 Court rules on gay rights case
 K.C. ALFRED / Union-Tribune
Guadalupe Benitez (right) and her partner, Joanne Clark, had their son, Gabriel Clark-Benitez, with them as they spoke with reporters yesterday about a California Supreme Court decision that favored advocates of same-sex rights.
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Church, tribes reach compromise on bingo
Lawmakers update bill for vote before session adjourns
SACRAMENTO, Aug. 19
The Catholic Church and California's Indian gaming tribes have struck a compromise that would permit a major expansion of conventional bingo while outlawing electronic versions played on machines that look and act a lot like slots.
Amendments outlining the agreement were inserted into a bill yesterday with lawmakers scrambling to wrap up business before adjourning for the year at the end of the month.
More California & The West News
SACRAMENTO, 6:02 p.m. Aug. 19 (AP)Tax talk angers Calif. GOP leader: A top Republican lawmaker has walked out of budget negotiations with Democrats and Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger because he is upset about their plans to raise taxes. LOS ANGELES, 5:11 p.m. Aug. 19 (AP)
City controller questioned by FBI about L.A. city attorney: City Controller Laura Chick said Tuesday she had been questioned by the FBI and the U.S. attorney's office about her audit of the workers compensation unit supervised by City Attorney Rocky Delgadillo. LOS ANGELES, 12:59 p.m. Aug. 19 (AP)
55 suspects arrested in 8-month child porn probe: Fifty-five men, including a sheriff's deputy and at least one attorney, were charged with possessing child pornography following an eight-month investigation, authorities said Tuesday. MODESTO, 12:59 p.m. Aug. 19 (AP)
Modesto Bee offers buyouts to all full-timers: The Modesto Bee is offering all its full-time employees buyouts, the newspaper's second round of buyout offers this year. WASHINGTON, 2:00 p.m. Aug. 19 (AP)
Sen. Feinstein breaks ankle, will skip convention: Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., has broken her ankle and will skip next week's Democratic National Convention.
DAVENPORT, Wash., 8:41 a.m. Aug. 19 (AP)
Wildfire races over big area of eastern Wash.: Firefighters in eastern Washington say a wildfire has raced across about 35 square miles of grass, sagebrush and some scattered trees in a sparsely populated region.
LOS ANGELES, 7:55 a.m. Aug. 19 (AP)
Calif. activist gets 4-year term for witness bribe: A Muslim activist and frequent critic of local police was sentenced to four years in prison after pleading guilty to trying to bribe a witness in a case involving his daughter.
MANHATTAN BEACH, 9:01 a.m. Aug. 19 (AP)Plastic bag makers sue over Manhattan Beach ban: Plastic bag retailers and manufacturers are suing Manhattan Beach over the city's recent plastic bag ban. LA HONDA, 8:46 a.m. Aug. 19 (AP)
Teen who walked away from juvenile facility back in custody: A 16-year-old boy who walked away from a juvenile detention facility in San Mateo County during the night is back in custody. BUENA PARK, 8:41 a.m. Aug. 19 (AP)
Fake police detective pulls theater heist: A man with a badge and gun posed as a police detective to get into a back office and rob a Buena Park movie theater. PHOENIX, 1:52 a.m. Aug. 19 (AP)
Search to resume for missing Grand Canyon tourists: A handful of hikers remained unaccounted for after flooding struck a tiny village near the Grand Canyon rim, a community so remote it is the only one in America where the mail is delivered by mule.
LOS ANGELES, 12:23 a.m. Aug. 19 (AP)
At inner-city L.A. high, nearly 6 in 10 drop out: Amid the verdant lawn and leafy trees of the tidy Jefferson Senior High School campus, a police officer patrols the grounds and a sign warns that guns are illegal.
SANTA BARBARA, 5:59 a.m. Aug. 19 (AP)
Officer shoots dog during scuffle with owner: A Santa Barbara police officer shot a dog attacking him during a scuffle with the knife-wielding owner.
VALLEJO, 5:44 a.m. Aug. 19 (AP)
Fire in Vallejo retirement home claims second life: A fire at a Vallejo retirement home last week has claimed a second life. Officials say 74-year-old John Argente has died after a four-alarm fire at the Casa de Vallejo on Friday.
WATSONVILLE, 5:27 a.m. Aug. 19 (AP)
Policeman gets prison for soliciting nude photos: A San Jose policeman has been sentenced to two years in prison for soliciting nude photographs from a female high school athlete.
LOS ANGELES, 5:03 a.m. Aug. 19 (AP)
False testimony leads judge to throw out L.A. case: A judge has thrown out an attempted murder case and freed a suspect in custody for three years because of false testimony by a Los Angeles Police officer.
