Tuesday, August 16, 2011

LAPD looks for gunman near MacArthur Park [Updated]

LAPD in Westlake. Los Angeles police were swarming an area near MacArthur Park on Tuesday evening after receiving reports of a man with a gun in the area.

No shots were reported but officers were asking transportation officials to close an area near 7th Street and Alvarado Street in Westlake to vehicles, the Los Angeles Police Department said.

The LAPD was also asking that pedestrians avoid the park and adjacent streets as a safety precaution while officers search for a suspect. "We're looking for people to stay out of the area," Officer Sara Faden said.

Numerous patrol cars had converged on the area as a police helicopter circled overhead. No additional details were available.

[Updated 8:25 p.m.: No gunman was located, and the area has been reopened to vehicles and pedestrians, the LAPD said.]

ALSO:

Stolen Rembrandt found in church pastor's office

'Real Housewives'' Russell Armstrong: No suicide note found

Kobe Bryant: After alleged tussle in church, parishioners speak out

-- Robert J. Lopez
twitter.com/LAJourno

Map shows area of LAPD activity. Credit: Times' Mapping L.A.

Parolee hospitalized in Anaheim police shooting has died

A 23-year-old parolee who was shot by Anaheim police officers has died, authorities said.

AnaheimPolice were in the 100 block of West Guinida Lane about 1:40 p.m. when at least two officers fired on a suspect, Sgt. Bob Dunn said Tuesday afternoon.

The officers were attempting to locate a parolee who was "considered armed and dangerous," the department said in a statement.

The man was pronounced dead at a local hospital. His name was not released.

Police did not disclose any details regarding the shooting. The incident is being investigated by the Orange County district attorney's office and Anaheim police.

ALSO:

Stolen Rembrandt found in church pastor's office

'Real Housewives'' Russell Armstrong: No suicide note found

Kobe Bryant: After alleged tussle in church, parishioners speak out

-- Robert J. Lopez
twitter.com/LAJourno

Map shows location where a man was shot by Anaheim police. Source: Google Maps

Manhunt continues in Chatsworth double slaying

Chatsworth home

Five days after the remains of two people were found in a trash bin outside a home in Chatsworth, Los Angeles police continue to search for a suspect in the slayings.

The bodies of the two people were found in a state of decomposition Friday night at a home in the 20400 block of Lassen Street.

Police suspect Brent D. Zubek, 43, of killing a man and woman.

Police said undercover officers spotted Zubek around noon Sunday. An undercover unit posted in the 9400 block of Sepulveda Boulevard had been watching a Ford F-150 truck connected with Zubek when the suspect got inside and drove off.

3 robbers steal jewels in Koreatown, beat security guard

Koreatown jewelry robbery Los Angeles police Tuesday night were looking for three men who robbed a Koreatown jewelry store, beat a security guard with a hammer and stole a woman's vehicle as they fled the area.

One of the men pointed a gun at the owner of the store in the 3200 block of Wilshire Boulevard while the other two smashed jewelry cases with the hammer, stealing thousands of dollars worth of merchandise, the Los Angeles Police Department said.

As they escaped, the security guard was attacked with the hammer. He was listed in stable condition Tuesday night, the LAPD said.

The suspects unsuccessfully tried to carjack a man's vehicle before fleeing in a second vehicle that was driven by a woman, police said. Two of the men fled in that vehicle, a white GMC Savana van with license plate number 6T97736. The third man fled in a green Toyota van.

Police identified the suspects as black men between 20 and 25 years old, and 5-feet-8 to 6-feet tall. All weighed between 180 and 200 pounds.

One suspect was wearing dark pants and a white long-sleeve hooded shirt with blue jeans, the LAPD said. Another suspect was wearing a grey hoodie sweatshirt, and the third was wearing a dark baseball cap, dark jacket, white shirt and dark pants.

Anyone with information is asked to call detectives at (323) 382-9103. Anonymous tips can be left at (800) 222-8477.

ALSO:

Manhunt continues in Chatsworth doubling slaying

L.A. firefighters rescuing stranded cliff climbers in Chatsworth [Updated]

L.A. firefighters rescuing stranded cliff climbers in Chatsworth [Updated]

-- Robert J. Lopez
Twitter.com/LAJourno

Photo: Surveillance camera footage showing a man inside the store. Credit: LAPD

L.A. firefighters rescuing stranded cliff climbers in Chatsworth [Updated]

Fire Department rescue in Chatsworth Los Angeles firefighters Tuesday night were attempting to rescue two youths who were clinging to the side of a steep cliff above Topanga Canyon Boulevard in Chatsworth.

The two "free climbers" were perched on a ledge on the western side of the cliff above 10870 Topanga Canyon Boulevard in Stony Point Park, the Los Angeles Fire Department said.

