9 Stories You Should Know About Today: Thursday, Jan. 15

Pope Francis announced Thursday that he will canonize Father Junipero Serra, the founder of California’s missions and a controversial figure for his role in a process that began the decimation of the Native American population here. Full story

San Francisco's median $3,350 rent for a one-bedroom apartment is the highest in the nation according to one survey. Rents are rising fast in Oakland -- but the median for all apartments is $1,800. Full story

Supervisor Jane Kim announced today that $203,200 has been secured for the Tenderloin Pit Stop program, which currently operates at three locations in the Tenderloin neighborhood and will be adding another in the South of Market neighborhood sometime this year. Full story

The Contra Costa County school board unanimously voted down a proposed countywide performing arts charter following controversial remarks about performing arts education from board President Daniel Gomes. He suggested that schools specializing in robotics or environmental science might be more necessary than one focused on the arts. "These are programs that are vital to our society," he said. "It's well and good that performing arts are part of our society, but they're not the vital part of our society." Full story

The Delta smelt, an indicator species that demonstrates the health of the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta, reached a new record low population level in 2014, according to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife's fall midwater trawl survey that was released earlier this week. Department staff found a total of only eight smelt at a total of 100 sites sampled each month from September through December. Full story

Jack Del Rio is a safe choice for the Raiders. He might even be a good one. Jim Tomsula is a comfortable choice for the 49ers. He might even be the right one. But sometimes, safe and comfortable are exactly the sort of head coaching hires that don't work at all. Full story

In a scene in X’s and O’s (A Football Love Story), a play having its world premiere at the Berkeley Repertory Theatre this month, a trio of retired players cross the stage in a round-robin, bragging about the quantity and severity of their injuries. Full story

The Oscar nominations are in, and Birdman and The Grand Budapest Hotel lead with nine nominations each, followed closely by The Imitation Game with eight. Full story

Cinematographer Dick Pope was nominated for an Academy Award on Thursday, but the announcer's mispronuniciation touched off a wave of #DickPoop jokes. Full story