Florida Student to Plead Guilty to Obama Threat

MIAMI (AP) – A Miami college student plans to plead guilty in federal court to threatening President Barack Obama on Facebook. A plea hearing is set for Wednesday afternoon for 20-year-old Joaquin Amador Serrapio Jr. His attorney says he intends to plead guilty to one count of threatening to kill or harm the president. Federal prosecutors say Serrapio posted threats on Facebook in February when Obama was in Miami to give a speech. The posts threatened to put a bullet in the president’s head and asked if anyone wanted to help in a presidential assassination. There’s no indication Serrapio intended to act on the threats. His lawyer says Serrapio never wanted to hurt the president. Serrapio faces a maximum five-year prison sentence. He attends Miami-Dade College and is also a rock musician.

King: Woman on Diverted Plane not on Watchlists

WASHINGTON (AP) – A congressman says a US Airways passenger whose claim to have a surgically implanted device led to the diversion Tuesday of a cross-Atlantic jet is not listed on terrorist watchlists or law enforcement databases. Rep. Peter King, R-N.Y., who chairs the House Homeland Security Committee, said Wednesday the woman, whose identity has not been released, was “checked through all of the databases” and “her name has not shown up anywhere.” The Boeing 767 from Paris to Charlotte, N.C., was diverted to Bangor, Maine after the woman had handed a note to a flight attendant saying she had a surgically implanted device. U.S. authorities warned airlines last summer that terrorists might surgically hide bombs inside humans to evade airport security. King told CNN the woman did not have such a device.

Jobs and Business Hearing Set for this Morning in Paradise

The President of the Paradise Ridge Chamber of Commerce says more government isn’t the solution to improving the business climate, but smart government will help. A Jobs and Business hearing with Assembly members Dan Logue and Allan Mansoor is slated for Wednesday in Paradise. Chamber President Max Barteau tells KPAY the hearing gives local business owners the chance to inform lawmakers about what’s having an impact on their livelihood.  The hearing begins at 10 AM at the Paradise Town Hall.

Man Charged in Oroville Murder Appears in Court

A man charged in an Oroville murder has been transferred from state prison to appear in a Butte County courtroom. 23 year old Derrik Blanton is accused of killing one man and wounding three other people during an attempted robbery last year. He had been arrested in Sacramento and convicted on weapons and drug charges. The Oroville Mercury Register is reporting Blanton was in a local courtroom Tuesday, but did not enter a plea.

79 Year Old Hiker Rescued in Bidwell Park

A 79 year old hiker was rescued from Upper Bidwell Park Tuesday after apparently suffering from a heat-related illness. The Fire Department says the man called for help on his cell phone and said he needed to be rescued from the trail. Firefighters and Enloe medics hiked down to the victim, provided medical aid, and carried him up to the Salmon Hole parking lot. The man was taken by ambulance to a local hospital.

US Embassy in Kabul says US Ambassador to Leave

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) – The U.S. Embassy in Kabul says Ambassador Ryan Crocker will be leaving his post this summer. Crocker, 62, came out of retirement last July to take over as the top U.S. diplomat in Afghanistan. Crocker became widely known for his role as U.S. ambassador to Iraq from 2007 to 2009. It is unclear why he is leaving the post a year ahead of schedule. He also served as U.S. ambassador to Lebanon, Pakistan, Kuwait and Syria. Acting embassy spokesman Mark Thornburg said Tuesday that Crocker confirmed, with regret, that he will be leaving Kabul this summer. Crocker is currently in the United States, where he attended a NATO summit in Chicago.

Ex-student in Webcam Case Explains Lack of Apology

NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J. (AP) – The former Rutgers student sentenced this week to 30 days in jail for using a webcam to view his roommate kissing another man says he did not apologize largely because it would have been seen as insincere. Dharun Ravi told The Star-Ledger in an interview conducted before Monday’s sentencing, but published after it, that anything he would say “would sound rehearsed and empty.” He did not address the judge when he was sentenced, and the judge criticized his lack of apology. The case rose to prominence because the roommate, Tyler Clementi, committed suicide days after the September 2010 spying. During the sentencing, Clementi’s brother James said that hearing an apology this late from Ravi would not be meaningful to him.

Northstate Schools Included on List of Districts Facing Possible Financial Problems

Some schools in the North State have joined the growing list of schools in financial jeopardy either in the short or long term. Two schools in Shasta County and the Durham Unified School District joined the biggest list in state history of schools in possible trouble. State Schools Superintendent Tom Torlakson says Durham Unified is in what’s known as “qualified” certification, meaning it must correct course or face trouble next year or the year after. Torlakson says state funding cuts have caused many districts to plunge into an unprecedented budget crisis.

CA Senator Wants Pay Cap for CSU Employees

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) – California State University employees who make more than $200,000 annually would have their salaries capped under a bill approved by the state Senate. The measure would place a two-year moratorium on any pay raises for those employees, ending in July 2014. SB952 also would cap pay raises for those same employees at no more than 10 percent for four more years, until July 2018. The bill’s author, Democratic Sen. Elaine Alquist of Santa Clara, says it is wrong to give large pay increases to university executives at a time when student fees are increasing. The system’s board of trustees’ recently adopted an updated compensation policy, but Alquist says it isn’t binding and applies only to campus presidents. Her bill passed 36-1 on Monday and goes to the Assembly.

Two Men Injured in Separate Weekend Stabbings in Red Bluff

Two men injured in separate stabbings in Red Bluff over the weekend. The Red Bluff Police Department says the first attack happened on South Jackson Street early Saturday.  One man was hurt and drove himself to the hospital. Police say 19 year old Rudy Rafael was located nearby covered with blood and in possession of a knife. He’s been arrested for attempted murder. In the second incident, police say a 19 year old man suffered a stab wound to the arm Saturday night. 21 year old John Dyer has been identified as a “person of interest” in that assault.