3 More Held In Home Invasion

3 More Held In Home Invasion

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GM's new CEO says bankruptcy is 'more probable'

In his first news conference as CEO, Fritz Henderson said he expects the company would "need to take further measures" beyond the five plants the company said it would shutter when it submitted a restructuring plan to the government last month.

GM's new CEO says bankruptcy is 'more probable'

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Oakland police funeral set for today replaced 03/27/09

Thousands of police officers from across the country and Bay Area residents are expected to fill Oracle Arena today for the funeral of four Oakland police officers shot and killed in the line of duty.

Oakland police funeral set for today

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bu-walkthrough25_0499945383.jpg (JPEG Image, 580x400 pixels)

bu-walkthrough25_0499945383.jpg (JPEG Image, 580x400 pixels)

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EU presidency: US stimulus is 'the road to hell' replaced

Shocked by the outburst, other European politicians went into damage control mode, with some reproaching the Czech leader for his language and others reaffirming their good diplomatic ties with the United States. The leaders of EU's major nations — France, Britain and Germany, among others — largely ignored Topolanek and his remarks.

EU presidency: US stimulus is 'the road to hell'

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Administration seeks to free frozen credit markets

Geithner's performance in President Barack Obama's Cabinet has come under heavy criticism from some in Congress. The secretary announced the initiative in a Treasury Department room with no cameras allowed. He was with Obama later in the morning, however, when the president spoke briefly, saying he was "very confident" the latest plan will succeed.

Administration seeks to free frozen credit markets

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Special Olympics bowler: I can beat the president replaced 03/20-2009

The athletic-minded president made an offhand remark Thursday on "The Tonight Show" comparing his weak bowling to "the Special Olympics or something." He quickly apologized and told the Special Olympics chairman he wants to have some of its athletes visit the White House to bowl or play basketball.

Special Olympics bowler: I can beat the president!

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Firm: NorCal median home price down 46 percent- replaced 03/21/2009

Some potential buyers for those high-end homes have been stymied by the frozen credit market, which has made it difficult to obtain so-called jumbo loans exceeding $417,000.

Firm: NorCal median home price down 46 percent

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AIG head shares US anger of bonuses but backs them--replaced 03/20/2009

He spoke at the White House as the chairman of the American International Group, Edward Liddy, took the hot seat to tell Congress he was as angry as everyone else at "distasteful" multimillion-dollar bonuses paid to AIG employees at the same time the company was accepting federal bailout money.

AIG head shares US anger of bonuses but backs them

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Conversations with History: Elizabeth Warren

Conversations with History: Elizabeth Warren

Rocky Driftwood Lighthouse- replacement 03/19/2009

Rocky Driftwood Lighthouse

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AIG bonues 03/16/2009

"It's hard to understand how derivative traders at AIG warranted any bonuses, much less $165 million in extra pay," Obama said at the outset of an appearance to announce help for small businesses hurt by the deep recession.

