Honoring the 100-year anniversary of the Angel Island Immigration Station, the California State Parks, Angel Island Immigration Station Foundation and the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services threw a party in San Francisco this morning, complete with "a slideshow of historic photos, comments by dignitaries, recognition to detainees who once lived there and the swearing in of 100 new immigrants who took the Oath of Allegiance to the United States and became U.S. citizens." more ›

A week after the Angel Island fire lit the night sky and took the lives of one raccoon and a deer -- really, they need to rename the island after the fallen creatures; never forget! -- the island will reopen on a restricted basis. Visitors will be able to "island's terrain and its historical sites, and take tram and Segway tours on a road that runs along the perimeter of the island," but the campsites and the island's two main hiking trails are still off limits. Also, no word yet as to who or what sparked the fire that torched half of the island. (CBS 5) more ›

The fire that singed half of Angel Island last week was sparked by people, according to the Examiner. Ruling out natural causes like downed electrical lines, machine malfunctions, or God almighty, the Marin County Fire Department are now investigating the person(s) who might have started the blaze. 29 campers were roughing it on Angel Island when the fire broke started. Also, one fire-related fatality was reported: a raccoon. RIP, little fella. (Examiner) more ›

The U.S. Coast Guard and San Francisco/Marin firefighters are battling a blaze on the eastside of Angel Island, which was reported at 9 p.m. Sunday tonight. more ›

The sands of Marin and San Mateo have officially reopened to the public. (We recommend hitting the beach in the fall. There's something luxurious about walking on the beach, bundled up in winter clothing.) What's more, 50 wild birds have been cleaned up and released at Pillar Point Yacht Harbor at Half Moon Bay. But what's worse, "the spill has cost the U.S. government $1.4 million, money spent on operations by the Coast Guard,... more ›

We gobble the various food sections up each Wednesday. Here are our favorite nibbles from today's offerings. more ›

We were originally going to put a cursory summary of Partners in Preservation's program in Day Around The Bay, but after poking around on the website, it's so cool that we've elevated it to a stand-alone post. American Express, in connection with the National Trust for Historic Preservation and the World Monuments Fund, will give $1 million to historic sites around the Bay Area. The way they'll determine who to give the money to and how to divide it up is by online voting. more ›

Wow, this is kind of creepy. According to AP report, "An [sic] large amount of some unknown substance has been spotted spreading across the San Francisco Bay." more ›