QUICK HITS: VALLEY

YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK Yosemite National Park open but services are curtailed

Yosemite National Park in California is open to visitors despite the government shutdown but there'll be nobody to greet them, help them navigate the trails or even make sure they're in the right campground.

Spokesman Scott Gediman says the park that boasts the famous granite cliffs of Half Dome and El Capitan can't pay all of its people so rangers are being furloughed.

The visitors center is closed, along with some restrooms because there's nobody to clean them. Campground visitors with reservations may find someone else in their spot because nobody will be checking.

Some medical staff remain on the job and Gediman says privately operated concessions such as stores, hotels and restaurants are open.

SACRAMENTO Rare letter penned by Alexander Hamilton found in Sacramento

A rare military document written by Alexander Hamilton near the end of the Revolutionary War will be available for purchase in Sacramento.

The Sacramento Bee reports the letter, written by one of the Founding Fathers of the United States and the first secretary of the treasury, will be among the highlights of “Weapons & War: Objects of Heroism and Tragedy,” an auction Wednesday featuring more than 300 items spanning the Revolutionary War to World War II.

Hamilton, one of the Founding Fathers of the United States, penned the letter in 1782. Auctioneer Brian Witherell says the letter was found in a schoolhouse in New England, then passed down through a family. Two heirs of the document live in Sacramento.

The live auction starts at 10 a.m. at Witherell's Auction House.

MONTECITO Officials expect Highway 101 to open ahead of Monday commute

Transportation officials say they expect to meet a goal of reopening a key highway along the California coast ahead of Monday's morning commute.

U.S. Highway 101 has been cleared of mud in Santa Barbara County. Workers are now clearing drainage areas, stabilizing embankments and working on guardrail and sign repairs. They will also clean and sweep the highway.

The work will continue 24/7 until just before opening, Tim Gubbins of the California Department of Transportation said.

“We expect to be ready to open US 101 by the Monday morning commute,” he said in a news release.

The highway has been closed since a Jan. 9 mudslide that killed at least 21 people and destroyed hundreds of homes in Montecito.

A notice will be given when the highway actually opens, he said.

Various off-ramps will remain temporarily closed, but on-ramps will be open.