NATIONAL BRIEFS

ARIZONA: Judge OKs 'your papers' law

U.S. District Judge Susan Bolton ruled Wednesday that the most contentious section of the state's immigration law, which critics have dubbed the "show me your papers" provision, can be enforced. The ruling clears the way for police to carry out the 2010 law's requirement that officers, while enforcing other laws, question the immigration status of those they suspect are in the country illegally. That was at the center of a two-year legal battle that culminated in a U.S. Supreme Court decision in June upholding the requirement. Opponents then asked Bolton to block it, arguing that it would lead to systematic racial profiling. Lawyers for Gov. Jan Brewer argued that the opponents were speculating in their racial profiling claims, that police have received training to avoid discriminatory practices and that officers must have "reasonable suspicion" that a person is in the country illegally to trigger the requirement.

CALIFORNIA: Huge wildfire north of L.A.

A 3,600-acre fire in the San Gabriel Mountains chewed through thick brush in steep terrain that hadn't burned in two decades amid hot, dry conditions. But with no serious winds to push it, the fire made no move toward the Los Angeles suburbs to the south. The serious fire season in Southern California usually begins with the coming of the Santa Ana winds, which peak in November and December.

THE GULF COAST: Tar balls churned up by Isaac

Waves from Hurricane Isaac uncovered oil previously buried along Gulf Coast beaches, exposing crude that wasn't cleaned up after the BP spill in 2010. Since Isaac made landfall more than a week ago, the storm has receded and tar balls and oil have been reported on shores in Alabama and Louisiana, where officials closed a 13-mile stretch of beach Tuesday. BP said Wednesday some of that oil was from the spill, but said some of the crude may be from other sources, too. "If there's something good about this storm, it made it visible where we can clean it up," BP spokesman Ray Melick said.