Wednesday, August 31, 2011

Swimmer still missing off Seal Beach as big surf hits coast

 











A swimmer was still missing late Wednesday off Seal Beach as a helicopter continued to search area waters, officials said.

The swimmer, a man believed to be in his early 20s, was last seen about 200 yards offshore in the Surfside area after swimming out with several friends shortly before 6 p.m., officials said. 

Seal Beach lifeguard supervisor Mark Lees told The Times that lifeguards had suspended their water search but that a helicopter was continuing the operation.

A huge south swell was beginning to hit Southern California beaches, but the waves were only in the 2-to-3-foot range when the boogie boarders went out, officials said.

Late Wednesday, the surf had increased to about 5 feet amid a rising tide, officials said.

Earlier, rescue boats from the U.S. Coast Guard and Orange County Sheriff's Department were assisting in the efforts. Officials said the boats would resume searching in the morning.

ALSO:

High tides flood streets near Balboa Pier      

High-surf warning issued for local beaches      

Shark sighting closes stretch of beach in La Jolla

— Robert J. Lopez

twitter.com/LAJourno

Video: KTLA report on the missing boogie boarder.

Earl Grey tea is back: Twinings gives in to outraged tea-drinkers


Best drink of the day

Best drink of the day


Earl Grey tea is back. After complaints from customers about its tampered-with new blend, which was rebranded as The Earl Grey and made with extra bergamot and lemon for a more citrussy taste, Twinings has said it’s bringing back the old blend. Its website announces:


Whilst many love the new Earl Grey, a group of Earl Grey fans have asked us to make the previous blend available. Not wishing to disappoint, we have introduced Earl Grey The Classic Edition.


The new Earl Grey with its stronger lemony flavour offered, the company said, “a distinctive citrusy flavour and aroma that fills the air with the promise of summer orchards”. Twinings even claimed that “the Earl himself couldn’t have imagined how wonderful his favourite tea could taste”. Never mind the long-dead Earl, regular drinkers of the company’s long-standing blend were appalled at the new flavour. One customer wrote: “I cannot describe how awful this new tea tastes. The old award-winning tea was in a completely different league to this foul-tasting dishwater.” Another called it an “affront to tea”. A Facebook campaign was started. And, now, classic Earl Grey is back.


There are three things to be said about this. One is that is it demonstrates once again the folly of big companies meddling with much-loved and patented recipes. Look what happened with New Coke (the 1985 reformulation) and Classic Coke.


The second point is that it is no wonder this row over blending has happened: Earl Grey was the tea which started the trend for teas that contained aromatic ingredients other than straight, good old tea. And there are plenty of recipes other than the Twinings one. There’s Fortnum’s Smoky Earl Grey, for instance, which was created, Fortnum’s says, “in response to a request from the Palace for a smokier Earl Grey”. It contains the vital bergamot but with a touch of Lapsang and Gunpowder tea as well. And there’s the blend you can get at the Algerian Coffee House in Soho, which is called Imperial Noon and is a blend of Lapsang Souchong and Keemun with jasmine flowers and bergamot oil. That is the one I like.


The third point is that this demonstrates a wider trend where coffee becomes milkshake, vodka turns into lemonade, Ribena etc, whisky is drowned in Coca-Cola. Traditionally adult taste buds can handle “grownup”, bitter flavours that kids can’t tolerate. This is no longer entirely true. Drinks are becoming increasingly removed from their original, basic, true taste. Now delicate, fragrant tea leaves are drowned in so much citrus flavouring the result barely qualifies as tea.



Harbor-UCLA medical chief placed on leave amid investigation

The chief medical officer at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center near Torrance has been placed on leave amid an ongoing investigation, sources said late Wednesday.

Gail V. Anderson Jr., who also is an associate dean at UCLA’s David Geffen School of Medicine, was escorted out of the hospital Tuesday, sources said. William Stringer, chief of internal medicine, was named interim chief medical officer.

Mitchell Katz, director of the Los Angeles County Department of Health Services, said Anderson was on leave but would not comment on the investigation.

"This is a personnel issue. I cannot say anything else," Katz said.

Sea lion bites caused mysterious pelican wounds, biologists find

Brown pelican

Underwater attacks by biting sea lions are responsible for injuring or killing nearly a dozen brown pelicans off the Central Coast of California since last week, state wildlife officials said Wednesday.

Until now it had been a mystery what was causing the seabirds to appear along the coast near San Luis Obispo with gaping puncture wounds to the chest.

California Department of Fish and Game biologists took several of the dead pelicans to a laboratory in Santa Cruz to undergo necropsies. The examinations showed their wounds were caused by sea lion teeth.

Officials think the sea lions have been attacking pelicans -- which compete for food -- if the birds get in the mammals' way as they seek bait fish close to shore. Game wardens at one point interviewed a kayaker who said he witnessed a sea lion grab a pelican, drag it underwater and release it with a bite wound.

"It's sheer chaos" when a group of birds and underwater animals feed on bait, said Fish and Game patrol Lt. Todd Tognazzini. "It becomes a frenzy."

Rescuers search for missing swimmer near Seal Beach

Missing swimmer Authorities were searching Wednesday night for a man who went missing after swimming near Seal Beach.

The man, believed to be his early 20s, swam out with several friends in the Surfside area shortly before 6 p.m, said Mark Lees, a Seal Beach lifeguard supervisor.

Although huge surf was beginning to show at Southern California beaches Wednesday, the waves at Seal Beach were in the 2-to-3-foot range.

"It wasn't the result of big surf," Lees said of the missing man.

The search was being conducted by lifeguards, the Orange County Sheriff's Department harbor patrol and the Coast Guard, which provided helicopters.

No other details were immediately available.

ALSO:

High tides flood streets near Balboa Pier        

Shark sighting closes stretch of beach in La Jolla

Six rescued as fishing boat sinks off Catalina Island

-- Robert J. Lopez

twitter.com/LAJourno

Porn industry condom fight moves to Florida [Updated]

AIDS Healthcare Foundation wants porn industry to require condom use
The AIDS Healthcare Foundation filed complaints with federal and Florida state health officials Wednesday, two days after the disclosure that an adult film performer tested HIV-positive.

The complaints call upon the Florida Department of Health and the Occupational Health and Safety Administration to investigate the incident and "take all appropriate steps to ensure that workers in the adult film industry are protected from the threat of sexually transmitted infections."

The Free Speech Coalition, a Canoga Park-based porn industry trade group, announced Monday that a performer had tested positive. The group urged a temporary shutdown of all production.

AIDS Healthcare Foundation President Michael Weinstein said public health officials, not the Free Speech Coalition, should be in charge of the investigation.

Funeral held for baby who fell from O.C. parking structure

Noe Medina's funeral service was held.
Funeral services were held Wednesday for a 7-month-old boy who died after he allegedly was thrown by his mother from an Orange County hospital parking structure .

The services for Noe Medina Jr. were held in La Habra as his mother, Sonia Hermosillo, 31, remained in jail on a suicide watch, authorities said.

Hermosillo is charged with murder and assault on a child with force likely to produce great bodily injury resulting in death, prosecutors said.

Police received a 911 call about 6:20 p.m. Aug. 22 from a man who said he had seen a baby fall from the parking garage at Children's Hospital of Orange County. Using surveillance video, investigators identified a Chevrolet Blazer that was seen leaving the garage minutes after the incident.

The Blazer was linked to Hermosillo.  She was taken into custody without incident. Noe was hospitalized in critical condition and died afterward. See the KTLA-TV Channel 5 website for a report on the funeral service.