Obama: AIG can't justify 'outrage' of exec bonuses

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replaced 03/13/2009

Chip JohnsonArchive | E-mail | RSSOakland's new tactics on crime appear to helpChip JohnsonFriday, March 13, 2009Print E-mail deliciousdel.icio.usdiggDiggtechnoratiTechnoratiredditRedditfacebookFacebook slashdotSlashdotfarkFarknewsvineNewsvinegoogleGoogle BookmarksShare Comments (78) Georgia (default)VerdanaTimes New RomanArialFont | Size: The sun seems to be shining a bit brighter than usual on Oakland's often-violent streets.Major crimes - particularly killings - have subsided so far this year just as more officers and new outreach workers have been deployed in the city at the urging of Mayor Ron Dellums.ImagesOfficer Gerardo Melero (left) and other Oakland police of...David Flores (right) is questioned about an assault case ...Oakland police officers investigate the car of three peop... View Larger ImagesChip Johnson * Oakland's new tactics on crime appear to help 03.13.09 * Proposed hotel tax a positive step for Oakland 03.06.09 * Auditor seeks residents' pressure on nepotism 03.03.09 * Dysfunction persists at Oakland City Hall 02.27.09More Chip Johnson »The QuestionMajor crimes in Oakland decrease 23 percent: New policing tactics pay off Just a fluke How about it, San Francisco?View ResultsDisclaimerAbout This PollSF Gate polls are strictly surveys of those who choose to participate and are therefore not valid statistical samples.Our poll software uses a variety of methods to ensure that only votes determined to be valid are tabulated. When this determination cannot be made, we may not process your vote.No actions are taken by SF Gate as a result of the polls.CloseMore Polls »And while nobody knows how long the trend will hold, even a short-lived respite is a welcome change.Since Jan. 1, felony crimes against people and property have dropped 23 percent, according to the Oakland Police Department.Homicides alone decreased by 50 percent, to 14 slayings from 29 over the same period a year ago. Robberies fell by 16 percent during the same period, while auto theft dropped by one-third.All this is enough to make Grand Avenue furniture store owner Corella Ford smile. The return of a beat cop on her street a few months ago made all the difference, she said."We had homeless people sleeping in our doorways, people wandering up and down the block, but when he came, that all vanished," said Ford, 68. "I would say about four out of six days a week, he will stick his head inside the door and say hi. It's been a great relief."If there is a downside to the trend, the city still averages more than 200 gun assaults and street robberies a month, police say."Crime was down at the beginning of last year, too, and then spiked upward," cautioned Capt. Anthony Toribio, who oversees an area from downtown to the Berkeley border and the West Oakland shoreline. "We are trying to be as innovative as possible and changing our strategies to adapt to the crime."New deployment tacticsSince early February, the department has changed its deployment tactics to schedule more officers on Thursday-through-Saturday shifts, when crime occurs with greater frequency, Toribio said.The combination of a fully staffed police department of about 830 officers and changing strategies seems to be making a difference.The city's program using intervention workers to reach out to people hanging out in neighborhoods where drug dealing and violence are common also has begun to yield results, officials said.Toribio said outreach workers paid for through the city's Measure Y program have established a "strong working relationship" with some street toughs. The workers regularly target areas with patterns of violence."We send them in when we've determined there may be trouble brewing, and they work to try and let calmer heads prevail," Toribio said."Most of these guys (outreach workers) grew up in some of these neighborhoods. They recognize guys from the street," he said. "Some of them have been to prison and battled their demons, and they have a lot of credibility on the street."Toribio says half a dozen people he has encountered on the street say the outreach workers have persuaded them to leave the life of crime.Teams head off feudsOutreach workers have made contact with members of a Hispanic gang feuding with another group in the city's Lower Bottom neighborhood on the western edge of the city.In one case, a worker stopped a young man just released from the hospital for a gunshot wound from getting even with the man who shot him.While the intervention teams work with police, they aren't agents of the police and don't share information."We tell them where we need them to go and they go in and do their thing," Toribio added. "We're beginning to see the fruits of our efforts."Acting Police Chief Howard Jordan is cautiously optimistic about the recent drop in crime and thinks the department's efforts to strengthen ties in communities most affected by crime could be paying off."We're making progress, small steps, in areas where we've had problems organizing residents," Jordan said, "and there is still a lot of work to be done in the African American community."Criminals' new targetsEven as crime has slowed in middle-class neighborhoods such as Rockridge, China Hill near Lake Merritt and the Grand-Lakeshore Avenue community, shootings are on the rise in East Oakland and working illegal immigrants, who often don't report crimes to police, have become the favored targets of street robbers.While Oakland makes strides dealing with a plague that has seemed intractable, other problems persist.Home burglaries, for example, have increased by 1 percent compared with a year ago. And victims of that crime can't help but feel vulnerable.Just ask Oakland Vice Mayor Ignacio De La Fuente, whose home in the Fruitvale District was burglarized Thursday afternoon.Chip Johnson's column appears in the Chronicle on Tuesdays and Fridays. E-mail him at chjohnson@sfchronicle.com.Print E-mail deliciousdel.icio.usdiggDiggtechnoratiTechnoratiredditRedditfacebookFacebook slashdotSlashdotfarkFarknewsvineNewsvinegoogleGoogle BookmarksShare Comments(78)View Comments »Share your thoughts on this story.Add Your CommentYou must be signed in to add a comment. Sign In | Register Post this comment to Facebook too [?]Characters left: Learn how to share your comments on Facebook.Add Your CommentMost Recommended Comments gointelpro3/12/2009 10:17:15 PMI give credit to Ron Dellums for employing real outreach workers from the hood. Ignacio tried to sabotage the program by hiring his political cronies and hacks. I'm glad to read violent crimes have gone down but the tremendous numbers of shootings have been really alarming in East Oakland. I think it's early though given the economic Depression to tell whether this trend will last. But the city should keep plugging away with this strategy. Other cities are currently turning more and more to outreach workers who are ex-cons or from the hood themselves including LA and Portland.Recommend: (77)(17)[Report Abuse] SFBullMoose3/12/2009 10:24:45 PMStart enforcing the laws and have the community start REALLY demanding that their community is safe. Not that complicated ....Recommend: (66)(17)[Report Abuse] mpmurph3/12/2009 10:17:24 PMAnd the related story 3 shot in Oakland 1 deadRecommend: (45)(26)[Report Abuse]Report item as: (required) XComment: (optional)View Comments (78)Inside SFGateSkins Game At the Doral, Henrik Stenson strips before his mud shot. Gallery.Calling All Foodies Last chance to cast your vote for the best Bay Area restaurants.Feel-Good Fridays A new S.F. reading event, where all is luminous, inspiring. Would you come?'Daily Show' Smackdown Jon Stewart hammers Jim Cramer, CNBC.'Over' And Out 'Crossing Over' gets lost exploring political themes. Mick LaSalle.Life Shifts Global warming has triggered a chain reaction in Antarctica.Today's Daily Dish Was Jen dumped again? Joaquin gone wild at gig.Premiere Pics Julia Roberts, Reese Witherspoon and Tom Cruise hit the red carpet this week.Stop Junk Mail S.F. poised to vote on a Do Not Mail campaign.Ads by Yahoo!CA Real Estate SchoolHigh Pass Rate on State Exam. Quick, Affordable Online Classes.(www.RealEstateLicense.com)Weymouth MA real estate agentSearch 41,000+ MA Real Estate Listings. 6.9M Updated Photos & Maps.(ZipRealty.com)Real Estate for Sale in MinnesotaKavanaugh's Sylvan Lake Resort offers you the opportunity to own a part of the resort in Minnesota. Available in one, two, three or four bedroom cottages.(www.kavanaughs.com)Subscribe to the San Francisco Chronicle Subscribe to The Chronicle

