California

America once had a love affair with the automobile. But a new study shows just how much air has been let out of those tires, and the millennial generation seems to be ambivalent toward owning cars or even acquiring driver's licenses.

An 18-year-old man in California stands accused of murder, after law enforcement officials upgraded a manslaughter charge against him, based on his tweets and driving history.

The number of acres burned this wildfire season is nearly half of what it was this time last year, though the most active period hasn't yet begun in parts of the West. By one tragic measure, however, 2013 has been one of the grimmest seasons in years.

Private investigator Kinsey Millhone is one of the most well-known characters in modern crime fiction, but there's another star in Sue Grafton's thrillers: the fictional city of Santa Teresa, based on Santa Barbara, Calif.

Zodiac produces most of the inflatable rafts used by the U.S. military. But a California company challenged that contract, saying it violates a requirement that the Defense Department use products made with American material and by U.S. workers. In response, Zodiac set up a factory in Maryland.

Democratic Mayor Bob Filner is resisting calls to resign following the accounts of women who say he harassed them. Hooters' locations in the city say "women should be treated with respect" and that Filner's not welcome.

Existing concepts in science like linear induction motors and magnetic levitation are back in the spotlight thanks to Elon Musk's proposal for a rail system that can travel faster than the speed of sound.

A wild herd of bison has been roaming the rugged Santa Catalina Island since the 1920s, when the animals were brought there by a film crew shooting a movie that was never made. With no natural predators, the bison population quickly exploded.

There hasn't been this much hype for a new technological advancement since the Segway was unveiled in 2001. Musk says his vehicle could make a trip from San Francisco to Los Angeles in 30 minutes.

"It just didn't fit," former county sheriff Mark John says of what he saw after coming upon James Lee DiMaggio and missing teen Hannah Anderson in Idaho's rugged backcountry. The two didn't seem to be prepared for the wilderness. After John alerted police, FBI agents moved in. DiMaggio was killed.