Suspect Arrested in Shooting that Paralyzed California Soldier

(SAN BERNARDINO, Calif.) -- Police say they have arrested a suspect in the shooting of a California soldier at his homecoming party on Friday.

Army soldier Christopher Sullivan, 22, of San Bernardino, was at a party held in his honor when one of the attendees got into a fight with his brother. Sullivan reportedly tried to intervene in the altercation, when someone pulled out a handgun and opened fire, hitting Sullivan in the back and neck.

Sullivan, who survived a suicide bombing in Afghanistan, was left paralyzed by the shooting.

"They said he was going to be a paraplegic, he will never walk again," Sullivan’s mother Suzanne told ABC News Los Angeles station KABC.

On Monday, police arrested Ruben Ray Jurado for the shooting.

Copyright 2011 ABC News Radio

Coroner's Office Identify 7-Year-Old Who Died in Ski Lift Accident

(SACRAMENTO, Calif.)  -- A 7-year-old California boy who fell off a ski lift and died was identified by the Washoe County, Nev., Medical Examiner's Office on Thursday.

According to the Los Angeles Times, John Henderson was a second-grader who was an experienced member of the Sugar Bowl Ski Team. Henderson was the son of Mark Henderson, associate dean of the medical school at UC Davis, and Helen Chew, leader of the UC Davis Cancer Center clinical breast cancer program.

Henderson fell while riding the Mount Lincoln Express chair lift at Sugar Bowl on Sunday. He died from head trauma two days later at Renown Medical Center in Reno.

Copyright 2011 ABC News Radio

Air Jordan Sales Cancelled After Shots Fired at Mall

(SAN FRANCISCO) -- Sales of Air Jordan XI sneakers are causing chaos across malls in California and across the country.

According to ABC News affiliate KGO, police ordered retailers at Hilltop Mall in Richmond to cancel the shoe sales after shots were fired in the midst of crowds who had lined up overnight to buy the $180 sneakers. Nobody was reported injured, and it is unclear who fired the shots.

At Westfield Mall in Fairfield, more than 1,000 people gathered to try to buy the sneakers. Police were called in to control the crowds.

Copyright 2011 ABC News Radio

California Records First Flu Death of Season

(SACRAMENTO, Calif.) -- California has recorded its flu-related death for the season, the state's Department of Public Health announced Thursday.

Officials say a Kern County man in his late 30's is the first reported death linked to influenza this season, and officials are taking the opportunity to urge residents to be vaccinated.

"This death is a somber reminder that the flu can be a serious and even deadly disease," Department of Public Health director Dr. Ron Chapman said in a statement. "I encourage Californians to get their flu vaccine to help protect themselves and their families."

Flu shots are recommended for everyone over six months of age.

Copyright 2011 ABC News Radio

Calif. AG: Medical Marijuana Laws Need Clarification

(SACRAMENTO, Calif.) -- California Attorney General Kamala Harris sent letters to state legislators Wednesday asking for clarification of the medical marijuana laws.

Harris said she is also troubled by the exploitation and abuses of medical marijuana laws by gangs and criminal enterprises.  She expressed concern about nonprofits that make profits off the sale of medical marijuana and says she will revise Jerry Brown's 2008 guidelines.

"Nothing in Proposition 215 or the Medical Marijuana Program Act authorizes any individual or group to cultivate or distribute marijuana for profit. Thus, distribution and sales for profit of marijuana—medical or otherwise—are criminal under California law," said Harris.

Copyright 2011 ABC News Radio

Edison Says No Outages from Wind; Warns of Continued Threat

(LOS ANGELES) -- Southern California Edison officials reported Thursday that there were no power outages after strong overnight winds, according to the Los Angeles Times.

The company warned customers however of the continued threat on Thursday.

The National Weather Service has predicted winds of 65 mph in mountainous regions. The winds are expected to die down on Thursday evening, but pick up again on Friday morning.

Copyright 2011 ABC News Radio

Thousands of California Nurses to Stage One-Day Strike

(OAKLAND, Calif.) -- Thousands of California nurses plan to stage a one-day strike on Thursday to protest patient care protections and corporate hospital demands for sweeping concessions.

Approximately 4,000 registered nurses employed with Sutter Health at nine San Francisco facilities plan to walk off the job to protest demands for major contract concessions in patient protections, and health coverage for nurses and their families, according to a release from the California Nurses Association.

Also planning to strike are around 2,000 nurses from Long Beach Memorial Medical Center and Miller Children's Hospital in Long Beach. Those caregivers are calling for safe nurse-to-patient staffing at all times and are at odds over the refusal to implement safe patient lift policies to prevent accidents to patients and injuries to nurses, the California Nurses Association statement says.

Copyright 2011 ABC News Radio

Census Data Shows Calif. Added Half-Million Residents in 2010

(SACRAMENTO, Calif.) -- California was the second-fastest-growing state in 2010 in terms of numerical gain, according to census data cited in the Fresno Bee.

The figures, which are reported to be the first post-2010 estimate from the Census Bureau, show California trailed only Texas with 438,000 new residents. Its growth rate of 1.2 percent, however, was only slightly higher than the national average of .98 percent.

According to the bureau, California's new population estimate is 37.7 million people. Texas, which added 529,000 new residents, has an estimated population of 25.7 million people.

Copyright 2011 ABC News Radio

Tuition Rates at California's Community Colleges Increasing Again

(SACRAMENTO, Calif.) -- Tuition rates at community colleges across California are going up in an effort to offset the state’s multi-million dollar budget cuts, ABC News Los Angeles affiliate KABC-TV reports.

Tuition rates will increase $10 to $46 a unit effective in May, meaning that full-time students taking 15 units will pay $150 more a semester.

The tuition rate was previously increased $10 a unit this fall semester.

The newest $10 tuition hike only offsets one-third of California’s $100 million budget cuts.

Copyright 2011 ABC News Radio

'Americans Elect' Earns Spot on California Ballot

(WASHINGTON) -- Californians will have an additional option to choose from when voting in 2012, as the Internet-based Americans Elect party has announced that it has been certified to be on the ballot in the state.

A release on the group's website states that California Secretary of State Debra Bowen has certified a petition with 1.62 million signatures, making the Golden State the 12th state in which the group will have a line on the 2012 presidential ballot, and giving voters an alternative to President Obama and the Republican candidate.

Americans Elect is aiming to have ballot access in all 50 states by the time the November 2012 election rolls around. So far the privately-financed group has ballot access in the following states: Florida, Michigan, Nevada, Arkansas, Ohio, Colorado, Utah, Mississippi, Kansas, Alaska, Rhode Island, and Arizona.

Copyright 2011 ABC News Radio