California

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Wildlife Workers Dress as Bears for a Really Cute Reason

A 2-month-old baby bear is being raised by disguised human handlers

(Newser) - Humans dressed as bears aren't a particularly creative Halloween costume, but humans dressed as bears are kind of a creative way to help a little bear cub find his way back to the wild. As NBC News reports, the humans at the San Diego Humane Society are putting on...

Woman Comatose After Break-in at Billionaire's Mansion

Reclusive California billionaire Ty Warner's home invaded

(Newser) - A woman was left comatose following a break-in at the home of reclusive California billionaire Ty Warner during which she was attacked. Police were alerted to a disturbance at the Montecito home of the Beanie Babies tycoon on Wednesday afternoon, the San Francisco Chronicle reports. They responded to find a...

Girl, 13, Breaks Attacker's Ankle Using Martial Arts

Police searching for suspect in May 6 attack in California

(Newser) - A 13-year-old girl in California who trained in jiu-jitsu used her skills to fend off an attacker, now wanted by police. The girl, whose name has not been released, was walking home from school in Carmel-by-the-Sea on May 6 when a man stepped out from between two vehicles, trying to...

Closer Look at Bird Feeders Shows 'Evolution in Action'

Study links feeder use to migration north, beak shape and size changes in Anna's hummingbirds

(Newser) - A new study finds that human-provided hummingbird feeders aren't just helping hummingbirds survive—they're changing the physical traits of the birds themselves. Researchers focused on a species called Anna's hummingbirds, also finding that the feeders have helped the birds expand northward, from California to British Columbia,...

College Boasts of Its Youngest Graduate Ever

Alisa Perales began California community college at age 8, will leave with 2 associate degrees at 11

(Newser) - Any parent would be bursting with pride at their child earning a college diploma. For the Perales family, that pride at Alisa Perales' graduation has been taken up a notch, for one standout reason: The student from San Bernardino, California, is only 10 years old. Crafton Hills College says in...

Senate's Vote Against CA Law Sets Up Legal Battle

Senate votes to block California's emissions waivers

(Newser) - The Senate has upended California's ambitious plan to phase out new gasoline cars, igniting a nationwide legal fight that could redefine the future of electric vehicles for about 40% of the US auto market, the New York Times reports. Thursday's vote was 51-44 in favor of blocking...

Mobsters Stole $83M in Amazon Cargo: DOJ

Armenian Organized Crime group allegedly had associates sign up as Amazon truck drivers

(Newser) - Amazon might want to be a bit more careful about screening its drivers. US authorities have arrested 13 individuals believed to be members or affiliates of Armenian organized-crime syndicates, accused of attempted murder, kidnapping, fraud, and stealing more than $83 million in goods from the retail giant. The individuals were...

Prosecutors: 'Injured' Cop Who Couldn't Work Went to Disney

California prosecutors allege Nicole Brown also went to a music fest, ran 5Ks

(Newser) - In the spring of 2023, a California police officer who claimed she suffered debilitating injuries on the job appeared in a Zoom call to discuss her employment. The room she was in was darkened and she neither spoke nor looked at the camera, say prosecutors, who said her lawyer joined...

Camper Missing 3 Weeks Survived 'Solely Off of Leeks'

Tiffany Slaton, 28, found Wednesday in a cabin in California's Sierra Nevada

(Newser) - A camper who vanished almost three weeks ago during a blizzard in California's Sierra Nevada mountain range reportedly managed to survive alone in a cabin, eating only leeks—until a snowplow cleared a path that brought the property owner to her door. "Dad, I'm alive," 28-year-old...

In California Town, the Birds Are 'Exploding'

Authorities suspect foul play may be involved in avian deaths in Richmond

(Newser) - There's a mystery in a Northern California town involving dozens of birds dropping from the sky, and signs point to a nefarious cause. Residents of Richmond say they've even seen some feathered friends "exploding," with security footage showing one bird plummeting to its death off a...

