California News

A daily dose

2007-02-01T14:10:00.000-08:00

Nokia isn't waiting for a citywide Wi-Fi network in San Francisco to get going before it gets involved in the city's broadband efforts. The company is donating a number of Wi-Fi-enabled cell phones and Internet tablets to two San Francisco high schools to get students hooked on the mobile Internet.
The new devices will take advantage of Wi-Fi hotspots set up at the two schools in recent months for the pilot project. The hope is that the students will use their new phones to snap pictures and video, creating digital content that they will share.

Safety for our children

2007-02-01T14:09:00.000-08:00

These issues were emphasized Monday when students riding a Magnolia Independent School District bus responded to health problems suffered by the bus driver. One student, 9-year-old Tanner Gardner, used his cell phone to call 9-1-1. Other students raced home to get help from their parents.
While the bus driver, Judy Claspill, 48, died from an apparent heart attack, the usefulness of youngsters carrying cell phones could not be dismissed. Parents must really consider the added protection and peace of mind of children carrying these limited-use cell phones.
During the Columbine High School shooting in Littleton, Colo., on April 20, 1999, which left 12 students and a teacher dead (as well as the two gunmen), students barricaded inside the building communicated via cell phones. More than 600 officers from 27 agencies responded to the school.

Victoria Beckham

2006-11-07T00:16:00.000-08:00

Victoria Beckham's son has epilepsy

The former Spice Girl, who is married to superstar footballer David, revealed her middle son's condition during a confrontation with paparazzi at London's Heathrow airport last week.

Mick Jagger

2006-11-07T00:15:00.000-08:00

Mick Jagger's dad hospitalised

Joe Jagger was rushed to Kingston hospital, in South West London, on Friday (03.10.06) after he reportedly punctured a lung and broke two ribs in the accident.

Caught off balance

2006-10-10T08:12:00.000-07:00

Caught off balance

Home prices dropping here, rising there and sluggish appreciation. Squeamish owners fear a sudden tumble. Experts predict a long slowdown.

WHETHER at the dinner table, Starbucks or just standing around the office water cooler, Question No. 1 for most property owners these days is this: Is my home's value tanking yet, and if not, when?

Mortgage

2006-10-10T08:10:00.000-07:00

Mortgage Standards Tightened

U.S.-chartered lenders are discouraged from qualifying buyers based on low starter rates.

Federal regulators are casting a disapproving eye on mortgages that give borrowers low introductory rates but let them pile up more debt over the long run — a loan feature favored by hundreds of thousands of Californians.

Thousands Remember 'Crocodile Hunter'

2006-09-26T00:29:00.000-07:00

Thousands Remember 'Crocodile Hunter'
Friends and fans, including Hollywood stars and Australia's prime minister, bid farewell to "Crocodile Hunter" Steve Irwin on Wednesday at a service that veered from poignant tributes to belly laughs.

Apple Computer Inc.

2006-09-11T22:54:00.000-07:00

Latest line of iMacs unveiled / One includes 24-inch display, all have Intel Core 2 Duo processors
Apple Computer Inc. rolled out a line of iMacs Wednesday with the latest Intel Core 2 Duo processors, including one with a 24-inch widescreen display, the largest iMac to date. The computers perform up to 50 percent faster than their predecessors, and...

Oil Prices Fall Below

2006-09-11T22:53:00.000-07:00

Oil Prices Fall Below $66 a Barrel
Oil prices dropped below $66 a barrel Monday, after Iran said it would consider halting its enrichment of uranium and OPEC ministers said they would maintain their 28 million barrel-a-day production target. These developments supported the view that...

Far Removed From the Multiplex

2006-08-08T23:03:00.000-07:00

Far Removed From the MultiplexWith an array of devices at their fingertips, youths don't always think of theaters as the place to see a flick.

The scores of footprints in front of Grauman's Chinese Theatre chronicle Hollywood's history. What David Gale witnessed inside the auditorium on a recent evening may help predict the industry's future.

LEAH GARCHIK

2006-08-08T23:02:00.000-07:00

LEAH GARCHIKSurfacing from the garage at Union Square on Thursday night, we found ourselves at an outdoor party -- all over the piazza, couples were stepping and swaying to swing music. There was no sign-up sheet, no cover charge.