ALSO:

Slain British marine leaves friends $163,000 to party in Vegas

No foul play suspected in death of man believed to be missing doctor

Lawyer who allegedly told client to break into foreclosed home faces trial

-- Robert J. Lopez

twitter.com/LAJourno

Left photo: Sonia Hermosillo

Credit: Orange Police Department

Right photo: Noe Medina Jr.

Credit: Medina family

New law aims to keep contraband out of state mental hospitals

Napa State Hospital workers rally for safer conditions. 
Gov. Jerry Brown on Wednesday signed into law a bill that makes it a misdemeanor to deliver contraband such as tobacco products or wireless devices to state mental hospital patients.

The bill, sponsored by state Sen. Sam Blakeslee (R-San Luis Obispo) and coauthored by Assemblyman Michael Allen (D-Santa Rosa), is among several introduced this year to address high levels of violence in the psychiatric facilities.

Contraband -- including illegal drugs and paraphernalia covered by existing law -- circulate on the black market inside the facilities and contribute to conflicts as well as the bribing and beating of vulnerable patients by more dominant peers. Contraband generally enters the facilities through staff, visitors or packages.

"With the number of violent attacks continuing to escalate at state hospitals, it is our job to develop policies to safeguard patients and staff," Blakeslee said in a statement. "I look forward to continuing to work with the Governor and my colleagues in the Legislature to promote this and other policy measures to ensure state hospitals are operated as safely and effectively as possible."

The new law also covers the delivery of unauthorized currency. Violators will face fines up to $1,000.

2 men smash glass door, take medications from Westside pharmacy

Los Angeles police Wednesday were looking for two burglars who smashed a glass door at a Westside pharmacy and stole medications.

The thieves took the drugs about 5 a.m. from a store in the 11500 block of Santa Monica Boulevard in the Sawtelle neighborhood, the Los Angeles Police Department said.

The LAPD released video surveillance footage of the Aug. 20 break-in to help drum up leads. The video shows a man smashing the glass, then moving aside as another man enters the pharmacy and later reappears with a black bag as he flees.

Police described the burglars as African American between 35 and 40 years old. One is believed to have a stocky build and short hair. He was wearing a blue beanie-style cap, a blue, long-sleeved shirt, dark pants, white shoes and black gloves. The other man has a thin build and was wearing a dark beanie-style cap, gray sweatshirt, blue pants, dark shoes and black gloves, the LAPD said.

Anyone with information is asked to call detectives at (310) 444-1523. Anonymous tips can be left at (800) 222-8477.

ALSO:

Redlands police release sketch of playground shooting suspect

Gang associate pleads not guilty in slaying of pizza deliveryman      

Crime alerts for Hollywood Hills and six other L.A. neighborhoods

-- Robert J. Lopez

twitter.com/LAJourno

Video: Surveillance footage from the pharmacy.

Credit: Los Angeles Police Department

Sex offender arrested on suspicion of exposing himself to 4 girls

A 35-year-old man with a history of sex offenses was arrested Wednesday on suspicion of exposing himself to four girls walking to school in Fallbrook, the San Diego County Sheriff's Department said.

The man, sitting in the driver's seat of his car, exposed himself "in a suggestive manner" to the girls -- three 12-year-olds and one 13-year-old -- according to the Sheriff's Department. The girls "screamed and ran away," said Sgt. Joe Montion.

A witness provided the license number of the suspect's car.

With a search warrant, deputies went to the home of Juan Manuel Arteaga and arrested him on suspicion of indecent exposure and failing to register as a sex offender for a 2006 conviction on a charge of indecent exposure, the Sheriff's Department said.

Also found at the home were a sawed-off shotgun and 58 marijuana plants, authorities said.

ALSO:

Football coach accused of ‘inappropriate contact’ resigns

Doctor charged with sexually assaulting patients during exams      

Santa Ana intern allegedly videotaped men in City Hall bathrooms       

-- Tony Perry in San Diego

 

Massive rock quarry proposed near Temecula is rejected

Photo: The proposed quarry is on private land on Pu`éska Mountain, tucked within a series of peaks that the Pechanga Band and other Luiseño people believe is the cradle of creation and place of origin for all Luiseño. Credit: Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times The Riverside County Planning Commission on Wednesday rejected a proposal for a massive rock quarry near Temecula that was strongly opposed by the city and the Pechanga Band of Luiseno Indians.

The commission voted 4 to 1 against Granite Construction’s plan for a 414-acre rock quarry operation on a mountain that looms over Interstate 15, a peak the Pechanga say is within one of the most sacred sites for all Luiseno people. Granite officials said they will appeal the decision to the Board of Supervisors.

Photos: Quarry plan meets resistance

Five public hearings have been held on the proposed project.

Granite's proposed Liberty Quarry would mine an estimated 270 million tons of granite from the mountain over the next 75 years, supplying concrete and asphalt to fast-growing northern San Diego County and southwest Riverside County.

Football coach accused of ‘inappropriate contact’ resigns

A Cerritos High School football coach has resigned after a player alleged that the coach twice engaged in "inappropriate contact" during practices this month, school officials said.

The complaint alleges that Chad Reed screamed at a player during a practice drill, used profanity and threw a football "straight at my face." In a second incident, the player alleged that Reed "hit me upside the head with my back turned to him."

Mary Sieu, deputy superintendent of the ABC Unified School District, told the Varsity Times Insider blog that the district conducted an internal investigation and met with Reed and the player's parents. She said Reed resigned as the football coach but will continue as a teacher.

ALSO:

Porn industry condom fight moves to Florida

Intern allegedly videotaped men in City Hall bathrooms

Ex-Laker Javaris Crittenton to return to Atlanta on murder charge

-- Eric Sondheimer

Mountain lion killed in attempt to cross 405 Freeway

P-18, shown a month ago in a photo taken by a remotely operated camera. The mountain lion was killed Tuesday while attempting to cross the 405 Freeway.
One of a handful of mountain lions living in the Santa Monica Mountains was killed Tuesday trying to cross the 405 Freeway near the Getty Center at the start of morning rush hour.

The National Park Service got a call from the California Department of Transportation informing the agency that one of the mountain lions it had outfitted with a tracking device had been hit by a car near the Getty on-ramp between 6 and 7:30 a.m. “We believe it may have made such a daring crossing attempt possibly because it was being flushed out of the area it was in by another male lion,” said Woody Smeck, superintendent of the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area.

The 15-month-old male, known as P-18, was one of three kittens born last year in the recreation area and had been tracked since he was a few weeks old. He started to roam eastward from his mother’s home range in Malibu Creek State Park earlier this summer and Tuesday wound up in the southbund lanes of the 405 near the Getty on-ramp.

Smeck said another mountain lion was killed crossing the 405 in the same area three years ago. The park service believes the Santa Monicas are home to six to eight of the animals, including the father, P-12, and brother, P-15, of the animal killed this week.

The father had better luck navigating Southern California traffic. He crossed the 101 Freeway more than two years ago near the border of Los Angeles and Ventura counties and has lived in the Santa Monicas since then.

Smeck said the park service has talked to Caltrans about installing a fence during the 405 widening project that would funnel wildlife into an underpass near the Getty or building a bridge suitable for wildlife crossings. 

“It is clearly a challenge,” Smeck said of the 405, one of the busiest freeways in the region.

ALSO:

Grizzly blamed for Yellowstone hiker death

Endangered arroyo toads cling to existence in the Tehachapi Mountains

Pika could be a candidate for endangered listing as a result of global warming

-- Bettina Boxall  

Photo: P-18, shown a month ago in a photo taken by a remotely operated camera. The mountain lion was killed Tuesday while attempting to cross the 405 Freeway. Credit: National Park Service

Reader photos: Southern California Moments, Day 243

Click through for more photos of Southern California Moments.