Live footage on KCAL-TV showed a Fire Department helicopter hovering alongside the cliff, shining a bright light on the youths as a firefighter tied to a rope worked his way toward them with a rescue harness.

Fire Department spokesman Brian Humphrey said the two youths were about 300 feet above the ground.

[Updated 8:54 p.m.: The two climbers were rescued and released on the ground, the Fire Department said.]

ALSO:

Stolen Rembrandt found in church pastor's office

'Real Housewives'' Russell Armstrong: No suicide note found

Kobe Bryant: After alleged tussle in church, parishioners speak out

— Robert J. Lopez
twitter.com/LAJourno

Map shows area of rescue operation. Credit: Times' Mapping L.A.

Are Crunches Worth the Effort?

For a study published this year, researchers at Indiana State University had a group of healthy, young adults squat, lunge, twist, crunch and hold a rigid plank position to measure the hardiness of their back, abdominal and side muscles, the area generally known as the core. The same volunteers then completed a battery of physical performance tests, including leaping off the ground while tossing a medicine ball backward over the head and sprinting through a short obstacle course.

The researchers had expected that the volunteers with the sturdiest cores would outshine the others on the tests of physical performance. But they did not. There was little correlation in this study between robust core muscles and athleticism. Despite the emphasis that many coaches, trainers and athletes themselves place on “core training for increased performance,” the authors write, “our results suggest otherwise”  — and in the process raise some intriguing questions about just how core strength affects fitness and whether a rippling abdomen, while attractive, is worth the effort.

The role of the core in physical performance has been a topic of considerable interest and controversy among sports scientists, as well as coaches and trainers, for years. Most of us think that a taut midsection, achieved usually by multiple crunches and perhaps some medicine-ball exercises and side planks, will make us not just less self-conscious in our swimsuits but also better athletes.

Findings about the effect of standard core exercises on athleticism, though, have been mixed. A representative study of collegiate rowers, for instance, found that after eight weeks of an arduous core-exercise regimen — added to their normal workout routines — the rowers had great-looking abs but weren’t better rowers; their performance was unchanged in a rowing-machine time trial, compared with measurements before they’d undertaken the extensive core routines.

But in another study, this time of novice adult runners who displayed weak core strength in preliminary testing, those who completed six weeks of core training drills lowered their five-kilometer run times significantly more than a control group of beginning runners who did not focus on their midsections.

How much core strength most of us need, how to achieve it, how to measure it and how to define core stability and core strength are questions that remain largely unanswered by available science, said Stuart McGill, a professor of spine biomechanics at the University of Waterloo in Ontario and author of the book “Ultimate Back Fitness and Performance,” as well as of numerous, much-cited studies of core performance. “Core performance is quite an involved concept,” he said.

Even the importance or desirability of performing crunches, probably the most iconic and certainly the most common of core exercises, is uncertain. Research by Dr. McGill and others has shown that repeated bending of the spine, such as occurs when most of us do crunches, can over time contribute to damage of the spinal discs. When cadaver pig spines were placed in machines as part of a series of recent experiments and bent and flexed hundreds of times, the pigs’ spinal discs almost always ruptured, eventually.

No one needs to perform hundreds or even dozens of crunches, said Brad Schoenfeld, a professor of exercise science at Lehman College in the Bronx and an author of a newly published review article about core exercises titled “To Crunch or Not to Crunch.” And while everyone needs some basic minimum of core strength — getting up out of a chair requires a certain amount of core strength; serving a tennis ball requires more – “six or eight crunches would be plenty,” he said, “and only a few times a week.”

It’s also important you perform them correctly, Dr. McGill said. “Don’t flatten your back into the ground,” he said. Instead, place your hands, palm down, beneath your lower back to lessen pressure on the spine. Bend your knees, and “pretend that your head and shoulders are resting on a bathroom scale,” he said. Lift them only enough to send the imaginary scale’s reading to zero. “You don’t need to crunch up very much” to achieve the desired workload on the abdominal muscles, he said.

Or forgo the crunches altogether. “Personally, I do not believe that it is necessary to specifically train the core,” said Thomas Nesser, an associate professor of exercise science at Indiana State and senior author of the study about core stability and performance. In most instances, if you “train for your sport, core strength will develop,” he said, and it will be the right amount and type of core strength for that sport.

But what about those taut, topo-map abs sported by celebrities like Mike Sorrentino, better known as The Situation from “Jersey Shore”? It’s all about low body fat, Dr. McGill said, and not the crunches.

Crews battle 200-acre brush fire along Grapevine in Kern County

Grapevine Fire
Firefighters were battling a 200-acre brush fire Tuesday evening along the Grapevine, shutting down two southbound lanes on busy Interstate 5 so crews could access the blaze.

