San Francisco, CA
Storms Bring Icy Roads, City's First Tornado Warning
A major ice storm created treacherous driving conditions across Iowa and eastern Nebraska this weekend and prompted temporary closures of Interstate 80 after numerous cars and trucks slid off the road. Many events were canceled across the region when the storm hit Friday evening, and businesses announced plans to open late Saturday as officials urged people to stay home if possible. However, temperatures are expected to rise high enough Saturday afternoon to melt the ice in most places, the AP reports. “Luckily some warmer air is moving in behind this to make it temporary,” said National Weather Service meteorologist Dave Cousins, who works in the Davenport, Iowa, office.
Elsewhere, a storm prompted the first tornado warning in the recorded history of San Francisco, per CNN. Severe storms swept through the city, just one week after a tsunami warning triggered widespread panic in the region. Trees were toppled and roofs were damaged in the city that hasn’t seen a tornado since 2005, according to the Weather Service. The damage on the northwest side of the city was being assessed Saturday to determine if there was a tornado. “This was the first ever warning for possible tornado in San Francisco. I would guess there wasn’t a clear signature on radar for a warning in 2005,” said Roger Gass, a meteorologist in the Weather Service’s Monterey, California, office who says he was not there in 2005.
The fast-moving storm prompted warnings for residents to take shelter, but few people have basements in the area. Winds gusted to 83mph at San Francisco’s airport. The warning was canceled after 6am Saturday; more than 10,000 people were without power in the city. In the Northeast, people are digging out after heavy snow fell in upstate New York, per the AP. More than 33 inches of snow was reported near Orchard Park, New York, but people who live there are used to dealing with heavy lake-effect snow this time of year.
(More winter storms stories.)
San Francisco, CA
Giants reassign 3B coach Borg; Wotus named interim replacement
Borg has made several questionable calls from
San Francisco, CA
Driver Arrested After Pedestrian Killed, Three Injured In Mission District Crash
One pedestrian died at the hospital and three others suffered non-life-threatening injuries after a driver struck them in SF’s Mission District earlier this week.
The San Francisco Police Department arrested a driver suspected of fatally striking four pedestrians in the area of 16th and Mission streets Monday morning, as KRON4 reports.
Officers responded to the scene at 12:13 am and found medics treating one pedestrian with life-threatening injuries. The person later died at a nearby hospital, and three other pedestrians sustained non-life-threatening injuries.
The driver was reportedly detained soon after the collision. The department has not announced what charges they will receive.
“We hold the victim and their loved ones in our thoughts, and grieve this loss of life on San Francisco’s streets,” said Jodie Medeiros, executive director for Walk SF, in a release. “We all deserve to be able to get around safely in our city.”
This marks the ninth pedestrian death in San Francisco this year. It’s also the second such death in the Mission, following the tragic death of local musician Danielle Spillman at Mission Street and South Van Ness Avenue in April, as SFist reported previously.
Four pedestrians were killed throughout the month of March, including deaths in Chinatown, the Financial District, North Beach, and the Outer Mission. In late February, a two-year-old was run over in Mission Bay.
Anyone with information may contact the SFPD at 415-575-4444 or text “TIP411,” beginning with “SFPD.”
Wife of SoMa Hit-and-Run Suspect Says ‘My Husband Is Not a Villain’
Image: Google Maps
San Francisco, CA
California Supreme Court ruling on bail sparks debate over what it means for San Francisco’s safety
A recent California Supreme Court ruling is changing how bail is set across the state, and it’s sparking a sharp debate in San Francisco about what it could mean for public safety.
Inside her office, District Attorney Brooke Jenkins said every decision carries weight. She views her role through one lens: protecting the public.
“My responsibility to San Francisco is public safety,” Jenkins said. “And to be transparent to me in achieving that safety. This is a ruling that has real-life consequences, and deny that would be untruthful and would not help people understand why we may see retraction from our progress.”
The ruling requires judges to set bail at levels defendants can afford, shifting the focus away from cash bail and toward whether someone poses a risk to public safety.
Jenkins said she believes that shift could have serious consequences.
“I knew it would be immediately be devastating to public safety and the state of California and had a lot of concerns that I thought needed to be shared with the public and other city leaders,” she said.
She warns that the change could make it easier for repeat offenders, particularly those involved in drug-related crimes, to be released before trial.
“These judges don’t live in San Francisco, many of them,” Jenkins said. “They don’t live in places like the Tenderloin that are most affected by these issues. They are ruling in a way that has impacts on other people’s lives.”
But not everyone agrees with that assessment.
San Francisco Defense Attorney Marsanne Weese said the ruling does not eliminate accountability and that courts still have tools to detain people who pose a threat.
“In regards to her statements, there is no basis for it,” Weese said. “And the justices pointed out that there are a number of non-financial tools the lower courts can use and should use.”
Those tools include options like pretrial detention and supervised release, which allow judges to consider risk without relying solely on a person’s ability to pay bail.
“So, in regards to this being a drastic change, yes, it will be a drastic change, but not to safety,” Weese added.
For Jenkins, the concern is not just the intent of the law, but how it will be applied in real-world courtrooms and what that means on city streets.
For now, there is unease for some, optimism for others, and a growing debate over what public safety will look like under this new system.
-
Movie Reviews7 minutes agoFilm Review: “Pitfall” – MediaMikes
-
World17 minutes ago
AI helped a musician with Parkinson’s finish his new album when he could no longer play guitar
-
News22 minutes agoVideo: Judge Orders Removal of Trump’s Name From Kennedy Center
-
Lifestyle59 minutes agoBack from Cannes, a critic shares the films he’s most excited to see again
-
Technology1 hour agoNvidia, Microsoft, and Arm are all teasing Nvidia’s new N1X laptop processors
-
World1 hour agoChristian farming communities under siege as US report names Fulani militants Nigeria’s deadliest threat
-
Politics1 hour agoFBI arrests protester who threatened to kill ICE officer’s family at NJ detention center protest, Blanche says
-
Health1 hour agoControversial drug delivered rapid relief for severe depression in just hours