2013 Election Archive Stories

Critics are correct when they argue that President Barack Obama doesn't have a strategy for military victory in Syria. The reality is that despite his decision last week to arm the opposition there, Obama is still playing for a negotiated diplomatic transition. It's a confusing policy with multiple objectives: Obama wants to bolster mode

In response to Mr. Louis Madrid's letter of June 9: It seems that Mr. Madrid is concerned about the growth of the U.S. government, and to that end he writes, "When our government reaches the point where it serves only itself." I find this a very odd statement. Does he truly think that our government exist only to serve itself? I

Our city wants us to shop local. I shop local as often as I can. For any store I can buy something in our Yuba-Sutter area, I do. What bothers me is for the past three years the city of Yuba City hires companies for all the construction and surveying on our streets and other projects. There are so many people that are out of work right n

We've taken to calling it "the emperor's new billing statement." It seems like the California Water Service folks believe changing their monthly billing statement by decoupling Marysville city sewer fees from Cal Water fees will help their customers understand things a lot better and that might protect them from some of the ill will that

When Yuba County inmates filed a federal lawsuit over jail conditions, Gerald Ford was president and everybody was dancing to disco music. A lot has changed since — disco fell out of favor — but that 1976 lawsuit lives on. And now Yuba County has

A proposed $180 million Yuba County budget, featuring a General Fund that has declined $5 million in five years and soaring health insurance costs, was approved Tuesday by county supervisors. But the board still has to dive into the nitty-gritty of the 2013-14 spending plan this summer, leading up to public hearings and final adoption th

Yuba City City Council members have approved proposed operating and capital budgets for the upcoming fiscal year, which officials are calling "very, very complex." Overall, the city's financial situation has improved, said Finance Director Robin Bertagna said Tuesday. The $2.24 million deficit has been reduced to $1.3 million — tha

PORTLAND, Ore. — An Oregon couple faces charges after authorities say they bought a gun for two people accused of a three-state killing spree and then helped them avoid capture. Kimberly Wyatt has pleaded not guilty to charges of conspiracy, straw purchase of a firearm and failing to report the alleged kidnapping and slaying of an

A film crew is shooting in Marysville for an independent film called "The Mendoza Line." It takes a look at the dramatic and comedic realities surrounding minor league baseball. The main character, Ricardo Perez, is a struggling back-up catcher in his third year of A-ball that is barely hitting above The Mendoza Line, which is .200.

Sacramento A former Pleasant Grove letter carrier faces up to five years in prison after she pleaded guilty to stealing mail, according to federal court records in Sacramento. Jamie G. Henry entered the plea last Thursday before U.S. District Judge Troy Nunley, who scheduled an Aug. 29 sentencing. Henry and co-defe

Sutter County supervisors unanimously agreed Tuesday to vacate an unpaved portion of Starr Bend Road, aggravating a handful of Yuba-Sutter residents who would like to use the strip to drive to the Feather River. Opposition centered around a stretch of road from the Starr Bend levee to the Feather River. Many residents wanted Sutter Count

When she is not busy drawing pictures of caterpillars, singing Taylor Swift songs or dancing with other princesses, Payton Tomassetti can be seen riding her blue bicycle. Or at least that is her goal by week's end. The 10-year-old, who has Down syndrome, is one of 40 people ages 8 to 52 participating in a five-day camp at River V

Efforts to “cut the head off the snake” of a Yuba City street gang coalesced Tuesday when police stormed 11 Yuba-Sutter houses looking for gang members who advertised their membership in rap videos they posted online. Members of a Yuba City Norteno street gang posted three rap videos on YouTube earlier this year that showed t

Housing prices in Yuba and Sutter counties continued on an upward climb last month with a low inventory of available homes driving up year-to-year prices more than 30 percent. Last-month prices for new homes and resales climbed 35.3 percent in Sutter County and 31.8 percent in Yuba County from May 2012, according to statewide real estate

Now it's official: Despite happy talk about doing what's best for America, Facebook billionaire Mark Zuckerberg and the cadre of other Silicon Valley titans helping with his new lobbying organization FWD.us are looking out for their own self-interest, just like every previous political action committee or billionaires' club. Zuckerberg t

SAN FRANCISCO — Major League Baseball is dragging its feet on having team owners vote on the Oakland Athletics' proposed move to a new ballpark 40 miles south in San Jose, San Jose city officials said in a lawsuit filed Tuesday. The lawsuit — filed in federal court in San Jose — is disputing MLB's exemption to federal a

WASHINGTON — A key committee in the Republican-led House of Representatives moved Tuesday toward approving a tough enforcement-focused US immigration bill, over objections from Democrats and disruptions from protesters shouting "Shame, shame, shame!" Meanwhile in the Senate, a Republican lawmaker floated a compromise border securit

From those amped-up TV ads, you have to wonder how humanity survived before collapsible garden hoses and earwax vacuums. Akron Beacon Journal consumer reporter Betty Lin-Fisher, food writer Lisa Abraham and I have been reporting on our testing of some often-touted products, many of which are pitched on TV. Today we concentrate on five pr

If the question "When can I retire?" ties your stomach in knots, don't feel like the Lone Ranger. Millions of your peers are in the same boat with little, if any, savings that will one day supplement their Social Security benefits during retirement. Waiting until age 50 or 60 to start saving for retirement is not ideal. It's late, but no

We join other news organizations and the Newspaper Association of America in urging Congress to pass a federal shield law. On a local level, we don't like anonymity, and in the vast majority of cases, we won't allow it. But it's a truth that from time to time the news will be told only if anonymity is granted a source. In those rare case

Area Assemblyman Dan Logue said Monday he plans to introduce a bill to reverse a potential new law that would lift time limits for responding to public records requests. While city and county officials said they don't think the new law will affect the way they do business, Logue, R-Loma Rica, said he believes it is a threat to government

Two U.S. congressmen have championed faster flood protection efforts in the Central Valley to prevent more deaths stemming from ineffective levees. The critically damaged levee at Shanghai Bend in Sutter County, one that protects more than 40,000 lives, has already failed twice, resulting in 38 deaths in decades past, according to U.S. R