Moonrise: A man is silhouetted against the skyline in Franklin Hills in this Aug. 18 mobile photo, processed in Instagram by David Freid.

Every day of 2011, we're featuring reader-submitted photos of Southern California Moments. Follow us on Twitter and visit the Southern California Moments homepage for more on this series.

Porn industry condom fight moves to Florida

AIDS Healthcare Foundation wants porn industry to require condom use
The AIDS Healthcare Foundation filed complaints with federal and Florida state health officials Wednesday, two days after the disclosure that an adult film performer tested HIV-positive.

The complaints call upon the Florida Department of Health and the Occupational Health and Safety Administration to investigate the incident and "take all appropriate steps to ensure that workers in the adult film industry are protected from the threat of sexually transmitted infections."

The Free Speech Coalition, a Canoga Park-based porn industry trade group, announced Monday that a performer had tested positive. The group urged a temporary shutdown of all production.

AIDS Healthcare Foundation President Michael Weinstein said public health officials, not the Free Speech Coalition, should be in charge of the investigation.

About 2,000 mourn Navy SEALs, others killed in helicopter crash

An estimated 2,000 people attended a private memorial service Wednesday morning at the Rock Church in San Diego in remembrance of Navy SEALs and other military personnel killed in an Aug. 6 helicopter crash in Afghanistan.

The service, closed to the media and public, "provided families, friends and colleagues of the fallen a private opportunity to pay final respects to heroes who have given their lives in defense of the country," a Navy spokesman said.

Thirty-eight people were killed in the crash -- 30 Americans and eight Afghans -- in central Afghanistan's Wardak province, west of Kabul. The twin-rotor Chinook helicopter was ferrying SEALs to support Army Rangers in a firefight with Taliban insurgents.

The deaths represent the largest loss of U.S. personnel in one incident in the 10-year war in Afghanistan. The Naval Special Warfare Command, which includes SEALs, is based in Coronado.

ALSO:

Slain British Marine leaves friends $163,000 to party in Vegas

Lawyer who allegedly told client to break into foreclosed home faces trial

No foul play suspected in death of man believed to be missing doctor

-- Tony Perry in San Diego

Shark sighting closes stretch of beach in La Jolla

A 2-mile stretch of beach in La Jolla has been closed after surfers and boogie boarders reported seeing the dorsal fin of a shark, San Diego lifeguards said Wednesday.

The closed area is roughly a mile south of the Children's Pool and a mile north, said lifeguard Lt. Nick Lerma. The water will remain off-limits for at least 24 hours under lifeguard policy.

Last week, a 2-mile stretch of Mission Beach was closed for two days after two shark sightings. Lerma said it is unclear whether the La Jolla shark is the same as either of the Mission Beach sharks.

La Jolla is a more common spot for shark sightings than Mission Beach, possibly because of the seals that lounge on the Children's Pool beach are a food source.

The La Jolla site is popular with spear-fishers, divers and surfers.

ALSO:

Bones found in the Mojave Desert lead to 1946 murder case

Mel Gibson to pay mother of his toddler $750,000

Justin Bieber's Ferrari bumps into Honda in parking garage

-- Tony Perry in San Diego

Skydiver dies from injuries suffered in midair collision

One of the two skydivers who collided in midair over Lake Elsinore Friday died of his injuries Monday at a Riverside County hospital, an official said.

The two men are “officer cadets” in the British military and were undergoing official “adventure training” at the Skydive Elsinore center, said Katharine Keith, communications officer for the British Consulate General in Los Angeles.

The other skydiver remains in critical condition at a local hospital. Few details have been released about the cause of the incident, and neither of the men injured have been identified. Both were in their early 20s.

Both are officers-in-training in the British military, a program similar to the ROTC in the U.S., Keith said.
Riverside County firefighters were called to the Skydive Elsinore on Friday evening and found one of the skydivers not breathing and in “traumatic full arrest.’’ The other skydiver sustained major injuries, fire officials said.

ALSO:

Slain British marine leaves friends $163,000 to party in Vegas

No foul play suspected in death of man believed to be missing doctor

Lawyer who allegedly told client to break into foreclosed home faces trial

-- Phil Willon in Riverside

Malibu waves twice normal size with swell still building

Lifeguards report big waves at Point Dume in Malibu
At Point Dume in Malibu, six- to 8-foot waves crashed onto the sandy beach, spraying white water high into the air.

Lifeguards said the waves are about twice normal height, and the swell is expected to build throughout the day.

"The bigger the better," Kevin Koenig, a 25-year-old football coach from Thousand Oaks said before strapping fins to his feet and charging the waves to body surf with several buddies. "We knew a swell was coming so we wanted to get here before everyone else does."

More casual sunbathers were keeping their distance from the heavy surf, moving their beach blankets back from the shoreline to avoid the spray of crashing waves and generally staying out of the water.

"It's pretty big," said Kelly Jacobson, a lifeguard at Point Dume's Tower 5. "People see it and they say 'that's not for me.' They know their limits when they come face-to-face with six- to eight-foot water."

George Romain was lazing on a beach blanket here on the advice of his dentist, who also happens to be a surfer and told him to be sure to see the powerful surf.

"The waves are breaking right on the beach," the 88-year-old retiree from Tarzana said. "That's why no one's in the water."

The National Weather Service has issued a warning over the next few days at Southern California beaches.

Officials said "very strong currents and dangerous swimming conditions" will exist at southwest facing beaches in Los Angeles County as well as beaches in Orange and San Diego counties.

ALSO:

Mel Gibson to pay mother of his toddler $750,000

Justin Bieber's Ferrari bumps into Honda in parking garage

Slain British marine leaves friends $163,000 to party in Vegas

-- Tony Barboza in Malibu

Photo: Big waves form at Point Dume in Malibu. Credit: Tony Barboza / Los Angeles Times

Redlands police release sketch of playground shooting suspect

Suspectsketch Redlands police officials on Wednesday released a new sketch of a suspect in a playground shooting in which two teenagers were killed and two others wounded in January.

The shooting took place between two apartment buildings just after 7 p.m. Jan. 5. Because the victims were black and the suspect Latino, the shooting stoked fears of increasing racial tension in the San Bernardino County city.

Quinn McCaleb, 17, and Andrew Jackson, 16, were killed.

“We don’t have many murders in Redlands, so this has been a high-profile case," said police spokesman Carl Baker.

The department released a drawing of the gunman, described as a Latino male between 17 and 20 years old with  a thin build, 5 feet 5 inches tall and 140 to 150 pounds. He was wearing a dark hooded sweatshirt and dark pants at the time of the shooting, and escaped in a dark-colored, mid-to-late 1980s Honda Accord or Honda Civic.

A $10,000 reward is being offered for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the suspect or suspects involved. Anyone with information is asked to call Sgt. Mark Hardy at (909) 798-7627 or the Redlands Police Department at (909) 798-7681.

Shortly after the shooting, Shanita Williams, the mother of McCaleb, said that racial tensions had been on the rise in the city.

As Redlands' population has grown, Williams said, a Latino gang had increasingly harassed and attacked black youths. She said her son was beaten twice and often chased home from school. In addition, racist graffiti has occasionally appeared on neighborhood walls, she said.

A week before Thanksgiving, she said, Latino gang members armed with bats and guns knocked on the doors of houses where they thought McCaleb might be. Word spread through the neighborhood, and residents called Williams and the police.

