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Youth violence prevention group breaks ground on $20 million expansion in SF's SoMa neighborhood

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Youth violence prevention group breaks ground on  million expansion in SF's SoMa neighborhood


SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) — There’s a new community resource center coming to San Francisco’s SoMa neighborhood.

The youth violence prevention group United Playaz broke ground on the project on Thursday.

It’s happening near Howard and Russ Streets in San Francisco.

“It’s going to be a resource community center built for literacy and re-entry services and everything else in-between that the community needs,” said Rudy Corpuz Jr., Executive Director of United Playaz said.

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Just two doors down from its first location on Howard Street, United Playaz is expanding to a second location.

MORE: 200+ San Francisco office workers volunteer to clean up downtown

“When you look at the statistics, people who can’t read by the third grade most likely end up in prison. And so, we want to teach kids, not only how to read, but to understand what they’re reading,” Corpuz said.

Several members of the organization have spent serious time in the criminal justice system.

The goal is to make sure kids in the next generation don’t follow in their footsteps.

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“I was arrested in my development as a young man, because I gravitated toward that street and that’s what this building is about, so these young people could gravitate towards this positivity that the city got to offer,” Patrick, a United Playaz team member said.

The City of San Francisco says this $20 million expansion was made possible because of a total of $15.4 million in federal, state and city support.

MORE: SF street team B.E.S.T. helps bring health care, resources to those at risk

Of that, $9.4 million came from the city.

“The fact that they are here today and doing this work, and want to do this work and want to help change and save lives, is extraordinary,” Mayor London Breed said. “You don’t get this kind of combination of support anywhere else, I think, in this city.”

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Speaker Emeritus Nancy Pelosi was also there to present a $4 million check from U.S. Congress.

“This building, will be to dispel fear and isolation and restore it with hope and community, peace, peace for people,” Pelosi said. “This building will be a manifestation of the respect that we have for the dignity and worth of every person, that it is our responsibility to help meet their needs and to understand the resource that they are to the community.”

MORE: Neighbors support San Francisco family after house fire, racist messages

And they’ve got the support of the Golden State Warriors, who share the same district.

Organizers say the team has agreed to help put in the roof when the time comes.

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“This is an effort around everybody. It takes the hood to save the hood,” Corpuz said.

The center is projected to open by February of next year.

Copyright © 2024 KGO-TV. All Rights Reserved.



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San Francisco, CA

Vigil held for 2-year-old girl killed in SF Mission Bay crash

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Vigil held for 2-year-old girl killed in SF Mission Bay crash


Walk SF and Families for Safe Streets held a vigil Monday evening to honor a 2-year-old girl who was struck and killed by a driver Friday night in San Francisco’s Mission Bay neighborhood.

The crash happened just before 9 p.m. at Fourth and Channel streets near Oracle Park. Police said the child’s mother was also injured and taken to a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. The driver remained at the scene, and authorities said drugs or alcohol are not believed to be factors.

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Community heartbroken

Community members gathered at the intersection Monday to light candles and lay flowers. Among them was the Howard family.

“We’re just heartbroken and sad,” said Hidelisa Howard.

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“I was thinking about heartbroken parents, someone who cannot get their daughter back,” said John Howard.

The intersection is designated as part of San Francisco’s 2022 High Injury Network, identifying streets with the highest concentration of severe and fatal traffic crashes. Speed cameras were recently installed in the surrounding neighborhood.

Jodie Medeiros, executive director of Walk SF, called the crash a tragedy, noting a previous fatal collision involving a child at Fourth and King streets several years ago.

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Traffic intensifies

Parents in the area said traffic has intensified with nearby events and development.

“We love having people here in the neighborhood, and it’s brought a lot of life to the area,” said Hidelisa Howard, who lives nearby. “But at the same time, we have people coming in from out of the area. They’re not familiar with the streets, they’re running the lights, they’re running the crosswalks.”

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District 6 Supervisor Matt Dorsey said the intersection has been problematic.

“Sometimes people go too fast. I don’t know that this was the issue here, but we need to do everything we can to make our neighborhoods and our streets safer,” Dorsey said.

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On Monday, crews with the SFMTA repainted crosswalks and re-timed traffic signals at the intersection.

“It just feels like there’s so many young children in this neighborhood that there should be improvements made to the way that the traffic flows around here,” said Aanisha Jain, a San Francisco resident.

 

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San Francisco, CA

Yes, an $8 Burger Exists in Downtown San Francisco

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Yes, an  Burger Exists in Downtown San Francisco


Sometimes life requires an easy hang, without the need for reservations and dressing up, and preferably with food that’s easy to rally folks behind. The newish Hamburguesa Bar is just such a place, opening in December 2025 and serving a tight food menu of smash and tavern burgers (made with beef ground in-house), along with hand-cut duck fat fries, poutine, and Caesar salad. The best part? Nothing here costs more than $20. Seriously, this spot has so much going for it, including solid cocktails and boozy shakes. It’s become a homing beacon for post-work hangs, judging by a recent weekday crowd.

Hamburguesa Bar’s drinks are the epitome of unfussy: Cocktail standards, four beers on tap, two choices of wine (red or white), boozy and non-boozy shakes, plus 21 beers by the can or bottle. Standards on the cocktail menu are just that, a list of drinks you’ve heard before — such as an Old Fashioned, daiquiri, gin or vodka martini, or Harvey Wallbanger — with no special tinctures or fat-washed liquors to speak of (that we know of, at least). I’m typically split on whether boozy shakes are ever worth it, but the Fruity Pebbles option ($14) makes a convincing case, mixed with a just-right amount of vodka and some cereal bits. (I’ll leave the more adventurous Cinnamon Toast shake made with Fireball to others with more positive experiences with that liquor.)

Downtown and SoMa has a reputation for restaurants closing early, but Hamburguesa Bar keeps later hours, closing at midnight from Monday through Saturday (closed Sundays). It’s also open for lunch at noon during those days, with the exception of Saturdays when it opens at 5 p.m.



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San Francisco, CA

Iran conflict disrupts flights out of SFO

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Iran conflict disrupts flights out of SFO


SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) — Attacks on Iran by U.S. and Israeli forces have disrupted air travel across the Middle East, leading to thousands of flight cancellations and delays worldwide. The instability has reached the Bay Area, where international flights at San Francisco International Airport have been canceled or grounded. The travel disruptions followed retaliatory strikes […]



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