A four-alarm fire has been controlled after burning at a lumber yard in Walnut Creek for several hours Saturday, a Contra Costa County Fire Protection District dispatcher said. The fire was reported at 1:44 p.m. at Piedmont Lumber, located at 2860 N. Main St. It was controlled at 6:08 p.m., according to the dispatcher.

A 19-year-old pregnant woman was arraigned Friday on a murder  charge for the death of her 2-year-old daughter in Oakland on Tuesday. Tiffany Lopez, who was dressed in red jail clothes and was brought  into court in a wheelchair, nodded her head to indicate that she understood  when Alameda County Superior Court Judge Robert McGuiness read the charge  against her and told her he is referring her to the public defender's office  to see if someone there will represent her.

A San Francisco judge has ordered the University of California to pay back $38 million in improperly raised fees for almost 3,000 graduate students. Superior Court Judge John Munter on Thursday ruled that the 10-campus system must reverse up to three years of fee increases for former students who attended professional schools.

Three Hayward men accused of targeting a San Francisco man they  thought was gay with a BB gun last month were taken into custody in San  Francisco Superior Court Friday after prosecutors said they intended to file  additional charges related to several other possible victims.

A son of Your Black Muslim Bakery founder Yusuf Bey told jurors Thursday that the bakery had serious financial problems at the time that bakery members allegedly kidnapped and tortured two women three years ago in a desperate attempt to get money.

A Toyota executive said Thursday the company is "mystified" by a report that a California man's Prius gas pedal became stuck and caused the car to speed out of control on a California freeway. James Sikes quickly became the face of the Toyota gas pedal scandal after he called 911 to report losing control of his Prius on Monday. His car reached nerve-rattling speeds of 94 mph before an officer helped bring it to a stop.

Police are announcing that a 20-year-old man was arrested in Richmond Wednesday in connection with the murder of a 21-year-old man in Daly City in February. Matthew Sean Mouton was arrested at a home in Richmond at about 6 p.m. Wednesday for his alleged role in the Feb. 7 murder of South San Francisco resident Jessie Wiley, Daly City police Lt. Jay Morena said Thursday.

Piedmont oncologist Dr. Maurice Wolin, who challenged his prosecution in connection with a sexual predator sting operation in Petaluma in August 2006, was sentenced to three years probation and two months in the Sonoma County jail Wednesday in Sonoma County Superior Court.

Two brothers were arrested Wednesday afternoon on suspicion of operating a methamphetamine lab out of a Pleasanton home, police said. Officers went to the home in the 800 block of East Angela Street at about 1:15 p.m. to serve an arrest warrant for 40-year-old Matthew Donald Magoon and contacted both him and his brother, 50-year-old Robert Willard

About 200 teachers and administrators will be getting preliminary layoff notices as Mt. Diablo schools officials move to cut millions from the school district's budget. The board of Mt. Diablo Unified School District voted Tuesday to cut $48.7 million from the district's budget through 2013.

A San Francisco judge has given prosecutors a week to retest drug samples in 35 pending narcotics cases following allegations that a technician at the police department's drug lab stole cocaine evidence. Superior Court Judge Charles Haines Friday delayed the cases until March 19.

A legal oversight is prompting South San Francisco officials to continue to give a break to drivers caught on camera running redlights. Because of contractual questions about a photo-enforcement program, police officers have begun giving warnings instead of tickets to red-light runners.

A long-running dispute over a Nazi salute given by an activist at  a Santa Cruz City Council meeting in 2002 will get another look from a  federal appeals court in San Francisco. The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals announced Friday that an  11-judge panel will reconsider a ruling in which a smaller panel of the court  last year dismissed a free-speech lawsuit filed by Robert Norse.

A San Francisco judge has ordered the University of California to pay back $38 million in improperly raised fees for almost 3,000 graduate students. Superior Court Judge John Munter on Thursday ruled that the 10-campus system must reverse up to three years of fee increases for former students who attended professional schools.

