The Napa County Civil grand jury has no direct authority over any local agencies, but the report it issued earlier this month has forced a shift in the way the city is doing business.

A $330 ticket is a good reason to stop running red lights -- just remember not to slam on the brakes as the light goes yellow.

A disagreement over the damage caused by a 2002 landslide off an Angwin vineyard into the Friesen Lakes -- supplying drinking water to about 400 Angwin homes -- has now surfaced in court.

Angwin residents, who suddenly find themselves at the center of attention for potential development in Napa County, participated in a second meeting this week regarding the future of their quiet community in the hills east of St. Helena.

Road closures,

The man who proposed that American Canyon boost fees for developers in the fast-growing city is gone, but the city is moving forward with plans to raise the stakes for would-be residential developers.

There are some mighty expensive bottles of stolen reserve wine floating around out there.

Results are in from the May high school exit exam, and despite all the help Napa Valley Unified seniors received this year, 88 students did not pass the exam.

An inmate from the state department of corrections medical facility in Vacaville escaped from a work crew at Napa State Hospital early Friday morning.

A heat wave simmered through the valley Saturday and will continue today. In some parts of the county, the weather reached as high as 106 degrees Saturday.

Shane Cameron gingerly lowers himself into the cold water for an outdoor baptism at Foothill Christian Church. This summer, during youth nights at the church, newcomers as well as regulars declare their spirituality with outdoor baptisms that have the added benefit of helping stay cool in the hot weather. “I wanted to reconfirm myself to God and reset myself for my senior year at Napa High School,” said Cameron. Jorgen Gulliksen/Register

During the current heat wave, it hasn't been unusual for Sergio Camarillo to suffer headaches and notice a heightened body temperature after working in the vineyards all day.

Two former Pentagon officials, including an acting secretary of the Navy, have been accused of scheming with a banned American contractor to get lucrative rebuilding contracts in Iraq, the Associated Press has learned.

LAS VEGAS -- In a state where sin, debauchery and corruption are commonplace, it takes a lot to get people talking.

ST. LOUIS -- National Guard troops stepped up their search for people in hot homes without power to run air conditioning Friday as heavy rains and tree-toppling winds added to the misery of the worst power outage in the city's history.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- The death of Anthony Graham -- and what happened in the days after his murder -- has roiled the black community.

FARALLON NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE -- On these craggy, remote islands west of San Francisco, the largest seabird colony in the contiguous United States throbs with life.

WASHINGTON -- Hailed six years ago as a breakthrough in safeguarding Russia's nuclear materials, a U.S.-Russian plan to rid the world of tons of plutonium has foundered and achieved little.

NEW ORLEANS -- To Louisiana's attorney general, the doctor and two nurses arrested this past week are murderers. But many in the medical community are outraged at the arrests, saying the three caregivers are heroes who faced unimaginable horrors as Hurricane Katrina flooded the city and trapped them and their patients.

ST. LOUIS -- The heat was down and the skies were clear, but Kim Beck could only laugh when asked Saturday whether things were slowing down at the Salvation Army shelter she manages in suburban St. Louis.

NEW YORK -- The damage to a utility's underground network in the borough of Queens is greater than imagined -- a twist in the six-day power outage that could mean electricity won't be back until early in the week, the mayor said Saturday.

SACRAMENTO -- Despite a midsummer heat wave that has pushed energy use to an all-time high this week, experts say Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger probably does not have to fear the blackouts that ended former Gov. Gray Davis' political career.

TEHRAN, Iran -- Iranian officials often say that places with the greatest troubles offer their country the best opportunities.

NDAKU YA PEMBE, Congo -- Election banners festoon the rutted main road that divides the village, but no candidates have come to press for votes from these cassava farmers whose lives seem locked in another century. Three stopped clocks adorn a wall of the chief's home.

BEIJING -- China's death toll from tropical storm Bilis more than doubled to 482 after a hard-hit inland province reported a sharp rise in fatalities, state media said Friday.

OAXACA, Mexico -- Protesters have taken over the center of folkloric Oaxaca, making tourists show identification at makeshift checkpoints, smashing the windows of quaint hotels and spray-painting revolutionary slogans. Police are nowhere in sight.

ON THE ISRAEL-LEBANON BORDER -- Israel massed tanks and troops on the border Friday, hours after calling up reserves, as the army announced plans for a ground operation to destroy Hezbollah's tunnels, hideouts and weapons stashes.

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti -- A new rash of kidnappings has raised fears that well-armed, politically aligned street gangs are seeking to destabilize Haiti's new government, threatening U.N.-led efforts to restore security 2 1/2 years after a crippling revolt.

ON THE ISRAEL-LEBANON BORDER -- Israeli tanks, bulldozers and armored personnel carriers knocked down a fence and barreled over the Lebanese border Saturday as forces seized a village from the Hezbollah guerrilla group.

Israel may appear to be solidly in the driver's seat in its fight with Hezbollah -- pushing relentlessly to weaken the Islamic guerrilla group as much as it can while there is little international pressure for a quick cease-fire.