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Richard Gonzales

Tuesday

California's Proposition 19: The Politics Of Pot

Campaigning On The Cheap, Prop 19 Still Builds Buzz

Proposition 19, the California ballot measure that would legalize pot for recreational use, is stirring up lots of attention across the country. But at home in the Golden State, it's definitely a low-budget affair with neither side spending big bucks on a massive media campaign.

Campaigning On The Cheap, Prop 19 Still Builds Buzz

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Thursday

Answers Still Elusive In San Bruno Pipeline Blast

A piece of the ruptured pipeline from last month's fatal accident in San Bruno, Calif., displayed in a laboratory at the National Transportation Safety Board's training center in Ashburn, Va. A preliminary NTSB report says a power failure led to a brief change in pipeline pressure but does not say that the pressure change caused the blast that killed eight people and destroyed 37 homes. Luis Alvarez/AP hide caption

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Luis Alvarez/AP

National

Answers Still Elusive In San Bruno Pipeline Blast

A month after a fatal gas pipeline explosion in San Bruno, Calif., survivors and investigators are still asking how it happened. Many victims continue to relive that night. Investigators are looking at everything from problems in the pipeline control room to transmission line maintenance.

Answers Still Elusive In San Bruno Pipeline Blast

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Friday

National

Calif. Blast Spotlights Nation's Aging Gas Lines

The massive natural gas explosion in San Bruno, Calif., last week exposed a nationwide reality -- neighborhoods have been built on top of decades-old pipelines. In many cases, residents don't know of aging lines near or even under their homes until there's an incident.

Calif. Blast Spotlights Nation's Aging Gas Lines

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Friday

National

Fire Engulfs San Francisco Suburb

A massive fire is burning in the San Francisco suburb of San Bruno after an apparent natural gas line ruptured. At least one person was killed. Dozens of homes were destroyed.

Fire Engulfs San Francisco Suburb

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Wednesday

Business

HP Sues Ex-CEO Hurd Over Oracle's Job Offer

Mark Hurd recently was fired from his job as CEO of Hewlett-Packard after a scandal involving an extra-martial relationship. One of HP's main tech rivals -- Oracle -- wants to make Hurd its co-president. That's prompted HP to sue, claiming Hurd can't possibly perform the new job without tapping into HP's trade secrets.

HP Sues Ex-CEO Hurd Over Oracle's Job Offer

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Monday

National

When The Kids Go Away To School

Back in the day, going away to college meant that students cut the cord connecting them with parents and home. That's no longer the case in a world of text-messaging, tweeting and two-way video calls. NPR's Richard Gonzales has an up-and-close personal look at what it means today when the kids go away to school.

When The Kids Go Away To School

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Thursday

National

Imperial County Defends Calif.'s Gay Marriage Ban

It's one of the poorest places in California and has one of the nation's highest unemployment rates. Imperial County, which borders Mexico, has another distinction: Voters there overwhelmingly supported Prop 8, the state's gay marriage ban. County officials are stepping in to defend Prop 8 in court -- at a time when California's top elected leaders won't.

Imperial County Defends Calif.'s Gay Marriage Ban

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Friday

Law

Opponents Try To Block Calif. Same-Sex Marriage

The sponsors of California's gay marriage ban have asked an appeals court to stop a federal judge's order allowing same-sex weddings to begin next week. Defenders of Proposition 8 asked the appeals court to impose a stay that would halt gay marriages while a judge's ruling that struck down the ban is reconsidered. Last week, a judge ruled Prop 8 was unconstitutional.

Opponents Try To Block Calif. Same-Sex Marriage

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Wednesday

National

Oakland Looks At Taxing Pot To Close Budget Gap

Oakland, Calif., is laying off police officers to cope with a spiraling budget crisis. The cuts come as Oakland is wrestling with lingering racial unrest over the death of a young black man shot by a transit police officer. Money is the only solution to the city's budget problems, and some of it may come from a new proposal to tax marijuana.

Oakland Looks At Taxing Pot To Close Budget Gap

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Friday

Justice Department To Investigate BART Shooting

A worker with the Downtown Oakland Association sweeps the sidewalk near graffiti painted by protesters outside a drug store in Oakland on Friday. The federal government said it will investigate now that officer Johannes Mehserle was convicted Thursday of involuntary manslaughter, touching off angry protests that damaged stores and netted dozens of arrests. Eric Risberg/AP hide caption

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Eric Risberg/AP

Law

Justice Department To Investigate BART Shooting

On Thursday, former BART police officer Johannes Mehserle was convicted of involuntary manslaughter in the slaying of 22-year-old Oscar Grant on an Oakland train platform last year. A Justice Department spokesman announced Friday that the civil rights division will review the case.

Law

Transit Officer's Verdict Sparks Violent Protests

A former transit officer from northern California has been convicted of involuntary manslaughter in the fatal shooting of an unarmed man. Johannes Mehserle said he meant to use his taser, but accidentally pulled his gun instead and shot 22-year-old Oscar Grant. The 2009 shooting continues to spark racial tension in Oakland where the shooting happened on a BART train platform. The ex-officer is white, Grant was black.

Transit Officer's Verdict Sparks Violent Protests

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Thursday

Law

Oakland Waits For Verdict In BART Shooting Trial

Jury deliberations are under way in the trial of a former Bay Area Rapid Transit officer accused of fatally shooting an unarmed man on a train platform in Oakland, Calif. The case of the white officer and the black victim has sparked racial tensions. The trial was moved to Los Angeles.

Oakland Waits For Verdict In BART Shooting Trial

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Thursday

Law

Judge To Take Weeks To Rule On Gay Marriage

A judge is considering the fate of California's Proposition 8, in which the voters banned same-sex marriage. Two couples sued, saying the ban violates their civil rights. The proponents of Prop 8 say it preserves the true definition of marriage.

Judge To Take Weeks To Rule On Gay Marriage

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Thursday

Law

Ex-Cop Faces Trial In Racially Charged Murder Case

Opening statements begin Thursday in the trial of Johannes Mehserle, a former transit police officer who is charged with second-degree murder in the shooting death of an unarmed black man on New Year's Day 2009 in Oakland, Calif. The killing was captured on video and widely posted on the Internet.

Ex-Cop Faces Trial In Racially Charged Murder Case

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Monday

The Man Bankrolling California's Pot Initiative

Richard Lee has created a multimillion-dollar empire in Oakland, Calif., built largely on medicinal pot. And now, he wants to take it a step further, by turning marijuana into a totally legal, taxable commodity for any Californian age 21 or older. Jeff Chiu/AP hide caption

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Jeff Chiu/AP

The New Marijuana

The Man Bankrolling California's Pot Initiative

Richard Lee, who has created a multimillion-dollar empire in Oakland, Calif., largely off of medicinal pot, financed the expensive petition drive that put marijuana on the November ballot. He says legalizing pot for recreational use will help the police focus on "real sociopaths." His critics say he just wants to make money.

The Man Bankrolling California's Pot Initiative

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