Sacramento News

The Sacramento Bee

• City expands pay-by-phone parking to four city lots

  The Sacramento Bee – Wed Dec 9, 8:46 pm ET  

  The city of Sacramento has expanded a program that allows motorists to pay for parking at city-owned lots by using their cell phones. Full Story »

• DA: Roseville woman convicted of killing friend

  The Sacramento Bee – Wed Dec 9, 7:48 pm ET  

  A Roseville woman was convicted today of first-degree murder in the killing of her longtime friend, Full Story »

• Nehemiah executive elected vice chairman of the board at the Federal Home Loan Bank of San Francisco

  The Sacramento Bee – Wed Dec 9, 6:01 pm ET  

  Nehemiah Corporation of America President and Chief Executive Officer Scott Syphax has been elected vice chairman of the board at the Federal Home Loan Bank of San Francisco, the bank announced Wednesday. Full Story »

• Thunder Valley casino workers unionize

  The Sacramento Bee – Wed Dec 9, 4:43 pm ET  

  A substantial portion of Thunder Valley Casino's workforce is now unionized. Roughly 800 drivers, food-service workers and others will be represented by either Unite Here or the Teamsters depending on the job, officials with the Lincoln casino said today. Full Story »

• Ask Sacto911: Man convicted of killing for customized car

  The Sacramento Bee – Wed Dec 9, 4:43 pm ET  

  Q: What happened to the case of Arthur Gonzalez, who was killed on Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard? - missj, SacramentoA: Raymond Muhammad Ward, now 33, was convicted by a Sacramento Superior Court jury of murdering Gonzalez on Oct. 14, 1993 for the victim's customized Oldsmobile with shiny gold-colored wheels, The Bee reported. Full Story »

CBS 13 Sacramento

• Glimmers Of Hope For Shot Sea Lion

  CBS 13 Sacramento – 1 hr 52 mins ago  

  A sea lion who spent three weeks swimming in local waterways after a North Highlands fisherman allegedly shot him in the head is struggling to survive in the care of Bay Area marine wildlife experts, but despite his dire condition, he is showing signs of recovery. Full Story »

• Church Deacon Arrested For Child Molestation

  CBS 13 Sacramento – Wed Dec 9, 8:40 pm ET  

  A church deacon has been arrested for alleged sex acts with kids and Sacramento County Sheriff's deputies fear there could be more victims. Full Story »

• Police Searching For Missing 10-Year-Old Boy

  CBS 13 Sacramento – Wed Dec 9, 8:17 pm ET  

  Police are searching for a missing student that hasn't been seen since Monday evening. Dshaun Pickens, 10, was last seen leaving his home on Fawn Circle at about 6:40 p.m. Monday, wearing a brown hooded sweatshirt, blue jeans and carrying a black backpack with red and silver lettering, according to the Sacramento Police Department. Full Story »

• Truckers Ask State To Delay Emission Rules

  CBS 13 Sacramento – Wed Dec 9, 6:47 pm ET  

  You need the latest Flash player to view video content. Click here to download. Click here to bypass this detection if you already have the latest Flash Player. Full Story »

• Student Protesters Take Over SF State Building

  CBS 13 Sacramento – Wed Dec 9, 6:36 pm ET  

  A group of students at San Francisco State University have barricaded themselves inside a classroom building to protest budget cuts and fee hikes. University officials say about 20 students entered the business administration building around 5 a.m. Wednesday, blocked the doors and refused to leave. Full Story »

The Stockton Record

• Delta updates “War of the Worlds” radio show into play

  The Stockton Record – 1 hr 50 mins ago  

  When Orson Wells staged “The War of the Worlds” on Oct. 30, 1938, as a Halloween episode of the American radio drama series “Mercury Theatre on the Air,” listeners could be forgiven if they thought New York was actually being... Full Story »

• Air regulators may slow requirement for trucks to reduce emissions

  The Stockton Record – 1 hr 50 mins ago  

  SACRAMENTO — Air quality regulators today are weighing whether to put the brakes on a $5.5 billion rule requiring the upgrade or replacement of big-rig engines to improve air quality in the San Joaquin Valley and in Southern California. Full Story »

