Local:

  • School crossing guards were fortunately spared from SFMTA's chopping block this week. That's a relief, considering autonomous taxis don't always stop for kids crossing the street. [KQED]
  • SFPD is asking for information from the public in the search for missing 14-year-old Leicy Johansen-Orellana, who was last seen on February 17th. A commenter on SFPD's Facebook post said family and friends are worried trafficking is a concern. [SFPD]
  • Hundreds of Alameda County court clerks, legal assistants, and other staffers returned to work today after a two-day strike that brought the East Bay’s justice system to a halt. Bargaining is set to take place on Monday, and while a wage increase is on the table, labor representatives are focusing on alleged unfair labor practices. [East Bay Times]
  • The Trump administration is considering an undisclosed military site in Northern California for use as one of several migrant detention centers across the country. The first detention center will be at Fort Bliss in El Paso, Texas, where an "internal watchdog for the Department of Health and Human Services found children and teenagers there suffered distress and panic attacks because of a lack of resources and training by officials" during the Biden administration. [New York Times]
  • 57-year-old Ian Edard Kroe of Oakland was convicted this week of imprisoning a 74-year-old woman for two years. The woman, whom police found in a Belmont Hotel room in 2022 unable to move on her own, was a friend of Kroe's mother and had reached out to Kroe to express sympathy over her death. [KRON4]
  • SF Beer Week's ten-day beer-themed extravaganza starts this weekend with a variety of events across the Bay Area. [FunCheapSF]

National:

  • Luigi Mangione appeared in court for a preliminary pretrial hearing today, as about 100 supporters cheered him on from inside and outside the courtroom. Mangione's defense attorney said she is still missing a large portion of the evidence, which is likely infringing on Mangione's right to a fair trial. [CBS News]
  • Trump backed out of his recent plan to permanently relocate two million Palestinians from Gaza to nearby countries in the Middle East after leaders from Egypt and Jordan rejected the idea. His plan was to take over the territory and develop it into “the Riviera of the Middle East.” [New York Times]
  • For those interested in staying abreast of what's happening with Project 2025, here's a helpful tracker. (Brace yourself.) [Project 2025 Observer]

Video of the Day:

Local photographer Eric Thurber is known for capturing sweeping aerial views, such as this compilation of stunning winter scenes throughout the Bay Area.

Image: Dystopian car wash, Divisadero Street, 2023; Leanne Maxwell/SFist