We reported in September on the teen prostitution ring that got busted at a South San Francisco Travelodge, and now the couple behind it all, Mahendar "Mike" Singh, 40, and his wife, Helen Jean Singh, 22, have been indicted by a federal grand jury. Mike is currently in federal custody, and he pleaded not guilty Tuesday to charges of conspiring to commit sex trafficking. Helen has been released on bond and she'll be in court tomorrow to set an arraignment date. more ›

Fast on the heels of the news of this disturbing rape in a South S.F. home, we get word of a prostitution bust at a nearby motel involving three teenage girls, two of whom were underage. As the Tribune reports, husband-and-wife pimp team Mahender Singh, 40, and Helen Singh, 22, pleaded not guilty yesterday to 12 felony counts including human trafficking. more ›

Who's excited for barbecue season? In South San Francisco, one man was apparently a little too excited for a backyard grill session in his neighborhood last Sunday. While it's unclear if Pedro Garcia was actually invited to his neighbor's barbecue, it is clear that he made some "inappropriate sexual comments" to a fellow guest at the party and was asked to leave. Apparently unhappy about the invitation to vacate the premises, Garcia responded by lifting his shirt and showing off some rifle ammo he was just keeping tucked under there. Later, Garcia returned to the neighbor's carnivorous celebration brandishing a machete and threatening to kill the host. more ›

After that drive-by shooting in South San Francisco last week resulted in a third death, police have stepped up patrols in the neighborhood, but they're still out looking for that brown 2000 or 2001-model Chevy Impala. Anyone with information that helps further the investigation has a chance at a cool $25,000 reward though. Tips, anonymous or otherwise, should be directed to the tipline the South San Francisco Police have set up at: (650) 829-3700. [BCN/Appeal] more ›

Last night around 7:15 p.m. two people were killed in an apparent drive-by shooting at Linden Ave and Eighth Lane in South San Francisco, a neighborhood "prone to gang activity" according to CBS5. Officers arrived to find two dead on the scene and a third critically injured. Three more still were taken to the hospital with "nonlife-threatening injuries," according to South San Francisco PD Sgt. Joni Lee. more ›

"Time To Make The Donuts" by Troy Holden. more ›

A pedestrian was hit by a Caltrain in South San Francisco this morning. "The incident was reported at 9:39 a.m. just north of the South San Francisco Caltrain station." No further details are available. We'll update as soon as we know more. [ABC 7] more ›

Billed as the best story of November thus far, SF Examiner brings you a true tale of jarring criminal mischief. Ahem: more ›

A massive four-alarm fire on Cabot Road near Allerton Avenue torched the San Francisco Sausage Company building, the Columbus Salami company's slicing plant. Luckily, all 30 overnight employees escaped unharmed. The blaze went up around 2 a..m. today, burning for more than five hours. According to reports, "firefighters from numerous mutual aid fire departments are responding, including Foster City, Daly City, South San Francisco, San Mateo and Burlingame." No word yet on what caused the fire, exactly. more ›

A San Mateo man is currently on trial for allegedly putting a beatdown on another homeless man. Why? Well, according to SFGate, Jason Everett Keller, 40, reportedly attacked fellow happy-wanderer Stephan Fava in South San Francisco this past March. It seems that Fava "was chatting with an acquaintance, who is also homeless, about 'quantum physics and the splitting of atoms' [when] Keller joined in the conversation and, for reasons unknown, got upset." The report goes on to say that Keller, presumably demonstrating how atomic and subatomic systems can be created or whatever, "picked up his skateboard and hit Fava in the face with it, splitting his lip." Keller is expected to take the stand soon, testimony that we very much look forward to hearing. more ›

Police are on the hunt for a man "wearing a do-rag" who snatched the purse of a woman early Sunday morning while she was strolling in the South SF. According to reports, the suspect walked up behind the victim and asked for her purse while brandishing a handgun. The incident occurred on Meath Drive near Carter Drive at around 2:50 a.m. The suspect is described as a "man in his late 20s was last seen wearing a black jacket with a hooded sweatshirt, black pants and black shoes. He is about 5 feet 6 inches to 5 feet 8 inches tall and weighs between 170 and 180 pounds,." Call the South San Francisco Police Department at 650-877-8900 (ask for Officer Molyneux!) if you have any information. more ›

Sixteen-year-old John Tagobo of South San Francisco died following a skateboarding accident in South San Francisco, according to reports. The accident occurred a little before 3 p.m. on Sunday while Tagobo was riding on Joseph and Ida in a residential neighborhood. It seems he "lost control of his skateboard, collided with a curb and was thrown about 15 feet into shrubbery." After managing to call his family, he was rushed to the hospital. He died of internal injuries the next day. Tagobo wasn't wearing any safety gear or helmet at the time of the crash, which is par for the course for skateboarders.
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Around 2 p.m. Friday on the 800 block of Southwood Drive in South San Francisco, an 18-year-old man was robbed of his PlayStation 3. (Mean!) According to KNTV, "he was sitting on a bench when a man approached him and demanded his backpack. The bag contained a PlayStation 3 system, three games and a controller." Initially the victim told his mugger to fuck off, more or less, but after one of the men pulled up his sweatshirt to reveal a black handgun tucked in his waistband, he relented. The suspect is described as "a white man around 20 years old, with short, dark hair and a medium build. Police reports estimate his height as between 5 foot 7 and 6 feet tall," who got into "a four door, silver vehicle parked on Haven Avenue." Alas, not all armed robberies have a happy ending. more ›

