9 Stories You Should Know About Today: Wednesday, Feb. 11

Brian Williams, the embattled NBC news anchor whose credibility plummeted after he acknowledged exaggerating his role in a helicopter episode in Iraq, has been suspended for six months without pay, the network said on Tuesday night. “This was wrong and completely inappropriate for someone in Brian’s position,” Deborah Turness, the president of NBC News, said in a memo. Lester Holt, who stepped in for Mr. Williams this week, will continue as the substitute, the network said. Full story
Also:
Why NBC didn't fire Brian Williams (Poynter.org)
The Brian Williams story as as emblem of the 'Chickenhawk Era' (The Atlantic)

Jon Stewart plans to step aside as host of Comedy Central's "The Daily Show" later this year, ending a 16-year run that changed the way Americans view the news. Stewart, 52, made the announcement at the end of his show Tuesday in New York. Under his watch, "The Daily Show" navigated new frontiers in comedy and journalism. He tweaked newsmakers and news organizations with equal relish, along the way influencing the media elites he frequently pilloried. Full story
Also: Jon Stewart kept us all sane (Salon)

The city took another pummeling Tuesday to its much-cherished self-image as a cradle of free speech, as residents berated the City Council over what they described as aggression and unnecessary violence by a police force largely unrestrained by civilian oversight during "Black Lives Matter" protests in December. Full story

The Alameda County Board of Supervisors approved an $8.3 million settlement today over the 2010 in-custody death of a man at Santa Rita Jail. The settlement also includes statewide changes to health care by Corizon Health Inc., a private company, and new training for Alameda County sheriff’s deputies. Full story

A father’s anguish over a son fighting leukemia has put 7-year-old Rhett Krawitt of Corte Madera — and his small Marin County school district — at the center of a national debate on measles immunization. Rhett, his father, Carl, and his mother, Jodi, all appeared Tuesday evening at a school board meeting in Tiburon to urge the elected officials to support proposed state legislation that would prevent parents from invoking personal beliefs as justification for not having their children vaccinated before entering school. Full story

People who were wondering if they would no longer have Michael Peevey to kick around might, in fact, have another opportunity to direct a fresh round of criticism and skepticism at the disgraced former boss of the state Public Utilities Commission. Peevey, who stepped down at the end of 2014 as the president of the PUC and one of its five commissioners, is the guest of honor at a $250-a-plate fundraiser at the posh Julia Morgan Ballroom in San Francisco that’s designed to raise money for the University of California. Full story

UC Davis and California’s strawberry growers announced they have settled a pair of potentially poisonous lawsuits over a long-standing research partnership that has earned millions for the university and brought vast improvements in taste and durability to consumers. Full story

Boston’s never had three 15-inch snowstorms in a single winter before. This year, they’ve done that in less than three weeks. Two of those storms (Jan. 26 to 27 and Feb. 7 to 9) now rank among the 10 largest snowstorms in the city’s history. The stunning surge of the last three weeks has quickly put Boston on a pace for its snowiest winter ever." Full story

If you’re looking for a big league pitching job, Houston was the place to be on Tuesday. Former A's and Giants starter Barry Zito held a pitching session for major league scouts in town. Among the teams watching Zito: the A's AL West Division rival Houston Astros. Full story