When the doors on BART trains swish open, there will be one sound absent from the area: the dim whir of Segway scooters.

After banning plastic bags from large grocery stores and drug stores, The City is now proposing to force the newspaper industry to stop using plastic covers protecting publications from the elements.

The triple shooting that killed a father and son on Sunday night has claimed the third victim in the gruesome incident.

These are excerpts from the San Francisco Police Department's daily log of activities. Incidents are listed by police precincts and the neighborhoods they patrol.

After years of neglect, some of The City's cracked and pothole-riddled streets will finally be repaved.

Smash-and-grab auto burglars have recently turned their attention to the streets lining the ocean, preying on surfers and tourists who head to the beach, according to authorities.

With inflation moving higher on its worry list, the Federal Reserve held interest rates steady Wednesday, ending nearly a year of cuts to bolster the economy, and hinted that the next direction for rates could be up. Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke and all but one...

The Supreme Court on Wednesday slashed the $2.5 billion punitive damages award in the Exxon Valdez disaster to $500 million, a decision that could have broader implications for limiting how much courts can order businesses to pay. The decision was hailed by...

The Supreme Court declared Wednesday that executions are too severe a punishment for raping children, despite the years of long anguish for victims, in a ruling that restricts the death penalty to murder and crimes against the state. The courts 5-4...

A British man who fled the U.S. after his wife and baby were shot to death was convicted of murder Wednesday by a jury that rejected defense claims that the mother killed her daughter and herself as they snuggled in bed. Neil Entwistle, 29, closed his eyes...

Nelson Mandela says there is a tragic failure of leadership in Zimbabwe. It is the first time the former South African president has spoken publicly about Zimbabwes political crisis. Mandela spoke at a dinner in London on Wednesday. He told the gathering...

Firefighters dousing a blaze in El Dorado County found a body in a sport utility vehicle that had tumbled about 1,000 feet down a cliff. State fire department spokeswoman Phyllis Banducci says the SUV apparently ignited the fire after it went off a narrow,...

Norcal Waste Systems names new COO
Norcal Waste Systems Inc. promoted George McGrath to chief operating officer and executive vice president.

Coupons Inc. buys CouponBug
Mountain View's Coupons Inc. bought CouponBug LLC, which makes online coupons that customers print at home.

Pier 1 Imports drops $88M bid for Cost Plus
Pier 1 Imports Inc. withdrew its offer for Oakland's Cost Plus Inc. (PIR) (CPWM)

BioTime inks deal to create hundreds of stem cell lines
BioTime and its Embryone Sciences subsidiary will help to create "hundreds of new standardized human and animal stem cell lines" for treatment research in a deal with International Stem Cell Corp.

IA Global expects to double revenue this year
IA Global Inc. expects revenue of $76 million for the year ended March 31, 2009, more than twice the $29.1 million it brought in during 2007.

SF Federal Judge Refuses To Order Overhaul Of VA
A federal judge in San Francisco refused Wednesday to order an overhaul of the Department of Veterans Affairs' health care system, saying veterans groups who had sued for the changes should take their case elsewhere.

Beating Suspect Of Raiders' Walker Goes To Court
A man accused of robbing and beating Oakland Raiders football player Javon Walker alleges Las Vegas police pressured his girlfriend to press charges in a domestic violence case before arresting him in the Walker case.

Teen Pleads Not Guilty In AT&T Park Fatal Fight
A Peninsula teen accused in the one-punch death of another teen during a fight outside AT&T Park in May pleaded not guilty to involuntary manslaughter Wednesday in San Francisco Superior Court.

Monterey County Fire Prompts New Evacuations
People living in Carmel Valley were being forced from their homes Wednesday as firefighters battled a wildfire in the Los Padres National Forest in Monterey County, the largest among more than 800 fires in Northern California.

American Airlines To Drop All Service To Oakland
American Airlines plans to quit flying altogether to Oakland International Airport later this year, the company announced Wednesday.