• Outreach tries to make college attainable even for undocumented students

  The Stockton Record – 1 hr 50 mins ago  

  Sarai Torres has a dream. Full Story »

• Officials say gang rivalry led to summer prison riot in Chino

  The Stockton Record – 1 hr 50 mins ago  

  SACRAMENTO (AP) — California prison investigators say an ongoing feud between black and Hispanic street gangs is to blame for a summer riot that left 240 inmates injured. Full Story »

• Frost prompts canceled flights at Burbank airport

  The Stockton Record – 1 hr 51 mins ago  

  BURBANK (AP) — Morning frost has caused six flight delays and 10 flight cancellations at Bob Hope Airport in Burbank. Full Story »

KCRA 3 Sacramento

• Decomposed Body Found Near Hwy 108

  KCRA 3 Sacramento – 2 hrs 2 mins ago  

  A man's remains have been found in a shallow grave near Highway 108 in Tuolumne County, officials said. Full Story »

• Ski Biz Amped Up Over December Snow

  KCRA 3 Sacramento – Wed Dec 9, 9:05 pm ET  

  More than 48 hours after the last storm passed through the Sierra, the California Department of Transportation was still clearing roads. Full Story »

• Delta College Cuts Hundreds Of Classes

  KCRA 3 Sacramento – Wed Dec 9, 9:05 pm ET  

  Budget problems have forced San Joaquin Delta College in Stockton to cut classes, and that leaves students with fewer choices and fewer chances to get the classes they seek. Full Story »

• Tracy HR Head On 'Worst Bosses' List

  KCRA 3 Sacramento – Wed Dec 9, 8:50 pm ET  

  Tracy's Human Resources director has been put on "The eBossWatch Worst Bosses of 2009" list. Full Story »

• 10-Year-Old Missing Since Monday

  KCRA 3 Sacramento – Wed Dec 9, 8:05 pm ET  

  A 10-year-old boy from Sacramento's Valley Hi neighborhood has been missing since Monday night. Full Story »

The Vacaville Reporter

• Some pets a part of H1N1 flu toll

  The Vacaville Reporter – Wed Dec 9, 10:51 am ET  

  A handful of pets have been sickened with swine flu in recent weeks, but here are doctors' orders: Wash your hands and don't panic. Full Story »

• Solano County Board of Supervisors vote to save 11 positions

  The Vacaville Reporter – Wed Dec 9, 4:08 am ET  

  County leaders ended the calendar year the same way they started it: talking about recent budget cuts and warning of more. Full Story »

• Witness' memory challenged; Vacaville man, 77, who lost wife in fire, can't recall home's layout

  The Vacaville Reporter – Wed Dec 9, 4:08 am ET  

  Cross-examined during the Richard Strand arson-murder trial in Solano County Superior Court, a prime prosecution witness admitted Tuesday he wasn't very good when it came to remembering dates and times related to the 2007 house fire that took the Full Story »

• Sewer service fee increases in the pipeline for residents of Vacaville

  The Vacaville Reporter – Wed Dec 9, 4:08 am ET  

  Knowing sewer bill rates will increase in Vacaville, a reluctant City Council unanimously approved the first step in that process. Full Story »

• Vacaville mom and dad in court in child's death

  The Vacaville Reporter – Wed Dec 9, 4:08 am ET  

  Facing child endangerment and weapons charges after their 2-year-old daughter was accidentally shot to death, a Vacaville couple will return Thursday to Solano County Superior Court. Full Story »

Modesto Bee

• Stanislaus State students protest fees, loss of winter session

  Modesto Bee – 2 hrs 59 mins ago  

  Students at California State University, Stanislaus, let their feelings be known on Wednesday, protesting the increase in student fees and the loss of the winter session. Students are planning another campus protest on Thursday at 11:30 a.m. Full Story »

• Search warrants served on six Stanislaus County homes

  Modesto Bee – Wed Dec 9, 4:31 pm ET  

  More than 150 law enforcement officers swarmed on six houses in Stanislaus County this morning as part of an ongoing drug trafficking case. Full Story »