About 250 firefighters were taking advantage of light winds and had the fire about 45%  contained, the Kern County Fire Department said.

"We're hoping that the wind stays in our favor," Fire Department spokesman Carry Wright told The Times. He said crews would work through the night.

Southbound traffic along  I-5 was backed up as vehicles moved slowly through the pass, officials said.

Earlier in the day, six air tankers and four helicopters were battling the fire, which briefly threatened nearby homes. The cause of the blaze, which broke out shortly after 4 p.m., was under investigation.

ALSO:

Stolen Rembrandt found in church pastor's office

'Real Housewives'' Russell Armstrong: No suicide note found

Kobe Bryant: After alleged tussle in church, parishioners speak out

— Robert J. Lopez

twitter.com/LAJourno

Photo: The fire shortly after it broke out. Credit: Kern County Fire Department

Lake Tahoe clarity second-worst on record

Lake Tahoe

Lake Tahoe lost nearly 4 feet of clarity last year, sending water visibility to the second-worst level on record.

UC Davis' annual State of the Lake Report pegged the 2010 Secchi depth -- the point below Tahoe's surface at which a 10-inch white disk vanishes from view -- at 64.4 feet. That's just a few inches more than the 1997 record.

Researchers said such year-to year variability is not uncommon, adding that the long-term trend remains one of slowing clarity loss.

The report was released as state and federal officials gathered for the annual Lake Tahoe Summit against a background of growing tension between Nevada and California. Nevada is threatening to pull out of the bistate compact that regulates land use in the Tahoe Basin unless it is amended to make it easier to approve development.

California Gov. Jerry Brown and Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval, who attended the summit, said Tuesday that they would work to complete an overdue update of the basin's regional plan. They also signed into law new pollution limits that call for incremental improvement in the lake's clarity until it returns to nearly 100 feet, where it was in the 1960s.

Attaining those goals is “a huge, huge task,” said Jared Blumenfeld, regional administrator for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, who said it took 10 years "and about $10 million worth of science” to develop the standards. They essentially call for a 65% drop in the amount of fine sediment washing into the lake over the next 6½ decades, or 1% a year.

The job of meeting those standards will fall largely on local and regional governments in the Tahoe Basin at a time when federal funding for environmental restoration at the lake is dwindling. The Interior Department is making a final payment of $34 million from public land sales in the Las Vegas area that have funneled more than $300 million to Tahoe projects. Legislation sponsored by Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) to renew funding is unlikely to get far with congressional budget-slashers.

ALSO:

Nevada seeks to loosen California's grip on Tahoe development

Tattered economy has a silver lining for conservationists

At Lake Tahoe, a scuba diver's body is recovered after 17 years

-- Bettina Boxall

Photo: Lake Tahoe from the Nevada side. Credit: Richard Derk / Los Angeles Times

Long Beach parents charged in death of infant girl

 Click here for a Times homicide database for Long Beach. Two Long Beach parents were charged Tuesday in connection with the death of their infant daughter, police said.

Long Beach Fire Department paramedics tried to save Michaela Cross, who was 31 days old, but pronounced the girl dead at the scene last week after responding to a report of an infant in cardiac arrest in the 600 block of Magnolia Avenue, police said.

An autopsy confirmed investigators' "suspicions that the infant's death was not accidental," the Long Beach Police Department said in a statement. No motive for the crime has been established.

Michael Cross, 42, and Melissa Swanson, 34, both Long Beach residents, were charged Tuesday by the Los Angeles County district attorney's office with one count each of willful cruelty to a child that caused death, police said. Cross was also charged with drug possession.

At least 181 homicides have been reported in Long Beach since January 2007, according to a Times Homicide Report database.

Anyone with information on Michaela's death is asked to call Det. Greg Krabbe or Det. Mark Bigel at (562) 570-7244.

ALSO:

Stolen Rembrandt found in church pastor's office

'Real Housewives'' Russell Armstrong: No suicide note found

Kobe Bryant: After alleged tussle in church, parishioners speak out

— Robert J. Lopez

twitter.com/LAJourno

Map shows reported homicides in Long Beach since January 2007. Credit: Times Homicide Report.

Click to visit The Times' interactive Homicide Report

Lost WWII dog tags found by work crew in Blythe

The long-lost World War II dog tags of former Army Private Ova Napier, lost during a 1942 desert training exercise near Blythe, were found by a work crew inspecting a massive solar-energy site just outside the desert town, authorities said.

The dog tags were discovered during an environmental and cultural review of the 7,000-acre Blythe Solar Power Project, slated to be among the world’s largest solar facilities, according to the U.S. Bureau of Land Management.

