Free Republic

A San Francisco school district may remove an 83-year-old mural of President George Washington from, ironically, George Washington High School because it “traumatizes students and community members.” The work of artist Victor Arnautoff, a communist, may no longer be progressive enough for “Fog City.” His 13 panels for the high school, created in 1936, have been deemed problematic by the San Francisco Unified School District. Officials say some the artist’s historical depictions are offensive to Native Americans and blacks. Laura Dudnick, a spokeswoman for the district, told educational watchdog the College Fix via email Thursday that Mr. Arnautoff’s work was...

Nowhere will Nancy Pelosi's loss of the House speakership be felt more acutely than here in the Bay Area, where her power has been used to help steer hundreds of millions of dollars into infrastructure projects. "It's difficult working the halls of Congress when you don't have the speaker of the House who understands specific facets of your region, and isn't there to help set up meetings," said Jim Wunderman, head of the Bay Area Council business group. "There will be a price to pay." San Jose Mayor Chuck Reed said the loss would be felt in the South Bay...

A cache of letters hidden in the basement brings to life a house, a family and the tragedy that would change everything “Dear Folks,” the letter begins, “I think of you when I hear a Beethoven symphony or the words of a childhood hero repeated and more beautiful as I approach my forties. The strength and principles you planted into me at an early age, though inconsistent with the larger culture I grew up in, is now flowering in fertile soil. I see your faces in my mind and remember the courage both of you demonstrated during the McCarthy period...