California

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Attacker Wanted Breast Implants Back: Witness

Roommate of man charged with attempted murder outlines post-breakup attack

(Newser) - Testimony began this week in the trial of a California man who attacked his ex-girlfriend with a knife, allegedly with the intent to remove breast implants he’d paid for, the Victorville Daily Press reports. Thomas Lee Rowley is charged with attempted murder in the 2006 assault on his ex,...

Calif. Court Rules School Can Expel Lesbian Kids

Private body not ruled by discrimination laws

(Newser) - A California court has ruled that a private school's expulsion of two girls for "conducting themselves in a manner consistent with being lesbians" was lawful, the Los Angeles Times reports. The court decided the religious school did not count as a business and was therefore exempt from discrimination...

Silicon Valley Town Bans Smoking at Home

Nation's toughest anti-smoking law hits home for apartment dwellers

(Newser) - A California town has passed legislation that will push many smokers out of their last remaining indoor sanctuary—their home, the New York Times reports. Belmont's law—believed to be the nation's toughest—bans smoking in any residence that shares a floor or ceiling with another. Officials credit the law...

Obama Lets States Tighten Fuel Standards

(Newser) - Barack Obama announced a drastic change in the nation’s energy policy today, beginning with an executive order allowing states to raise their fuel efficiency standards. "America will not be held hostage to dwindling resources,” Obama said. “Today I announce the first steps on our journey to...

SOS: Historic Queen Mary Needs Saving

Ship's developer hits financial iceberg

(Newser) - The Queen Mary needs a new lease on life now that a developer is selling its interest in the iconic ship’s lease, the Press-Telegram reports. One of the partners of Save the Queen, which bought the Queen Mary’s lease for $43 million in 2007, is having financial issues,...

Cops Bust Dad Who Married Off Girl, 14, for Beer

Arranged marriage legit in Mexico, but trafficking minors in Calif.

(Newser) - Something got lost in translation when a California man arranged for his 14-year-old daughter to marry an 18-year-old neighbor in exchange for cash, beer, and meat, reports the San Jose Mercury News. When the bridegroom failed to pay the promised $16,000, 160 cases of beer, and six cases...

'Bored' Teen Sends 15K Texts a Month

Dad had unlimited plan, but still plans crackdown

(Newser) - A California dad whose teenage daughter logged an astounding 14,528 text messages in one month was tickled at first, the New York Post reports. “I laughed. I thought, ‘That’s insane, that’s impossible,’” said Greg Hardesty. “And I immediately whipped out the calculator...

Cash-Squeezed Calif. to Close Offices Twice a Month

Labor unions file suit opposing cost-saving move

(Newser) - In another creative and/or desperate budgeting move from the Governator, California state offices will close 2 days a month, the Wall Street Journal reports. The state is low on cash and facing a budget deficit expected to swell to $42 billion deficit over the next 18 months. The days off,...

32M Lack Basic Reading Skills
 32M Lack Basic Reading Skills 
Jan 9, 2009 8:18 AM CST

32M Lack Basic Reading Skills

Study says Illiteracy crisis getting worse

(Newser) - One in seven American adults in the US—about 32 million people—have such low literacy skills that they cannot read a newspaper story or a prescription bottle, a new federal study says. "They really cannot read paragraphs (or) sentences that are connected," says an Education Department researcher....

Quakes Shake LA, Kill 2 in Costa Rica

2 girls dead in landslide; no damage in Calif.

(Newser) - A magnitude 4.5 earthquake shook Southern California last night, leaving no reported damage—but Costa Rica didn’t fare as well in a 6.1 magnitude shake-up that killed two girls. A 7-year-old and a 9-year-old died in a landslide that destroyed their home, CNN reports. Some 1,000...

