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This Nun’s Life

Robbie Nothstine journeyed though life to find his new identity as Sister Rose Mary Chicken with the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence...

Castro Still Struggles with Housing

Affordability crisis continues into 2015

By Heidi Smith

The housing crisis brought on by the tech boom in San Francisco caught the world’s attention this last year. Rents skyrocketed to the highest in the nation, squeezing out the middle and working classes who cannot afford the market rate of $3,100 a month for a one-bedroom apartment. San Francisco is a prime example of the changing U.S. economy, where the gap between rich and poor is stretching bigger than ever. Nearly every inch of the city is under construction, yet only the rich can afford to buy the luxury condos that seem to be popping up overnight. As long as that luxury demand dominates, developers won’t prioritize affordable housing.

New Year’s Resolutions for

the Young Gay Man

By Bill Sywak

With good reason, those who dispense advice are always suspect.

Nonetheless, from time to time friends and others have come up against common and not-so-common life situations that bring back experiences which seemed to illustrate a lesson or two.

Neighborhood’s Welcomes

First Arcade/Beer Hall

By Manhattan Bitters

Every dreamy American kid has a memory with an arcade game. The neon-space glow, the elating sounds of leveling up, the whimper of “game over” and the anticipation of slotting a finger-pinched quarter all form the obsession.

Maybe it was in a pizza joint, a roller rink or just that solo game at the Quiky Mart that captured days and weeks of what would have otherwise been time spent on homework or some other completely futile endeavor.

News Briefs

Hamburger Mary's Coming to the Castro

FDA's Blood Donation Ban on Gay Men Likely to Change

PrEP Informational Open House Schedule for Jan. 11

Farmers' Market Shuts Down for Winter

Top 10 Comedic News of 2014

By Will Durst

Hey guys, Will Durst here with your eagerly awaited Top Ten Comedic News Stories of 2014. Now, here’s the deal: please do not confuse these amusing accounts with the Top Ten Legitimate News Stories of 2014. No. No. No. They are as different as silky and spiky. Banjos and bullfrogs. Strawberry daiquiris and Chinese made assault rifles. Earrings and peas. Oh sure, we saw plenty examples of super serious humor-resistant stuff that went down over the previous 12 months, including but not limited to: Ebola infested ISIS members flying into Ferguson, Missouri on Malaysian Airlines, carrying pictures of Bill Cosby ogling Janay Rice’s butt...

Castro Cares Unites Area Groups

By Maya Lekach

Everyone knows that the holidays are a time for families, a time for happiness (or Scroogery), and a time for giving. While many are most used to giving nieces patent-leather dress shoes or sweaters to crazy uncles who never buy new clothes, it is also an important time to remember those in the community who do not receive such gifts — those who do not even have the family member to whom they can say “it’s the thought that counts.”

Supervisor Urges City To Fund Its Urban Forest

By Heidi Smith

The Castro and its surrounding neighborhoods that make up District 8 are home to 13,000 of the 105,000 street trees in San Francisco. Since 2012, the Department of Public Works has been transferring the responsibility of these trees to property owners due to the lack of sufficient funds to properly care for them. With its current resources, the DPW could only get to each tree once every 10 to 12 years. But since the trees should be pruned every three to five years, they have passed that duty on to homeowners as a “Band-Aid” solution.

SantaCon Madness Comes A-Callin’

Like it or not, here come the Santas.

Get ready for SantaCon 2014. It’s that time of year when hundreds of thousands of “Santa’s” crowd the streets worldwide to celebrate the holiday. The event was started in San Francisco in 1994,

City Aids Water-Saving with Free Advice, Devices

By Deana Mitchell

Dogs groomed at Mudpuppy’s on Castro Street are getting a dose of environmental consciousness with their head-to-tail scrubs and blueberry facials. The staff has been carefully trained in how much water to use when rinsing and sudsing, said owner Daniel Bergerac, president of the Castro Merchants. The faucets are also outfitted with the water saving devices.

Carlos Santana Shares Autobiography at Castro Theatre

Interview by Wendy Oakes

The prolific Haight-Ashbury bookstore produced the stellar event at the Castro Theatre on December 3rd, featuring Carlos Santana and Ben Fong-Torres. It truly was a magical night as Santana lent his enigmatic and upbeat presence to the Castro stage in celebration of his new book, “The Universal Tone: Bringing My Story to Light.” Santana’s autobiography became available in stores on November 4th…

Walking the Castro Neighborhood...

By Bill Sywak

Vacations

Whew, now that my holiday vacation is over, I can relax! Don’t get me wrong, I had fun in a different city and took in my share of festive concerts, parties and family dinners. But there’s one thing about holiday vacationing, especially over those major holidays, when you choose a destination where you and everyone living there seem to be on vacation at the same time. It’s as if nobody’s home. It’s like visiting a museum after-hours.

Better Financial Resolve for 2015

Brandon Miller

It takes a lot of practice to become a champion of responsible spending and saving to meet your long-term goals. If you’re a bit out of shape in the financial department, don’t try to change everything overnight. Instead, embark on a financial evolution that fosters the kind of behaviors that will improve your financial standing over time. Here are three fundamentals to embrace as you evolve to a new financial you in 2015.