Mike Hammer

2006-07-18T01:15:00.000-07:00

Mike Hammer Creator Mickey Spillane Dies
Mickey Spillane, the macho mystery writer who wowed millions of readers with the shoot-'em-up sex and violence of gumshoe Mike Hammer, died Monday. He was 88. Spillane's death was confirmed by Brad Stephens of Goldfinch Funeral Home in his hometown of...

Large Asteroid

2006-07-03T23:48:00.000-07:00

Large Asteroid Zips Harmlessly Past Earth
A large asteroid hurtled harmlessly past the Earth early Monday at a distance of about 269,000 miles _ slightly farther away than the moon. Residents with telescopes in the United States and Canada had the best view of 2004 XP14, which appeared as a...

OAKLAND

2006-06-22T23:04:00.001-07:00

OAKLAND / 'Most Wanted' fugitive shot dead in Oakland
A fugitive sought in connection with a 2005 slaying in Vallejo was shot and killed in Oakland on Wednesday evening by investigators whom he had been evading for months. Kim Saelio, 22, had been the subject of a six-month manhunt by police in Oakland...

Santa Clara school

2006-06-22T23:04:00.000-07:00

Santa Clara school district eases junk food ban
The all-out junk food ban proposed earlier this year in the Santa Clara Unified School District has gone through a process not unlike what Goldilocks experienced when she visited the three bears' house and saw three bowls of porridge on the table. Post a Comment

Boutique Clients

2006-06-06T22:46:00.000-07:00

Boutique Clients Shutter Bugged
Fraser Ross, owner of a shop catering to stars, has become a partner in a paparazzi agency. Even Hollywood is shocked. Paris Hilton, Lindsay Lohan, Britney Spears and their fellow celebrities have turned a Robertson Boulevard boutique called Kitson into "L.A.'s hippest hot spot," in the words of US Weekly — a place where certain green tank tops go for $645 and $195 buys that special trucker's hat.

Borders Fall

2006-06-04T22:45:00.000-07:00

Borders Fall for These Doctors
Physicians, primarily radiologists, are getting swift diagnostic aid from distant time zones. The trend is likely to grow, but it has its critics. Her face illuminated by the fluorescent white glow of two computer monitors, Dr. Jenna Liu examined a CT scan of a car crash victim's stomach.

Muppets move into smithsonian

2006-06-04T22:44:00.000-07:00

Muppets move into smithsonian
WASHINGTON —Visitors to the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History will be able to see the origins of the Muppets in a new exhibit, "Muppets and Mechanisms: Jim Henson's Legacy.

Prosecutor attacks

2006-06-01T02:33:00.000-07:00

Prosecutor attacks Polk's story about husband's death
MARTINEZ, Calif. (AP) -- Clutching the paring knife used to kill therapist Felix Polk, a prosecutor on Wednesday asked the dead man's wife why her hands were not cut when she wrested the blade away from him during a violent struggle as she claims....

Fresh fennel fantastic find

2006-06-01T02:32:00.000-07:00

Fresh fennel fantastic find for flavorful fowl
ROASTING a batch of fennel a couple of weeks ago, it occurred to me that its relatively long cooking time begged for it to serve as the base for a slightly more complicated dish.

Prince Helps Pistons Stave

2006-06-01T02:31:00.000-07:00

Prince Helps Pistons Stave Off Elimination
Detroit's defense would not let the Pistons' season end. The Pistons got back to their swarming ways when the Miami Heat had the ball, and Tayshaun Prince scored a career playoff-high 29 points to lift Detroit to a 91-78 win Wednesday night in Game 5 of the...

When Sydney met Frank

2006-05-29T02:05:00.000-07:00

When Sydney met Frank, how friendship became a movie
DIRECTOR Sydney Pollack sure can do a lot on weekends. For a project he took up during his spare time for five years, he hasn't done too poorly with "Sketches of Frank Gehry.

Grief is father

2006-05-21T12:18:00.000-07:00

Grief is father of invention: baby car seat
Some inventions are born out of hard work and analytical thinking. Others strike like a bolt of lightning. Janusz Liberkowski's most recent invention came from love -- and grief.

Naked Guy

2006-05-20T13:52:00.000-07:00

`Naked Guy' apparently kills himselfAndrew Martinez, the South Bay man who gained national notoriety as the ``Naked Guy'' when he insisted on walking around nude in Berkeley in the early 1990s, has died, the apparent victim of suicide.

