Making tracks

A year ago, Tim Mathers was spending $300 a month commuting to his IRS job in Fresno.

Thursday, he cut it down to a cool $85 a month.

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Armona students to benefit from Title 1

All students at Armona Elementary School and Parkview Middle School will now benefit from the Armona Union Elementary School District's recent decision regarding Title 1 funds.

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New IHOP hopes to attract declining diners

Energy prices are soaring, people are cutting back on spending and a lot of businesses are jittery about making new investments.

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Quick finishes the theme

"The Project" was halted at least for a while, as Sentinel sports reporter Jeremy Luchau ran into trouble in his second mixed martial art fight on Friday at the Palace Fighting Championships in Lemoore.

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Hanford Babe Ruth wins tourney

ARROYO GRANDE -- Dalton Silva drove in the go-ahead run in the top of the ninth on a fielders' choice as the Hanford Babe Ruth 15-year-old all-star team defeated Santa Maria 5-4 in the Central State tournament championship game Thursday.

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Another view: Did you hear the one about Obama?

I believe comedic change is possible. Since The New Yorker dropped a bum joke on its most recent cover, comedians have appeared on every news outlet to whine about how hard it is to make fun of Barack Obama. Really? They have an arsenal of jokes to use against a 71-year-old ex-POW cancer survivor and Obama is too touchy a subject?

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Giants' shortstop leaves game after injuring foot
SAN FRANCISCO - San Francisco Giants shortstop Omar Vizquel had to leave Saturday's game against Milwaukee in the sixth inning with an apparent foot injury.

Yankees outlast Oakland on hit by pitch in 12th
NEW YORK - Jose Molina was hit by Lenny DiNardo's pitch with the bases loaded in the 12th inning, and the New York Yankees outlasted the Oakland Athletics for a 4-3 victory Saturday.

Field Poll: Bush approval rating drops in Calif.
JOB PERFORMANCE: Bush's approval ratings in California

Search team finds no sign of Fossett
CARSON CITY, Nev. - A team of elite athletes and expert mountaineers has ended a weeklong hunt for Steve Fossett, finding no sign of the missing adventurer or his plane but eliminating miles of rugged terrain from areas that still must be searched.

Traffic stop leads to 17.5 pounds of heroin
REDDING, Calif. - Shasta County authorities are still searching for the driver of a car where more than 17 pounds of tar heroin was found stashed in the bumper a day earlier.

As wars lengthen, toll on military families mounts
FORT CAMPBELL, Ky. - Far from the combat zones, the strains and separations of no-end-in-sight wars are taking an ever-growing toll on military families despite the armed services' earnest efforts to help.

Lawsuit exposes growing rift among King children
ATLANTA - For years, they were the picture of solidarity: the four children of Martin Luther King Jr. carrying on the legacy of the civil rights icon.

Tropical Storm Cristobal forms off Southeast coast
CHARLESTON, S.C. - Tropical Storm Cristobal churned off the Southeast seaboard after it formed Saturday, the first storm to threaten the U.S. this hurricane season, forecasters said.

Library confrontation points up privacy dilemma
RANDOLPH, Vt. - Children's librarian Judith Flint was getting ready for the monthly book discussion group for 8- and 9-year-olds on "Love That Dog" when police showed up.

Dream of gas tax holiday faltered over job losses
WASHINGTON - The political vision of a summer gas tax holiday died a quick death in Congress, losing to a view that federal excise taxes on gasoline and diesel fuel will have to go up if they go anywhere.

A 540-calorie Big Mac? NY chains post calorie info
NEW YORK - Customers at big fast-food chains in New York City are finally facing the facts about their meal choices. And for some, the truth may be hard to swallow _ like 1,130 calories for a Big Mac, medium fries and a medium soda.

Plans for large-scale AIDS vaccine trial dropped
WASHINGTON - Plans for a large-scale trial of a potential AIDS vaccine are being dropped in favor of a smaller, more focused study, the National Institutes of Health said Thursday.

Health officials: Don't eat lobster tomalley
AUGUSTA, Maine - Maine officials are advising consumers to avoid eating lobster tomalley after tests revealed high levels of toxins in some lobsters.

Mississippi remains most obese state, CDC reports
ATLANTA - The South tips the scales again as the nation's fattest region, according to a new government survey.

FDA declares it's OK to eat tomatoes again
WASHINGTON - It's OK to eat all kinds of tomatoes again, the U.S. government declared Thursday _ lifting its salmonella warning on the summer favorites amid signs that the record outbreak, while not over, may finally be slowing.