BART stations reopened after third evening of protests

Protesters who snarled the Bay Area's regional train commute for the third time since July 11 grew to about 200 Monday evening before the event wound down about 9 p.m., with all stations reopened.

The demonstration prompted the closure of two Bay Area Rapid Transit stations near Union Square and City Hall in San Francisco. BART police first reopened the stations shortly after 6 p.m. but as the crowd grew and pulsed back and forth on Market Street, closed and reopened them several times.

Trains still carried commuters home but they had to walk or take a cab to more distant stations to board.

The demonstrators were expressing anger at two fatal shootings by officers, most recently in early July, and at BART for shutting off cellphone service to preempt an Aug. 11 protest. About 10 people were arrested earlier in the evening, according to local media accounts.

Both stations reopened by 8:30 p.m. and San Francisco police, who had donned riot gear and monitored protesters above ground as they chanted and blocked traffic, were beginning to make additional arrests of remaining demonstrators near the city's main library by 9 p.m., the San Francisco Chronicle reported.

RELATED:

BART admits interrupting cellphone service during protest

BART officials arrest at least four, close two stations amid protests

Protest closes 4 BART stations, leaving commuter crowd stranded

-- Lee Romney in San Francisco

Photo: A Bay Area Rapid Transit train. Credit: Los Angeles Times

Police still unsure how baby fell from O.C. hospital structure

Orange police late Monday were still investigating how a baby boy fell from the upper stories of parking structure at Children's Hospital of Orange County.

The infant, believed to be 1 to 3 months old, was in critical condition at a local trauma center after being dropped or thrown from the second floor or higher of the structure, police said.

The Orange Fire Department said it received a 911 call at 6:19 p.m. from someone saying a baby was possibly thrown from the parking structure. Police said the caller saw the baby falling from the parking structure at the hospital.

Investigators were hoping to track down whoever was responsible for the "horrific crime," Sgt. Dan Adams of the Orange Police Department told The Times. The infant could not have made it over the ledge on his own, Adams noted.

Baby in critical condition after fall from O.C. hospital structure

Orange police were looking for suspects Monday night after a baby was in critical condition after being thrown or dropped from a parking structure at Children's Hospital.

"We want to get our hands on the suspects," Sgt. Dan Adams told The Times.

He described the incident as a "horrific crime."  A passerby saw the baby, who police believe is between 1 and 3 months old, falling from the second story or higher of the parking structure and called 911, Adams said.

He said investigators were at the hospital viewing surveillance video and interviewing people to develop leads.

ALSO:

Raiders CEO defends fans after Candlestick Park violence

Police shooter's body found in burned home, authorities say

Double murder suspect wore disguises, wigs to avoid capture

— Robert J. Lopez and Shelby Grad

twitter.com/LAJourno

Map shows location of hospital. Credit: Google Maps. Photo: CHOC. Credit: L.A. Times

Crews make headway in Perris, Cajon Pass brush fires

Fire crews were making headway Monday night in their battle to tame two Inland Empire brush fires that had scorched more than 400 acres of parched vegetation near Perris and the Cajon Pass.

In Riverside County, evacuation orders were lifted for about 50 homes in the unincorporated community of Good Hope northwest of Perris, where 125 acres of brush had burned, fire officials said.

The blaze was 60% contained, with crews expected to fully contain the fire Tuesday morning, the Riverside County Fire Department said.

In the Cajon Pass, firefighters had a 350-acre brush fire 40% contained Monday night. The blaze forced busy Interstate 15 to be closed in both directions during the afternoon, which created a traffic nightmare, fire officials said. One northbound lane remained closed Monday night.

Fire officials said the blaze, which destroyed one home and three small outbuildings, was expected to be fully contained by Tuesday night.

