Free Republic

CERES, Calif. -- A Ceres toddler accidentally shot herself to death Wednesday using a handgun she found in her home, police say. Authorities said they received a call at 7:42 a.m. reporting a shooting at a home on Ninth Street. The 2-year-old girl, who was not immediately identified, was pronounced dead at Memorial Medical Center in Modesto. Police said the girl's parents were being questioned by investigators. "There's really nothing to make us believe at this point that they're not telling us the true story, but we certainly have an obligation to either substantiate that or not support it by...

Two female Sacramento County sheriff's deputies resigned Monday after department officials began investigating allegations that the women had phone sex with inmates in the Main Jail while on duty, officials said. A number of conversations transpired between the deputies -- whom officials declined to name -- and two inmates before an illicit conversation was intercepted by another jail employee, who alerted supervisors, said Sheriff John McGinness. Each conversation allegedly involved one inmate and one deputy, but the women apparently "exchanged information" about their talks with the inmates. Although the intercepted conversation initially led authorities to believe otherwise, McGinness said, the...

A defense investigator who specialized in death penalty cases was charged Wednesday in Sacramento Superior Court with perjury and 22 counts each of forgery and counterfeiting signatures, court documents say. Kathleen Culhane, 40, of Petaluma, is suspected of falsifying documents in five death-penalty cases, including that of Michael Morales, a man whose execution was stayed last year for unrelated reasons, her attorney, Stuart Hanlon, said. A warrant was issued Friday for Culhane's arrest and she turned herself in at the Sacramento Main Jail on Monday evening. Hanlon said Culhane has dedicated the latter part of her career to opposing the...

It's all recycled.

NEWINGTON, CT, Dec 15, 2006 -- In an historic move, the FCC has acted to drop the Morse code requirement for all Amateur Radio license classes. The Commission today adopted, but hasn't yet released, the long-awaited Report and Order (R&O) in WT Docket 05-235, the "Morse code" proceeding.SNIP "This change eliminates an unnecessary regulatory burden that may discourage current Amateur Radio operators from advancing their skills and participating more fully in the benefits of Amateur Radio," the FCC said. The ARRL had asked the FCC to retain the 5 WPM for Amateur Extra class applicants only. The FCC proposed earlier...

Members talk about the making of 'Money'

As many as 30 farm workers are hospitalized along with two health care workers at Methodist hospital in South Sacramento. They were accidentally sprayed with an organic phosphate spray while working in an apple orchard on Grant Island in the California Delta. They were working in the orchard when a crop duster sprayed where they were working.

Video of a guy rigging 8500 bottle rockets to set off at (nearly) the same time.

Hello folks, Sorry that this message isn't a notification of a new parody, but I figure this is a necessary note to send. The long and short of it is this: after three years as Butcher of Sacred Cow Burgers, I have decided to hang up my cleaver. I figured I should let you all know why. Foremost in the making of this decision is a very happy turn of events: I am going to be a father. My wife informed me of this miraculous news just days before Father's Day of this year. The responsibility of becoming a parent...

The doormat to the Loomis home on James Drive reads "Come Back With a Search Warrant." Placer County sheriff's detectives did just that Wednesday as they arrested four men and recovered a 3,000-pound ATM that had been stolen from Cal Expo hours before. Sgt. Brian Whigam said the culprits took the machine to the Loomis home and used a sledgehammer, a pry bar and an acetylene torch to get the machine open -- all to no avail. "There was a large amount of cash inside, but they never got any of it," he said.

06-12) 16:03 PDT SAN FRANCISCO -- An initiative that San Francisco voters approved last November banning residents from owning handguns violated state law, a Superior Court judge ruled today. Proposition H, which won a 58 percent majority, would have outlawed possession of handguns by all city residents except law enforcement officers and others who needed the guns for professional purposes. It also would have forbidden the manufacture, sale and distribution of all guns and ammunition in San Francisco.

Sacramento police have shut down Natomas Marketplace shopping center after an officer shot into a vehicle trying to escape from an armed robbery, authorities said. At least one person is dead, and an officer is in UC Davis Medical Center with a broken leg following the incident that occurred about 1:30 p.m. Monday.

[Updated 3:59 p.m. Tuesday] Hamid Hayat, the 23-year-old Lodi man on trial for terrorist-related activities in Sacramento federal court, was found guilty Tuesday, just hours after a mistrial was declared in the related trial of his father, who was accused of lying to the FBI to cover up for his son. Hayat was found guilty of providing material support to terrorists by allegedly attending an al-Qaida camp while visiting Pakistan in 2003 and three counts of lying about it. He faces up to 39 years in prison if convicted of all charges against him.

A 27-year-old man was killed Friday night when he was sucked into a 10-foot-deep hole that opened up suddenly in a two-story home in rural Alta, Placer County sheriff's deputies said Saturday. The victim's body remained in the hole Saturday night, and efforts to extract it will resume this morning, Sheriff's Department spokeswoman Dena Erwin said.

WOODLAND - A Yolo Superior Court judge on Monday dismissed a controversial misdemeanor hit-and-run case that prompted a protest in Davis by people who claimed the case was an example of selective prosecution of a person of color.*snip*The girl claims she was questioned by a male police officer without another person present, in violation of Muslim beliefs.

The 26-year-old man killed after a short police pursuit in Elk Grove this week was shot in the back by the officer, according to his death certificate, conflicting with the Sacramento County Sheriff's Department account that he was shot at least twice in the "upper chest."

Since police officers were instructed to ignore burglary alarms last year, the city has experienced a sharp increase in burglaries. But Fremont Police Chief Craig Steckler says there's no correlation between the 14.4 percent increase in burglaries and the department's "verified response" policy, which orders officers not to respond to alarms unless someone can verify a crime occurred."I don't believe that the alarm response policy and the rate of burglaries have any relation,"

Because technology is constantly changing, one of the greatest tools to the do-it-yourselfer is the extension cord. Now you can put anything in any room you want - even outside. Every once in a while, though, a long cord across the floor can be more dangerous than helpful. Sure you could just put a carpet or tape over the cord, but why bother? Let technology solve its own problems. Grab some Wireless Extension Cords, and leave the wires where they belong - somewhere else!

So I write this just because I feel good about this young person. She's a contestant on American Idol, a local girl, who seems to have a lot of talent. I heard on local radio comments from her family and then in the afternoon drive time from her, during an on air interview. A nice kid... You can view her profile by clicking the link. If you're into voting for these contestants, I'd like to lobby you for a vote for her. From her American Idol profile:Who are your heroes in life? My mom + dad.If you win, who will...

Omar Sharif was sued by a restaurant parking valet who says the actor called him a derogatory name and punched him after the valet refused to accept his European currency. The suit claims Sharif was belligerent and intoxicated and called the valet a "stupid Mexican" when he refused to accept a 20 euro note.