The first-degree murder conviction of an El Sobrante man who strangled his ex-girlfriend and stuffed her body into his car trunk five years ago has been upheld by a state appeals court in San Francisco.
A three-judge Court of Appeal panel, in a ruling issued Monday, also increased the sentence of Scott McAlpin, 30, from a term of 50 years to life to 55 years to life in prison.
The court said McAlpin should be given the additional five years in prison because of a previous burglary conviction.
McAlpin was convicted in Contra Costa County Superior Court in 2008 of murd
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The three federal appeals court judges who will rule on the constitutionality of Proposition 8, California’s ban on same-sex marriage, were announced by the court in San Francisco on Monday.The randomly selected judges of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals are a liberal, Stephen Reinhardt, of Los Angeles; a moderate, Michael Hawkins, of Arizona; and a conservative, Randy Smith, of Idaho.They will hold a two-hour hearing in San Francisco next Monday on an appeal by Proposition 8 sponsors of a trial court ruling that struck down the voter initiative.
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Black Friday sales marked the start of the holiday shopping season last week, and San Francisco police are making changes to ensure that shoppers in The City stay safe.All of The City’s police stations intend to ramp up foot patrols in their districts during the holiday season to reduce the likelihood of robberies and other crimes.There will also be additional horse-mounted and plainclothes officers, and police will bump up traffic enforcement. Officers are also encouraging people scouring The City for the perfect gifts to take safety precautions of their own.
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The California Highway Patrol is reporting an increase in the Bay Area and statewide in the number drunken driving arrests during the Thanksgiving weekend.The good news is that there were no alcohol-related deaths on CHP-patrolled roadways in the Bay Area, according to provisional numbers released by the CHP on Sunday. Last year, five people died in DUI-related crashes in the region.The provisional numbers showed that CHP officers statewide made 1,419 DUI arrests between Wednesday evening and Sunday morning, compared to 1,314 arrests for the same period in 2009.
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After conducting a rescue effort that spanned two days, the Monterey County Sheriff's Office found a Seaside hiker who had been reported missing by his wife when he did not return to their Big Sur campsite after an apparent marital spat, the sheriff's office reported.
Seaside resident Arthur Davis and his wife had driven to a camping area in coastal Big Sur near state Highway 1 and Nacimiento-Fergusson Road on Friday, but had reportedly had a verbal dispute that afternoon about camping issues, the sheriff's office said.
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The California Highway Patrol is reporting an increase in statewide and Bay Area drunken driving arrests over the Thanksgiving weekend.
Provisional numbers released by the CHP on Sunday showed that officers statewide made 975 DUI arrests between Wednesday Evening and Saturday morning, compared to 904 arrests for the same period in 2009.
CHP officers in the Bay Area arrested 177 drunken drivers over the holiday weekend, compared to 137 arrests in 2009.
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The budget Grinch is wreaking havoc on local celebrations, making the holidays a little less joyful for some Bay Area families.
Caltrain’s holiday train, illuminated by more than 40,000 lights, will not be chugging down the Peninsula this holiday season. This December would have been its 10th year, but due to a $2.3 million deficit this year and close to a $30 million deficit projected for next year, Caltrain nixed the event, said Tasha Bartholomew, public information specialist for Caltrain.
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After months of behind-the-scenes negotiations, Redwood City and San Mateo County are nearly ready to lock down the site for a new jail.
The county’s Board of Supervisors is expected to sign an agreement with the city Tuesday that would allow the county the option to buy four properties totaling 4.1 acres on Chemical Way for a new county correctional facility.
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Gas rates are going up next year, but customers may be able to keep their toes toasty through winter before seeing an increase in their bills.
Before a transmission pipeline blew up in San Bruno in September, PG&E was in the process of applying for an increase in gas rates to pay for its transmission and storage system, set to take effect Jan. 1.
The company had come to an agreement for a rate hike with consumer advocates in August and only needed the approval of a state agency before it went forward. But after the Sept. 9 explosion, the case slowed.
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Nachos were a key part of the discussion when police interviewed the two young men who survived a tiger mauling at the San Francisco Zoo on Christmas Day 2007.
Brothers Kulbir and Amritpal “Paul” Dhaliwal have never spoken to the media about what happened at the zoo that day, when a Siberian tiger, Tatiana, leapt out of her enclosure and attacked the two and their friend, 17-year-old Carlos Sousa Jr., who died in the mauling.
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