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This popular California camp is 100 years old

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This popular California camp is 100 years old


A beloved and storied family camp where memories have been made by generations of San Franciscans, including one who later became a Supreme Court justice, is celebrating a milestone 100th anniversary.

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San Francisco’s Camp Mather is located just outside the gates of Yosemite National Park in Tuolumne County. 

The city first came to the area during the construction of the O’Shaughnessy Dam which til today along with Hetch Hetchy Regional Water System supplies drinking water to San Francisco. The site was built as a sawmill.

“When the O’Shaughnessy Dam was completed, many of the facilities were no longer needed,” the city’s recreation and parks department wrote on its website, adding, “In the mid 1920’s, the City of San Francisco designated the property for use as a family recreation area.”

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Over the past 100 years, the site, nestled among towering pine trees, has served as a getaway for the city’s residents seeking to get off the grid for a respite away from city life and be immersed in nature. 

“Camp Mather offers city residents a unique weeklong outdoor experience, with activities including horseback riding, swimming, hiking, arts and crafts, a ropes course, tennis, archery, campfire talent shows and more,” the San Francisco Recreation and Park Department said. 

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Campers take part in a wide range of activities at Camp Mather in Groveland, Calif., which is marking its 100th anniversary.  (San Francisco Recreation and Parks )

Generations of families have spent summer days at Camp Mather, which has also served as a launchpad for scenic trips to surrounding iconic locations, including Yosemite Valley and the Tuolumne Meadows.   

File of Camp Mather attendees around the camp fire.  (San Francisco Recreation and Parks )

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The rich history of Camp Mather dates back even before the pioneers settled in California, as the land was home to a group of Miwok Indians. 

The city’s rec and park department said, today there are still reminders and evidence of the Miwok’s presence as artifacts once belonging to the indigenous people were occasionally discovered in the area.

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Mather has stood the test of time and the wrath of nature, surviving wildfire threats including the massive Rim Fire back in 2013.

Among the list of notable figures that have come through was retired Supreme Court Justice and San Francisco native Stephen Breyer who worked at Mather as a teenager, according to park officials.

On the Friends of Camp Mather website, he’s quoted as speaking about his experience at Camp Mather, describing it as a communal environment where “Anyone could go.” 

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Breyer went on to say, “You had a mix of the families of firemen, policemen, and doctors and lawyers. They all felt an obligation to be part of the community and to contribute to the community.”

Parks officials said today, the site carried that same spirit. The camp hosts inclusive “special weeks” like those designated for families with kids with disabilities, as well as those designed for seniors and a special program for “justice-involved youth,” parks spokesperson Tamara Aparton shared with KTVU.

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Due to the intense popularity of Camp Mather, the city has set up a lottery which opens in December. Both residents and non-residents can sign up, but the lottery does prioritize resident requests first.

Low-income San Francisco residents may be eligible for a discounted rate.

Either cabin or tent site rentals are offered during the weekly reservation schedule, which started June 2 this season. The final week of camp goes from August 11 to 17.

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For residents, lodging fees run from as low as $322 a week for a six-person tent site to $1,367 for a six-person cabin.

Tradition runs deep at Camp Mather with folks returning year after year to create more memories.

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“Our oldest employee (in his mid-90s) works there leading nature hikes, and also worked there as a high school kid,” Aparton shared.

A scroll through the Camp Mather Facebook page shows scenic photso posted by visitors over the years, conjuring up images of childhood summers spent in the warm outdoors.

One Camp Mather attendee posted about his and his family’s activity-filled stay earlier this month. 

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“Arts and crafts, ropes course, archery, nature walks, talent show, definitely old timey camp vibes,” Matt Gripp said. “If you got little ones and live in SF try to get into the lottery.”

This story was reported from Oakland, Calif. 

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San Francisco Camp Mather near Yosemite National Park celebrates 100 years of tradition.  (San Francisco Recreation and Parks )



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Two California Powerhouse Football Programs Will Clash For First Time Since 2015

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Two California Powerhouse Football Programs Will Clash For First Time Since 2015


Two of California’s most storied high school football programs are set to clash this upcoming 2026 season.

Concord De La Salle will host Corona Centennial on September 25 this upcoming fall in a supreme NorCal versus SoCal matchup. It will be the first time the two programs play against each other since they met in the 2015 state championship. De La Salle won 28-21.

De La Salle (12-1 in 2025) is coming off another championship season after winning the North Coast Section Open Division title with a 24-17 win over Pittsburg.

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Centennial (11-2) didn’t take home any silverware, but had one of the program’s most successful seasons after beating Mater Dei twice and earning its way to the CIF Southern Section Division 1 final.

WHAT MAKES THE MATCHUP LEGENDARY?

When considering the winning tradition and history of each program, it’s not hard to dial this game up as a marquee matchup. It will certainly be labeled the ‘Game of the Week’ locally and regionally, and maybe even nationally.

De La Salle is most notably known for its historic 151-game winning streak from 1992 to 2004. The program has won 40 CIF North Coast Section titles, 18 CIF State titles, and six national championships, according to the school’s website.

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Centennial has won 10 CIF Southern Section championships, all under coach Matt Logan. The Huskies won a CIF State title in 2008, and that win came over De La Salle led by NFL linebacker

COACHING PEDIGREE

The coaching matchup makes this game special, too. But there’s where Centennial might have the edge with Matt Logan, who has more than 300 wins in his career along with 10 CIF titles.