The shutdown of drug testing at the San Francisco Police  Department's crime lab caused another 30 narcotics cases to be let go by San  Francisco prosecutors Friday, while 35 more set to go to trial were put on  hold. Police are investigating 60-year-old Deborah Madden, a former  crime lab supervisor who retired from the department March 1, for allegedly  taking small amounts of cocaine from evidence beginning in October.

After dropping out of the gubernatorial race last year, San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom announced Friday that he is running for lieutenant governor. Newsom's announcement was not a surprise. He filed papers on Feb. 17 with the secretary of state's office, the first steps to becoming a statewide candidate again.

Three Hayward men accused of targeting a San Francisco man they  thought was gay with a BB gun last month were taken into custody in San  Francisco Superior Court Friday after prosecutors said they intended to file  additional charges related to several other possible victims.

An atheist who lost a challenge to the use of the words "under God" in the Pledge of Allegiance in public schools has said the case isn’t over and has promised further appeals.  On Thursday, a panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco by a 2-1 vote rejected a lawsuit filed by Michael Newdow, an atheist father, emergency room doctor and lawyer from Sacramento.

A Toyota executive said Thursday the company is "mystified" by a report that a California man's Prius gas pedal became stuck and caused the car to speed out of control on a California freeway. James Sikes quickly became the face of the Toyota gas pedal scandal after he called 911 to report losing control of his Prius on Monday. His car reached nerve-rattling speeds of 94 mph before an officer helped bring it to a stop.

San Francisco's revenue from tourism dropped nearly 8 percent in 2009 amid global financial uncertainty, according to a report released this week. The report, an annual estimate of the economic impact of the tourism industry in San Francisco was released by the Convention & Visitors Bureau, a nonprofit organization promoting tourism in the city.

Marin County energy officials are accusing Pacific Gas and Electric Co. of trying to quash their plans to offer an alternative, cleaner energy source to county residents. The Marin Energy Authority announced Friday that it had filed a complaint against PG&E with the California Public Utilities Commission.

A resident of Hearn Avenue was the victim of a second home invasion in the Roseland area of Santa Rosa within 12 hours Thursday, Sonoma County Sheriff's Office officials said Friday morning. The victim reported he was rushed at the door of his home in the 400 block of Hearn Avenue by three male suspects and stabbed twice around 6:35 p.m., Lt. Scott Dunn said.

The Napa County Sheriff's Office arrested a Vallejo man at his  home Thursday on suspicion of abducting a 9-year-old girl and molesting her  in 1992. The girl was taken from the Mount George Elementary School near  Napa while playing with her brother on July 23, 1992, sheriff's Capt. Tracey  Stuart said. The girl was put in the trunk of a car and taken to a home where  she was sexually assaulted, Stuart said.

A Toyota executive said Thursday the company is "mystified" by a report that a California man's Prius gas pedal became stuck and caused the car to speed out of control on a California freeway. James Sikes quickly became the face of the Toyota gas pedal scandal after he called 911 to report losing control of his Prius on Monday. His car reached nerve-rattling speeds of 94 mph before an officer helped bring it to a stop.

The Marin County Sheriff's Office is investigating two incidents  in which a man approached young girls as they walked along streets in  Kentfield. The most recent occurred at about 8:30 a.m. Tuesday when a man in  a older-model white sedan approached two girls, ages 10 and 11, who were  walking toward Kent Middle School, according to the sheriff's office.

A 31-year-old man was arrested after allegedly raping a 54-year-old developmentally disabled woman in Santa Rosa's Roseland neighborhood early Thursday morning, a police sergeant said. Socorro Reyes Zamudio was arrested hours after a 911 call was received at about 2:45 a.m. from a resident saying that her daughter had just been sexually assaulted by an acquaintance in their home, Santa Rosa police Sgt. John Snetsinger said.

Sonoma water officials are warning residents that their drinking water may have been contaminated in January with coliform bacteria. The city sent out warnings Wednesday that two of 12 water samples taken that month had violated state standards for the bacteria. Coliform bacteria are common in the environment but can be an indicator that potentially harmful bacteria are present.

