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, ...

GOP decries Legislature passing 'shell' bills they can later add budget legislation plans

Senate leader: Promote Brown tax plan on 2012 ballot then water bond in 2014

Lawmakers vote to overturn Citizens United

State news briefs

MAN CUTS OFF HIS HAND WITH KITCHEN KNIFE: ADELANTO (AP) - Investigators say a Southern California man deliberately cut off his hand with a kitchen knife, but it's not clear why.

Man faces up to 60 years in prison after pleading guilty for celeb hacking

Bay Area briefs

Mavericks big-wave surfing contest unlikely HALF MOON BAY . (AP) - A Mavericks big-wave surfing contest in California isn't likely this year. The window for the competition closes on March 31 and organizers say it doesn't appear the right combination of wind and ocean swell will materialize. Mavericks International contest director Jeff Clark saod that the window won't be ...

State news briefs

SF SHERIFF CHARGED WITH OFFICIAL MISCONDUCT: SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - Over the past nine weeks, San Francisco Sheriff Ross Mirkarimi hasn't spoken to his wife and has seen his 3-year-old son only sporadically.

Salinas counselor arrested on sex, porn charges

SALINAS (AP) - Police have arrested a high school counselor whose computer allegedly contained videos of students engaged in sexual activity in his office, authorities said. Gilbert Olivares, a drug and alcohol counselor at Salinas High School, was first arrested last week on suspicion of inappropriately touching a student, the Monterey County Herald reported Wednesday. The 34-year-old man turned himself in Monday ...

California mosque sues city over denial of application to rebuild and expand

Wal-Mart to pay $2.1 million in fines for overcharging California consumers

. SAN DIEGO (AP) - Wal-Mart Stores Inc. has agreed to pay a $2.1 million penalty for charging California costumers at prices higher than those posted, in violation of a 2008 judgment ordering the retail chain to stop, state Attorney General Kamala D. Harris announced Wednesday. The agreement came after an investigation that began in November 2010 found ...

LA council urges curbs on derogatory radio speech

LOS ANGELES (AP) - The City Council called on TV and radio broadcasters Wednesday to keep their hosts from spouting crude slurs, citing Rush Limbaugh's reference to a woman as a "slut" and a KFI show calling Whitney Houston a "crack ho." The council voted 13-2 for a resolution urging Los Angeles stations to do everything in their power to ensure that ...

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

SF Bay Bridge has bolts similar to banned bolts

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - The new eastern span of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge has more than 1,200 bolts made from galvanized steel that is virtually identical to a high-strength alloy that a nationwide group of transportation officials banned for use on bridges because the bolts can crack, the San Francisco Chronicle reported Sunday.

Fatal stabbing of girl, 8, prompts manhunt

VALLEY SPRINGS (AP) - Residents of a rural Northern California county were being told Sunday to keep their doors locked and report anyone considered suspicious as authorities continued the search for the killer of an 8-year-old girl.

Some are overlooked in overhaul

SAN DIEGO (AP) - Carlos Gonzalez has lived nearly all his 29 years in a country he considers home but now finds himself on the wrong side of the border - and the wrong side of a proposed overhaul of the U.S. immigration system that would grant legal status to millions of people.

California weighs first state ban on lead ammo

SACRAMENTO (AP) - In November, one of the oldest condors in Central California died from lead poisoning after being found with tiny bullet fragments and a .22-caliber slug in his gullet that he apparently swallowed with a mouthful of meat.

Rolling Stones rock small LA club

LOS ANGELES (AP) - For one night only, the Rolling Stones were an up-and-coming band again.

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.