Logan became just the 15th coach in California history to reach the 300-win mark this past October. Simi Valley’s Jim Benkert, who currently sits at 314, is the only other active coach, according to history records kept by CalHiSports. Logan started at Centennial in 1997.

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De La Salle’s Justin Alumbaugh will enter his 14th season at the helm this coming fall. He’s won the top division in the North Coast Section every year since he’s been at the controls. Alumbaugh holds a career coaching record of 148-21.

CENTENNIAL 2026 SCHEDULE

  • AUG. 21: at Servite
  • AUG. 28: vs. Santa Margarita
  • SEPT. 11: at Mater Dei
  • SEPT. 18: vs. Rancho Cucamonga
  • SEPT. 25: at De La Salle
  • OCT. 2: at Vista Murrieta*
  • OCT. 9: vs. Murrieta Valley*
  • OCT. 15: vs. Norco*
  • OCT. 23: at Chaparral*
  • OCT. 29: at Murrieta Mesa*

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De La Salle has not released its 2026 schedule yet.



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Uber and Rivian plan to bring robotaxis to California

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Uber and Rivian plan to bring robotaxis to California


Uber is expanding its role in the robotaxi industry through a new partnership with Rivian, the Irvine-based electric-vehicle maker.

Uber and Rivian announced a partnership Thursday that could bring up to 50,000 self-driving R2 vehicles to cities across the U.S., Canada and Europe by 2031.

The Rivian robotaxis would be available exclusively through Uber’s ride-hailing app.

The partnership will begin with Uber’s purchase of 10,000 fully autonomous R2s, with the option to purchase 40,000 more in 2030. Uber’s investment is subject to the achievement of autonomous performance milestones, the companies said in a news release.

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Uber could invest as much as $1.25 billion in Rivian through 2031. It already has committed to spending $300 million on the effort.

The first robotaxi deployments are planned for San Francisco and Miami in 2028, followed by 23 more cities, the release said.

“We couldn’t be more excited about this partnership with Uber,” Rivian Chief Executive RJ Scaringe said in a statement. “It will help accelerate our path to level 4 autonomy to create one of the safest and most convenient autonomous platforms in the world.”

The R2 is Rivian’s highly anticipated lower-priced SUV, starting at $48,490 for consumers in 2027. Investors hope the more affordable model will boost sales amid declining federal support for electric vehicles.

The company impressed investors with better than expected yearly earnings last month, but has laid off hundreds of employees over the last year.

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Rivian is just the latest robotaxi partnership for Uber, which has established itself as a key player in the burgeoning market of self-driving cars.

Last month, Uber announced a set of services known as Uber Autonomous Solutions to offer robotaxi ventures access to its customers, data and software.

Uber is partnering with Volkswagen to bring self-driving ID. Buzz minivans to Los Angeles this year. It’s also teamed up with Silicon Valley-based EV maker Lucid to launch robotaxis later this year and has partnered with robotaxi leader Waymo in Austin and Atlanta.

Rivian announced its third-generation autonomy platform in December, which will launch in the R2 in late 2026. It includes 11 cameras, five radars and one lidar, a laser-based radar.

Rivian robotaxis will compete against Waymo, which operates in 10 major cities, and Elon Musk’s Tesla.

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Amazon-backed Zoox also is serving the public in San Francisco and Las Vegas in purpose-built, pill-shaped autonomous vehicles with no steering wheel or gas pedal.

Uber shares, which have slid around 8% this year, gave up around 2% on Thursday, closing at $75.34. Rivian shares, which have fallen 18% this year, rose nearly 4% to $16.12.



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Central California health leaders monitor for tuberculosis, stressing testing and treatment

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Central California health leaders monitor for tuberculosis, stressing testing and treatment


FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) — Thousands of people in California are diagnosed with tuberculosis each year. Health leaders in Central California say they continue monitoring cases closely across the region.

State health data show that in 2025, more than 2,100 people were infected with tuberculosis statewide.

“Tuberculosis is highly contagious. It can be transferred from one person to another simply by talking, singing, coughing or sneezing. This bacteria can be transmitted from one person to another,” said Leticia Berber, a health education specialist with the Fresno County Department of Public Health.

Tuberculosis typically affects the lungs and appears in two forms: active and inactive, also known as latent TB.

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“The latent is often referred to as like bacteria that are asleep in your body, and so you can’t get sick from it. You can’t spread it to others,” said Dr. Ignacio Santana, Merced County health officer. “Active TB, on the other hand, which is a second form, the bacteria are awake and they’re making people sick.”

Health leaders in Central California say they are consistently testing and treating latent cases of tuberculosis.

According to the California Department of Public Health, Fresno County reported 50 cases of tuberculosis in 2025, while Merced County reported five cases. In 2024, Fresno County recorded 52 cases and Merced County reported 11.

Santana said health officials remain vigilant, adding that many tuberculosis cases originate outside the United States.

“80% of the TB cases in the US are due to people who are born in a high-incidence country,” he said.

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Berber said Fresno County has documented 15 tuberculosis cases so far this year. Health leaders say tuberculosis can be treated, particularly when diagnosed early.

“If we have a latent TB, this individual can take medication for up to three months. Every day, there is a pill to take. This treatment can take up to three to 12 months, depending on the individual’s health status,” Berber said.

Active tuberculosis cases require more aggressive treatment.

Health officials say recognizing symptoms early, wearing masks and undergoing screening remain the most effective ways to prevent the spread of tuberculosis.

For news updates, follow Ana Torrea on Facebook, X and Instagram.

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