HAYWARD – San Francisco Bay Area authorities have arrested a prolific 911 cell phone caller believed to have made more than 27,000 emergency calls, overwhelming California Highway Patrol and Hayward 911 systems.

The bogus 911 calls began last May. The caller responded to emergency operators with bodily noises, muttering and pressing beep tones. John Triplette was arrested Wednesday night for investigation of abusing the 911 emergency line, a misdemeanor.

Associated Press

Plane crashes short of runway; pilot killed

PORTLAND, Ore. – A small plane crashed short of the runway at Portland International Airport yesterday, killing the only person on board, federal officials said.

The single-engine Lancair Columbia 400 crashed and burned while trying to land and scattered wreckage along the runway, said a Federal Aviation Administration spokesman. The crash closed the airport for about 20 minutes until 9:30 a.m., delaying a few flights, airport authorities said. Officials identified the victim as Richard E. Otoski, a Klamath Falls dermatologist who was an experienced pilot. The cause of the crash is under investigation.

Associated Press

Rare pennies more than chump change

LONG BEACH – A penny saved isn't necessarily just a penny earned: One man's collection of rare American cents has turned into a $10.7 million auction windfall.

The collection of 301 cents featured some of the rarest and earliest examples of the American penny, including a cent that was minted for two weeks in 1793 but abandoned because Congress thought Lady Liberty looked frightened.

That coin and a 1794 cent with tiny stars added to prevent counterfeiters each raised hundreds of thousands of dollars, according to the Dallas-based auction house Heritage Auction Galleries, which held the sale in Long Beach on Friday night.

Presale estimates valued the collection at about $7 million.

The coins came from the collection of Burbank resident Walter J. Husak, the owner of an aerospace-parts manufacturing company.

Associated Press

3.5 quake shakes Inyo, Kern counties

COSO JUNCTION – A 3.5-magnitude earthquake shook eastern California, but Inyo County authorities said there are no reports of damage or injuries.

The U.S. Geological Survey said the quake hit shortly before 4 a.m. yesterday. It was centered 14 miles southeast of Coso Junction in Inyo County and about 23 miles north of Ridgecrest in Kern County.

Associated Press

Boy near school slain in drive-by shooting

LAS VEGAS – A drive-by shooting near a Las Vegas high school left a freshman dead, officers said yesterday.

The male victim was walking with a group of students a few hundred yards from Palo Verde High School when several shots rang out from a passing car about 20 minutes after classes had ended Friday. The boy was taken to a hospital, where he died. His name wasn't released. It wasn't known if the boy was targeted. No one else was hit by gunshots.

Associated Press

Body recovered from Grand Canyon

GRAND CANYON NATIONAL PARK, Ariz. – A helicopter rescue team yesterday recovered the body of a man who may have fallen off the edge of the Grand Canyon.

Park rangers found what appeared to be an abandoned rental car near a picnic area Wednesday and began a search Friday when the car was still there.

Rangers found a chair, camera and other items that they believe belonged to the rental car's driver near the picnic area, then later found a body below the edge of the canyon's South Rim. Conditions were reported to be icy. An investigation was under way.

Associated Press