0-0, 3.60 ERA) starts their home opener against Seattle on Friday. Houston opens a series at Minnesota on Thursday with Hunter Brown (0-1, 3.00) on the mound.
___
AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb
San Francisco, CA
San Francisco: Anti-ICE protester gets probation for ‘depredation’ of ICE van’s tire
SAN FRANCISCO — A protester who was initially charged with misdemeanor assault has been sentenced to probation for a less serious offense, ending a federal prosecution that only started four months ago, court records show.
On Dec. 8, Angelica Guerrero, 35, pleaded guilty to misdemeanor “depredation” of an ICE van’s tire — a fancy legal term for slashing it with a knife. The same day, a federal judge sentenced Guerrero to probation, according to a minute order of the hearing.
The charge stemmed from an Aug. 20 protest, when Guerrero slashed the tire of an unmarked Chevrolet van being used in an ongoing “enforcement and removal” operation by the Department of Homeland Security on the 100 block of Montgomery Street, according to prosecutors. The complaint alleges that Guerrero “made repeated threats” against one of the officers, including stating, “I’m going to (expletive) you up” and “I’m going after your family,” as well as threatening to stab the officer.
Guerrero was released within 48 hours but complained of “barbaric” conditions inside Santa Rita Jail, during an interview with ABC7.
San Francisco, CA
Beloved 11-Year-Old Bay Area Italian Restaurant Is Closing Its Doors For Good
BAY AREA, CA — Vespucci, a longtime Italian restaurant in San Mateo, will close permanently at the end of the year after 11 years in business, its owners announced this week.
Dec. 31 will be the restaurant’s final day of service, according to a message shared by owners Manuela Fumasi and Francesco Zaccaro, who reflected on more than a decade of serving the local community.
“From the moment we opened our doors, this community welcomed us with a warmth and kindness we will never forget,” the owners wrote. “As Italian immigrants, far from our first home, you made San Mateo feel like our home.”
The couple described the restaurant’s run as a “beautiful adventure,” acknowledging that it was often challenging but filled with meaningful connections, friendships and lasting memories. They thanked customers for celebrating milestones with them and for supporting the business over the years.
“This decision hasn’t been easy, but we know it is the right one for us at this time,” they said.
Vespucci has been a fixture in San Mateo’s dining scene since opening in 2015, offering Italian cuisine and serving as a neighborhood gathering spot for residents and regulars alike.
Inside, all of the artworks displayed were created by Maestro Vittorio Fumasi, with several pieces having been exhibited in major art shows in Italy and internationally. While some works predate the restaurant, others — including the low-relief piece “Italy” and the high-relief portraits of Vespucci — were commissioned specifically for the space.
Fumasi has also adorned Vespucci’s dining tables with her own artwork, and said some of those pieces will be offered for sale after the restaurant closes, allowing longtime customers to take home “a piece of Vespucci,” she told the San Mateo Daily Journal.
“We are going to miss you all,” the owners wrote. “With all our affection.”
The restaurant is located in downtown San Mateo at 147 E 3rd Ave. The menu can be found here.
San Francisco, CA
What have San Francisco police been doing at 16th and Mission?
It’s been nearly 300 days since Mayor Daniel Lurie announced a plan to clean up the 16th Street BART Plaza.
To mark the occasion, Mission Local is adding a new tool for tracking his promises: A dashboard, updated daily, that notes the arrests and citations issued by San Francisco police officers in a 300-meter radius around 16th and Mission streets.
Our dashboard uses daily incident reports filed by officers to track the enforcement of common violations, including drug-related offenses or disorderly conduct.
The San Francisco Police Department releases incident reports with a 24-hour lag. Our dashboard updates daily at noon to include the most current data: Arrests and citations issued the day before.
While the number of incident reports may form the basis of official crime statistics, it would be wrong to think of them as the “official” count, according to the SFPD. There are groups doing outreach work in the plazas, like Ahsing Solutions, that do not regularly release public data quantifying their activities, for example.
What this police data does show, over time, is where the police department is focusing resources and attention.
For example, reports show that in March 2025, after Lurie stated his intention to crack down around 16th and Mission streets, there was a massive spike in arrests and citations. This does not necessarily mean drug-related crimes increased in the vicinity, but simply that, spurred by the mayor’s statement, police officers began enforcing more proactively.
Use our interactive graphics to explore the number and reasons for arrests and citations issued, and keep tabs on trends in SFPD’s enforcement around the 16th Street BART plaza.
You can read our ongoing coverage of the crackdown on 16th Street plaza here.
Arrests and citations issued in last 6 months around 16th and Mission
You can access our archive, with arrests and citations data from 2018, here.
The calendar below shows a snapshot of the arrests and citations issued around a 300-meter radius of the 16th Street BART Plaza for the last six months.
The darker the date, the more arrests and citations took place that day.
The department continuously updates the status of incident reports as they are investigated, and it is possible that the official statistics reported by SFPD to the California Department of Justice may differ from our numbers.
The data below should be considered the most accurate moment-in-time representation of arrests and citations on the day they were filed. Hover over each date to see the reasons for each arrest or citation.
Drug incidents around 16th and Mission
Arrests and citations issued for drug-related offenses skyrocketed earlier this year, after Mayor Lurie made the plaza one of his targets to show how the city can make a difference.
Explore the number of drug-related arrests and citations issued by SFPD around 16th and Mission each month since 2018.
Data for the most recent month will always be incomplete (and consequently lower) because it includes only arrests and citations through yesterday, while previous months reflect full monthly totals.
Drug incidents at 16th and Mission vs. citywide
In most years, the area around 16th and Mission accounts for a majority of the Mission’s drug-related police enforcement.
In the spring of 2025, this area, which accounts for a mere 0.2 percent of the city’s geographical landmass, was responsible for nearly 27 percent of San Francisco’s drug incident reports that resulted in an arrest or citation.
During the pandemic, drug-related arrests and citations dropped to an all-time-low around 16th and Mission but it has recently surpassed pre-pandemic levels.
Most common incidents around 16th and Mission
The table below shows the top 15 offense categories at 16th and Mission, ranked by total number of arrests and citations, over the past 12 months. The sparkline — the small line chart — shows how each category has changed month to month, and the percentage compares the current year to the year before.
We use a rolling 12-month window (365 days from yesterday’s date), rather than a calendar year, so the data stays current. Because the dashboard updates daily, the most recent month will always be incomplete, but using a full year of data minimizes the impact of any one partial month on the overall totals.
-
Iowa3 days agoAddy Brown motivated to step up in Audi Crooks’ absence vs. UNI
-
Washington1 week agoLIVE UPDATES: Mudslide, road closures across Western Washington
-
Iowa4 days agoHow much snow did Iowa get? See Iowa’s latest snowfall totals
-
Maine1 day agoElementary-aged student killed in school bus crash in southern Maine
-
Maryland3 days agoFrigid temperatures to start the week in Maryland
-
Technology7 days agoThe Game Awards are losing their luster
-
South Dakota4 days agoNature: Snow in South Dakota
-
Nebraska1 week agoNebraska lands commitment from DL Jayden Travers adding to early Top 5 recruiting class