This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigateU.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein’s husband finds himself in the middle of the latest University of California admissions scandal, accused in a state audit of improperly using his clout to help an applicant get into the elite public system. But Richard Blum, a UC regent, told The Chronicle he’s done nothing wrong and has been writing letters on behalf of many friends and family for years.“I did it a bunch of times,” Blum said, adding that he has never considered it a problem to write recommendation letters directly to chancellors and...…This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigateU.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein’s husband finds himself in the middle of the latest University of California admissions scandal, accused in a state audit of improperly using his clout to help an applicant get into the elite public system. But Richard Blum, a UC regent, told The Chronicle he’s done nothing wrong and has been writing letters on behalf of many friends and family for years.“I did it a bunch of times,” Blum said, adding that he has never considered it a problem to write recommendation letters directly to chancellors and...WW…

This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigateParents’ excitement about San Francisco schools finally reopening in April turned glum Saturday as many realized that their children were not included in the latest plan.“It was initial excitement and overjoyed feelings of — is this really happening?” said Meredith Dodson, whose son is in preschool at Rooftop Elementary in the Twin Peaks neighborhood. “Now it’s skepticism and concern about what this means for the spring.”Dodson said she doesn’t know whether her child’s school is among those set to reopen in April. Although school...…This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigateParents’ excitement about San Francisco schools finally reopening in April turned glum Saturday as many realized that their children were not included in the latest plan.“It was initial excitement and overjoyed feelings of — is this really happening?” said Meredith Dodson, whose son is in preschool at Rooftop Elementary in the Twin Peaks neighborhood. “Now it’s skepticism and concern about what this means for the spring.”Dodson said she doesn’t know whether her child’s school is among those set to reopen in April. Although school...WW…

Dr. Andra Blomkalns can’t stop looking at the numbers.She checks the coronavirus case counts and hospitalizations every night before bed and first thing in the morning. “I wake up in the middle of the night and look at them,” she said. “I’m just watching this, slowly taking over everything.”The pandemic is swelling across the Bay Area, likely to reach record case levels in the next few weeks and potentially overwhelm hospitals with a crush of post-Thanksgiving patients. Even before the holiday, hospitalizations had begun to rise — nearly 40% over just the past week. More than 600 COVID-19...…Dr. Andra Blomkalns can’t stop looking at the numbers.She checks the coronavirus case counts and hospitalizations every night before bed and first thing in the morning. “I wake up in the middle of the night and look at them,” she said. “I’m just watching this, slowly taking over everything.”The pandemic is swelling across the Bay Area, likely to reach record case levels in the next few weeks and potentially overwhelm hospitals with a crush of post-Thanksgiving patients. Even before the holiday, hospitalizations had begun to rise — nearly 40% over just the past week. More than 600 COVID-19...WW…

This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigateIn an extraordinary White House address Thursday, President Trump falsely accused Democrats and poll workers of conspiring to steal the election for Joe Biden, raising the prospect he could become the first president in American history unwilling to accede to the peaceful transition of power.“We can’t have an election stolen like this,” he announced. “There’s been a lot of shenanigans, and we can’t stand for that.”It was perhaps the most brazen example yet of Trump’s willingness to misinform the public, which now stretches from...…This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigateIn an extraordinary White House address Thursday, President Trump falsely accused Democrats and poll workers of conspiring to steal the election for Joe Biden, raising the prospect he could become the first president in American history unwilling to accede to the peaceful transition of power.“We can’t have an election stolen like this,” he announced. “There’s been a lot of shenanigans, and we can’t stand for that.”It was perhaps the most brazen example yet of Trump’s willingness to misinform the public, which now stretches from...WW…

A physician who recently stepped down as president of Ohio State University will become the University of California’s 21st president and its first Black leader, taking over the $37 billion system next month at a time of extraordinary upheaval and financial disarray because of the coronavirus pandemic.Michael Drake, 69, who will earn $890,000, about the same as at Ohio State, has deep roots at UC and in California. He served for nine years as chancellor of UC Irvine until 2014, was a medical professor at UCSF — where he earned his medical degree specializing in ophthalmology — and served as...…A physician who recently stepped down as president of Ohio State University will become the University of California’s 21st president and its first Black leader, taking over the $37 billion system next month at a time of extraordinary upheaval and financial disarray because of the coronavirus pandemic.Michael Drake, 69, who will earn $890,000, about the same as at Ohio State, has deep roots at UC and in California. He served for nine years as chancellor of UC Irvine until 2014, was a medical professor at UCSF — where he earned his medical degree specializing in ophthalmology — and served as...WW…

Thousands of students returning to Stanford University this fall will need to be fully vaccinated against the coronavirus, campus officials announced Thursday, as California’s two big public university systems outlined similar plans.California State University said Thursday it expects to have a requirement similar to Stanford’s, but is holding off until the U.S. Food and Drug Administration fully approves at least one vaccine — which may not occur until after the fall semester begins. Currently, the FDA has authorized three vaccines for emergency use to fight the deadly pandemic.The...…Thousands of students returning to Stanford University this fall will need to be fully vaccinated against the coronavirus, campus officials announced Thursday, as California’s two big public university systems outlined similar plans.California State University said Thursday it expects to have a requirement similar to Stanford’s, but is holding off until the U.S. Food and Drug Administration fully approves at least one vaccine — which may not occur until after the fall semester begins. Currently, the FDA has authorized three vaccines for emergency use to fight the deadly pandemic.The...WW…

San Francisco school officials unanimously approved a health and safety agreement with labor unions allowing the reopening of schools before the end of the academic year.The deal, approved during Tuesday’s school board meeting, is the first major hurdle in bringing the first students back into classrooms for in-person learning, although the unions and district are still at odds over what the school day will look like when classrooms reopen.Any return to in-person instruction — which is not a certainty — is likely at least two months off.The district and board have faced increased pressure...…San Francisco school officials unanimously approved a health and safety agreement with labor unions allowing the reopening of schools before the end of the academic year.The deal, approved during Tuesday’s school board meeting, is the first major hurdle in bringing the first students back into classrooms for in-person learning, although the unions and district are still at odds over what the school day will look like when classrooms reopen.Any return to in-person instruction — which is not a certainty — is likely at least two months off.The district and board have faced increased pressure...WW…