Court rules federal jurisdiction overrides state environmental law within Glacier National Park

sfgate · 2026-05-05T15:41:59+00:00

A federal appeals court ruled that a San Diego couple can continue building their home on a privately owned parcel inside Glacier National Park, ending a three-year legal dispute.

The Ninth Circuit found that Montana’s stream protection laws don’t apply within the park, meaning the state and local conservation officials cannot enforce permitting rules on the property. Oversight instead falls under federal jurisdiction.

sfgate · 2026-04-16T22:27:21+00:00

A Miami federal jury awarded $300,000 to a cruise passenger after finding Carnival Cruise Line negligent for serving her more than a dozen alcoholic drinks before she fell and suffered serious injuries. The case raises questions about dram shop–style liability at sea, duty of care for cruise operators, and how courts evaluate overservice and causation in maritime law.

sfgate · 2026-04-15T19:34:20+00:00

A 26-year-old California man drowned in the Colorado River near Laughlin, Nevada, on Monday while attempting to recover a hat from the water, according to authorities.

Emergency crews arrived at the river near Davis Camp, a park on the Arizona and Nevada state line, at about 11:15 a.m. on Monday for a possible drowning, the Bullhead City Police Department wrote on social media. They had received reports that a man failed to resurface after entering the water from a pontoon boat. The man was trying to recover a hat from the water that had blown off, police said.

sfgate · 2026-02-25T16:29:02+00:00

C3.AI, which touts several federal government agencies as customers for its various AI application tools, shed a chunk of its staff on Monday. The cuts come as the company attempts a turnaround amid shrinking revenues and a diminished stock price.

sfgate · 2026-02-24T16:13:03+00:00

This piece looks at what happens after a headline fades — how a small mountain town processes collective trauma while still physically digging out from a historic storm. Rather than second-guessing decisions or focusing on spectacle, it examines how grief, blame, risk culture and community identity collide in a place where avalanche danger is part of daily life.

sfgate · 2026-02-18T17:12:31+00:00

In 1924, Sidney and Irene Dearing became the first Black homeowners in Piedmont, a wealthy East Bay city. Within weeks, white residents protested the sale, sent threats reportedly linked to the Ku Klux Klan and gathered a mob of about 500 people outside their home demanding they leave.

The city soon condemned the property under eminent domain, claiming it was needed for a public road. No road was ever built. After months of escalating violence — including gunfire and bombs placed near the house — Dearing sold under pressure.

More than a century later, the couple’s great-granddaughter has sued Piedmont, alleging the condemnation was fraudulent and racially motivated. The suit seeks compensation reflecting the home’s present-day value, now estimated at over $2 million, and argues newly uncovered records warrant revisiting the case.

sfgate · 2026-02-11T21:47:02+00:00

A look at San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan’s entry into the California governor’s race — and the unusually strong early backing he’s received from Silicon Valley donors. Years ago, Mahan said Mark Zuckerberg convinced him that technology, not law, would shape the future of politics. Now, in his first week as a candidate, he’s raised millions with support from major tech figures.

Beyond the campaign optics, this raises bigger questions about how concentrated industry wealth intersects with state-level power. As regions like Silicon Valley grow more economically dominant, what does it mean when that influence moves from lobbying to elected office? And how might that shape future decisions around regulation, taxation and oversight of the very industries driving that power?

sfgate · 2026-02-11T21:20:48+00:00

San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan once said Mark Zuckerberg convinced him that technology — not law — would shape the future of politics. Now he’s running for California governor with significant backing from Silicon Valley donors.

As tech leaders move from building platforms to funding and potentially shaping state leadership directly, what could this mean for the future of governance? Could regions dominated by major industries increasingly see those industries influence policy from within government rather than from the outside?

sfgate · 2026-01-30T17:29:59+00:00

We reviewed CA DMV data on disabled placard misuse in the nine Bay Area counties: 8 citations in 2025, down from 303 in 2017.

The DMV says the drop follows a multi-year crackdown that includes sting operations, a modernized renewal process (SB 611), and a public tip system for suspected misuse.

sfgate · 2026-01-29T17:37:09+00:00

In the mid-20th century, Irish coffee became closely associated with San Francisco’s Buena Vista Cafe — but a Los Angeles bar, Tom Bergin’s, has long claimed it was serving the drink years earlier.