ALSO:

Mel Gibson to pay mother of his toddler $750,000

Justin Bieber's Ferrari bumps into Honda in parking garage

Slain British marine leaves friends $163,000 to party in Vegas

--Phil Willon in Riverside

Photo: Sketch of shooting suspect. Credit: Redlands Police Department

Six rescued as fishing boat sinks off Catalina Island

Boat sinks off Catalina Island

Six people were rescued by a Good Samaritan on Tuesday night when their 61-foot fishing boat sank a mile off Catalina Island.

U.S. Coast Guard spokesman Trent Kelly said a distress call was received about 9:45 p.m. from the Midnight Hour. Six people on board reportedly climbed into a skiff and abandoned the boat as it was sinking, Kelly said.

The Coast Guard cutter Narwahl was sent to the scene but was diverted after another boat in the area, the San Pedro Pride, notified officials that it would rescue the six people and take them back to land, Kelly said.

There were no reports of injuries, he said.

The Midnight Star sank in 90 feet of water near Eagle Rock, which is on the east end of Catalina Island, Kelly said.

On Wednesday morning a Coast Guard helicopter was sent to the scene to monitor the situation and spotted a very light sheen of oil drifting away from the island.

"Based on the observation it is estimated that 90% of the sheen will dissipate between eight to 10 hours," Kelly said.

It was not known what caused the boat to sink, he said, adding that the incident was still under investigation.

ALSO:

Mel Gibson to pay mother of his toddler $750,000

Justin Bieber's Ferrari bumps into Honda in parking garage

Slain British marine leaves friends $163,000 to party in Vegas

-- Ruben Vives

Photo: A boat sank about a mile off Catalina Island. Credit: Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times

High surf warning issued for local beaches

LifeguardClick for beach safety graphic The National Weather Service is warning of danger surf over the next few days at Southern California beaches.

Officials said "very strong currents and dangerous swimming conditions" will exist at southwest facing beaches in Los Angeles County as well as beaches in Orange and San Diego counties.

According to the NWS, surf heights will vary from two to five feet, with seven-foot swells. On Thursday, 10-foot swells are possible.

ALSO:

Slain British Marine leaves friends $163,000 to party in Vegas

No foul play suspected in death of man believed to be missing doctor

Lawyer who allegedly told client to break into foreclosed home faces trial

-- Shelby Grad

Mel Gibson to pay mother of his toddler $750,000

Oksana Grigorieva and Mel Gibson

Actor-director Mel Gibson will pay the mother of his toddler daughter $750,000 under a settlement disclosed Wednesday that allows her and the child to remain in their Sherman Oaks mansion.

Oksana Grigorieva will be paid in three installments, the final one coming in January 2016 under a deal that will allow her to stay in the home she shares with their daughter, Lucia.

When Lucia reaches 18 years old, the home must be sold and the proceeds placed in a trust for her, said L.A. County Superior Court Judge Peter D. Lichtman.

Gibson and Grigorieva, a Russian musician, will have joint legal custody.

Last summer, Grigorieva agreed to a settlement worth $16 million but later said she consented under duress.  

Goodwin Liu expected to be confirmed to California Supreme Court

  Goodwin liu

After a protracted and ultimately losing battle for a seat on a federal appeals court, UC Berkeley law professor Goodwin Liu is expected to sail through his state confirmation hearing Wednesday to join the California Supreme Court.

Liu, 40, a constitutional scholar, will be the only Democratic appointee on the seven-member state high court. Gov. Jerry Brown appointed Liu last month after his nomination to the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals failed to win Republican support in the U.S. Senate.

The three-member state Commission on Judicial Appointments, headed by Chief Justice Tani Cantil-Sakauye, a Republican, will vote on Liu’s nomination during a hearing Wednesday afternoon. The other members are Atty. Gen. Kamala Harris, a Democrat, and Court of Appeal Justice Joan Dempsey Klein, a Democratic appointee and the senior presiding appellate court justice in the state.

Liu will join the court immediately, and his name will appear on the ballot for a yes or no retention vote during the next gubernatorial election. He will replace Justice Carlos R. Moreno, who retired Feb. 28. The state court is considered moderately conservative, and Liu is likely to become one of its more liberal voices.

A state bar evaluating committee gave Liu the highest rating possible -- exceptionally well qualified. The American Bar Assn. also had given him its highest rating for the federal appeals court, but conservative Republicans nevertheless objected that Liu was too liberal.

The state bar evaluating committee described Liu in a report to the commission as brilliant, a gifted scholar who was praised for impartiality, integrity, collegiality and “a work ethic second to none.”
“The candidate is not an ideologue and would not tolerate any kind of bias or discrimination,” the bar wrote. “He has an unwavering commitment to equal access to justice and will treat all litigants fairly, without regard to wealth or position in society.”

The commission’s hearing is scheduled from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m.

ALSO:

Man arrested after climbing KTLA-TV tower

Porn filming still suspended in wake of HIV scare

Ex-Laker Javaris Crittenton to appear in court in fatal shooting

-- Maura Dolan in San Francisco

Photo: Goodwin Liu, April 16, 2010. Credit: Associated Press, Charles Dharapak

Gang associate pleads not guilty in slaying of pizza deliveryman

An LAPD handout on the arrest of Jose Beltran for a murder investigation

An 18-year-old gang associate pleaded not guilty Wednesday to shooting a pizza deliveryman who worked two jobs to send money home to Mexico.

Jose Beltran is due back in court Sept. 15. His bail was increased Wednesday from $1 million to $3 million.

He faces more than 50 years to life in prison if convicted on all charges, prosecutors said.

Juan David Vasquez Loma, 25, was shot in the head while driving home after getting off work at a Silver Lake pizzeria.

Loma had been kept on life support for a week after the shooting so his mother in Mexico could see him a final time.

Beltran has been in jail since Aug. 19, when he was pulled over by a gang detail near downtown and cited for a traffic violation and illegal possession of a handgun.

Cerritos jet crash 25 years later: Share your memories

Crash

This post has been corrected. Please see the bottom for details.

Aeromexico Flight 498 was on approach to LAX on Aug. 31, 1986, on the final leg of a trip that began in Mexico City when a small plane smashed into the DC-9's tail section at 11:52 a.m.

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/.a/6a00d8341c630a53ef01311003de3e970c-pi The crash spewed fiery debris over a residential neighborhood below in Cerritos. Five homes were destroyed and seven others were damaged by airplane wreckage.

A total of 82 people died, including 15 people on the ground.

"I can still hear the plane screaming -- that is a sound that I'll never forget," said resident Sue Nelson told The Times several years ago, remembering the tragedy. "That sound and the smell of jet fuel burning, and how everything got black and dark."

It was one of L.A.'s deadliest air disasters. Share your memories of that day below.

[Corrected at 10:15 a.m. Wednesday, Aug. 31, 2011: A previous version of this post stated incorrectly that 89 people died in the crash.]

 

Cerritos memorializes deadly 1986 plane crash

Cerritos plane crash

Twenty-five years ago at 11:52 a.m., an Aeromexico passenger jet collided with a small plane and slammed into a Cerritos neighborhood, killing 82 people and leaving many more in the city struggling to recover from the tragedy.

On Wednesday morning, for the first time in many years, the city will host a memorial ceremony to remember the victims and commemorate the deadly crash.

The ceremony will start at 11:30 a.m. in the Cerritos Sculpture Garden.

City councilmembers will read the names of the victims followed by a moment of silence at 11:52 a.m., said city spokeswoman Annie Hylton.

