Opinion

(AP) — An aging dog named Missy walks with a limp and her time is winding down, but the unassuming pooch is at the forefront of research that could see her become the first cloned pet. -more-

I was rushing out the door heading to Ozzie’s 80th birthday party/fund-raiser at his namesake lunch counter at the Elmwood Pharmacy, when the phone rang. -more-

Jazzschool founder and director Susan Muscarella couldn’t be more pleased as the private music school enters its fourth year of operation. -more-

MARIPOSA — Cary Stayner had planned to kill for months before he acted spontaneously on his fantasy and targeted three Yosemite National Park tourists staying at the motel where he worked. -more-

SACRAMENTO — California environmentalists, critical of newly relaxed air pollution rules for power plants, say air quality and public health are taking a back seat to “keeping the lights on.” -more-

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission ordered an expanded inquiry Monday into whether El Paso Corp. drove up the price of natural gas destined for California last year by improperly favoring gas marketing companies it owns in bidding for transportation capacity on one of its pipelines. -more-