Challenges remain for high-speed rail plan

State news briefs

REMAINS OF MISSING WWII SOLDIER RETURN TO CALIF.: SAN BRUNO (AP) - A California soldier who died during World War II will be buried near his boyhood home this week after the former Marine's remains were discovered on a remote island in the South Pacific.

Judge clears governor's tax for top billing

Trial under way in deadly 2003 wildfire that killed 5, burned hundreds of homes

Bay Area briefs

Metal thieves take SF park bleachers SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - Metal thieves have hauled away aluminum bleachers and irrigation pipes at a popular Sa Francisco Park. The San Francisco Chronicle says the brazen thieves also tried to steal the metal frames of soccer goals at Crocker-Amazon Park. The city Recreation and Parks Department estimates hundreds of thousands of dollars ...

Yosemite historic bridges under siege

YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK (AP) - Perhaps no river crossing in Yosemite Valley has been more photographed than the historic Stoneman Bridge: a single, arching span faced with rough-hewn granite that provides a dramatic foreground to Half Dome, the park's most iconic natural marvel.

Owner drops price for SF Bay island

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - An island offering a secluded beach, promises of great fishing and stunning views of the San Francisco skyline is up for sale - and at a discounted price.

Lawmakers depart to prepare for fall election

SACRAMENTO (AP) - California state lawmakers have adjourned for their summer recess after spending months unabashedly positioning themselves to their best competitive advantage going into the fall election campaign.

Illegal weapons seized in search of Bay Point home

BAY POINT (AP) - Dozens of illegal weapons have been seized during a search of a home in an unincorporated area of Contra Costa County, authorities said.

Abandoned horses growing problem

SAN BERNARDINO (AP) - A growing number of horses are being abandoned by owners in San Bernardino County, an apparent lingering effect of the 2007 housing market collapse.

LA schools superintendent shakes up district

LOS ANGELES (AP) - Faced with a shocking case of a teacher accused of playing classroom sex games with children for years, Los Angeles schools Superintendent John Deasy delivered another jolt: He removed the school's entire staff - from custodians to the principal - to smash what he called a "culture of silence."

Dueling restraining orders for council members

SAN FERNANDO (AP) - Two council members of this Los Angeles suburb who admitted to having an affair have taken out restraining orders against each other after an alleged violent spat.

State news briefs

• MAGNITUDE-3.9 QUAKE SHAKES LAKE COUNTY: SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - Two small earthquakes have jolted a remote area of Northern California, startling residents in Lake County.

State news briefs

DA: EVIDENCE SHOWS SUSPECTED PIMP SHOT IN REVENGE: SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - District Attorney George Gascon says new evidence shows the parents and two men charged for killing a girl's suspected pimp acted more out of revenge than protection.

Pair of ospreys spotted at San Francisco pier

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - Bird watchers in San Francisco are celebrating what they say is the first confirmed sighting of an osprey in the city. A pair of the raptors was recently spotted nesting atop a container crane at Pier 80 in the city's Bayview-Hunters Point neighborhood, the San Francisco Chronicle reported. Bird experts say their presence is a sign that the ...

Vulnerable inmates ordered out of 2 Central Valley prisons

Nesting swallows could delay Petaluma bridge work

State news briefs

SANTA CLARA THREATENS AMBULANCE TERMINATION: SAN JOSE. (AP) - Santa Clara County officials are threatening to terminate the contract of an ambulance company that they say has repeatedly responded too slowly to emergencies.

Killer on the loose: Valley Springs on lockdown

Lawmakers consider moratorium on oil fracking in San Joaquin Valley

3 divers killed over weekend abalone diving off California

SF Bay Bridge has bolts similar to banned bolts

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - The new eastern span of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge has more than 1,200 bolts made from galvanized steel that is virtually identical to a high-strength alloy that a nationwide group of transportation officials banned for use on bridges because the bolts can crack, the San Francisco Chronicle reported Sunday.

Fatal stabbing of girl, 8, prompts manhunt

VALLEY SPRINGS (AP) - Residents of a rural Northern California county were being told Sunday to keep their doors locked and report anyone considered suspicious as authorities continued the search for the killer of an 8-year-old girl.

Some are overlooked in overhaul

SAN DIEGO (AP) - Carlos Gonzalez has lived nearly all his 29 years in a country he considers home but now finds himself on the wrong side of the border - and the wrong side of a proposed overhaul of the U.S. immigration system that would grant legal status to millions of people.

California weighs first state ban on lead ammo

SACRAMENTO (AP) - In November, one of the oldest condors in Central California died from lead poisoning after being found with tiny bullet fragments and a .22-caliber slug in his gullet that he apparently swallowed with a mouthful of meat.

Rolling Stones rock small LA club

LOS ANGELES (AP) - For one night only, the Rolling Stones were an up-and-coming band again.

OC officials keep inmate alive they want to ultimately execute

SANTA ANA, Calif. (AP) - A man charged with raping and killing a woman 30 years ago is being kept alive in Orange County with dialysis treatments until officials can win permission to execute him.

Bills aim to protect privacy in drone age

SACRAMENTO (AP) - California lawmakers are attempting to stay ahead of science fiction-style technology as increasingly nimble unmanned aircraft are considered for use in tracking fleeing suspects and monitoring crowded public spaces.