- Downtown San Francisco is continuing to struggle to recover from the pandemic, with no end in sight. City leaders are seeking temporary solutions, but the small businesses that make up the fabric of downtown's hospitality industry could experience even more of a die-off than they already have if things don't pick up quick. [Chronicle]
- The BART board just approved its first fare hike in over two years, with a 3.4% increase taking effect in July. Fares for short trips will rise about 10 cents, and longer trips will go up about 30 cents. [Bay Area News Group]
- The line that will echo for a while from last night's first televised hearing of the House January 6th Committee came from Liz Cheney: "“I say this to my Republican colleagues who are defending the indefensible: There will come a day when Donald Trump is gone but your dishonor will remain." [New York Times]
- A 28-year-old inmate serving a life sentence for carjacking and armed robbery was mistakenly let out of jail for 13 hours Thursday when he was transported to Sacramento County to face charges of defrauding the EDD during the pandemic. [KTVU]
- As of Sunday, international travelers coming to the U.S. no longer have to show a negative COVID test to enter the country. [CNN]
- ByteDance, the Chinese company behind TikTok, is looking to sublease 658,000 square feet of office space in San Jose that's currently still leased to Yahoo. [Mercury News]
- Beloved, 45-year-old Chinatown comfort food spot Yuet Lee is back open following an earthquake retrofit. [Hoodline]
- Britney Spears married her fiancee, personal trainer Sam Asghari, in L.A. on Thursday at a star-studded ceremony, and she reportedly kissed Madonna in a nostalgic redo of their 2003 MTV Video Music Awards kiss. [The Cut]
- The ethereal-voiced Julee Cruise, who collaborated with David Lynch on the soundtracks of Blue Velvet and Twin Peaks, has died at the age of 65. [Rolling Stone]
Photo: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
