Fifth & Mission

We're not out of the woods, but health reporter Erin Allday says vaccines, the passing of the holidays and other factors are helping the Bay Area turn the corner on the pandemic. Plus: Business reporter Carolyn Said on a study estimating tens of thousands have died due to the nation's unemployment crisis. | Unlimited Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/pod

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

No San Francisco public school student has seen the inside of a classroom in nearly a year, though six elementary schools are ready to reopen -- eventually. Chronicle reporter Jill Tucker explains the latest on the move to reopen the city's schools and how Zoom school has spelled disaster for some kids.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Reporter Rachel Swan talks about her investigation into the police shooting of a mentally ill man in Danville. An officer killed Laudemer Arboleda, who was unarmed, after stepping in front of his car during a low-speed chase. Now, amid calls for police accountability in the wake of the killing of George Floyd, the Contra Costa County district attorney must decide whether to charge the officer with homicide. | Unlimited Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/pod

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Just as in 1969, when Gov. Ronald Reagan sent in the National Guard, activists want to preserve the Berkeley park while UC wants to build housing. Times — and the stakes — have changed, but reporter Sarah Ravani says the fight is a familiar one. | Unlimited Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/pod

Related episode: People's Park at 50 — pod.fo/e/b6f8e

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The 2021 Lunar New Year marks a full year of the coronavirus pandemic’s impact on San Francisco’s Chinatown. Well before the Bay Area shut down, America’s oldest Chinatown experienced reduced business and xenophobia. With thousands living in Single Room Occupancy hotels and legacy businesses on the brink of closure, the neighborhood is fighting to survive. This is an episode of The Chronicle's food and culture podcast, Extra Spicy.

Related: Chinatown's Endangered Banquet Halls: pod.fo/e/b68e0

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Large banquets have long been crucial to San Francisco's Chinese community, and the halls that host them have been the backbone of Chinatown. They were already fading away, but the coronavirus pandemic might be the final blow. Journalist Melissa Hung talks about their decline and efforts to save them. | Unlimited Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/pod

Related episode: How Will Chinatown Survive? pod.fo/e/28a75

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The South Africa mutation of the virus has been identified in two patients, in Alameda and Santa Clara counties. As reporter Erin Allday explains, this could present a challenge: Current vaccines aren't as effective in fighting this variant. | Unlimited Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/pod

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Chronicle's Washington correspondent Tal Kopan has the latest from the impeachment of Donald Trump. While a majority of senators rejected Trump's argument that a trial is unconstitutional, Democrats may not have enough votes to convict. Kopan weighs in on the atmosphere in Congress, the politics of the moment and the impact on VP Kamala Harris. | Unlimited Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/pod

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A deal between the San Francisco school district and labor unions only sets the conditions needed to return. Will it happen before summer? And what might the school day look like? Reporter Jill Tucker says parents are watching, including some who have shifted kids to private school — or Marin County. | Unlimited Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/pod

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Feeling exhausted, confused and just plain over it? You're not alone. Reporter Ryan Kost looks at the mix of good and bad news on the coronavirus front and why it's causing so much uncertainty. Hint: We'd feel a lot better if we had an end date | Unlimited Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/pod

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices