California

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Salmon Protections Strike Calif.'s New '49ers

Gold prospectors banned from using 21st-century dredgers

(Newser) - Prospectors seeking to join California's new gold rush are facing an upstream battle amid moves to protect the state's salmon stocks. Suction dredge mining, which uses gas-powered machines to scrape gold from river beds, has been banned while its environmental impact is reviewed, a process expected to take until 2011....

Hard-Up Calif. Town Out of Joint Over Pot Influx

Green gold rattles community

(Newser) - A hard-scrabble northern California town has been turned topsy-turvy since the folks with tokes moved in. Thousands of pungent marijuana plants pack fields and yards in tiny Hayfork, population 1,900, where a quarter of the residents are poor. The local Timberjacks football team recently moved its halftime huddle to...

Girl Kicked Attacker, Triggering Gang Rape

Attacker 'went off' when teen tried to kick him in testicles

(Newser) - An attacker "went off" on a teen when she resisted sex outside her California high school, according to witnesses, triggering a savage gang rape that left her nearly dead and riveted a shocked America. The girl, described by teachers as a devout Christian too eager to please boys, rebuffed...

Boy, 4, Found Dead in Dryer; Teen Busted

Toddler was dead when he was placed in dryer

(Newser) - A 14-year-old boy has been arrested after the body of a missing California toddler, 4, was found in a clothes dryer in the teen's home. Police said Alex Christopher Mercado's body was placed in the dryer after he was killed. Alex's parents reported him missing over the weekend, and the...

SF Mayor Drops Out of Calif. Governor's Race

Newsom's decision makes Jerry Brown virtual lock for Dem nod

(Newser) - Citing his responsibilities as San Francisco mayor and as a new father, Democrat Gavin Newsom withdrew today from the race to succeed Arnold Schwarzenegger as California governor. Despite the heavyweight endorsement of Bill Clinton, Newsom has had trouble raising money; his departure leaves state attorney general, and former governor, Jerry...

Garrido's 1976 Victim Attends Jaycee Hearing

Katie Callaway Hall 'here because he kidnapped, raped me'

(Newser) - A woman kidnapped and raped by Phillip Garrido unexpectedly visited the Bay Area to watch a court hearing for Garrido, who stands accused of the kidnapping and rape of Jaycee Lee Dugard. Garrido abducted and assaulted Katie Calloway Hall in 1976, but was released on parole in 1988. Hall says...

9 Missing in Coast Guard Plane Crash

Pilot reported huge fireball

(Newser) - Nine people are missing after a Coast Guard plane collided with a military helicopter last night off the coast of southern California. A pilot flying in the area reported seeing a huge fireball. Seven people were traveling aboard the plane, and two were in the chopper. A search-and-rescue mission is...

Radio Station Fined $16M For Fatal Contest

Mom died of water intoxication in effort to win Wii for her kids

(Newser) - A Sacramento radio station has been ordered to pay $16 million to the family of a woman who died during its "Hold Your Wee for a Wii" contest. The woman, who was trying to win the game console for her three children, died of water intoxication after taking part...

Rape Victim's Pals Rip Cops, Guards

Six now arrested in two-hour attack

(Newser) - Angry friends of a gang-rape victim yesterday blasted useless security guards and cops at their Bay Area high school who failed to prevent the two-hour attack amid a horde of curious onlookers. Some 15 young men were hanging outside the Richmond school the night of homecoming before the attack. Neither...

San Fran Is Best US Vacation Destination

Charleston, Santa Fe, New York, and Chicago round out top 5

(Newser) - San Francisco has topped this year’s Conde Nast Traveler list of American cities to visit. The city by the bay edged out Charleston, SC, at No. 2. Metropolises New York and Chicago made a strong showing as well, at Nos. 4 and 5, respectively. The list is based on...

California Plans Ban on Power-Guzzling TVs

Nation's first TV energy standards expected to pass

(Newser) - The consumer electronics industry is kicking hard against California's plans to introduce energy consumption maximums for TV sets. An industry lobby group argues that buyers should be allowed to decide whether they want a power-hungry flat-screen TV set or not, and warns that the move could cost the state jobs...

Latest SF Bridge Snafu Sparks Fear, Anger

Commuter inconvenience only most immediate after cable snaps

(Newser) - Today’s revelation that high winds caused a recent repair to come undone and shut down the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge for 24 hours—and counting—has area commuters worried not only for their safety but also about how well state officials are spending tax dollars in the ongoing construction...

Five Youths Held in 'Barbaric' Calif. Gang Rape

Victim knew one 15-year-old assailant, was drinking with them

(Newser) - San Francisco-area cops have arrested three more young men in the savage gang rape, beating, and robbery of a 15-year-old girl outside her homecoming dance while dozens more watched. Five youths are being held, ranging from a 15-year-old boy who knew the victim to a 21-year-old. The girl was drinking...

Lifer Seeks Better Life on Death Row

Killer eyes amenities that come with capital punishment

(Newser) - Living on death row looks like a better deal than dying as a lifer, convicted killer Billy Joe Johnson told a California jury yesterday. "You get out of your confined cell a little more," said Johnson, whose trial has moved to the penalty phase after he was found...

Calif. Holds Hearings on Legalizing Pot

Hopes high as 3 measures head for ballot next year

(Newser) - The push to legalize—and, especially appealing at the moment, tax—marijuana is picking up momentum in California, with legislators holding hearings today on what would be the first such law in the nation. Organizers are currently collecting signatures to put three separate pot legalization initiatives on the ballot next...

Arnold Hides Vulgar Message to Legislators in Veto

Bill's author recently told governor to 'kiss my gay ass'

(Newser) - Though all political vetoes send some message, a recent one by California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger appears to carry two—with the less-obvious one quite the kiss-off to the Democrat-controlled legislature. In the message accompanying Schwarzenegger’s veto of a financing measure, the San Francisco Bay Guardian found that, in reading...

Do-Nothing Bystanders Watched, Filmed Calif. Rape

Two arrests made in vicious 2-hour attack

(Newser) - Two arrests have been made in a homecoming night rape of a 15-year-old high school student that was witnessed by as many as 15 do-nothing bystanders. Some may have even participated in the two-hour attack in a San Francisco suburb while others apparently filmed the assault with cell phones, according...

Polanski Victim Wants Case Dropped

Samantha Geimer asks court, media to leave her alone

(Newser) - The woman who was raped by Roman Polanski when she was 13 wants the charge against the fugitive director dropped. Polanski pleaded guilty in 1977 to unlawful sexual intercourse with a minor but fled before sentencing. He's in custody in Switzerland and Samantha Geimer, who lives in Hawaii, is under...

Court Backs Cell-Tower Haters
 Court Backs Cell-Tower Haters 
Oct 26, 2009 1:48 PM CDT

Court Backs Cell-Tower Haters

Aesthetics a valid reason for town to deny permission, Calif. judges say

(Newser) - Ghastly cell towers are proving to be little match for vista-loving communities: Palos Verdes Estates, a wealthy enclave near Los Angeles, took Sprint to court over proposed towers—and won, as have a number of other California towns. “You want cell coverage, but you also want beauty,” a...

Maria Shriver Skirts Another Driving Law

Calif. first lady spotted leaving vehicle in red zone

(Newser) - TMZ appears to have caught California's first lady flouting state traffic laws for the second time this month. A video on the site shows Maria Shriver—who recently apologized for repeatedly using her cell phone will driving—parking her decidedly non-emergency vehicle in a red zone. She left it there...

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