• Modesto-area grower named president of farm bureau federation

  Modesto Bee – Wed Dec 9, 3:47 pm ET  

  A Modesto-area nut grower was elected Wednesday president of the California Farm Bureau Federation during the group’s annual meeting this week in Anaheim. Full Story »

• Oakdale student hit by car, suffers broken leg

  Modesto Bee – Wed Dec 9, 11:54 am ET  

  An Oakdale elementary school student suffered a broken leg this morning after he was struck by a car while walking to school. Full Story »

• It won't be quite so cold tonight in Modesto, but it'll still freeze

  Modesto Bee – Wed Dec 9, 9:37 am ET  

  Residents of Modesto and surrounding communities in the Northern San Joaquin Valley experienced another cold, cold night, enduring a second round of freezing temperatures. But it shouldn't be so cold tonight. Full Story »

News10 Sacramento

• Body Found in Shallow Grave in Tuolumne County

  News10 Sacramento – 1 hr 26 mins ago  

  The Modesto Police Department is investigating the discovery of a man's body found in a shallow grave in rural Tuolumne County Wednesday. Full Story »

• Sacramento School Opens Student Health Clinic

  News10 Sacramento – 1 hr 26 mins ago  

  Sacramento's Hiram Johnson High School has opened a new health clinic making it easier for students to get healthcare. Full Story »

• Power Outages, School Closures Continue in El Dorado County

  News10 Sacramento – 2 hrs 41 mins ago  

  Nearly three days after a snowstorm wrecked havoc on power lines, utility crews were still working to restore electricity to approximately 9,000 customers in El Dorado County. Full Story »

• One Taken to Hospital When Boat Capsizes

  News10 Sacramento – 2 hrs 56 mins ago  

  A boat overturned on a waterway near French Camp, sending people into the frigid water. Full Story »

• Roseville Woman Convicted of First Degree Murder of Friend

  News10 Sacramento – Wed Dec 9, 8:41 pm ET  

  A Placer County jury Wednesday found a 26-year-old Roseville woman guilty of first degree murder in the 2008 slaying of a longtime friend. Full Story »

FOX40 Sacramento

• Baptist Deacon Accused of Child Molest

  FOX40 Sacramento – Wed Dec 9, 7:11 pm ET  

  A prominent deacon of the Baptist Church in Cool in El Dorado County has been arrested for molesting two Sacramento area girls. 65 year old Robert "Bob" Cowan was arrested by Sacramento County child molest detectives. They say he frequently attended in-home bible study sessions. The alleged incidents occurred during one such session on October 22. Full Story »

• Church Deacon Arrested On Child Molestation Charges

  FOX40 Sacramento – Wed Dec 9, 2:41 pm ET  

  FOX40.com - Northern California's breaking news source A church deacon is in custody after authorities say he allegedly molested a child during an in-home bible study session. Full Story »

• Thinking Twice About Tattoos

  FOX40 Sacramento – Wed Dec 9, 2:26 am ET  

  Tattoos are all the rage these days, but what you may think is cool art or personal expression, may work against you when you look for a job. A lot of employers frown on tattoos, and it has a lot of people thinking twice about getting one now. Full Story »

• Man Rams Deputy's Car For Help

  FOX40 Sacramento – Wed Dec 9, 1:57 am ET  

  A man who says he was kidnapped, held hostage and robbed may have saved his own life by crashing the car he was driving into a Sacramento sheriff deputy's squad car. Full Story »

• Schwarzenegger Pushes Lawmakers To Reform Schools

  FOX40 Sacramento – Tue Dec 8, 10:26 pm ET  

  Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger is urging state lawmakers to get serious about education reforms California must make to compete for a one-time pot of federal money. Full Story »

Sierra Sun

• Ritz-Carlton Highlands, Lake Tahoe open for business

  Sierra Sun – 1 min ago  

  NORTHSTAR-AT-TAHOE - Nearly a hundred interested locals attended Wednesday's grand opening of the Ritz-Carlton Highlands, Lake-Tahoe, which featured speakers dedicating the hotel to the region. The project, which began as an idea nearly three years ago in a hotel in Denver, Colo., led to this day, said Allen Highfield, the hotel's general manager. "I started saying this resort is going to be ... Full Story »

