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Chinatown YMCA spotlights cooking students’ skills and heritage

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Chinatown YMCA spotlights cooking students’ skills and heritage


SAN FRANCISCO — Once a safe haven for Chinese immigrants facing discrimination, the Chinatown YMCA in San Francisco is now a vibrant hub welcoming youth of all backgrounds with cultural activities like cooking classes.

Each day, Titikor Paisansiri walks through a grand, far-East-style entrance at the YMCA in San Francisco’s Chinatown where he teaches culinary classes to teens. Once a mentee now a mentor, he gives back by serving kids in the community.

“Teens can kind of come here and not worry so much about, like, money or what high school you go to, they all come from anywhere in the city to this one spot which is Chinatown YMCA and they have a great time,” he said.

That is precisley the kind of safe haven Reverend Chan hoped for back in 1911 when the Chinatown YMCA was established.

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From services for new immigrants to access to quality recreational experiences, the thriving cultural hub has been serving members of all backgrounds for over a century.

Paisansiri says teaching teens about specialty Asian dishes as an homage to the neighborhood means much to him because of some cultural misunderstandings he dealt with as a teen of Thai ancestry. He recalls some of those dishes his mom packed for him at school.

“Its like fried beef jerky, almost like a very Thai style. And they become like little brown pieces of beef jerky because they’re dried, essentially, and I just remember I dropped it one time on the floor and a kid was saying it looked like turd, so I remember that day I was super sad or disappointed. But when you’re a kid, you look at things in such a one-dimensional view … Thinking about it now, I’m more sad that I dropped the food rather than him saying anything because the food tastes great, my mom makes amazing food so I’ll never be ashamed of that anymore,” he explained.

Now, his confidence as a teacher has grown. He loves empowering his students at the center. From understanding kitchen etiquette to learning new recipes, students like Margaret Chan say all the new knowledge is inspiring.

“The thing I enjoy the most about this program is just like the trial and error. But then, in the end, how we manage to just, like, top all those failures and come out with something successful makes me really happy,” Chan said.

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And learning how to properly sear duck is not the only perk of the culinary program, according to Paisansiri. The experience allows teens to expand their community and learn more about their own interests.

“I want them to know that the Y and me and all other adults will do our best to push them to pursue whatever they love, whether it be cooking or, like, things they can take from cooking like being organized, clean and being ready, I want them to take all those things and push into what they love doing and finding what they love to do.”



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San Francisco, CA

Women’s volleyball professional team headed to San Francisco

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Women’s volleyball professional team headed to San Francisco


Pro volleyball will soon be coming to San Francisco and this latest team is part of a surge of women’s sports.

League One Volleyball officially launched this year with six teams. Now the league has announced it’s expanding to nine teams, and that one of those expansion teams will be based in the city by the bay.

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Three-time Olympic volleyball medalist Kelsy Robinson Cook is on the ownership team for LOVB San Francisco, bringing professional volleyball to the city. “Can tell you it’s going to be amazing,” said Robinson Cook. “Then, when you bring in the fandom of the Bay Area and SF I think personally it’s going to make for an incredible atmosphere.”

Team ownership said starting a team in the Bay Area is a natural with colleges and universities in the region turning out top talent. “It’s the number one sport for women and girls and I think that just speaks volumes as to where we’re headed, not only in club and college, but professionally,” said Robinson Cook.

Pro women’s volleyball is part of a growing list of professional women’s sports teams calling San Francisco and the Bay Area home.

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The women’s professional baseball league announced plans for a team in San Francisco. Bay FC and the Golden State Valkyries are already proving there is a market for professional women’s sports.

When pro-volleyball was looking to expand, San Francisco was a natural choice. “You’re seeing Bay FC, the Valkyries, the success that they have, and this market loves sports, and they’ve also proven they love women’s sports,” said Robinson Cook.

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San Francisco leaders said the city has already proven that it supports pro-women’s teams, and will welcome professional volleyball. Mayor Daniel Lurie pointed to the city’s rich sports history and enthusiasm to support the home teams. “Now, as we saw with the Valkyries selling out every single home game last year, there is an appetite, there is a fan base, and this new league understands that,” said Mayor Lurie.

At this time, there are still a lot of questions up in the air, including exactly where LOVB San Francisco will play. Organizers say they have a lot of plans in the works to get the team ready to bump, set and spike starting in January 2027.

 

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Body cam footage released in South San Francisco police shooting

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Body cam footage released in South San Francisco police shooting


(KRON) — The South San Francisco Police Department released video Thursday showing what led up to two officers shooting a man who authorities said was armed with a knife.

On December 8 at around 5:10 a.m., police arrived at the 900 block of Sandra Court on the report of a man under the influence of drugs and making threats to kill himself. When officers made contact with the man, identified as 28-year-old Luis Francisco-Manzo, he initially complied with orders, authorities said.

Officer-worn body camera video shows Francisco-Manzo walking toward officers in the entrance hallway of an apartment complex with his arms raised. A small dog barks as officers give repeated commands. Suddenly, Francisco-Manzo appears in the entranceway next to officers as one calls out, “He’s got a knife.”

South San Francisco Police Department officers shot Luis Francisco-Manzo on December 8, 2025. Authorities said Francisco-Manzo charged at officers while armed with a knife. (Photo: South San Francisco Police Department)

Officer Brendan Hart, who has been with SSFPD for eight years, fired a Taser at Francisco-Manzo, but it did not have the intended effect, police said.

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Four gunshots are heard in the body camera video. Police said Officer Hart and Officer Martin Corona were the officers who discharged their weapons. Officer Corona has seven years of law enforcement experience with over four years at SSFPD.

(Photo: South San Francisco Police Department)

Francisco-Manzo was transported to the hospital in critical condition. On Thursday, authorities said he continues to recover in the hospital. No officers were injured in the incident.

The police shooting remains under investigation by the San Mateo County District Attorney’s Office.



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Pedestrian killed in San Francisco hit-and-run crash

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Pedestrian killed in San Francisco hit-and-run crash


A hit-and-run crash in San Francisco on Wednesday evening left a pedestrian dead.

Driver fled scene

What we know:

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According to the San Francisco Police Department, the crash happened around 6:05 p.m. in the 5500 block of Mission Street. The driver fled the scene after striking the pedestrian.

The victim died at the scene.

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Officers have not yet provided a description of the suspect vehicle involved in the incident.

No further details were immediately released. 

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