Briefs

Shortly after 10 p.m., a driver of a Volkswagen drove the car into the front of the house at 450 Oak Ridge Drive.

The driver refused medical attention and the woman inside the house wasn't hurt, said Battalion Chief Steve Kraus.

Crews were able to clear the scene in about an hour and a half, Krauss said.

California added 20,000 jobs in January

LOS ANGELES — California's economy added 20,000 payroll jobs in January, reflecting modest job creation nationwide last month, the state said Friday.

A survey of employers indicated that more than 14.7 million people held payroll jobs last month, according to figures released by the state's Employment Development Department.

Farm workers and the self-employed were not included in the survey. Nationally, payroll employment grew by 146,000 in January.

The state's payroll job gains should barely help California keep pace with growth in the number of people looking for work, said Steven Levy, an economist with the Center for Continuing Study of the California Economy.

Assemblyman's office receiving threats, again

An aide to Assemblyman Leland Yee, D-San Francisco, received a threatening page to his cell phone Thursday, the third such threat in a week.

Police officials are now investigating the threat while the assemblyman's staff is trying to conduct business as usual.

"There's been three threats but we're not terribly concerned because it's probably a young kid who doesn't like our video game legislation," said Adam Keigwin, aide to Yee.

Last week, Yee introduced legislation that would limit how minors could access violent video games.

Before a press conference announcing the legislation, Keigwin said the office received two calls 10 minutes apart. The caller said the assemblyman needed to watch his back at the press conference.

Lotto finds a winner

The identity of the man who bought a winning lotto ticket at a San Mateo liquor store was identified yesterday.

Chen-Wen Liu will split the $27 million jackpot with a winner who bought a ticket at a 7-Eleven in North Hollywood.

Liu purchased his ticket at Liquor City, at 1230 Hillsdale Blvd. in Laurelwood Shopping Center.

Liquor City still gets to split 1 percent of the $27 million jackpot with the Southern California store. Liquor City will receive $67,000 and the federal government will collect $20,000 in taxes

Fire victim identified

Authorities have determined the identify of the man found dead in the garage of a burning San Mateo home earlier this month.

The burned remains of Dennis McCarty, 44, were found by firefighters while battling a two-alarm blaze on Feb. 10 at 2315 Isabelle Ave.

The cause of death has not been determined yet. The San Mateo Police Department is handling the investigation. As with any fire where a dead body is found, it's treated as a crime scene until proven otherwise.

Armed men rob liquor store

The San Mateo County Sheriff's office is searching for four masked men who reportedly robbed a liquor store at gunpoint Thursday night.

About 9 p.m. Thursday, the sheriff's office responded to a report of an armed robbery Arteaga's Market at 812 5th Ave in unincorporated Redwood City.

The market was open for business when four men wearing masks and gloves entered and accosted employees. One of the men brandished a handgun and demanded money. One of the suspects also punched an employee in the torso. The men left with an undisclosed amount of money taken from the store registers and check cashing booth.

The suspects were last seen running south on Spring Street. They are described as black men wearing dark jackets and jeans. Other robberies have been reported recently in Menlo Park, Newark and Mountain View, according to the sheriff's office, however, it is unknown whether the recent robbery is connected to the other crimes.

The case is under investigation by the San Mateo County Sheriff's Office Major Crimes Unit. Anyone with information about the case is urged to call Detective Rich Maher at 363-4055 or the Anonymous Tip Line at (800) 547-2700.

Arrests in home burglaries

San Carlos police arrested three men in connection with three residential burglaries and one attempted burglary Tuesday morning.

The only mystery left unsolved is the identity of the owner of a stuffed fruit toy found with the men.

At approximately 11:30 a.m., an alert resident called police to report three suspicious people ringing their doorbell. An officer stopped the car, but the three suspects were released because no crime had been reported, according to a report released by the San Carlos Police Department Friday.

A few hours later, a residential burglary was reported and police found the three men at the home. The arrested men are San Carlos resident Steven Duru, 18, and Nicholas Washburn, 18, and Christopher Beck, 18, both of Belmont.

Police urge anyone missing a stuffed fruit toy to contact the Police Department at 802-4200.