Mayor Carol Chen and Supervisor Don Knabe, who was mayor of the city when the disaster occurred, are scheduled to speak.

Over the years, many have found ways to remember the collision -- such as dedicating a sculpture near City Hall and creating a bond between residents and the town of Loreto, Mexico, which was home to 20 of those killed.

Lawyer who allegedly told client to break into foreclosed home faces trial

Attorney Michael Pines urged clients to break into foreclosed home

The trial for a San Diego attorney who allegedly instructed a client to break into a foreclosed home as a media stunt began Tuesday and is expected to last a week, prosecutors said.

Michael T. Pines, 59, is charged with misdemeanor vandalism, burglary, unauthorized entry of a dwelling and resisting police. He faces up to a year in jail and $10,000 in fines, the Daily Pilot reported.

Authorities said Pines told his client, Rene Hector Zepeda, 72, to break into a Newport Coast home he previously owned to repossess it, then alerted the media, an agent from the bank that owned the home and police to his plan. The crowd was on hand in October to watch Pines and Zepeda break in by shattering a window at the back of the house, according to numerous media accounts.

Zepeda pleaded no contest to misdemeanor trespassing Monday and will testify in Pines' trial.

The pair broke into the home at 19 Coral Cay more than a year after Zepeda had been foreclosed on, authorities said. Pines instigated the stunt without trying to undo Zepeda's foreclosure or proving it was defective, prosecutors said.

Pines is representing himself and also faces criminal charges in Ventura and San Diego counties.

The trial is expected to conclude next week, prosecutors said.

RELATED:

Man charged with breaking into his foreclosed home

License revoked for attorney who urged clients to break into homes

-- Joseph Serna, Times Community News

Photo: Foreclosure lawyer Michael T. Pines has advised clients to break into their foreclosed homes. Credit: Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times

Slain British Marine leaves friends $163,000 to party in Vegas

British Royal Marine David Hart. A British marine killed in Afghanistan left an unusual bequest in his will: money for his friends to go to Las Vegas for a party.

David Hart, 23, of York was killed last year in Helmand province while on a foot patrol.

He was part of the 40 Commando Royal Marines unit, assigned to fight beside U.S. Marines from Camp Pendleton to oust Taliban fighters from their longtime stronghold.

Like many soldiers assigned to a war zone, Hart had taken out a life insurance policy.

After his death, his family found Hart had designated 50,000 British pounds for a charity that helps wounded service personnel -- and 100,000 pounds (about $163,000) for his military and civilian buddies and their girlfriends to go to Las Vegas.

Last month, 32 of them flew to gambling capital.

Ex-Laker Javaris Crittenton to appear in court in fatal shooting

Javaris Crittenton Former Lakers player Javaris Crittenton is set to appear in a Los Angeles courtroom Wednesday for a hearing on his arrest in a murder case.

Crittenton, 23, is wanted in connection with a drive-by shooting in Atlanta.

He was being held Tuesday at Los Angeles Police Department Headquarters on a state penal code charge of being a fugitive from justice, FBI spokeswoman Laura Eimiller said.

A federal warrant charging him with unlawful flight to avoid arrest is expected to be dismissed because he is being held on the state charge, authorities said.

He was apprehended Monday night at John Wayne International Airport by a fugitive task force of FBI agents and LAPD officers.

Crittenton allegedly shot Jullian Jones, a mother of four, on Aug. 19 as she stood outside her home, authorities said.

Atlanta homicide detectives said Crittenton was trying to shoot someone he believed had stolen jewelry from him in April, according to Georgia law enforcement sources.

Caught in a hail of bullets from the driver’s side of a sport utility vehicle, Jones was hit multiple times and declared dead at a hospital, according to authorities.

Crittenton, of Fayetteville, Ga., was drafted by the Lakers in 2007 but was traded in his rookie year to the Memphis Grizzlies. His NBA career sputtered with the Washington Wizards in 2009 when he and then-teammate Gilbert Arenas pulled guns on each other.

ALSO:

Missing hikers found safe in Angeles National Forest

San Diego teen shot with arrow in dispute, police say

Michael Jackson’s ‘distracting’ inner circle can't testify

-- Robert J. Lopez

twitter.com/LAJourno

Photo: Former Lakers player Javaris Crittenton. Credit: FBI

 

Police officer in road-rage case to take anger management classes

A Glendale police officer will have to take anger management classes after admitting he hit a driver during an off-duty road-rage incident in Burbank, court officials said.

Eric Ritter accepted a plea deal Monday in connection with an amended misdemeanor count of disturbing the peace, which includes a section on fighting in public, court officials said.

The Burbank city attorney’s office originally charged Ritter with one misdemeanor battery charge for striking Armando Alvarez in October, the Glendale News-Press reported.

Superior Court Judge Michael Carter ordered Ritter to complete 52 anger management sessions over the course of a year.

The road-rage incident occurred in October, where police said Ritter and Alvarez had been cutting each other off while driving on city streets.

At a red light on Hollywood Way and Victory Boulevard, the men got out of their cars and started fighting, police said. Alvarez suffered a cut lip.

Ritter's sentencing is scheduled for Sept. 28.

ALSO:

Man arrested after climbing KTLA-TV tower

Arrests made in Christmas Day killing of South L.A. mother

Driver allegedly involved in drug deal smashes into County Jail

-- Veronica Rocha, Times Community News

Lack of Deep Sleep Tied to Hypertension

Men who get the least deep sleep each night have a higher risk of hypertension, new research shows.

Earlier studies have tied chronic sleep disorders and low levels of sleep to greater risks of heart disease and obesity, and even reduced life span. But the new study, published in the journal Hypertension, is one of the first to find that it’s not just how much you sleep, but the the quality of your nightly slumber that can affect your risk for high blood pressure.

The goal of the study, carried out by researchers at Harvard Medical School and elsewhere, was to look specifically at the slow-wave stages of sleep, which make up about 90 minutes to two hours of a normal night’s rest and represent the deepest hours of sleep. To study the effect of deep sleep on health, the scientists followed 784 healthy men who were part of an ongoing sleep study and did not have signs of high blood pressure at the start of the research. During the three-and-a-half year study, the men had their blood pressure checked at various times, and their levels of slow-wave sleep were monitored at home by a machine.

After controlling for a number of variables, the researchers found that the men who spent the least time in slow-wave or deep sleep were the most likely to develop high blood pressure. Although a night of normal sleep should consist of about 25 percent slow-wave sleep, the men in the study who were at highest risk for hypertension managed to enjoy deep sleep for no more than 4 percent of their total sleep each night.

The researchers found that the men with the least deep sleep were more likely to have sleep apnea and tended to sleep less over all.

“But those conditions did not completely explain their lack of slow-wave sleep,” said Dr. Susan Redline, an author of the study and a professor of sleep medicine at Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women’s hospital.

Dr. Redline said that although the study followed only men, she believes the results would also apply to women who fail to get enough deep sleep.

During slow-wave sleep, the brain’s electrical activity slows down, as do a person’s heart rate, adrenaline levels and blood pressure. The average person’s blood pressure falls about 10 millimeters of mercury during slumber, a dip that largely occurs when deep sleep sets in.

This nightly fall in blood pressure is a “good thing,” said Dr. Redline. When blood pressure doesn’t fall at night, the condition is called “nondipping,” and it’s a risk factor for heart disease.

“Not having that nightly dip might directly influence daytime blood pressure,” said Dr. Redline.

It’s also known that the areas of the brain that regulate sleep patterns have “a lot of crosstalk with areas of the brain that release hormones and other mediators that influence blood pressure,” Dr. Redline said. When those areas of the brain are not entering slow-wave sleep, she added, it may interfere with various brain signals that influence blood pressure.