SANTA ANA, 2:26 a.m. Aug. 19 (AP)
OC judge rejects motion to delay murderer's trial: An Orange County judge has rejected a motion by the Mexican government to delay the penalty phase of the trial of a convicted murderer.
CHINO, 1:29 a.m. Aug. 19 (AP)
Chino cattleman gets probation for animal cruelty: A Chino cattleman found with sick cows and rotting carcasses in his dairy barn has been sentenced to three years probation for animal cruelty.
RENO, Nev., 7:11 a.m. Aug. 19 (AP)
457-mile off-road 'Vegas to Reno' race Friday: If law enforcement cooperates and bathroom breaks are kept to a minimum, Nevadans with a lead foot know it's possible to make the 450-mile trip from Las Vegas to Reno in less than seven hours.
ELKO, Nev., 6:45 a.m. Aug. 19 (AP)
California teen killed in crash north of Ely: A 15-year-old California girl has died from injuries she suffered in a crash on U.S. Highway 93 about 60 miles north of Ely.
ELKO, Nev., 6:40 a.m. Aug. 19 (AP)
Elko man arrested in extortion plot at Pizza Hut: A man accused of trying to extort $500 from a Pizza Hut in Elko was foiled by his own cell phone camera.
SACRAMENTO, 8:03 p.m. Aug. 18 (UNION-TRIBUNE)
Church, gaming tribes reach deal on bingo machines: The Catholic Church and California's Indian gaming tribes have struck a compromise that would permit a major expansion of conventional bingo while outlawing electronic versions played on machines that look and act a lot like slots.
LOS ANGELES, 8:29 p.m. Aug. 18 (AP)State fines 18 hospitals for shoddy care: Eighteen hospitals were fined Monday for state health code violations in which patients died from various mishaps such as an improperly inserted tube and a ventilator that wasn't turned on. Other violations include surgical tools left inside patients after surgery.
SACRAMENTO, 12:15 a.m. Aug. 18 (AP)
Republicans kill $6.6B Democratic tax package: Republicans in the state Assembly have rejected a Democratic proposal for $6.6 billion in tax increases on the wealthy and corporations despite an offer to boost the state's rainy day fund. The failed vote pushes California's budget impasse into its eighth week with no compromise in sight.
LOS ANGELES, 5:36 p.m. Aug. 18 (AP)SoCal regional air district sued over emission credits: A coalition of environmental groups filed a federal lawsuit Monday against Southern California's anti-smog agency accusing it of unlawfully allowing companies to pollute by selling them invalid emission credits. SAN FRANCISCO, 5:42 p.m. Aug. 18 (AP)
Two-year sentence for accosting scholar Wiesel: A New Jersey man convicted of accosting Holocaust scholar Elie Wiesel in a San Francisco hotel will be released from jail after a judge sentenced him to two years Monday, but gave him credit for time served and good behavior. SACRAMENTO, 3:48 p.m. Aug. 18 (AP)
Democrat punished for not backing party proposal: A Democratic member of the Assembly was kicked out of her Capitol office Monday for not supporting the party's state budget proposal. FRESNO, 3:49 p.m. Aug. 18 (AP)
Mexican peppers posed problem long before outbreak: Federal inspectors at U.S. border crossings repeatedly turned back filthy, disease-ridden shipments of peppers from Mexico in the months before a salmonella outbreak that sickened 1,400 people was finally traced to Mexican chilies. RENO, Nev., 3:59 p.m. Aug. 18 (AP)
Evacuations ordered, home burns in Reno brush fire: Evacuations were ordered Monday afternoon in a residential area on the north edge of Reno where a fast-moving brush fire destroyed at least one home and damaged several others.
SAN LUIS OBISPO, 1:29 p.m. Aug. 18 (AP)Reactor shut down after fire at Calif. nuke plant: Authorities are investigating a fire at a California nuclear plant that forced a reactor to be shut down. RENO, Nev., 1:44 p.m. Aug. 18 (AP)
Luxury yacht at Lake Tahoe sells for $3.2 million: An unidentified Nevadan outbid more than 40 other potential investors last week for a world-class luxury yacht at Lake Tahoe.
TEMPERANCE FLAT, Aug. 18
Issues swirl around proposed dams: Ron Jacobsma shifts his boat into idle, stopping to float right where he wants to see another dam rise across the San Joaquin River.
GUSTINE, Aug. 18
Bullfights preserve culture, animals: The lead man for the “Turlock Suicide Squad,” wearing a green knit cap and a tight toreador-style suit, put his hands on his hips and strutted toward the bull, daring him to charge.
OLIVEHURST, 11:18 a.m. Aug. 18 (AP)
Californian accused of shooting own truck: A Sacramento area man has been arrested after he allegedly shot his own vehicle and another truck in a road rage incident.