ALSO:

Raiders CEO defends fans after Candlestick Park violence

Police shooter's body found in burned home, authorities say

Double murder suspect wore disguises, wigs to avoid capture

— Robert J. Lopez

twitter.com/LAJourno

Photo: Structure burns in Mathews Ranch area in Cajon Pass fire. Credit: KTLA-TV

U.S. seizes bundles of marijuana at sea and on land

 

On sea and land, the U.S. war against marijuana continues.

Sailors from the amphibious transport dock ship New Orleans recovered bundles containing a total of 1,800 pounds of pot floating off the coast of San Diego on Saturday, the Navy announced Monday.

The San Diego-based ship was on a training exercise when it received a call from the Coast Guard about smugglers aboard a 20-foot fishing boat who were dumping bundles overboard.

The New Orleans launched rigid-hull inflatable boats to recover the bundles as evidence. The Mexican navy arrested several men aboard the fishing boat.

The same day, U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers at the San Ysidro border crossing arrested a 24-year-old U.S. citizen with 1,150 pounds of marijuana hidden inside furniture being hauled in a trailer behind his pickup truck, officials said.

The pot was valued at nearly $700,000. Officials seized a sofa, china cabinet and bedroom furniture allegedly used to hide the 126 packages. The truck was also seized.

ALSO:

Free parking ends in downtown Glendale

Rave promoter defends Electric Daisy Carnival

Raiders CEO defends fans after Candlestick Park violence

-- Tony Perry in San Diego

Photo: Sailors from the New Orleans race to recover bundles of marijuana dumped by smugglers off the coast of San Diego. Credit: Navy Specialist 3rd-class Dominique Pineiro

 

Hearing on safety issues at mental hospitals set for Tuesday

Assemblyman Michael Allen (D-Santa Rosa) will chair a long-awaited hearing Tuesday on safety issues in the state's mental hospital system.

The first hearing by the Select Committee on State Hospital Safety, to be held in the Capitol from 2 to 4 p.m., comes 10 months after a psychiatric technician was slain at Napa State Hospital, lifting a veil on violent conditions for patients and staff at the facilities statewide.

Allen, a former psychiatric nurse and first-term lawmaker, has taken a strong interest in the system, shadowing workers recently on some of Napa State Hospital's most dangerous units to better understand conditions and hosting a forum in January with state Sen. Noreen Evans (D-Santa Rosa) to hear hundreds of employees air concerns about increasingly violent conditions.

About 92% of the hospital population has been accused or convicted of committing a crime as a result of their mental illness. Some commit violence because of predatory sociopathic tendencies, others because of psychosis triggered by severe mental illness such as schizophrenia. Many are not assaultive but become victims of regular aggression.

Although the federal government imposed court-ordered reforms in 2006 to improve conditions in California hospitals, many of the facilities -- in addition to Napa, they are in Coalinga, Norwalk, San Bernardino and Atascadero -- have since experienced a rise in violence.

Health and Human Services Secretary Diana Dooley lifted a hiring freeze for the hospitals earlier this year because of safety concerns, but progress has been slow. A number of positions for hospital police officers have been budgeted but not yet filled. 

Sunset Beach now part of Huntington Beach

 
For months, residents of tiny Sunset Beach have held off the advances of neighboring Huntington Beach.

But on Monday, the unincorporated coastal community finally fell and officially became part Huntington Beach.

Benjamin Legbandt, a policy analyst for the Orange County Local Agency Formation Commission, told the Huntington Beach Independent that his group filed paperwork with the county Monday that essentially ends the months-long feud between the neighboring communities.

The state must approve the deal, but Legbandt called that a formality.

On Thursday, Orange County Superior Court Judge Frederick P. Horn ruled against the Citizen's Assn. of Sunset Beach, which wanted to block the annexation until Sunset Beach residents could vote on whether they should pay the same taxes as residents in Huntington Beach.

Association President Jack Markovitz said his group planned to appeal Horn’s decision.

"We pretty much thought, if we didn't get a favorable ruling, we'd appeal," he said. "If we did get a favorable ruling, Huntington Beach would have appealed, or LAFCO. So we were pretty much resigned to going through the appeals process anyway."

