Bay Area News (BETA)

As if a projected $20.7 billion state budget deficit wasn't bad enough, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has another financial headache to deal with: clearing up paperwork related to his 2004 and 2005 federal taxes. The tangle involves a lien of $79,064 placed on...

A state appeals court has blocked a judge's order removing the lawyer Nancy Garrido wants to defend her against charges of helping her husband kidnap and rape Jaycee Dugard and hold her captive for 18 years. In its order late Wednesday, the Third District...

An elderly couple died in the ocean near Bodega Bay on Thursday, their bodies found with the wreckage of their 20-foot boat, Coast Guard officials said today. The couple launched their wooden-hull, motorized boat near the Salmon Creek area north of the bay...

Friday, Nov. 27 Federal, state courts and offices Federal offices open; courts and state offices closed.City and county offices Many closedBanks, savings institutions OpenPost offices OpenSchools ClosedStoresMost openPublic transit-- BART, MuniRegular...

Ursula Crane and her caregiver, Andrea Carr, made somewhat of an unusual compromise this year. If Carr agreed to cut her hair, Crane would consider trading in her old chair for a new one. One that she could get in and out of easily, that would make her more...

Pierluigi Oliverio, a former software executive who's called for the city to explore outsourcing some jobs, now wants to ditch an online program for students and use the money to keep librarians employed.

A day after collapsing on the field during a Thanksgiving Day high school football game, 16-year-old Matt Blea remained in critical, unstable condition Friday, suffering from a skull fracture as his teammates, friends and teachers gathered at a nearby community center to lend moral support to his family.

San Jose program helps the elderly maintain independence while living in their homes.

IRS lien on Arnold Schwarzenegger's home was posted to the Web Friday by gossip site TMZ.com.

Police officials clarified their policy this week following a front-page article in the Mercury News on Sunday that quoted a police department supervisor who said dispatchers don't automatically send out Crisis Intervention Team, or CIT, officers when mentally ill people are threatening to harm others or themselves.

CBS 5 has recieved a lot of feedback after revealing that the flagship Banana Republic store on Grant Avenue in San Francisco hired 39 international employees to work for the holiday season. On Friday, the company responed to our story.

A surf advisory issued by the National Weather Service for Bay Area beaches went into effect Friday morning as large waves began to hit the coast.

A woman escaped injury after a live power line fell on her vehicle in Pacifica Friday afternoon, a PG&E spokesman said.

One person has been rescued and the U.S. Coast Guard was searching for a second possible person who fell into the water when a boat capsized near Half Moon Bay Friday afternoon, a Coast Guard operations specialist said.

The shooting took place at a duplex on Mead Avenue near San Pablo Avenue. The five-year-old girl was put on a stretcher with a relative and taken to Children's Hospital Oakland.

HAYWARD, Calif. -- A vigil will be held at 6 p.m. Friday night near the location where Thomas Cunningham of Hayward was shot to death in front of his 13-year-old daughter.

HALF MOON BAY, Calif. -- One person has been rescued and the U.S. Coast Guard is searching for a second possible person who fell into the water when a boat capsized near Half Moon Bay Friday afternoon, a Coast Guard operations specialist said.

RENO, Nev. -- A new report shows that more than half of Reno-area homeowners with a mortgage owe more to the bank than their homes are worth. First American CoreLogic reports that 52.6 percent of homeowners, or 51,797, were "underwater" on their mortgages by the end of the third quarter.

PACIFICA, Calif. -- A woman escaped injury after a live power line fell on her vehicle in Pacifica Friday afternoon, a PG&E spokesman said. The incident was reported shortly before 1:40 p.m. on Palmetto Avenue, according to PG&E spokesman J.D. Guidi.

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger will refile tax information to clear an IRS lien for nearly $80,000 after a celebrity Web site posted an IRS document showing Schwarzenegger owed the money, his spokesman said Friday.

It's our annual holiday gift guide courtesy Scott McGrew and his constant gadget research.

The family may be gathered 'round, but don't even think about firing up that fireplace.

Rupert Murdoch may have a new ally in the fight against Google.

Producers may find San Francisco a lot more gay than just one American Idol winner.

