Black Hammer Brewing will wind down operations and close its SoMa taproom at 544 Bryant St. in April 2026, joining other Bay Area brewery closures.

Median HOA dues in the San Francisco metro climbed to $502 in 2025, a sharp jump that adds hundreds to monthly housing costs for buyers and owners. Local insurance and reserve shortfalls are part of the story.

A Napa County judge sentenced Gabriel James Chavez to 10 years after his no-contest plea in the June 8, 2024 Lake Berryessa brawl that killed a Vallejo man.

Eduardo Rallo will open Il Porto at Pier 31’s Alcatraz Landing in June 2026, bringing outdoor seating and ferry-synced hours to the Embarcadero.

Patents are falling in India, China and Canada, opening the door to low‑cost semaglutide generics that could sharply lower monthly bills for millions. U.S. access may still lag.

Martinez ordered the immediate shutdown of several Hidden Valley pickleball courts after months of noise and parking complaints; nets were removed as the city evaluates next steps.

The World Happiness Report 2026 names Finland happiest again and warns heavy social media use is linked to falling wellbeing among young people, especially teen girls.

San Mateo supervisors pulled support for a proposed 69‑bed Horizon recovery campus at 101 N. El Camino Real after neighbors raised safety and traffic concerns. A town hall is scheduled next Tuesday.

A federal magistrate judge dismissed ex‑Stanford coach Troy Taylor’s defamation suit against ESPN, finding the network’s reporting matched two Stanford investigation reports. The ruling leaves Taylor’s claims unlikely to succeed at the district level.

A dead gray whale was found near the Golden Gate Bridge and towed to Angel Island for a necropsy. Scientists will test tissue samples to determine cause.

India Basin Waterfront Park at 900 Innes brings piers, a floating dock and a food pavilion to Bayview while crews finish the final shoreline work. Community events are already lining up.

A newly released 171‑page consultant draft accuses St. Helena city government of chaotic budgeting, weak staffing and outsized executive pay. The study offers concrete personnel and technology fixes.

A San Jose mom flew to India for a quick H‑1B renewal and has been stuck since new vetting slowed consular appointments, leaving her family separated. Local attorneys say the backlog has ripple effects across Bay Area tech households.