BAGHDAD (AP) - Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and her Iraqi counterpart say their governments have agreed that timetables should be set for the withdrawal of U.S. troops from the battle-scarred country. Rice is in Baghdad, where she appeared at a news conference today with Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari (HOH’-shayr zuh-BAH’-ree). The two officials said a final agreement between Washington and Baghdad on a withdrawal plan as well as a strategic framework pact is close to completion — but they’re not there yet. Rice told reporters the two sides have agreed that “some aspirational timetables” are “well worth having in such an agreement.” A key part of the U.S.-Iraqi draft agreement envisions the withdrawal of American forces from Iraq’s cities by next June 30th.

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Police say they’ve taken a suspect into custody after a shooting at a Knoxville, Tenn. high school. The shooting was reported to police at about 8:10 Thursday morning at Central High School. Capt. Mike Duncan of the Knox County Sheriff’s Office tells the Knoxville News-Sentinel that a suspect was found on a nearby street about 10 minutes later. Details of the shooting are unclear, but the newspaper reported that one student was wounded. The student’s condition was not immediately known. The school is on lockdown, but police say parents will soon be able to come and pick up their children.

The Chico Unified School District says some students shouldn’t get comfortable in their classes just yet.

Click for Audio:  ricky-1

That’s Chico School Board member Rick Anderson. He’s asking parents and students to have patience as the district adjusts enrollment with what he calls “tight staffing.”

SACRAMENTO (AP) - California’s state employees won’t see big cuts in their August paychecks. A Sacramento judge on Wednesday scheduled a Sept. 12 hearing into Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s attempt to slash the pay of nearly 180,000 state workers as lawmakers debate how to erase a $15.2 billion budget deficit. State officials say that means a decision allowing the cuts would come too late to affect the August payroll. Schwarzenegger wants to cut the pay of about 140,000 state employees to the federal minimum wage of $6.55 an hour. About 30,000 management employees would be paid $455 a week. Another 8,000 state workers without federal minimum wage protection wouldn’t be paid at all until a new state budget was adopted. Schwarzenegger says the cuts are needed to prevent the state from running out of money. But state Controller John Chiang has refused to implement the cuts, saying the state has enough money to cover its bills into October.

A blaze that erupted in a Chico neighborhood burned several outbuildings Wednesday afternoon. The fire happened just after 2 PM at the corner of Laurel and East 22nd Street. Two outbuildings and part of a field were burned, but three nearby homes were spared. At last report, the cause of the fire was under investigation.

Butte County authorities are looking for a man seen in the area of two small fires in Paradise Wednesday afternoon. The flames burned just over an acre, but also knocked out 9-1-1 emergency phone lines in the Magalia Ridge area. The fires occured near Lago Vista Way. Authorities describe the man spotted in the fire area as white, about 50 years old, with a bushy beard, driving an older model red truck.

     MADRID, Spain (AP) - Officials say 149 people were killed today
when a Spanish airliner crashed on takeoff from Madrid’s airport.
     An emergency official says there were only 26 survivors in the
mid-afternoon crash.
     The Spanair flight was bound for the popular Canary Islands off
the West African coast during the height of Europe’s summer
vacation season. It reportedly sped off the end of the runway,
crashed, burned and broke into pieces. It’s not yet known why.
     A Spanair spokesman says the plane, which was a codeshare to Las
Palmas with a Lufthansa flight, was carrying 175 people.
     A major Spanish newspaper (El Pais) reports that the jet’s
takeoff had been an hour late due to technical problems. It says
the U.S.-made MD-82 eventually managed to get slightly off the
ground but crashed near the end of the runway.

     OSLO, Norway (AP) - Norway’s Defense Ministry says Russia has
informed it that it plans to cut all military ties with NATO.
     Ministry spokeswoman Heidi Langvik-Hansen says the country’s
embassy received a telephone call from Russia’s Defense Ministry on
Wednesday, saying Moscow plans “to freeze all military cooperation
with NATO and allied countries.”
     Norway was told in the telephone call a written note about this
would be sent out shortly.
     Russian officials were not immediately available to confirm the
information and officials at NATO headquarters said they have not
been informed of any such moves.
     NATO foreign ministers Tuesday suspended formal contacts with
Russia as punishment for sending troops into Georgia.

Water will now become part of Butte County’s long term planning process. The Butte County Board of Supervisors voted Tuesday to make water an element in the General Plan. Supervisor Maureen Kirk told the KPAY Drive at Five that water issues are a part of almost every aspect of the upcoming General Plan.

Click for Audio:  kirk-1

In other action, the board voted to add a 2 dollar fee on various home filing documents to fund an investigator in the District Attorney’s office to look into home fraud and they reinstated 8 positions in the county’s Behavioral Health Department after a half million dollars came in from the state.

SACRAMENTO (AP) - A top Republican lawmaker has walked out of budget negotiations with Democrats and Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger because he is upset about their plans to raise taxes. Assembly Minority Leader Mike Villines abruptly left Tuesday’s budget negotiations in the governor’s office. Villines says he’s tired of being in meetings where the conversation focuses on raising taxes. He likens the budget talks to the film, “Groundhog Day,” in which the main character relives the same day over and over. Democrats have proposed taxing the wealthy and corporations to help bridge the state’s $15.2 billion deficit. And Schwarzenegger has floated a temporary 1 percent sales tax. But Villines says Republicans want a spending cap to stop California’s deficit spending. The state has gone nearly two months beyond the start of its fiscal year without a new spending plan.