CAMARILLO, Calif. (AP) — Rains moved across Southern California on Monday, dousing remnants of a wildfire that blackened thousands of acres in coastal mountains and bringing much-needed moisture to a region left parched by a dry winter.
The 44-square-mile burn area in the western Santa Monica Mountains was 85 percent surrounded, and firefighters worked in muddy and slippery conditions to complete containment.
Ventura County Fire spokesman Tony McHale...
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Family members of a Utah soccer referee who died a week after a player punched him in the head called on athletes around the world Sunday night to hold their tempers in check so another family doesn't have to suffer.
They spoke at a candlelight vigil held on the front lawn of the Salt Lake City home of Ricardo Portillo, 46. Wearing white shirts and holding signs that read, "In loving memory of Ricky," family and friends stood around a table that had...
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — A year to the day after kicking off his victorious re-election campaign on this college campus, President Barack Obama returned to Ohio State University and told graduates that only through vigorous participation in their democracy can they right an ill-functioning government and break through relentless cynicism about the nation's future.
"I dare you, Class of 2013, to do better. I dare you to dream bigger," Obama said.
In a...
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — A newlywed bride was celebrating a night out with friends when the limousine they were in erupted in flames on a San Francisco Bay bridge, killing the bride and four other women who were trapped inside and injuring four who escaped, authorities and her family said Sunday.
The driver, who was not hurt, told investigators he was driving the women on the San Mateo-Hayward Bridge Saturday night when one of them complained of smoke inside the passenger...
MURRAY, Utah (AP) — A Utah soccer referee who slipped into a coma after being punched by a teenage player during a game a week ago died Saturday night, police said.
Ricardo Portillo, 46, of Salt Lake City passed away at the hospital, where he was being treated following an assault, Unified police spokesman Justin Hoyal said.
Police have accused a 17-year-old player in a recreational soccer league of punching Portillo after the man called a foul on...
BOSTON (AP) — Lawyers for a man charged with lying to investigators after the Boston Marathon bombings are asking a federal judge to release him from jail, saying he had nothing to do with the deadly bombings and isn't a flight risk.
Robel Phillipos, 19, of Cambridge, faces a detention hearing Monday in U.S. District Court. Defense attorneys said in court documents filed Saturday that authorities' claim that Phillipos gave them conflicting accounts is "refutable."...
Today is Sunday, May 5, the 125th day of 2013. There are 240 days left in the year.
Today's Highlight in History:
On May 5, 1813, Danish philosopher Soren Kierkegaard, considered the father of existentialism, was born in Copenhagen.
On this date:
In 1821, Napoleon Bonaparte, 51, died in exile on the island of St. Helena.
In 1862, Mexican...
ISRAEL-SYRIA
Syria says Israel strikes military research center
BEIRUT (AP) — The Syrian state news agency SANA, citing initial reports, says Israeli missiles have targeted a military research center near the capital Damascus.
A Syrian activist group, the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, reported large explosions in the area of the Jamraya research center early Sunday.
If confirmed, Sunday's...
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — Alaska's Cleveland Volcano is undergoing a continuous low-level eruption following an explosion early Saturday morning, scientists from the Alaska Volcano Observatory and the U.S. Geological Survey said.
Satellites and cameras suggest low-level emissions of gas, steam and ash, scientists said, and satellites detected highly elevated surface temperatures at the summit. A faint plume of ash extended eastward below 15,000 feet, but the Federal...
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — As the National Rifle Association holds its annual meeting in Houston, state lawmakers in Austin are also tackling the issue of gun owners' rights.
The Texas House has approved about one dozen measures to soften gun restrictions in the state, including a plan to allow college students to carry concealed weapons to class. That measure, which sparked heated debate, allows colleges to opt-out, which helped sway some critics.
Another...
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