San Francisco: Pregnancy weight gain may raise cancer risk

In a new twist on the dangers of extra weight, a study found that women who gain too much during pregnancy face an increased risk of breast cancer later in life.

Doctors have long known that obesity increases a woman’s chance of breast cancer. In fact, staying slim is one of the few things a woman can do that clearly lowers her risk.

But the latest study suggests that piling on the pounds during pregnancy may be especially hazardous.

The study, presented Tuesday, found that women who put on more than 38 pounds during pregnancy had a 40 percent increased risk of developing breast cancer after menopause. The risk before menopause was no higher than usual.

Arkansas: Boys, dog rescued after mine cave-in

Dreams of gold drew them in. Teams of rescuers pulled them out.

Three boys who went looking for riches in a Civil War-era mine near Thida got caught in a cave-in that trapped them in a crawl space 200 feet underground for a day and a half.

Rescuers dug with their hands and small shovels and crawled on their bellies to reach the three, who were a little dehydrated and scared but unhurt when found late Monday.

William Zachary Foster, 9, had been eager to search for gold after finding sparkling dust on his shirt in a previous trip to the mine. On Sunday morning, he and his brother, David Keith Foster, 11, and their 19-year-old cousin, Jeffery Keith Foster, set out with their black Labrador, Precious, to explore.

Local lore has it that the sandy walls of the old mine hide gold, though none has ever been found. Residents also talk of train robbers who may have left their stolen treasures in the mine in the late 1800s.

California: State expands lawsuit to recoup energy costs

California’s attorney general sued four more energy companies Tuesday for more than $1 billion, accusing them of overcharging the state during its power crisis.

The lawsuit brought by Bill Lockyer in Sacramento names Mirant Corp., Williams Energy Marketing and Trading Cos., Coral Power and Powerex Corp. Lockyer is suing under the state’s unfair business practices law.

California went through rolling blackouts more than year ago in a power crunch blamed in part on soaring wholesale prices and California’s attempt at deregulation of the energy industry.

Lockyer on Tuesday accused the energy companies of charging unreasonable prices and failing to report their rates to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, as required by law.