IN BRIEF

HALLOWEEN SHOTS FIRED

Man sought in holiday party shooting spree

Sacramento County authorities are searching for a man suspected of opening fire at a Halloween party, killing one man and wounding four others.

Sheriff's deputies were called to a house party in Sacramento, Calif., after midnight. Investigators believe the suspect started shooting after he got into an argument with at least one of the partygoers.

Officials said a 24-year-old man died at the scene from a gunshot wound to the head.

The other shooting victims include a 22-year-old man struck in the arm, a 2 man shot in the stomach and a 24-year-old man struck in his leg. All three are expected to survive.

MANAGING WILDLIFE

Researchers initiating squirrel birth control

Researchers at the University of California, Davis are launching a birth-control program to restrain a rapidly expanding population of campus squirrels.

UC Davis officials said the researchers will try to reduce the number of nonnative fox squirrels by giving some of them hormone injections.

Faculty wildlife experts and students will mark some squirrels for study this fall. The critters will be recaptured, and some will receive the hormone injections.

TRASH RAIDER

Anchorage officials kill marauding black bear

Wildlife officials in Alaska killed a 200-pound black bear that was raiding garbage in a home driveway Friday while children were trick-or-treating.

Officials said children were never in any immediate danger. But Alaska Department of Fish and Game officials were concerned because the bear refused to leave when they tried to chase it into a nearby park.