9 Stories You Should Know About Today: Wednesday, Feb. 4

Storm still on track: The latest rain forecast, via the National Weather Service in Sacramento:

• Silicon Valley middle class 'disappearing' in midst of tech boom (San Jose Mercury News):
  

  The Silicon Valley economy is red-hot and the growth is intensifying, according to the latest Joint Venture Silicon Valley Index released Tuesday, but the surge has been accompanied by a yawning income and gender gap. Full story

• Newest problem on Bay Bridge span: broken elevator (San Francisco Chronicle):
  

  A $4 million elevator intended to take maintenance workers and well-connected investor-tourists to the top of the signature tower on the new Bay Bridge eastern span failed after just a few uses, and Caltrans is trying to figure out who will pay the bill. Full story

• Golden Gate Bridge suicides declined in 2014 (Marin Independent Journal):
  

  Foundation that tracks bridge suicides says 38 people jumped from span last year, compared with 46 in 2013. Another 160 people were assisted from the bridge after showing signs they might kill themselves. Full story

• CHP settles excessive-force lawsuit for $2.5 million (San Jose Mercury News):
  

  The state of California agreed Tuesday to pay $2.5 million to settle an excessive-force lawsuit filed by an African-American carpenter who was shot at least eight times by a white CHP rookie during a traffic stop. Full story

• Archbishop Cordileone spells out sex policy for school staff (San Francisco Chronicle):
  

  The conservative Roman Catholic archbishop of San Francisco has developed a new document for Catholic high school faculty and staff clarifying that sex outside of marriage, homosexual relations, the viewing of pornography and masturbation are “gravely evil.” Full story

• Got P.E.? Court settlement requires schools to prove it (KQED State of Health):
  

  As schools tout the importance of exercise in an era of childhood obesity, a California parent and his lawyer have agreed to a settlement with dozens of districts across California that will force elementary schools to prove they are providing at least the minimum amount of physical education required by state law. Full story

• Harper Lee promises a new novel -- or does she? (Daily Beast):
  

  In most of the stories written about Lee in the last five years—that is, ever since she suffered a stroke and moved into an assisted-living facility in her hometown of Monroeville, Alabama—she has been described as nearly blind and nearly deaf, and her only quotes have been delivered secondhand through family and friends. So it is impossible to know how much of what is happening now is actually her doing or how much of it may be the work of others who may or may not have her best interests at heart. Full story

• The Bay Area's slavery and sharecropping legacy (East Bay Express):
  

  "Da Cotton Pickas" focuses on the life of Bishop Henry Williams, the son of an Alabama sharecropper who came to the Bay Area in the 1950s, raised his own family and became involved in community activism. Many others left plantations and migrated from the South to the North and the West in the early-to-mid 20th century in hopes of finding better economic opportunities — a fact that director Robert Bowden (aka Fleetwood) says is unknown to many Bay Area residents. Full story

• Jeremy Lin's return to New York a far cry from 'Linsanity' (San Jose Mercury News):
  

  Jeremy Lin slowly emerged out of the locker room, his stoic expression and slow movements personifying the frustration he has encountered throughout the 2014-15 season. The Lakers' 92-80 loss to the New York Knicks on Sunday at Madison Square Garden marked yet another example. His 4 points on 1-of-3 shooting and seven assists in 23 minutes provided a stark contrast to the euphoria he experienced three years ago when he captured this city's attention. Full story