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

Senate kills live feed of ballot measure hearing

Escape attempt from juvenile hall linked to Guy Fieri's Lamborghini

SAN RAFAEL (AP) - At least two suspects tried to break into a Marin County juvenile detention facility in what investigators believe was unsuccessful attempt to free a teenager accused of stealing a celebrity chef's Lamborghini, authorities said Friday. The attempted break-in happened at Marin County Juvenile Hall about 4:30 a.m. Friday when staff heard banging on the walls and saw "at ...

Legal claims rolling in after refinery fire

State news briefs

SAN DIEGO DESALINATION PLANT DEAL PROPOSED:SAN DIEGO (AP) - A plan to provide the San Diego area with drinking water made from seawater has cleared a major hurdle. The San Diego County Water Authority announced Thursday that it's reached an agreement with a private company to buy enough water from a proposed desalination plant to supply 112,000 homes. The 30-year deal will ...

Muslims want fed probe of pig-leg vandalism

ONTARIO (AP) - Pig's legs were thrown on the proposed site of a Southern California mosque, and a Muslim civil rights group is asking federal officials to investigate. Worshippers said two women threw the three legs onto the driveway of the proposed Al-Nur Islamic Center in Ontario shortly before 10 p.m. Tuesday and sped away in a white pickup, said Munira Syeda, ...

Man arrested for beating opossum can sue police due to it not being illegal

ANAHEIM (AP) - A Southern California man arrested with his young son for beating an opossum with a shovel can sue police officers for wrongful arrest because it's not illegal to kill an opossum, a federal appeals court ruled. In 2008, Lorenzo Oliver called Anaheim police about an opossum attacking his bulldogs in his backyard. Officers Ryan Tisdale ...

Bay Area briefs

GRAND JURY SAYS RIDERS DUMPED BEFORE DESTINATION: SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - A San Francisco grand jury says Bay Area train and bus riders are too often dumped before reaching their destinations.

State news briefs

LATER, DAWG: RANDY JACKSON LEAVING 'AMERICAN IDOL' : LOS ANGELES (AP) - Randy Jackson out.

District rejects school drug sting claim

Assembly OKs transgender student accommodations

Bay Area briefs

HUMAN HEAD FOUND AMONG RECYCLING DEBRIS: OAKLAND (AP) - A human head has been found in a load of recycling debris at a facility in Oakland.

State news briefs

MAN CHARGED IN BEATING OF SIKH ELDER IN FRESNO: FRESNO (AP) - A Central California man is facing charges of attempted murder and elder abuse in connection with the beating of an 82-year-old Sikh man outside a Sikh temple in Fresno.

SF drops fight for radiation warning law

Bridge repair could cost $10M

209 News

290 POUNDS OF METH SEIZED IN CERES: CERES (AP) - Officials with a Central California drug task force say they've seized hundreds of pounds of methamphetamine in a raid of a San Joaquin Valley home.

Lives on edge part of Golden Gate beat

Move to change 'rainy day' measure

Bay Area briefs

OAKLAND POLICE CHIEF STEPPING DOWN: OAKLAND (AP) - The chief of Oakland's embattled police department said Wednesday that he is stepping down due to medical reasons.

BLM postpones oil, gas lease auctions

Bay Area briefs

TESTS ON BAY BRIDGE BOLTS SO FAR SHOW NO FAILURE: OAKLAND AP) - After dozens of seismic safety bolts on the new eastern span of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge broke, tests on remaining bolts have so far shown no sign of failure.

San Jose to pay $150k for use of phony lab report

SF Airport won't be renamed Harvey Milk