Monday, August 15, 2011

Crews battle brush fire in Angeles National Forest near Azusa [Updated]

Brush fire was burning in this area near Azusa. Los Angeles County firefighters were responding to a brush fire Monday night in the Angeles National Forest near Azusa.

Arriving fire crews reported about half an acre of brush burning as flames moved uphill near 22550 E. Fork Road, the Los Angeles County Fire Department said.

Wind in the area was light, the Fire Department said.

It was unclear what had sparked the fire. No other details were available.

[Updated 10:49 p.m.: Crews contained the fire to about half an acre and were mopping up late Monday, the Fire Department said.]

ALSO:

Female inmate dies in custody at LAPD jail in Van Nuys

Another bear sighting in Glendale prompts warnings

Family urges double-slaying suspect to turn himself in

— Robert J. Lopez

twitter.com/LAJourno

Map shows area where brush fire broke out. Credit: Google Maps

Community colleges create $67.7-million scholarship fund

The California Community Colleges have created a $67.7-million scholarship fund to provide financial support for thousands of students annually.

The scholarship endowment is the culmination of a three-year fundraising campaign that began with a lead gift of $25 million from the Bernard Osher Foundation, which also promised to match a portion of the donations raised by the colleges. Since 2008, the state's 112 community colleges have raised $28.5 million, generating $14.2 million in matching dollars from the Osher Foundation.

The nearly $68-million endowment is the largest of any community college system's in the nation, according to officials.

It is also a spot of good news for California's struggling community colleges, which, like the University of California and Cal State University systems, have had to contend with state funding cuts that have forced course reductions and prevented thousands of students from obtaining classes.

This fall, fees for the state's community college students will increase from $26 to $36 per unit.

Controversial immigration enforcement program is target of lively protest

Hundreds gathered in Los Angeles on Monday night for a chance to address a federal task force that will propose changes to a controversial immigration enforcement program.

Speaker after speaker at the lively meeting denounced the Secure Communities program, with most not calling for changes but for the program to end entirely.

“I’m here asking the government to end this Secure Communities program,” said Blanca Perez, an undocumented worker who was arrested for selling ice cream from a cart on the street and then placed into deportation proceedings. “I am not a criminal, nor am I a bad person. I am simply a person who wants to work.”

Dozens walked out of the hearing at St. Anne's Residential Facility, shouting “terminate the program!” and calling on task force members to resign.

The task force was formed in response to growing criticism of the Department of Homeland Security enforcement program, which shares fingerprints collected by state and local police to help immigration authorities identify and deport tens of thousands of people each year.

The program, which was touted as a way to identify and deport convicted felons, has been criticized for also ensnaring minor offenders, victims of domestic abuse and other crimes, as well as witnesses to crimes and people who were arrested but not convicted of offenses.

Crews battle brush fire in Angeles National Forest near Azusa

Brush fire was burning in this area near Azusa. Los Angeles County firefighters were responding to a brush fire Monday night in the Angeles National Forest near Azusa.

Arriving fire crews reported about half an acre of brush burning as flames moved uphill near 22550 E. Fork Road, the Los Angeles County Fire Department said.

Wind in the area was light, the Fire Department said.

It was unclear what had sparked the fire. No other details were available.

ALSO:

Female inmate dies in custody at LAPD jail in Van Nuys

Another bear sighting in Glendale prompts warnings

Family urges double-slaying suspect to turn himself in

— Robert J. Lopez

twitter.com/LAJourno

Map shows area where brush fire broke out. Credit: Google Maps

Condoms-in-porn L.A. ballot initiative petition effort underway

Adult film performers would be required to use condoms to obtain Los Angeles city film permits under a measure local AIDS activists hope to put on the city’s June 2012 ballot, activists announced Monday.

Activists must submit a petition with at least 41,138 qualifying signatures (15% of all votes cast in the last mayoral election) by Dec. 23 in order to place the measure on the June ballot, city election officials said. If they succeed, it will be the first time the issue — which has been litigated and disputed during state regulatory meetings — has come before L.A. voters.

