National

CALIFORNIA—California's economy is now larger than Brazil's, Russia's and Italy's. The economy is the world's seventh largest when measured by GDP. California's gross domestic product reached $2.3 trillion last year. The state's economy is hugely impacted by the entertainment industry that thrives in Southern California, the vast array of agriculture in Central California and the booming tech industry that resides...

WARNING: Article contains disturbing images. CHARLESTON, NORTH CAROLINA—The discovery of Caitlyn, a brown Staffordshire terrier who was found on the doorstep of her former owner's home with her snout taped shut, sparked a manhunt in Charleston, South Carolina for a ruthless animal mutilator. Caitlyn, formerly known as "Diamond," was sold on Memorial Day for $10 by her original owners, who were...

SAN FANCISCO—According to new data from the Case-Shiller index, the housing market is on the rise, and homes in the city of San Francisco saw the largest jump in price. As of March 2015, San Francisco housing prices are up 10.3 percent from a year ago. Denver came a close second, with a 10 percent increase in home prices. Washington D.C. and Cleveland,...

SAN FRANCISCO—Carlos La Roche, a Bay Area freelance producer working for the ABC-owned station KGO, was fired last week after sending out an inflammatory tweet about Oakland protestors. The tweet, which reads, "Looks like the born losers, er "protestors" will be in #Oakland 2night. Hope OPD uses real bullets. Now let's get back to this one... #Hoops." The tweet was sent...

WESTWOOD—A government proposed budget submitted on Thursday, May 14 could help keep UCLA and other University of California campuses tuition the same for the 2016-2017 school year. The proposal was submitted by Governor Jerry Brown and would postpone the UC’s Board of Regent’s new policy of a 5 percent tuition increase per year for the next five years, which was approved in...

LAS VEGAS, NV—Blues Hall of Famer B.B. King died Thursday, May 14 at the age of 89 in his Las Vegas home. The musician is mostly remembered for his influence in the music industry from blues to rock n’ roll. During his prime he was even nicknamed the “King of Blues." He received numerous awards during his lifetime, including being inducted to...

SAN FRANCISCO—Christina Liew has pleaded guilty in an economic espionage case in which she and her husband Walter Liew were accused of stealing trade secrets from the American chemical company DuPont and selling them to a Chinese competitor. Liew, her husband, and DuPont employees took part in an alleged conspiracy to sell the formula for a highly coveted whitener that...

SAN FRANCISCO—Leading up to her 2016 presidential campaign, Hillary Clinton paid a visit to the San Francisco Bay Area to raise money in one of America's wealthiest cities. Clinton has two fundraisers planned, the first of which took place today in the home of billionaire and environmentalist Tom Steyer. Later this evening, the former Secretary of State will visit a longtime...

FALL RIVER, MASSACHUSETTS—Aaron Hernandez, once a budding young NFL star, will spend the rest of his life in prison without the possibility of parole for the murder of Odin Lloyd. Lloyd, a 27-year-old landscaper and semipro football player, was a friend of the former Patriots tight-end and was dating the sister of Hernandez's fiancée. A motive hasn't been identified for Lloyd's shooting, which took...

SAN FRANCISCO—Ross Mirkarimi, San Francisco sheriff, requested FBI to investigate the deputy-arranged gladiator-style inmate fights that allegedly occurred in San Francisco County Jail. On Friday, April 10, Mirkarimi announced that FBI has agreed to conduct the investigation. The San Francisco's District Attorney's Office, the Public Defender's Office and the Sheriff's Department are investigating the case as well. Mirkarimi is glad...