SAN FRANCISCO — A photojournalist who captured one of the most enduring images of World War II — the U.S. Marines raising the flag on the Japanese island of Iwo Jima — will have a block in downtown San Francisco named for him Thursday.

Joe Rosenthal, who died in 2006 at age 94, was working for The Associated Press in 1945 when he took the Pulitzer Prize-winning photo.

After the war, he went to work as a staff photographer for the San Francisco Chronicle, and for 35 years until his retirement in 1981, he captured moments of city life both extraordinary and routine.

Rosenthal photographed famous people for the paper, including a young Willie Mays getting his hat fitted as a San Francisco Giant in 1957, and regular people, including children making a joyous dash for freedom on the last day of school in 1965.

Tom Graves, chapter historian for the USMC Combat Correspondents Association, which pushed for the street naming, said it was a shame the talented and humble Rosenthal is known by most for just one photograph.

“From kindergarten to parades, to professional and amateur sports games, he was the hometown photographer,” he told the Chronicle. “I think that’s something that San Francisco should recognize and cherish.”

The 600 block of Sutter Street near downtown’s Union Square will become Joe Rosenthal Way. The Marines Memorial Club, which sits on the block, welcomes the street’s new name.

Rosenthal never considered himself a wartime hero, just a working photographer lucky enough to document the courage of soldiers.

When complimented on his Pulitzer Prize-winning photo, Rosenthal said: “Sure, I took the photo. But the Marines took Iwo Jima.”

Following efforts to try to replace All Star quality shortstop Brandon Crawford, the San Francisco Giants finally have their answer.

ESPN indicates the Giants have agreed to sign Willy Adames, a good hitting, right-handed hitter, to a seven-year, $182 million contract.

His contract calls for Adames to be paid $36 million until 2031, when he will be 36-years-old.

It is being reported that the new Adames contract includes a full no-trade clause.

Willie Adames will become the highest paid player on the Giants roster.

An international free agent from the Dominican Republic, the Detroit Tigers signed Adames in July 2012.

The Tigers gave Adames a signing bonus of $420,000.

In July 2014, the Tigers traded Adames to the Tampa Bay Rays in a three-team deal that included the Tigers, the Seattle Mariners and the Rays.

The Rays traded Adames to the Milwaukee Brewers in May 2021.

Adames has completed parts of seven years in Major League Baseball, with the Giants becoming his fourth team.

Adames made his major league debut at the age of 22, when he was playing for the Rays.

Adames played for the Milwaukee Brewers for the past four seasons.

Adames, 29, will be looked upon to stabilize a Giants position that has been challenging to the team’s front office.

Adames is coming off a Brewers season when he hit 32 home runs, and drove in 112 runs.

Advantages Adames Brings The Giants:

The Giants have been challenged to find an impactful hitter for their lineup.

The Giants have had some outstanding pitching performances in recent years, but clutch hitting has not been a team strength.

Willy Adames addresses that need.

The Giants are adding a player at the shortstop position who is capable of hitting the ball to the gaps, or over the fence.

Adames is a streaky, but competent hitter.

When Adames is on one of his “hot” streaks, he can carry a team.

The Brewers will be hard pressed to replace those 32 homers from the shortstop position. Their loss will be a main gain for San Francisco.

The Giants can use the type of firepower Adames can bring to the middle of their lineup.

rosterresource.com lists Adames as the potential cleanup hitter in the Giants batting order.

For this old scout, the length of Adames’ new contract could be an issue. He could certainly struggle in the final few years of his deal.

Adames didn’t enjoy his best defensive season for the Brewers last year, and he won’t make fans forget the great Brandon Crawford.

But Adames should provide average major league quality shortstop play.

It is his offensive firepower that should endear Adames to Giants fans.

Especially when he gets on one of his hot streaks.

What About Marco Luciano?

In July 2018, the Giants gave 16-year-old Marco Luciano a hefty $2.6 million international signing bonus.

Signed out of the Dominican Republic, Luciano was considered to be among the very best free agent infielders in the international class.

Luciano was projected as the Giants shortstop of the future.

The Giants have a huge financial investment in Luciano.

The Giants have been patient with Luciano, who is still just 23-years-old.

MLBPipeline.com listed Luciano as the No. 2 Giants prospect last season, behind only pitcher Kyle Harrison.

In 2023, MLBpipeline.com listed Luciano as the No. 1 Giants prospect.

Quite simply, Luciano struggled with major league pitching in 2024, when he was given an opportunity to win the team’s starting shortstop role.

Last season, Luciano appeared in 27 games for the Giants, collecting 81 plate appearances. He struck out in 28 of those at-bats, walking five times.

In that 2024 season, Luciano hit .211/.259/.303/.562, with five doubles, one triple, no home runs, and three RBIs. He did not steal a base, being caught once.

Compounding Luciano’s offensive struggles, his defense was less than what is expected from a starting shortstop.

Luciano’s throws from shortstop were not always accurate, and he made some errors early in the season.

The Giants gave Luciano some playing time at second base, but they have now decided to sign Willy Adames and turn their fortunes at shortstop to their newly signed free agent.

A good athlete, Luciano might get looks in the outfield.

Looking Ahead:

The Giants have been in the market for the type of player or players that can add impact to their 26-man roster.

The Giants have indicated a willingness to spend money, and improve their team.

Under new President of Baseball Operations, Buster Posey, roster upgrades may become a reality.

The reported agreement with shortstop Willy Adames adds a dimension of potentially increased offensive production to the Giants lineup.

SAN FRANCISCO – The upcoming closure of a Safeway supermarket in San Francisco’s Fillmore District is creating an uproar in the community.

Safeway has now made its plans official to close the supermarket near the intersection of Webster Street and Geary Boulevard in the city’s Fillmore District. The chain sent a letter to Mayor London Breed on Tuesday saying that it would be closing the location on or around February 7th after 40 years of operation.

In a statement, the chain said the decision came about following ongoing concerns about associate and customer safety and persistent issues with theft.

Customers said the closure will devastate a community that needs a place to buy groceries. 

“We can’t lose something like this without people suffering,” said Richard Rodriguez. “A lot of elderly people can’t just go wherever the new Safeway is.”

Safeway said in a statement that workers have been notified of the closure and will be transferred to other locations.  

Regular customers say they will miss the staff who have become a part of the community, and they say they worry about the closure of a pharmacy that serves the community. 

“Where are the elders going to go for their medicine?” said Tamara Williams. “You’ve got Queen Adah Hall, you’ve got different elder and senior buildings around for the community. What are you going to shop at? Safeway is reasonable for us.”

Now the local branch of the NAACP is stepping in, saying the closure will cause irreparable harm to one of the city’s last remaining Black communities. 

Reverend Amos Brown is calling on city leaders to block the sale of the property if it will bring harm to the Black community. “This is a slap at Black people and we are saying we see it, we feel it, and the world needs to understand,” said Rev. Brown.

Outgoing District 5 Supervisor Dean Preston was among those who fought to keep the Safeway open when it first announced plans to close last year. He said the city needs to fight to purchase the site to build affordable housing and meet the shopping needs of the community. “I’ve also urged that if they won’t voluntarily sell it, that we consider using eminent domain to acquire it,” said Supervisor Preston. “Pay market rate value and acquire the site. Eminent domain has been used to harm this community. Why not finally use it to help?”

The NAACP is saying the closure of the Safeway in February, Black history month, is offensive. The organization stopped short of calling for a boycott, but did say there will be actions to raise awareness about the injustice they see with the potential sale of this site. Those actions are set to get underway next month.