- Two Bay Area residents have been charged with allegedly kidnapping of a family and holding them hostage for a $100,000 ransom. Federal prosecutors have reportedly secured an indictment against six people, including the Bay Area residents, involved in the plot, in which the suspected motive was a dispute over a $100,000 debt, according to court records (the victims were reportedly unharmed). [Mercury News]
- A 15-year-old boy was fatally shot in a Pittsburg residence on Thursday night, and another 15-year-old boy was arrested for the shooting, the Pittsburg Police Department said in a statement. The police are reportedly still working to determine whether the act was intentional. [Mercury News]
- There’s apparently a Clipper Card shortage due to supply chain issues, the organization announced on Twitter. It warned riders to make sure that they add a Clipper card to their smartphone if they don’t have the blue plastic card. [Twitter]
There is a very real @BayAreaClipper card shortage due to supply chain issues.
— BART (@SFBART) December 30, 2022
NYE often attracts infrequent riders who don’t have a Clipper card. If you know someone riding tonight, tell them to put Clipper on their phone. No app needed. And you don’t have to wait in line. https://t.co/3DKT153C8m
- In more BART news, the system is seeing major, system-wide delays on Friday, transit officials said, due to several factors, including mechanical problems, rainy weather and an "unauthorized person" walking on train tracks. [KPIX]
- As the atmospheric river bears down on the Bay Area, forecasters are warning residents to expect at least 2 inches of rain across the entire region and to prepare for flooding and mudslides. Authorities said that Niles Canyon Road between Sunol and Fremont is already closed due to a landslide. [Mercury News / ABC7]
- President Joe Biden announced full pardons on Friday to six Americans, including a Bay Area veteran named Edward De Coito. Biden issued a pardon for the 50-year-old Dublin resident and flight instructor, who served nearly two years in prison in 1999 after pleading guilty to serving as a marijuana courier on five or six occasions as a 23-year-old. [SF Examiner]
- The Millbrae dim sum restaurant Hong Kong Flower Lounge, which was known for its massive banquet hall and a stellar Michelin Guide review, is set to close at the end of the month as its owner reportedly looks to retire. [SFGate / KTSF 26]
Image via Unsplash/Osman Rana.
