Lorax statue taken from home of Dr. Seuss's widow

SAN DIEGO (AP) - They took the Lorax, made of bronze, the thieves they came, and now he's gone. A 2-foot statue of Dr. Seuss' Lorax character was stolen from the San Diego backyard garden of the 90-year-old widow of the beloved author whose real name was Theodore Geisel. Audrey Geisel noticed the statue and its tree-stump base ...

Assemblywoman Olsen pushing for law to punish public school student-teacher dating

Most California state parks likely to stay open thanks to federal & local agencies

State news briefs

SAN FRANCISCO SHERIFF CHALLENGES SUSPENSION: SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - San Francisco Sheriff Ross Mirkarimi on Tuesday formally challenged his suspension as he faces a misconduct charge stemming from a domestic violence case.

Bay Area briefs

Court leaders pull plug on $2B computer system

South state storm leaves outages; motorist rescued

LOS ANGELES (AP) - Californians cleaned up Monday from a storm that hit many areas in frenzied bursts, flooding streets and freeways, zapping power and toppling trees and utility poles. Crews rescued an injured driver whose pickup truck plunged 300 feet off a snow-covered Southern California mountain highway. After the truck was spotted on a snow-covered slope below ...

Mitt Romney trumpets rush of conservative endorsements during swing through California

SF slaying suspect in five killings had had been ordered deported to Vietnam

Chief: No conclusions in beating death of Iraqi-American woman

State news briefs

TINY PUPPY BORN IN CA COULD BE WORLD'S SMALLEST: SACRAMENTO (AP) - A puppy named after one of the world's biggest pop stars could set the world's record for tiniest dog.

Weinstein Co. to release 'Bully' without rating

Lawmaker pleads no contest to airport gun charges

Bay Area briefs

Federal crackdown hurts Oakland pot-growing school

State News Briefs

'HUNGER GAMES' BATTLES TO $155M OPENING WEEKEND: LOS ANGELES (AP) - "The Hunger Games" has filled fan appetites with a $155 million opening weekend that puts it near the top of the domestic record book.

Hmong community launches online translator

FRESNO (AP) - When Phong Yang, a Hmong refugee from Laos, landed in California's Central Valley - via stops in Thailand and France - he was 14 years old. He learned to speak Hmong from his parents, but today he has a hard time teaching the language to his children, who are distracted by cell phones and computers.

"I guess the Lord hid my veins from them," Phillips said.

Ohio death row inmate: Doctor couldn't find veins

BART unions voting on contract that ended strike

OAKLAND (AP) - Bay Area Rapid Transit's two largest unions voted Friday on a tentative contract agreement after a bitter labor dispute prompted two strikes.

Gunman kills TSA officer at LAX, wounds 2 others

LOS ANGELES (AP) - A man carrying a note that said he wanted to "kill TSA" pulled a semi-automatic rifle from a bag and shot his way past a security checkpoint at Los Angeles International Airport on Friday, killing one Transportation Security Administration officer and wounding two others, authorities said.

News from around california

FIRE CLOSES EAST BAY TUNNEL AS DRIVERS FLEE SMOKE: OAKLAND (AP) - A car fire in the tunnel that links Oakland to other east San Francisco Bay area communities has sent motorists streaming out of their cars on foot and eight people to the hospital to be treated for minor smoke inhalation.

State moves to coordinate water work

SACRAMENTO (AP) - Leaders of the three state agencies that deal with California water availability, quality and consumption said Thursday they will begin looking at the issues comprehensively rather than dealing with each problem separately. The strategy was detailed In a draft plan released by the Department of Natural Resources, Cal EPA and the Department of Food and Agriculture. It's meant to be the backbone of an effort to identify and prioritize projects dealing with ...

Feds renew threat to withhold Calif. school funds over switching tests

SACRAMENTO (AP) - Federal education officials renewed a threat this week to withhold funds from California if it moves forward this spring with a plan to abandon the standardized tests the state's public school students have taken since 1999. The U.S. Department of Education informed state officials through a letter that more than $3.5 billion in federal aid for disadvantaged students is at stake in the dispute, the San Jose Mercury News (http://bit.ly/16OrzO0) reports. Assistant ...

Panel passes new rail worker safety rules

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - The California Public Utilities Commission on Thursday approved new safety regulations for transit agencies' rail workers that are believed to be the first of their kind in the nation. The new rules came less than two weeks after two Bay Area Rapid Transit workers were killed while working on tracks during the agency's second worker strike since July. The rules include mandatory three-way radio communication between wayside workers, train operators and ...

Joe Montana pitches hotel near new stadium

SANTA CLARA (AP) - San Francisco 49ers legend Joe Montana said he wants elected officials in Silicon Valley to help him achieve his goal of building upscale restaurants and a luxury hotel near the teams' new stadium before the 2016 Super Bowl. The Hall of Fame quarterback on Wednesday pitched to Santa Clara city councilmembers his proposed four-star hotel, upscale restaurant and sports bar that he originally wanted to open when the 49ers move to ...

Hefty soda tax would reduce UK obesity

LONDON (AP) - Slapping a 20 percent tax on soda in Britain could cut the number of obese adults by about 180,000, according to a new study.

Google Glass while driving? That’s the ticket

News Bites

MOTHER OF SLAIN TEEN FILES CLAIM: SANTA ROSA (AP) - The mother of a Northern California 13-year-old who was shot and killed by a sheriff's deputy last week has filed a claim against Sonoma County and the sheriff's office.

Woman charged for alleged illegal injections

McALLEN, Texas (AP) - A woman traveled South Texas injecting people with what appears to be some kind of liquid rubber under the guise that it was collagen or Botox, local and federal authorities said Thursday.

Rail system in cross-border drug tunnel

Fugitive rapist caught after publicized search

LOS ANGELES (AP) - A publicized search for a paroled rapist who authorities say cut off his ankle monitor and harassed the family of his 80-year-old victim ended after he was spotted on a Palm Springs street.

News from around california