CHICAGO (AP) -- President-elect Barack Obama picked a national security team headed by former campaign rival Hillary Rodham Clinton and Bush administration holdover Robert Gates on Monday, and said he wants to consult with military commanders before settling on a firm timetable to withdraw U.S. combat troops from Iraq. Full story » Comments (83)

NEW YORK (AP) -- A worker died after being trampled by a throng of unruly shoppers when a suburban Wal-Mart opened for the holiday sales rush Friday, authorities said. Full story » Comments (31)

E-mailers, enjoy the early holiday gift: Spam volume has been cut by more than half because Internet providers pulled the plug on a Web hosting firm that was allegedly helping some of the world’s most dastardly junk e-mail gangs.
The break won’t last long. Garbage e-mail levels are already swelling again, and are expected to return to normal in a matter of days. Full story » Comments (1)

Prospects dimmed on Monday for the $25 billion bailout that U.S. automakers say they desperately need to get through a bleak and dangerous December.
Although all sides agree that the Big Three U.S. automakers are in peril, battered by the economic meltdown that has choked their sales and frozen loans, the White House and congressional Democrats are headed for stalemate over how much government money should go toward helping them.
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WASHINGTON -- The nation's unemployment rate bolted to a 14-year high of 6.5 percent in October as another 240,000 jobs were cut, far worse than economists expected and stark proof the economy is deteriorating at an alarmingly rapid pace. Full story » Comments (9)

An Oroville woman has been arraigned in the death of her 62-year-old mother, who authorities say was attacked with a samurai sword in her home. Full story » Comments (11)

RED BLUFF – Tehama County has denied a family’s legal claims for injuries suffered when a bull charged into the stands during the Red Bluff Round-Up rodeo in April. Full story » Comments (41)

WILLIAMS — A casino-bound charter bus with an invalid license plate drifted off the road and then swerved back before tumbling into a ditch and ejecting passengers as it rolled, police said. Eight people were killed and dozens injured. Full story » Comments (15)

WASHINGTON — The House of Representatives on Monday defeated a $700 billion emergency rescue for the U.S. financial system, ignoring urgent warnings from President George W. Bush and congressional leaders of both parties that the economy could nosedive into recession without it. Full story » Comments (106)

California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and legislative leaders have agreed to a compromise spending plan that could end the state's budget impasse. Full story » Comments (3)

Whiskey Creek Road past the store remains under mandatory evacuation this morning as firefighters battle the Motion Fire, said Linda Galvan, a California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection spokeswoman. Whiskey Creek Road is closed past the store. Full story »

JUNCTION CITY — Mandatory evacuation orders near Junction City issued Thursday afternoon will likely remain in effect through the weekend, a fire official said. Full story »

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — The California Supreme Court has overturned a ban on gay marriage, paving the way for California to become the second state where gay and lesbian residents can marry.

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RED BLUFF – City fire engineers and captains will get raises amounting to 24.2 percent over the life of a four-year contract if the City Council approves the deal Tuesday night. Full story » Comments (3)

NEW YORK -- William F. Buckley Jr., the erudite Ivy Leaguer and conservative herald who showered huge and scornful words on liberalism as he observed, abetted and cheered on the right's post-World War II rise from the fringes to the White House, died Wednesday. He was 82. Full story » Comments (7)