Friday, July 18, 2008

U.S. missile defense sensor test called successful

A missile launched from Alaska was successfully tracked Friday by land-, sea- and space-based sensors in a test of the Ground-based Midcourse Defense system, the U.S. Missile Defense Agency and the Boeing Co. said....(more)

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Gay-rights activists target Hyatt on marriage ban

Same-sex marriage advocates demanded Friday that Hyatt Hotels Corp. end its relationship with a business partner who is financially backing a California ballot initiative to ban gay marriage....(more)

Troops bust 13.5 tons of pot in Tijuana

Mexican soldiers have seized 13.5 tons of marijuana along in two raids in the border city of Tijuana....(more)

Fourth possible heat-related death investigated

State labor officials are investigating if high heat caused the death of a farmworker in Kingsburg last week in what could be the fourth heat-related death in the fields this summer....(more)

Judge: water delivery system harms Calif salmon

A federal judge ruled Friday that California's water systems threaten to push native, wild salmon into extinction, but stopped short of ordering any immediate water cutbacks farmers said would have cost them millions in lost crops....(more)

AP News Alert

Federal judge says California's water systems threaten to push native salmon into extinction ....(more)

Brush burns in LA after Pasadena blaze put out

A wildfire has burned about three acres near the Verdugo Mountains in Los Angeles....(more)

Most California fires contained; residents return home

Fire crews on Friday had extinguished all but 38 of the more than 2,000 blazes ignited over the past month, allowing most mandatory evacuations to be lifted so residents could return home for the weekend....(more)

Bomb threat grounds Qantas flight at LAX

A bomb threat at Los Angeles International Airport has grounded a Qantas jetliner bound for Australia....(more)

2 Marine reservists charged in secrets theft

Two Marine Corps reservists have been charged in connection with an alleged information theft ring that involved the compromise of classified files....(more)

San Francisco jury gets Elie Wiesel case

A San Francisco jury is deliberating the case against a 24-year-old man charged with accosting Holocaust survivor Elie Wiesel in a hotel elevator....(more)

FBI: Soccer team members help subdue man on flight

An American Airlines flight from Boston to Los Angeles was diverted to Oklahoma City Friday after a passenger stripped, put his clothes back on and then tried to open an emergency exit door before being subdued by members of a Major League Soccer team and others, the FBI said....(more)

Fresno gang busted on drug conspiracy charges

Fourteen members of a street gang have been indicted in federal court on drug dealing charges....(more)

Merced County racetrack plans stalled

Developers of a proposed race track in Merced County want to get back money they paid for permits, a move some see as a sign the project has stalled....(more)

Farmer charged with false crop insurance claims

A San Joaquin County farmer has been indicted for allegedly filing false claims for crop insurance benefits....(more)

Detained Chinese crew members facing longer stay

Lawyers for the pilot of the ship that struck the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge say there is new evidence raising doubts about the Chinese crew's truthfulness after the incident, but say the crew should be detained as witnesses for several more months....(more)

SoCal doc wins lawsuit over legal representation

A doctor won $3.9 million in a lawsuit that said the attorney whose advice he sought during a state investigation had helped trigger the probe that cost him his license....(more)

Nevada jobless rate high

About 90,500 Nevadans were out of work in June as the state's unemployment rate climbed to 6.4 percent, its highest level in more than 14 years, according to a report released Friday....(more)

Marine's widow gets hearing on flawed arsenic test

A San Diego judge says lawyers for a widow cleared of murdering her husband can call witnesses to testify about flaws in the original tests used by prosecutors to show the Marine was poisoned with arsenic....(more)

Exec pay soars at Sierra

Salaries and other compensation for several senior executives at Sierra Pacific Resources more than doubled over five years, exceeding recommendations from an expert hired by the company, according to the attorney general's Bureau of Consumer Protection....(more)

Former Sacramento staffer accused of taking bribes

A former Sacramento Utilities Department employee is charged with taking bribes from a Bay Area scrap dealer....(more)

Welfare cuts being considered

As a souring economy makes life tougher for growing numbers of poor Nevadans, the state is preparing to cut back on the services designed to help them....(more)

Free-meals tax ruling stands

The Nevada Supreme Court says it won't reconsider its ruling in a case that could lead to as much as $150 million in refunds in state and local taxes to casinos and restaurants....(more)

Ex-Guns N' Roses drummer arrested in Los Angeles

Former Guns N' Roses drummer Steven Adler has been arrested for alleged drug possession in Hollywood....(more)

Sheriff and tribe renew law enforcement pact

The sheriff's department will continue law enforcement duties on the San Manuel reservation....(more)

2 people hospitalized in OC with West Nile virus

Two people with the West Nile virus have been hospitalized in Orange County....(more)

Poll: California voters oppose gay marriage ban

More California voters say they would oppose a November ballot initiative to ban same-sex marriage in the state's constitution than would support it, according to a survey released Friday....(more)

North Bay residents to vote on sales tax hike

North Bay voters will get to decide if they should pay a higher sales tax to pay for a proposed passenger train service for the area....(more)

Criminal charges filed against parents of truants

Criminal charges have been filed against 13 parents of Los Angeles kids who routinely skip school....(more)

Child hospitalized with gunshot wound

A two-year-old boy is hospitalized and a parolee in custody after the toddler was dropped off at a Gilroy hospital with a gunshot wound....(more)

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