Kids' Discovery Days - "Following the Ditches of Coloma" join archaeologist Jean Starns, author of Wealth of Gold Rush Waters as she leads a group along the ditches in Coloma; she provides the history of the dtiches and how they were used in the changing economy; she also discusses the gold mining careers of Stephen Wing and William Hampton, two men representative of gold miners but whose lives went in divergent directions; hosted by The American River Nature Center in Coloma for kids ages 5-10 (w/ an adult); pre-register, 530-621-1224.
With California on edge as a heat wave threatened to worsen firefighting efforts, hundreds of people north of the state capital evacuated Tuesday after a fire shifted direction.
The first hurricane of the 2008 Atlantic storm season continued to weaken Tuesday, dropping to a Category 1 storm with 85 mph winds, the U.S. National Hurricane Center reported.
The West's fire season used to stretch from May into August or September, but now fires touch off in April or earlier, and the season sometimes stretches into October.
NBC Universal and two partners said Sunday they have reached a deal to buy The Weather Channel from Landmark Communications Inc., ending a drawn-out process.
Weather 
