Top of the morning’s news
- Aaron Bassler, the fugitive suspected of killing two people in Mendocino County, avoided capture last night after a confrontation with law enforcement officers outside Fort Bragg, where residents reported hearing a volley of gunfire. Chronicle
- Members of Congress and civil liberties groups have made separate requests for the Federal Trade Commission to investigate Facebook in light of the fresh controversy over how it tracks Internet browsing. PaidContent
- Michele Bachmann is blaming President Obama for the democratic uprisings in the Middle East commonly referred to as the Arab Spring, saying they were brought about by his stand on Israeli-Palestinian peace talks. AP
- The Chronicle reported that City Attorney and mayoral candidate Dennis Herrera has received more than $45,000 in campaign contributions since 2009 from attorneys at law firms that combined have received millions of dollars in city contracts from his office.
“It’s one of those guys who has had a sex scandal.”-- Ex-Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, replying to a passerby who confused him for former President Bill Clinton while on a bike ride in Santa Monica.
Other news
- An independent review of the Memorial Day drowning of a suicidal man off the Alameda shoreline while fire and police personnel stood and watched rebuked the city for not having a water rescue crew at the time and urged better cooperation between the police and fire departments. Chronicle
- A’s GM Billy Beane dismissed reports linking him to the vacant general manager’s position with the Chicago Cubs. Oakland Tribune
- An administrative law judge rejected as too lenient a $26 million fine against PG&E for a 2008 natural gas pipeline explosion near Sacramento that killed a homeowner. Chronicle
- There were 18 hate crimes reported at UC Berkeley last year, up from three in 2009 and six the year before. The Bay Citizen
- BART police, under scrutiny for high-profile fatal shootings, are wearing small video cameras in a test project aimed at increasing transparency. Contra Costa Times
- Meanwhile, BART will begin retrofit work in Albany on Monday, a project that will result in blocks-long closures along the Ohlone Greenway into next year. BANG
- A federal appeals court Thursday dismissed a seven-year-old lawsuit challenging the now-repealed “don ask, don’t tell” law that barred openly gay and lesbian service members from the military and said the case would have to start from scratch if a future Congress re-enacted the law. Chronicle
- Oakland school district’s enrollment shrank by 30 percent between 2000 and 2010, with African American students accounting for three-fourths of the drop. Oakland Tribune
- East Bay Regional Park District personnel released a young bobcat back into the wild at Tilden Park Nature Area, several months after the emaciated animal was found by a hiker. Berkleley Voice
- Newly named Hewlett-Packard CEO Meg Whitman will get a $2.4 million annual bonus and lots of stock options, but will take only $1 of her compensation in salary. SF Business Times
- Comcast SportsNet Bay Area said 2011 was the highest-rated viewing season for the Giants in the network’s 21-year history. SF Business Times
