Local:

  • Mid-morning commuters’ damp bus rides were made worse today by technical issues along Muni’s subway system. Starting at around 10:30 a.m., riders between West Portal and Embarcadero stations were told to take surface-level bus lines and Metro shuttles. [S.F. Chronicle]
  • A San Francisco man was charged with a hate crime and assault after allegedly brandishing a semi-automatic firearm and hurling hate-fueled threats at a man of Mexican-descent and his friends in a Tenderloin garage. The suspect is being held without bail, awaiting a preliminary hearing on February 11th. [Hoodline]
  • Lawrence Livermore Laboratory is testing OpenAI’s AI models in fusion research, hoping to refine simulations that could lead to scalable, clean energy solutions. The models will be deployed on Venado, an Nvidia-powered supercomputer, which will serve as a shared resource between Los Alamos, Lawrence Livermore, and Sandia National Laboratories. [S.F. Business Times, Open AI]
  • The City of San Francisco has settled a lawsuit with the organizers of the Stern Grove Festival, agreeing to pay $225,000 in lost revenue when a 2021 water main rupture flooded the Stern Grove amphitheater. Organizers were forced to cancel the festival’s biggest concert of the season that year, an annual fundraiser featuring Oakland funk band Tower of Power and rapper Too $hort. [S.F. Chronicle]
  • The installation of the proposed statue of a 45-foot tall nude woman that was set to be unveiled in Union Square has been delayed due to “unforeseen engineering challenges.” [Union Square SF]
  • A man who fled into a South San Francisco classroom while fleeing from police during a narcotics investigation failed to appear in court on Thursday. [KRON4]

National:

  • It’s Groundhog Day on Sunday, and apparently Punxsutawney Phil has some stiff competition, including a tortoise and a statue. Experts predict above-average temperatures in some parts of the country and below-average for others this spring, most of California falling under the “Equal Chances” zone. [U.S. News & World Report]
  • A new border fence near Washington state aimed to prevent mistaken crossings, but it instead raised legal concerns. Canadian officials removed it after an investigation. [CBC]
  • The NFL is experimenting with AI using Sony’s Hawk-Eye system, the same technology used in tennis, to make first-down calls faster and more reliable. The shift away from traditional measurements has sparked debate among players and fans. [NBC News]
  • Former Meet the Press moderator Chuck Todd announced his departure from NBC News and urged national media to rebuild trust by strengthening local journalism. Todd hinted at future projects but remained quiet on the details. [WTOP]

Video of the Day:

Here's a little pick-me-up on this dreary day with a nostalgic look at North Beach in the early 1980s.

Image: Folsom Street looking west, SoMa, 2024; Leanne Maxwell/SFist