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State news briefs
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WARWICK, SEAGAL AMONG THOSE WHO OWE CALIF. TAXES: SACRAMENTO  (AP) — Two celebrities are on a notable list in California, but it's not exactly the A-list.

The state's Franchise Tax Board says singer Dionne Warwick and actor Steven Seagal are among the top 500 people and businesses owing the most in unpaid taxes. The tax board released its list Thursday.

It says Warwick, who now lives in New Jersey, owes California $2.6 million. She's been delinquent since 2003, but her publicist, Kevin Sasaki, says Warwick has worked out a repayment plan with the state and is paying down her debt.

Seagal owes the state nearly $350,000 and has been on the list since April.

Technology entrepreneur Halsey Minor, of San Rafael, owes the most to the state — $10.7 million.

CALIF JUDGE AWARDS $6.6M TO MUSIC PUBLISHERS: LOS ANGELES (AP) — A federal judge in Los Angeles has awarded $6.6 million to several music publishers in a copyright lawsuit over lyrics from such songs as David Bowie's "China Girl" being posted online without a license.

U.S. District Judge George Wu ruled Tuesday that LiveUniverse Inc. and its founder, Brad Greenspan, should pay $12,500 for each of the 528 songs that were put on various websites without permission from copyright holders.

Wu said LiveUniverse and Greenspan, an early investor in the MySpace social networking site, willfully infringed upon music publishers, including Warner Music Group. Wu also prohibited the defendants from further placing lyrics online without licenses from copyright holders.

CALIF. MUST SAY HOW IT WILL EASE PRISON CROWDING: SACRAMENTO  (AP) — A federal three-judge panel has given California corrections officials until January to say how they will reduce the state's inmate population to comply with an order upheld last year by the U.S. Supreme Court.

The state must reduce its prison population by 33,000, to a maximum of 110,000 inmates, by next June.

Corrections officials say they cannot meet that goal if they follow through on their plan to retrieve inmates who are housed in private prisons in other states. They want to do that to save money.

Bringing back those prisoners would put the state 3,000 inmates over the court-imposed cap.

The judges said last month that they would not adjust the inmate cap.

AMMONIA LEAK SICKENS WORKERS AT FRESNO WINERY: FRESNO (AP) — Authorities say they have fixed an ammonia leak that sickened workers at a Fresno winery, but the area remains cordoned off.

Fresno Fire spokesman Sean Johnson says investigators determined that a pipe was the source of Thursday's leak at the Golden State Vintners plant.

Officials say 10 workers were treated for ammonia exposure after the leak created a vapor cloud. Three were taken to a local hospital.

Johnson says the Fresno winery is in an agricultural area, so there are no homes within the 1-mile evacuation zone. Residents nearby have been advised to stay indoors, turn off their air conditioners and keep their windows closed.

Last month, an employee at another winery in Sanger died after being exposed to ammonia, which is used as a cooling agent.

12-YEAR-OLD SHOT IN OAKLAND WHILE SITTING IN CAR: OAKLAND  (AP) — A 12-year-old girl is expected to survive after she was shot while sitting in a car with her father in east Oakland.

Police say the girl, who was struck in the leg, does not appear to have been a target of the Wednesday evening shooting. Several houses in the area were also hit although no one else was wounded.

Police have not made any arrests or disclosed a possible motive.

The shooting comes weeks after an 11-year-old was shot in Oakland. Luis Hernandez was sleeping at his family's home when he was struck.