- An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 4.9 struck off the Northern California coast this morning at 7:09 a.m. The quake occurred about 70 miles southwest of Eureka. [NBC Bay Area]
- A house fire in Pacheco, near Concord, Thursday night sent two people to the hospital, including one man who had to be airlifted with major injuries. [KTVU]
- Antioch police have released a photo of a person of interest being sought in connection with a January 3 shooting at a shopping center. [KPIX]
- A possible tornado was observed in Sonoma County on Thursday, amidst stormy weather — and it was at least a small funnel cloud, seen on video. [Press Democrat]
- Dozens more pro-ceasefire activists who were arrested in November for shutting down the Bay Bridge were arraigned on Thursday in San Francisco Superior Court, and lawyers are still trying to get charges thrown out. [NBC Bay Area]
- Former Governor Jerry Brown has joined Gavin Newsom and the state legislature in calling on the California Supreme Court to toss out a ballot measure that seeks to make every new tax subject to voter approval, something that likely violates the state constitution. [Chronicle]
- In an annual count, California's population of over-wintering monarch butterflies is down 30% over year. [New York Times]
- 49ers star Brock Purdy's hometown of Queen Creek, Arizona — a suburb 40 miles south of Phoenix — is going nuts over his rapid rise in the NFL. [Chronicle]
Photo: Erin Minuskin