ALSO:

Offer accepted on Robert Rizzo's lavishly remodeled home

Mitt Romney to quadruple size of La Jolla home

Immigration law changes sought for non-citizens with science expertise

--Michael Miller, Times Community News

Photo: Sunset Beach is one of Orange County last unincorporated beach towns. Credit: Don Bartletti

Officials defend response in Red Line stabbing

Los Angeles County sheriff's deputies and transit officials Monday defended their handling of a fatal stabbing on the Red Line subway last week that ended with the killer fleeing down Hollywood Boulevard.

Jesse Garay, 58, of North Hollywood died in the Friday evening attack, the first slaying on the subway since it began operations in 1993. The killer remains at large.

John Roberts, executive officer for MTA transit operations, said the conductor brought the train into the next station and opened the doors after the attack to protect the passengers and to seek medical aid.

"With an armed suspect and innocent passengers on board, opening the doors is the right thing to do," Jordan said. "Our operators are trained not to get between combatants. They handled it correctly."

Deputies arrived four minutes after the train pulled into the station at Hollywood and Vine, Sheriff's Cmdr. Pat Jordan said. The deputies had been on foot patrol at Hollywood and Highland, the next station, he said. Eight deputies and eight security officers patrol 16 Red Line stations.

But the killer was gone when deputies arrived.

Jordan said sheriff's homicide detectives have good surveillance video images of the killer, who is described as an Asian man in his 20s with a pock-marked face who frequents the area. They hope to identify him soon.

The stabbing took place after Garay flailed a chain toward the younger man, who told passengers he acted in self-defense, a witness reported. Two female passengers who did not appear to know the stabber coached him how to escape, the witness said.

RELATED:

Man stabbed, killed on Red Line in Hollywood

Skateboarder sought in L.A. subway stabbing

Videotape might help solve fatal Hollywood subway stabbing

-- Gale Holland

Photo: Scene outside subway station after stabbing. KTLA News

BART officials arrest at least four, close two stations amid protests

Bay Area Rapid Transit officials have made at least four arrests and closed two subway stations as protesters gathered at the height of the evening commute for the second Monday in a row, according to the agency and local news accounts.

About 100 protesters who gathered at 5 p.m. this evening outside stations and on train platforms were from two organizations. One group is angered by fatal officer-involved shootings over the last two years, and the other by the agency's move earlier this month to thwart a demonstration by shutting off cellphone service.

According to local news accounts, BART officers arrested four people on the Civic Center Station train platform not long after Monday's  protest began. Some witnesses reported shouting matches between angry commuters and protesters who have snarled the busy commute three times now since July 11. BART is used by hundreds of thousands of regional commuters to cross the Bay from San Francisco to points east.

By 5:30 p.m., BART reported closing San Francisco's Powell Street and Civic Center stations.  Protesters began marching down Market Street, the city's main diagonal artery, toward the Ferry Building, blocking traffic in places.

Both subway stations were reopened shortly after 6 p.m., then closed again.

Officials with the San Francisco agency that operates municipal buses and cable cars also closed its Civic Center station, which shares an entry area with BART, and has replaced the storied Powell Street cable car popular with tourists with a shuttle bus.

Some who gathered in the stations were with a group known as No Justice No BART, which is protesting two fatal officer-involved shootings, most recently that of a transient named Charles Hill who was intoxicated and armed with a knife. Backers of Anonymous, the loose organization of hackers, had gathered outside the stations to demonstrate.

ALSO:

Raiders CEO defends fans after Candlestick Park violence

Police shooter's body found in burned home, authorities say

Double murder suspect wore disguises, wigs to avoid capture

--Lee Romney in San Francisco

LAPD investigates hate crime at San Fernando Valley synagogue

Los Angeles police are investigating a hate crime at a West Hills synagogue where suspects spray-painted two swastikas and "Go Home" on the congregation's property, officials said Monday.