Weinstein The Times discussed the petition drive with three leading proponents Monday: Michael Weinstein, president of the Los Angeles-based nonprofit AIDS Healthcare Foundation, and former porn performers-turned-activists Derrick Burts and Darren James, who both contracted HIV while working in adult films.

Q: Why do you think we need a ballot measure requiring condom use by adult performers as a condition of adult film permits in Los Angeles?

Weinstein: It’s fair to protect performers the same way we protect workers in non-porn films and other workplaces. There’s been a lot of squabbling about whose responsibility it is to enforce these laws. It’s our belief that the city, the county, the state and the federal government have different jurisdictions as it relates to this. The county department of public health is responsible for controlling disease in the community, and the city has the ability to control zoning and issuing permits.

Q: What are the risks of not mandating condoms in porn now?

Burts Burts: My first month I came up with three STDs in a short period of time. I have herpes and that’s something I have forever. It’s not just HIV. My agent told me, when I told him I had herpes, "Well, you might as well continue doing porn, because everybody has it." That’s the mindset. They don’t care about the safety of performers.

James: It’s just business as usual. When I tell people my story, they always say “You mean you don’t use condoms?” We think by using a test you’re covered, but that’s false. That’s after the fact. It’s just more stuff that’s exposed about how the industry is portrayed. It’s just an open gun waiting to go off for the next person. A lot of people are left in the dark about what goes on in this industry.

James Q: Have you tried to gather signatures before in Los Angeles for similar ballot measures?

Weinstein: This is the first time. We were naïve enough to believe the government has to do the work of protecting public health. This should not have to be taken to the ballot box.

Q: Didn’t the Los Angeles City Council consider the issue earlier this year?

Weinstein: They deflected responsibility to the state. This has been the hot potato we have been dealing with for years. Since we couldn't get the City Council to act, we have decided to take it directly to the people of Los Angeles.

Q: What have state and county regulators told you?

Weinstein: I think that Cal-OSHA is doing a bang-up job. They have cited these companies and made it abundantly clear that the law is that you must use condoms in the making of these films, and they have expressed their intent to come up with rules as to health and safety in these films.

The county said that the state should handle it and there should be a law passed by the state Legislature. We haven’t been able to find one legislator in five years willing to carry this legislation. The lack of spine by legislators and their unwillingness to treat these performers as people is incredible.

Q: What do you say to members of the porn industry who say condoms are not needed because they already have STD testing?

 











Burts: Testing only notifies you of what you have or don’t have already. There’s still a large time gap where you can catch an STD and spread it. The real protection comes from wearing the condoms. Testing isn’t required. They should be following the law. On top of that, they should also do the testing.

BART reopens 4 San Francisco stations shut down amid protest

Transit agency officials in San Francisco reopened four downtown BART stations Monday night that had been shut down amid a protest against alleged brutality by transit agency police.

The Civic Center, Montgomery, Powell Street and Embarcadero stations were open for arriving and exiting passengers, BART officials said.

The protest, which began after 5 p.m. at the busy Civic Center Station, forced officials to turn away rush-hour commuters as police and protesters confronted each other.

Commuters on Twitter had complained that the transit agency was not providing sufficient updates during the protest. On its website, BART had warned that "protests may disrupt service."

The demonstration was sparked in part by the shootings of Charles Blair Hill and Oscar Grant by BART police. Protesters were also angered that the agency cut underground cellular phone service for three hours last week in an effort to quell another protest over alleged BART Police brutality.

At one point, as protesters moved east from the Civic Center Station, police shut down Market Street in the downtown area.

RELATED:

BART commuters turned away by police

BART allows cellphone service amid new protests

Protesters shut down BART station in San Francisco

-- Maria L. La Ganga in San Francisco

3 BART stations shut down amid San Francisco protest

Photo: Scene at Civic Center station. Credit: Maria L. La Ganga /Los Angeles Times Three BART stations in San Francisco were shut down Monday evening amid a protest against alleged brutality by transit agency police.

Police also closed a portion of Market Street to traffic as the protesters moved east from the Civic Center BART station where the demonstrations began, affecting the evening commute, authorities said. The Civic Center, Montgomery and Powell Street BART stations were shut down.

Market Street, one of the city's busiest thoroughfares, was clogged with rush-hour traffic as police cars, lights flashing and sirens wailing, responded to quell the protest.

