A state fire investigation's conclusion that Pacific Gas & Electric Corp. equipment was not to blame for a 2017 wildfire that killed 22 people in Northern California wine country could hamper lawsuits by victims of the blaze and complicate the utility's plans to file for bankruptcy. In a long-awaited report, state investigators said Thursday the blaze that destroyed more than 5,600 structures in Sonoma and Napa counties started next to a residence and was caused by a private electrical system.

A pilot who was trying to crash-land this week in an Idaho field instead brought his small plane to rest at the top of a 60-foot tree, officials said. Pilot John Gregory was not hurt in the Monday night crash, which happened when his single-engine Piper Cub PA-18 lost power and a wing strut became entangled in the tree.

Idaho Gov. C.L. "Butch" Otter asked for and accepted Blake Fischer's resignation on Monday, three days after the Idaho Statesman newspaper published the first report about a photo of Fischer smiling with four dead baboons propped in front of him. Fischer and his wife shot at least 14 animals in Namibia according to the photos and descriptions in an email he sent to more than 100 recipients.

One of two victims wounded in a Utah mall shooting is out of the hospital as authorities continue to search for the assailants. Police believe the shooting may have been gang related and are looking for three suspects.

Copper Cane, a Napa Valley winery, sells more pinot noir made from Oregon grapes than anyone else, and often at a lower price. That has some Oregon winemakers seeing red. Now, both the U.S. Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau and Oregon's liquor agency have ruled that Copper Cane's labels have been improperly referencing Oregon wine regions. The case recalls France's mostly successful efforts to have only sparkling wine produced in its Champagne region called by that name.

Brad Vanzant uses a wheelchair, has one kidney, and since 2015 has relied on catheters to drain his bladder. He's also an Idaho prison inmate, which means his medical supplies must be approved and provided by the state's private health care contractor, Corizon Health. So when a Corizon doctor told him earlier this month his supply of catheters would be cut in half to just three a day — and said he should wash and re-use the disposable devices in a prison dormitory sink — Vanzant started the days-long grievance process and began rationing his supplies.

Idaho's governor now has sweeping authority to eliminate thousands of state-approved rules without public participation or lawmaker oversight. That's because the state Legislature, which is controlled by Gov. Brad Little's fellow Republicans, failed to pass a bill approving 8,200 pages containing 736 chapters of rules and regulations that touch on just about every aspect of daily life in Idaho. The measure died when the legislative session concluded last week amid open acrimony between the chambers.

After a jury convicted an Oregon man of having sex with a passed-out partygoer, one of the jurors left the courthouse and wept. Cash Spencer and three other jurors believed the defendant was innocent, but after a lunch break, one changed her mind. Hours later, another changed her vote to guilty, saying she had to take care of her children and didn't want to return the next day, according to Spencer. That put the number of guilty votes at 10 — enough to convict Olan Williams of felony sodomy, condemning him to a mandatory minimum eight years in prison.

Jack Yantis died after one of his bulls was hit by a car. Two deputies responded to the crash and Yantis arrived with a rifle. Authorities say there was an altercation and everyone involved fired their weapons. A federal wrongful death lawsuit filed by the family of an Idaho rancher who was fatally shot by sheriff's deputies has been dismissed.

Oregon will ban restaurants from automatically offering single-use plastic straws under a measure passed by lawmakers, making it the second state to enact restrictions on plastic straws. The House voted 48-12 late Wednesday night to prohibit restaurants from providing single-use plastic straws unless a customer asks. Drive-thrus could still offer straws, as could health care facilities.