Thumbprint Found in 1977 Murder Returns a Hit

Prosecutors: Print, run through FBI's updated system last fall, was found to match Willie Sims

(Newser) - Nearly half a century after a 24-year-old California woman was strangled to death, officials say a thumbprint on a carton of cigarettes has led to an arrest. Willie Eugene Sims was arrested in Jefferson, Ohio, in connection with the death of Jeanette Ralston, according to a Friday statement from the...

Man Killed His Date, Started a Wildfire to Cover It

California's Victor Serriteno faces 73 years for woman's killing, deaths of 2 others in 2020 blaze

(Newser) - A California man who killed his date, then tried to conceal her body by setting a fire that would eventually kill another two people, now faces more than 70 years in state prison. Victor Serriteno, 33, of Vacaville pleaded no contest to three counts of murder and two courts of...

California to State Farm: Go Ahead and Increase Insurance Rates by 17%

Company is granted emergency rate increase for homeowners' insurance

(Newser) - California has approved the emergency rate hike State Farm requested for homeowners' insurance policies in the wake of this year's devastating Los Angeles wildfires. The company will be temporarily allowed to increase rates in the state by 17%, a move that comes on the heels of State Farm having...

Fate of Menendez Brothers Handed to LA Judge

Court to decide whether Lyle and Erik Menendez should finally be released from prison

(Newser) - After months of delays, a hearing starts Tuesday to decide whether Erik and Lyle Menendez should get a chance at freedom after serving nearly 30 years in prison for the double murder of their parents. A Los Angeles judge will preside over the resentencing hearing that's expected to last...

Newsom Pressures Cities to Ban Homeless Encampments

With California's local governments receiving more funding, governor says they should 'end the excuses'

(Newser) - Gov. Gavin Newsom increased the pressure on California's local governments on Monday to take down homeless encampments, saying they need to follow the state's lead by banning the tents on public property. "It is time to take back the streets," Newsom said in a virtual press...

Man Convicted of Road Rage Assaults Is Charged Again

Nathaniel Radimak accused in Hawaii less than a year after release from prison

(Newser) - A driver is accused of a road rage attack in Hawaii—less than a year after being released from prison for a series of similar attacks in California, reports Fox News .
  • Nathaniel Radimak, 39, was charged in Honolulu after allegedly assaulting an 18-year-old and her mother last week. The
...

10 Sickened in Listeria Outbreak Linked to Ready-to-Eat Foods

Products sold in hospitals, stores, and airports across 4 states

(Newser) - At least 10 people in California and Nevada have been hospitalized in connection with a listeria outbreak linked to ready-to-eat foods from Fresh & Ready Foods LLC, based in San Fernando, California. The US Food and Drug Administration says it is working with state and local officials to investigate....

California Logs a Win in Its Battle With Mosquitoes
They Released Thousands
of Mosquitoes, Then Waited
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They Released Thousands of Mosquitoes, Then Waited

Setting free sterilized males is found to reduce invasive populations in Southern California

(Newser) - Officials are seeing promising signs that efforts to combat mosquitoes are working in Southern California as the season of peak activity begins. A local agency known as a vector control district (VCD) began releasing sterile male Aedes aegypti mosquitoes in 2023, followed by a second district the following year. The...

Man Hit With Stalking Charges After Aniston Incident

Jimmy Wayne Carwyle ordered to be mentally evaluated after crashing into gate at actor's home

(Newser) - A judge on Thursday ordered a Mississippi man who authorities say crashed his car through the front gate of Jennifer Aniston's home to go through mental-health court to determine whether he's competent to face felony stalking and vandalism charges. Jimmy Wayne Carwyle, 48, appeared shirtless and wrapped in...

Planes Clip Wings at Another US Airport

Incident in San Francisco was 'totally avoidable,' passenger says

(Newser) - The FAA is investigating yet another incident of planes colliding at US airports. Less than a month after two American Airlines regional jets, one carrying seven members of Congress, clipped wings at Washington's Ronald Reagan National Airport, two United Airlines planes clipped wings at San Francisco International Airport just...

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