Macy’s Window Display to Feature Adoptable Pets During Holidays

A window of opportunity opened in San Francisco’s Union Square Friday evening for anyone looking to adopt a pet. At 5 p.m., the San Francisco SPCA unveiled its 29th annual Holiday Windows, a window display featuring adoptable cats and dogs at Macy’s, at the corner of Stockton and O’Farrell streets, according to the organization. 

The theme for this year’s display was inspired by the 50th anniversary of the holiday animated special “A Charlie Brown Christmas,” the organization said. Special guest Snoopy got the honors of unveiling the display. Students from the De Marillac Academy choir were also in attendance performing classic holiday songs. 

The store has four window displays, featuring anywhere between five and seven animals in total, according to SF SPCA spokeswoman Krista Maloney. The displays can be seen daily through Jan. 3, with hours varying. Temporary adoption centers will be available inside Macy’s, Maloney said. “You can take an animal home straight from the store,” Maloney said. “We’re super excited.

This is our 29th year doing this and it’s become a holiday tradition.” During last year’s event, 267 animals were adopted and approximately $90,000 was raised, according to the organization. “We’re hoping to beat that number this year,” Maloney said.

United Airlines Flight Carrying NJ Governor Removes Passenger

A United Airlines flight carrying New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie was about to take off from San Francisco International Airport Friday morning but returned to the gate to remove a passenger, according to SFO spokesman Doug Yakel. 

United Airlines flight 1108, which was headed to Boston, was taxiing on the SFO runway when a passenger began taking pictures of flight attendants, which apparently made other passengers uncomfortable, Yakel said. 

The flight was scheduled to leave SFO at 8:32 a.m., according to the United Airlines website. A statement released by Governor Christie’s campaign spokeswoman Maria Comella, posted on the Governor’s Twitter page, said the Governor was aboard the flight with an aide and a member of his security team. 

“At no point did Governor Christie interact with this passenger nor did this passenger pose a verbal or physical threat to the Governor,” the statement read. At about 1:30 p.m., the flight was reboarding for departure, according to Yakel.

Winter Homeless Shelters to Provide Housing During El Nino Open Sunday

San Francisco’s winter homeless shelter program will begin on Sunday, allowing shelter guests to stay in one place for seven days and receive two meals each day. However, those in need of shelter are required to collect a ticket at each active shelter site prior to being granted access. 

Winter homeless shelter program spaces are reserved on a first come, first served basis each Sunday and will operate through February 27, 2016. San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee said San Francisco is “a compassionate city” and applauded Episcopal Community Services and the San Francisco Interfaith Council, who worked in partnership with the Human Services Agency, as they have for 27 years, to “ensure those on our streets have refuge from the cold and wet weather expected this winter season.” 

Michael Pappas, executive director of the San Francisco Interfaith Council said St. Boniface Church, St. Mark’s Lutheran Church, the Cathedral of St. Mary of the Assumption and the First Unitarian Universalist Society of SF, will be opening their doors to house the homeless while forty congregations will be preparing and serving meals “during this cold and rainy season, to provide for the essential needs of our City’s most vulnerable residents.”

Women in need of shelter can go to a year-round location at Bethel A.M.E. Church at 916 Laguna St. The first location in the Emergency Winter Shelter Program to host additional winter shelter beds for single men is St. Boniface Church at 133 Golden Gate Ave. Those in need of a place to sleep can go to St. Boniface Church on Sunday, no earlier than 30 minutes prior to the doors opening, to receive a ticket. Outside lineup begins at 5:30 p.m. These spaces are not reserved through the regular adult emergency shelter reservation system, CHANGES, according to city officials. 

Beginning Dec. 12, those in need of a bed should go to St. Mark’s Lutheran Church located at 1031 Franklin St. through Dec. 15. Outside lineup begins 6 p.m. Cathedral of St. Mary of the Assumption at 1111 Gough St. will be open from Dec. 16 through Jan. 16. Outside lineup begins at 6 p.m. 

St. Mark’s Lutheran Church will reopen to house the homeless again on Jan. 17 through Feb. 6. Outside lineup begins at 6 p.m. From Feb. 7 through Feb. 27, the First Unitarian Universalist Society of San Francisco at 1187 Franklin St. will be open for those in need of shelter. Outside lineup begins at 6 p.m. Each location can house between 60 and 100 men. Shelter guests are not allowed to store belongings at the shelter but are invited to store some belongings at the city’s Homeless Storage Facility at 350 Jones St.

Pedestrian Dies in Collision with Vehicle Along Lake Merced

A pedestrian died Saturday afternoon along Lake Merced in San Francisco after being struck by a vehicle, police said. A woman was driving north on John Muir Drive at 1 p.m. when she drove off the road and struck the pedestrian on the sidewalk, according to police.

The pedestrian died and the driver was taken to Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital with a complaint of pain, police said. Neither drugs nor alcohol played a part in the collision, according to police. A mechanical failure may have caused it, police said. The investigation is ongoing, according to police.

Weather Forecast for the San Francisco Bay Area

Today will be mostly cloudy with highs in the upper 50s. West winds will reach 5 to 10 miles per hour, increasing to 10 to 20 miles per hour in the afternoon. Tonight will be partly cloudy in the evening, becoming mostly cloudy with patchy fog and a chance of rain after midnight. Lows will be near 50 and southwest winds will reach 5 to 15 miles per hour.

Tuesday will be mostly cloudy with a chance of rain in the morning and then a chance of rain in the afternoon. Highs will be in the mid 50s to lower 60s and southwest winds will reach 10 to 20 miles per hour, becoming northwest winds reaching 15 to 20 miles per hour with gust around 35 miles per hour in the afternoon.

(News provided by Bay City News)