San Francisco news stories on Newser

San Francisco Official Turns to Ouija Board Before Vote

John Johnson — Wed, 23 May 2012 15:21:05 CDT

This probably falls under the only-in-San-Francisco department: A city supervisor says he consulted a Ouija board before voting on a measure to honor slain gay rights activist Harvey Milk , reports the San Francisco Chronicle . What's more, John Avalos swears Milk responded and guided him through the message, "Good Riddance DADT,...

SF Woman Blames Car Crash on Eclipse

Rob Quinn — Tue, 22 May 2012 01:50:24 CDT

A San Francisco driver blamed the moon moving in front of the sun for preventing her from spotting the pedestrians moving in front of her vehicle. The 26-year-old woman told cops that she had looked at the "ring of fire" annular eclipse and had been temporarily blinded by its glare...

Yacht Racing Off SF Coast Suspended

Rob Quinn — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 02:56:37 CDT

The Coast Guard has called a temporary halt to ocean-going races in the San Francisco area following the deaths of five sailors during a race earlier this month. A race due to take place Saturday has been rerouted, and authorities are working to find a new route for another race...

Protesters Crash Wells Fargo Meeting

Rob Quinn — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 02:59:52 CDT

Some 15 shareholders were arrested for disrupting Wells Fargo's annual shareholder meeting in San Francisco yesterday. The protesters—allowed in because they own Wells Fargo shares—were ejected after shouting over CEO John Stumpf's presentation about the bank's $15.9 billion profit in 2011, reports the San Francisco Chronicle . Hundreds...

Search Ends for 4 Missing in SF Yacht Tragedy

Mary Papenfuss — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 01:00:00 CDT

The Coast Guard has called off its search after two days hunting for four sailors— three men and a woman —missing from a 38-foot sailboat that crashed during a race that started in San Francisco Bay. A fifth sailor's body has been recovered, and three were rescued from an island...

SF Mass Murder Suspect Dodged Deportation

Rob Quinn — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 03:04:00 CDT

The man accused of the brutal murder of five people in San Francisco was only in America because his native Vietnam refused to take him back, the San Francisco Chronicle finds. After Binh Thai Luc served nearly a decade in prison for the 1996 robbery of a Chinese restaurant in...

Suspect Held in Gruesome San Francisco Murders

Matt Cantor — Mon, 26 Mar 2012 09:57:05 CDT

San Francisco police have arrested a 35-year-old man in the murders of three women and two men. The bodies were found at a home in the city amid a crime scene police called particularly grisly—and so "complex" that police couldn't say at first whether it was a murder-suicide, or...

SF Sheriff Gets Probation in Domestic Violence

Mary Papenfuss — Tue, 20 Mar 2012 01:03:32 CDT

San Francisco's top sheriff has been sentenced to a day in jail and three years probation after he was charged with beating his wife black and blue. Ross Mirkarimi, who pleaded guilty to a single misdemeanor charge of false imprisonment, must also attend a year-long domestic violence intervention program. The...

Fighters Intercept Pot Plane in Obama Airspace

Mary Papenfuss — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 06:10:00 CST

What were they smoking? A four-seater Cessna plane hauling marijuana yesterday strayed into restricted airspace designed to protect President Obama, who was flying on Marine One; the small plane was intercepted by fighter jets. The incident occurred as the president was traveling in the helicopter from Orange County to Los...