Cash-Strapped Calif. May Shorten School Year

(Newser) - Arnold Schwarzenegger has proposed cutting a week out of the public school calendar, the latest desperate measure in California's struggle with a $41 billion budget shortfall. The Governator says the $1.1 billion savings will ward off other cuts to education, which makes up 40% of the state budget. Schools...

Pacific Salmon Face Uncertain Tides

Oceanic changes doomed '08 crop, but scientists can't agree on what caused them

(Newser) - West Coast fisheries has seen a 90% drop in salmon spawn since 2004, and while many blame rivers degraded by dams and diversions, some experts believe the problem has been pushed out to sea, reports Salon. Wind direction and water temperature have changed, bringing less food to the ocean’s...

Calif. Budget Gap Could Mean IOUs, Not Tax Refunds

Facing $42B deficit, Schwarzenegger, state Dems continue to wrangle

(Newser) - Faced with a mounting budget gap and failed negotiations toward a solution, California may have to send out promissory notes to taxpayers owed refunds and local governments, the Los Angeles Times reports. Talks between Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and the Democratic legislature foundered yesterday; lawmakers sent the governor a disputed package...

Whitman Gears Up to Run for Governator

Former eBay CEO clears way to run in California

(Newser) - Meg Whitman has her eyes on Arnold Schwarzenegger’s job, sources tell the San Jose Mercury News. The former eBay CEO has resigned from all three corporate boards she serves on—including eBay’s—a clear sign that she’s interested in running for California governor in 2010, when Schwarzenegger...

Calif. Pelicans Hit by Mystery Illness

Experts puzzled as dying birds turn up miles from coastal home

(Newser) - A mystery disease causing disoriented pelicans to crash to earth in unusual locations near the California coast has wildlife experts stumped, reports the Los Angeles Times. Bruised and fatigued birds are being found on highways and in backyards far from their usual seaside haunts. Some appear to be dying, but...

Global Warming Battle Hits Malibu Beach

Wealthy homeowners pay millions for temporary solutions

(Newser) - Malibu's scenic Broad Beach is vanishing between the rising sea and the sea walls homeowners are building to protect million-dollar properties from global warming, the Los Angeles Times reports. Ocean levels are projected to rise at least a couple feet in the next century, wiping away this and many other...

Oscar-Worthy Comebacks
 Oscar-Worthy Comebacks 
Dec 30, 2008 9:00 PM CST

Oscar-Worthy Comebacks

Some celebs are best after years of fermenting

(Newser) - Some stars combust and others fizzle, but a few are reborn. Metromix honors the second wave:
  • The Wrestler was made for Mickey Rourke, the "one-time '80s sex symbol" turned professional boxer.
  • Drug habits wrote off Robert Downey Jr. until the Iron Man returned with back-to-back hits.
  • Dennis Hopper
...

Frisco Debates Downtown Traffic Fee
Frisco Debates Downtown Traffic Fee
Dec 30, 2008 4:27 AM CST

Frisco Debates Downtown Traffic Fee

Motorists balk at prospect of paying up to $5 to drive to city center

(Newser) - A plan to charge motorists for driving downtown in peak hours could be a step too far even for famously green San Francisco, the Los Angeles Times reports. City officials say the plan, which would be the first of its kind in the nation if it passes, would reduce traffic...

Killer 'Santa' Was Out to Get His Mom

13 kids were orphaned by Pardo's rampage on Christmas Eve

(Newser) - The man who carried out a Christmas Eve killing spree dressed as Santa Claus had planned to kill his own mother, the Los Angeles Times reports. Bruce Jeffrey Pardo was furious with his mom for siding with his ex-wife in their bitter marital dispute and knew she was invited to...

Melting Santa Suit Burned Killer, Foiled Getaway

Gunman found with costume fused to skin

(Newser) - The California Santa killer, who committed suicide after massacring his ex-wife’s family, had planned an escape by plane—but he was foiled by third-degree burns as his Santa Claus suit melted onto his body, the Los Angeles Times reports. The explosion as he set fire to his ex-wife’s...

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