Sunset Spotlight

New Newsracks Set to Debut

The SF Department of Public Works (DPW) will soon replace all of the freestanding newspaper racks along portions of Irving and Taraval streets with permanently mounted racks.

In January, DPW allocated spaces in the pedmounts, which are administered by the department in collaboration with Clear Channel Communications. Clear Channel gets advertising space at selected locations to help support the financial cost of the program. It is responsible for maintenance and removing graffiti from the racks.

New pedmounts will be installed in the coming months along Taraval Street, between 18th and 28th avenues, and along Irving Street, between Seventh and Funston avenues and 19th and 25th avenues.

The Sunset Beacon will be available at pedmounts located at Ninth Avenue and Irving Street, on the southeast corner, and at 17th Avenue and Taraval Street, in front of the Safeway supermarket.

The pedmount program debuted several years ago, but high-priority areas, including Market Street, the Financial District and Fisherman's Wharf, got the first installations.

Sunset Slaying Suspects Sought

San Francisco homicide investigators are searching for two men who shot and killed a 44-year-old man at his home in the Sunset District.

Xiao "Ben" Xiong was shot one time in the chest and killed at 2432 Moraga St. on Jan. 27.

The suspects, which were captured on a video camera at the house, are described as two Hispanic men, about 20 to 25 years of age. One man weighed about 140 pounds and the other about 180 pounds.

The suspects tied up eight other people in the home before robbing the premises and fleeing.

Police suspect the home was being used as a site for gambling or a brothel.

Inner Sunset Wine Bar Gets OK

The SF Planning Commission gave its approval Jan. 21 for a 900-square-foot wine bar in the Inner Sunset District.

InnerFog will open in several months at 555 Irving St., #1, near the corner of Seventh Avenue at the former site of the Crossroads Trading Company. It will seat about 45 people and offer wine for sale.

According to proprietor John "J.D." Nettesheim, InnerFog will offer small boutique wines from all over the world, as well as light snacks.

"We're looking forward to being a part of the Inner Sunset community for years to come," he said.

City's Russian History Revealed

Arcadia Publishing has released a new book with the pictorial history of the Russians in San Francisco.

"Russian San Francisco" explores the influence of Russians starting with Fort Ross on the northern coast and including the large migration of Russians in the 1920s after the Russian Revolution.

To get a copy of "Russian San Francisco," $21.95, go to local bookstores, call (888) 313-2665 or go to the Web site at www.arcadiapublishing.com.

'Heroes' Get Free Admission into Academy

The California Academy of Sciences in Golden Gate Park is offering free admission through March 15 for members of the military, police officers, firefighters and teachers. The offer is to honor their service to our communities and country.

To participate, individuals must show proof of occupation and a valid ID at the ticket window. For more information, call (415) 379-8000 or go to the Web site at www.calacademy.org.

Year-long Shanghai Sister-city Celebrations Begin

The Shanghai Celebration is an unprecedented, year-long festival presented by more than 30 San Francisco Bay Area organizations commemorating the 30th anniversary of the sister city relationship between San Francisco and Shanghai. San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom kicked off the celebration at a press conference held at the Asian Art Museum Jan. 19.

Spearheaded by the Asian Art Museum, the celebration runs throughout 2010, coinciding with the World Expo presented in Shanghai from May to October. The more than 50 Shanghai-related programs feature exhibitions, concerts, performances, films, lectures, book readings, artist demonstrations and other special events and cover topics such as Shanghai's architecture, jazz, historic Jewish communities, Art Deco design, filmmaking industry, contemporary art, cuisine, high-rise urban planning and fashion.

The cornerstone of the celebration is the Asian Art Museum's presentation of Shanghai, a major exhibition examining the visual culture of one of the world's most cosmopolitan cities, scheduled for Feb. 12 to Sept. 5.

For the Shanghai Celebration calendar of events and a list of participating organizations, visit the Web site at www.shanghaicelebration.com.

Sunset Resident Returns After Second Tour in Iraq

Friends of long-time Sunset District resident Jeremy Lee Marriner gathered at Milano's Restaurant on Ninth Avenue Jan. 7 to welcome him back to the City after his second tour of duty in Iraq.

Marriner is a U.S. Army medic currently stationed at Fort Hood, Texas.

Beacon Center Hosts Sixth Annual Film Festival

The Sunset Neighborhood Beacon Center (SNBC) hosted its sixth annual Community Film Festival on March 5.

The free community event featured digital media (both live-action and animated shorts) which were produced by SNBC program participants as well as community contributors.

The event was held at the Ulloa Elementary School auditorium and featured an opportunity for community-building, self-expression and a public venue for supporting community-based digital film and other media. Each film was appropriate for all ages and ranged between 30 seconds and eight minutes in length.

AT&T Contributes $50,000 to Expand Programs

San Francisco Supervisor Carmen Chu joined representatives from New Leaf and AT&T at Abraham Lincoln High School on Jan. 13 to accept a $50,000 contribution from AT&T for its "Services For Our Community" program. The funds will be used to expand New Leaf's services to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transsexual, queer, questioning and intersex high school students in the SF Unified School District.

New Leaf currently provides substance abuse and mental health counseling for non-straight youth at Lowell High School and San Francisco School of the Arts. AT&T's support will help enable the agency to continue its current program, add services to more sites, and serve additional students.

"AT&T's support is helping to provide vital programs for LGBT youth in our San Francisco communities," Chu said.

New Leaf's Youth Substance Abuse Program works with youth between the ages of 12 and 25, and conducts outreach to an additional 400 youth each year. Its emphasis is on helping seniors, youth, low-income individuals and people with HIV.