At the Civic Center Station, protesters waved signs and shouted, "No Justice, No Peace!" as police in riot gear tried to push them back onto the station platform. No arrests were reported.

People were angry that the transit agency cut underground cellular phone service for three hours last week in an effort to quell a protest over alleged BART Police brutality and the shootings of Charles Blair Hill and Oscar Grant by transit police.

RELATED:

BART allows cellphone service amid new protests

Protesters shut down BART station in San Francisco

-- Maria L. La Ganga in San Francisco

Photo: Scene at Civic Center station. Credit: Maria L. La Ganga /Los Angeles Times

Commuters turned away as protest closes 4 BART stations

Photo: Scene at Civic Center station. Credit: Maria L. La Ganga /Los Angeles Times Rush-hour commuters in San Francisco were turned away from BART on Monday evening after authorities shut down four stations amid a protest over alleged brutality by transit agency police.

A portion of busy Market Street was also shut down as crowds moved east, waving placards and shouting "No Justice, No Peace!"

The protest began after 5 p.m. at the busy Civic Center Station, where crowds converged for a demonstration that was sparked, in part, by the shootings of Charles Blair Hill and Oscar Grant by BART police.

Protesters were also angered that the agency cut underground cellular phone service for three hours last week in an effort to quell another protest over alleged BART Police brutality.  Cellphone service was allowed at Monday's demonstration.

Authorities shut down the Civic Center, Montgomery, Powell Street and Embarcadero stations as police responded to quell the protest.

RELATED:

BART allows cellphone service amid new protests

Protesters shut down BART station in San Francisco

3 BART stations shut down amid San Francisco protest

-- Maria L. La Ganga in San Francisco

Photo: Scene at Civic Center station. Credit: Maria L. La Ganga /Los Angeles Times

BART allows cellphone service amid new protests

A modest group of protesters converged on a Bay Area Rapid Transit District station in San Francisco to criticize the fatal shooting of a man by police as well as BART's decision to shut off cellphone service last week during an earlier demonstration.

BART workers in bright vests worked to keep passageways clear, and riders were getting on and off trains unobstructed as the protest began.

Cell, email, text and Internet service was fully functional in BART trains and downtown stations as the evening commute began Monday, though there was a heavy police presence.

One 19-year-old man who would give only his last name, Capurro, wore a white T-shirt spray-painted with red splotches. His sign said "Stop Police Brutality" on one side and "Protect Free Speech" on the other, and he turned it depending on his audience.

"It’s frightening whenever the government tries to cut communication, particularly nonviolent communication," said the man, who said he goes to college in Southern California and is working a landscaping job in Pleasanton for the summer. "I am here to say I want to protect free speech and I am disgusted with the violence of the BART police force."

 “It’s no longer a BART issue, it’s a nationwide issue and the public has to weigh in on it,” said Bob Jackson, who confirmed that BART has contacted the Federal Communications Commission to explain its rationale. “That’s the difference between our country and other countries. We will have a public dialogue on this and talk about an appropriate use, if it is appropriate.”

The protest came a day after a hackers group attacked BART's website.

On Monday morning, BART was attempting to contact more than 2,400 customers to inform them that their personal information had been obtained and published by a group of hackers.

The security breach was perpetrated by the hacker-activist group Anonymous, which launched cyber-attacks Sunday against BART and the Fullerton Police Department in retaliation for deadly confrontations between police and homeless men.

The cyber-attack against the Fullerton police did not appear to be successful, but officials at the San Francisco-area mass transit authority were forced to shut down MyBART.org, a marketing website designed to encourage riders to use the system for travel to leisure events.

The hacker group posted the names, home and email addresses, and phone numbers of thousands of Bay Area residents, but a BART spokesman said the website held no sensitive financial information.

ALSO:

Two Southern California men charged in cocaine conspiracy case

Pastor sentenced for unlawful sex with 14-year-old

Man crushed to death at El Sereno bakery

-- Maria La Ganga in San Francisco

Protesters shut down BART station in San Francisco

Bart Protest1
Protesters in San Francisco stopped a BART train Monday evening at the Civic Center Station, which was shut down as authorities tried to quell the demonstration.