Whether you get an adequate amount of slow-wave sleep can be influenced by a number of factors. Any condition that disrupts your sleep at night — for example, loud snoring, sleep apnea or restless legs syndrome — can shorten your slow-wave sleep, as can medications. Even your age can have an effect: Deep sleep declines as you get older.

There is also data showing that what you do during the day can make a difference. Studies show that being more physically and cognitively active can increase the amount of time you spend in deep sleep at night.

“Some of that research comes from animals,” Dr. Redline said. “If you give animals more tasks to do during the day they have more slow-wave sleep at night.”

The only way to know precisely the amount of time you drift into deep sleep each night is through an overnight sleep study. But the key, Dr. Redline said, is to assess whether you feel rested in the morning and alert and ready to go after seven to eight hours of sleep.

“If you’re feeling tired and unrefreshed after a full night’s sleep,” she said, “that’s a good indication you need to talk to your doctor, and then your doctor would decide whether you need to see a sleep specialist.”

Tuesday, August 30, 2011

Arrests made in Christmas Day killing of South L.A. mother

Kashmier James Three suspects have been arrested in the Christmas Day shooting of a South Los Angeles mother who died in front of her 3-year-old daughter, police said Tuesday night.

Kashmier James, 25, was shot as she stood outside a friend's home in the 1700 block of West 85th Street in Manchester Square, police said.

The daughter witnessed the slaying from the back seat of her mother's car. The girl was not hurt.

The suspects have been charged on suspicion of murder, attempted murder and gang allegations, the Los Angeles Police Department said. Police did not release additional details, citing a news conference scheduled for Wednesday afternoon at the 77th Street station.

Witnesses told detectives that the attackers drove up in Chevrolet Tahoe, police said. A men got out and fired nine shots at James, striking her in the cheek and legs.

At least 19 homicides have been reported in Manchester Square since January 2007, according to a Times Homicide Report database.

ALSO:

Missing hikers found safe in Angeles National Forest

San Diego teen shot with arrow in dispute, police say

Michael Jackson’s ‘distracting’ inner circle can't testify

-- Robert J. Lopez
twitter.com/LAJourno

Photo: Kashmier James and the shooting scene. Credit: KTLA-TV

Click to visit The Times' interactive Homicide Report

Man climbs KTLA-TV tower, is refusing to come down [Updated]

Man climbs KTLA tower
A man has climbed the KTLA-TV news tower outside the station and is refusing to come down, police said Tuesday night.

[Updated, 9:40 p.m.: KTLA reports that the man has come down and been taken into custody.]

A Mental Evaluation Unit from the Los Angeles Police Department was responding, said Officer Karen Rayner.

The man began climbing shortly before 8:30 p.m., the LAPD said. It was unclear why he began traversing the metal tower.

Police were at the scene monitoring the situation. No other details were immediately available.

ALSO:

Missing hikers found safe in Angeles National Forest

San Diego teen shot with arrow in dispute, police say

Michael Jackson’s ‘distracting’ inner circle can't testify

-- Robert J. Lopez
twitter.com/LAJourno

Photo: Man climbing tower. Credit: KTLA-TV

Brush fire that closed part of Highway 138 contained

A brush fire that burned for three days and forced officials to shut down a segment of Highway 138 has been contained.

The blaze, known as the Oasis fire, was 100% contained after scorching about 355 acres of vegetation, the California Department of Forestry & Fire Protection said Tuesday evening.

The fire broke out Saturday afternoon south of Highway 138 off Oasis Road near Pinon Hills in Los Angeles County. Flames burned near the San Bernardino County line.

The cost of fighting the fire has been about $1 million, officials said.

ALSO:

Missing hikers found safe in Angeles National Forest

San Diego teen shot with arrow in dispute, police say

Michael Jackson’s ‘distracting’ inner circle can't testify

-- Robert J. Lopez
twitter.com/LAJourno

San Diego County fire 80% contained, smaller than estimated

The Pala fire in northeastern San Diego County is 80% contained with full containment expected on Thursday, officials said Tuesday night.

The cost of fighting the blaze is estimated at $1,441,641. The cause was a Monday morning traffic accident along a rural road that sent sparks into dry grass in the area near the Pala Indian Reservation.

Detailed mapping has put the burned area at 223 acres, officials said. Earlier estimates had said more than 300 acres were burned.

One firefighter was injured. At the height of the blaze, more than 600 firefighters were on the fire lines but with progress in containing the fire, their numbers are now at 288.

-- Tony Perry in San Diego

Prescribing Exercise to Treat Depression

Can a stroll help ease depression? That question preoccupied Dr. Madhukar H. Trivedi, a professor of psychiatry at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, after several of his patients, all suffering from serious depression, mentioned that they felt happier if they went for a walk. The patients in question were taking the widely prescribed antidepressants known as S.S.R.I.’s, for selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, but not responding fully. They remained, by clinical standards, depressed. Dr. Trivedi and his colleagues began to wonder if adding a formal “dose” of exercise would increase their chances of getting better.

Certainly the possibility was worth investigating. Clinical depression, as anyone who has experienced or watched a loved one struggle with the condition knows, can be stubbornly intractable. Even if patients have been taking an antidepressant for months, recovery rates tend to hover below 50 percent.

In order to increase the odds of improvement, doctors frequently add a second treatment — often another drug, like lithium or an antipsychotic — to the S.S.R.I. regimen at some point, Dr. Trivedi said. Most patients ultimately require at least two concurrent treatments to achieve remission of their depression, he said. Studies have shown that these secondary drug treatments help an additional 20 to 30 percent of depressed patients to improve, but the medications can be expensive and have unpleasant side effects.

Which prompted Dr. Trivedi to look to exercise. His investigation joins a growing movement among some physiologists and doctors to consider and study exercise as a formal medicine, with patients given a prescription and their progress monitored, as it would be if they were prescribed a pill.

In this case, Dr. Trivedi and his collaborators, who included researchers at the Cooper Institute in Dallas, the Pennington Biomedical Research Center in Louisiana and other institutions, recruited 126 people with depression who had been using S.S.R.I.’s for a minimum of two months, without achieving remission. None of the patients exercised.

Dr. Trivedi and his colleagues divided these volunteers into two groups. One began a gentle aerobic exercise routine, under the tutelage of Cooper Institute researchers, which required them to burn a certain amount of calories per session, depending on their weight. How the subjects expended the energy was up to them. Some walked for about 10 minutes a day, on a treadmill or by strolling around the block, at a pace of three miles an hour. Others chose an equivalent easy cycling workout.

The second group was more energetic, walking briskly for about 30 minutes a day at a pace of four miles an hour, or the cycling equivalent, a regimen that meets the current exercise recommendations from the American College of Sports Medicine.

Each volunteer exercised for four months, while continuing to take an antidepressant. At the end of that time, according to the study published recently in The Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, 29.5 percent had achieved remission, “which is a very robust result,” Dr. Trivedi said, equal to or better than the remission rates achieved using drugs as a back-up treatment. “I think that our results indicate that exercise is a very valid treatment option” for people whose depression hasn’t yielded to S.S.R.I.’s, he said.

As with most scientific findings, though, there are caveats.

One is practical. More patients improved in the group that completed the longer, brisker workouts than in the group assigned the easier exercise, but more of them also dropped out of the study. “We need to find ways to support people’s efforts to exercise,” Dr. Trivedi said. “It’s not going to be enough to casually say, ‘Go for a walk.’” Exercise, if it’s to be medicinal in depression treatments, will have to be monitored, he said, so it can’t be shrugged off.