Oakland's new tactics on crime appear to help

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replace 03/12/2009

Roche, on the other hand, managed to use its hostile takeover bid to nudge Genentech back to the bargaining table in what had come to look like a corporate game of "chicken." Both companies were barreling toward an event in April that might either sink Genentech's trading price suddenly or propel it past Roche's ability to pay. Next month, results are anticipated from a clinical trial that could expand sales of Genentech's lead cancer drug Avastin by several billion dollars, or puncture those expectations if the data are negative. The clinical study may indicate that Avastin extends the survival of colorectal cancer patients if it is used shortly after surgery to remove tumors, rather than later in treatment.

Roche buys Genentech for $46.8 billion

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replaced 03/11/2009

Lower tax revenue and massive government spending on the bank bailout pushed the federal deficit to $765 billion in the first five months of the budget year, well on its way to hitting the Obama administration's projection of a record annual imbalance of $1.75 trillion.

Budget deficit reaches $765B in 5 months

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replace 03/10/2009

The president signaled a willingness to take on some traditional Democratic constituencies, including teachers unions, which in the past have been skeptical of some merit pay proposals. Senior administration officials, who declined to be named because they were describing the speech before it was delivered, said Obama would include the unions in discussions about any incentive plans.

Obama Pitches Strategy to Improve Teaching Corps, Overhaul U.S. Education - washingtonpost.com

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Roche Raises Genentech Offer

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FOXNews.com - Lack of Leadership Causing Chaos in Republican Party - Bill O'Reilly | The O'Reilly Factor

B​​​​​ILL O'REILLY, HOST: In the "Impact" segment tonight: While the Democrats are certainly having their problems, Republicans are disorganized as well. Appearing on CNN, new Republican National Committee leader Michael Steele was confronted with that.​​​​​

FOXNews.com - Lack of Leadership Causing Chaos in Republican Party - Bill O'Reilly | The O'Reilly Factor

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03/04/2009

wonderful world

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The Associated Press: Feds unveil plan to help 9 million stay in homes

G​​​​​overnment officials, launching the "Making Home Affordable" program also acknowledge that the initiatives are only a partial fix for a sweeping problem that has helped plunge the U.S. economy into the worst recession in decades. In fact, tens of thousands of homeowners in some of the most battered real estate markets — concentrated in California, Florida, Nevada and Arizona — won't be eligible for the two programs.​​​​​

The Associated Press: Feds unveil plan to help 9 million stay in homes

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Google- 1.2.7 03.01.2009

Google

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