Napier, originally from Clemons, Ky., joined the Army in 1942 at age 16 –- hoodwinking the military into thinking he was two years older, officials said. During the war, he served in France and Luxembourg, and later served in Japan and Africa.

It was in Africa that he contracted tuberculosis, a leading contributor to the lung cancer that killed him in 1989 at age 62, according to a statement released by bureau spokesman David Briery.

Napier joined up again during the Korean War, where he earned the Bronze Star for driving through enemy fire to man a critical gun position and defend his squad.

On Wednesday,  Napier’s dog tags will be returned to his daughter, Joy Harvey, and his granddaughter, Jennifer Fisk, during a ceremony at the General Patton Memorial Museum in Chiriaco, Calif.

ALSO:

'Real Housewives'' Russell Armstrong: No suicide note found

Kobe Bryant: After alleged tussle in church, parishioners speak out

Stolen Rembrandt found in church office after cleric stepped away

-- Phil Willon

Kobe Bryant denies hurting young man at church in San Diego

Kobe Bryant
Kobe Bryant denies that he hurt a young man out of anger because he thought the man was taking his picture in a San Diego church, an attorney for Bryant announced Tuesday.

"Mr. Bryant is aware of the baseless allegations asserted against him," said a statement issued by attorney Mark Campbell, "and is prepared to defend against them fully."

Campbell identifies Bryant's alleged accuser as Thomas Hagos, 20, of San Diego. Reporters who went to his home were told to leave by a woman who refused to open the door.

Hagos filed a police report saying that Bryant grabbed his cellphone while they were attending services at St. Therese of Carmel Church in the San Diego neighborhood of Carmel Valley. Bryant was angry because he thought that Hagos was taking his picture, according to the police report.

Finding no pictures on the phone, Bryant returned it. Hagos later went to a hospital with a slight wrist sprain.

San Diego police would like to interview Hagos but, through a representative, he has indicated that he will not be available for interview until Aug. 24. No reason for the delay was given.

Until the alleged victim is interviewed, police do not plan to interview the basketball star, a police spokesman said.

RELATED:

Kobe Bryant accuser can't talk to police yet about church clash

Kobe Bryant: After alleged tussle in church, parishioners speak out

Police want to interview Kobe Bryant about church incident

-- Tony Perry in San Diego

Japanese cargo ship turned away after gypsy moths found onboard

Gypsy moths
A Japanese cargo ship was sent back into international waters last week after federal inspectors found two dozen Asian gypsy moth egg masses on board when it arrived at the Los Angeles/Long Beach seaport, officials said Tuesday.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers and agriculture specialists found 24 egg masses in different areas of the ship, including the gangway, main deck, superstructure and hatches. They also found one dead adult moth.

The Asian gypsy moth has never become established in North America, but experts have warned that it could destroy forest habitats because of the moths' lifespan and appetite.

Because of the large amount of egg masses and their locations, authorities gave the ship's officials the option of returning to Japan or moving to international waters while the eggs were removed and the boat was treated; the ship's agents chose the latter option.

The ship was reinspected Friday and deemed pest-free.

Customs and Border Protection "is at the front line of our borders to prevent the entry of such pests and takes an aggressive approach with inspection, isolation and exclusion of contaminated ships,” Todd Owen, director of Los Angeles Field Operations, said in a statement.

ALSO:

MTV "America's Best Dance Crew" judge pleads no contest in sex case

Steve Lopez: Villaraigosa shows courage on Prop. 13. Where's Jerry Brown?

Homeless man beaten: Fullerton refuses to release officers' names to The Times

-- Kate Mather

Photo: Asian gypsy moth eggs. Credit: U.S. Customs and Border Protection

Robbers stab O.C. jewelry store owner, flee with gems, rare coins

Mission Viejo jewelry robbery. A jewelry story owner was stabbed during a robbery in Mission Viejo on Tuesday afternoon and the three men fled with gems, rare coins and cash, authorities said.

The owner was taken to a local hospital with non-life-threatening stab wounds, the Orange County Sheriff's Department said. His name was not released.

Authorities said the attack occurred shortly before 12:30 p.m. in the 27000 block of La Paz Road.  The value of the stolen items had not been determined.

Anyone with information is asked to call the Sheriff's Department at (714) 647-7000.

ALSO:

Stolen Rembrandt found in church pastor's office

'Real Housewives'' Russell Armstrong: No suicide note found

Kobe Bryant: After alleged tussle in church, parishioners speak out

-- Robert J. Lopez
twitter.com/LAJourno

Map shows area where robbery occurred. Credit: Google Maps.

Reader photos: Southern California Moments, Day 228

Click through for more photos of Southern California Moments.