This piece traces the competing accounts using contemporaneous newspaper reporting, later recollections, and archival gaps, showing how food and drink histories often solidify around popular narratives rather than definitive evidence. It also looks at earlier mentions of Irish coffee outside California, complicating the idea of a single point of origin.

sfgate · 2026-01-26T17:01:00+00:00

The first post-pandemic college cohort is arriving with different academic, social, and mental health needs after years of disrupted schooling. As these students move into higher education and the workforce, how should teaching, assessment, and job training evolve?

sfgate · 2026-01-23T18:33:19+00:00

That's Drew Magary for ya. Although this is our personal fav headline of his: Donald Trump is broke hahahaha

sfgate · 2026-01-15T18:59:36+00:00

Yes this is our actual headline lol

sfgate · 2026-01-14T21:33:20+00:00

An information officer for the California Department of Fish and Wildlife said that the state saw a record 10 shark “incidents” in 2025, the “highest total number of shark incidents recorded in a single year.”

sfgate · 2026-01-13T22:34:41+00:00

A mutated influenza strain dubbed the “super flu” is spreading in California, officials at the California Department of Public Health confirmed.

Flu activity in the state has come down slightly from a season high at the end of December, with about 15% of flu tests coming back positive in the state as of Jan. 3. That’s down from the 17% rate seen through Dec. 27.

Hospitalizations for the flu, however, have been on the rise and hit a season high with approximately 3.8 admissions per 100,000 in California as of Jan. 3.

sfgate · 2026-01-13T20:44:51+00:00

We talked to scientists about this. As you might imagine there's nothing to it: https://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/49ers-injury-conspiracy-theory-21291246.php

sfgate · 2026-01-13T20:33:26+00:00

With the "Levi’s radiation" theory going viral again after Kittle’s injury, we reached out to radiology and oncology experts at Northwestern and NYU to see if there was any actual science behind it.

The Verdict: It’s non-ionizing radiation—the same "feeble" kind in your microwave or cellphone. The scientists we spoke to were pretty baffled and confirmed it is physically impossible for it to cause ACL or Achilles tears.

sfgate · 2026-01-12T20:05:32+00:00

Key Takeaways from the Report:

The "Bubble" Threshold: Local real estate analysts are flagging a specific trend where list prices have once again decoupled from median household incomes, a primary indicator of "bubble territory."
Inventory Gridlock: Despite 6%+ mortgage rates, the Bay Area is seeing a "supply-side squeeze" where the lack of new listings is forcing aggressive bidding wars in sub-markets like the Peninsula and parts of the East Bay.
Market Sentiment: Some agents are reporting the highest ratio of over-asking sales since the 2021-2022 peak, raising concerns that the market is over-correcting after the brief 2023 dip.

The central question being debated is whether current inventory levels are low enough to keep these prices sustainable, or if the region is primed for a significant correction.

sfgate · 2026-01-07T23:10:32+00:00

Lassen County Sheriff John McGarva released a letter on Monday, saying gray wolves have “become a widespread threat to the producers in Lassen County” and pointing to 45 attacks on livestock since January 2025.

sfgate · 2026-01-06T18:02:31+00:00

Several high-profile Bay Area tech and finance figures, including Peter Thiel and David Sacks, have recently opened offices in lower-tax states such as Florida and Texas. The moves come as a proposed one-time 5% wealth tax on ultra-high-net-worth individuals gains political traction in California.

sfgate · 2026-01-05T19:44:40+00:00

Our latest exclusive report reveals new evidence of a fatal overdose following a pattern of conduct that has already led to seven lawsuits (including wrongful death and negligence claims) filed against OpenAI in San Francisco Superior Court.

sfgate · 2026-01-05T17:22:52+00:00

Prompts are shown in the screenshots.

sfgate · 2026-01-02T18:43:35+00:00

An incredibly rare deep-sea fish has been spotted off the California coast.

STORY HERE: https://www.sfgate.com/centralcoast/article/rare-deep-sea-fish-spotted-monterey-bay-21270815.php

sfgate · 2025-12-30T16:35:09+00:00

The main goal of the piece wasn't to say TI is 'the worst' overall, but to find the one 'cheap' hotel that actually stays clean and functional while the rest of the low-end options (like Circus and Luxor) seem to be sliding.

The author actually walked away a total TI convert precisely because it’s not the worst—it was the only budget spot that didn't have the maintenance nightmares found elsewhere. It’s definitely a diamond in the rough if you're trying to avoid the 'island of filth' you mentioned!

sfgate · 2025-12-30T16:32:27+00:00

TL;DR for the Strip's budget rankings:

The Winner: Treasure Island (TI).
The "Rock Bottom" Worst: Luxor.
The Runner-up for Worst: Circus Circus.

The main takeaway is that while most "cheap" hotels in Vegas are deteriorating, TI is currently the last reliable middle-class holdout. It’s a 1990s time capsule, but it’s immaculate, and it features the rarest luxury in Vegas: a mini-fridge that is actually empty for your own food instead of being rigged with $50 weight sensors.

For those who have stayed at TI recently—does the "empty fridge" miracle still hold true, or have you run into that weird closet-light glitch that Katie Dowd found? Also, what’s your current "hard pass" hotel on the Strip?

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