A.M. Splash: Redevelopment Ruling Today; SF Employer Faces Criminal Charges in Worker's Death; Pesticide Use Up in State; A's Trade Bailey

The California Supreme Court will issue a long-awaited ruling Thursday on the legality of the state's move to grab $1.7 billion in redevelopment money to help close California's budget shortfall -- a move that rocked cities around the Bay Area and across the state. The ruling, expected at 10 a.m., should give critical guidance on two state laws: one that dissolves redevelopment agencies and redirects their property tax revenues to the state, and a second that allows agencies to stay afloat if they agree to relinquish a large portion of their funding, which will be used to pay for schools.

The CEO and a pressroom manager at a San Francisco printing shop will face a criminal trial in connection with the 2008 death of a pregnant press worker, the San Francisco district attorney's office announced Wednesday.

Pesticide use in California rose in 2010 after declining for four consecutive years, according to state data released Wednesday.

California, which this year got a head start on the rest of the nation in phasing out 100-watt incandescent bulbs, turns its attention to 75-watt bulbs on New Year's Day.

Holiday revelers will find it easier to get around New Year's Eve with BART stations staying open three hours later, and transit operators in Santa Clara and San Francisco counties offering free bus and light rail service at night. Bay Area Rapid Transit District stations will stay open until 3 a.m. Sunday to accommodate big crowds shuttling in and out of San Francisco for a midnight fireworks show visible from the Embarcadero. BART stations normally close at midnight.

...UC San Francisco biologists Yuriy Kirichok and Polina Lishko have made a name for themselves recording the electrical currents that course through, yes, sperm cells. Their work is not only offering new hope to infertile couples, but also may lead one day to an effective male birth control pill.

...The A's traded their two-time All-Star closer to the Red Sox, a team that had pursued Bailey much of the offseason. Bailey and outfielder Ryan Sweeney went in a package for outfielder Josh Reddick, who played in 87 games with Boston last year, and Class A players Miles Head and Raul Alcantara.