Bay Area briefs

Deadly fiery highway crash where Caltrans working

State news briefs

BILL TO CLOSE CORPORATE TAX LOOPHOLE MOVES FORWARD: SACRAMENTO (AP) - The Assembly has approved a bill that would help middle class Californians cope with soaring college costs by closing a corporate tax loophole and using the expected windfall to reduce tuition.

Chevron refinery deemed hazardous

Michelle Obama teases Gabby Douglas over fast food

UC argues in favor of race-conscious admissions in Supreme Court case

Phone companies lose broadband subscribers for 1st time to cable firms

Cleaner burning UP locomotives down the track?

ROSEVILLE (AP) - Union Pacific said on Monday that it will spend $20 million testing low-emissions locomotives in California. The railroad may eventually test up to 25 locomotives with various low-emissions technology. They include one, to be based in Roseville that will use several emissions-reducing technologies, including recirculating its exhaust gasses. The railroad and the California Air Resources ...

Western states bake under extended heat wave

LOS ANGELES (AP) - Temperatures soared into triple digits across the western United States on Sunday as a continuing heat wave strained energy supplies and sent thousands to beaches, lakes and shopping malls in search of cooler climes.

Military sexual assault is focus of series

SAN DIEGO (AP) - The enormous obstacles and emotional torment that a female solider confronts in reporting a sexual assault in the military are the focus of the three-part Web series "Lauren" debuting Monday on YouTube's new channel WIGS, which focuses on drama for women.

GOP struggling with November in sight

BURBANK (AP) - With November elections approaching, the California Republican Party is in trouble, struggling to pay its bills and hold its ground in a state that has been growing increasingly favorable for Democratic candidates.

Richmond refinery fire probe focuses on corrosion on decades-old pipeline

RICHMOND (AP) - Federal investigators probing the cause of a massive Chevron oil refinery fire are focusing on possible corrosion in a decades-old pipe the company inspected late last year but did not replace.

State news briefs

WOMAN DIES AFTER GETTING HIT BY CHP MOTORCYCLE: OAKLAND (AP) - A 43-year-old Hayward has died after getting hit by a California Highway Patrol motorcycle.

Fires threaten hundreds of homes on north state

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - Authorities have lifted an evacuation order for residents in a rural area northeast of Fresno as firefighters gain control of a blaze sparked by a discarded cigarette.

Police embrace emerging social media tool

OAKLAND (AP) - Minutes after a shooting near the Oakland Airport this year, the gunman was on the loose. And police Sgt. Chris Bolton quickly fired off a flurry of text alerts to thousands of nearby residents through a social media tool for law enforcement agencies.

Death possibly linked to California heat

News from around california

BART UNIONS SUE TRANSITY AGENCY OVER CONTRACTS: OAKLAND (AP) - San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit's two largest unions are suing the agency, claiming its board of directors broke state law when they approved a contract without a key provision.Members of ATU Local 1555 and SEIU 1021 filed the lawsuit on Tuesday in Alameda County Superior Court. The lawsuit will not affect train service. BART's board approved a new labor ...

Officials: Walker crash not part of street race

LOS ANGELES (AP) - While the neighborhood where "Fast & Furious" star Paul Walker died in a fiery crash is known to attract street racers, law enforcement officials do not believe the Porsche he and a friend were riding in had been racing another car.

Suspected arrested in Playstation 4 shooting case

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - San Francisco police say they have arrested a suspect in the fatal shooting and robbery of a man who advertised a Playstation 4 gaming console for sale online.

Attorney: 2 cops wrongly accused in homeless death

SANTA ANA, Calif. (AP) - A homeless man who died after a violent confrontation with six California police officers was combative, grabbed at one officer's stun gun and struggled so hard against attempts to handcuff him that the officers arresting him asked a dispatcher to broadcast an urgent call for back-up three times, attorneys for two police officers charged in the death said during opening statements.

Family: American detained in N Korea in good health

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - The family of an elderly U.S. tourist detained for more than a month in North Korea said Saturday the Swedish ambassador has seen the man and found him to be in good health.

Officials: Speed a factor in actor Walker’s death

LOS ANGELES (AP) - Fans of "Fast & Furious" star Paul Walker created a makeshift memorial Sunday at the site where a car he was riding in crashed, killing the actor and a friend.

Latinos want U.S. to sue over LA supervisors’ board

WASHINGTON (AP) - The Obama administration is aggressively pursuing lawsuits over minority voting rights in Texas and North Carolina, but the Justice Department has not moved on evidence that the latest round of redistricting in Los Angeles County unfairly reduces the influence of Latino voters.

Lawmakers, elected officials getting raise

SACRAMENTO (AP) - California lawmakers and statewide elected officials will have a little extra cash in their pockets this holiday season, with their paychecks set to rise starting Sunday.

News from around california

Decision set for Monday for election recount

SACRAMENTO (AP) - A candidate who narrowly lost a special legislative election said Friday that she is analyzing the final tally and will decide Monday whether to seek a recount.

Efforts to ease marijuana laws loses benefactor

Mom, 2 sons thankful for 3 heart transplants

SAN MARCOS (AP) - Last Thanksgiving, Deanna Kremis was in heart failure and could barely get off the couch - and her two teenage sons knew exactly how she felt.

Violence in jails on rise since reform

SACRAMENTO (AP) - County jails that account for the vast majority of local inmates in California have seen a marked increase in violence since they began housing thousands of offenders who previously would have gone to state prisons.

Gay Russian seeks asylum in U.S.

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - A federal appeals court has ordered immigration officials to review their decision not to grant asylum to a gay man who said he was attacked for his sexual orientation in 2002 and 2003 in his native Russia and feared he would be persecuted if forced to return there.

SF dog held for ransom

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - San Francisco police are trying to identify three robbery suspects who stormed into a woman's apartment and briefly held her dog ransom.