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San Francisco under fire for program giving booze to homeless alcoholics: 'Where's the recovery in all this?'

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San Francisco under fire for program giving booze to homeless alcoholics: 'Where's the recovery in all this?'

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A $5 million pilot program bringing free beer, wine and vodka shots to San Francisco’s homeless alcoholics aims to relieve the city’s emergency services, but one addict-turned-recovery advocate says the effort misses the mark and only delays recovery for those who need it.

“It’s not a good idea, not when you consider the fact that, over the last four years, San Francisco spent $20 million to basically service a total of a couple of hundred people… by giving them free vodka and beer. For that amount of money, we could have funded 60 drug treatment beds instead,” Tom Wolf, founder of the Pacific Alliance for Prevention and Recovery, told “Fox & Friends First.”

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“You really have to ask, where’s the recovery in all of this? What is the desired outcome of this program? They say it’ll save money, but we just spent $20 million bucks over the last four years. You have to really ask, ‘is it saving money, and is it making a difference?’” 

SAN FRANCISCO BUYS VODKA SHOTS FOR HOMELESS ALCOHOLICS IN TAXPAYER-FUNDED PROGRAM

A San Franciscan program aims to curb emergency room visits and hospital stays by mitigating the effects of alcohol withdrawal with a “Managed Alcohol Program.” (iStock)

The city’s “Managed Alcohol Program” is operated by its Department of Public Health and focuses on administering limited quantities of alcohol to prevent serious side effects of withdrawal.

It’s backed by some experts who say it can save lives. Others like Wolf, meanwhile, insist the taxpayer funds would be better suited for treatment and sobriety programs.

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“What also accomplishes that goal is actually drug treatment,” he said of its efficacy. “It may reduce those [emergency] calls and thereby save money but, again, we’re spending $5 million a year to give people free alcohol…” 

BLUE STATE DEMS TURN ON GOVERNOR AS HOMELESS COUNCIL CAN’T ACCOUNT FOR $20B IN SPENDING

People inhabit encampments on the streets of San Francisco, California on Saturday, April 15, 2023. Homelessness and drug use have been significant concerns for San Francisco. (Flight Risk for Fox News Digital)

Wolf, a recovering heroin addict, once lived on the street. He said a similar program tailored toward his addiction would have either kept him on the street or he would be dead by now.

“I don’t really see what the benefit is of all of this, and I’m glad it was exposed,” he said.

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The program also offers life skills classes and cultural outings for patients, the San Francisco Chronicle reported.

The outlet also said the city’s public health department claims to have found a drop in emergency room visits as well as a reduced hospital stays and emergency calls as a result of the program.

Fox News’ Chris Pandolfo contributed to this report.

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Washington

Stabbing at Washington state high school injures 6, including suspect, police say

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Stabbing at Washington state high school injures 6, including suspect, police say


TACOMA, Wash. (AP) — A student at a Tacoma high school was booked on five counts of first-degree assault after four students and an adult security guard were wounded in a stabbing at the school Thursday, police said.

The Tacoma Fire Department took five people to hospitals from Foss High School, with four of the patients in critical condition and one with minor injuries, said Chelsea Shepherd, a spokesperson for the department.

A sixth person was in police custody and taken to a hospital with minor injuries, she said. All were in stable condition as of late afternoon.

All of those wounded were either stabbed or cut, said Shelbie Boyd, a spokesperson for the Tacoma Police Department. The suspect was among those cut in the altercation.

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The school went into lockdown at 1:38 p.m. after the violence began and students were safely dismissed at 2:45 p.m., Tacoma Public Schools said in a statement.

“The school is secure, and we are currently investigating,” Boyd said, adding that a reunification area had been set up at the school for parents to pick up their students

School and after-school activities for Friday were canceled. The school will reopen Monday with counselors on site to support students and staff.

“We are grateful for the quick, calm action of our staff and our first responders,” the district said.

Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

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Wyoming

Rising fuel costs are squeezing a Wyoming landscaping business — and customers could feel it soon

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Rising fuel costs are squeezing a Wyoming landscaping business — and customers could feel it soon


WYOMING, Mich. — Tryston Crain has been mowing lawns since he was a kid. He started with a couple of houses in his neighborhood, before turning it into a full fledged business.

Now, rising fuel prices are threatening to squeeze his small landscaping business — and potentially his customer’s wallets, too.

WXMI

Trystan Crain has owned his own lawn scaping business since he was 16.

Crain started Crain Lawn and Landscape in high school, at the age of 16. Today, he serves more than 60 clients every week in the Wyoming area.

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“I’m an owner operator with a couple guys that work with me on bigger projects, but primarily just myself,” Crain said.

With dozens of clients to serve, Crain and his crew make frequent trips to the gas pump — filling up trucks two to three times a week, on top of fueling their four mowers.

Crain's truck

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Crain’s has been around for 6 years, helping over 60 clients a week.

I asked Crain what kind of impact rising fuel prices have had on his business.

“When you jump up $1 a gallon, that’s 30 gallons, three times a week. That’s $100 a week just for the truck, $400 a month, and you got the mowers on top of that. So, at this rate it’s almost $1,000 extra a month,” Crain said.

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WATCH: Rising fuel costs are squeezing a Wyoming landscaping business — and customers could feel it soon

Rising fuel costs are squeezing a Wyoming landscaping business — and customers could feel it soon

That added cost is forcing Crain to pull money away from growing his business just to keep up with daily operations.

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“When we go into budget, with what we want to spend on, you know, X, Y and Z, and we have to take out money that we would usually put into reinvesting, growing the business back into just our daily operations. It hurts us,” Crain said.

Mower in trailer

WXMI

As fuel prices continue to rise, its having an impact on Crain’s and their budgeting.

Crain said he does not want to pass those costs on to his customers — but may have no choice if prices stay high.

“When they’re struggling with all their rising prices, you know, groceries on top of everything else, rent, gas, everything’s going up. So it’s just not something that I want to put on to them. But if it gets to a point where it keeps going up or stays this high for a while, it’s something that you might have to think about,” Crain said.

This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.

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San Francisco, CA

San Francisco’s free, discounted childcare program adds over 700 new spots

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San Francisco’s free, discounted childcare program adds over 700 new spots


More San Francisco families will soon have access to free or discounted childcare thanks to an expansion of a city program announced Thursday by Mayor Daniel Lurie. 

Who’s eligible for free or discounted childcare in San Francisco?

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Dig deeper:

Under the mayor’s expansion of the city’s Family Opportunity Agenda, nearly 750 more children will have access to free or discounted care. To be eligible for free childcare, families must earn less than 150% of the city’s annual median income, $230,000. Families who earn under 200% of the median income – $310,000 – will receive a 50% subsidy for childcare.

The program expansion will offer more than 700 childcare spots, with a focus on infants and toddlers in the Sunset, Parkside, Richmond, Mission, Bayview, Portola, Mission Bay, Excelsior, Glen Park, and SoMa neighborhoods, the mayor’s office said.

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“The new slots will expand the city’s early childhood system for infants and toddlers by more than 8%—broadening access to affordable, high-quality childcare for working families,” the city said, in part, in a statement Thursday.

What is San Francisco’s Family Opportunity Agenda?

Big picture view:

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The mayor’s Family Opportunity Agenda was launched in January to make housing, childcare, education and more necessary resources affordable for San Francisco residents. 

“When families have access to quality, affordable childcare, they can stay and build a life in San Francisco,” Lurie said. “For children, it supports their academic and emotional growth long before kindergarten. And for our entire city, it strengthens our future—helping families stay and keeping our communities strong.”

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For more information on the city’s childcare program, click here.

How much does childcare cost?

According to the Public Policy Institute of California, full-time childcare for pre-school-age children can cost anywhere between $9,000 and $24,000 per year. For children under the age of two, the cost rises from $11,000 to $29,000, research shows.

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Data from the U.S. Census Bureau in 2024 shows California has the third-highest costs for childcare across the U.S., at an average $16,945 per year.

The Source: Office of San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie

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