9 Stories You Should Know About Today: Tuesday, Jan. 20

Researchers have identified several geographic hot spots in the Bay Area where parents are not vaccinating their children, triggering concern about potential outbreaks of dangerous and preventable infectious diseases. One cluster is in the East Bay communities of El Cerrito, Berkeley, Oakland and Alameda, where parents rejected vaccines for 10.2 percent of children. The second was in the northern part of San Francisco, as well as Marin County and the southwestern part of Sonoma County, with a 6.6 percent rate of vaccine refusal. Full story

Sometime in the next few weeks, the lead contractor for the Bay Bridge’s new eastern span will finally declare that the most complex public works project in California history is done — and state and local authorities will be solely responsible for a landmark beset by problems that trace back more than 16 years, to the day a handful of experts picked a design that bordered on the experimental. Full story

If you thought Facebook was just one giant time-suck vortex where your life disappears while sharing cat videos and finding quizzes to discover which character on “Friends” you most resemble, then here’s some good news: The company says you are actually doing your part to boost the world’s economy. Full story

When Francisca Garcia canvasses Santa Clara County later this month to help gauge the size of the local homeless population, she will know exactly where to look for young people living on the streets. Not long ago, she was one of them. Full story

Ed Neufeldt, 68, was laid off from his job in the RV industry in Elkhart County, Indiana, when the economy crashed. His story was so emblematic of hard times in Middle America that he was chosen to introduce President Obama at a rally. Now, he’s employed again, working three jobs 50 hours a week — and making less than he did when he was on unemployment. Full story

We’re fascinated by Uber. It’s a hugely successful service that’s reshaping urban transportation. But it’s also kind of a black box. With your help — a quick survey to gather your Uber rating and some anonymous demographic data — we want to take a look inside. Full story

While Californians have continued to more or less live their lives—washing their cars, taking showers, running through their sprinklers on a hot summer day—it is the land itself that, at least visually, has borne the brunt of the drought. While water continues to flow for most of us, the land, as these photographs testify, is hurting. Full story

Friends of a fitness model and actor who was hit by a train and killed while making a video said Monday that he was a bold and fearless person who just made a rare mistake. “It was just a freaky moment where something got out of control,” said Warren Coulter, who had been friends for 15 years with 37-year-old George Gregory Plitt Jr., who went by “Greg.” Plitt, among the more recognizable faces and physiques in the fitness industry, was shooting a video for his website with two crew members when the Metrolink commuter train hit him Saturday afternoon in Burbank, authorities and friends said. Full story

SpaceX has released dramatic footage of its booster rocket trying to land on a floating ocean barge after a launch — an unprecedented attempt that ended in a fiery explosion. The video released Friday shows the 14-story rocket hitting the football field-sized barge at an angle, lighting up the night sky off the Florida coast. Full story

Maybe it’s a sweatshirt or a book or coffee mug — no matter what the inanimate object is, you’ve just been unable to get rid of it because it carries the weight of a broken relationship. But now it’s time to go deep into the storage room, unearth the dusty box of mementos from your ex, pick one — and put it on display. “The Museum of Broken Relationships,” has journeyed across the globe, picking up objects and stories of heartbreak, and now it wants your object and story to be a part of it. Hosted by Root Division and BAASICS, the traveling museum will arrive in San Francisco next month — where the gallery space at RD will feature the broken-heart pieces, and stories associated with them. Full story