Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Jillian D’Onfro @jillianiles.bsky.social · 6d

Reopening could *finally* be on the horizon for the beleaguered Hotel Whitcomb, which been plaguing Mid-Market for several years sfstandard.com/2025/10/02/h...

Blackstone to foreclose upon Hotel Whitcomb, steward its recovery

The foreclosure of the Whitcomb could pave the way for the revival of a struggling downtown neighborhood.

sfstandard.com

Jillian D’Onfro @jillianiles.bsky.social · 7d

BIG NEWS, sports fans! ⚾️🏈🏀 @sfstandard.com is launching a new podcast called Section 415 that builds on the sports team's incisive reporting & brings you exclusive interviews with the people shaping games. Check it out: sfstandard.com/2025/10/01/i...

Introducing Section 415, our Bay Area sports podcast

The twice-weekly show builds on The Standard’s sports reporting, giving fans fresh access and insider perspectives.

sfstandard.com

Jillian D’Onfro @jillianiles.bsky.social · 8d

morning commute on Muni: short woman asks tall man standing behind her if her latest dye covered all her grey hairs. “Yes, m’am, not a single silver strand showing” 🥲

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Jillian D’Onfro @jillianiles.bsky.social · 8d

Gutting story about SFPD’s longest-serving detective and the city’s struggles to staff its SVU sfstandard.com/2025/09/30/s...

SFPD’s longest-serving detective is watching his special victims unit plummet

The SVU has lost nearly half its detectives in six years. Tony Flores, the SFPD’s longest-serving detective, is still on the front lines — making up for lost staff and keeping victims’ cases alive.

sfstandard.com

Jillian D’Onfro @jillianiles.bsky.social · 8d

Tech Bro 2.0: The new Silicon Valley archetype dominating the AI age

sfstandard.com/2025/09/29/t...

Reposted by Jillian D’Onfro

Jeffrey Tumlin 🏳️‍🌈 🌁 @jeffreytumlin.bsky.social · 11d

"...The other essential component of being a local: You have to look people in the eye. You have to take out your headphones and remove your sunglasses. You have to be present in your life, and in the lives of those around you." - Garrett Schlichte
sf.eater.com/dining-out/2...

We Become Locals By Becoming Regulars

San Francisco relies on its many transplants getting to know its restaurants, service workers, and bartenders.

sf.eater.com

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Jillian D’Onfro @jillianiles.bsky.social · 11d

UPDATE: I talked to some folks in line at the opening and Baggu finally weighed in: sfstandard.com/2025/09/25/b...

Baggu made transit merch for a store opening. BART had no idea.

The transit agency was “surprised to see our logo” on gear from the SF-based fashion brand.

sfstandard.com

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Jillian D’Onfro @jillianiles.bsky.social · 12d

Popular shop Baggu is celebrating its new Mission store opening today with BART merch. This was surprising news to the transit agency 🙃

sfstandard.com/2025/09/25/b...

Baggu made transit merch for a store opening. BART had no idea.

The transit agency was “surprised to see our logo” on gear from the SF-based fashion brand.

sfstandard.com

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Jillian D’Onfro @jillianiles.bsky.social · 12d

Scooplet: A hotel right near the cablecar turnaround on Powell Street just sold at auction, meaning that guests will yet again be able to hang with Lilllian Hellman's ghost sfstandard.com/2025/09/26/s...

Empty and ‘haunted’ Union Square hotel finds new buyer

The beleaguered Union Square hotel sold at auction for a major discount on its total debt.

sfstandard.com

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Jillian D’Onfro @jillianiles.bsky.social · 12d

Great scoop by The Chron: Uniqlo is considering returning to downtown SF

www.sfchronicle.com/sf/article/u...

Exclusive: Uniqlo considers a return to downtown S.F. four years after closing flagship store

“San Francisco is an important market for Uniqlo and we are very excited about the idea of opening back up,” a Uniqlo executive wrote to the city in an email obtained by the Chronicle.

www.sfchronicle.com

Jillian D’Onfro @jillianiles.bsky.social · 13d

Love this from tonight’s Power Play newsletter re: Manny’s supervisor campaign fundraising haul:

“‘Right now, I’m just trying to be gracious,’ said Yekutiel, adding that he asked three of his exes to donate.
New T-shirt idea: Exes for Manny!”

sfstandard.com/newsletters/...

Power Play

sfstandard.com

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Reposted by Jillian D’Onfro

San Francisco Chronicle @sfchronicle.com · 13d

New closures will leave just three chain restaurants in the food concourse of San Francisco’s largest mall.