The graffiti, which also included the numbers "666" within the swastikas, was discovered about 6:30 a.m. Monday spray painted on the corner of temporary offices at the Temple Judea satellite campus in the 6600 block of Valley Circle Boulevard, according to LAPD officials.

There was no immediate description of a suspect or suspects, police said. The incident is being investigated at a hate crime.

"Obviously, it's upsetting, but we don't feel like we are in any danger," said Ellen Franklin, executive director of Temple Judea, which has its main campus in Tarzana. "We are thankful for the immediate response by the LAPD and their investigation."

Anyone with information is asked to call Topanga Division detectives at (818) 756-4820. During non-business hours, call (877) LAPD-24-7. Anyone wishing to remain anonymous may call Crimestoppers at (800) 222-TIPS (800-222-8477) or text 274637 (C-R-I-M-E-S on most keypads) via cellphone. All text messages should begin with the letters “LAPD.” Tipsters may also go to LAPDOnline.org, click on "webtips" and follow the prompts.

ALSO:

Raiders CEO defends fans after Candlestick Park violence

Police shooter's body found in burned home, authorities say

Double murder suspect wore disguises, wigs to avoid capture

-- Andrew Blankstein (Twitter.com/anblanx)

Mandatory evacuations ordered in brush fire near Perris

Fire officials in Riverside County ordered mandatory evacuations Monday afternoon as a brush fire scorched about 90 acres near Perris, officials said.

The order affected about 50 structures near Nuevo Road west of Webster Avenue, where firefighters were working to stop the progress of the flames, the Riverside County Fire Department said.

An evacuation center had been set up at Perris High School at 175 East Nuevo Road.

The flames were burning through light and medium vegetation across steep, boulder-covered terrain.

"We're making progress, but we're working in difficult terrain," Capt. Mike Smith told The Times.

About 150 firefighters were fighting the blaze on the ground. They were aided by three water-dropping helicopters and three air tankers. 

The fire broke out about 2:30 p.m. near Garza and Yucca roads in the unincorporated Good Hope community west of Perris.  The cause was under investigation.

ALSO:

Raiders CEO defends fans after Candlestick Park violence

Police shooter's body found in burned home, authorities say

Double murder suspect wore disguises, wigs to avoid capture

— Robert J. Lopez

twitter.com/LAJourno

Photo: A fire earlier this afternoon in the Cajon Pass. Credit: KTLA News

L.A. to Sunset Junction festival: No payment, no permit

Los Angeles city officials voted Monday to deny operating permits for this weekend’s Sunset Junction festival, a decision that could mean the cancellation of one of the city’s best-known music events for the first time in three decades.

Members of the Board of Public Works voted 3 to 1 to deny the application from the Silver Lake Neighborhood Alliance, citing nearly $400,000 in unpaid fees for the 2011 and 2010 festivals. But they left open the possibility that they might reconsider the decision at their meeting Wednesday if organizers can raise nearly $142,000 owed for this year.

Festival organizers dispute some of the fees, alleging that comparable festivals are charged significantly less for policing, street closures and other city services. Attorney Phillip Tate, who represents the festival, had asked the board to accept $50,000 now and submit the rest of the bill to mediation. He told the board he did not believe organizers had more than that available but had asked for time to try to raise the rest.

“We’re obviously disappointed with what happened,” Tate said after the meeting. “We’re evaluating all of our options.”

More crews called as flames threaten homes in Perris brush fire

Fire commanders in Riverside County were calling for additional crews Monday afternoon to help protect structures as a brush fire near Perris grew to about 60 acres, officials said.

Nearly 150 firefighters were on the scene, and flames burned near homes near Harvill and Webster avenues, the Riverside County Fire Department said. They were being aided by three helicopters and three air tankers.

The blaze broke out about 2:30 p.m. near Garza and Yucca roads and was reported to be about five acres at that time, officials said.