• Parties near settlement in Truckee chiropractor arson case

  Sierra Sun – 1 min ago  

  TRUCKEE, Calif. - A settlement may soon be reached in the arson case in which a local chiropractor is accused of burning her home and two other buildings earlier this year. Dr. Erinn Tamney Randall pleaded not guilty this summer to burning her Glenshire home, a downtown Truckee chiropractic office and a building in Loyalton, all in the first week of June. Nevada County Deputy District Attorney ... Full Story »

• Truckee boys basketball: Wolverines' comeback falls short against Wooster

  Sierra Sun – 2 mins ago  

  TRUCKEE - The Truckee boys basketball team came up a bucket short, 58-56, on its comeback attempt against 4A Wooster on Tuesday. The loss dropped Truckee to 2-2 overall on the season. Check back for a full game story. Full Story »

• Here comes Santa Claus in Truckee Tahoe

  Sierra Sun – 2 mins ago  

  Santa's Sledding Party For almost 60 years, the Tahoe City Rotary has sponsored a "Santa's Sledding Party" North Shore children at Granlibakken Resort, 725 Granlibakken Road, Tahoe City. This year's event will take place Sunday, Dec. 13, from noon to 4 p.m. All children from pre-school to 9 years and their parents are invited. Santa will arrive by North Tahoe Fire Protection District fire truck ... Full Story »

• Lake Tahoe casino to close, Bill's chief cites downward trend in business levels

  Sierra Sun – 2 mins ago  

  SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - After 22 years of operation, Bill's Lake Tahoe Casino will permanently close on Jan. 4, according to an internal memo from Harrah's and Harveys Lake Tahoe. The casino, Bar 24 Tap Room & Grill and Lake Monster Tattoo located on Lake Tahoe Boulevard between the MontBleu Casino Resort and Spa and Harrah's will all close after the new year. The decision came after a ... Full Story »

The Union Democrat

• Board discusses the weather

  The Union Democrat – 49 mins ago  

  It was a sunny Tuesday morning in Copperopolis when Calaveras County Supervisor Russ Thomas started wondering if he was still in California. “I was put in mind, when I was driving up this morning, that I was in Idaho or something,” he told his fellow board members at the start of Tuesday’s Board of Supervisors meeting in San Andreas. Full Story »

• Parks closer to getting Prop. 40 funds

  The Union Democrat – 49 mins ago  

  A few more of the bureaucratic barriers to a group of 15 state-funded soccer fields, skate ramps and other park projects in Calaveras County were cleared Tuesday, a year before the program’s construction deadline. Nearly six years to the day after the Board of Supervisors voted to apply for $1.2 million from Proposition 40 for the county’s parks, the board took a crack at resolving the latest ... Full Story »

• Central Sierra Arts Council president Casey dies at 63

  The Union Democrat – 50 mins ago  

  The president of the Central Sierra Arts Council, Robert Patrick “Bob” Casey, died Sunday at age 63. Ten weeks ago, Casey underwent complex surgery for throat cancer and was “recovering extremely well” when he suffered “massive heart failure,” said his wife of 21 years, Patty Larrick, of Groveland. Full Story »

• Robbery suspect arrested

  The Union Democrat – 50 mins ago  

  Tuolumne County sheriff’s deputies have apprehended the man suspected of robbing the R&L Mini Mart in Columbia on Nov. 25. According to Lt. Ken Diaz, spokesman for the Tuolumne County Sheriff’s Office, Shawn Michael Webb, 36, of the 13800 block of Jenny Lind Road in Columbia, was caught in a home on the 10700 block of Wigwam Road in Jamestown by deputies investigating an attempted fraud at Fifth ... Full Story »

• Long meeting continues today

  The Union Democrat – 50 mins ago  

  Slick roads and a long agenda prompted the Tuolumne County Board of Supervisors to continue Tuesday’s meeting to 1:30 p.m. today. It’s a rare move for supervisors, who meet on Tuesdays. But with sub-freezing temperatures set to turn the day’s melting snow to ice, the board decided the best move was to continue the meeting. Full Story »