The station was closed and cleared about 5:30 p.m., authorities said, citing safety concerns. No arrests had been reported.

"Once the platform becomes unsafe, we can't jeopardize the safety of patrons and employees," BART Deputy Police Chief Dan Hartwig said.  BART protest 2

People were angry that the transit agency cut underground cellular phone service for three hours last week in an effort to quell a protest over alleged BART Police brutality and the shootings of Charles Blair Hill and Oscar Grant by transit police.

ALSO:

Zsa Zsa Gabor: Controversy over 25th anniversary party      

Red Bull energy drink thefts 'becoming a huge deal,' police say         

BART anticipates more cyber attacks from 'Anonymous' hackers       

-- Maria L. La Ganga in San Francisco

Photos: Scene at Civic Center station. Credit: Maria L. La Ganga/Los Angeles Times.

Reader photos: Southern California Moments, Day 227

Click through for more photos of Southern California Moments.

Personal bubble: "How close can one approach a photographic subject, while they remain unaware and are simply carrying through with their habits?" asks Greg Keating, who gets up close to a stranger on Hollywood Blvd in this May photo.

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.

Two Southern California men charged in cocaine conspiracy case

Two Southern California men were charged Monday in federal court for allegedly conspiring to transport 70 kilos of cocaine from California to North Carolina.

Bobby Ray Palacios, 40, of Buena Park and Jose Carlos Rios, 43, of Pomona were arrested Friday night after allegedly delivering cocaine to an undercover operative working under the direction of the federal Drug Enforcement Agency, the U.S. attorney's office in Riverside said.

Both men have been charged in a federal complaint with conspiracy to possess cocaine with the intent to distribute and possession of more than five kilograms of cocaine with the intent to distribute.

Palacios allegedly promised to pay a "DEA confidential source," a truck driver, $800 per kilo of cocaine taken to North California, the U.S. attorney's office said in a statement.

Both men were scheduled for an initial appearance Monday afternoon in federal court in Riverside.

ALSO:

Female inmate dies in custody at LAPD jail in Van Nuys

Another bear sighting in Glendale prompts warnings

Family urges double-slaying suspect to turn himself in

— Robert J. Lopez

twitter.com/LAJourno

Pastor sentenced for unlawful sex with 14-year-old

Pastor pleads guilty to unlawful sex The pastor of a South Los Angeles church pleaded no contest Monday to having unlawful sex with a 14-year-old girl who was a member of his congregation.

After entering the plea, Leonel Pelayo, 45, was given a four-year suspended state prison sentence and a year in jail, said Deputy Distn Atty. Martha Carrillo of the Sex Crimes Division. He will also be on five years' probation upon his release.

In addition, the minister was ordered to stay away from the victim, who is now 15.

In exchange for his plea, prosecutors dismissed five additional felony counts that included lewd acts upon a child and unlawful sexual intercourse.

Pelayo, a pastor at Iglesia Apostolica Monte de Horeb, engaged in a sexual relationship with the victim between July 1 and Aug. 20, 2010, authorites said.

ALSO:

Twitter timeline of The Game's 'telephone flash mob'

Zsa Zsa Gabor: Controversy over 25th anniversary party

Gay student shooting: 'I wanted to kill him,' accused told expert

-- Richard Winton

Really? The Claim: To Prevent Migraines, Drink More Water

THE FACTS

For migraine sufferers, summer can be a perilous time of year.

Oppressive heat and spikes in temperature have long been thought to precipitate attacks in people prone to chronic headaches. One large study in the journal Neurology even showed that the risk of migraines jumps nearly 8 percent for every nine-degree rise in temperature.

But a simple step that may lower the risk, especially in warm weather, is to stay properly hydrated. Dehydration causes blood volume to drop, researchers say, resulting in less blood and oxygen flow to the brain and dilated blood vessels. Some experts suspect that a loss of electrolytes causes nerves in the brain to produce pain signals.

Anyone who has ever woken up dehydrated after a night of heavy drinking knows this feeling as a hangover. But migraine sufferers may be more sensitive to the effects of dehydration.

