Bay to Breakers: Most Everyone Behaved, 19 Arrested

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Josh Edelson
Out of the more than 40,000 who braved the Sunday morning stampede known as Bay to Breakers, more than a dozen were arrested on suspicion of having just too much damn fun.

According to news reports this morning, police only had to haul 19 people off to jail during the annual footrace, however, they have yet to tell us why. What we can tell you is that as of 11 a.m. on Sunday, police had cited eight people for carrying open containers and possession of marijuana. We're not sure what the final tally was on citations, as police didn't have updated numbers last night, according to SF Appeal.

Those of you who were cuffed or cited can't say you weren't warned. As we reported on Friday, organizers made a big fuss about the new sobering rules this year, including no dogs, no headphones, no booze, no floats, and no strollers. Also, no peeing and pooping anywhere else but those nasty Porta-Pottys. Sure, some longtime B2B participants have lamented the new rules, claiming they suck the fun out of the nearly 8-mile costumed race. But we're pretty sure San Franciscans don't define "fun" as spending a Sunday evening hosing down your urine from their driveways.

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Wells Fargo Accused of Giving "Illusionary Loans" to Financially Stressed Family

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Anytown USA
A Missouri couple is taking Wells Fargo to court, attempting to recover money on behalf of all the folks out there who were duped into taking temporary loan modifications from the San Francisco-based bank.

According to a lawsuit filed in San Francisco this week, Vicki and Richard Sutcliffe claim Wells Fargo stepped in and offered them the option for a temporary loan modification after they fell behind on their mortgage payments. The couple accepted the offer and subsequently made the reduced payments as required. However, when the trial period was over, they received no paperwork from Wells Fargo informing them they were no longer on the reduced rate. Therefore, they continued to pay the lesser amount agreed upon during the trial period.

What the Sutcliffes did get was a letter informing them they had defaulted on their loan, and thus they were not going to permanently modify their loan.

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Hey, Pill Poppers: Police Want Your Stash

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In all fairness, they do look a lot like jelly beans
Police are giving all you pill poppers out there a chance to kick your habit and rid your house of the the unnecessary drugs you've been hoarding in your nightstand.

Come Saturday, load up all your unused or expired doses of Valium, Xanax , or whatever you poison is, and bring them to the nearest police station for drop-off.

Police hope this will help put an end to the frivolous pill-popping that has become a favorite pastime of so many Americans. And if you are in denial about this, here's some cold hard facts for you to swallow:

Last year October, Americans turned in 377,080 pounds, or 188.5 tons, of prescriptions drugs.

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How Your Poop Can Save the Planet

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Saving the planet one bowel movement at a time
We've given you much to consider in the days about human feces and how it's managed in San Francisco. But here's something else you might posit: Would you wipe your mouth on a paper napkin that's been recycled from used toilet paper?

C'mon, aren't you an environmentalist?

Well, now you'll know for sure just how far you are willing to go to save the planet. Applied Clean Tech, an Israeli environmental company, is taking soiled, poopy toilet paper from the water treatment plants, cleaning it, sterilizing it, and pressing it into a clean piece of paper ready for you to write your next love letter. The company uses matter that is at least 60 percent cellulose to maintain enough elasticity to convert the matter into a new solid compound.

According to Gizmodo, the result looks much like particle board, and could support up to 10 percent of the world's paper needs while reducing the amount of sludge waste reaching landfills by 75 percent.

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James Hooker, Modesto Teacher Who Ditched Wife and Kids for Student, Should Lose His Pension, Lawmaker Says

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A playground? Really?
A few weeks ago we told readers the Jerry Springer-like story about James Hooker, the 41-year-old Modesto high school teacher who dumped his wife and kids to move in with one of his students. Of course, the not-so-young love has drawn ire from readers, and now lawmakers, too.

Assemblywoman Kristin Olsen (R-Modesto) was appalled to learn that Hooker was dating his former student, 18-year-old Jordan Powers, who is a senior at Enochs High School -- so much so that she's hoping to legislate the two out of love. Olsen has introduced a bill that would essentially put an end to these bizarre student-teacher relationships. 

"My bill would say it doesn't matter how old you are, if you are a student at a high school and a teacher initiates a relationship with you, that's highly inappropriate, highly unethical, should be a felony conviction, and you should lose your public pension for that type of behavior," Olsen tells KGO.

