Transit Agencies Plan Extended New Year’s Service

Several transit agencies are extending service New Year’s Eve to handle revelers in Bay Area party spots. Some agencies are even offering free rides. Below is a list of what some of the major transit agencies have planned.

BART will extend service until 3:00 a.m. New Year’s Day. Trains will skip some stops in downtown San Francisco to prevent overcrowding. BART is not offering free rides. Click here for more information on service.

VTA will offer free light rail and bus rides for partiers in Downtown San Jose and other entertainment areas in Silicon Valley. The free rides will be available from 7:00 p.m. New Year’s Eve to 3:59 a.m. New Year’s Day. Light Rail trains will run more frequently, with extended hours. For more info, click here.

Caltrain is offering free rides after 11:00 p.m. and is adding late service between San Francisco and Downtown San Jose. Follow this link to learn more.

SamTrans will offer free bus service in San Mateo County between 11:00 p.m. New Year’s Eve and 2:00 a.m. New Year’s Day. Find out the details here.

Muni is offering free train and bus rides in San Francisco from 8:00 p.m. New Year’s Eve until 6:00 a.m. New Year’s Day. It will also add service in some areas. Get the details by clicking here.

via kpix.com

Oakland Airport Safety Teams Kill Dozens Of Birds

OAKLAND (CBS 5 / BCN) ― Dozens of dead birds found washed up on the Bay shoreline near Oakland International Airport were killed as part of the airport’s wildlife management program, an airport spokesman said Wednesday.

A warden with the California Department of Fish and Game determined Wednesday that the birds had been shot, department spokeswoman Carol Singleton said.

She said a preliminary visit indicated that the birds were killed as part of the airport’s safety-related efforts, but the agency is still investigating.

The airport’s wildlife specialists “conducted bird abatement activities” on Dec. 23, airport spokesman Robert Bernardo said.

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Quake Near Mexican Border Shakes San Diego Area

SAN DIEGO (CBS 5 / AP) ― A magnitude-5.8 earthquake in northern Baja California rocked the U.S.-Mexico border region Wednesday, causing buildings to sway more than 100 miles to the west in downtown San Diego.

The main quake was centered about 20 miles southeast of the Mexican border city of Mexicali, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. It was followed quickly by a 4.9 quake and other aftershocks.

San Diego County sheriff’s Lt. Anthony Ray said there were no immediate reports of damage or injury.

Busy phone circuits made it difficult to get information from Mexicali or authorities on the U.S. side of the border in Imperial County immediately after the quake. People in Calexico, on the U.S. side of the border from Mexicali, reported buildings shaking violently.

Two smaller quakes preceded the main shock, which was initially reported at magnitude-5.9 before being downgraded slightly.

via kpix.com

USDA Concerned About States’ Food Stamp Programs

WASHINGTON (AP) ― With more Americans going hungry than ever before, the Agriculture Department is concerned that dozens of states aren’t adequately administering food stamp programs designed to provide food to low-income Americans.

Several states have run the program in a way that is “problematic and resulted in a more complex and difficult enrollment process,” the department said in a letter to state administrators dated Nov. 20 and obtained Tuesday by The Associated Press.

The letter, signed by Kevin Concannon, the department’s undersecretary for Food, Nutrition and Consumer Services, says practices in those states “have not served our clients or our taxpayers well.”

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2010 New Year’s Eve Events

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