LOS ANGELES - They lurk in bushes, camp out in cars and hover in helicopters. Some are brazen enough to openly brandish their cameras, like old Western gunslingers.

COSTA MESA, Calif. - A middle school student faces expulsion for allegedly posting graphic threats against a classmate on the popular MySpace.com Web site, and 20 of his classmates were suspended for viewing the posting, school officials said.

September 16, 2004

Police canceled an Amber Alert for a 14-year-old girl abducted at knifepoint Wednesday morning in Chandler, after the girl was found safe about 10 a.m. by a Department of Public Safety highway patrol officer on Interstate 8, just east of the California border.

Meg Whitman had just finished delivering her campaign stump speech for an audience in El Dorado Hills, Calif., several months ago when she asked for questions from the crowd.

STOCKTON, Calif. - A woman kidnapped, raped and murdered an 8-year-old girl and stuffed her body in a suitcase that was dumped in a pond just a few miles from home, prosecutors alleged Tuesday.

SAN FRANCISCO - A federal judge overturned California's gay marriage ban Wednesday with an unequivocal ruling that could eventually force the U.S. Supreme Court to confront the question of whether same-sex couples have a constitutional right to wed.

SAN FRANCISCO — As thousands demonstrated outside, California Supreme Court justices weighed Thursday whether voters' decision to ban same-sex marriage was a denial of fundamental rights or within what one justice called the people's "very broad powers" to amend the state constitution.

LOS ANGELES -- The strongest earthquake to strike a populated area of Southern California in more than a decade rattled windows and chandeliers, made buildings sway and sent people running into the streets on Tuesday. But there were no immediate reports of serious injuries or major damage.

Arizona taxpayers contributed $2.25 million in tax credit donations to Scottsdale schools in 2006, a whopping $535,000 jump from a year earlier. Scottsdale Unified School District officials attribute the increase to educational efforts and more online donations.

Last spring, educators in the Apache Junction Unified School District got their first whiff of the outrage spreading among taxpayers when they unsuccessfully tried to renew a budget override.

May 11, 2004

February 4, 2005

A high-ranking administrator in the Kyrene Elementary School District and three out-of-state candidates have been named finalists in the district’s superintendent search.

June 8, 2004

January 19, 2005

Imagine if your child’s assigned elementary school had puddles of urine in the bathroom, mouse droppings in the cafeteria, and clogged water fountains. Now imagine if your complaints were rejected by the principal.

Students will return to school Monday  in the Higley and Queen Creek unified school districts. School will resume Wednesday  in the Gilbert Unified School District. Classes resume Monday in the Mesa Unified School District after holiday break. Classes resume Tuesday in the Chandler Unified School District after holiday break. Teachers will hold an in-service day Monday.

In the face of "uncommon change," Mike Cowan will take the reins of leadership in Arizona's largest school district in July.

December 20, 2004

Logistics of scheduling are the most difficult part of an athletics program for home-schooled athletes. But the East Valley Athletes for Christ varsity boys basketball squad has overcome the obstacles and captured its second straight California Christian Homeschool Basketball Tournament title.

NEW YORK - Debbie Karl’s after-school chats with her two sons are typically brief: How was school today? Fine. Anything going on? Nothing.

BERKELEY, Calif. — School day wake-up calls recorded by celebrities. Weekend makeup classes. Contests with laptop computers, private concerts and cars as prizes.