A stone’s throw from Lake Merced and San Francisco Zoo, there’s a secluded land where the scent of freshly cut and watered grass wafts through the air. Where the juniper bushes are neatly sculptured and the single-family houses are defiantly unattached to one another. Where untidiness of yard and home is possibly met with scorn and derision among whispering neighbors. On Country Club Drive between Berkshire and Ocean, landscaping is king, putting green lawns and rock gardens remain all the rage, and the number of residents in the 20-39 age bracket appears to be minimal, at most. This block may be an allergy sufferer’s or Mission hipster’s nightmare, and its name may portend false images of Chase and Hilary Whitebread whizzing off in their electric golf cart to the first tee, all bent out of shape about how “the help” failed for the third time this month to feed Shrilly the Pomeranian her Alpo Premium. But, holy smokes, the street’s called “Country Club Drive,” and it’s in San Francisco. We could not resist its pull....

The Chron's got the wrapup of the results from this year's problem-solving Chronicle Watch reports -- from October 2005-October 2006. We've got a wrap-up of the wrap-up, right here! Total number of problems fixed: 139. Breakdown by region: San Francisco -- 70 (29 street repairs, 23 park fixes, 7 public transportation fixes, 11 signs). East Bay -- 44 (21 street, 14 park, 5 signs, 4 public transit). South Bay -- 16, North Bay 9. Number......

Seniors at San Jose's Independence High aren't talking about who super-glued 180 classroom and library door locks on the first day of finals, even after the principal canceled the senior picnic and the school offered a $500 reward for information. A freshman said, "I thought it was mean. If I get an F on my final, I'm going to blame the seniors." Entrepreneurial! Leah Garchik tells a tale of a guy walking around in a......

When God Winked opens The Marsh's new space in Berkeley....

Bay Area crime roundup...