2 CHILDREN, MOTHER KILLED IN SACRAMENTO-AREA HOME : SACRAMENTO . (AP) — Two young children and their mother were found murdered in a suburban Sacramento home Tuesday afternoon. An infant was found alive inside a crib in the back of the house.
The Sacramento County Sheriff's office said Tuesday that a 2-year-old boy and 3-year-old girl were killed "very violently" along with their mother, who was in her 20s, inside their home in Rancho Cordova, about 15 miles east of the state capital.
Deputy Jason Ramos, a sheriff's spokesman, said the children's father found the victims when he came home about 3:30 p.m. The father ran to the home of a neighbor, who called police.
Ramos said investigators have not identified a suspect and are searching the neighborhood. He said the crime was "shocking, even to veteran law enforcement."
JUDGE: VETS GROUP GETS ROLE IN CROSS TALKS: SAN DIEGO (AP) — A federal judge has ruled that a San Diego veterans' organization can continue to be a party in a case that will decide the future of a disputed war memorial cross on federal land.
In his ruling issued Tuesday, U.S. District Court Judge Larry Burns said the Mt. Soledad Memorial Association has the right to have a say in any legal talks on how the Mt. Soledad cross is modified.
A federal court has determined the cross on top of a San Diego mountain is an unconstitutional mixing of government and religion.
The American Civil Liberties Union said the veterans' organization does not own the property and should not be an intervening party in the case.
Burns in his ruling said the group erected the cross and has contractual rights.
OFFICIALS SAY 1 DEAD IN PLANE CRASH NEAR BYRON: BYRON (AP) — Authorities say the pilot of an experimental aircraft is dead after his plane crashed near Byron Airport in Contra Costa County.
Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Ian Gregor says the single-engine Glasair lll crashed in a field about 4.5 miles northeast of the airport and burst into flames around 2 p.m. Tuesday.
Contra Costa County sheriff's spokesman Jimmy Lee says the pilot, the only person on board, was killed in the crash. The pilot's name has not been released.
Gregor says the FAA and National Transportation Safety Board will investigate the crash, with the NTSB being the lead agency.
FAA records show the plane was "amateur built" in 2008, and is registered out of Fernley, Nev.
Byron Airport is located in a rural section of far eastern Contra Costa County about 20 miles northeast of Livermore.
SACRAMENTO DOCTOR TRIED FOR SEXUAL IMPROPRIETIES: SACRAMENTO (AP) — A trial has begun for a Sacramento doctor accused of sexual improprieties with four of his female patients.
The Sacramento Bee reports that Scott Dodd Anderson's trial began Tuesday in Sacramento County Superior Court.
Anderson faces 22 felony and misdemeanor counts, but prosecutors dismissed more serious charges of rape, forced oral copulation and attempted sodomy. He has pleaded not guilty to the charges.
The workers compensation doctor previously worked at a U.S. HealthWorks Medical Group in Sacramento. His medical license has been temporarily suspended.
In her opening statement, prosecutor Laura West told jurors the case was about a doctor who violated his position of trust by committing sexual offenses against patients during their examinations.
Defense attorney Patrick Hanley described the allegations as "fiction" and "fantasy."
WOMAN PLEADS IN CRAIGSLIST RAPE SOLICITATION CASE: SAN DIEGO (AP) — A 50-year-old San Diego woman has pleaded not guilty to placing a Craigslist ad seeking a sexual assault against a woman she allegedly was harassing online.
Kathy J. Rowe entered the plea Monday to identity theft, harassment and solicitation to commit sexual assault. She faces more than six years in prison if convicted.
Prosecutors contend that Rowe harassed a woman from last October through June and placed a Craigslist ad saying the woman wanted to participate in a "rape fetish."
Brendan McHugh says one person responding to the ad showed up at the victim's home.
MEN DRESSED AS WOMEN ROB BANK: VISALIA (AP) — Two men wearing women's clothing have pulled off a bank heist in California's San Joaquin Valley.
Investigators say one of the men showed a handgun Monday afternoon and handed a Visalia Community Bank employee a note demanding money.
The Fresno Bee says the men, described as middle aged, fled the Visalia bank with an undisclosed amount of money.
There were no customers in the bank at the time and no employees were hurt.
SANTA MONICA MANSION PARTIES SPARK FUROR: SANTA MONICA (AP) — Owners hoping to sell a Santa Monica mansion for $20 million decided to raise buzz by hosting parties — but they've also raised the hackles of neighbors.
The Los Angeles Times says owners who bought the 10,000-square-foot property two years ago formed a company, the House of Rock, to help market it for charity events and parties. They plan to put it on the market this month.
Since September, hundreds of guests have visited, prompting neighbor complaints ranging from blocked driveways to naked partygoers sleeping in cars.
The owners' attorney says no laws have been broken but that may change.
The City Council may vote Tuesday on an emergency ordinance barring parties of 150 or more for purposes of selling a home and setting a maximum fine of $1,000.
CAROL BURNETT RECOGNIZED BY HOLLYWOOD HIGH SCHOOL: LOS ANGELES (AP) — Carol Burnett is being honored by her alma mater.
Hollywood High School's Performing Arts Center announced Tuesday that it is naming an annual award after Burnett and that the 79-year-old entertainer will be its first recipient.
She will receive the Carol Burnett Honor of Distinction Award on Jan. 10 at the El Capitan Theater on Hollywood Boulevard, just around the corner from the high school she graduated from in 1951.
Other famous alumni of the Sunset Boulevard campus include Judy Garland, Rudolph Valentino, Cher, Laurence Fishburne, John Ritter and Mickey Rooney.