Piedmont oncologist Dr. Maurice Wolin, who challenged his prosecution in connection with a sexual predator sting operation in Petaluma in August 2006, was sentenced to three years probation and two months in the Sonoma County jail Wednesday in Sonoma County Superior Court.

When a voracious pest triggered a quarantine this week across much of Napa Valley - the nation's premier grape-growing region - it threatened more than the grapes themselves. The spraying of pesticides needed to control the European grapevine moth threatens to undo decades of low-impact farming practices that have elevated the quality of wines from the region.

The crash of a Toyota Prius in New York caught the attention of federal regulators Wednesday after the driver said it accelerated on its own, then lurched down a driveway, across a road and into a stone wall. The crash heightens the attention surrounding unintended acceleration in Toyota vehicles and a recall involving more than 8 million vehicles to address gas pedals that can become sticky or trapped under floor mats.

The mayor of San Jose is warning city workers that if they don't agree to take steep cuts in pay and benefits, the city will have to eliminate hundreds of jobs. As San Jose faces its ninth consecutive year with a budget deficit, Mayor Chuck Reed says if city employees don't agree to a 10 percent cut in compensation, the city will have to cut more than 500 jobs.

A long-running dispute over a Nazi salute given by an activist at  a Santa Cruz City Council meeting in 2002 will get another look from a  federal appeals court in San Francisco. The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals announced Friday that an  11-judge panel will reconsider a ruling in which a smaller panel of the court  last year dismissed a free-speech lawsuit filed by Robert Norse.

San Jose's zoo is set to reopen after a multimillion dollar renovation project that kept it closed for nearly two years. Happy Hollow Park and Zoo officials say the revamped zoo will open to the public on March 20. The zoo has added several new exhibits and children's rides and is four acres larger. Zoo curator Valerie Riegel says visitors will get to see new animals, including spider monkeys and red-ruffed lemurs.

San Jose police are investigating the discovery of human remains found in a rural stretch of land at the edge of the city. San Jose police Sgt. Ronnie Lopez says a person walking along a roadway in the area called police to report what appeared to be bones. When officers responded they found the remains were attached to what Lopez described as a "partially unearthed skull."

A Toyota executive said Thursday the company is "mystified" by a report that a California man's Prius gas pedal became stuck and caused the car to speed out of control on a California freeway. James Sikes quickly became the face of the Toyota gas pedal scandal after he called 911 to report losing control of his Prius on Monday. His car reached nerve-rattling speeds of 94 mph before an officer helped bring it to a stop.

A former Wells Fargo bank manager in San Jose is accused of bilking elderly customers of nearly a million dollars in fake transactions. San Jose police and Santa Clara County prosecutors have filed charges against John Tran accusing him of Theft from an Elder, Grand Theft and Forgery.

Santa Clara County prosecutors are reviewing procedures at the county's public hospital after finding information about suspected sex assault victims that was never turned over to defendants. The intake forms at Santa Clara Valley Medical Center documented hospital personnel's interactions with suspected victims. They should have been turned over to defense attorneys along with other evidence against their clients.

Two suspected gang members were in court Wednesday to face charges in connection with a Watsonville bowling alley attack that sent a 7-year-old boy and a 20-year-old man to hospitals. Eighteen-year-old Abraham Santoyo and 20-year-old Jordan James Macias were charged with two counts of gang-motivated attempted murder. They did not enter pleas.

The crash of a Toyota Prius in New York caught the attention of federal regulators Wednesday after the driver said it accelerated on its own, then lurched down a driveway, across a road and into a stone wall. The crash heightens the attention surrounding unintended acceleration in Toyota vehicles and a recall involving more than 8 million vehicles to address gas pedals that can become sticky or trapped under floor mats.

Firefighters have contained a four-alarm fire at a Santa Clara recycling business sending huge plumes of black smoke into the skies near Mineta San Jose International Airport. The fire broke out at ECS Refining at 705 Reed Street in Santa Clara.   KRON 4's Craig Sklar reports witnesses say a small fire broke out in one section of the recycling yard and spread quickly.