State news briefs

FEDS BACK AWAY FROM UC DAVIS HOSPITAL FUNDING CUTS: DAVIS (AP) - Regulators have backed away from a threat to cut federal funding to University of California, Davis, Medical Center after a follow-up inspection determined the hospital is now complying with patient safety and care rules.

ER visits tied to energy drinks double

Police: Man who shot Galt officer was not burglar

GALT (AP) - A gunman who fatally shot a police officer before killing himself was not involved in a reported burglary at a nearby duplex, Sacramento County authorities said Wednesday. Galt police Officer Kevin Tonn was killed Tuesday when he encountered an armed man in a field near the residence, sheriff's Sgt. Jason Ramos said in a release. <p style="line-height: 18pt; background: ...

UC wants more classes online to help reduce costs

Immigrant groups welcome DMV study

Lawmakers sense opportunity for gun control

Bay Area briefs

SURF'S UP: MAVERICKS BIG WAVE CONTEST A GO: HALF MOON BAY . (AP) - Two dozen of the world's best surfers including 11-time world champion Kelly Slater will travel to a big wave break called Mavericks off the Northern California coast to compete.

SJ State launches online courses for credit

State opens women's prison near Sacramento

FOLSOM (AP) - A Sacramento-area prison is reopening next week to house about 400 female inmates as part of a reorganization within the California prison system. The Folsom Women's Facility began as a community correctional facility and more recently provided drug-addiction treatment to female parolees who violated conditions of their release. The Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation said ...

PG&E explosion lawsuits likely won't go to trial

REDWOOD CITY. (AP) - Lawsuits filed by survivors of the deadly San Bruno gas pipeline explosion likely won't go to trial. Eight people were killed and 38 homes were destroyed in the September 2010 gas line blast in the San Francisco Bay suburb. Attorneys involved in the suits against Pacific Gas & Electric said during a Monday hearing ...

Galt police officer killed during burglary response call

GALT (AP) - A police officer in the Sacramento County city of Galt was shot and killed Tuesday after responding to a report of a burglary, authorities said. Officer Kevin Tonn, 31, contacted a man who was about a block and a half away near railroad tracks around 11:30 a.m., according to Sheriff's Sgt. Jason Ramos. An altercation ensued, and the officer ...

Deep freeze shows signs of snapping

State news briefs

BODY PULLED FROM CORTE MADERA CREEK ID'D: NOVATO (AP) - Authorities have identified a body pulled from Corte Madera Creek as that of a Novato man who allegedly jumped into the water while fleeing police.

Southern California home prices rise on low supply to hit $320K

80,400 SJ County PG&E natural gas users getting credit

Forum on Delta plan on Monday

Plastic bag law lacks oversight

SACRAMENTO (AP) - Seeking to reduce the number of plastic shopping bags cluttering California's beaches and landfills, the state Legislature in 2006 passed a law requiring grocery stores and other large retailers to give consumers an easy way of returning used bags.

News from around california

JUDGE PROPOSES $6.7M FINE FOR PG&E PIPELINE: SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - A judge is proposing that Pacific Gas and Electric Co. pay $6.7 million in fines for improperly declaring safe two natural-gas pipelines and using misleading records in an attempt to minimize the lapse.

Man pleads not guilty to stealing corpses’ gold

LANCASTER (AP) - A former funeral home apprentice has pleaded not guilty to stealing gold crowns from the teeth of corpses in the Antelope Valley. Pete Lara, 39, entered pleas Wednesday to more than two dozen felony counts, mostly burglary but also grand theft and possession of methamphetamine. Authorities say Lara was an apprentice embalmer at Halley-Olsen-Murphy Funeral Home in Lancaster when he began taking the dental crowns last year, along with medallions from funeral ...

Protesters rally after boy killed by Sonoma deputy

SANTA ROSA (AP) - More than 1,000 people marched Tuesday to protest the fatal shooting of a 13-year-old boy by a Northern California sheriff's deputy in an encounter that sparked community outrage and an FBI investigation.

Bob Barker to mark his 90th birthday on 'Price'

LOS ANGELES (AP) - CBS says "The Price is Right" is planning a milestone birthday celebration for former host Bob Barker. Barker will celebrate his 90th birthday with an appearance on the game show in December, the network said Tuesday. He retired as host in 2007 after 35 years with "The Price is Right." The show also will pay tribute to Barker's longtime animal activism by featuring pet adoptions during the week of Dec. 9-13. ...

Audit: Calif. courts fail to comply with gun law

SACRAMENTO (AP) - Many California courts fail to tell state justice officials when someone is determined to be mentally ill, undermining efforts to take guns away from potentially dangerous owners, according to a state audit released Tuesday.

Health reforms could help Calif. prison spending

SACRAMENTO (AP) - California could gain tens of millions of dollars annually in federal reimbursements for prison health care under the nation's new health law, state and federal officials said Tuesday.

News from around california

PARASITES FOUND IN CALIF. 'SEA SERPENT' DISSECTIO: SANTA BARBARA (AP) - One of two oarfish found in Southern California waters earlier this month had a host of parasites living in its giant, serpent-like body.

Intruder who spoke of zombies killed by owner of SoCal home

YORBA LINDA, Calif. (AP) - A man who authorities say had been hallucinating and talking about zombies was fatally shot over the weekend after he allegedly broke into an Orange County home. A homeowner shot and killed Paul Bracamontes, 22, of Fullerton early Sunday in Yorba Linda, sheriff's investigators said. A couple awoke to hear Bracamontes screaming in their backyard and the wife called 911 as her husband confronted him. Bracamontes threatened the couple and ...

1 killed, 2 deputies shot in Inglewood

INGLEWOOD (AP) - One man has been killed and two Los Angeles County sheriff's deputies wounded in a shooting in Inglewood. City News Service says the incident occurred shortly after midnight Tuesday near Hollywood Park. No details were immediately released about what transpired, but a handgun was found at the scene. Authorities say a female deputy was struck in the upper leg and she may have had a more serious injury if her phone charger ...

LAPD officers will field-test 60 body cameras

Steve Jobs' home gets historic designation

LOS ALTOS (AP) - The Silicon Valley home where Apple Inc. co-founder Steve Jobs grew up and built some of his first computers is now on the city's list of historic properties. The historical commission in the city of Los Altos voted unanimously for the historic designation Monday night. Any proposed renovations to the modest, ranch-style home now require additional review. The home, where Jobs and his foster parents moved in 1968, is owned by ...

Odor from Sriracha chili plant a nuisance?

LOS ANGELES (AP) - The maker of Sriracha hot sauce is under fire for allegedly fouling the air around its Southern California factory. The city of Irwindale filed a lawsuit in Los Angeles Superior Court Monday asking a judge to stop production at the Huy Fong Foods factory, claiming the chili odor emanating from the plant is a public nuisance. City officials say residents have been complaining of burning eyes, irritated throats and headaches and ...

Foot of snow, 103 mph wind gust in Sierra storm

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE (AP) - A foot of snow fell in the upper elevations of the Sierra overnight and a 103 mph wind gust blew across the mountains near Lake Tahoe before an early winter storm blew out of the area early Monday. The National Weather Service reported four to seven inches of snow fell late Monday on Tahoe's western shore, with 13 inches above 6,300 feet near Donner Pass on I-80. Kirkwood ski resort ...