Local & Regional news

Movies based on books, such as the "Twilight" series, may draw millions of people to theaters, but they also inspire people to sit down and read a book. "(Sales) definitely pick up before the movie comes out and during the opening weekend," one Russo's Book employee said.

California is investigating several companies suspected of bilking churches nationwide of hundreds of thousands of dollars through fraudulent computer leasing schemes, authorities said Friday.

An independent eye will take a look at SmartMeters, the highly vilified electrical meters deployed by Pacific Gas and Electric Co. The California Public Utilities Commission declared "extraordinary circumstances" Friday to quickly hire an independent examiner.

A 17-year-old Mexican immigrant has pleaded guilty in San Diego to murdering a Border Patrol agent who was shot eight times in July. The U.S. attorney's office said Christian Daniel Castro Alvarez entered the plea Friday in federal court.

One of Bakersfield's most popular amenities is its bike path. But a growing tension between cyclists and pedestrians lead the city to hold a meeting to try and find some common ground among all users.

A suspected gang member faces murder charges in three separate killings, and prosecutors hint at surprises in the case against him. Kerry Hastings, 23, is accused in murders going back to 2006. A woman is also charged in that case.

Four reputed gang members were arrested Thursday in the culmination of a two-month investigation into a string of residential burglaries. They are members of a new criminal street gang called Hard on Hoes, or HOH, according to police.

As hundreds of students demonstrated outside, University of California leaders on Thursday voted to approve a 32 percent hike in undergraduate fees, arguing the increase is crucial because of the state's budget crisis.

A tracking firm says the median home price in California increased more than 2 percent last month from September to its highest level in nearly a year.