- Top utilities regulator criticized San Bruno officials after 2010 blast (Los Angeles Times):
Two years after a deadly gas explosion in the Bay Area city of San Bruno, California Public Utilities Commission President Michael Peevey described the city's mayor as "emotional" and the city manager as "nuts," according to emails newly released by the San Francisco utility giant Pacific Gas & Electric Co. Full story
- Rights group questions police tactics in raid on Muslim's home (San Jose Mercury News):
More than a dozen police officers armed with assault rifles and pistols stormed into a Santa Clara man's front yard in late March, used a battering ram to bust into his house and ransacked the place looking for property they never found. His alleged crime? Possession of a stolen $275 dashboard camera. Full story (may require subscription)
- Stanford's Class of '94 and a gender gap more powerful than the Internet (New York Times):
In the history of American higher education, it is hard to top the luck and timing of the Stanford class of 1994, whose members arrived on campus barely aware of what an email was, and yet grew up to help teach the rest of the planet to shop, send money, find love and navigate an ever-expanding online universe. Full story
- California's new 'Yes means yes' law going into effect (Capital Public Radio):
In 2015 any California college or university that receives state financial aid must begin using a "yes means yes" approach toward sexual assault. That means both parties must give ongoing, affirmative consent during any sexual activity. Full story
- In Silicon Valley, do the jerks always win? (ComputerWorld):
One of Silicon Valley’s most prominent investors, Paul Graham, believes that investing in jerks (his term) is not just a kind of bad karma, but bad for business as well. ... He told Business Insider: “... We realized it had been a clever move to filter out jerks, because it made the alumni network really tight … based on what I've seen so far, the good people have the advantage over the jerks." Full story
- Gas prices down a record 88 days in a row (Wall Street Journal):
This year more Americans are expected to take to the road for the holidays than ever before, and they will pay much less at the gas pump as they go. U.S. gasoline prices have declined for 88 consecutive days, the longest streak of falling prices on record, according to the motor club AAA. And in some cities—Tulsa, Okla., and Kansas City and Springfield, Mo., among them—prices are beginning to fall below $2 a gallon. Full story
- Dow tops 18,000 for first time (Barron's):
The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 82 points to 18042 early on Tuesday after a stronger-than-expected reading on U.S. gross domestic product. The milestone was reached smack in the middle of the Santa Rally that only last week seemed like a remote possibility. Tuesday’s gains put the market on course for its fifth gain in a row and second all-time high in as many days. Full story
- Giants to take all three World Series trophies on tour (San Francisco Giants):
Fans from southern Oregon clear down to the southern edge of the San Joaquin Valley will get a chance to take selfies with the World Series hardware. Tour will kick off in Sacramento on Jan. 7, 2015. Full tour schedule
- What gives the morpho butterfly its magnificent blue? (KQED Science/Deep Look):
Some butterfly scales are colored by pigments. But others rely on something called “structural color” -– the production of color by nano-sized elaborate shapes that reflect and bend light. Structural color is why we perceive the Morpho butterfly, a dazzling type of blue butterfly found in South America, Mexico and Central America, as bright blue, along with peacock feathers, iridescent beetles and blue eyes. Full story
9 Stories You Should Know About Today
A crater filled with water marks the site of the San Bruno pipeline explosion in September 2010. (Max Whittaker/Getty Images)
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