Canadian elephants flying to California

Teen reaches deal in classroom hazing case

SAN BERNARDINO (AP) - An 18-year-old student charged in a brutal California classroom hazing case that allegedly involved sex crimes reached a plea deal Monday and will testify against his teacher, prosecutors said. Fernando Salgado agreed to plead guilty to one count each of attempted sexual penetration by a foreign object and assault with a deadly weapon, said Christopher Lee, a spokesman ...

Largest public pension fund earns dismal 1%

170 homes under threat from Placer blaze

FORESTHILL (AP) - Firefighters are struggling to contain a blaze that has consumed one home and forced evacuations from dozens of others in Placer County. State fire officials on Monday said the Robbers Fire was growing on its northern and eastern edges. It was 30 percent contained. Residents have been evacuated to a Red Cross shelter in Foresthill, ...

Death penalty tossed in killing of rocker's mom due to prospective juror’s dismissal over views

Bay Area briefs

PLEAS DELAYED FOR COUPLE IN DRUG PLANT ARREST: SANTA ANA (AP) - A husband and wife accused of planting drugs in the car of a school aide they believed mistreated their son have appeared in court.

State treasurer seeks divorce amid public troubles with wife’s substance abuse

SACRAMENTO (AP) - State Treasurer Bill Lockyer has filed for divorce from his wife, who resigned her seat on the Alameda County Board of Supervisors earlier this year after her problems with substance abuse and marital troubles played out publicly. The 71-year-old treasurer filed Friday in Alameda County Superior Court, citing irreconcilable differences with Nadia Lockyer, his spokesman, Tom Dresslar, said Monday. ...

Imperial County's kids with asthma more likely to visit ER

CALEXICO (AP) - Children with asthma in the dusty and impoverished Imperial County are far more likely to visit the emergency room, costing taxpayers for care often covered by state and federal health care programs. One in five children ages 5 to 17 in the county has been diagnosed with asthma, which can be managed with medication. The rate of youngsters visiting ...

Boxing club coach arrested in child sex probe

SANTA ANA (AP) - The coach of a prominent Southern California youth boxing club was arrested on suspicion of molesting one of his teenage athletes, police said Monday. Anthony Serrano, 45, was arrested Sunday after the 15-year-old boy's mother contacted police, Santa Ana police Cpl. Anthony Bertagna told The Orange County Register. Serrano is head coach at the ...

CSU must choose tuition hike or enrollment cut

Catalina Island fighting proposed water rate hike

AVALON (AP) - Residents and business owners of Santa Catalina Island have formed a coalition to fight against a proposal to dramatically raise their water rates.

Cities eye plan to seize mortgages

FONTANA (AP) - In the foreclosure-battered inland stretches of California, local government officials desperate for change are weighing a controversial but inventive way to fix troubled mortgages: Condemn them.

Man recovers car 42 years after theft

LOS ANGELES (AP) - A Texas man whose prized sports car was stolen 42 years ago recovered the vehicle in California after spotting it on eBay, authorities said Sunday.

State news briefs

PLACER COUNTY FIRE DESTROYS HOME, 3 OUTBUILDINGS: FORESTHILL (AP) - Firefighters are bracing for an another day of high temperatures and strong afternoon winds as they battle a wildfire burning in a rugged area of thick woods near the Placer County community of Colfax.

Aging anti-war sculpture debate

SANTA MONICA . (AP) - For decades the big, black mass of chain link that's piled up outside the Civic Center has alternately awed and inspired, annoyed and confounded, and, perhaps most often, simply divided residents of this otherwise famously tolerant beach town.

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.