County celebrates 4th
Local residents of all ages lined up Friday for pieces of cake the size of their heads and larger at Lemoore City Park. Hundreds were eager to do their part in finishing the cake that the city annually serves up to celebrate the anniversary of our nation's independence. This year's attendees finished the 27 sheet cake in less than two hours.

KCOE hears pitch for vocational training
For students across the country, vocational education -- the teaching of trade skills to students who may or may not be on the track to college -- has largely decreased in recent years, with most funding and curriculum being geared toward basic academics.

Council okays tattoo business in Lemoore
Lemoore City Council members took care of business in quick order July 1. The council meeting lasted less than an hour. After listening to city attorney Dale Bacigalupi explain how conditional use permit conditions cover the site, and not the people who own or operate the business at the site, the council unanimously voted to approve a conditional use permit to Karol Cooper to operate Body Art Studio at 55 E. D St., Suite M.

Ethier's big swings rally Dodgers past Giants
SAN FRANCISCO - Joe Torre has a feeling his team is starting to come together.

Small plane makes emergency landing on Seal Beach
LONG BEACH, Calif. - The pilot of a single engine plane has suffered minor injuries after making an emergency landing on the water off Seal Beach.

Fire breaks out near Malibu state park
MALIBU, Calif. - A fire has burned at least 10 acres of dry brush near a state park in Malibu.

Sharks grab D Dan Boyle from Lightning for Carle
SAN JOSE, Calif. - Although Dan Boyle felt betrayed when the Tampa Bay Lightning decided to trade him, the standout defenseman is feeling much better about it after landing with the San Jose Sharks.

Crews brace for winds in Central Calif. blaze

Ruling keeps Orange County pot dispensary open

Oakland Athletics place Foulke on DL

Sharks deal Craig Rivet to Sabres for draft picks

Canucks acquire winger Bernier for draft picks

Michael Turner, comic book artist, dies at 37

Wind keeps Calif. fires raging on two fronts

Dead body tip leads SoCal cops to fireworks stash

Twin fires raging along California's central coast
BIG SUR, Calif. - A pair of out-of-control wildfires roared along California's central coast Friday, chewing through opposite ends of a parched forest and threatening a total of more than 4,500 homes.

US marks Independence Day with fireworks, revelry
NEW YORK - The nation's largest fireworks display exploded in a spectrum of color over the East River, temporarily stealing the spotlight from New York's world-famous skyline and helping to create a brilliant end to a day of July Fourth celebrations nationwide.

Former Republican Sen. Jesse Helms dies at 86
RALEIGH, N.C. - Former Sen. Jesse Helms, an unyielding champion of the conservative movement who spent three combative and sometimes caustic decades in Congress, where he relished his battles against liberals, Communists and occasionally a fellow Republican, died on the Fourth of July. He was 86.

Jesse Helms: Polarizer, not a compromiser
WASHINGTON - "Compromise, hell!" Jesse Helms screamed in a 1959 editorial that captured what would become the legacy of his Senate career and his place in the conservative movement.

Statue of Liberty's crown may reopen to public

Spitzer call girl drops 'Girls Gone Wild' lawsuit

Champ retains NYC hot-dog eating title in overtime

Smooth sailing for yacht builders despite economy

Auction house seeks to sell Rosa Parks collection

NY researcher: `Yankee Doodle' turns 250 _ maybe