End days: Brandon Long takes a self-portrait wearing a gas mask and holding a Bible at the Salvation Mountain art installation in Niland in May.

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.

Man hospitalized after being shot by Anaheim police

Police shot and wounded a man outside an Anaheim apartment complex Tuesday, authorities said.

Police were in the 100 block of West Guinida Lane about 1:40 p.m. when at least two officers fired on a suspect, said Sgt. Bob Dunn. 

The man was taken to the hospital with at least one gunshot wound. No officers were injured.

Dunn had few other details and did not know what led to the shooting.

As with all officer-involved shootings, the incident is being investigated by the department and the Orange County district attorney's office.

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

-- Tony Barboza

Stolen Rembrandt found in church office after cleric stepped away

Location where the missing Rembrandt was discovered.

The Rev. Michael Cooper of St. Nicholas of Mira Episcopal Church in Encino said Tuesday he was as stunned as anyone to learn a stolen Rembrandt drawing was left in his office by an intruder.

Cooper said an assistant priest left the church office for a few minutes Monday evening and when he returned, discovered the drawing inside. He had left the door open.

"Somebody may have driven by and seen the lights," Cooper said in an interview.

Cooper, a former L.A. County Sheriff's deputy who still serves the department as a volunteer chaplain, said he called authorities after his staff informed him of the discovery.

"The door was unlocked and propped open," he said, adding his parishioners "had nothing to do with it."

Asked to explain why a thief would leave a stolen picture at St. Nicholas', he replied, "We are a church. It is a place of reconciliation."

Deputies recovered the sketch, titled "Judgment Day," on Monday night after it had been stolen Saturday night from the Ritz-Carlton Marina del Rey.

Investigators were trying to determine whether it is an authentic Rembrandt.

The drawing has been positively identified by its owners, the Linearis Institute, but no one has been arrested in connection with the theft, he said.

Man pleads guilty to killing woman, 76, on her morning walk

Sketch of suspect A 28-year-old man pleaded guilty Tuesday to sexually assaulting and beating to death a 76-year-old Gardena woman who was on her morning walk.

Severa Madrona After prosecutors declined to seek the death penalty against him, Thedward Candler pleaded guilty to killing Severa Madrona on Sept. 18, 2007, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney's office.

He also admitted to committing the murder during other felonies: rape, sodomy and kidnapping.

Madrona died of a blunt-force head wound, prosecutors said. Her body was found dumped in the backyard of a Gardena home.

Soon after the killing, authorities released a sketch of a possible suspect. More than a month later, Los Angeles County sheriff's deputies arrested Candler.

Candler is scheduled to be sentenced Oct. 4 and faces life in prison without possibility of parole. He was previously convicted of two felonies: an attempted robbery in 2000 and assault with a deadly weapon in 2001

ALSO:

Stolen Rembrandt found in church pastor's office

'Real Housewives'' Russell Armstrong: No suicide note found

Kobe Bryant: After alleged tussle in church, parishioners speak out

-- Tony Barboza

Photos: (Left) Sketch of suspect. (Right) Severa Madrona. Credit: DMV

Orange County firefighters rescue stuck horse

Horse Orange County firefighters rescued a horse whose back leg became trapped in a hole near a Trabuco Canyon home Tuesday morning.

Firefighters received a call about 10:30 a.m. that the horse was stuck after one of its back legs fell in a hole in the 19000 block of Live Oak Canyon Road, a more rural area of the county, spokesman Marc Stone said.

Crews tranquilized the horse and were able to free the animal in about an hour. The animal was up and running around about 10 minutes after it was freed, Stone said.

ALSO:

Stolen Rembrandt recovered at church

Bryan Stow's doctor doubts recovery will be 'perfect'

Flash mobs, riots prompt debate about social media crackdown

--Kate Mather

Image: Map shows location of where firefighters rescued a horse trapped in a hole in Trabuco Canyon. Source: Google Maps

Guard shot in head during Koreatown jewelry store heist

Map shows location of where a security guard was shot in the head in Koreatown. Click here to learn more about the area. A security guard was shot in the head Tuesday during the robbery of a jewelry store in Koreatown.

The Los Angeles Police Department said the robbery occurred at the CC Diamonds store in the 3200 block of Wilshire Boulevard when more than one suspect went into the store.

As they escaped, the suspects carjacked a white van, police said.

The guard was in critical condition at County-USC Medical Center. Police were looking for the suspects.

ALSO:

Stolen Rembrandt recovered at church

Bryan Stow's doctor doubts recovery will be 'perfect'

Flash mobs, riots prompt debate about social media crackdown

-- Andrew Blankstein

Image: Map shows location of where a security guard was shot in Koreatown. Source: Google Maps

Click for crime reports across L.A. County on The Times' interactive database

Santa Monica College lockdown called off; no gunman found

Santa Monica College was locked down after report of gunfire

Police said a search of Santa Monica College found no sign of a gunman or a victim after people reported hearing shots fired at the school.