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Police to Teach Smartphone Users to Not Be So Dumb

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Not that this is any safer
Believe it or not, the number of people being beaten and stabbed on Muni is on the decline -- for now. Perhaps that's because crooks have decided that stealing smartphones from inattentive Muni riders is an easier and therefore more appealing crime.

Smartphone crime is on the rise, which should come as no surprise to the average Muni rider, considering how often we read about this in the news. But now cops and Muni officials are hoping to curb this high-tech crime by making Muni riders, well, smarter.

Tomorrow, Police Chief Greg Suhr and Muni leaders will meet with reporters and members of the public to launch a new campaign that will hopefully put an end to the number of BlackBerrys  -- or whatever phone you are using --  from being ripped from the hands of innocent riders.

"Muni stations and vehicles are an extension of city streets and require the same level of vigilance. Crimes on Muni are often crimes of opportunity. Customers can help deprive thieves of such opportunities by staying alert and aware of their surroundings," police said in a statement released today.

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Naive Neighbors Invite Alleged Bike Bandit Over to "Hang Out"

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This is how you lock a bike
Bike theft in the Upper Haight and Sunset District is so commonplace that one more just doesn't feel worth reporting. However, this particular bike burglary struck us as being chock full of life lessons. 

According to police, a resident of the 1200 block of Seventh Avenue reported his bike stolen from the unsecured common space of his apartment complex. The resident reviewed surveillance from the complex and saw the man who took his bike.

The victim drove around the neighborhood, looking for the man and his bicycle, and sure enough spotted man with bike in front of the McDonald's on Haight and Stanyan, according to police reports.
 
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Facebook vs. Nursing Moms: Bay Area Breastfeeders Protest Deleted Photos

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Grow up, Facebook!
You don't want to piss-off nursing mothers, who are already sleep-deprived. But Facebook is braving a fight with breastfeeding women who are joining a worldwide protest this morning, calling on the Bay Area company to stop deleting their nursing photos on Facebook. As we write, Bay Area mothers are congregating outside the company's headquarters in Menlo Park for a massive nurse-in. (We can't wait to see those photos on Facebook!)

Women are sick and tired of Facebook suspending accounts and removing posted photos of mothers nursing their infants, said Emma Kwasnica, a Canadian mom who traveled to California for the breastfeeding protest.

After her account was -- again -- suspended over her nursing photos, Kwasnica spoke with Facebook staff who told her they had no plans to stop the deletions of these baby-nursing photos. To make matters worse, Facebook removed some 250,000 supporters from the "Hey Facebook! Breastfeeding is Not Obscene" official petition group, which has been active since 2007, she said.

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Super Bowl Sunday Is Another Good Excuse to Drink Heavily

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Someone call this A-hole a cab
To many people, Super Bowl Sunday is a holiday -- a time to gather with friends and family, eat tons of calorie-packed food, and booze until you can't stand anymore.

And like any other holiday (except for Thanksgiving?), police are warning imbibing football fans not to get behind the wheel if they have hit the bottle too hard come Super Bowl Sunday. To be sure, cops will be out in force, including a sobriety checkpoint scheduled for 8:30 p.m. on Sunday at the intersection of Lombard and Divisadero.  The checkpoint will continue through 3 a.m. on Monday.

For those of you who are hosting Super Bowl parties this weekend, Sgt. Neil Swendsen has some advice for you:

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SFO Travelers Leave Behind $15,908.02 in Loose Change

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The TSA's windfall
We all know that flying is a painful experience -- the security lines and baggage fees, capped off by the overall unpleasantness of your fellow travelers. To make matters worse, we're tossing free money at the airports to help fund our utterly miserable experiences.

USA Today found that in 2010, airline passengers left behind a good chunk of loose change as they rushed through the airports, amounting to roughly $400,000.

Just think of how many plane tickets to Europe that would buy!

San Francisco travelers were among the top offenders, leaving behind $15,908.02 in pennies, nickels, dimes, and quarters as they pushed through security to catch flights. Passengers at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York left behind the most change in 2010, where the TSA scooped up an extra $46,918.06. Los Angeles International travelers left $19,110.83, and Hartsfield Atlanta International found $16,523.83 in unclaimed coins.

Now for the real question ... what does the TSA do with all this spare change?
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