Sacramento Bee

blogs.sacbee.com — Sacramento lobbyists and others looking forward to attending a mixed-martial-arts fight in Las Vegas with Sen. Ricardo Lara on Saturday will have to find another way to enjoy the holiday weekend. Lara announced today that he has canceled a fundraiser that was to take place Saturday at an Ultimate Fighting Championship match in Las Vegas because of "an unfortunate case of coincidental timing."

sacbee.com — Federal prosecutors say three men have pleaded guilty in San Diego to planning to abduct three people who owed money for drugs. They intended to bring the captives to Tijuana, Mexico. The U.S. attorney's office says 40-year-old Antonio Zermeno pleaded guilty Tuesday to conspiracy to kidnapping.

sacbee.com — About 17,000 Californians with serious medical problems will be moved from a state-run stopgap health insurance program to a federal plan starting in July. The state board that oversees the California Pre-Existing Condition Insurance Plan announced this week that participants will continue receiving benefits from the federal government until next year.

m.sacbee.com — The tornado that devastated this Oklahoma City suburb of 56,000 people destroyed Plaza Towers and also slammed Briarwood Elementary, where all the children appear to have survived. Students and parents recounted stories Tuesday of brave teachers who sheltered their pupils, in some cases by herding them into a closet and a restroom amid the fear and panic.

sacbee.com — The principal's voice came on over the intercom at Plaza Towers Elementary School: A severe storm was approaching and students were to go to the cafeteria and wait for their parents to pick them up. But before all of the youngsters could get there, the tornado alarm sounded. The plan changed quickly.

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blogs.sacbee.com — Gov. Jerry Brown's proposal to shift $500 million in cap-and-trade fees levied on business for greenhouse emissions into the state budget ran into bipartisan opposition Tuesday. The two Democrats and one Republican on a Senate budget subcommittee denounced Brown's plan, which was included in a revision of his state budget last week.

sacbee.com — Twitter is booming as a social media destination for teenagers who complain about too many adults and too much drama on Facebook, according to a new study published Tuesday about online behavior. It said teens are sharing more personal information about themselves even as they try to protect their online reputations.

sacbee.com — Sacbee.com is happy to provide a forum for reader interaction, discussion, feedback and reaction to our stories. However, we reserve the right to delete inappropriate comments or ban users who can't play nice. ( See our full terms of service here.) Here are some rules of the road: * Keep your comments civil.

blogs.sacbee.com — What You Should Know About Comments on Sacbee.com Sacbee.com is happy to provide a forum for reader interaction, discussion, feedback and reaction to our stories. However, we reserve the right to delete inappropriate comments or ban users who can't play nice. ( See our full terms of service here.)

blogs.sacbee.com — California spent far more than any other state on K-12 education in 2011, but its per-pupil spending was $1,421 below the national average, putting it 36th in the nation, according to a new Census Bureau report.

sacbee.com — Jerry Brown did one of his characteristic political pirouettes Monday. For months, the governor had dismissed revelations in The Bee about shoddy construction and inspection practices on the grandiose, long overdue and massively over-budget project to replace the eastern portion of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge.

sacbee.com — The Muppets may have taken Manhattan, but they're getting a spiffy new home in Queens. Muppet creator Jim Henson's family is donating about 400 puppets, costumes, props and other items to the Museum of the Moving Image. New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg was on hand for the announcement Tuesday.