Bay Area & State

Phyllis Macay was keen on adventure and smart enough not to take risks, making her death at the hands of pirates off the coast of Somalia even more tragic, a Bay Area relative said Tuesday. Macay was one of four Americans who were captured and killed by pirates during an unsuccessful rescue attempt by U.S. special operations forces Tuesday. Henry K. Lee

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A raucous, Wisconsin-style labor showdown is unlikely to unfold in California given its Democratic-controlled Legislature and union-friendly Gov. Jerry Brown. But a different type of showdown is simmering in California as business and taxpayer groups and Republicans are ratcheting up the pressure on Brown to ask for more concessions from public employee unions to help fill the state's $25.4 billion budget deficit. Joe Garofoli

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Small television and radio stations serving rural, politically conservative areas in California and other states would likely feel the biggest impact of a move to eliminate federal funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting because 70 percent of public broadcasting funds are channeled to local stations. Joe Garofoli

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A brash attempt by two urban teens to raft an urban stream probably turned quickly into a harrowing plunge through a concrete chute, with 20-foot vertical walls on both sides, churning with rainwater, branches, rocks and trash. Kelly Zito

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Ah, that sneaky, lying sun. Those blue skies kissing the Bay Area with a chilly semblance of warmth Tuesday were just teasing, it turns out, because the cold -- and we do mean cold -- hard truth is that snow appears to be on its way to San Francisco. Kevin Fagan

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A former Bay Area leader of the Service Employees International Union sued the group's leadership Tuesday, claiming it waged a campaign of harassment and intimidation against him.  Henry K. Lee

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