Moody's: More cities at risk of bankruptcy

Man dies from rare rodent disease caught in Yosemite

YOSEMITE - (AP) - A man died and a woman became seriously ill after contracting a rare rodent-borne disease that might have been linked to their stay at a popular lodging area in Yosemite National Park, officials said Thursday.

State Side

Police hold 16 people at 2 pot grows in Valley

Backers of Brown's tax measure want opponents to stop criticizing the proposal

SF panel wrapping up probe of sheriff's conviction

1 boy dead, another missing in Yosemite river

YOSEMITE (AP) - A 10-year-old boy died and his 6-year-old brother was missing after they were swept away along a popular but treacherous boulder-strewn stretch of the Merced River, Yosemite National Park officials said Thursday.

Bay Area briefs

1936 Mercedes-Benz could fetch $16M PEBBLE BEACH (AP) - A 1936 Mercedes-Benz found in a Connecticut barn could fetch a record $16 million-plus at a Pebble Beach auction this weekend. The rare Mercedes 540K Special Roadster could break the $16.4 million record for any car sold at auction when it goes on the block after the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance. <p style="line-height: 18pt; ...

State news briefs

CENTRAL VALLEY DISTRICT OKS NEW ENGLISH METHOD: DINUBA (AP) - A small Central Valley school district has agreed to stop using a little-known method of English-language instruction in a settlement with the American Civil Liberties Union.

Inmates convicted as juveniles to die in prison could get reprieve via bill

LA considers hiring porn film condom cop

Jury says Muslim hotel owner discriminated Jewish group; awards $1.2 million in damages

SANTA MONICA (AP) - A Muslim hotel owner discriminated against a Jewish group during a Southern California poolside charity event by ordering removal of banners and ousting them from the pool and spa, a jury decided in awarding $1.2 million statutory damages. Punitive damages will be determined later. The suit was filed by Friends of the Israel Defense ...

Military probes cause of failed hypersonic flight

LOS ANGELES (AP) - The military has launched an investigation into why its latest unmanned hypersonic flight failed seconds into a test. The experimental X-51A Waverider was designed to reach six times the speed of sound after being released by a B-52 bomber off the Southern California coast Tuesday. The Air Force said the experimental aircraft successfully separated from the B-52 and ...

State news briefs

SYPHILIS AND OTHER STD CASES ON RISE IN CALIFORNIA: SACRAMENTO (AP) - Rises in syphilis and other sexually transmitted disease cases in California have state health officials concerned.

Median home price jumps 12% in July

SAN DIEGO (AP) - The median price of a home in California approached a four-year high in July as buyers snapped up more expensive properties and foreclosed houses made up a smaller part of the sales mix, a research firm said Wednesday. The median price for new and existing houses and condominiums in the state reached $281,000 last month, up 11.5 percent ...

Lawmaker questions AG's role in state parks probe

State senator gets subpoena in federal probe at Capitol

Utility to close troubled nuclear plant

Serial killer Richard Ramirez dies

Raley’s website possible cyberattack target

WEST SACRAMENTO (AP) - A Northern California supermarket chain is advising customers who used their credit or debit cards at any of its stores to check their statements, saying its computer network may have been the target of a cyberattack. Raley's said on Thursday it has launched an investigation, and has so far not found any unauthorized access to payment card data. West Sacramento-based Raley's has 128 stores in Northern California and northern Nevada that ...

Eleven life insurers to pay $763M over unpaid benefits

Bay Area briefs

APPLE'S NEW HQ COULD WORSEN AREA TRAFFIC: CUPERTINO . (AP) - An environmental review has found that Apple Inc.'s new headquarters will have significant traffic impacts along a nearby freeway and roads.

State news briefs

DISNEY CRACKING DOWN ON DISABLED TOUR GUIDES: ANAHEIM (AP) - Disneyland Resort is cracking down on disabled guests who sell their right to go to the front of the line on rides.

Obama sees 'glimmers of functionality' in DC during fundraiser in Palo Alto

Berries blamed for man's Hepatitis A

Teacher charged with distributing child porn

$985M bullet train contract awarded

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Norcal News

DA ASSIGNS PROSECUTOR TO 1991 FIRE DEATH: MURPHYS (AP) - A California district attorney says she has appointed a prosecutor with experience in arson investigations to the case of a New York man charged with killing his son and now under investigation in the fire death of his wife more than two decades ago.

PUC lawyer says why he resigned from PG&E probe

SAN FRANCICSO (AP) - A lead attorney probing a deadly pipeline explosion for state regulators says he quit the investigation because he disagreed with managers handling of the case. Attorney Robert Cagan called the California Public Utilities Commission's recommended punishment for the responsible utility "unlawful." KQED quoted an email Cagan sent the radio station Thursday. Cagan and three other lawyers who also quit the investigation were the commission's main experts on the 2010 explosion that ...

Latinos stuck in poverty amid bounty of San Joaquin Valley

FBI started asking about state lawmaker back in 2005