RENO, Nev. (AP) — Gustavo Alvizar, 26, drove his car to a residential neighborhood in southeast Reno on Feb. 8 and ordered his 18-year-old passenger to fire shots at a 16-year-old boy in broad daylight, according to a Washoe County District Attorney's Office criminal complaint.

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — The U.S. Interior Department has awarded more than $20 million in grants for water conservation projects in 11 Western states, including several in Utah, Nevada and California.

Excerpts from recent editorials in newspapers in the United States and abroad:

May 20

MOORE, Okla. — With this storm, it’s the kids who keep coming to mind.

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — More than a thousand people have evacuated their homes in northeastern North Dakota as rain-fed floodwaters threaten a dam on the Tongue River.

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Councilman Eric Garcetti, who jammed with pop star Moby and fashioned himself as a voice for a new generation of city leaders, has opened a growing lead in the race for Los Angeles mayor with the pool of uncounted ballots steadily shrinking.

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Councilman Eric Garcetti held a slender edge Tuesday in early returns over city Controller Wendy Greuel to become the next Los Angeles mayor, while slow-coming returns suggested it could take a day or more until a winner emerges.

LOS ANGELES—A rapid shift in climate that brought wetter and warmer conditions in southern Africa during the Middle Stone Age helped propel innovation and cultural advances in early man, a study has found.

ST. LOUIS—Brad Erwin was in junior high that day in August 1990, when a tornado destroyed much of his hometown of Plainfield. Ill., including two schools.

MOORE, Okla. (AP) — Helmeted rescue workers raced Tuesday to complete the search for survivors and the dead in the Oklahoma City suburb where a mammoth tornado destroyed countless homes, cleared lots down to bare red earth and claimed 24 lives, including those of nine children.

MOORE, Okla. (AP) — Helmeted rescue workers raced Tuesday to complete the search for survivors and the dead in the Oklahoma City suburb where a mammoth tornado destroyed countless homes, cleared lots down to bare red earth and claimed 24 lives, including those of nine children.

The Central Pacific Railroad gave birth to Lodi in the summer of 1869. Beginning as a simple rail stop with a couple merchants’ simple wood buildings and a few scattered homestead farmers, Lodi grew to become a bustling city of more than 75,000 with a thriving and increasingly famous grape and wine industry.

The Great American Little Town, also known as Galt, in Sacramento County is growing up.

At first glance, Locke seems like any one of the dozens of tiny towns nestled among the sloughs in the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta. Just off of River Road, faded storefronts line Main Street. Cats wander down alleys and along the sidewalks, and birds swoop down to peck at the ground in the openings between buildings. Like many other places in the Delta, it’s not a ghost town, yet it’s far removed from the hustle and bustle of city life.

(BPT) - Imagine what it’s like to slowly lose your vision over time - until one day you no longer can read, see the faces of loved ones or participate in your favorite hobbies. While most people accept achy joints or muscle weakness as part of the aging process, eyesight is a critical factor in maintaining a high quality of life and independence.

Dan Crownover made a habit of feeding the cats that wandered around Epic Plastics on Turner Road — with his superiors' permission — before and after each eight-hour shift he worked. It's a 5-acre property, with lots of pipe storage and a car part junkyard next door. That makes for plenty of nooks and crannies for feral cats to find shelter.

In the last half a dozen years, Arcohe Union Elementary School District has lost more than a quarter of its students due to declining enrollment.

The city of Galt grew by 136 people in 2012, moving it closer to what Galt City Council Member Mark Crews said is the “sweet spot” for economic development.

Lodi city officials spent Tuesday morning patrolling the Lodi Lake Nature Area after a citizen reported seeing a mountain lion around dusk Monday.

(BPT) - For the estimated 3.2 million Americans living with chronic hepatitis C, talking to a physician about treatment options for the disease now is an important first step. Untreated chronic hepatitis C may lead to serious health consequences, including cirrhosis - or permanent scarring of the liver - liver failure and liver cancer.

(NAPSI)—The next time you consider expanding your family to include a hamster, Guinea pig, bunny or other small pet, you won’t be alone. Some 16 million U.S. families currently co-habitate with small pets, according to the American Pet Products Association National Pet Owners Survey.

(NAPSI)—There is a major change taking place in the way consumers get their information—and it’s going on in rural America.

(BPT) - As the population continues to age at an unprecedented rate, the concern about age-related eye disease comes more into focus.

April’s showers (or snow) have given way to May’s spring blossoms. The beautiful weather also means it’s time to do something truly out of the ordinary for Mom, and therefore deserving of the woman who not only brought you into this world, but fed you, clothed you and never forgot to kiss the countless bumps and bruises.