Earlier, the California Highway Patrol closed Old Elsinore Road, which is adjacent to the fire. The temperature was 95 degrees, officials said, and the relative humidity was 16%. Winds were about 8 mph.

ALSO:

Raiders CEO defends fans after Candlestick Park violence

Police shooter's body found in burned home, authorities say

Double murder suspect wore disguises, wigs to avoid capture

— Robert J. Lopez

twitter.com/LAJourno

Reader photos: Southern California Moments, Day 234

In transit: A bus rider wears a hat and several neck chains in this July 18 photo by Tom Andrews.

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.

Really? The Claim: Drinking Green Tea Can Help Lower Cholesterol

THE FACTS

Green tea is thought to be an herbal panacea of sorts, believed by many to have a wide range of health benefits. But whether it can actually produce measurable effects on cholesterol is a question that has drawn much debate.

Advocates say green tea’s heart-healthy benefits are due in part to a large concentration of polyphenols, which block the absorption of cholesterol in the gut. But skeptics argue that any beneficial effect would be small, and the side effects from a few too many cups a day not worth it.

Numerous studies have delved into the matter, with mixed results. But this year a team of researchers combined and analyzed data from more than a dozen previous trials to reach a more definitive answer. The report, published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, involved more than 1,100 people and looked at studies in which the subjects were randomly assigned to drink either green tea or a placebo daily for up to several months.

The researchers found that the subjects who received the green tea, on average, did see an effect on their cholesterol, but it was minimal. Over all, their levels of LDL, or “bad” cholesterol, fell by 2.2 milligrams per deciliter, a change of roughly 2 percent. There was no effect on their levels of HDL, or “good” cholesterol.

For some it may be worth a shot. But for others there could be side effects: A compound in green tea called EGCG may interfere with medications like anticoagulants and the cancer drug bortezomib.

THE BOTTOM LINE

Studies have found that green tea may reduce levels of LDL cholesterol, but the effect appears minimal.

To Circumcise or Not to Circumcise?

In today’s Science Times, Roni Caryn Rabin writes about a challenge facing a growing number of parents: whether circumcision is the right choice for their sons.

More and more parents are starting to think seriously about whether to circumcise their newborn boys. And many of them are finding that it’s a question without easy answers, not least because guidance from many leading medical organizations has been equivocal. Although rates have declined in recent years, well over half of all boys born in American hospitals undergo the procedure.

The American Academy of Pediatrics does not recommend routine neonatal circumcision, saying its medical benefits — including a slightly lower risk of urinary tract infections early in life, a lower risk of rare penile cancer and a lower risk of sexually transmitted infections later — are meager.

What’s a parent to do? Read the full article, “Circumcise or Not? Quandary for Parents.” Then please join the discussion below.

A Validation for Bisexual Men

A group of researchers at Northwestern University is reporting that men who identify themselves as bisexual are indeed sexually aroused by both women and men. The new report is notable, in part, because the same research group had earlier challenged the very existence of male bisexuality, reporting in 2005 that many men who said they were bisexual had arousal patterns more typical of homosexual men.

The researchers essentially repeated the earlier experiment, this time using different criteria to select self-identified bisexuals, and found they had a pattern of sexual responsiveness that differed from homosexual or heterosexual men. As David Tuller reports in today’s Science Times:

“Someone who is bisexual might say, ‘Well, duh!’” said Allen Rosenthal, the lead author of the new Northwestern study and a graduate student in psychology at the university. “But this will be validating to a lot of bisexual men who had heard about the earlier work and felt that scientists weren’t getting them.”

The findings are consistent with another recent report, from researchers at Indiana State University and the Kinsey Institute, that also found a distinctive pattern of arousal, as well as subjective response, among bisexual men. To learn more, read the full article, “No Surprise for Bisexual Men: Report Indicates They Exist,” and please join the discussion below.

