Free Republic

BEDFORD - The Bedford Public Library locked its doors Wednesday night -- apparently the first public library to do so in the state. And patrons of the Boys Ranch Activity Center have only until Friday -- while employees tie up loose ends -- before that community favorite is also closed. No one knows when they might reopen. But the fate of the city's senior center -- also a victim of the City Council's budget cuts this week -- may hang on the generosity of Hurst, which shares the facility with Bedford. "We will do what we can to keep the...

The checks might not come in time for Christmas, but refunds could be arriving in the mail in a few months for millions of Californians who have already paid tripled car-tax bills. On Monday, soon after he is sworn in as governor, Arnold Schwarzenegger plans to roll back the higher vehicle license fee -- and will make the rollback retroactive to Oct. 1, the date the increase took effect, his aides said Wednesday. While Schwarzenegger had said throughout the recall campaign that undoing the car-tax hike would be his first action in office, he had left unanswered until recently...