In one study, also published in Neurology, scientists recruited migraine sufferers and divided them into two groups. Those in the first group were given a placebo medication to take regularly. The others were told to drink 1.5 liters of water, or about six cups, in addition to their usual daily intake. At the end of two weeks, the researchers found that those in the water group had increased their fluid intake by just four cups a day. But on average they experienced 21 fewer hours of pain during the study period than those in the placebo group, and a decrease in the intensity of their headaches.

To stay adequately hydrated, health officials recommend that men drink about 13 cups of liquid a day — from water, juice and other sources — and that women drink about 9 cups.

 

THE BOTTOM LINE

Research suggests that dehydration can increase the risk of migraines.

Hot Weather Takes Toll on Medication

The recent heat wave may have taken a toll on your medication. That’s what reporter Walecia Konrad learned after her son’s allergy medication stopped working after being exposed to high temperatures on a family vacation at the lake.

No drug should be exposed to temperatures higher than 86 degrees. Some days the bathroom at our vacation house and certainly the trunk of the car were well above that mark….

Pharmaceutical manufacturers recommend most of their products be stored at a controlled room temperature of 68 to 77 degrees, said Skye McKennon, clinical assistant professor at the University of Washington School of Pharmacy. In truth, that is the range in which manufacturers guarantee product integrity. Anywhere from 58 to 86 degrees is still fine, she said.

“During heat waves and cold spells, storage locations can go above or below those ranges, causing medicines to physically change, lose potency or even threaten your health,” Dr. McKennon said.

For patients with such chronic illnesses as diabetes or heart disease, a damaged dose of a crucial medicine, like insulin or nitroglycerin, can be life-threatening. But even common medicines can break down with potentially harmful effects, and you can’t always tell by looking at the pill or liquid that a problem has occurred, said Janet Engle, a pharmacist and past president of the American Pharmacists Association.

To learn more about how to properly store medications, read the full article, “Mistakes in Storage May Alter Medication,” and then please join the discussion below.

For Some in Menopause, Hormones May Be Only Option

For women hoping to combat the symptoms of menopause with nonprescription alternatives like soy and flaxseed supplements, recent studies have held one disappointment after another.

Last week, a clinical trial found that soy worked no better than a placebo for hot flashes and had no effect on bone density. That followed a similar finding about hot flashes from a clinical trial of flaxseed.

“We wish we could have told women that, yes, they work,” said Dr. Silvina Levis, director of the osteoporosis center at the University of Miami, who led the soy study. “Now we have shown that they don’t.”

Before 2002 women were routinely treated with the prescription hormones estrogen and progestin, which rapidly fell out of favor after the landmark Women’s Health Initiative study showed that older women who used them had a heightened risk of heart attacks and breast cancer.

But now some doctors are arguing that those risks do not apply to the typical woman with menopause symptoms, and even some longtime critics of hormone treatment are suggesting that it be given another look for women suffering from severe symptoms.

Study after study has shown that many nondrug treatments — black cohosh, red clover, botanicals, and now soy and flaxseed — simply don’t work. Prescription medicines, including antidepressants, the blood pressure drug clonidine and the seizure drug gabapentin may have some benefit, but many women cannot tolerate the side effects.

“There is no alternative treatment that works very well, whether it’s a drug or over-the-counter herbal preparation,” said Dr. Deborah Grady, associate dean for clinical and translational research at the University of California, San Francisco.

About 75 percent of menopausal women experience hot flashes. Depending on the woman, symptoms can be mild, occurring only a few times a week, or moderate, occurring several times a day. Many women with mild to moderate symptoms cope without needing further treatment. But about a third of women have severe symptoms, experiencing 10 to 20 hot flashes day and night that disrupt their workdays and interfere with sleep.

While doctors often reassure women that it will all be over in just a few years, a May report in the journal Obstetrics and Gynecology found that during one long-term study of women, menopausal hot flashes recurred for some women, for 10 years or more.

A hot flash is usually described as a sudden warmth first felt in the face and neck. Hot flashes can turn a woman’s face red and lead to excessive sweating and then chills. On the Web site MinniePauz.com, women describe feeling lightheaded and dazed, with heart palpitations and anxiety.

