Sacramento Metro News

Three people attending the annual fair celebrating the popular Calaveras County jumping frog contest were seriously injured Friday during the collapse of a carnival ride.

Another 14 riders also were hurt, but their injuries were considered minor, said Dennis Townsend, a chief in the Calaveras County unit of the California Department of Forestry and Fire Prevention.

The three most seriously injured riders were being airlifted to area hospitals, he said.

Townsend said they were injured when a type of swing ride collapsed shortly after 6 p.m. Friday. The ride has arms that fling out as they spin around an axis. Read more

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“I don't know if these guys were looking for someone or are just ignorant.”

Three Sacramento men have been arrested after a beating that law enforcement officials describe as a hate crime against homosexuals, police said Friday.

The Thursday evening incident at a Sacramento gas station came just hours after the California Supreme Court issued a ruling overturning a state ban on same-sex marriages.

A 23-year-old Sacramento man was sitting with another man in a car near the station's restroom when the three suspects asked if he was a homosexual, Sacramento Police Officer Michelle Lazark said. Read more

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“We instituted additional educational training for the station, and have taken appropriate disciplinary action, including termination of the individuals involved”

CBS fired the radio host and a radio station's program director over a racist song that was performed on the air in March. via WPVI-TV Philadelphia

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“The company's lengthy experience as a Shell operator, coupled with its extensive knowledge of the retail fuel market in northern California, will help strengthen the Shell network in Sacramento.”

Sacramento Business Journal - by Celia Lamb Staff writer Shell Oil Products US has sold 20 Sacramento-area gas stations to a subsidiary of Fremont-Based Vintners Distributors Inc . via Sacramento Business Journal

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“The voices were very loud and very clear. These parks are important”

The gates and doors of Benicia's two state parks, including the historic Capitol, will remain open, the governor revealed Wednesday. via Vallejo Times-Herald

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An often asymptomatic condition - 'systolic dysfunction, or decreased pumping of the heart - 'poses an increased risk of death for patients on kidney transplant waiting lists, according to a study appearing in ... via Newswise

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Arnold Schwarzenegger will propose borrowing against future state lottery revenue to help close a $15.2 billion budget deficit in the next fiscal year. via SFGate

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“It's all such politics at this stage of the game.”

Modesto teachers abandoned barbecued chicken and tri-tip dinners for pickets at their annual celebration Wednesday marking the California Day of the Teacher. via The Modesto Bee

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“The idea that we use the lottery to pay down debt is a good one”

SACRAMENTO _ Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger on Wednesday released a $144.3 billion state budget that eliminates a massive deficit by selling lottery bonds and cutting billions in state programs. via KCBS

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Critical conditions have caused the National Weather Service in Sacramento to declare a red flag fire warning in effect now through noon Friday for much of Northern California. via The Union

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