- President Joe Biden and Dr. Anthony Fauci sought to reassure the nation Monday morning that the Omicron variant is "a cause for concern, not a cause for panic." Fauci also explained that current PCR tests being used in the U.S. do pick up the variant, and it has not yet been detected in the U.S. [New York Times]
- A woman was robbed at gunpoint in Oakland on Friday and her French bulldog was abducted. The woman was dog-sitting for a friend at the time, and the owner of the dog is still trying to find him. [KTVU]
- Four suspects with hammers robbed a Walgreens in Antioch on Saturday, smashing cosmetic cases and stealing approximately $2,400 worth of products. [Bay City News]
- Police in Antioch arrested a 13-year-old suspected of carjacking and then crashing a car on Sunday. [East Bay Times]
- A documentary filmmaker on his way to the airport stopped in Japantown for dinner last Tuesday and had all of his camera equipment stolen out of his car. [ABC7]
- Gas prices continue to go up in California, but in the Bay Area, where they're hovering around $5/gallon and are about the highest in the country, they may be leveling off. [NBC Bay Area]
- Sunday marked the first night of Hanukkah, and there was a public menorah lighting and celebration in Alameda's Rittler Park. [KTVU]
Photo: Sid Verma
