 4,500 homes threatened by fires
 Associated Press
A firefighter starts a backfire to burn off vegetation in advance of a wildfire near Big Sur. The fire there along with a second one at the southern end of California's central coast threatened more than 4,500 homes hundreds of miles apart.
|
Suspect in custody-exchange shooting, kidnap may be in S.D.
SAN DIEGO, 11:33 a.m. July 4 (UNION-TRIBUNE)
An Orange County man who shot his estranged wife and kidnapped his 9-year-old son Wednesday may be in the San Diego County area driving a large motor home, authorities said.
Orange County Sheriff's Sgt. Kevin Bieker said Lonnie Ramos, 46, has a girlfriend in the North County and told the man who rented him the motor home that he was planning on taking some day trips within Southern California.
More California & The West News
GOLETA, 12:13 p.m. July 4 (AP)
Crews brace for winds in Central Calif. blaze: Firefighters braced Friday for the return of late afternoon winds that a day earlier caused a wildfire on California's Central Coast to double in size and race dangerously close to hundreds of homes in the foothills of the Santa Ynez Mountains.
LAKE FOREST, 4:02 a.m. July 4 (AP)
Suspect in custody-exchange shooting, kidnap may be in S.D.: Authorities believed a man who allegedly shot his estranged wife in the face and fled with his 9-year-old son has switched his car for a purple-and-gold motor home and may have fled to the San Diego area as he remained at large Friday morning.
FREMONT, 3:50 a.m. July 4 (AP)
2 die in helicopter crash near Calif. freeway: Authorities say two men are dead after a helicopter crashed near a Northern California freeway, knocking power lines into traffic lanes and starting a grass fire near the road.
LOS ANGELES, 1:38 a.m. July 4 (AP)
Police: L.A. high school principal posed as girl: Authorities investigating what they believed was a child making graphic sexual remarks online say they found that the writer was instead a Los Angeles high school principal posing as a 12-year-old girl.
LOS ANGELES, 1:27 a.m. July 4 (AP)
LAPD officer under investigation in hit-and-run: A veteran Los Angeles police officer is under investigation, suspected of driving drunk, running over two people with his Hummer, then fleeing the scene, authorities said.
LOS ANGELES, 8:20 a.m. July 4 (AP)
Hollywood station standoff ends without incident: A 6-hour-long standoff between officers and a man holding a gun to his head at a Hollywood police station has ended.
GOLETA, 7:54 p.m. July 3 (AP)Firefighters battle flames in Santa Barbara County: Authorities issued more evacuation orders for homes in the Santa Ynez Mountains Thursday as a wildfire feeding on half-century-old brush shifted direction and threatened additional homes. LOS ANGELES, 1:08 p.m. July 3 (AP)
Convict appears in court in cold-case killings: A man already serving a life term for a quadruple murder conviction has returned to court to face charges of committing four additional murders. INDUSTRY, 1:12 p.m. July 3 (AP)
Industrial fire controlled in eastern L.A. County: A fire and several explosions erupted Thursday at an industrial facility, but no injuries were reported, fire officials said. LAKE FOREST, 1:24 p.m. July 3 (AP)
Custody exchange ends in gunfire, kidnapping in OC: A man who allegedly shot his estranged wife in the face and fled with his 9-year-old son may have switched his car for a motor home, authorities said Thursday.
INDUSTRY, 12:00 p.m. July 3 (AP)
Industrial fire controlled in eastern L.A. County: A fire and several explosions erupted Thursday at a refinery, but no injuries were reported, fire officials said.
REDDING, 11:52 a.m. July 3 (AP)
Fifth grade teacher arrested for child molestation: A Redding fifth-grade teacher has been arrested on six counts of alleged child molestation against three former students.
LAS VEGAS, 11:29 a.m. July 3 (AP)
Romanian woman dies in boat accident at Lake Mead: The National Park Service says a 62-year-old woman from Romania was killed in a boating accident at Lake Mead in Nevada.
BEVERLY HILLS, 11:23 a.m. July 3 (AP)
Help sought to ID Beverly Hills body: The public is being asked to help identify a man whose decomposed body was found last week in a vacant home in Beverly Hills.
MODESTO, 10:32 a.m. July 3 (AP)
Defense begins in preacher's murder trial: Defense testimony begins Thursday in the case of a Central Valley preacher charged with murder and embezzlement.
CHICO, 10:07 a.m. July 3 (AP)
Hundreds of threatened salmon rescued on creek: State Department of Fish and Game crews have rounded up more than 300 stray salmon and returned them to their rightful spawning path.
SAN LUIS OBISPO, 9:55 a.m. July 3 (AP)
Woman severely burned in Atascadero house fire: A woman has been hospitalized with severe burns from a house fire in Atascadero that authorities say was caused by smoking.
RENO, Nev., 9:37 a.m. July 3 (AP)
1 dead after truck blows tire near Reno: The Nevada Highway Patrol says a 22-year-old man was killed when a pickup truck blew a tire and rammed head on into his commercial van.
ATWATER, 9:32 a.m. July 3 (AP)
Protective vests coming for federal prison guards: Federal Bureau of Prisons officials say they are expanding the availability of protective vests after the fatal stabbing of a correctional officer.
SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO, 9:22 a.m. July 3 (AP)
2 killed, 2 hurt in San Juan Capistrano car wreck: Two men have been killed and two men hurt in a car wreck on the Ortega Highway east of San Juan Capistrano.
LOS ANGELES, 9:02 a.m. July 3 (AP)
Judge who ruled on when players can join NBA dies: Warren J. Ferguson, a federal judge who helped pave the way for people to record TV shows on their VCRs and for teenage basketball players to join the NBA, has died. He was 87.
SANTA CRUZ, 8:35 a.m. July 3 (AP)
Destructive Santa Cruz Mountains fire human-caused: Fire officials say a person started the fire that began in the Santa Cruz Mountains last month and destroyed 11 buildings.
MALIBU, 7:56 a.m. July 3 (AP)
Fire destroys 1 home, damages 2 in Malibu: A fire has destroyed a beachfront house in Malibu, damaged two others and shut down traffic in both directions on Pacific Coast Highway for hours.
RENO, Nev., 7:11 a.m. July 3 (AP)
Talks fizzle between drivers, Reno bus operator: Contract negotiations have come to a halt between bus drivers and the operators of the Reno area's transit system.
RENO, Nev., 6:41 a.m. July 3 (AP)
UNR marching band refusing to yield to budget cuts: The University of Nevada, Reno marching band and supporters are refusing to yield to budget cuts that threaten the band's existence.
SAN JOSE, 6:04 a.m. July 3 (AP)
Former engineer gets prison on pornography charges: A former NASA engineer will serve time in prison after admitting he used his government computer to access child pornography.
SAN FRANCISCO, 5:38 a.m. July 3 (AP)
Campaign urges Bay Area residents to cut water use: Officials from the Bay Area's three largest cities are hoping to avoid mandatory water rationing by getting people to voluntarily cut their water use.
SACRAMENTO, 2:51 a.m. July 3 (AP)
CalPERS gets part of $895M lawsuit settlement: The California Public Employees Retirement System, the nation's largest pension fund, announced that it and other pension funds have reached an $895 million settlement of a class-action lawsuit against UnitedHealth Group Inc. over stock option backdating.
SAN BERNARDINO, 1:47 a.m. July 3 (AP)
San Bernardino cracks down on gang in Rialto: Authorities in San Bernardino County have gone after the South Side Rialto gang, on the streets and in the courtroom.
Starting July 1, 2008, drivers in California must use a hands-free device while talking on a cell phone or risk getting a fine.