Even then, many people will not respond. Almost 70 percent of the volunteers in this study did not achieve full remission. Failure rates were particularly high for women with a family history of depression, perhaps as a result of some as yet unknown genetic quirk. And women in that group who did recover were more likely to succeed using the lighter exercise program than the more strenuous routine.

Then there is the issue of a control group, whose members would have continued with their S.S.R.I.’s but not exercised. This study did not have one, making interpreting the results tricky, said James A. Blumenthal, a professor of psychology and neuroscience at Duke University who was not involved with this study but who has written extensively about exercise and depression. Perhaps four additional months of S.S.R.I. treatment raised people’s moods, and the exercise was incidental. “Evidence is accumulating that exercise may be an effective treatment for depressed patients who are receptive to exercise as a possible treatment and who are able to safely engage in exercise,” he said. But the evidence is by no means definitive.

Still, Dr. Trivedi said, although additional studies certainly are needed, there’s no reason for people with unyielding depression not to talk now with their doctors about exercise as a treatment option. “Side effects are almost nonexistent,” he said, “while you get additional benefits, in terms of improvements in cardiovascular health and reductions in other disease risks,” things antidepressant drugs do not provide. “Plus,” he pointed out, “the cost profile is very favorable.” Exercise, as medicines go, is cheap.

Angeles National Forest fire-danger level rising to very high

Fire-danger level The forest fire danger level will be raised from high to very high in the Angeles National Forest, officials said Tuesday.

The change will take effect Thursday to remind people that the fire risk has grown with recent hot weather and drier vegetation, the U.S. Forest Service said.

Open-wood and charcoal fires will be permitted in developed campgrounds and picnic areas, the agency said. Gas and propane stoves will be permitted in non-developed areas with a state campfire permit.

"Very high" is the fourth in a six-level scale that rates the brush fire danger. The danger levels are determined by vegetation-moisture levels, weather conditions and available firefighting resources.

ALSO:

Missing hikers found safe in Angeles National Forest

San Diego teen shot with arrow in dispute, police say

Michael Jackson’s ‘distracting’ inner circle can't testify

— Robert J. Lopez

twitter.com/LAJourno

Photo: Fire-danger rating system. Credit: U.S. Forest Service

Driver allegedly involved in drug deal smashes into County Jail

Driver smashed his vehicle in this area at Central Jail. A man allegedly involved in a drug deal Tuesday afternoon in skid row tried to evade police by taking a wild ride through downtown, where he drove the wrong way along busy streets before smashing his vehicle into the Central Jail, authorities said.

Undercover narcotics officers saw the transaction about 4:30 p.m. and began following the man, who started to drive the wrong way through downtown, the Los Angeles Police Department said.

The officers stopped their pursuit, police said, but the driver kept going. Initial reports indicate that he  hit parked vehicles before crashing into the Los Angeles County Central Jail at 441 Bauchet Street in Chinatown, according to the LAPD.

The man was apprehend by LAPD officers, who were investigating the case Tuesday evening. No additional details were available.

ALSO:

Missing hikers found safe in Angeles National Forest

San Diego teen shot with arrow in dispute, police say

Michael Jackson’s ‘distracting’ inner circle can't testify

— Robert J. Lopez

twitter.com/LAJourno

Map shows area where a driver smashed his vehicle into County Jail. Credit: Times Mapping L.A.

Kitten trapped on Riverside freeway ledge rescued with safety net

Rescued Kitten in Riverside
A kitten perched on a ledge amid heavy traffic on the 90 Freeway was rescued Tuesday by an animal services officer who snagged the feline with a safety net, Riverside County officials said.

The 3-month-old black domestic long-haired cat was on the ledge of the freeway near Van Buren Boulevard around 2 p.m., officials said.

Officer Alanna Esch, responding to a call from a motorist, was afraid that the animal would fall into the traffic but was able to quickly snatch the kitten, the Riverside County Animal Services Department said.

The kitten was taken to an animal shelter in Jurupa Valley and treated for a small wound near the pelvic bone. The wound did not appear to be serious, the department said in a statement.

ALSO:

Missing hikers found safe in Angeles National Forest

San Diego teen shot with arrow in dispute, police say

Michael Jackson’s ‘distracting’ inner circle can't testify

-- Robert J. Lopez
twitter.com/LAJourno

Photo: Rescued kitten in the arms of an animal control officer. Credit: Riverside County Department of Animal Services

BPA ban passes California state Senate

Bisphenol A, a compound found in many plastic baby bottles and other food containers, has been linked to reproductive problems in animals. The California state Senate voted Tuesday to ban the plastic chemical bisphenol A, also known as BPA, from baby bottles and sippy cups sold statewide.

The Toxin-Free Infants and Toddlers Act (AB 1319) heads back to the state Assembly for a vote on Senate amendments later this year.

“Today’s action by the Senate is further proof that the interests of California’s children can have a voice in Sacramento,” said Renee Sharp, head of the nonprofit Environmental Working Group's California office.

Martha Dina Argüello, executive director of Physicians for Social Responsibility-Los Angeles, said Tuesday's vote "is part of reasserting California's leadership on environmental health protections.”

Porn filming still suspended in wake of HIV scare

Photo: A cyclist rides in front of the building that houses the Adult Industry Medical Healthcare Foundation, who has drawn criticism for opposing condom use in porn and insisting that frequent tests could protect performers from HIV. Credit: Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times The pornography trade association that broke the news that an adult film performer has tested HIV-positive released a statement Tuesday noting that "the incident occurred outside of California" and that "there is nothing to suggest that the occurrence has affected the Los Angeles-based industry."

The Canoga Park-based Free Speech Coalition learned that the performer had tested HIV-positive on Saturday and the group called for a moratorium on filming Sunday night, according to the statement.

It was not clear Tuesday how long the temporary suspension of filming would last. 

"This moratorium should remain in place until primary reports of any exposure are confirmed. In the event of the necessity for first- and second-generational testing, a list of any individuals that may have been exposed will be compiled and the moratorium will then be evaluated by our medical and legal advisers, as well as industry stakeholders," the statement said.

It was not clear how many porn studios have suspended filming.

Ex-Laker Javaris Crittenton to appear in court in murder case

Javaris Crittenton Former Lakers player Javaris Crittenton is scheduled to appear Wednesday morning at the criminal courthouse in Los Angeles for a hearing in connection with his arrest in a murder case, authorities said.

Crittenton, 23, wanted in connection with a drive-by shooting in Atlanta, was being held Tuesday at Los Angeles Police Department Headquarters on a state penal code violation of being a fugitive from justice, FBI spokeswoman Laura Eimiller said.

Crittenton is scheduled to appear in Department 30 at the courthouse. A federal warrant charging him with unlawful flight to avoid arrest is expected to be dismissed because he is being held on the state charge, authorities said.

He was apprehended Wednesday night at John Wayne International Airport by a fugitive task force of FBI agents and LAPD officers.

Crittenton allegedly shot Jullian Jones, a mother of four, on Aug. 19 as she stood outside her home with two other people, authorities said.

Atlanta homicide detectives said Crittenton was trying to shoot someone he believed had stolen jewelry from him in April, according to Georgia law enforcement sources.

Jones was caught in a hail of bullets from the driver’s side of a sport utility vehicle. She was hit multiple times and declared dead at a hospital, according to authorities.

Crittenton, of Fayetteville, Ga., was drafted by the Lakers in 2007 but was traded in his rookie year to the Memphis Grizzlies. His NBA career sputtered with the Washington Wizards in 2009 when he and then-teammate Gilbert Arenas pulled guns on each other.