A lockdown of the campus has been called off and Pico Boulevard has reopened, police said.

The incident began when a female student on campus heard what she thought were two gunshots and glass breaking, said Sgt. Richard Lewis. The student immediately called her mother in Riverside County, who called 911, alerting local police. 

The campus was ordered locked down about 11:30 a.m. and about 30 to 40 police officers were dispatched to the scene, including the SWAT unit.

After authorities swept the campus, they determined that there was no gunman in the area, Lewis said.

He cautioned that there is a lot of construction going on on campus and that it might have created noise that alarmed the student. 

The college is currently between summer and fall sessions, so no classes are being held, though there are a few students on campus, Smith said.

John Adams Middle School and Will Rogers Learning Community were also on lockdown, officials confirmed.

ALSO:

Stolen Rembrandt recovered at church

Bryan Stow's doctor doubts recovery will be 'perfect'

Flash mobs, riots prompt debate about social media crackdown

-- Martha Groves and Kate Mather

Photo: Pico Boulevard was part of an area locked down after a report of gunfire near Santa Monica College. Credit: KTLA 5

NFL stadium: Villaraigosa against waiving environmental rules

Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and Magic Johnson
Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa may be a cheerleader for the proposal to build an NFL stadium downtown, but he said Tuesday he is skeptical about the idea of the Legislature giving the project an exemption from environmental lawsuits.

"I don’t think they are going to do that, and I don’t think they should," Villaraigosa said in an interview with reporters in The Times' Sacramento bureau. "I think the public wants a level of transparency, and I think we’ve had it up to now."

Stadium developer Anschutz Entertainment Group is working on state legislation to limit the type of legal challenges that could be pursued based on environmental issues.

AEG Chief Executive Tim Leiweke said last week his firm is asking for "protection from frivolous lawsuits from those who are trying to get a competitive advantage or those who are just trying to destroy the process."

Legislation has not yet been introduced, but a state Senate committee is holding a public hearing next week to determine whether lawmakers should grant AEG protection from lawsuits similar to what they approved for a competing football stadium proposed in the city of Industry.

Reports of gunman at Santa Monica College; campus on lockdown

Smcc Santa Monica College has been placed on lockdown as authorities check into reports of a man with a gun on campus.

There were also reports that a nearby middle school was on lockdown because of the report.

A Santa Monica police spokeswoman told The Times the department got a call about a possible shooting on campus but have not found any victims or a weapon.

Streets near the college, including Pico Boulevard, are closed.

ALSO:

Stolen Rembrandt recovered at church

Bryan Stow's doctor doubts recovery will be 'perfect'

Flash mobs, riots prompt debate about social media crackdown

--Kate Mather and Andrew Blankstein

Photo: Santa Monica College was locked down Tuesday. Credit: KTLA 5

Santa Monica College, 2 other schools on lockdown after gunfire report

Santa Monica College and two schools nearby are on lockdown after police received a report of gunfire at the college campus.

Lt. Kathy Keane of the Santa Monica Police Department said officials received at least one call stating that someone had been shot on campus. Police raced to the college and are searching for a possible gunman. But she said police have not found either a victim or a suspect.

Bruce Smith, spokesman for Santa Monica College, said the lockdown was ordered about 11:30 a.m. after the school police received three calls of an armed person on campus. Other law enforcement agencies, including the Santa Monica Police Department, have been called in and are sweeping the campus. So far, there has been no confirmation of the armed man or any shooting, Smith said.

The college is currently in between summer and fall sessions so no classes are being held, though there are a few students on campus, Smith said.

John Adams Middle School and Will Rogers Learning Community are also on lockdown, officials confirmed.

ALSO:

Stolen Rembrandt recovered at church

Bryan Stow's doctor doubts recovery will be 'perfect'

Flash mobs, riots prompt debate about social media crackdown

--Kate Mather and Andrew Blankstein

Powerful laser pointed at Glendale police helicopter

A 30-year-old man has been arrested in Glendale for allegedly flashing a high-powered blue laser twice at a police helicopter.

Avo Garabedian was arrested Sunday night on suspicion of discharging a laser at an occupied aircraft after the aircrew spotted him and he tried to flee the scene, Sgt. Steve Robertson told the Glendale News-Press.

The incident was the first time an aircrew has been struck with a 1,000-milliwatt, blue light laser, which is significantly more powerful than a green laser, Robertson said.

Green lasers have been typically used in laser pointing incidents involving police helicopters.

