For Foster City teen Samer Bahu, the beginning of his high school career some two years ago was nothing short of overwhelming.

In an effort to support sustainable construction in San Mateo, city officials approved incentives for developers of new construction in the city to electrify their buildings, requirements for solar panel installation and expanding the capacity of parking spaces to charge electric vehicles.

Three members of a family are suspected of tying up and assaulting an African American teen in what police described as a racially motivated attack early Thursday in San Bruno.

More than 23 years after an 8-year-old girl was kidnapped near the Hillsborough elementary school she attended, a Southern California man found guilty for plotting the abduction was sentenced to seven years to life in prison Friday, according to the San Mateo County District Attorney’s Office.

Michelle Katsuyoshi was named director of Human Resources for Redwood City and will start Sept. 16.

Monster truck: A red pickup truck with a camper shell was parked in front of a house on Oak Knoll Drive in Belmont for 20 to 30 minutes, then left, it was reported at 8:04 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 17.

A yearslong effort to give 17-year-old California residents a chance to vote in primary elections if they will be 18 in time for the following general election gained momentum Thursday after a measure backed by Assemblyman Kevin Mullin passed off the California Assembly floor.

Bay Area voters may be asked to approve a 1 cent sales tax in 2020 that would fund a wide array of transportation projects and improvements across the region.

With the intent to improve safety by reducing the threat of gun violence, Burlingame officials supported a new policy requiring owners of firearms to take extra security precautions when storing their weapon.

Two Pacifica residents were arrested Aug. 20 at their home in connection with a large-scale retail theft fencing operation after a two-month operation, according to the San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office.

Monkey business: Two men and two women were reported stealing bananas and candy from a store on Angus Avenue in San Bruno, it was reported at 1:56 a.m. Tuesday Aug. 13.

A portion of Pacific Avenue in San Mateo was closed through Thursday night as crews with PG&E replaced an electric pole that was destroyed in a vehicle crash, police said.

The pilot of a small plane that went down in the waters off Half Moon Bay is a self-professed thrill-seeker whose stunts have sometimes gotten him in trouble with authorities.

The possible donation of a 7,000-square-foot home with carefully maintained grounds to San Mateo was met with enthusiasm this week by city officials, who were buoyed by the potential for the property to be made available to the public for events.

With ground broken and construction starting on a new Foster City elementary school, education officials are turning their attention to specific conversations regarding operations at the new campus.

To join the growing trend encouraging construction of accessory dwelling units, or ADUs, Millbrae officials started building a policy regulating the affordable opportunity to expand the city’s housing stock.

A timely 911 call by the resident of a Belmont condominium complex Tuesday morning led to the arrest of two suspects on prowling charges after the pair had been casing parked cars in complex’s garage on Davey Glen Road, according to Belmont police.

The unincorporated Menlo Park man arrested in late July on multiple counts of various sexual assault charges had six more victims come forward, according to the San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office.

Ex factor: Someone called concerned that his girlfriend had hacked into his phone on Laurie Meadows Drive in San Mateo, it was reported at 1:56 p.m. Friday, Aug. 16.

A pilot and self-professed thrill seeker said Wednesday he was forced to bring his new plane down into the ocean off Northern California as it lost power, recording dramatic videos as he and his passenger treaded water in the chilly ocean awaiting rescue.

More than 60 elected officials and environmental and community groups throughout the Bay Area are urging Redwood City officials to reject proposals to develop the Cargill salt ponds and rather have them restored as wetlands. 

Whether to include the North Central neighborhood among the areas pegged for study as part of San Mateo’s General Plan update process was up for debate Monday night as city officials and residents wrestled with how best to proceed with the multi-year, long-range planning effort.

A 68-year-old former San Bruno fire secretary accused of handing a note referencing a sexual act to a 16-year-old student at Peninsula High School in May pleaded no contest to contacting a minor for sexual purposes Tuesday, according to the San Mateo County District Attorney’s Office.

Plans for a sweeping mixed-use development on public land in South San Francisco drew largely positive reviews from officials who acknowledged more work is necessary to address the concerns of some residents.

A 19-year-old Emeryville teen who pleaded no contest to elder abuse and assault with a deadly weapon in June for assaulting a senior and two teens in November was sentenced to one year in county jail Tuesday, according to the San Mateo County District Attorney’s Office.

Driving in a roundabout way: A vehicle was driving in circles on Broadway in Redwood City, it was reported at 1:23 a.m. Wednesday, Aug. 14.

Two people were being rescued Tuesday evening from the ocean south of Half Moon Bay following a plane crash, U.S. Coast Guard officials said.

San Bruno police arrested a suspect in an assault and robbery Monday.

Starting on Tuesday, retailers at San Francisco International Airport are prohibited from selling customers water in plastic bottles.

When Steven Gordon first heard of the Veterans Curation Program’s lab in San Mateo, he initially viewed the program as a way to earn money while he took classes to become an anesthesia technician.

After serving for eight years on the San Mateo City Council, Deputy Mayor Maureen Freschet announced Monday she will leave the council in November after completing her second four-year term.

Ron Galatolo will earn almost $39,000 per month to work remotely on a vision to establish a local branch of the California State University system in his new role as chancellor emeritus to the San Mateo County Community College District, according to a district report.

San Bruno school officials further advanced a proposal to sell or lease a former elementary school campus currently used as a driving range at the foot of Crestmoor canyon.

Foster City has appointed police Capt. Tracy Avelar to be its new police chief, making her the first woman to hold the position in the city’s history.

A man who barricaded himself then trapped in his attic on the 100 block of Sycamore Avenue in San Mateo Monday was safely taken into custody after seven hours, according to police.

A 34-year-old man is behind bars on $1 million bail on attempted murder and arson charges after he allegedly set fire to a Redwood City home with four to seven people inside Saturday night, according to the San Mateo County District Attorney’s Office.

Driving people crazy: A motorist was speeding while simultaneously yelling out of their sunroof on Beach Park and Shell boulevards in Foster City, it was reported at 10:50 p.m. Monday, Aug. 12.

A bicyclist was struck and injured by a vehicle in South San Francisco on Saturday morning, according to police.

A 30-year-old transient was arrested in Half Moon Bay on Sunday morning after what San Mateo County sheriff’s officials said was an assault with a 3-foot-long tree branch.

Police have arrested a South San Francisco man for attempted kidnapping and child annoyance after he restrained an 11-year-old girl walking to school with a friend on Friday, South San Francisco police said.

That’s not going to work

Considering joining a burgeoning environmentally-friendly trend, Burlingame may be among the first cities in San Mateo County to ban plastic straws, containers, cups and other food service materials that are not reusable or compostable.

In her debut novel, Anniqua Rana celebrated the differences which make all people alike while also observing another sort of otherness.

Belmont is slowly moving forward with plans to install electric vehicle charging stations at the Twin Pines/City Hall parking lot and Sports Complex.

Though a cluster of building supply companies and winery and brewery businesses situated in San Carlos’ industrial arts district were was defined by Quonset huts and chain-link fences, the neighborhood is beginning to invite visitors in with splashes of color and additional lighting to brigh…