• The Apple Fire in Riverside County is the state's first major wildfire of the year, and it has burned 41 square miles since Friday. The cause has already been determined to be a malfunctioning diesel vehicle emitting burning carbon, and the fire is only 5 percent contained. [KTVU]
• A well liked San Francisco restaurateur, A.J. Sanchez, committed suicide following deepening depression of loss of business during the pandemic. The 52-year-old owned Fisherman's Wharf area restaurants Altalena Vinoteca and Carmel Pizza Co., and his wife is going public with the story to call attention to the pressures small business owners are under. [Chronicle]
• Four blocks of Jones Street in the Tenderloin are going to be devoted to pedestrian and play spaces during the pandemic. [Chronicle]
• Lots and lots of Californians are buying firearms during the pandemic, in a disturbing trend. [CNN/CBS]
• A lot of UC Berkeley students are opting to withdraw for the semester, most will not be returning to campus since all their classes will be virtual. [Berkeleyside]
• Chronicle architecture and design critic John King has a few words to say about the outdoor-dining structures popping up around town. [Chronicle]
• There have been protests and counter-protests all centering on allegations of racism in the firing of two teachers in June at a private school in Petaluma. [NBC Bay Area]
• Bay Area sports radio legend Ralph Barbieri has died at the age of 74 of complications from Parkinson's Disease. [Mercury News]

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