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.

USC/Times poll finds California GOP support for Romney grows

LOS ANGELES (AP) - Mitt Romney is running away with Republican support in California, as the leader of the national presidential field enjoys a double digit lead over his competitors in the GOP, a new survey finds.

How many pot patients California has is anyone's guess based on state system

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - California has seven times as many residents as Colorado, but nearly nine times fewer medical marijuana users, at least on paper.

Vegas rail from Victorville to Sin City: A gamble or good thing?

VICTORVILLE (AP) - On a dusty, rock-strewn expanse at the edge of the Mojave Desert, a company linked to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid wants to build a bullet train that would rocket tourists from the middle of nowhere to the gambling palaces of Las Vegas.

LA marijuana dispensary workers join labor union connected with food workers

LOS ANGELES (AP) - Marijuana dispensary workers in Los Angeles have joined a labor union to fight for their jobs in an industry that the federal government considers illegal. Workers at 14 pot shops have formed the "medical cannabis and hemp division" of the United Food and Commercial Workers, Local 770. The 35,000-member union also represents grocery clerks, pharmacists and health care ...

State jobless rate unchanged at 10.9 percent

SACRAMENTO (AP) - California's unemployment rate remained unchanged in February at 10.9 percent as steady job growth continued, but the state still has a long way to go to fully recover from the recession. Its jobless rate remains well above the national average of 8.3 percent. The state Employment Development Department reported Friday that the seasonally adjusted jobless ...

State news briefs

CLERK'S WALLET STOPS BULLET DURING ROBBER STRUGGLE: MODESTO (AP) - A Modesto convenience store clerk's wallet has stopped a bullet during a struggle with an armed robber.

Munger says Brown tax claims untrue; vows TV blitz to get the truth out to voters

Disney image displayed for first time in 40 years

Orange County woman gets life term for killing ill husband to avoid paying for cancer treatments

Bay Area news briefs

Home where Black Panther Party was founded flipped

Suspect dead, officer hurt in Stockton shooting

STOCKTON (AP) - Stockton police say an officer fatally shot a 19-year-old man who had wounded another officer during a shootout. The police department said Thursday that Chomrean Meas of Stockton was shot during a confrontation with two officers shortly before 10 p.m. Wednesday near Plaza Robles High School. Officials say Meas did not follow police orders, then ...

‘Cops: Missing Morgan Hill teen's bag found on road a few miles from her home

MORGAN HILL . (AP) - Nearly a week after a 15-year-old Northern California girl disappeared on her way to school, family members and friends remained baffled about what happened to her. Authorities disclosed Thursday that they had found Sierra LaMar's purse a few miles from her home on Sunday but saw no signs of foul play and were still treating her as ...

Power supply at issue with two nuke plants offline

FOLSOM (AP) - The indefinite shutdown of two nuclear reactors on the Southern California coast could prompt officials this summer to bring in electric generators on barges or restart retired power plants to make up for lost electricity, state regulators were told Thursday. Analysts at the agency that operates California's wholesale power system outlined a series of possible steps to avoid blackouts, ...

State taxes coming in $4B above forecast

SACRAMENTO (AP) - California is on track to collect $4 billion more in personal income taxes than Gov. Jerry Brown had expected, giving a potential boost to education funding, the legislative analyst's office said Tuesday.

Los Angeles settles with women fired on in manhunt

Davis man spends week in wilderness on pine nuts

Burger King delivers it your way in San Francisco & LA

Bay Area briefs

WOMAN UNINJURED AFTER BART TRAIN PASSES OVER HER: SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - A woman escaped uninjured after a commuter train passed over her but did not hit her on tracks at a San Francisco station, transit officials said.