Judge restores protections for N. Rockies wolves
BILLINGS, Mont., 6:40 a.m. July 19 (AP)
A federal judge has restored endangered species protections for gray wolves in the Northern Rockies, derailing plans by three states to hold public wolf hunts in the fall.
U.S. District Judge Donald Molloy in Missoula granted a preliminary injunction late Friday restoring protections for the wolves in Montana, Wyoming and Idaho.
More California & The West News
SAN FRANCISCO, 11:07 a.m. July 19 (AP)Prostitution decriminalization makes SF ballot: A measure that aims to keep prostitutes from facing criminal charges has qualified for the November ballot in San Francisco. RENO, Nev., 10:55 a.m. July 19 (AP)
Scenic lake near Tahoe to become public land: U.S. Forest Service officials say they will take ownership early next week of a scenic alpine lake and private enclave overlooking Lake Tahoe.
LAS VEGAS, 10:38 a.m. July 19 (AP)
UNLV offers buyouts to 300 faculty and staff: Nearly 300 professional faculty and staff, including 200 tenured teachers, at UNLV are being offered buyouts.
LOS ANGELES, 10:38 a.m. July 19 (AP)
LAPD officer stabbed in fight outside bar: Los Angeles police say an off-duty officer has been stabbed at a San Pedro bar. Lt. Mark Tappan says several people attacked the officer outside a bar called The Crimsin around midnight Friday.
BAKERSFIELD, 10:35 a.m. July 19 (AP)
Bakersfield man pleads to flashing chopper: A Bakersfield man has pleaded guilty to flashing a laser beam at a Kern County sheriff's helicopter.
IRVINE, 10:31 a.m. July 19 (AP)
UFO toy seller in OC held for alleged pants fraud: A man known for selling flying, flashing toys that have prompted UFO reports was arrested for a more earthbound problem: allegedly faking torn trousers.
LAS VEGAS, 10:05 a.m. July 19 (AP)
Fugitive Hells Angel surrenders in Las Vegas: A fugitive Hells Angel wanted on murder charges stemming from a 2002 biker gang melee has surrendered to federal authorities.
BAKERSFIELD, 9:28 a.m. July 19 (AP)
Bakersfield man's child rape trial overturned: A state appeals court has overturned the conviction and sentence of a Bakersfield man accused of raping his 10-year-old daughter.
BILLINGS, Mont., 6:40 a.m. July 19 (AP)
Judge restores protections for N. Rockies wolves: A federal judge has restored endangered species protections for gray wolves in the Northern Rockies, derailing plans by three states to hold public wolf hunts in the fall.
SANTA ANA, 2:16 a.m. July 19 (AP)
OC kennel supervisor gets 5 years for sex assault: A former supervisor at an Orange County animal shelter has been sentenced to five years in prison for sexually assaulting six female jail inmates who were working there to fulfill their sentences.
TORRANCE, 2:10 a.m. July 19 (AP)
Man who stabbed police dog gets 5 years in prison: A Lawndale man who stabbed a police dog has been sentenced to more than five years in prison. Forty-year-old Jimmie Divo Lunceford stabbed a Redondo Beach police dog named Valor with a knife after threatening his stepdaughters and trying to break into his estranged wife's home in June 2007.
PASADENA, 5:18 p.m. July 18 (AP)
Brush fire burns 5 acres in Pasadena: A brush fire burned about five acres in the Hastings Ranch area before it was fully contained Friday, authorities said.
SACRAMENTO, July 18
Measure to prohibit gay unions is trailing: Proposition 8, the constitutional amendment that would ban same-sex marriage in California, is opposed by 51 percent of likely voters with 42 percent in favor, according to a new Field Poll.
OKLAHOMA CITY, 5:10 p.m. July 18 (AP)
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.
HONOLULU, 5:09 p.m. July 18 (AP)
Dead whale causes final problem: smelly street: Getting the rotting corpse of a dead sperm whale off Oahu's North Shore was only part of the problem.
FRESNO, 5:04 p.m. July 18 (AP)
Judge: Water delivery system harms Calif salmon: A federal judge has ruled that California's water systems threaten to push native salmon into extinction, but stopped short of ordering any immediate water cutbacks farmers said could cost millions in lost crops.
SAN FRANCISCO, 5:03 p.m. July 18 (AP)
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.
SAN BERNARDINO, 4:50 p.m. July 18 (AP)
Long delays after train hits body in Inland Empire: A freight train struck and killed a man who was laying on railroad tracks in San Bernardino County, forcing the cancellation of Friday morning commuter trains for hours, authorities said.
FRESNO, 4:43 p.m. July 18 (AP)
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.
FRESNO, 4:39 p.m. July 18 (AP)
Judge: water delivery system harms Calif salmon: A federal judge has ruled that California's water systems threaten to push native salmon into extinction, but stopped short of ordering any immediate water cutbacks farmers said could cost millions in lost crops.
ANCHORAGE, Alaska, 4:02 p.m. July 18 (AP)
Alaska volcano sends out more ash: The U.S. Geological Survey says Okmok Volcano in Alaska is producing more explosions and ash plumes.
