• Cruise employees were reportedly blindsided by Tuesday's news that GM was effectively shutting down the company. Hundreds of engineers and other staffers have been working toward creating an autonomous taxi service to compete with Waymo, but GM now says the operation will be absorbed into its division developing autonomous features for consumer vehicles, and eventually self-driving cars personal vehicles. [TechCrunch]
  • Good news! The days will be getting longer again in San Francisco (sort of) starting next week. The earliest sunsets of the year are happening this week, at 4:51 pm, but the sun will start setting later ahead of the Winter Solstice, due to several factors. [National Weather Service/X]
  • In an odd bit of celebrity/sports news, Chip and Joanna Gaines of the popular, former HGTV series Fixer Upper and founders of the Magnolia media brand have joined the ownership group of Tahoe's new minor league hockey team. The Knight Monsters, which were founded by former NFL quarterback Tim Tebow, began their inaugural season in October, and they compete in the ECHL, part of the NHL and AHL's farm system, in the league's Mountain Division. [KRON4]
  • The jury in the Bob Lee murder trial completed a fifth day of deliberations without a verdict today. [NBC Bay Area]
  • Nima Momeni's defense team has filed a motion for a mistrial due to prosecutorial misconduct, claiming the prosecution allowed one of its witnesses, Bob Lee's friend Bo Mohazzabi, to lie about having done cocaine with Lee when there is clear video evidence proving otherwise. [KTVU]
  • The San Francisco Symphony and the union representing the symphony's chorus have reached a contract deal thanks to a $4 million donation from an anonymous patron. [Chronicle]
  • We've got a new round of King Tides on the way starting Thursday, and going through Monday, so beware if you're near the water. [Chronicle]
  • Missing Maui woman Hannah Kobayashi, who appears to have voluntarily gone missing in Los Angeles in mid-November, has been found safe by her family, but we don't have any further explanation about her whereabouts. [KRON4]
  • One of the biggest meteor showers of the year, the Geminids, is ramping up and will peak on Friday. [Associated Press]

Photo: Sean Qiu