Vallejo Mayor hates "the sin" of gay sex, but not gay people.

When Thanksgiving dinner is all finished, what are you going to do with all that trash?

A Muni LRV struck a pedestrian Tuesday afternoon at Embarcadero and Bryant Street.

At a Board of Supervisors committee meeting on Muni safety, police announced an increased presence to cope with the rising crime rate.

Sarah Palin has been all over TV this week, promoting her new book "Going Rogue." But the former GOP vice-presidential candidate opened up to Barbara Walters.

Police are looking for information on the robbery that occurred Tuesday evening.

The money will be used on three construction projects.

The city is awarded $800,000 this year, up from $250,000 last year.

Stockton and San Joaquin County officials can challenge the maneuver.

PLEASANTON — A San Ramon man was arrested this week after police found him with equipment they suspect he used to produce fake driver's licenses for minors across the state, police said.

OAKLAND — A 4-year-old girl wounded in the back by an errant bullet fired from outside her West Oakland home this morning is in stable condition at a hospital, authorities said.

OAKLAND — A 21-year-old man was in critical condition this afternoon after he was shot while driving a car in Brookfield Village, police said.The shooting happened about 2:45 p.

Police believe gunman may live in Kelly Hill area where slaying occurred

Police are looking for information on the robbery that occurred Tuesday evening.

Tiger Woods was injured in a car accident early Friday outside his Florida mansion, and his wife smashed out the back window and help get the world's No. 1 golfer out of his SUV.

Winner gets a free tank of gas courtesy of Mr. Roadshow.

CALIFORNIA'S FISCAL outlook continues to worsen. Concern is mounting over the impact the state's budget deficit will have on education funding.The California Teachers Association (CTA), along with state Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O'Connell, claims California's per-pupil funding now

Thousands of free holiday meals served in greater Hayward and Fremont areas.

Aging ex-athletes are looking forward to one last game at Mission San Jose High.

A survivor forges new path after childhood in war

The CHP logs 87 holiday arrests compared with last year's 83.

A show opening Friday at the Foster City theater celebrates the singer's holiday classics.

About 40 students, faculty and others from Notre Dame de Namur University in Belmont traveled to San Francisco last week to feed the homeless in Golden Gate Park.

The start date is uncertain for train-arrival tracking information.

Assemblyman Jerry Hill has done a worthy thing by forgoing 20 percent of his salary at a time of massive state budget cuts, but it also shows why he's such a smooth operator — not just any politician can turn fiscal lemons into PR lemonade.

ASHLAND — A 70-foot palm tree caught on fire Friday after being struck by lightning during a late afternoon thunderstorm.Fire crews responded to the blaze on 1024 Delano St.

Police believe gunman may live in Kelly Hill area where slaying occurred

Winner gets a free tank of gas courtesy of Mr. Roadshow.

ANDRE WARD did Hayward proud Saturday night when he took the title for the Super Middleweight Division in boxing. This was my first boxing match, so I wasn't sure what to expect, but I loved it.

SAM NOUV, OWNER of Lee's Donuts, was the focus of the Donut Hole Open Bocce Tournament last weekend at the bocce courts at Adobe Park.As many readers know, Sam has been recovering from a beating when his shop was robbed in October, leaving him with a multitude of medical bills.

Next year's big contests for governor and for the United States Senate are closer than they seem. On this week's Capital Notes Podcast, we take a pause from weekly events to check in on where the candidates and campaigns stand as 2009 comes to a close. The gubernatorial and senatorial campaigns will become high profile, [...]

Let the political handwringing begin. Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and Lieutenant Governor-designate Abel Maldonado made their big debut this morning at an event in Los Angeles, with the Guv calling Maldo his "soulmate," and the GOP senator offering an almost tearful thank you amidst a recounting of his immigrant family's path to the American Dream. But now what? [...]

The guessing game is over, now that Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger used the most unlikely of platforms -- a national TV talk show -- to announce a political decision that only matters here in California, his choice for lieutenant governor. And even its relevance to Californians may be debatable. Calling Abel Maldonado "terrific" and "loyal," Schwarzenegger [...]