LOS ANGELES, 3:48 p.m. July 18 (AP)
Bomb threat grounds Qantas flight at LAX: Authorities have been searching a Qantas jetliner at Los Angeles International Airport because of a bomb threat.
SAN DIEGO, 3:29 p.m. July 18 (AP)
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.
SAN FRANCISCO, 3:05 p.m. July 18 (AP)
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.
GRANTS PASS, Ore., 2:48 p.m. July 18 (AP)
Ore. backs restoring salmon to Upper Klamath Basin: The Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission has approved restoration of chinook salmon to the area now blocked by dams on the Klamath River.
FRESNO, 2:41 p.m. July 18 (AP)
Fresno gang busted on drug conspiracy charges: Fourteen members of a street gang have been indicted in federal court on drug dealing charges.
MERCED, 2:30 p.m. July 18 (AP)
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.
TACOMA, Wash., 2:14 p.m. July 18 (AP)
Participant in 2001 UW arson gets five years: A federal judge sentenced a Seattle woman to five years in prison Friday and demanded she repay more than $7 million for her role in the 2001 ecoterror arson of the University of Washington's Center for Urban Horticulture.
STOCKTON, 2:08 p.m. July 18 (AP)
Farmer charged with false crop insurance claims: A San Joaquin County farmer has been indicted for allegedly filing false claims for crop insurance benefits.
ELKO, Nev., 1:47 p.m. July 18 (AP)
Elko man convicted: An Elko man who stashed $40,000 worth of methamphetamine under the front seat of a rookie police officer's patrol car has been convicted of drug charges.
LOS ANGELES, 12:15 p.m. July 18 (AP)
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.
LOS ANGELES, 11:37 a.m. July 18 (AP)
LAPD homicide detective reassigned: Los Angeles police have reassigned a detective who told a gang member he had been identified as a killer by a girl who was later murdered by another member of the gang.
LAS VEGAS, 11:00 a.m. July 18 (AP)
Clark County school bond pulled from Nov. ballot: Clark County voters aren't going to see a $7 billion, 10-year school construction bond measure the November ballot after all.
SAN FRANCISCO, 10:37 a.m. July 18 (REUTERS)
Calpers posts 2.7% loss amid stock weakness: Calpers, the biggest U.S. pension fund, posted a 2.4 percent loss in its June-ended fiscal year, fueled by a 10.7 percent decline in the value of its stock holdings, its top investment officer said Friday.
SACRAMENTO, 10:32 a.m. July 18 (AP)
Former Sacramento staffer accused of taking bribes: A former Sacramento Utilities Department employee is charged with taking bribes from a Bay Area scrap dealer.
SAN DIEGO, 10:32 a.m. July 18 (AP)
California unemployment rate rises to 6.9 percent: State officials say California's unemployment rate increased one-tenth of a percent last month to 6.9 percent as the slumping housing market continued to take a toll on the economy.
OROVILLE, 10:28 a.m. July 18 (AP)
Suspect in quadruple Calif. murders skipped parole: Butte County's district attorney says a 28-year-old man suspected of killing his girlfriend and her two toddlers was wanted by police for skipping parole.
LOS ANGELES, 8:57 a.m. July 18 (AP)
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.
SAN BERNARDINO, 8:40 a.m. July 18 (AP)
Sheriff and tribe renew law enforcement pact: The sheriff's department will continue law enforcement duties on the San Manuel reservation.
SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, 8:24 a.m. July 18 (AP)
2 dead, 1 arrested, in shooting west of Lake Tahoe: Two women were shot to death and another woman has been arrested in connection with the killings west of Lake Tahoe, El Dorado County authorities said.
SANTA ANA, 8:19 a.m. July 18 (AP)
Two human West Nile first in OC this year: Two men who recently donated blood tested positive for West Nile virus, the first known human cases of the mosquito-borne virus in Orange County this year.
SAN FRANCISCO, 6:05 a.m. July 18 (AP)
Poll: California voters oppose gay marriage ban: A majority of California voters oppose a November ballot initiative that would amend the state constitution to ban same-sex marriage, according to a survey released Friday.
SAN RAFAEL, 5:45 a.m. July 18 (AP)
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.
LOS ANGELES, 5:31 a.m. July 18 (AP)
Criminal charges filed against parents of truants: Criminal charges have been filed against 13 parents of Los Angeles kids who routinely skip school.
GILROY, 5:30 a.m. July 18 (AP)
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.
WORCESTER, Mass., 4:36 a.m. July 18 (AP)
Former Mass. charity head gets year in prison: The founder of a defunct Muslim charity has been sentenced to a year in federal prison for lying to an FBI agent about his travels to Afghanistan.
LOS ANGELES, 1:23 a.m. July 18 (AP)
2 health insurers to pay $13M to Calif regulators: Thousands of Californians who lost their health coverage after filing claims with their insurance companies are about to get their policies restored.
Starting July 1, 2008, drivers in California must use a hands-free device while talking on a cell phone or risk getting a fine.
