Articles by Kristin J. Bender

Associated Press

Wal-Mart Greeter Who Became Plaintiff in Historic Class Action Dies In California

The Wal-Mart greeter who took the retail giant all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court in the largest gender bias class-action lawsuit in U.S. history has died. A niece, Rita Roland, says Betty Dukes died July 10 at her …

California Commissioner Was Passenger on Jet That Nearly Landed on Taxiway

A top California state official said he was a passenger on an Air Canada jet that nearly landed on a taxiway where four other planes were sitting rather than the designated runway at San Francisco International Airport earlier this week. …

Homeowners Association at Sinking High-Rise in San Francisco Sues Developer

A homeowners association representing property owners at a downtown San Francisco high-rise has sued the developers on for failing to tell residents the condominium tower was sinking at an unexpected rate. The Millennium Tower homeowners association’s lawsuit is the latest …

Travel Businesses in California’s Big Sur Community Reeling After Bridge Closure

Almost all the hotels, restaurants and state parks cut off when a bridge on the Central California coast crumbled last month remain closed, but Kurt Mayer chose to keep his deli and taproom open — even though it’s costing him. …

Suit Accuses California University of Mishandling Sex Assault Reports

A Stanford University graduate student claimed in a federal lawsuit that the school failed to adequately investigate and discipline a former student who was a “known sexual predator” while attending the college and sexually assaulted her and other female students …

Firefighters Make Progress Against Raging California Wildfire

Firefighters are reporting some progress against a Northern California wildfire that has charred more than 100 square miles of terrain, destroying buildings, threatening many others and sending thousands of residents fleeing. As firefighters and equipment from outside the state poured …

Probe Under Way in California Balcony Collapse as Victims Mourned

A group of Irish and Irish-American young men and women were enjoying their last blast summer in California before cracking down with college and careers, a rite of passage tens of thousands from the Emerald Isle have taken over the …

California Company Among Those to Recall Frozen Spinach

Three organic food companies that use spinach in their food have recalled hundreds of thousands of items over listeria concerns. Organic food company Amy’s Kitchen, in Petaluma, Calif., has voluntarily recalled about 74,000 cases of frozen and prepackaged products containing …