Teens arrested at checkpoint had meth worth $619,000, officials say

 

Two teenagers have been arrested on suspicion of trying to smuggle methamphetamine valued at $619,000 into the United States, the Border Patrol said Monday.

The 19-year-old men were arrested at the San Clemente checkpoint on Interstate 5 when agents found nearly 31 pounds of methamphetamine in 24 bundles hidden inside a speaker box in the trunk of their 2003 Toyota Corolla, officials said. The two are U.S. citizens.

The arrests came within hours of an arrest Thursday at the Pine Valley checkpoint along Interstate 8 of a woman suspected of trying to sneak methamphetamine worth $470,000 into the United States.

In both cases, Border Patrol dogs alerted agents to the possibility of hidden drugs, officials said.

ALSO

Immigration law changes sought for non-citizens with science expertise

Free parking ends in downtown Glendale

Rave promoter defends Electric Daisy Carnival

-- Tony Perry in San Diego

Photo: Bundles of methamphetamine were found in a hidden compartment inside a speaker box in the trunk of the 2003 Toyota Corolla and were then stacked by agents in the back window. Credit: U.S. Customs and Border Protection

 

Immigration law changes sought for non-citizens with science expertise

Rep. Adam B. Schiff (D-Burbank) met with a panel of scientists, engineers and technology firm executives recently to discuss possible changes to federal immigration policy that could boost American competitiveness in the technology sector.

Schiff said he is planning to draft a bill that would make it easier for foreign students in the fields of science and engineering to stay in the United States after they graduate and their student visas expire.

“We’ve had graduates in engineering who wanted to stay and start their own businesses, and we probably kicked them out of the country. In this kind of [competitive global] environment, that’s economic suicide,” Schiff said. “We need to change our immigration strategy from building fences to attracting talent.”

Caltech Chief Innovation Officer Frederic Farina told the Glendale News-Press “it’s almost impossible” for foreign graduates to stay long enough to establish a tech startup.

ALSO:

Obama plan to review deportation cases stokes heated debate

85-year-old leader of human smuggling ring pleads guilty

Dream Act students cheer Obama's immigration enforcement policy

-- Joe Piasecki, Times Community News

Photo: Rep. Adam B. Schiff (D-Burbank) speaks at a public meeting at the Altadena Library in April. Credit: Al Seib / Los Angeles Times

Mitt Romney to quadruple size of La Jolla home

GOP presidential contender Mitt Romney has received a permit to nearly quadruple the size of his $12-million oceanfront home in La Jolla, a website reports.

Romney has filed an application with the city to bulldoze his 3,009-square-foot, single-story home and replace it with a two-story, 11,062-square-foot structure, according to the San Diego Union-Tribune.

The former governor of Massachusetts purchased the home three years ago. Plans call for him to keep the existing lap pool and spa but build new retaining walls and move the driveway, the website reports.

Constructed in 1936, the three-bedroom, 4.5-bathroom home has a stretch of lawn sloping to the white sand beach.

ALSO:

Raiders CEO defends fans after Candlestick Park violence

Police shooter's body found in burned home, authorities say

Double murder suspect wore disguises, wigs to avoid capture

-- From a Los Angeles Times staff writer

Photo: Mitt Romney at a campaign stop in New Hampshire. Credit: Jim Cole / Associated Press

 

2 recovering from Candlestick Park violence

The two men most seriously injured during and after a pre-season football game between the Oakland Raiders and the 49ers on Saturday night are recovering at a San Francisco hospital.

A 26-year-old man from San Rafael was beaten unconscious in a stadium restroom and suffered traumatic brain injury, San Francisco General Hospital spokeswoman Rachael Kagen said.

The other hospitalized victim, a 25-year-old man, was in a parking lot when he was shot in the abdomen, but managed to drive to a security office for help, authorities said.

Each patient's condition was upgraded from serious to fair, Kagen said.

The names of the victims have not been released.

A third man was wounded, also during a parking lot confrontation, police said. His condition was not available. Police are seeking a person of interest in one of the shootings.

