Scientists use airship to look for meteorites

SACRAMENTO (AP) - A group of scientists took to the skies in a slow-moving airship Thursday in search of meteorites that rained over California's gold country last month. It's the latest hunt for extraterrestrial fragments from the April 22 explosion that was witnessed over a swath of Northern California and Nevada. Treasure hunters have swarmed the Sierra Nevada ...

UC seeks to cut costs by consolidating operations

RIVERSIDE (AP) - In a move aimed at cutting costs, the University of California will open a new service center in Riverside that will handle administrative duties for its 10 campuses and five medical centers, school officials said Thursday. The facility is expected to save as much as $100 million annually by creating a single payroll and human resources system for all ...

Bay Area news briefs

Needy teen gets free tickets to school from others

‘Rare bacteria appears to have killed SF researcher

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - Health officials were trying to determine how a rare strain of bacteria infected and may have led to the death of a researcher at a Veteran's Affairs infectious diseases lab in San Francisco.

Kutcher ad is called racist, yanked offline

LOS ANGELES (AP) - An online ad featuring Ashton Kutcher as an Indian man has been pulled offline after viewers called it racist.

State news briefs

NO NEW REMAINS FOUND IN SPEED FREAK KILLERS SEARCH: LINDEN (AP) - Authorities say they did not find any new human remains during a search of private property in the Central Valley that authorities felt may have been linked to the so-called Speed Freak Killers.

Cal State University workers authorize strike

Transit worker fired after giving discarded passes to needy teen

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - Transit worker Jim Stanek thought he was doing a good deed when he gave a needy teenager $300 in discarded train passes. But he said the decision led to his firing. Customers had paid for the passes then turned them over with outstanding balances to the booth where Stanek works as a station agent for the Bay Area ...

DMV workers charged in bribery scheme

Stinging gas sends May Day protesters fleeing in Oakland

USDA: Offspring of mad cow did not have disease

Student left in cell 4 days recalls hallucinations says he had to drink his own urine to stay alive

Bay Area briefs

Teen charged in celeb car theft had huge weapons cache SAN RAFAEL . (AP) - A Northern California teen charged in a drive-by shooting and the theft of a celebrity chef's Lamborghini kept an arsenal that included assault rifles, cellphone-jamming equipment and police gear, authorities said. The items were stashed at a storage container rented by 17-year-old Max Michael Wade, who now ...

Stinging gas sends May Day protesters fleeing

California population adds 250,000 to near 37.7M, but growth is slow

SACRAMENTO (AP) - California added about 250,000 residents last year, bringing the total population to just under 37.7 million as the state continues with modest growth amid a weak economy, according to a report released Tuesday by the state Department of Finance. California's population grew less than 1 percent in 2011, as it did the year before, but the growth rate still ...

Bay Area briefs

NO BACKPACKS ALLOWED AT 2013 BAY TO BREAKERS IN SF: SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - No backpacks, large bags or containers will be allowed at this year's Bay to Breakers footrace in San Francisco as officials heighten security in the wake of the Boston Marathon bombings.

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