San Francisco Weekly

Video grab as Beaver kits have been born in Norfolk for the first time in 500 years. (Pensthorpe Natural Park via SWNS) By Lauren Beavis Beaver kits have been born in Norfolk, England for the first time in 500 years. Motion-activated camera footage has revealed the "extraordinary" presence of two beaver kits born in the wild at Pensthorpe Natural Park, near Fakenham. The nature reserve became home to one beaver back in November last year — which was believed to be solitary.

A welcome sign to Bradford on Avon without the hyphens. (Tom Wren via SWNS) By Lauren Beavis Google has agreed to remove hyphens from a town's name — after a 130-year campaign. People living in Bradford on Avon say dashes first appeared in 1899 — when Great Western Railway (GWR) added them to its railway sign. Locals say the "rogue" hyphens then started being used in the town and by mapmakers — passing into common usage.

(The Center Square) – Twenty-two state attorneys general are questioning taxpayer funding of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine amid what the AGs call the group’s “sham”-like “independent review” of its much debated reference manual’s climate science chapter that was removed due to public concerns of political bias. The attorney's general sent a letter to a number of federal agencies as well as Congress calling out the funding.

(The Center Square) – U.S. fertilizer producer CF Industries and a pair of Japanese industrial conglomerates began construction Wednesday on a low-carbon ammonia plant in Modeste, Louisiana, which could provide domestic supplies of fertilizer for American farmers and power electric grids in Asia. The Blue Point complex, near Donaldsonville in Ascension Parish, is designed to produce 1.4 million tons of ammonia annually, potentially making it the largest plant of its kind in the world.

(The Center Square) – It’s been one year since a shooting at Annunciation Catholic School in south Minneapolis claimed the lives of two children. On Thursday morning, church bells could be heard ringing across the city at 8:26 a.m. to honor 8-year-old Fletcher Merkel, 10-year-old Harper Moyski, and the more than 20 others who were injured. In preparation for the anniversary, Minnesota and city of Minneapolis also declared Aug. 27 as Annunciation Remembrance Day.

By Filipa Gaspar A mystery feline captured on camera has sparked a huge online debate — with some claiming it could be a "big cat." David Duff filmed the animal from his balcony at Ledyatt Trout Fishery near Lundie, Scotland, where he has spotted it regularly for 18 months. The fishery owner said the striking feline was "bigger than a normal cat" and compared it in size to a Labrador.

Mortgage rates are up slightly this week, mostly due to a spike on Wednesday after new data showed that inflation grew faster than anticipated in July. Rates have since settled back to “normal” (by this week’s standards). The average rate on a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage grew two basis points to 6.57% APR in the week ending Aug. 27, according to rates provided to NerdWallet by Zillow.

(The Center Square) – Data centers continue to become less popular in Wisconsin. A new Marquette Poll shows that 78% of registered voters believe the costs of data centers outweigh the benefits, up from 76% in a July poll and 55% in October 2025. “Majorities of Republicans, independents, and Democrats all say the costs outweigh the benefits of data centers.

(The Center Square) – A slew of candidates running as democratic socialists appears to be raising alarms with a majority of American voters, according to a new poll. The Center Square’s Voters Voice Poll found 63% of Americans are concerned with the growth of socialism or communism in American politics, while 29% are not concerned. Of the 63% concerned, 36% say they are very concerned, while 27% say they are somewhat concerned.

(The Center Square) – California Attorney General Rob Bonta stands by a lawsuit he’s co-leading to stop President Donald Trump's executive order on mail-in ballots. Trump has made it his mission to keep noncitizens from voting in federal elections. The Republican president's order, issued onMarch 31, required the U.S. Postal Service to prohibit the mailing of ballots to voters whose names aren't on a new Postal Service list.