AP State News

Here are the winning horses picked Wednesday night for the California Lottery's Daily Derby game:

A federal judge on Wednesday banned the maker of Barbie's main rival from making and selling the Bratz dolls and stripped the company of its right to use the hugely popular Bratz name in a sweeping decision that sent ripples through the toy industry.

Democratic lawmakers want to change the constitutional requirement for a two-thirds vote in the Legislature to pass California's annual budget.

The Bakersfield Californian will layoff 25 staffers as it tries to balance its budget amid shrinking advertising revenue and an unstable economy, the newspaper announced Wednesday.

An Encino life insurance agent has been arrested for allegedly swindling an elderly millionaire into making him a beneficiary of her estate.

State Sen. Mark Amodei, R-Carson City, said Wednesday that he's stepping down as head of the Nevada Mining Association so that he won't have a "distracting" dual role during the 2009 Legislature.

Active and retired state workers will see a 5 percent increase in the cost of their health insurance, the Nevada Public Employees Benefit Board decided Wednesday.

The Reno Gazette-Journal plans to cut 61 positions over the next four weeks, halt a pair of weekly publications and close a commercial printing facility in Carson City, the newspaper's president and publisher said Wednesday.

After 13 months, University of California, Santa Cruz officials and protesters occupying trees on campus have begun mediation talks.

A former sheriff's deputy has been convicted of throwing a man down the stairs at Angel Stadium and fracturing his skull after a 2004 playoff game between the Angels and Boston Red Sox.

Unemployment in Nevada will hit a high of 8.8 percent about this time next year, although officials said Wednesday there is more than enough money in a trust fund to pay benefits to laid-off workers.

A federal grand jury indicted the Truckee Carson Irrigation District and four of its employees on Wednesday for allegedly falsifying records to secure additional water supplies from the U.S. government.

A federal grand jury indicted the Truckee Carson Irrigation District and four of its employees on Wednesday for allegedly falsifying records to secure additional water supplies from the U.S. government.

A federal grand jury in Reno has indicted the Truckee Carson Irrigation District and four of its employees for allegedly falsifying records to secure additional water supplies from the U.S. government.

Democrat Charlie Brown conceded defeat to Republican state Sen. Tom McClintock on Wednesday in their hard-fought race for California's 4th Congressional District House seat.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said Wednesday he won't allow an Energy secretary through the Senate who supports building a nuclear waste dump at Yucca Mountain.

Police say they don't suspect foul play in the death of a man whose body was found at the bottom of an elevator shaft nearly a week after he fell.

An annual conference focusing on Nevada's tourism industry - the lifeline of the state's visitor-driven economy - has been canceled abruptly because of the financial crisis.

Arkansas child welfare officials seized six more children Wednesday from the Tony Alamo Christian Ministries as authorities in California visited another church compound, officials said.

A Tulare County grower of table grapes will pay $1.6 million to settle a federal lawsuit over discriminatory hiring practices.

In a Nov. 24 story about a Belarusian girl who refused to return to her native country after an exchange program trip to northern California, The Associated Press reported erroneously that Tanya Kazyra changed her mind about going back to Belarus after talking to a priest. A spokeswoman with the Children of Chernobyl U.S. Alliance said Kazyra changed her own mind and that the priest only acted as an interpreter.

Prosecutors in Reno say they're considering additional charges against a man accused of killing a college woman and sexually assaulting another.

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is donating $4 million to the University of California to help plan a systemwide school focusing on global health issues.

Two nonprofit groups filed a lawsuit Wednesday seeking to force the Legislature's attorneys to release an electronic database that could be used to link lawmakers' votes to campaign contributions.

A grand jury has indicted Lt. Gov. Brian Krolicki, a Republican hoping to unseat U.S. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, on charges stemming from his management of a multibillion-dollar college savings program in his previous job as Nevada's state treasurer.

A Superior Court judge has granted the Madera County District Attorney's office a temporary restraining order that bars the county's auditor-controller from working or accessing files in his office.

A grand jury has indicted Nevada Lt. Gov. Brian Krolicki on charges stemming from his management of a college savings program in his previous position as state treasurer.

Safety experts estimate it will cost $3.1 million to build an 11.7-mile long concrete barrier on the Truckee irrigation canal to protect against another breach like the one that flooded 590 homes in Fernley last January.

Black Gaming says it plans to suspend casino operations at one of its Mesquite resorts and lay off 500 workers Friday.