Rave promoter defends Electric Daisy Carnival

The producer of the Electric Daisy Carnival rave said Monday in the Los Angeles Times that his event is being unfairly portrayed by leaders and media as a social ill, in much the same way early rock 'n' roll was rejected by the establishment.

The number of people needing medical attention at Electric Daisy raves is no higher than other entertainment events in Los Angeles, Pasquale Rotella wrote in an op-ed piece published Monday in The Times.

He pointed to the L.A. Rising Festival in July at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, where 15 people out of 50,000 attendees needed medical attention, and a Manhattan Beach volleyball championship in August that brought 35 alcohol-related arrests.

The Electric Daisy Carnival was heavily criticized after the fatal drug overdose of a teenage girl at its June 2010 festival at the Coliseum.

But that was the first major incident in 15 year of putting on raves, Rotella said.

2 motorcyclists die in Silverado Canyon crash

Two motorcyclists are dead after sliding down a dirt embankment and crashing into several trees off Santiago Canyon Road in Silverado Canyon.

The driver, Donn LaVigne, 58, of Anaheim Hills, and his female passenger were traveling north on a winding section of the road about 7 p.m. Sunday when the accident occurred.

They were pronounced dead at the scene, a California Highway Patrol spokeswoman said.

The woman's name was being withheld until her family could be notified.

ALSO:

Raiders CEO defends fans after Candlestick Park violence

Police shooter's body found in burned home, authorities say

Double murder suspect wore disguises, wigs to avoid capture

-- Gale Holland

 

Woman arrested in Inglewood hit-and-run

A 57-year-old woman has been arrested in Inglewood on suspicion of fleeing an accident that injured a pregnant pedestrian, possibly triggering the death of her fetus.

Brittney Cheeseman, 18, was walking in an intersection at Manchester Boulevard and Market Street about 10:30 p.m. Saturday when she was struck by a vehicle described as a 1996 grey Nissan.

The Nissan's driver was traveling east on Manchester and failed to stop at a red light, witnesses told police.

Cheeseman was taken to a hospital with nonthreatening injuries, said Officer Jonathan Rivers of the Inglewood Police Department. But her 5- or 6-month-old fetus was unresponsive and showed no signs of life, doctors said.

Hacienda Heights fire kills 2

A quick-burning house fire in Hacienda Heights killed a woman and boy and left a man and girl hospitalized, authorities said Monday.

The blaze started about 10:30 p.m. Sunday at a house in the 1700 block of Piermont Drive in Hacienda Heights.

Arriving firefighters found two people dead inside, said Deputy Lillian Peck of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department.

The man and girl were taken to a hospital, where their conditions were not immediately available, she said.

Witnesses reported hearing popping sounds at the time of the fire. Peck said the source of the popping was unclear, but it could have been electrical wires exploding.

The fire's cause was under investigation, and homicide detectives also were called to the scene.

ALSO:

Raiders CEO defends fans after Candlestick Park violence

Police shooter's body found in burned home, authorities say

Double murder suspect wore disguises, wigs to avoid capture

-- Catherine Saillant

Photo: A neighbor captured the deadly fire on a cellphone video. Credit: KTLA-TV Channel 5

Free parking ends in downtown Glendale

There is no more free parking in downtown Glendale as of today, as the city reactivates electronic meters after technical problems.

The meters were suspended Aug. 11 and parking officers had to enforce time limits the old-fashioned way -- by manually monitoring the meters.

They will continue to do so for two weeks, the Glendale News-Press reported.

What exactly caused the failure was not yet known. A Police Department spokesman said a few drivers were erroneously ticketed because of the technical problems, but those have been corrected.

