California high court rejects Scott Peterson’s death penalty

It upheld his 2004 murder conviction in the killing of Laci Peterson, 27, who was eight months pregnant with their unborn son, Connor. Investigators said that on Christmas Eve 2002, Peterson dumped the bodies from his fishing boat into San Francisco Bay, where they surfaced months later.

Appeals court gives reprieve to Uber, Lyft in California

This month, Lyft and Uber were ordered by San Francisco Superior Court Judge Ethan Schulman to reclassify their drivers as employees instead of independent contractors under state law AB5, which took effect on Jan. 1. 

Meteorologists working to confirm 130-degree Death Valley temp

An automated measuring system in California’s Death Valley reported a temperature of 130 degrees (54.4 degrees Celsius) amid a blistering heat wave on Sunday, a reading that would be among the highest ever recorded globally if it is confirmed.