In drought, Calif. welcomes storm

In drought, Calif. welcomes storm

SAN FRANCISCO

Californians accustomed to complaining about the slightest change in the weather welcomed a robust weekend storm that soaked the northern half of the drought-stricken state Saturday even as rain and snow brought the threat of avalanches, flooding and rock slides.

In Willits, one of 17 rural communities that California’s Department of Public Health recently described as dangerously low on water, City Councilman Bruce Burton said he was cheered seeing the water levels in a local reservoir and his backyard pond creeping up and small streams flowing again. The city in the heart of redwood country usually sees about 50 inches of rain a year and was expected to get about 4 inches by Sunday.

Migration minister resigns over worker

LONDON

The office of Britain’s prime minister says that the country’s immigration minister has resigned over the illegal employment of a foreign cleaner, a surprise announcement that is likely to badly embarrass David Cameron’s government.

Cameron’s Downing Street office said in a statement released Saturday afternoon that there was no indication that the minister, Mark Harper, knew the cleaner was working illegally but said the leader accepted the resignation “with regret.”

Media sometimes fail to keep secrets

LONDON

News organizations publishing leaked National Security Agency documents have inadvertently disclosed the names of at least six intelligence workers and other government secrets they never intended to give away, an Associated Press review has found.

The accidental disclosures illustrate the risks of even well-intentioned, public-interest reporting on highly secret U.S. programs.

In some cases, prominent newspapers including The New York Times quickly pulled down government records they published online and re-censored them to hide information they accidentally exposed. On one occasion, the Guardian newspaper published an NSA document that appeared to identify an American intelligence target living abroad. Before the newspaper could fix its mistake, a curious software engineer, Ron Garret of Emerald Hills, Calif., tried to contact the man at his office.

“I figured someone ought to give him the heads up,” Garret told The Associated Press.

Cat-loving woman mauled by 2 dogs

DAYTON

An Ohio woman known for her love of cats was found in front of her home Friday fatally mauled by two neighborhood dogs.

Police say they found 57-year-old Klonda Richey unclothed, with her coat apparently torn off by the mixed-breed dogs.

Authorities said Richey’s next-door neighbors, 28-year-old Andrew Nason and 23-year-old Julie Custer, were taken into custody and being held pending a formal charge of reckless homicide.

Egypt leftist leader to contest elections

CAIRO

A leading left-wing Egyptian politician announced Saturday that he will contest upcoming presidential elections, set to be a tough battle for anyone squaring off against the country’s powerful army chief, expected to win a sweeping victory.

Hamdeen Sabahi’s decision heats up an election slated for this spring, and opens a window of hope to the country’s largely disenchanted youth who rose up against two presidents in the past three years — first against longtime autocrat Hosni Mubarak, then the Islamist Mohammed Morsi.

Associated Press