A national group that helps local, nonprofit land trusts buy up property to protect natural resources is creating a first-of-its-kind liability insurance company to help them cover the costs of legal battles with developers.

The creators of Solar Impulse - considered the world's most-advanced sun-powered plane - say their cross-country journey will mark a milestone in aviation history.

Los Angeles fire officials say two firefighters were burned and had to be hospitalized after fighting flames at a burning house in the Sherman Oaks area.

Disturbed by the nationwide epidemic of cellphone robberies and thefts, law enforcement officials are looking to the wireless industry for help.

An 89-year-old San Diego woman has earned a degree from Grand Canyon University in Phoenix.

Calaveras County sheriff's officials say investigators will be knocking on the doors of hundreds of homes as they try to find possible witnesses in their search for the killer of 8-year-old girl Leila Fowler.

Fire officials say thunderstorms predicted for parts of Northern California are expected to bring strong winds but little rain as crews continue to battle a wildfire burning northeast of Chico.

Moist, cool and calm weather is greatly helping Southern California firefighters battling a huge wildfire in coastal Ventura County.

Police have arrested a man who allegedly broke through the front window of a Fresno home and bit off the homeowner's finger.

Police want help finding a schizophrenic Garden Grove man who escaped from a mental health facility because he has threatened an elementary school in the past.

Los Angeles County Sheriff's authorities say a man charged with murder was accidentally released from jail last month because of a clerical error.

A federal jury in Los Angeles has convicted a former South Korean law enforcement officer for trying to smuggle nearly 40,000 phony erectile dysfunction pills into the U.S.

The state Assembly has narrowly approved a compact authorizing the North Fork Rancheria of Mono Indians to build an off-reservation casino north of Fresno.

A California Department of Transportation employee has been killed on a freeway while on his way to a workers memorial ceremony in Sacramento.

An independent hospital accreditation agency has made an unannounced visit to the Nevada psychiatric facility at the center of a "patient dumping" investigation.

Crews battling a growing wildfire in Northern California's Tehama County are bracing for another day of gusty winds and low humidity.

A sheriff's spokesman says a potential witness in the killing of an 8-year-old Calaveras County girl has recanted her statements about seeing a possible suspect running from the girl's home and "is no longer credible."

A third-grade teacher at an Alameda County school has been arrested on charges that he molested a number of female pupils.

The board overseeing California's high-speed rail project has voted to give its largest private contractor another $96 million and two more years to perform architectural and engineering work, but warned that it will exercise rigorous oversight.

Professional athletes who spent most of their careers with teams in other states would no longer be able to file workers' compensation claims in California under a bill headed to the state Senate.

A wind-driven wildfire is raging close to homes in communities 50 miles west of Los Angeles and residents are evacuating.

California's last snow survey of the season is bad news for the millions of state residents who rely on the snowpack for their water.

Southern California fire officials say a fast-moving wildfire has whipped through about 200 acres of Riverside County near Banning, where winds are blowing at 29 mph.

Commercial salmon fishermen are heading to sea from San Francisco and other area ports in what is expected to be a strong fishing season.

More than 150 pro-union demonstrators gathered on the steps of San Francisco's City Hall in the first of at least two protests planned in the city on May Day.