Brother: Painter Kinkade relapsed into alcoholism

MONTE SERENO (AP) - Painter Thomas Kinkade battled alcoholism over the past several years and had a relapse just before his death this month at his home in Santa Clara County, his brother, Patrick, said. The self-described "Painter of Light" died in Monte Sereno on April 6 at age 54 of what a spokesman has said was natural causes. An autopsy is ...

Charred body found in burned out home in Modesto standoff

Brown tells state lawmakers time to 'man up' on budget cuts

State treasurer's saga takes odd twist with email about supplying drugs

More than 90 rounds fired at freeway chase suspect

LOS ANGELES (AP) - Officers fired more than 90 rounds at a motorist who was killed on a San Fernando Valley freeway after a wild car chase, police said. A partial transcript of a 911 call placed by 19-year-old Abdul Arian during the Wednesday night pursuit shows Arian claimed he had a gun and would shoot officers. He ...

Deal protects 7-mile North Coast property

VENTURA . (AP) - A pristine swath of California coast that includes redwood groves, agricultural fields and picturesque ocean bluffs west of State Route 1 has been sheltered from developers in a deal approved by the California Coastal Commission. The commission's unanimous approval in Ventura on Thursday protects the sprawling 7&frac12;-mile northern Santa Cruz County stretch known as Coast Dairies. <p style="line-height: ...

Bay Area briefs

Officials scramble to keep Lucas studio SAN RAFAEL . (AP) - Marin County officials are scrambling to convince filmmaker George Lucas not to abandon plans to build a sprawling movie studio north of San Francisco, but the company says it's too late. Lucasfilm Ltd. shocked the community Tuesday when it announced it was scrapping the Grady Ranch project, citing regulatory delays and bitter ...

State news briefs

METEOROLOGIST: TORNADO NEAR STOCKTON NOT UNUSUAL: STOCKTON (AP) - The National Weather Service says the tornado that struck five miles outside of Stockton on Wednesday was not unusual for this time of year.

Lawmakers pass bill inspired by Penn State

Rail authority passes plan for bullet train

Court: Managers don't have to ensure workers take lunch breaks

More wear found on tubes at ailing San Onofre nuclear power plant

State game official avoids fine from cougar hunt

SACRAMENTO (AP) - California regulators on Thursday issued a warning letter to the president of the state Fish and Game Commission over a mountain lion hunting trip he took earlier this year, but they decided against issuing a fine. The Fair Political Practices Commission took the action against Dan Richards, a Republican commercial real estate developer from San Bernardino County. It said ...

Push launched to keep Silicon Valley above water

Bay Area briefs

1 dead, 1 injured in Fairfield bar fight FAIRFIELD (AP) - Police say one man was killed and another injured in a shooting stemming from a fight at a Fairfield bar. The shooting occurred around 8:45 p.m. Wednesday after two groups of men began fighting inside Perk's Place Bar and Grill. Two men were found with gunshot wounds to ...

News from around california

100-YEAR-OLD MAN SKYDIVES ON BIRTHDAY: PERRIS (AP) - When Vernon Maynard's friends asked him what he wished he had done in his 100 years of life, the Southern California man said he had always wanted to jump from a plane with a parachute.

News from around california

BRIBERY CASE REVERBERATES ACROSS NAVY WITH ARRESTS: SAN DIEGO (AP) - It started with an invitation to the Broadway production of "The Lion King" in Tokyo for the Navy commander, his wife and their children.

"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