State wants control of prison mental health care system

SACRAMENTO (AP) - Nearly two decades after a court takeover of California's prison mental health system, a federal judge is set to consider this week whether the billions of dollars invested by California taxpayers have improved conditions enough that he can return control to the state.

Investigators examining dead killers’ DNA

LOS ANGELES (AP) - California authorities are combing through DNA left behind by dead killers, rapists and other criminals in an effort to solve cases that went cold years ago.

Palace Hotel to auction off legendary painting

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - Officials at San Francisco's Palace Hotel have removed a painting considered to be a legendary work of art from the wall of the hotel's main bar and plan on selling it at auction.

Girl, 9, walks to get help after crash kills dad

LOS ANGELES (AP) - A 9-year-old girl crawled out of a mangled SUV, climbed out of a canyon and walked about a mile in the middle of the night to find help after surviving a highway crash that killed her father in Southern California, authorities said.

Stockton has California’s lowest gas price

CAMARILLO (AP) - The average U.S. price of a gallon of gasoline has dropped three cents over the past two weeks.

209 news briefs

• FEDERAL PRISON ESCAPEE CAPTURED IN STOCKTON: STOCKTON - A federal prison escapee and two accomplices were arrested after leading authorities on a high speed chase through Stockton Friday evening.

Will Fallon host ‘Tonight’ (and other late night TV questions)?

LOS ANGELES (AP) - Why couldn't NBC just leave well enough alone? But, no, word leaked last week that "Late Night" host Jimmy Fallon will unseat Jay Leno as the new host of the "Tonight" show. This change (which, mind you, NBC hasn't confirmed) isn't likely to stop the world in its tracks. Still, the prospect of another round of talk-show turbulence has everybody talking, and the questions it raises could keep a viewer awake ...

Heart repair breakthroughs replacing surgeon’s knife ; reduces healing time

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - Have a heart problem? If it's fixable, there's a good chance it can be done without surgery, using tiny tools and devices that are pushed through tubes into blood vessels.

Joe Weider, fitness mentor to Schwarzenegger, dies

LOS ANGELES (AP) - Joe Weider, a legendary figure in bodybuilding who helped popularize the sport worldwide and played a key role in introducing a charismatic young weightlifter named Arnold Schwarzenegger to the world, died Saturday. He was 93.

Bay Area news briefs

• 3 HOSPITALIZED SAN FRANCISCO NIGHTCLUB SHOOTING: SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - Three men have been hospitalized after an early Saturday morning shooting in a nightclub in San Francisco's South of Market area, police said.

State news briefs

• NO DAMAGE REPORTED AFTER 4.3 QUAKE HITS OFF NORCAL: EUREKA (AP) - Authorities say there are no reports of damage after an earthquake with a magnitude of 4.3 hit off the coast of Northern California Sunday morning.

Ailing nuke plant eyes summer restart

Feds raid 17 businesses for nitrous oxide

FAA to close 11 control towers at Calif. airports including Sacramento Executive

LOS ANGELES (AP) - Eleven air traffic control towers at small airports throughout California were on the Federal Aviation Administration's list of nationwide facilities to be closed starting next month due to automatic spending cuts, according to a list released Friday. The California closures range from Executive Airport in Sacramento to Brown Field in San Diego. They are among 149 contract towers ...

Techie fired after tweeting about comments

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