Local News - San Francisco Chronicle

Labor Day Monday Federal, state courts and offices ClosedCity and county offices ClosedBanks, savings institutions ClosedPost offices ClosedSchools ClosedStoresMostly openPublic transit-- BART, MuniSaturday schedule with longer trains, special 24-hour service...

A knife-wielding man believed to have a long history of mental illness was shot and killed in his home early Saturday morning by a San Francisco police officer, authorities said. "This is a very unfortunate incident, but based on the physical evidence, based...

Along with all its other charms, San Francisco's Victorian landscape is a procession of infinite variations on a theme: The whimsy and frills never grow cloying because no two blocks are the same. From the cornice on down, this four-unit citadel uphill from...

Inspectors discovered a crack in a crucial component of the east span of the Bay Bridge on Saturday that could jeopardize the planned Tuesday morning reopening of the bridge. The flaw was found in a chainlike steel link that helps hold up the eastern portion...

An 18-year-old student at Skyline College in San Bruno pleaded not guilty Friday to a felony charge of bringing a gun onto campus in a fracas that resulted in another student being shot. After his hearing in San Mateo County Superior Court, Germaine Benjamin...

Oakland Mayor Ron Dellums has announced the departure of his chief of staff, David Chai. Chai will be replaced by the mayor's appointment secretary, 31-year-old Marisol Lopez. Lopez, who started in politics by working on Dellums' mayoral campaign, will be his...

Jean Broccard and his dog Prince, a 9-month-old Chihuahua mix, enjoy the warm weather at Dolores Park in San Francisco on Friday. Cooler weather is expected through the holiday...

A transient who dodged bullets and escaped after he tried to ram Santa Clara County sheriff's deputies has been arrested, authorities said. Joel Barnes, 39, was taken into custody at a Watsonville home at about 11 p.m. Thursday on suspicion of attempted...

A Pleasanton man who falsely claimed he was a three-time Oscar-winning sound designer pleaded guilty Friday in federal court to defrauding investors of more than $3 million in an investment scheme. Brice Carrington, 46, entered a guilty plea to wire fraud...

Kidnap-rape suspect Phillip Craig Garrido recorded love songs featuring lyrics that appear to refer to young girls, a business acquaintance said Friday. "For every little girl in the world, they want to be in love, yeah," Garrido sings in one song. "Please...

Demolition work on the Bay Bridge hit a temporary snag Friday, delaying the unprecedented aerial construction project by about five hours. But Caltrans officials still expect the span to reopen to traffic in time for Tuesday morning's commute. "The bridge has...

A San Pablo woman was sentenced today to four years in prison for abusing her twin nephews and a niece before they were found emaciated and shoeless. Satu Diaz, 34, pleaded no contest last month to three counts of felony child abuse during a preliminary...

Hundreds of firefighters have gathered for an informal memorial for two of their comrades killed in the large fire burning north of Los Angeles. With heads bowed, the firefighters listened solemnly Friday at the fire's command center as commanders and others...

The western flank of the deadly wildfire north of Los Angeles is under control, sparing foothill communities further threat as it burned east into a large wilderness area. Meanwhile, investigators are trying to determine who ignited the blaze that killed two...

Television show host Ross McGowan plans to retire next month from KTVU-TV after a four-decade career in broadcasting, the station said Thursday. McGowan, host of KTVU's "Mornings on Two" since 1993, disclosed his plans Thursday morning to station employees....

The Bay Bridge is closed to weekday commuters today for the first time since the Loma Prieta earthquake 20 years ago. Construction crews and equipment replaced the usual backup at the toll plaza. Instead of cars whizzing through the double-decker span, sparks...

Two more suspects were in jail today in connection with the stabbing death of a Stockton woman at a light-rail station in San Jose, authorities said. Gregory Alan Lopez, 19, and Eddie Rivera, 22, both of San Jose, surrendered Wednesday and are each being...

Anyone worthy of a Cal degree, or tickets to the Golden Bears' promising 2009 football season, knows that the way to get to Memorial Stadium on game day is to take public transportation. Driving and parking in Berkeley can be tougher than scoring on a Hail...

A college professor on a crusade to change the way a Los Angeles-area weatherman uses weather terminology has to leave him alone or face six months in jail. Melanie Patton Renfrew, a Harbor College teacher, wants KNBC-TV's Fritz Coleman to change references...