Free Republic

San Francisco city officials plan to pull its offices from a downtown building near City Hall due to high rent and a bad real estate market, The San Francisco Standard reported Friday. The 11-story building in downtown San Francisco was initially leased to city and county officials back in 1999 and has over the years served as office space for many municipal departments like the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission, Office of the Treasurer & Tax Collector, the Mayor’s Office of Disability and the Department of the Environment, the outlet reported.

Two hospitals in northwestern England will be offering head-to-toe gowns for Muslim women who request them, officials said Tuesday. The burqa-style blue gown will be available from Nov. 1 for patients served by the Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. The trust operates two hospitals, the Royal Preston, and the Chorley and South Ribble. "I noticed a gap in the market and thought that it would be great if there was a gown that helped to preserve a patient's modesty," said Karen Jacob, linen services manager for the trust, who designed the product. Jacob said the gown could be adapted...