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Spring storm prompts flood warning

Thunderstorms and drenching downpours triggered a flood warning for parts of the valley Monday evening.

The National Weather Service said the flood warning was for urban areas and small streams in north central Sacramento County including the city of Sacramento, extreme southwestern Placer County and east central Yolo County.

Those out and about were urged to be aware of ponding/standing water on highways, streets and underpasses as well as in low-lying areas and where there is poor drainage.

Drivers had some tough going at times, with many spinouts and several more serious accidents.

Bob Worl was rear-ended at an underpass on Sacramento's Highway 160 when a driver in front of him slammed on the brakes to avoid floodwater.

"The guy in front of me slammed on his brakes and I slammed on mine," Worl said. "Everybody's fine."

Barty Keomanywong of Sacramento suddenly lost control of her car on westbound Highway 50.

Lawmaker calls for CPS audit after baby taken from couple

SACRAMENTO, CA - Baby Sammy Nikolayev's parents said their son is on the path to recovery.

Sammy headed to Lucile Packard Children's Hospital at Stanford on Wednesday. Alex and Anna Nikolayev said their son is gaining weight, and doctors plan to wait as many as six weeks before heart surgery.

Sacramento police officers and Child Protective Services took Sammy into protective custody last week after his parents removed their son from Sutter Memorial to get a second opinion. A judge returned custody to the parents Monday, but he had remained at Sutter Hospital until Wednesday.

"He was so excited driving the road down. He was not crying. He had his bottle, and when we arrived up there, all those nurses were smiling at him. He was smiling, and he was welcomed there," Anna Nikolayev said.

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Calif. snowpack just 17 percent of normal

ECHO SUMMIT, Calif. (AP) - California's last snow survey of the season is bad news for the millions of state residents who rely on the snowpack for their water.  

The state Department of Water Resources found the water content in the snowpack on Thursday was 17 percent of normal, an ominous situation for a state that depends on a steady stream of snowmelt to replenish reservoirs throughout the summer.  

In some places, there was no snow at all.  

State officials are projecting they will deliver just 35 percent of the water that has been requested from the 29 agencies that rely on the snowmelt, which supplies more than 25 million Californians.  

This year has been one of the driest rainy seasons on record in some parts of California.

Baby Sammy's case prompts legislator to call for audit of CPS

SACRAMENTO, CA - A state lawmaker has joined the fight demanding answers to why Child Protective Services took a 5-month-old baby from his parents after they took the child to get a second opinion.

Nikolayev's family's story got national and international attention, and now that spotlight has led to increased scrutiny of CPS.

"They've committed no crime, why are they not just free to determine what is in the best interest of their child?" Assem. Tim Donnelly, R-Twin Peaks, asked.

It's a question a lot of people have been asking since News10 broke the story of Alex and Anna Nikolayev's battle with CPS. The couple took their son Sammy to Sutter Memorial Hospital for treatment after he developed flu-like symptoms. When doctors suggested that Sammy get heart surgery for a heart murmur he had since he was born, the couple left the hospital without a formal discharge and headed to Kaiser Permanente for a second opinion.

Sex offender lives near Natomas school, and it's legal

Sex offender lives near Natomas school, and it's legal

SACRAMENTO, CA - A registered sex offender has been living very close to an elementary school in Natomas, and despite a Jessica's Law stipulation put in place to prevent it, he is living there legally.

In 1998, he was convicted of lewd and lascivious acts with a child under the age of 14. Court records show he was charged with five counts of oral copulation.

Fifteen years later, he is living in an apartment with his mother about 350 feet from the Smythe Academy of Arts and Sciences on Northgate Boulevard, which is regularly attended by students the same age as those he was convicted of abusing.

California's version of Jessica's Law, passed by voters in 2006, prohibits sex offenders from living within 2,000 feet of a school or park. However, a Los Angeles Superior Court ruling in November 2010 found that residency restrictions enacted by Jessica's Law were unconstitutional.

Couple calls for CPS reforms after reuniting with baby

SACRAMENTO, CA - The day after a judge returned custody of a baby taken into protective custody, the parents have been overwhelmed by international attention. However, Alex and Anna Nikolayev said their battle with Child Protective Services is far from over.

Sammy Nikolayev, 5 months old, was placed in protective custody last week after his mother took him out of Sutter Memorial Hospital against medical advice to get a second opinion from a Kaiser Permanente doctor. The move came as a shock to the couple who had medical records from another doctor clearing Sammy to go home with them.

On Monday, a judge returned custody to the parents as long as they agreed not to remove Sammy again against medical advice. The boy is now set to move to the children's hospital at Stanford within the next 24 to 48 hours.