California

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Man Shoots Adult Daughters With Kids in House

Anthony Alvarez's granddaughter called 911 after her mom killed

(Newser) - An 8-year-old girl dialed 911 at 4:39am yesterday to report a shooting, and the story gets worse from there. Police say the child's 63-year-old grandfather, Anthony Alvarez, shot his two adult daughters before taking his own life—while the girl and her two brothers were in the Orosi,...

Calif. Man Pretended He Was Disney Heir: Police

Cops say Stephen Urquidez even had bogus W-2 forms

(Newser) - He might have claimed to be from the happiest place on Earth, but police say Stephen Urquidez was living in his own little bogus world. The California man was arrested Tuesday on burglary charges, and the story is an odd one: Police say Urquidez went by the name "Stephen...

Rapist May Be Sentenced— Even Though He's Dead

Former cop Anthony Orban killed himself following conviction

(Newser) - A former police detective was convicted of kidnapping and rape last year—but before he could be sentenced, he committed suicide. But he's not off the hook: A California judge could still sentence Anthony Orban despite his death. "The only reason he is not here is because he...

Cops Fatally Beat Man, Take Witnesses' Phones: Report

Officials say devices needed as evidence

(Newser) - Police in the southern California community of East Bakersfield allegedly beat a man to death last week, and now a lawyer for the 33-year-old's daughters and parents is using the word "coverup"—because the local sheriff's department confiscated the phones of witnesses who filmed the incident,...

Police: Brother, Not Intruder, Killed Calif. Girl

Boy, 12, arrested for murder of 8-year-old Leila Fowler

(Newser) - A 12-year-old boy who told police that an intruder stabbed his 8-year-old sister to death has been arrested and will be charged with homicide, police say. The killing in the small northern California town of Valley Springs last month sparked a 15-day manhunt after the boy told police a tall,...

California Subdivision Mysteriously Sinks Away

Eight homes abandoned, 10 more soon to follow

(Newser) - Scott and Robin Spivey had a sinking feeling that something was wrong with their home when cracks began snaking across their walls in March. The cracks soon turned into gaping fractures, and within two weeks their 600-square-foot garage broke from the house and the entire property dropped 10 feet below...

Calif. Supreme Court: Cities Can Ban Pot Dispensaries

More than 200 localities allowed to keep bans in place

(Newser) - In a major setback for pro-marijuana activists in the first state to legalize the drug for medical use, California's Supreme Court has ruled that cities and towns can legally ban pot dispensaries. In its 7-0 decision, the court sided with more than 200 local governments in the state that...

'Valley Fever' Cases Surge in California, Arizona

Drought causing spread of fungus-laced spores

(Newser) - Public health officials in arid parts of the American West are battling a huge rise in cases of a dust-borne disease many people have never heard of. Valley fever is contracted when people breathe in fungus-laced spores, and the drier, warmer conditions of recent years have contributed to an 850%...

California Wildfire Burns Path to the Sea

Winds poised to worsen flames that have scorched 8K acres

(Newser) - Authorities are warning of "extreme fire danger" as Southern California wildfires continue to rage , having already cut a 10-mile path to the Pacific. The Springs Fire already scorched 8,000 acres of land, and it's putting 2,000 homes at risk, CNN reports. Winds today of some 35mph...

Turns Out the 'Hallucinating' Lost Hiker Had Meth in Car

May have been high during $160K taxpayer-funded rescue

(Newser) - Hiker Nicolas Cendoya might be regretting those interviews he gave about having "lucid dreams, lucid hallucinations" while being lost for three days in a Southern California national forest last month. The 19-year-old and a friend were eventually rescued , but police have now arrested Cendoya for felony drug possession after...

Cessnas Collide in Midair Over SoCal

One pilot dies, the other lands on golf course

(Newser) - Two Cessnas collided over Southern California yesterday afternoon, and those aboard one of the planes miraculously survived. That plane managed to land, with its landing gear still up, on a Westlake Golf Course fairway; the three people on board reported only minor injuries. But the other plane, also a single-engine...

Calif. Town Locked Down After Girl, 8, Murdered

Police searched door-to-door for Leila Fowler's killer

(Newser) - A tiny Northern California town was shut down over the weekend amid a manhunt for the murderer of an 8-year-old. Residents of Valley Springs—population 2,500—were told to lock their doors and watch for a man accused of stabbing Leila Fowler on Saturday afternoon, the AP reports. Police...

Joshua Tree Canyon Closed Over Unusual Graffiti

Rangers say social media could be fueling vandalism

(Newser) - Some 300 acres of California's Joshua Tree National Park are closed to visitors thanks to a rare spate of graffiti. First, park rangers closed an area surrounding a historic dam following the discovery of carved graffiti. Then, this week, the popular Rattlesnake Canyon was closed after words—including "...

Teens Charged in Sex Assault After Girl's Suicide

Photos of alleged attack posted online

(Newser) - A 15-year-old California girl committed suicide in September, just days after she was allegedly sexually assaulted. Now, three 16-year-old boys have been arrested in the case, NBC Bay Area reports. Photos of the alleged attack were posted on the Internet; before her suicide, Audrie Pott wrote on Facebook that "...

Racehorses Are Dropping Dead in California

17 confusing deaths since July

(Newser) - Racehorses that die in California are subject to one of the country's most comprehensive post-mortem reviews, and what those reviews are finding—or not finding—is unsettling. Racehorses have been dropping dead in the state, and no one knows why, reports the New York Times . Nineteen died in in...

California Democrats Want Scouts to Pay for Gay Stance

Lawmakers push bill that could revoke group's tax-exempt status

(Newser) - California Democrats are out to make the Boy Scouts pay for their refusal to accept openly gay members. The state's Senate Governance and Finance Committee passed a bill yesterday revoking tax-exempt status from any nonprofit that discriminates based on sexual orientation, gender, or religious affiliation, the LA Times reports....

Growing Up Near Traffic Boosts Kids' Cancer Risk

Study indicates that kids suffer from living near exhaust

(Newser) - Living near traffic may be even worse for kids than previously believed, a new study suggests. California researchers ranked parts of the state based on their exhaust-related pollution, studied their populations, and found that kids from the more polluted areas were at a greater risk for certain childhood cancers, including...

California May Extend Last Call to 4am

State lawmaker introduces bill to let bars stay open longer

(Newser) - The last call for drinks is 2am in California, but one lawmaker believes that's just too early to set down the shot glasses and beer steins. State Sen. Mark Leno's proposal to let the liquor flow until 4am as a way to draw more tourists—and with them...

Court: No, You Can't Check Map on Phone While Driving

California appeals court says it's basically the same as texting

(Newser) - If you're pulled over for texting while driving in California, don't try to use "But I was just looking at a map!" as an excuse. An appeals court in the state ruled late last month that using a mobile device to look at a map or...

Rescued Hiker Tried to Carry Friend Out of Forest

Nicholas Cendoya describes wilderness ordeal

(Newser) - One of two hikers rescued after several days lost in a Southern California national forest says he was so far gone during his ordeal that he thought he was in the afterlife and the firefighters who eventually found him were a hallucination. Nicolas Cendoya, 19, says he and friend Kyndall...

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