Chick-fil-A makes another statement on controversy, triggers more reaction

Anti-jihad 'savage' ads going up in New York subway

Golden Gate Bridge dropping human toll takers in early 2013

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - Drivers using San Francisco's historic Golden Gate Bridge will finally see the anticipated change from human toll-takers to an all-electronic toll system in early 2013, officials said. The system will switch to electronic tolling in February instead of this month as previously announced, Bridge spokeswoman Mary Currie said Tuesday. "It's where the industry is ...

Riders stuck 300 feet high after ride malfunction

BUENA PARK. (AP) - The Windseeker attraction at Southern California's Knott's Berry Farm has broken down, leaving about 20 riders who expected a three-minute thrill dangling 300 feet over the amusement park for nearly two hours. Buena Park police say the ride, which lifts fun-seekers high over the park with their legs dangling and spins them in a circle, broke down at ...

Coloradoan wins $7 million in popcorn lung lawsuit

DENVER (AP) - A suburban Denver man who was diagnosed with "popcorn lung," possibly from inhaling the artificial butter smell of the microwave popcorn he regularly ate, has won a $7.2 million verdict against various food companies. Wayne Watson's attorney, Ken McClain, said a federal jury granted the award Wednesday against Gilster-Mary Lee Corp., The Kroger Co. and Dillon Companies Inc. after ...

Prosecutor: Dad killed girl over toilet training

DETROIT (AP) - A Detroit man was so obsessed over toilet training that he fatally beat his 2-year-old daughter for having an accident, a prosecutor said Wednesday in an opening statement to jurors at the man's first-degree murder trial. D'Andre Lane also is charged with child abuse in the Dec. 2 disappearance of Bianca Jones, whose body has never been found. Lane ...

Bay Area briefs

SAN FRANCISCO MOVES TO PROVIDE GREEN POWER: SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - Supervisors have given initial approval to a five-year deal with Shell Energy North America that gives San Francisco residents the option of getting 100 percent of their power from renewable sources.

Bakersfield hockey team mocks opposing Stockton’s bankruptcy

BAKERSFIELD (AP) - A hockey game promotion poking fun at America's largest bankrupt city has caused a tiff between fans in the San Joaquin Valley. The Condors, a Bakersfield minor league hockey team, advertised its game against Stockton Thunder on Dec. 27 as "Our City Isn't Bankrupt Night." The team promised to ...

Obama boosted by upbeat housing reports, new polls in bid for 2nd term

FBI asked to keep data on anti-Sikh hate crimes

SD prison tobacco ban curbs religion rights

209 News

MODESTO OFFICIALS VOTE TO STOP WATER DEAL WITH SF: MODESTO (AP) - Modesto water officials are no longer negotiating with San Francisco to sell Tuolumne River water to the coastal city.

Nation news briefs

EGYPT TO TRY 7 COPTS, US PASTOR OVER PROPHET FILM: CAIRO (AP) - Egypt's general prosecutor issued arrest warrants Tuesday for seven Egyptian Coptic Christians and a Florida-based American pastor and referred them to trial on charges linked to an anti-Islam film that has sparked riots across the Muslim world.

Feds: NC sheriff and deputies targeted Latinos

18 immigrants sue US over entry program denials after investing $1M

LOS ANGELES (AP) - LOS ANGELES - Eighteen immigrants are suing the federal government, alleging they were wrongly denied entry into a program that grants legal residency to foreign entrepreneurs. Attorney Ira Kurzban said Tuesday that some of the plaintiffs he's representing had already been admitted to the I-526 program but their acceptances were revoked. According to U.S. ...

Medical pot laws & treats may send more kids to ER

CHICAGO (AP) - Increased use of medical marijuana may lead to more young children getting sick from accidentally eating food made with the drug, a Colorado study suggests.

Man charged with raping toddler is sex offender

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) - A man who has been charged with killing an elderly Alaska couple and raping their 2-year-old great-granddaughter is a registered sex offender convicted of breaking into a home and assaulting an 11-year-old girl four years ago.

Nation news briefs

• SURGING WILDFIRE FORCES EVACUATIONS IN CALIFORNIA: SANTA BARBARA (AP) - A surging wildfire has forced dozens of residents and Memorial Day campers to evacuate the mountains of Santa Barbara County in California.

Deal helping Valeant cash on increase in diabetes rate

NEW YORK (AP) -Canadian drugmaker Valeant Pharmaceuticals said Monday that it will pay $8.7 billion to buy Bausch + Lomb, one of the world's best-known makers of contact lenses, in a massive expansion of Valeant's smaller ophthalmology business.

Coastal Commission imposes property ‘caps

SOLANA BEACH (AP) - Atop the ocean bluff are the homes of those fortunate to own a piece of land overlooking the dramatic California coastline. Down on the beach are the surfers, swimmers and beachcombers lucky for a sliver of sand that skirts caves and coves in this paradise north of San Diego.

NBC will air Shelton concert for victims of Okla. tornado

Furlough Friday: Unpaid day off for many in gov't

Trucker bumps I-5 bridge, sees horror behind him

Yahoo, pay-TV operators among Hulu bidders

Penn.. parents face murder charge in faith-healing death

Illinois judge faces heroin & gun charges

Lawsuit says defective lawnmower injures man

Rare Superman comic found in house insulation

Judge: Ariz. sheriff's office profiles Latinos during its immigration patrols