San Francisco's revenue from tourism dropped nearly 8 percent in 2009 amid global financial uncertainty, according to a report released this week. The report, an annual estimate of the economic impact of the tourism industry in San Francisco was released by the Convention & Visitors Bureau, a nonprofit organization promoting tourism in the city.

One person suffered burns while trying to extinguish a fire that broke out Thursday at the back of a building on Divisidero between Washington and Jackson streets. Investigators say the person discovered the small fire behind the Asa Sushi restaurant.  It's not known if the incident is related in any way to the eatery.

As many as 30 people who expected to be sentenced Thursday are going home instead because of alleged misconduct at the San Francisco Police crime lab.  However, prosecutors expect to re-file charges against virtually all of these defendants. Prosecutors tell KRON 4's Terisa Estacio another 25-to-30 defendants will have their cases dropped on Friday. 

Police are announcing that a 20-year-old man was arrested in Richmond Wednesday in connection with the murder of a 21-year-old man in Daly City in February. Matthew Sean Mouton was arrested at a home in Richmond at about 6 p.m. Wednesday for his alleged role in the Feb. 7 murder of South San Francisco resident Jessie Wiley, Daly City police Lt. Jay Morena said Thursday.

A federal appeals court in San Francisco is upholding the reciting of the Pledge of Allegiance with the words "under God" in public schools. On Thursday, a panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said by a 2-1 vote that having teachers lead children in reciting the pledge is not an unconstitutional government establishment of religion because the purpose of the pledge is patriotic, not religious.

San Francisco's first "Sunday Streets" event of the year will be held along The Embarcadero this weekend. In the recurring event, which will be held nine times in 2010 throughout the city, streets are closed to cars for a few hours to allow residents to safely explore new neighborhoods by foot.

A controversial sit-lie ordinance proposed in San Francisco received a public airing once again Wednesday night as the city's Police Commission debated the issue of enforcement and who would be targeted. The ordinance, proposed by Police Chief George Gascon and introduced last week at the Board of Supervisors by Mayor Gavin Newsom, would make it unlawful to sit or lie on a public sidewalk between 7 a.m. and 11 p.m.

San Francisco firefighters have controlled a two-alarm fire that burned Thursday morning at a home near Glen Park owned by the parents of Supervisor Sean Elsbernd. The fire was reported shortly before 9 a.m. at 31 Marietta Drive, San Francisco fire Lt. Ken Smith said.

On Wednesday afternoon San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom obtained nomination papers for the lieutenant governor's race, taking him one step closer to a possible run for statewide office. Newsom obtained the papers from the Department of Elections in City Hall and paid a filing fee of about $2,500, both prerequisites of filing to run.

The San Francisco school board has approved a controversial new system for determining where students attend school. The policy approved Tuesday seeks to balance competing demands for creating more diverse schools and allowing families to send their kids to their neighborhood schools.