In the first trial involving illicit grade changes at Diablo Valley College, prosecutor says Erick Martinez was the reason the plot was discovered. His lawyer tells jurors Martinez may have been the victim of a grudge.

Revised policy would allow developers to pay for alternatives to finite supply of parking stalls

CONCORD — An auto parts dealer was robbed by two gunmen this morning, and officers are on the hunt for them, police said.The robbers struck the Kragen Auto Parts store at 1775 Willow Pass Road about 10:50 a.

The following are excerpts from the Walnut Creek Police Department log:Friday, Aug. 1AUTO THEFT — A white Mercury Sable was reported stolen at about 12:15 p.

The Contra Costa County Coroner's Office has identified a man struck and killed this morning after helping a disabled motorist as 56-year-old Clayton resident William Tindall Jr.

Contra Costa Fire Engineer Scott Desmond's family says delayed response contributed to his death.

• Multimedia: Fire call audio | Video of scene | Timeline | Transcript of fire call | Read the lawsuit

ANTIOCH — Police have identified a 22-year-old bicyclist who was hospitalized Tuesday after being struck by a student driver.Ralph Eugene Cherry Jr.

NORTH RICHMOND — A man was shot in the leg Tuesday night after he tried to fight off two armed robbers, the Contra Costa County Sheriff's Office said.

Police say Michael Ferguson was spotted at the Pleasanton courthouse, where his girlfriend was facing charges

After three years of failed votes, the Assembly OKs a watchdog agency to oversee 1,700 private and vocational schools.

A jetliner heading to the popular Canary Islands vacation resort crashed during takeoff Wednesday, turning a wooded area off the end of a runway into a hellish scene of charred bodies and smoldering wreckage. Some 153 were believed dead _ Spains worst air...

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger moved to end the stalemate over a state budget Wednesday by offering a compromise spending plan that calls for a temporary 1 percent sales tax increase and additional cuts. In the past, the governor has said he is against raising...

Democratic U.S. Rep. Stephanie Tubbs Jones, the first black woman to represent Ohio in Congress, had a brain hemorrhage and was in critical condition with limited brain function, a doctor said Wednesday. Tubbs Jones, 58, suffered the hemorrhage while driving...

Russian forces dug trenches and built sentry posts deep inside Georgia on Wednesday, showing few signs they would pull back later this week as promised. Georgian soldiers suggested the Russians were trying to provoke them and justify a resumption of the...

A senior U.S. military official says the U.S. government has approved a draft agreement on reducing the American military presence in Iraq. The official said the deal is not final and is subject to acceptance by Iraqi leaders. The official said that barring...

A man convicted of causing a deadly commuter rail crash that he blamed on an attempt to commit suicide was sentenced Wednesday to 11 consecutive life terms by a judge who denounced him as a remorseless killer. Superior Court Judge William Pounders said he...