BART blacks out cellphone service

Officials with San Francisco's rapid transit system said Friday cellphone service was shut down during a planned protest, but only to protect the public.

The disruption of cellphone and other wireless communications occurred Thursday in the Bay Area Rapid Transit system, the San Francisco Chronicle reported. Organizers planned to protest the July 3 shooting death of Charles Blair Hill, by police at the City Center station.

"Organizers planning to disrupt BART service on August 11, 2011 stated they would use mobile devices to coordinate their disruptive activities and communicate about the location and number of BART Police," a statement posted on the BART Web site said. "A civil disturbance during commute times at busy downtown San Francisco stations could lead to platform overcrowding and unsafe conditions for BART customers, employees and demonstrators. BART temporarily interrupted service at select BART stations as one of many tactics to ensure the safety of everyone on the platform."

The protest was against the shooting of a man carrying a knife in a downtown BART station July 3.

BART officials reported no delays on the system following a rush-hour protest July 12 -- one day after the evening commute was derailed by a protest at the Civic Center station.

Police said Hill, a homeless man, was wielding a knife.

Woman falls, dies in Yosemite

A hiker from San Ramon, Calif., fell hundreds of feet to her death while descending Yosemite's Half Dome, officials say.

The emergency communications center at the park received a 911 call about noon PDT Sunday, informing them a climber slipped from the cables leading up to Half Dome, San Ramon Express News reported.

When National Park Rangers arrived on the scene, they found Hayley LaFlamme, 26, dead.

Yosemite Park Ranger Kari Cobb said it appeared LaFlamme fell while climbing down a 400-foot cable system that allows hikers to reach the top of Half Dome, a nearly 5,000-foot summit, without using personal rock-climbing gear. She then fell off a cliff, landing about 600 feet below.

Rangers were still investigating the fall, but noted there had been a severe thunderstorm earlier in the day, the newspaper said.

Wet weather can make trails in the park quite dangerous, particularly the granite slope along the cable route, Cobb said, adding there are numerous signs alerting visitors to this issue throughout the park and on the permit required for hikers to access Half Dome, which LaFlamme had.

LaFlamme is the 14th person to die within the park this year, nearly triple the average in recent years, KABC-TV, Los Angeles, reported.