Several rallies in Northern California happened today calling for lawmakers to help on a moratorium of foreclosures. ACORN (Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now) helped spark the protests, calling on all "mortgage lenders and servicers to implement a 90-day foreclosure moratorium and to use this time to modify loans to affordable terms for homeowners." more ›

As particulate matter from the 850 wildfires has ruined our famously crisp and sought-after air in the Bay Area. On the plus side, though, it has made for some gorgeous sunsets. more ›

If you've noticed over the past couple of days, it's smells a bit smoky, a bit ashy in Baghdad by the Bay. It seems, according to CBS 5, Northern California is suffering from about 950 wildfire right now.The top half of the state is, in essence, on fire. Yikes! So far, Carmel Valley residents have been forced from their homes due to the massive blaze in the Los Padres National Forest over in Monterey County, which is the largest blaze yet. more ›

Last night's five-alarm wildfire in the San Bruno Mountains, which threatened homes in South San Francisco, has been 75 percent as of this morning. The crisp weather and fog -- which has mercifully killed this past weekend's vile heatwave -- has helped firefighters attack the blaze successfully. more ›

A wildfire on San Bruno Mountain may threaten some homes on the South side of the mountain along Sister Cities Blvd tonight. These shots, taken by a reader on Drake Avenue (across Hillside) at around 8:35 p.m., show the fire heading close to South SF as "numerous firetrucks rush[ed] to the scene along with several helicopters on hand to battle the flames from the air." The area is a new development of million dollar homes and are "in the line of fire." more ›

While an unidentified man was using an auger transporter (?) a South SF asphalt plant Graniterock on Wednesday, he somehow managed to get caught up in the presumably tricky machinery, and die. At about 7:32 p.m., firefighters responded to the plant at 1321 Lowrie Avenue. According to Battalion Chief Tom Azzopardi (via ), "[s]omehow the machine started up and he was trapped in it." more ›

50-year-old Chiu Chun Wong of San Lorenzo was killed yesterday after a 15-ton section of concrete came toppling down on him. Ouch. According to the Gate, the fatal workplace incident occurred at "J.C. Steel Fabrication at 220 Michelle Court shortly before 1 p.m. Tuesday." It seems that while Wong and another worker were putting a chain "around the bottom of the 20-foot-by-12-foot wall," the chuck of cement slipped, fell, and struck Wong, killing him instantly. more ›

Update: Oh damn! The video's not working. It's a compilation of all the various calls we've gotten. We'll try re-uploading it when we get home from work. more ›

Although neither death nor illness have been reported, State health officials are warning people not to eat tofu produced by South San Francisco-based Quong Hop and Co. more ›

Nothing gets our treasure hunting heart pounding as fast as a crowded taco truck tucked away on a parking lot. Unfortunately the delicious meal we wolf down sometimes makes our stomach heave just as fast. Fear not, we've located the healthiest taco truck south of the Department of Public Health. more ›

And for fans of the woodsman sciences, a special treat: one of the band members plays the saw. Whoo! more ›

--Did you fall back? more ›

Submissions go to yvesdroppings at gmail dot com. more ›

SFist reviews Colma: The Musical at the SFIAAFF more ›

As a fan of , we've wondered about the innate practicality of robbing a bank in a mask. "Your peripheral vision must suffer" we'd muse "and it's gotta get hot in there! What a stupid idea." more ›

We're kind of on a pro-BART kick today -- which may be due in part to the fact that we've been taking the BART down to Millbrae all week. We understand that not too many of you are doing that, which may explain why we haven't heard very much about the coolest station art ever, these totally rad pictures/murals on the walls of the South San Francisco BART station. The picture above doesn't do it justice, but they're holographic scenes. They show these little pictures of local scenes, like sailboats and California history -- but as the train zips by (or as trainwaiters walk by), the pictures change! They're like art versions of flipbooks! Animated murals! IT IS SO COOL!!! For example, one of the pictures is a series of photos from the South SF Fire Department showing a firefighter sliding down a pole. Other pictures include the changes on South City's Grand Avenue, factory workers, and the biotech industry (we haven't seen that one yet, but we hope it's a DNA strand undergoing transcription and translation). How'd they do it? Is it something about polarized glass? The only news article we could find about it says something about "multifaceted glass tiles," but isn't that just like our kitchen counter? It doesn't show us scenes of South City. Could someone please explain it to us? Meanwhile -- if you're heading down South Bay-wards, or just glumly staring out the window with your roller bag wedged between your knees on the way to SFO, make sure you look out when you get to the South City BART stop. Public art at its best! Picture from the South SF city site more ›