Leads being pursued in clubhouse fire
There's not much left of the Kings Country Club clubhouse building that burned down July 7 in a suspected case of arson. The charred rubble was still there Saturday: Blackened filing cabinets, singed desks, wood charcoal. A chimney with a fireplace insert sticking out six feet above the ground stood at one end of what used to be the clubhouse, at least part of which came from the original Hanford High School.

‘Napoleon Dynamite’ co-star in Hanford to work on film he’s directing
Jon Gries, the man who played the beloved Uncle Rico character from the cult classic movie "Napoleon Dynamite," was in Hanford on Saturday working on a film he's directing. The film, called "Pickin' and Grinnin'," is a comic take-off on reality music competitions like "Nashville Star" and "American Idol," according to Ben Skerker, executive producer.

Dream of gas tax holiday faltered over job losses
WASHINGTON -- The political vision of a summer gas tax holiday died a quick death in Congress, losing to a view that federal excise taxes on gasoline and diesel fuel will have to go up if they go anywhere. Despite calls from the presidential campaign trail for a Memorial Day-to-Labor Day tax freeze, lawmakers quickly concluded -- with a prod from the construction industry -- that having $9 billion less to spend on highways could create a pre-election specter of thousands of lost jobs.

Oakland police officer shoots chase suspect
OAKLAND, Calif. - An Oakland police officer has shot a suspect after a chase from Oakland to San Leandro.

Rats no longer running wild at Angel Stadium
ANAHEIM, Calif. - The rats at Angel Stadium seem to be under control.

Winning numbers in California's 'SuperLotto Plus' game
SACRAMENTO - No ticket matched all six numbers drawn for the California Lottery's "SuperLotto Plus" game Saturday night, which had a jackpot of $34 million.

Tropical Storm Cristobal rumbles off the Carolinas
CHARLESTON, S.C. - Tropical Storm Cristobal, the first tropical storm to menace the Southeast seaboard this hurricane season, continued to move along the North Carolina coast early Sunday, and was expected to dump several inches in some areas of the drought-stricken state.

Dream of gas tax holiday falters over job losses
WASHINGTON - The political vision of a summer gas tax holiday died a quick death in Congress, losing to a view that federal excise taxes on gasoline and diesel fuel will have to go up if they go anywhere.

Lawsuit exposes growing rift among King children
ATLANTA - For years, they were the picture of solidarity: the four children of Martin Luther King Jr. carrying on the legacy of the civil rights icon.

Obama has breakfast with troops; meets Karzai
KABUL, Afghanistan - Democratic presidential contender Barack Obama shared Sunday breakfast with American troops in Kabul ahead of an expected meeting with Afghan leader Hamid Karzai, a man Obama has criticized for not doing enough to rebuild his war-torn country.

Pope urges Australian youths to spurn materialism
SYDNEY, Australia - Pope Benedict XVI said Sunday a "spiritual desert" was spreading throughout the world and he challenged young people to shed the greed and cynicism of their time to create a new age of hope for humankind.

Olympic traffic crackdown begins in Beijing
BEIJING - Beijing started its most drastic pollution-control plan Sunday, restricting car use and limiting factory emissions in a last-minute push to clear smog-choked skies for the August Olympics.

Conjoined barn swallows cause stir in Arkansas
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. - It's an Arkansas bird story that at first might be hard to swallow. A pair of conjoined barn swallows, attached at the hip by skin and possibly muscle tissue, will be sent to the Smithsonian Institution for study and examination, Arkansas wildlife officials said Friday. If confirmed, officials say it could prove to be an incredibly rare find _ a set of conjoined twins among birds.

Blessed are the boxers, altered for wounded troops
CASCO TOWNSHIP, Mich. - Blessed are the boxer shorts.

Putrid whale carcass parts stink up Oahu street
HONOLULU - Getting the rotting corpse of a dead sperm whale off Oahu's North Shore was only the start of the problem.