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. ...

Jury hears LA-area chef say on tape he cooked wife

Chicago teachers vote to return to classroom

Poll: The online generation wants it

Teacher blames job loss on abusive ex

Prosecutors push for anti-phone theft measures

Odd News

POLICE: THIEF GETS STUCK IN MUD AFTER BURGLARY: FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) - Police say a man who robbed a Foxborough home had to call a tow truck after getting stuck in the mud while making his getaway.

2 dead in area burned by wildfire

Obama to step up military support of rebels

Police: Gunman shot 3, self at St. Louis business

1 dead, 77 hurt in Louisiana plant explosion

Nation news briefs

ZIMMERMAN JURORS TO BE SEQUESTERED UP TO A MONTH: SANFORD, Fla. (AP) - The six jurors and four alternates eventually picked to hear the second-degree murder case of neighborhood watch volunteer George Zimmerman will be sequestered for the two to four weeks the trial will last, the judge presiding over the case said for the first time Thursday.

Idaho high school drops Redskins logo, mascot

DRIGGS, Idaho (AP) - An Idaho high school will drop its longtime "Redskins" nickname, logo and mascot in a move its top administrator says was made to show respect for Native Americans. The decision at Teton High School in Driggs is a way to encourage students and the community to see beyond skin color and stereotypes, said Monte Woolstenhulm, superintendent of District 401. Motivation also came from renewed efforts nationally to change nicknames and logos ...

Pool water heater cited in NC motel deaths

Rare Superman comic book sells for $175,000

Committee rejects overhaul of military justice

Prosecutor says man endangered teen's life in hoax

Boy admits killing mom in fight over chores

MILLERSBURG, Ohio (AP) - An Ohio boy admitted he fatally shot his mother in the head with a rifle when he was 10 after what a relative described as an argument over chores. The boy, now 13, entered the equivalent of a guilty plea Monday in juvenile court. In January 2011, the boy went to a neighbor's house, called 911 and told the dispatcher he had shot his mother at their home in rural Holmes ...