Alexander Norman Taylor, 26, pleaded not guilty today in the shooting death of 62-year-old Napan George Davis at a Redwood Road senior apartment complex on or about April 22.

The Napa County Housing Authority passed its first budget Tuesday, marking the end of a turbulent chapter in the history of Napa County farmworker housing.

Napa County Superior Court Judge Ronald Young’s bid for a disability retirement — 15 months after Young applied for it — has been accepted by state officials.

Kathleen Margo Johnston showed no emotion Wednesday morning when she learned she will spend the next six months of her life behind bars at Napa County jail.

Picketers lined the entrance of Napa State Hospital Wednesday to request wages comparable to those offered for similar jobs at the California Department of Corrections.

Bistro Don Giovanni will now offer thirsty customers city of Napa water along with imported sparklers.

About 120 mental health workers picketed Wednesday at the entrance of Napa State Hospital, calling for wages comparable to those offered for similar jobs at the California Department of Corrections.

The nicest $3 million parking lot in town has sat empty for the past four months and may stay that way for months to come.

If you’re a drop of Salute Santé! grapeseed oil being cooked in a Napa Valley restaurant, chances are you will meet your maker.

BAGHDAD — A suicide car bomber struck in the main Shiite district of the capital Wednesday, killing at least nine people as the U.S. military said its troop buildup in Baghdad was nearly complete. Three more U.S. soldiers were killed by bombs in the capital.

WASHINGTON — The Justice Department is investigating whether its former White House liaison used political affiliations in deciding whom to hire as entry-level prosecutors, the Associated Press has learned.

CANBERRA, Australia — Scientists and Australian beer maker Foster’s are teaming up to generate clean energy from brewery waste water — by using sugar-consuming bacteria.

LINCOLN, Neb. — Executioners are prepared to administer a second jolt of electricity to a death row inmate if his heart is still beating 18 minutes after the first, state authorities said Wednesday.

Throw out the ginkgo. Forget mnemonics. New research suggests there’s a simple way to lock in new info: Sleep on it.

MENLO PARK — The driver who hit the vehicle carrying author David Halberstam claims he had the green light in the crash that killed the Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist.

WASHINGTON — Young adults face an increased risk of suicidal thoughts and behavior when they first begin taking antidepressants and should be warned about the danger, federal health officials said Wednesday.

LOS ANGELES — Tom Poston, the tall, pasty-faced comic who found fame and fortune playing a clueless everyman on such hit television shows as “Newhart” and “Mork and Mindy,” has died. He was 85.

BOULDER, Utah — By Day 2 in the blazing Utah desert, Dave Buschow was in bad shape.

SEOUL, South Korea — A new TV soap opera is gaining popularity in South Korea with the tear-jerking tale of an 8-year-old girl infected by the virus that causes AIDS — a disease that still invites more ostracism than sympathy here.

OAKLAND — One of two freeway connectors shut down by Sunday’s collapse of an overpass will reopen within 10 days after officials determined it had not been as badly damaged as they had feared, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger said Wednesday.

LOS ANGELES — Coming under intense criticism, Police Chief William J. Bratton said Wednesday officers’ use of brute force to disperse an immigration rally was of “grave concern” and promised a full investigation.

BELTSVILLE, Md. — Unless someone or something stops it soon, the mysterious killer that is wiping out many of the nation’s honeybees could have a devastating effect on America’s dinner plate, perhaps even reducing us to a glorified bread-and-water diet.

SAN FRANCISCO  — A surge in youths arrested for serious crimes has filled the city’s juvenile hall beyond capacity, despite attempts to send young offenders to community-based alternative programs, officials said.

WASHINGTON — Who should get a preference when it comes to immigrants?

BELMONT  — A sport-utility vehicle jumped a curb outside a middle school Wednesday afternoon and plowed into a group of children waiting for a bus, seriously injuring at least two of them, police and hospital officials said.

WASHINGTON — Congress failed to override President Bush’s veto of legislation requiring the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq on Wednesday, a defeat for anti-war Democrats that triggered immediate talks on a new measure to fund the conflict.

Note: All of the listed students earned a 3.33 grade average or better Students who achieved a perfect 4.0 receive special recognition and are noted with an *.

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