“We look at this as an assault on our flight crew,” he said, adding that no one was injured in the incident.

ALSO:

Stolen Rembrandt recovered at church

Bryan Stow's doctor doubts recovery will be 'perfect'

Flash mobs, riots prompt debate about social media crackdown

-- Veronica Rocha, Times Community News

Arrest made in Garden Grove drive-by shooting

Garden Grove police have arrested an Orange man in connection with a gang-related shooting that left one man dead and another in critical condition.

Ivan Castellano, 21, was taken into custody about 2 p.m. Monday after a traffic stop in Orange and booked on suspicion of murder.

Police said he opened fire from a car at two men who were on the sidewalk Saturday at the intersection of Lampson Avenue and Janet Street, leaving them with multiple gunshot wounds.

Tyler Sanchez, 22, of Costa Mesa, was pronounced dead at UC Irvine Medical Center. Mauricio Marin, 24, of Garden Grove remains hospitalized there in critical condition.

Detectives do not believe there are any other suspects and are still looking for the weapon.

They are also searching for a person who was seen wearing rubber or latex gloves and rendering aid to the victims immediately after the shooting and left before officers could conduct an interview.

ALSO:

Stolen Rembrandt recovered at church

Bryan Stow's doctor doubts recovery will be 'perfect'

Flash mobs, riots prompt debate about social media crackdown

--Tony Barboza

Stolen SUV crashes into Artesia home

SUVHome
A boy was in custody Tuesday morning after crashing a stolen SUV into an Artesia home.

The incident occurred in the 11800 block of 183rd Street in Artesia just before 2:30 a.m., said officials from the L.A. County Sheriff's Department's Lakewood station.

The boy, whose name was not released, was arrested near the scene. Another person was in the vehicle but was not taken into custody, authorities said.

No injuries were reported, but the house, which is owned by 73-year-old Virgilina Martins, has been red-tagged and deemed not safe to enter.

Residents of the home told KTLA that the SUV tore through a fence and rock and concrete walls, even pushing the front door to the back of the house.

“It sounded like a house being exploded,” Joe Martins said. “We heard the initial impact but then it just kept coming.”

ALSO:

Prehistoric flying creature lands on Cardiff surfer statue

San Diego police want to talk to Kobe Bryant about alleged altercation

Controversial immigration enforcement program is target of lively protest

-- Kate Mather

Photo: A statue of the Virgin Mary is untouched while the front room of 73-year-old Virgilina Martins' Artesia home is partially destroyed by a stolen SUV that crashed through her front door Tuesday morning. Credit: Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times

Donating Breast Milk

The use of donor breast milk has grown dramatically in recent years, according to the Houston Chronicle, which details a breast milk donor program at Texas Children’s Hospital.

The Houston pediatric hospital is asking nursing mothers in the area to donate their excess milk, which has proved life-saving for prematurely born babies whose mothers are unable to produce enough to meet the infant’s needs.

“The evidence is overwhelming that these critically ill preemies do best on mother’s milk, the reason we only feed breast milk in our neonatal intensive care unit,” said Nancy Hurst, a Texas Children’s nurse and director of the new donor milk program. “Ideally, they get their own mother’s milk, but donor milk is the next best thing.”

Around the nation, the use of donor breast milk has grown dramatically in recent years. The nation’s nonprofit donor milk banks last year processed and dispensed 1.8 million ounces, up from about 325,000 in 1999. The increased demand has caused the banks to issue urgent appeals for donors.

Read the full report, “Saving Babies’ Lives, Ounce by Ounce,” and then please join the discussion below.

Huntington Beach moves closer to plastic bag ban

Plastic bag ban
The Huntington Beach City Council has voted to create an ordinance banning single-use plastic bags.

The council voted 4 to 3 Monday for city staff to develop a new law that would ban stores from using plastic bags, and instead replace them with reusable bags, the Huntington Beach Independent reported.

City staff was also directed to coordinate with other organizations to create an educational program to bring about a change of attitude about plastic bags.

The ordinance would not ban plastic bags to separate produce or meat, or ban bags used to collect pet droppings at the dog beach.

At least a half-dozen people spoke in favor of the ordinance.

The state Supreme Court last month upheld a city's right to restrict the usage of plastic bags.

Manhattan Beach, Los Angeles, Calabasas and Long Beach all have ordinances banning them.

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Prehistoric flying creature lands on Cardiff surfer statue

San Diego police want to talk to Kobe Bryant about alleged altercation

Controversial immigration enforcement program is target of lively protest

-- Mona Shadia, Times Community News

Photo: Laurie Gould of Pasadena shows her support for banning plastic bags during a meeting last year of the  L.A. County Board of Supervisors. Credit: Gary Friedman / Los Angeles Times

Take One Dog, Add Water and Shake

On a beach outing recently, my friends and I watched a yellow Labrador frolic in the waves and dig with abandon in the sand. Then, to our horror, he bounded toward us and stopped. We all knew what was coming.

