Beam them up: Ashes of 'Star Trek' actor in orbit

Calif. pension fund to vote against Wal-Mart board

SACRAMENTO (AP) - One of the nation's largest pension funds says it will vote its 5.3 million shares against all of Wal-Mart's board nominees - including the company's current and former CEOs - at the retailer's annual meeting next week. The California State Teachers' Retirement System, known as CalSTERS, said Tuesday that it has lost faith in the board's independence amid allegations ...

Couple convicted in trashed home case

RIVERSIDE (AP) - A former San Diego police officer and his wife have been found guilty of trashing their foreclosed home in Riverside County. A jury convicted Robert Acosta on Monday of stealing fixtures valued at greater than $65,000 when he and his wife moved out of their foreclosed home in 2010. Monique Acosta was found guilty of the same charge on ...

Prolonged Facebook slide could hurt California budget

Brown seeks business support for tax-hike plan on November ballot

State news briefs

WOMAN, 3 CHILDREN HIT BY CAR IN CROSSWALK: THOUSAND OAKS (AP) - Police say a woman and three children walking in a Thousand Oaks crosswalk were hit by a vehicle and injured, but a baby in a stroller escaped harm.

Silicon Valley tech exec accused of Lego thefts; faces up to five years in prison

SAN JOSE (AP) - A Silicon Valley software executive put fake bar codes on Lego sets at various Target stores, bought the toys at a steep discount, then sold them online for thousands of dollars, authorities said. Thomas Langenbach, 47, appeared in court Tuesday on four felony counts of burglary that could net him up to five years in prison if convicted. ...

Bay Area briefs

Sheriff: Suspect linked by DNA to missing teen

Does school ordering parents to buy iPads for 4th, 5th graders violate state constitution?

POWAY (AP) - The American Civil Liberties Union is challenging a San Diego County school's project to equip fourth- and fifth-graders with iPads - at parents' expense. ACLU lawyer David Loy has complained to Poway Unified School District, saying Tierra Bonita Elementary School's request that 90 percent of parents buy, rent or lease a $483 iPad and accessories veers close to violating ...

Lawmakers trade insults debating airport gun bill

Senate bill would cap Cal State pay increases

SACRAMENTO (AP) - California State University employees who make more than $200,000 annually would have their salaries capped under a bill approved by the state Senate. The measure would place a two-year moratorium on any pay raises for those employees, ending in July 2014. SB952 also would cap pay raises for those same employees at no ...

Golden Gate celebrates 75th with help of engineers

State news briefs

MAN SENTENCED IN NATIONAL FOREST POT GROW: FRESNO (AP) - A Mexican national has been sentenced to six years and eight months in prison in connection with a marijuana growing operation in Sequoia National Forest.

Report: LA rail line woes could cause derailments

LOS ANGELES (AP) - California officials say the recently opened light rail line that connects downtown Los Angeles with the city's west side must be reinspected because a key section contains a serious design flaw that could cause trains to derail, the Los Angeles Times reported. The section in question is a downtown junction that links the Expo Line, which carries passengers ...

Senate votes to ban bear, bobcat hunting with dogs; GOP calls it an attack on rural California

Beach bonfire spat gets hot in Southern California

HUNTINGTON BEACH (AP) - Anna Abderhalden and her siblings woke before dawn to stake a claim to a coveted beachfront spot where bonfires blaze each night as a rite of summer in this surf-crazy Southern California city.

Fever hits thousands in Valley

FRESNO (AP) - California and federal public health officials say valley fever, a potentially lethal but often misdiagnosed disease infecting more and more people around the nation, has been on the rise as warming climates and drought have kicked up the dust that spreads it.

Cooler weather aids fight against wildfire

CAMARILLO. (AP) - Cool, moist air moving into Southern California on Sunday helped firefighters build containment lines around a huge wildfire burning through coastal mountains.

5 women die in limo fire on San Mateo Bridge

HAYWARD (AP) - A limousine taking nine women to a bachelorette party erupted in flames, killing five of the passengers, including the bride-to-be, authorities and the mother of one of the survivors said Sunday.

State news briefs

SHEEN SUPPORTS SONS' REMOVAL FROM EX-WIFE'S CARE: LOS ANGELES (AP) - Charlie Sheen's spokesman says the actor supports a decision to remove his twin sons from the care of his ex-wife and have them live temporarily with another ex-wife, actress Denise Richards.

Crews seek more success saving homes

Experimental Air Force aircraft goes hypersonic

Drug find means hikers may be charged for search

Bay Area briefs

NO CHARGES FOR TEACHER ACCUSED OF TYING KID: PLEASANTON (AP) - Prosecutors in Northern California have decided not to pursue any criminal charges against a former teacher accused of tying up a 2-year-old girl when she worked at a preschool.

209 News

CALIFORNIA ALMOND CROP TO SURPASS 2B LBS IN 2013: MODESTO (AP) - Federal agricultural officials are predicting another bumper crop for California's almonds this year.

Detectives study knives in girl's stabbing

Solar plane leaves NorCal on start of cross-country trip

California prison crowding plan still falls short

State news briefs

SAN BERNARDINO BANKRUPTCY SPARKS RECALL EFFORT: SAN BERNARDINO . (AP) - San Bernardino's bankruptcy has sparked a recall campaign against the mayor, city attorney and the entire City Council.

Slayer guitarist Jeff Hanneman dies at 49