Suicide kit lady nailed for failing to file IRS taxes

Bay Area briefs

Sedan in NorCal missing teen case MORGAN HILL (AP) - Authorities say they're looking for a vehicle that they believe is connected to the abduction of a Northern California teenager who's been missing for nearly two months. The Santa Clara County Sheriff's Office on Monday released a photo of a 1990s red Volkwagen Jetta that's similar to a car linked to the disappearance ...

Chronically unemployed get jobless help cut off Saturday

MERCED (AP) - With her anti-poverty budget stretched beyond its limits, Brenda Callahan-Johnson is braced for next Saturday: the day California's chronically unemployed will be cut off from the nation's jobless benefits.

Study: Sierra range adds about 1-2 millimeters in elevation a year

TRUCKEE (AP) - The Sierra Nevada range continues to grow about one-half inch in elevation every 10 years, and scientists say new technology that allows them to detect the relatively fast rate of uplift in the crust from space is helping shed new light on the origin of the mountains.

Bills adding protections for gays & lesbians dividing California Assembly

SACRAMENTO (AP) - A recent run of bills intended to add more protections for gays and lesbians in California has sparked acrimonious debate in the state Assembly and exposed some of the social fissures that divide the two major parties.

California's 4th year of teacher layoffs spur concerns; 75% getting pink slips still on job

LOS ANGELES (AP) - Los Angeles Unified teacher Mike Newman sighed when he saw the now familiar certified letter in his mailbox last month - a pink slip, for the fourth year in a row.

San Jose police arrest dozens in 2 nights

SAN JOSE (AP) - Officers made dozens of arrests over two nights, but the Cinco de Mayo celebration in downtown San Jose during the weekend was mostly free of some of the violence seen during past celebrations, police said Sunday.

State News Briefs

OFFICIALS SAY 37 LEFT HOMELESS IN SF FIRE: SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - Dozens of people have been burned out their homes and at least four people have been hurt after a fire roared through a four-story apartment building in San Francisco's Mission District, officials said Sunday.

State news briefs

• OC TEACHER ACCUSED OF SENDING STUDENT NUDE PHOTOS: NEWPORT BEACH (AP) - Prosecutors say an Irvine high school teacher has been charged with texting nude pictures of himself to a 15-year-old female student and arranging a sexual rendezvous with her.

University: Mediation, not police, for protests

Octomom: Broke & considering porn

State news briefs

MOM JAILED AFTER TODDLER FOUND ROAMING PARKING LOT: MISSION VIEJO, Calif. (AP) - Deputies say they have arrested a drug-addled mother after her 3-year-old daughter was found wandering a Southern California apartment complex parking lot late at night.

Demos gather for Pebble Beach fundraiser

SACRAMENTO (AP) - Assembly Democrats will be enjoying golf and fine food as they are being lobbied by top telecommunications donors during their annual Pebble Beach fundraiser, known as the Speaker's Cup, which began Friday. Donors are paying up to $65,000 for the chance to mingle with Assembly Speaker John Perez, D-Los Angeles, and other legislative Democrats at the world-renowned golf course ...

Pelosi criticizes federal medical pot crackdown on California dispensaries

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi said she is concerned that the Obama administration's crackdown on medical marijuana dispensaries is hurting patients with a legitimate need for the drug. The San Francisco congresswoman said in a statement Wednesday that the crackdown has undermined "a policy that has been in place under which the federal government did not pursue individuals ...

GOP launches campaign against governor's proposed tax hikes

New home for state parks’ artifacts

SACRAMENTO (AP) - The state parks department has a new warehouse for its collection of historical artifacts, and the building will soon be open to the public.

Couple to turn Disney’s Chicago home into museum

CHICAGO (AP) - Call it Disneyland Chicago.

3,000 pounds of cocaine seized

SAN DIEGO (AP) - Authorities have seized more than 3,000 pounds of cocaine in a three-year crackdown on a nationwide drug trafficking operation centered near the California-Mexico border.

Southbound Interstate 5 in Stockton reopened after officer shooting

STOCKTON (AP) - Southbound Interstate 5 in Stockton reopened hours after an officer-involved shooting shut it down during the busy morning commute.

High-speed rail officials respond to setbacks

SACRAMENTO (AP) - The board that oversees California's embattled high-speed rail project is responding to recent legal and administrative setbacks and says it will file a new motion seeking blanket authority to sell $8.6 billion in state bonds.

Crossbow killing defendant faces trial

EUREKA (AP) - A Northern California man is headed to trial on charges that he killed one person and wounded another with a crossbow.

Auditor: BART police make progress on reforms

OAKLAND (AP) - Police officers with the San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit agency have made significant progress in meeting reforms instituted after the fatal shooting of an unarmed black man by a white transit officer, an independent auditor said Thursday.

Universal shuts down ‘Fast & Furious 7’

Richmond, Carlsbad ban e-cigarettes

LAPD seeing fewer applicants

BART train stopped after brake problems

US vet detained oversaw guerrilla group

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) - Six decades before he went to North Korea as a curious tourist, Merrill Newman supervised a group of South Korean guerrillas during the Korean War who were perhaps the most hated and feared fighters in the North, former members of the group say.

Woman fights ticket for driving with Google glass

LOS ANGELES (AP) - A California woman pleaded not guilty Tuesday to what is believed to be the first traffic citation alleging a motorist was using Google's computer-in-an-eyeglass.

‘Fast & Furious’ halted; autopsy underway

LOS ANGELES (AP) - The movie studio that makes the "Fast & Furious" action franchise said Tuesday it was suspending production of the latest installment, while authorities pressed ahead with their investigation into how Paul Walker died.

BART union sues transit agency

OAKLAND (AP) - San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit's two largest unions filed a lawsuit Tuesday against the agency, claiming its board of directors broke state law when they approved a contract without a key provision.