IN BRIEF

COLORADO RIVER

Two California men die in boating accidents

Two Southern California men died in separate weekend incidents in the same area on the Colorado River in Arizona.

Mohave County, Ariz., sheriff's Sgt. Doug Schuster said the accidents happened near Blankenship Bend about 17 miles north of Lake Havasu and are under investigation.

Schuster said the first fatality happened at 8:55 p.m. Friday. Four men were in the water when another group towed their boat off a sandbar. Three men jumped into the boat as it became buoyant, but one began struggling in the current. The 26-year-old from Los Angeles slipped under the water. His body was recovered Saturday morning. His name was withheld pending notification of family.

Schuster said the second fatality happened at 1:22 p.m. Saturday. The victim, who was not named, ended up in the water when he and his friends were trying to beach their boat at Blankenship Bend.

Paramedics were unable to revive the 18-year-old from Fontana, Calif., who was pronounced dead at the scene.

NORTHERN NEVADA

Attorneys report drop in divorce cases

Northern Nevada attorneys say a decline in the number of divorce cases could be part of the current economic downturn.

Attorneys say some couples who have lost jobs and are struggling to pay mortgages might not be able to afford to part ways.

Attorney Jonathan King says he has seen a three-year decline in the number of divorce cases he handled.

Data from Washoe County show 1,913 divorces were recorded in 2008. That's down from 2,722 in 2001.

But University of Nevada, Reno economist Elliott Parker says he sees no link between the economy and divorce rates. Parker says Census Bureau statistics show the national divorce rate has seen a continuous decline, dropping from 4.7 divorces per 1,000 to 3.5 in 2008.

Nevada's divorce rate dropped steadily from 11.4 per 1,000 people in 1990 to 6.5 by 2007.

BREAK-INS REPORTED

Bear activity picks up in Lake Tahoe region

After a wet spring that kept bears in the backcountry, bruins are again making their rounds in Lake Tahoe neighborhoods in search of food.

California and Nevada authorities said 13 black bears have been euthanized this season after breaking into homes or causing other problems: 10 in California and three in Nevada.

Ann Bryant of the BEAR League said her bear advocacy group has been getting five to 10 calls daily about bear break-ins around Tahoe.