YUBA CITY, 11:10 a.m. Aug. 18 (AP)
Watercraft kills 3-year-old California child: A 3-year-old boy is dead after being hit by a personal watercraft at a Feather River beach. Sutter County sheriff's Sgt. Greg Zembiec says 63-year-old John Blanchard and 50-year-old Allan Minkema of Yuba City hit the boy when they steered the watercraft to the beach at 15 to 20 mph Saturday.
MINDEN, Nev., 10:56 a.m. Aug. 18 (AP)
California 108 reopens south of Nev. line: A California highway that was closed due to a wildfire just south of the Nevada state line has reopened.
LUDLOW, 10:48 a.m. Aug. 18 (AP)
Off-duty officers shoot would-be Dairy Queen thief: Two of the five off-duty officers inside the Ludlow Dairy Queen shot a would-be robber armed with a screwdriver.
LANCASTER, 10:43 a.m. Aug. 18 (AP)
Brush fire scorches 250 acres in Angeles forest: Cooler temperatures and calmer winds on Monday helped firefighters tackle a 250-acre wildfire, officials said.
LOS ANGELES, 10:40 a.m. Aug. 18 (AP)
SUV thief commits suicide at end of chase: The coroner's office says the driver of a stolen SUV who led police on a chase before crashing in flames in Rosemead died from a self-inflicted gunshot to the head.
HYGIENE, Colo., 9:58 a.m. Aug. 18 (AP)
Cow chases off bear in Colorado: Residents of a rural Colorado town say a cow named Apple chased off a bear that had climbed into her favorite apple tree.
RENO, Nev., 9:49 a.m. Aug. 18 (AP)
Luxury yacht at Lake Tahoe sells for $3.2 million: An unidentified Nevadan outbid more than 40 other potential investors last week for a world-class luxury yacht at Lake Tahoe.
RIVERSIDE, 9:48 a.m. Aug. 18 (AP)
Couple recovers SUV, dog dies after cemetery theft: A couple recovered their sport utility vehicle stolen as they visited Riverside National Cemetery, but it was too late to save their prized pet.
RENO, Nev., 9:10 a.m. Aug. 18 (AP)
Motorcylist killed in crash north of Reno: State troopers are investigating a fatal motorcycle accident on Pyramid Highway north of Reno.
MINDEN, Nev., 9:02 a.m. Aug. 18 (AP)
Douglas Planners reject 4,000-home project: A big housing project proposed north of Minden and Gardnerville has been put on hold. Douglas County planning commissioners rejected Park Cattle Company's plan to build more than 4,000 homes on a 1,300-acre parcel, though the county commission could overturn the vote at its meeting Sept. 4.
SAN MATEO, 6:21 a.m. Aug. 18 (AP)
Thousands turn out for last day at Bay Meadows: Bay Meadows was a busy place as thousands of people showed up to see the last day of horse racing at the track.
OAKLAND, 5:42 a.m. Aug. 18 (AP)
Four-year-old boy shot by father dies: Authorities say a four-year-old boy who was shot by his father earlier this month has died. A Contra Costa County sheriff's office spokesman says Christian Valladolid died at Children's Hospital Oakland early Friday evening after he was taken off life support.
MALIBU, 5:33 a.m. Aug. 18 (AP)
Producer in critically injured after car hits her: Authorities say Hollywood producer and talent manager Joan Hyler was in critical condition after she was hit by a car on the Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu.
SAN LUIS OBISPO, 5:25 a.m. Aug. 18 (AP)
Fire shuts down Diablo nuclear plant reactor: The Unit 2 reactor at the Diablo Canyon Nuclear Power Plant has been shut down because of a transformer fire at the San Luis Obispo County coastal facility.
RENO, Nev., 5:11 a.m. Aug. 18 (AP)
Reno teen trying to burn spiders sets home on fire: Fire investigators have come up with an unusual cause of a blaze that damaged a home in Reno – spider killing.
MINDEN, Nev., 5:01 a.m. Aug. 18 (AP)
Douglas Planners reject 4,000-home project: A big housing project proposed north of Minden and Gardnerville has been put on hold. Douglas County planning commissioners rejected Park Cattle Company's plan last week to build more than 4,000 homes on a 1,300-acre parcel, saying they think it is premature.
MINDEN, Nev., 4:45 a.m. Aug. 18 (AP)
Wildfire closes California 108 south of Nev. line: A wildfire has forced the closure of a California highway just south of the Nevada state line.
VILLA PARK, 3:32 a.m. Aug. 18 (AP)
Girl, 14, stabbed, wounded by stranger in OC: Authorities say a 14-year-old girl was stabbed and wounded by a stranger as she walked home from breakfast with a friend's family in Orange County.
Starting July 1, 2008, drivers in California must use a hands-free device while talking on a cell phone or risk getting a fine.