‘The heartbeat here is gone’: Two more restaurants leaving downtown S.F. mall

New closures will leave just three chain restaurants in the food concourse of San Francisco’s largest mall.

bit.ly

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Jillian D’Onfro @jillianiles.bsky.social · 14d

A group of office brokers kicked off a lively debate last week by trying to rebrand Mid-Market to "Lower Hayes." Here's what small businesses and other neighborhood stakeholders think ➡️ sfstandard.com/2025/09/24/m... co-reported with @kevinvnguyen.bsky.social

Stop trying to make ‘Lower Hayes’ happen! Mid-Market can be great

A group of office brokers kicked off a lively debate last week by trying to rebrand the down-on-its-luck neighborhood into something it’s not.

sfstandard.com

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Jillian D’Onfro @jillianiles.bsky.social · 15d

yiiiiiiikes

www.businessinsider.com/shopify-pull... i

Shopify pulls website template after food influencer Molly Baz calls it a 'sicko AI version' of her

Shopify did not comment on whether AI was used to create the template. AI image generation has sparked concerns about dupes among some creators.

www.businessinsider.com

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Reposted by Jillian D’Onfro

David Ingram @davidingram.bsky.social · 15d

San Francisco is getting a bunny cafe www.instagram.com/bunnycafesan...

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Jillian D’Onfro @jillianiles.bsky.social · 15d

"I’ve Written About Loads of Scams. This One Almost Got Me." www.nytimes.com/2025/09/18/n...

I’ve Written About Loads of Scams. This One Almost Got Me.

www.nytimes.com

Jillian D’Onfro @jillianiles.bsky.social · 15d

sfstandard.com/2025/09/22/d...

Disgraced San Francisco nonprofit boss sues for lost wages

Kyra Worthy alleges she never received her final paycheck.

sfstandard.com

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Jillian D’Onfro @jillianiles.bsky.social · 16d

That was by far the biggest earthquake I’ve ever personally felt in the Bay Area. Wild! bsky.app/profile/eart...

Quake Alert - Earthquake Monitor @earthquakes.live · 16d

Felt #earthquake: 4.5 #quake 2 km ESE of Berkeley, CA, 5 minutes ago - 153 reports so far.
Did you feel it? Send a report!

Felt earthquake: 4.5 quake 2 km ESE of Berkeley, CA, 5 minutes ago

Detail infos, updates and user reports for this event

www.volcanodiscovery.com

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Jillian D’Onfro @jillianiles.bsky.social · 19d

i think this is probably news to everyone except real estate brokers and the folks they're trying to lease to 😅

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Jillian D’Onfro @jillianiles.bsky.social · 19d

Today in audacious neighborhood rebrands... www.sfchronicle.com/tech/article...

Tech firm moves into Elon Musk’s former X HQ in Mid-Market — now being marketed as ‘Lower Hayes’

The company, which focuses on vehicle automation, joins a handful of new tech firms coming to San Francisco’s Mid-Market area, which has seen an uptick of interest from young startups.

www.sfchronicle.com

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Jillian D’Onfro @jillianiles.bsky.social · 19d

I’m obSESSed with all the entries to the @sfstandard.com dance contest — vote for your favorite!! sfstandard.com/2025/09/18/v...

VOTE: Who’s got the best Gap moves? You decide

Pick which dancers should perform inside the Breathing Room set at Gap HQ. Voting closes Sept. 22.

sfstandard.com

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Jillian D’Onfro @jillianiles.bsky.social · 20d

Compared to folks in SF, "Sunnyvale developers have a much simpler axiom: We have built it, and they have come." sfstandard.com/2025/09/18/s... @kevinvnguyen.bsky.social reporting on the Silicon Valley city that's both boring and booming:

Sunnyvale, tech’s ultimate industry town, is booming

Timing is everything in real estate, and this unassuming South Bay city is having its moment.

sfstandard.com

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Jillian D’Onfro @jillianiles.bsky.social · 21d

Omg just had to miss not one but *two* BART trains in a row at Embarcadero because they were packed to the gills 😭 We’re so back (at least on Tuesdays sfstandard.com/2025/03/25/i...)

It’s not just you — BART sucks on Tuesdays now

It can be hard to make the trek to work on a Monday morning, but for BART riders, the real pain point is Tuesday.

sfstandard.com

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Jillian D’Onfro @jillianiles.bsky.social · 21d

"Anthropic’s San Francisco headquarters is crawling with stuffed albino alligators. You’ll find them on desks, at reception and inside a vending machine." www.wsj.com/lifestyle/wo...

How an Albino Alligator Became an Obsession Inside an AI Giant

A coincidence of naming has sparked a bizarre but intense connection between a chatbot and a San Francisco gator

www.wsj.com

Jillian D’Onfro @jillianiles.bsky.social · 21d

Waymo is coming to SFO 🚨 sfstandard.com/2025/09/16/w...

Waymo receives permit to operate at SFO

The move comes a few weeks after San Jose’s main airport gave a permit to the robotaxi company.

sfstandard.com

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