Hey there, San Francisco. 

Happy Friday and happy almost-President’s Day weekend. 

If you’re trekking north to Tahoe for the long weekend, SFGATE travel reporter Silas Valentino has some tips. 

Valentino says (based on Google Maps data) the absolute worst time to leave the city is today at 3 pm when the drive time to Tahoe will likely be around 5.5 hours. 

The best time to hit I-80 would have been at around 10 am this morning. But since that’s passed, Valentino says the next-best time to leave for Tahoe is 7 pm tonight. 

The trip should take about 3.5 hours then. 

And with that…onto some news… 

Quick bits: Bite-sized news stories

• 👀 Former Vice President gave a speech at Stanford on Thursday entitled, “How to Save America from the Woke Left.” In it, Pence addressed this week’s San Francisco school board recall. “Those results, I gotta tell ya, those results are sending shockwaves across the country,” Pence said. (Chronicle) 

• 🔫 One of the two people injured during Tuesday’s Safeway parking lot shooting in the Castro was an 85-year-old woman who was dining across the street inside Woodhouse Fish Co., SFGATE reports. Restaurant owner Dylan MacNiven said it’s unclear if the woman sustained injuries from the broken window glass or if “the bullet actually grazed her.” (SFGATE) 

• 😔 Authorities accessed unsent text messages from the local family that mysteriously died last August while hiking in Mariposa County. “No water or ver (over) heating with baby,” a final text read. (SFist) 

• 🥇 San Francisco-native Eileen Gu, who skis for China, won her third medal of the Beijing Olympics on Friday when she earned gold in the women’s halfpipe event. (SFGATE) 

What else I’m reading: Links to browse 

The Meaning of San Francisco’s School-Board Recall (Atlantic) 

'Hope for Community': Storied Chinatown Kung Fu School Gears Up for First Lunar New Year Parade Since Pandemic Began (KQED) 

Concerts not to miss at the Noise Pop music festival in San Francisco (SFGATE) 

ICYMI: The most popular stories this week

Monday: There Are Not 40,000 Vacant Homes in San Francisco (SocketSite) 

Tuesday: Levi’s Executive Jennifer Sey Resigns Citing Her Public Views on Covid-19 Restrictions (WSJ) 

Wednesday: No Fooling! The Van Ness Rapid Transit Project Will Be Completed April 1 (SFist) 

Thursday: What the election results mean—and what comes next (48hills) 

And finally… A labor-inducing burger? 

As recently expecting parents, my wife and I read all about the dried fruits and teas that were supposed to help induce labor. But never did we ever hear that the burger from the Michelin-starred Spruce is rumored to do the trick. 

Apparently, as Eater’s Paolo Bicchieri writes, the Spruce burger is “a thing” among anxiously awaiting parents in San Francisco, and has been for some time now. 

Of course, it’s not known for sure whether the 8-once wagyu beef burger ($22) actually has labor-inducing powers. And the origins of the claim are fuzzy. 

But the story is very much alive and well, Spruce’s staff says. One former server told Eater: “I’ve seen many [pregnant people] come far and wide for the burger whose reputation precedes itself.” 

That’s all for today. As a programming note, I’ll be off on Monday for President’s Day. I hope you all have a wonderful weekend and I’ll look forward to seeing you back here on Tuesday! Talk then. - Nick B.