ALSO:

Missing hikers found safe in Angeles National Forest

San Diego teen shot with arrow in dispute, police say

Michael Jackson’s ‘distracting’ inner circle can't testify

-- Robert J. Lopez
twitter.com/LAJourno

Photo: Javaris Crittenton. Credit: FBI

Sadness at San Diego Zoo: Giant panda Bai Yun is not pregnant

Bai Yun

Disappointing news this afternoon from the San Diego Zoo: The giant panda Bai Yun is not pregnant.

Given the idiosyncrasies of pandas' reproductive system, it will be another year before Bai Yun and her mate Gao Gao can try again.

The two mated in April. For 19 weeks, zoo staff monitored Bai Yun's behavior and hormone levels, confident that she was pregnant given that she has had five successful pregnancies since arriving at the zoo from China in 1996.

Ultrasound tests, however, indicated that the 20-year-old Bai Yun was not pregnant.

There is no indication that Bai Yun and Gao Gao will not be able to conceive next year, zoo officials said. The San Diego Zoo is one of four American zoos with giant pandas.

In the history of American zoos, no animal has proved as popular as the panda, dubbed a "charismatic mega-vertebrate" by zoologists.

Bai Yun returned to the panda exhibit Wednesday for the first time since she and Gao Gao mated.

ALSO:

Woman allegedly attacks school principal

Santa Monica plane crash pilot was student on solo flight

Baring it all for new threads

-- Tony Perry in San Diego

Photo: Bai Yun in 2003. Credit: Don Tormey / Los Angeles Times

Woman made up assault story to hide debts, authorities say

A Temecula woman who earlier this month reported to police that a burglar had ransacked her home and then tried to sexually assault her at knife-point has told detectives that she fabricated the story to hide recent gambling losses from her family, authorities said Tuesday.

The woman, who was not identified, admitted she made up the story after investigators questioned her about inconsistencies in her story, according to a statement released by the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department.

Sheriff’s detectives have referred the case to the district attorney’s office to consider filing a charge of filing a false police report.

On Aug. 9, the woman told police that when she arrived at her home on Lahontan Street about 1:50 p.m., she found that the master bedroom had been burglarized and ransacked. She said that an attacker then jumped at her with a knife and that she was able to fight him off and lock herself in a bathroom, where she called 911 on her cellphone. She was then transported to a local hospital with superficial injuries.

She had described the attacker as a white or Latino male with medium-colored skin.

ALSO:

Missing hikers found safe in Angeles National Forest

Michael Jackson's "distracting" inner circle can't testify

Santa Monica plane crash pilot was student on solo flight

--Phil Willon in Riverside

Reader photos: Southern California Moments, Day 242

Click through for more photos of Southern California Moments.

Oil: Kevin Balluff photographs the Baldwin Hills oil fields in February.

Every day of 2011, we're featuring reader-submitted photos of Southern California Moments. Follow us on Twitter and visit the Southern California Moments homepage for more on this series.

Neighborhood pesticide exposure linked to prostate cancer

Cockburn_mResearchers at the University of Southern California have found that men exposed to certain pesticides in Central Valley neighborhoods are at increased risk for prostate cancer, according to a study in the American Journal of Epidemiology. 

The authors recruited 173 men, ages 60 to 74, from 670 diagnosed with prostate cancer in Tulare, Fresno and Kern counties, according to the state's cancer registry. They used Medicare and tax records to find 162 men ages 65 and older without prostate cancer to use as a control group. 

They traced where the men lived and worked from 1974 to 1999, and compared those locations with state records of pesticide use. They found prostate cancer more prevalent among men who lived near areas sprayed with methyl bromide, captan and eight organochlorine pesticides.

Greenspace spoke with one of the study's authors, Myles Cockburn, an associate professor of preventive medicine at the University of Southern California's Keck School of Medicine, about the implications.

Q: Why did you look at these particular pesticides?

A: We had to isolate particular pesticides to determine causality. So we started with things that we had some lab-based evidence that they might lead to prostate cancer. There had to be biological plausibility.

Q: How could you be sure these people were exposed in their neighborhoods, not agricultural or other jobs?

A: We asked them if they worked in farming occupations, and our control group was a random selection from the [Central] Valley, and only about 3% worked in agriculture.

Antonovich withdraws stadium motion amid conflict questions

AEG accuses Supervisor Mike Antonovich of conflict of interest

Los Angeles County Supervisor Michael Antonovich on Tuesday withdrew a motion that could have slowed progress on a proposed downtown NFL stadium after the stadium developer’s lawyer questioned whether Antonovich had a financial conflict of interest in the matter.

The potential conflict stems from claims by Antonovich's wife that she is owed hundreds of thousands of dollars by an affiliate of the developer Anschutz Entertainment Group, according to an attorney for the firm. 

County supervisors on Tuesday had been scheduled to consider a motion by Antonovich opposing AEG's push in Sacramento to curtail the time period allowed for legal challenges to its $1-billion stadium proposal. But in a letter Monday, AEG lawyer James Sutton said a vote should not be cast until the county’s lawyers determine whether Antonovich should be disqualified from participating.

In a letter to the county’s lawyers, Sutton said that Antonovich’s wife, Christine Hu Antonovich, has been locked in a dispute over fees for more than a year with AEG’s affiliate in Shanghai, AEG Business Management Consulting. Hu Antonovich claimed that she earned those fees while introducing AEG executives to Chinese officials several years ago, Sutton said.

Antonovich opposes legislation that would shorten the time period for challenges to AEG's environmental impact report -- unless similar protections are provided to county hospitals, libraries, schools and transportation projects.

Antonovich said the intent of his motion was to protect taxpayers and he was surprised that AEG interjected a family member into the debate.

Antonovich told The Times he did not inform his staff or county counsel that his wife had a financial dispute with AEG and did not believe it posed a conflict. “No, because this doesn’t deal with AEG. This deals with the subsidiary in China,”  he said.

Recent high school graduates optimistic about value of college

Photo: Students celebrate during graduation ceremonies at North Hollywood High School in June. Credit: Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times Despite the rising costs of a college education, most recent high school graduates say that earning a college degree is worth the time and money, and most are optimistic that they and their peers will find good jobs and careers.

That is the good news from a national survey of 1,500 graduates from the class of 2010 that was released Tuesday by the College Board, the nonprofit association that runs the SAT and Advanced Placement tests.

The inaugural survey, One Year Out, sought to mine perspectives about the weaknesses and strengths of the nation’s education system from a group rarely heard from in that national debate. The survey was conducted by Hart Research Associates between July and August of this year. Twelve percent of the respondents were from California.

Perhaps surprisingly, given the rancor over issues of testing, graduation and college readiness, 66% said their high school did a good job of preparing them for college, while 58% said they were adequately prepared for the workplace. Only about half said their school did a good job of preparing them for both college and work.

A majority -- 69% -- said requirements for graduating from high school, including tests and courses, were easy. Thirty-seven percent said such requirements should be tougher.

Overall, 82% of recent graduates said they were very or somewhat satisfied with their high school experience, a percentage that was fairly consistent among those who went on to a four-year college, a two-year college or did not enroll in any college.

Still, given the chance, most students said they would change something about their high school experience, including 44% who said they wished they had taken different courses such as more intensive math, science and writing.

“These candid assessments provide critical firsthand insight into how high schools serve -- and in some ways shortchange -- their graduates,” College Board president Gaston Caperton said in a statement. “One Year Out is a call to action, straight from the class of 2010.”

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