• The hurricane headed for SoCal, Hurricane Hilary, was downgraded from a category 4 to a still-potent category 3 as it heads towards the southern tip of the Baja peninsula Saturday morning. The tropical storm, which is forecast to continue northwards and cross the border near Tijuana on Sunday, could bring "catastrophic and life-threatening flooding" across the peninsula and the southwestern United States, according to the U.S. National Hurricane Center. [A.P. News]
Image via NOAA.
  • A suspect in a cannabis dispensary robbery was shot and killed by Martinez police on Friday morning around 3:30 a.m. after he allegedly drove his car at police. The state attorney’s office has opened an investigation. [KTVU]
  • The long-standing Lehigh Cement Plant near Cupertino will permanently close, as the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors has reached a binding agreement with the plant's parent companies to cease operations. The cement plant – which was a major supplier of cement for Bay Area construction but also a major source of pollution — has been in operation for over 80 years, preceded by a limestone quarry that has been present for more than a century. [KGO]
  • The organization formerly known as the Golden Gate Audubon Society has officially become the Golden Gate Bird Alliance this week, severing its connection to a naturalist with a racist legacy. The decision to remove "Audubon" from the name was made by members in April, as the National Audubon Society declined to change its own name. [Chronicle]
  • Mortgage rates have reached a 21-year high — the average rate for a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage rose to 7.09% this week week, up from 6.96% the previous week. Good luck buying any houses in the Bay Area. [KGO]
  • About 40 cats and dogs from Maui shelters arrived at Bay Area shelters, including the East Bay SPCA and Marin Humane, and are adoptable for Bay Area residents. [KPIX]
  • A state appeals court has ruled that San Francisco tax authorities inaccurately assessed the value of the Westin St. Francis hotel in Union Square during its 2015 sale, triggering a potentially seven figure refund to the new owners. [Chronicle]

Feature image via Unsplash/Jessy Smith.