Bill

2006-05-20T13:51:00.000-07:00

Bill addresses deportation appealsAs Congress weighs immigration reform, public attention has been fixed on whether to erect a fence along the U.S.-Mexico border and what to do about a guest-worker program.

Governor battered

2006-05-20T13:50:00.000-07:00

Governor battered by border fightGov. Arnold Schwarzenegger is finding out just how hard it is to take a centrist view on the polarizing issue of sending National Guard troops to the U.S.-Mexico border. Post a Comment

North American box office

2006-05-15T00:08:00.000-07:00

"Poseidon" sinks at North American box office
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - The $160 million disaster film "Poseidon" capsized on its maiden voyage in North America, allowing Tom Cruise's struggling sequel "Mission: Impossible III" to retain the weekend box office crown.

School's in session

2006-05-13T06:38:00.000-07:00

If school's in session, so is crime
In an effort to provide a better education to students, the Oakland Unified School District adopted a policy a few years ago of breaking up large, unwieldy high schools into smaller, more manageable campuses.

Schwarzenegger proposes more spending

2006-05-12T15:10:00.000-07:00

Schwarzenegger proposes more spending -- and more saving
California's rich are getting richer -- and that's good news for Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, teachers and those who would like to see the state show some fiscal restraint.

Cash's final

2006-05-02T22:59:00.000-07:00

Cash's final song to appear on "American V"
NEW YORK (Billboard) - "Like the 309," the last song written by Johnny Cash before his death, will be included on "American V: A Hundred Highways."

Devil's Disciple

2006-04-28T01:59:00.000-07:00

Actors Ensemble has a fine time with Shaw's 'Devil's Disciple'
PLAYWRIGHT George Bernard Shaw is at his best when he takes on organized religion.

Police seize doctor's files

2006-04-27T02:04:00.000-07:00

Police seize doctor's files after patients allege abuse
San Mateo police are investigating whether a prominent psychiatrist sexually abused any young boys within the past two decades -- including any referred to his care by the San Mateo County juvenile justice system.

Girl Dies Looking for Mom in Burning Home

2006-04-25T15:13:00.000-07:00

Girl Dies Looking for Mom in Burning Home
A 6-year-old girl who escaped a house fire early Tuesday died after running back inside to find her mother, authorities said. The youngster did not realize that her mother had jumped to safety from a second-floor window. Firefighters found the...

Wine of the Week

2006-04-12T15:30:00.000-07:00

Wine of the Week
This wine is a bit of a splurge, but it is well worth it for admirers of classic Napa Valley cabernet. Joseph Phelps has been producing great cabernet for three decades.

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I want to drink too!

Son claims degree for deceased father

2006-04-11T23:41:00.001-07:00

Son claims degree for deceased father
James Coleman accepted a master's of fine arts for his father, Gregory, who died in October. Gregory was considered one of California's best classical guitarists.

Park Fee Policy May Alter Mayor's Visions for L.A.

2006-04-11T23:41:00.000-07:00

Park Fee Policy May Alter Mayor's Visions for L.A.
Villaraigosa may be forced to choose between adding green space downtown and keeping the area's revitalization on track. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa has vowed to turn Los Angeles into the greenest city in the nation, promising a wave of public investment to create new parks for a graying metropolis.

Aurora Theatre starts season with something Wilde

2006-04-11T23:33:00.000-07:00

Aurora Theatre starts season with something Wilde
BERKELEY'S Aurora Theatre Company opens its 15th season at the end of August with Oscar Wilde's "Salome," a tragedy in one act directed by Mark Jackson, who made quite a splash with Shotgun Players'.

Father Kills 5 years old daughter in Fontana

2006-04-11T12:30:00.000-07:00

A 40-year-old man of Korean descent shot and killed his young daughter and then himself. Bong Joo Lee's relatives might have up to $200,000 in gambling debt.

Los Angeles Refinery Accident Kills 1 Worker

2006-04-11T06:11:00.000-07:00

The roof of a six-story-high oil refinery storage tank collapsed on a group of workers, causing killing of one and injuring four others, officials said. The victim is Mario Vasquez, age 25 from San Pedro. Other three workers suffered minor injuries.

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Associated Press