- U.S. to restore diplomatic relations with Cuba (New York Times):
In a deal negotiated during 18 months of secret talks hosted largely by Canada and encouraged by Pope Francis, who hosted a final meeting at the Vatican, President Obama and President Raúl Castro of Cuba agreed in a telephone call to put aside decades of hostility to find a new relationship between the United States and the island nation just 90 minutes off the American coast. Full story
- Living on rainwater (San Jose Mercury News):
For most Californians, rain-catching is a seasonal hobby and not practical enough to wean us from our dependency on snowmelt, reservoirs and groundwater. But for a growing number of Californians, elaborate rainwater collection systems supply water for everyday household use. Full story
- California needs 11 trillion gallons of water to replenish drought losses (NASA):
It will take about 42 cubic kilometers -- around 1.5 times the maximum volume of the largest U.S. reservoir -- to recover from California's continuing drought, according to a new analysis of satellite data. Full story
- Crowd denounces Berkeley police at City Council meeting (Oakland Tribune):
Speaker after speaker denounced, in often scathing terms, the conduct of Berkeley police and other cities' forces that assisted them during recent, mostly peaceful protests against decisions by grand juries in Missouri and New York not to indict white police officers who killed unarmed black men. Full story
- Piece of plastic shut down BART's Oakland airport train (San Francisco Chronicle):
BART is investigating how a piece of soft plastic could do so much damage. In the meantime, agency officials have to worry about what other bits of trash could float onto the outdoor tracks and knock out their prized new addition. Full story
- Bay Area home sales slow down, but prices still climb (San Jose Mercury News):
A booming economy has minted crowds of would-be homebuyers, drawn by low interest rates and pushed by rising rents, but the latest home sales report shows they're stuck once again in a competitive market marked by bidding wars and all-cash buyers, pushing prices ever higher. Full story
- Richmond mayor prevailed in battles with Chevron, crime (Contra Costa Times):
With the local economy on the upswing, her political coalition flourishing and her chief bete noire, Chevron Corp., reeling from a botched bid to take back control of city government, Gayle McLaughlin is poised to leave the mayor's seat after eight years and look back on a string of successes. Full story
- Entrepreneur Sean Parker pledges $24 million for Stanford allergy research (CBS San Francisco):
The 35-year-old Napster co-founder and first president of Facebook suffers from asthma and allergies so severe that he spent three weeks of his senior year in the emergency room. Now the father of two says finding a cure is a top priority. Full story
- Judge orders Oakland to turn over internal police documents (SF Appeal):
A federal judge says Oakland City Attorney Barbara Parker to release documents to a court-appointed official who is investigating why the city is losing many arbitration cases filed by officers who have been disciplined for alleged wrongdoing. Full story
9 Stories You Should Know About Today
Trinity Lake, northwest of Redding, is one of California's largest reservoirs. It's pictured in late August 2014. (Dan Brekke/KQED)
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