The shake.

I thought of this moment, being splattered with sand and sea water from this dog’s frenzied shake, as I watched the latest slide show on the Lens blog. This simple but inspired photo shoot from photographer Carli Davidson captures dogs in mid-shake. The result is a hilarious portrayal of flying fur, flopping jowls and bulging eyes.

Check out all the photos on the Lens blog.

Police want to interview Kobe Bryant about church incident

San Diego police are seeking to interview parishioners who may have witnessed a minor dust-up between basketball star Kobe Bryant and a young man at a church service Sunday, officials said.

Bryant reportedly became concerned that the young man was taking his picture, police said. During a confrontation at the back of the church, Bryant may have grabbed the man's phone, police said.

Bryant, seeing no pictures on the phone, returned the phone to the man and, with several friends, left the church before the service was completed, police said. The man, as yet unidentified, later went to a hospital with what is described as a minor wrist sprain.

"We're attempting to interview all the [participants]," said a San Diego police spokesman.

The incident occurred at St. Therese of Carmel Church in the upscale neighborhood of Carmel Valley.

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Female inmate dies in custody at LAPD jail in Van Nuys

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--Tony Perry in San Diego

Autism Risk for Siblings Higher Than Expected

Parents who have a child with autism have about a 1 in 5 chance of having a second child with autism, a far greater risk than previously believed, new research shows.

The findings, published in the journal Pediatrics, are significant because they come from the largest study to date focusing on the risks of autism among siblings.

Researchers at the University of California Davis Mind Institute tracked 664 infants who had an older sibling with an autism spectrum disorder. The babies joined the study at 8 months of age and were followed until they reached 36 months. The vast majority of the children did not go on to develop autism, but about 19 percent of the children were diagnosed with the disorder.

Based on the study population, that suggests that roughly 1 in 5 younger siblings of children with autism go on to develop the disorder. In the past, it was thought that about 1 in 10 younger siblings of children with autism go on to develop the condition, an estimate that was derived from studies of much smaller groups.

By comparison, about 1 in 110 American children born today, or fewer than 1 percent, will be given a diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder. That means the younger sibling of an autistic child has nearly 20 times greater risk of being diagnosed with autism than a child in the general population. The study found that for families with two or more autistic children, the risk is even higher. About a third of children with two or more autistic older siblings also will develop the condition.

The findings prompted child development researchers to urge greater awareness for families who have a child with autism and may be considering more children. Although 1 in 5 is a greater risk than previously expected, it still means that 4 out of 5 children with an autism spectrum disorder will not develop the condition, said Alycia Halladay, the director of environmental research for Autism Speaks, an autism research group that supported the study along with the National Institutes of Health.

“Family history is a very strong risk factor, but there are other risk factors as well,” she said. “There are strong environmental risk factors. We don’t know what those are yet, but this is not the only factor that goes into an autism diagnosis.”

But autism specialists say families at risk should adopt a more careful approach to monitoring younger siblings, looking for potential signs of autism in infancy. Early signs of autism can be subtle, but symptoms that could warrant further investigation include a lack of smiling by six months, and the absence of babbling or gestures like pointing and waving by 12 months. The group lists on its Web site a number of milestones that parents can look for at various ages to make sure their child is developing normally, starting at about 3 to 4 months.

If a younger sibling does exhibit potential signs of the disorder, the parent should consult a pediatrician or specialist who can provide a more comprehensive assessment, Dr. Halladay said. Earlier diagnosis can lead to earlier intervention, which can have a larger effect on a child’s language and social development the sooner it is started.

“Parents who have a child with autism and then have another child shouldn’t assume that the younger child is going to have a diagnosis,” said Dr. Halladay, “but they should be alerted to that possibility, and they should be very attuned to the child’s behavior and development.”

San Diego police want to talk to Kobe Bryant about alleged altercation

Kobe-blog
San Diego police are investigating an allegation that Lakers star Kobe Bryant was involved in altercation with a man at local church, according to a news report by KCBS-TV Channel 2.

The incident occurred Sunday at St. Therese of Carmel Church in Carmel Valley, when Bryant allegedly grabbed a cellphone from the man who sustained an injury to his wrist, according to the report.

Bryant reportedly thought the man was taking photos of him and his wife but saw no photos after inspecting the phone.

A San Diego Police Department spokesman was not available late Monday to confirm the station's report.

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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

Photo: Kobe Bryant at a press conference in June. Credit: Al Seib/Los Angeles Times

 

 

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