Moody's: More cities at risk of bankruptcy

Man dies from rare rodent disease caught in Yosemite

YOSEMITE - (AP) - A man died and a woman became seriously ill after contracting a rare rodent-borne disease that might have been linked to their stay at a popular lodging area in Yosemite National Park, officials said Thursday.

State Side

Police hold 16 people at 2 pot grows in Valley

Backers of Brown's tax measure want opponents to stop criticizing the proposal

SF panel wrapping up probe of sheriff's conviction

1 boy dead, another missing in Yosemite river

YOSEMITE (AP) - A 10-year-old boy died and his 6-year-old brother was missing after they were swept away along a popular but treacherous boulder-strewn stretch of the Merced River, Yosemite National Park officials said Thursday.

Bay Area briefs

1936 Mercedes-Benz could fetch $16M PEBBLE BEACH (AP) - A 1936 Mercedes-Benz found in a Connecticut barn could fetch a record $16 million-plus at a Pebble Beach auction this weekend. The rare Mercedes 540K Special Roadster could break the $16.4 million record for any car sold at auction when it goes on the block after the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance. <p style="line-height: 18pt; ...

State news briefs

CENTRAL VALLEY DISTRICT OKS NEW ENGLISH METHOD: DINUBA (AP) - A small Central Valley school district has agreed to stop using a little-known method of English-language instruction in a settlement with the American Civil Liberties Union.

Inmates convicted as juveniles to die in prison could get reprieve via bill

LA considers hiring porn film condom cop

Jury says Muslim hotel owner discriminated Jewish group; awards $1.2 million in damages

SANTA MONICA (AP) - A Muslim hotel owner discriminated against a Jewish group during a Southern California poolside charity event by ordering removal of banners and ousting them from the pool and spa, a jury decided in awarding $1.2 million statutory damages. Punitive damages will be determined later. The suit was filed by Friends of the Israel Defense ...

Military probes cause of failed hypersonic flight

LOS ANGELES (AP) - The military has launched an investigation into why its latest unmanned hypersonic flight failed seconds into a test. The experimental X-51A Waverider was designed to reach six times the speed of sound after being released by a B-52 bomber off the Southern California coast Tuesday. The Air Force said the experimental aircraft successfully separated from the B-52 and ...

State news briefs

SYPHILIS AND OTHER STD CASES ON RISE IN CALIFORNIA: SACRAMENTO (AP) - Rises in syphilis and other sexually transmitted disease cases in California have state health officials concerned.

Median home price jumps 12% in July

SAN DIEGO (AP) - The median price of a home in California approached a four-year high in July as buyers snapped up more expensive properties and foreclosed houses made up a smaller part of the sales mix, a research firm said Wednesday. The median price for new and existing houses and condominiums in the state reached $281,000 last month, up 11.5 percent ...

Lawmaker questions AG's role in state parks probe

Bill would honor Buffalo Soldiers' role in parks

Unattended campfire caused Mariposa fire

MARIPOSA (AP) - An unattended campfire near a main route into Yosemite National Park has grown into a blaze that has led to the evacuations of 800 homes and 1,500 people, officials said Tuesday. California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection officials released the cause of the fire Tuesday, as 2,200 firefighters - up from more than 700 Monday - worked to gain the upper hand on it amid windy, dry conditions. No other details ...

State news briefs

SURFER SHOT AT AMID EX-LAPD COP HUNT FILES LAWSUIT: LOS ANGELES (AP) - A surfer who was shot at by police during the manhunt for rogue ex-cop Christopher Dorner has filed a lawsuit against a Los Angeles suburb and its police department.

Bay Area briefs

BOY, 6, KILLED BY RELATIVE'S DOG AT UNION CITY HOME: UNION CITY (AP) - A 6-year-old San Francisco Bay area boy died after he was attacked by a relative's dog, authorities said Tuesday.

Judge considers effect of fungus on inmates

Apple details nearly 500 government requests for user data over six months

CUPERTINO (AP) - Apple says it received between 4,000 and 5,000 requests from U.S. law enforcement for customer data for the six months ended in May. The company, like some other businesses, had asked the U.S government to be able to share how many requests it received related to national security and how it handled them. Those requests were made as part of Prism, the recently revealed highly classified National Security Agency program that seizes ...

Bill would let cities decide on open records

Wildfire burning near Hwy 140 near Mariposa

MARIPOSA (AP) - A wind-whipped wildfire near the main route into Yosemite National Park in the Central Sierra foothills forced the evacuation of about 150 houses and threatened others, a state fire official said on Monday. More than 700 firefighters are battling the Carstens fire which began Sunday afternoon and has burned about 1 1/2 square miles or 900 acres, California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection spokesman Daniel Berlant said. With more than 140 ...

State news briefs

Bay Area briefs

KAYAKER MISSING AFTER FALLING INTO LIVERMORE LAKE: LIVERMORE (AP) - A 30-year-old man is missing after falling out of a kayak at a lake in Livermore.

Four lawsuits filed against Delta Plan

Port of LA unveils plan for marine research center

LOS ANGELES (AP) - Los Angeles port officials on Monday unveiled plans to create a $500 million marine research center called AltaSea. The project, developed through a public-private partnership between the port and universities, will be built on a 100-year-old wharf on the San Pedro waterfront. Officials cited Los Angeles' urban environment as a reason to invest in research at the port, which had been looking to diversify its uses - in addition to cargo ...

Cancer killed serial killer Richard Ramirez

LA elementary teacher arrested in estranged wife's stabbing death

Legislature passes $96.3B budget