From the Newsroom

Members make a difference

12.31.2010
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The volunteers and freelancers who report for the San Francisco Public Press would like to say thank you to all of our members. With your help, we are producing context-rich, local journalism and publishing an ad-free newspaper packed with public-interest news reports. If you haven’t done so yet, we hope you will consider making a year-end, tax-deductible donation to support independent public media in San Francisco. Your gift will help the Public Press thrive in 2011. Thank you and happy New Year!

Food Systems
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A farm blossoms in Hayes Valley where a freeway once cast a dominating shadow

12.27.2010
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In 1990, Madeline Behrens-Brigham and Russell Pritchard opened art boutiques in a crime-ridden section of Hayes Valley. They called their part of the neighborhood, from Laguna Street to Market Street, the “Tenderloin of the ’90s.”
"It was only 20 years ago that you’d drive down Octavia Boulevard and on all corners it was prostitutes everywhere, like the Tenderloin is now,” Pritchard said. » Read more

Courts & Legal Issues
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Former women prisoners face longer odds staying out after aid programs slashed

12.24.2010
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By the time Sunshine Schmidt was 19, her rebellious streak led her to prison in Wisconsin for violating probation on a forgery charge. But it was just the beginning of her troubled young adulthood. As she tells it, the uncaring reaction from a criminal justice system on autopilot put her back in prison for minor violations, only driving her further into the life of small-time crime as she racked up drug and theft-related charges. » Read more

News
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City struggles to move beyond piecemeal approach to earthquake retrofitting

12.17.2010
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}p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal { margin: 0in 0in 10pt; font-size: 12pt;”Times New Roman”; }p.BodyCopy-NoIndent, li.BodyCopy-NoIndent, div.BodyCopy-NoIndent { margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; line-height: 11pt; font-size: 8.5pt; color: black; }div.Section1 { page: Section1; }San Francisco’s piecemeal approach to seismic retrofitting took a big hit when voters rejected a $46 million bond to retrofit affordable housing and residential hotels. » Read more

City Hall
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Board delays picking new mayor until January

12.15.2010
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The Board of Supervisors will not decide on a new mayor until the day after the current one is scheduled to assume his new post in Sacramento.
On an 8-3 vote on Tuesday, the board delayed any decision to nominate Mayor Gavin Newsom’s successor until at least Jan. » Read more

News
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Discharged gay veterans sue government for reinstatement

12.13.2010
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Three military veterans who were discharged under the "don’t ask, don’t tell" law, filed a lawsuit against the government Monday in the U.S. District Court in San Francisco asking to be reinstated in the military and for the court to declare that the ban on gays in the military is unconstitutional. The lawsuit was filed by former Air Force Staff Sgt. Anthony Loverde, 31, who was profiled in the fall print edition of the SF Public Press, former Air Force Maj. Michael Almy, 40, and former Navy Petty Officer Second Class Jason Knight, 28, according to the Associated Press. The lawsuit was filed just days after the U.S. Senate blocked a military spending bill that included the repeal of openly gay troops serving in the military.

News
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Experiencing holiday gifts in a whole new way

12.13.2010
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Gretchen Wustrack’s family asked her for a Christmas list. But like many people, she found herself thinking,”I didn’t know what I wanted. I have enough stuff, and so do they.”
Rather than come up with a handful of half-hearted suggestions, Wustrack, a San Francisco designer, asked her family if they would consider exchanging experiential gifts – classes, tickets or certificates for new, hands-on experiences. » Read more