“Whoosh, a rush of heat originating from the core of your body,” is how one woman put it. “Hair goes lank and you know that even if you stripped naked and ran down the high street waving your arms to fan your body, well you still wouldn’t get cool because the heat is inside you, not outside.”

The exact cause of hot flashes is not known, but it is believed that menopause disrupts the function of the hypothalamus, which is essentially the body’s thermostat. As a result, even small changes in body temperature that would normally go unnoticed can set off hot flashes.

Among prescription drug treatments, the most effective may be antidepressants, including Effexor, Paxil and Pristiq, which have been shown to reduce hot flashes by as much as 60 percent, doctors say. Antidepressants are particularly useful for women with breast cancer or blood-clot disorders who do not have the option of taking a hormone drug.

But some doctors say they are frustrated by the message given to many women that they must seek an alternative treatment to prescription hormones. Dr. Holly Thacker, director of the center of specialized women’s health at the Cleveland Clinic, said that for many women the benefits of effective hormone treatment would outweigh the risks and that they should not be scared off from considering the drugs.

“It would be like telling someone with insulin-dependent diabetes that they should try to use other things besides insulin,” she said. “I see women look to alternative agents and coming in with bags of things, and they have no idea what they are putting into their body. There has been so much misinformation, and they are confused.”

Dr. Grady, a longtime critic of widespread hormone use, said doctors and women appeared to be less tolerant of risks associated with hormones than of those with other drugs, even though menopause symptoms can be just as intolerable as migraine pain or other health problems.

“Somehow we’re quite willing to take a migraine drug with its associated adverse effects because it works so well, but we’re not willing to take estrogen,” she said. “We worry about the adverse effects associated with estrogen, but the important adverse effects are reasonably uncommon.

“The question is whether a woman is willing to trade off that risk for a very effective treatment for symptoms that are otherwise ruining her life.”

Cross-Training by Lifting Weights

Many athletes try to spice up their workouts by cross-training in another sport. A runner might jump on a bicycle, for example, or a cyclist might go for a run.

But sports research suggests that most efforts at cross-training don’t result in a better performance and probably don’t reduce injuries, according to the latest Personal Best column by Gina Kolata. The real benefit comes when athletes mix resistance training into their workouts.

In a review of published studies, Dr. Hirofumi Tanaka, an exercise physiologist at the University of Texas in Austin, found that resistance training improved endurance in running and cycling. The effect occurred both in experienced athletes and in novices.

A more recent study of experienced runners by a group of Norwegian researchers confirmed that weight lifting could increase performance. One group did half squats with heavy weights three times a week while continuing a running program. The other group just ran. Those who did the squats improved their running efficiency and improved the length of time they could run before exhaustion set in.

Similar studies also have found the effect in cyclists, but not in swimmers, Dr. Tanaka said. Swimmers do get faster, however, when they try a very specific type of resistance training, done while in the water, that concentrates on the movements they use in their strokes.

It is not known why weight lifting would improve performance, but investigators speculate that it may train supporting muscle fibers in the legs, allowing runners or cyclists to use them to augment muscles that get tired.

To learn more about scientific research into cross-training, read the full column, “Perks of Cross-Training May End Before Finish Line,” and then please join the discussion below.

The Most Dangerous Room in the House

What’s the most dangerous room in the house? While parents and caregivers for the elderly often worry about kitchen hazards like hot stoves and sharp knives, the riskiest room in the home is the bathroom.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, every year about 235,000 people over age 15 visit emergency rooms because of injuries suffered in the bathroom, and almost 14 percent are hospitalized.

More than a third of the injuries happen while bathing or showering. More than 14 percent occur while using the toilet.

To learn more about the hazards lurking in your bathroom, read the full story, “Watch Your Step While Washing Up,” and then please join the discussion below.

Man arrested for allegedly stealing paddleboards, kayaks

Eric James Fischer

A Costa Mesa man has been arrested for allegedly stealing and reselling kayaks and paddleboards, police said Monday.

Eric James Fischer, 26, of Costa Mesa, was arrested Wednesday by Newport Beach police, the Daily Pilot reported.

