A Clovis man was ordered to stand trial on murder charges following a preliminary hearing Tuesday in Fresno County Superior Court.

The trial for Charles Rector, 52, will begin Aug. 15.

Rector was arrested on suspicion of fatally shooting his girlfriend, Kristina Baker, 44, in April 2011 at an apartment on the 200 block of West Bullard Avenue in Clovis.

Police said Rector called 911 and told dispatchers that he and his girlfriend had gotten into an argument, and his girlfriend had shot herself.

Baker was taken to Community Regional Medical Center in Fresno, where she later died.

Baby dropped off at Fresno fire station

A baby was dropped off at Fresno Fire Station No. 4 about 10 a.m. Monday under California's Safely Surrendered Baby Law, a Fresno Fire Department official said Tuesday.

Under the 2006 law, parents are able to take babies within 72 hours of birth to surrender sites -- typically hospitals and fire stations -- with no questions asked. The law's intent is to save lives of newborn infants at risk of abandonment.

The sex and age of the baby surrendered at the fire station, at 3065 E. Iowa Ave., was not released.

Child Protective Services is handling the case, said Sean Johnson, the Fire Department's public information officer. No other information was available.

Sierra hiker died of head injuries

A Northern California hiker whose body was found in the Sierra after a two-day search died of massive head trauma.

Inyo County authorities say 31-year-old Thomas Heng of San Rafael suffered fractures and hemorrhaging. His body was found July 25 in the John Muir Wilderness, about 300 feet below a precipice.

Deputy coroner's investigator Jeff Mullenhour said he does not know whether Heng fell directly from the precipice or was carried there.

There were no signs of foul play or a medical emergency such as a heart attack.

Heng had been hiking with a group of people before setting off on his own.

ACEL names new principal, staff

The Academy for Civic and Entrepreneurial Leadership hired Stephen Morris to be the charter school's new principal. Morris was a leader in the early development of ACEL, which opened in 2009.

He has a combined eight years working as principal and vice principal in Fresno, Central and Firebaugh unified school districts, according to a news release from ACEL.

Christine Montanez will continue to serve as vice principal and music program director, and John Minkler was hired as the school's new program director.

Minkler, who has spent more than 40 years in education, recently retired as executive director of the Center for Multicultural Cooperation, a youth-focused nonprofit organization with offices in Fresno.

Morris replaces former executive director and principal Dave Childers, who left to become coordinator of leadership development at the Merced County Office of Education.

ACEL focuses on independent and project-based learning, college prep, community projects and new technology for grades nine through 12. This month, the school will welcome up to 200 students, including its first senior class.