Major accidents on U.S. Highway 101, which leave drivers sitting helplessly in traffic for hours, may soon be merely a bump in the road for commuters.

As local students are on their summer vacations, their school district leaders won't know for months whether their scholars' favorite classes, programs and aides will be gone when they return in the fall.

A newspaper chain on the Peninsula has made cuts to its newsroom.

"Oh My Godmother" - it's a San Francisco treat!

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.

A Florida-based legal firm filed a motion in San Francisco court Monday defending a November ballot initiative opposing same-sex marriage - apparently without collaborating with the initiative's supporters.

Californias raging wildfires have created a smoky haze so stifling that doctors in the states landlocked farm country say their waiting rooms have been crowding with patients struggling to breathe amid the soot-laden air. Even without the blazes, the...

Starbucks Corp. has announced its closing 600 underperforming stores in the United States. The Seattle-based premium coffee company also announced Tuesday it expects to open fewer than 200 new company-operated stores in the United States in fiscal 2009. The...

Democratic Sen. Barack Obama has announced his opposition to a November ballot measure that would ban same-sex marriage in California, a move that puts gay rights front and center in the 2008 presidential campaign. In a letter to San Franciscos Alice B...

A bear cub wandered into a Ventura neighborhood, climbed a tree and took a dip in a hot tub before running back into the mountain wilderness. Residents called police at about 2 a.m. Monday to report the young black bear roaming around Hemlock and Santa Clara...

The San Mateo County coroner identified the woman struck and killed Monday on the Caltrain tracks in San Bruno as Ellen Chiang, 29, of San Francisco. Chiang lay down on the Caltrain tracks near the San Bruno station before being struck and killed by a...

An effort by San Francisco to shield eight young Honduran crack dealers from federal immigration officials backfired when the youths escaped from Southern California group homes within days of their arrival, officials said Monday. The walkaways are the latest...

World Heart CFO quits after less than a year, will work as consultant
David Pellone quit after less than a year as chief financial officer of heart pump maker World Heart Corp. (WHRT)

SleepQuest opens San Francisco office
SleepQuest Inc. opened an office July 1 on Webster Street near Japantown in San Francisco.

BofA completes Countrywide acquisition
Bank of America Corp. has completed its acquisition of California mortgage lender Countrywide Financial Corp. -- a deal making BofA the country's largest mortgage lender. (BAC)

UTStarcom to sell handset business to AIG for $240 million
UTStarcom Inc. agreed to sell its "personal communications" division, which sells phone handsets, to a unit of AIG Investments for about $240 million. (AIG) (UTSI)

Sterlent Credit Union falls to mortgage crisis
Sterlent Credit Union, a 13,000-member state-chartered credit union based in Pleasanton, will be liquidated.

Man Robbed At Gunpoint In Concord
Three men reportedly robbed a 21-year-old man at gunpoint Monday night in Concord, Cpl. Kerry Cerletti said Monday.

Oakland 'Silence Of The Lambs' Killer Sentenced
Oakland roofer Earl Stefanson was sentenced Tuesday to two life-in-prison terms for murdering 36-year-old Leslie Lamb in 2006 and brutally assaulting two other ex-girlfriends.

Aptos Man Jailed In Illegal Fireworks Bust
The Santa Cruz County Sheriff's Office announced Tuesday that an Aptos man has been arrested for allegedly selling and manufacturing illegal fireworks.

Website Helps Keep Track Of Who's Googling You
Tens of millions of people's names are typed into internet search engines each and every day. But what pops up isn't always flattering or accurate. A new site promises to put your best information at the top, while letting you track who is searching for you online.

911 Call Failed To Prevent Mountain View Murders
A 911 call was made from the cell phone of one of the victims of a double homicide Saturday in Mountain View about an hour before shots were fired at her residence, police have announced.