He had been stealing the items for months and reselling them on Craigslist, possibly under aliases, police said Monday in a statment.

Anyone with information is asked to call Det. Brad Miller at (949) 644-3767.

ALSO:

Man sentenced in machete attack on roommates

Beverly Hills police blow up screenwriters' laptop

BART admits interrupting cellphone service during protest

-- Lauren Williams, Times Community News

Photo: Eric James Fischer. Credit: Newport Beach Police Department

SWAT standoff ends in Long Beach

Bix A standoff between the Long Beach Police Department's SWAT team and a man wanted in connection with a domestic violence incident ended about 8 a.m. Monday, police said.

Long Beach police received a call about 3:40 a.m. reporting an incident at a home in the 6400 block of Bixby Terrace Drive, department spokeswoman Lisa Massacani said.

The suspect barricaded himself inside the house when officers first responded to the scene.

After officers learned the man had an “extensive” criminal background and was possibly armed, the SWAT team was called in just before 5 a.m., Massacani said.

Initial verbal negotiations were unsuccessful and a few neighboring residences were evacuated as a safety precaution, but the suspect surrendered without incident and was taken into custody about 8 a.m.

No one else was inside the house at the time.

Johnny Carson Park may get major face-lift

http://goldderby.latimes.com/.a/6a00d8341c2c4f53ef0120a58ff3b2970b-800wi

Burbank officials are considering major upgrades to Johnny Carson Park.

The city has proposed a $5 million makeover for the park, named for the famed late-night TV host.

An outdated irrigation system and antiquated lighting and play area equipment are the main reasons for the overhaul, Jan Bartolo, deputy director for park services, told Times Community News.

“We definitely want to look at the drainage system, the stream bed that runs through the park and make it much more sustainable,” Bartolo said.

The city’s Redevelopment Agency is expected to cover the $5-million price tag, and Bartolo said she was optimistic about the prospect of grants to help offset the cost.

ALSO:

Prehistoric flying creature lands on Cardiff surfer statue

Red Bull energy drink thefts 'becoming a huge deal,' police say

BART anticipates more cyber attacks from 'Anonymous' hackers

--Maria Hsin, Times Community News

Photos: Johnny Carson on "The Tonight Show." Credit: Los Angeles Times

Family urges double-slaying suspect to turn himself in [Video]

 











 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A manhunt continued Monday morning for a man suspected of killing two people whose bodies were discovered at a Chatsworth home as the suspect's family begged him to turn himself in.

Authorities said Sunday they believe Brent D. Zubek, 43, killed a man and woman whose bodies were found by police Friday night at a house in the 20400 block of Lassen Street.

Zubek's family spoke out to local media Sunday afternoon, begging the suspect to turn himself in.

"We really wish you would turn yourself in," his mother, Carole Zubek, told KTLA. "I fear that if the police find you before you turn yourself in, things are going to be really bad."

Police have released few details about the incident, including when the victims were killed or why Zubek was named as a suspect. They did say Zubek once lived in the house, but did not say whether the victims lived there.

Another bear sighting in Glendale prompts warnings

Bear spotted in Glendale

Glendale officials are warning residents to secure their trash and recycling bins until the morning of pickup after a bear was spotted Friday morning eating trash in a neighborhood near the 210 Freeway.

The bear was spotted at the foot of Verdugo Mountains near Honolulu Avenue and the freeway at about 1 a.m., police told the Glendale News-Press.

This isn't the first time bears have been spotted in residential neighborhoods. A bear reportedly ate four backyard chickens at a home in La Cañada Flintridge in May, and another sighting was reported in the same area.

The sightings prompted California Department of Fish and Game officials to hold a community meeting to address concerns that the bears posed a threat to residents.

Wildlife officials at the time said they would not relocate the bears because they did not pose an imminent threat, and blamed post-Station fire conditions for driving them down into urban areas.

Glendale officials sent out a citywide notice Friday night reminding residents to secure their garbage to discourage foraging.

To report a bear sighting in Glendale, officials advised residents to contact police, or to call the Pasadena Humane Society at (626) 792-7151.

