- Oakland police dispute CHP claim about undercover cops (San Francisco Chronicle):
Although California Highway Patrol officials said they had planted plainclothes officers within recent demonstrations in Oakland and Berkeley with the approval of the cities’ respective police departments, Oakland police officials said Wednesday that they were unaware that the CHP had undercover officers within their jurisdiction the night one pulled a gun on protesters after his partner was attacked. Full story
- Oakland sees autumn spike in homicides (Oakland Tribune):
Earlier this year, it appeared as though Oakland was on track to record a significant decline in the number of people killed in the city compared to 2013. One encouraging sign was the fact that Oakland went 40 days without a single unlawful killing this summer -- a reprieve that had not occurred in a long while. In the fall, the tides shifted -- and a year that started with such promise started to turn into the same old high-homicide-rate story. Full story
- Who's behind the Sony Pictures cyberattack? (Wired):
Sony has canceled the premiere of The Interview and its entire Christmas-Day release of the movie because of fears that terrorists might attack theaters showing the film. The actions show just how much power the attackers behind the Sony hack have amassed in a short time. But who exactly are they? Full story
- How 'The Interview' became an insane cultural-political spectacle (Salon):
Let me see if I have this right, because the whole thing stretches credulity: North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un has apparently managed to kill a major Hollywood movie. I mean, a stupid one, by all accounts, but still. Full story
- The grassroots politics behind New York's fracking ban (Washington Post):
Localities across the country, including 13 in California, have taken the lead in passing measures to ban controversial energy industry practice. Full story
- Amid new PG&E disclosures, state utilities agency faces leadership crisis (San Francisco Chronicle):
The state’s Public Utilities Commission meets for the last time this year Thursday facing a leadership vacuum and a fresh controversy involving one of the five gubernatorial appointees who regulate California’s electricity and gas monopolies. Full story
- What it was like to be a woman on Twitter in 2014 (Washington Post):
When someone calls you an unprintable, gender-based slur on Twitter and invites you to “get raped,” you presume — or at least, I presumed — that the network would do something about it. Full story
- Holiday light displays, as seen from space (NASA):
Even from space, holidays shine bright. Around many major U.S. cities, nighttime lights shine 20 to 50 percent brighter during Christmas and New Year's when compared to light output during the rest of the year, as seen in the satellite data. In some Middle Eastern cities, nighttime lights shine more than 50 percent brighter during Ramadan, compared to the rest of the year. Full story
- 49ers' Harbaugh weighing jump to University of Michigan? (ESPN):
Multiple NFL and Michigan sources had said for weeks that 49ers head coach Jim Harbaugh was not expected to wind up at Michigan, but in recent days at least one person familiar with his thinking said he was at least "considering it." According to multiple reports, Michigan has made a six-year, $49 million offer to Harbaugh. Full story
9 Stories You Should Know About Today
An undercover officer points his gun at the crowd while his partner subdues a protester who struck him in the back of the head, as demonstrations continue for a fifth night in Oakland on Wednesday, Dec. 10, 2014. (Michael Short/San Francisco Chronicle)
Sponsored