ALSO:

Vandals kill, mutilate catfish raised for school project

Zsa Zsa Gabor: Controversy over 25th anniversary party

BART anticipates more cyber attacks from 'Anonymous' hackers

-- Jason Wells, Times Community News

Photo: This bear was spotted in May making its way back toward Angeles National Forest. Credit: John Peterson

Vandals kill, mutilate catfish raised for school project [Video]

 











Vandals killed 31 catfish at Woodland High School near Sacramento that were being raised as part of a Future Farmers of America project.

Several students had been working on a project raising channel catfish to show at the Yolo County Fair this week, the Woodland Record reported.

One student arrived at the campus Sunday morning and discovered all of the fish dead, either poisoned by a liquid herbicide or mutilated.

"They were all dead, either poisoned or their heads crushed, one of the students told KTXL News in Sacramento.

Police are investigating the crime as a "felonious killing, torturing, and/or mutilation of an animal or fish." The school's agricultural department is offering a $500 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the culprit.

ALSO:

Crime alerts for Fairfax and 13 other L.A. neighborhoods

BART anticipates more cyber attacks from 'Anonymous' hackers

Red Bull energy drink thefts 'becoming a huge deal,' police say

-- Kimi Yoshino

Zsa Zsa Gabor: Controversy over 25th anniversary party

Zsa Zsa Gabor's billboard on Sunset Boulevard

Despite Zsa Zsa Gabor's failing health, Prince Frederic Prinz von Anhalt threw an anniversary party Sunday to celebrate their 25 years of marriage.

The party at the couple’s Bel-Air home was reportedly attended by celebrities such as Phyllis Dyler, Frank Stallone and Quincy Jones, as well as several media outlets.

Von Anhalt noted he’d been criticized for throwing the bash: “People attack me for this and say, ‘How can you do it for a sick woman?’ ”

“Look,” he said, “my wife is 94 years old. She should have everything she wants and should have everything large. This big party is not for the guests, not for the media, not for me -- this big party is for Zsa Zsa.”

In a video posted on his Facebook page, Von Anhalt told KABC-TV that being married to Gabor for 25 years was something he “really [wanted] to celebrate.”

“It’s 25 years with Zsa Zsa Gabor. It’s a big thing, it’s a huge thing, and I made it,” Von Anhalt said. “So many husbands didn’t make it -- they only made it a year or two. I made it 25 years so I must have done something right.”

Gabor, 94, and Von Anhalt, 68, were married Aug. 14, 1986. Gabor had been married eight times before.

Gabor has been in and out of the hospital in the last year after suffering several health problems stemming from a broken hip. In January, one of her legs was amputated after an infection.

Von Anhalt said his wife was wearing a small tiara and her favorite pink dress at the party, which she watched from her bed.

Crime alerts for Fairfax, Vermont Vista and 12 other L.A. neighborhoods

Crime reports are up significantly for the latest week in 14 L.A. neighborhoods, according to an analysis of LAPD data by the Los Angeles Times’ Crime L.A. database.

Eleven neighborhoods reported a significant increase in violent crime. Fairfax (A) was the most unusual, recording five reports compared with a weekly average of 1.0 over the last three months.

Vermont Vista (L) topped the list of three neighborhoods with property crime alerts. It recorded 22 property crimes compared with its weekly average of 13.8 over the last three months.

Alerts are based on an analysis of crime reports for Aug. 6–Aug. 12, the most recent seven days for which data are available.

Ben Welsh, Thomas Suh Lauder

Bicyclist killed in crash was San Bernardino County deputy

A bicyclist killed in a crash with an SUV in Irvine last week was an off-duty San Bernardino County deputy, officials said Monday.

Det. Duane Parkison, 42, was killed last Wednesday while riding his bike on Shady Canyon Drive. His funeral is scheduled for Wednesday in Rancho Cucamonga, the Daily Pilot reported.

Parkison, a 15-year department veteran, had been assigned to the department's Rancho Cucamonga station for five years, according to a San Bernardino sheriff's statement.

He and a Mercedes SUV were northbound on Shady Canyon Drive when the collision occurred.

The 35-year-old woman who was driving the SUV and an infant passenger were not hurt, Irvine police said.

The cause of the accident was under investigation.

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-- Imran Vittachi, Times Community News

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