ALSO:

Raiders CEO defends fans after Candlestick Park violence

Police shooter's body found in burned home, authorities say

Double murder suspect wore disguises, wigs to avoid capture

-- Brittany Levine, Times Community News

Vitamins May Lower Risk of Preterm Births

Taking a multivitamin around the time of conception may help women lower their risk of delivering low-birth-weight babies, new research shows. The study, one of the first to look at multivitamin use immediately before and after conception, strengthens the notion that nutritional deficiencies may increase the risk of birth complications.

Still, the researchers cautioned that it was too soon to recommend multivitamins for women who are contemplating pregnancy or already expecting. While some studies have suggested benefits, others have found that women who eat a healthy diet have no need for multivitamins, and that vitamins may even do some harm, especially when their use is continued late into a pregnancy.

The study, published in the September issue of The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, analyzed data on nearly 36,000 Danish women enrolled in a national birth registry. The scientists who carried out the research found that a large share of the women — about 60 percent — had been taking multivitamins in the four weeks before and eight weeks after the last menstrual period.

After adjusting for a number of risk factors, like smoking, weight and the age of the mother, the study found that women who took a daily multivitamin and were of normal weight had a nearly 20 percent lower chance of delivering a preterm baby, compared with those who did not take a daily multivitamin. Women who were overweight did not see the same benefit, though it was unclear why.

In 2004, a study by scientists at Emory University and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that taking daily multivitamins was a widespread practice among expectant mothers in the United States. Up to 78 percent of pregnant women reported taking multivitamins, the study found, compared with only 47 percent of women who were not pregnant.

Doctors have long encouraged pregnant women and those contemplating pregnancy to take folic acid — a B vitamin — daily to help prevent neural tube defects. And since the late 1990s, the government has also required food makers to add the vitamin to many grain products, including flour and breads.

The authors of the latest study suggested that there could be other nutrients in multivitamins besides folic acid that help reduce the risk of birth complications. But they also said that more research was needed, and that they were not recommending that women trying to conceive should start a daily multivitamin regimen.

Double murder suspect wore disguises, wigs to avoid capture

Brent Zubeck, wanted in connection with the deaths of a Chatsworth couple found in trash bins outside their home, had been hiding out since the Aug. 12 slayings, according to police. His arrest early Monday capped an hours-long standoff that began Sunday night and shut down parts of Encino. More than 100 law-enforcement officers and personnel searched for the suspect, police said.

Zubeck, who had lived at the Lassen Street house where the couple's bodies were found,
was "a master of disguise," an LAPD source told the Los Angeles Times.

Police had gotten a report that Zubeck might be attending a party Sunday night in Encino.

Detectives were following him outside a Ralphs at Ventura Boulevard and Libbit Avenue about 9:30 p.m. Sunday when he turned and shot at them before fleeing on foot.

Police closed off a square-mile area as they pressed their house-to-house search with the help of dogs.

Zubeck was eventually spotted and shot in the hip by police, who took him into custody.

2 shot after Raiders-49ers football game at Candlestick Park

Rep. Maxine Waters says 'the "tea party" can go straight to hell'

Videotape might help to solve the fatal subway stabbing in Hollywood

-- Andrew Blankstein

Photos: The scene at the arrest of double slaying suspect early Monday morning in Encino. Credit: KTLA News. Suspect Brent Zubeck. Credit: Los Angeles Police Department

Police seek double-murder suspect after shots are fired at officers

Police were searching for a double-murder suspect after he shot at officers Sunday night near a supermarket in Encino.

Los Angeles Police Department detectives were following a man outside a Ralph's at Ventura Boulevard and Libbit Avenue about 9:30 p.m. when he turned and shot at them before fleeing on foot, according to LAPD Sgt. Vik Walia.

The officers did not return fire, he said.

Police closed off a square-mile area as they pressed their house-to-house search, with the help of dogs, Walia said.

He said the alleged shooter was believed to be Brent Zubeck, 43, who is wanted in connection with the deaths of a Chatsworth couple found in their Lassen Street home Aug. 12. Zubeck was a former resident of the home, police said.

A $75,000 reward has been offered in the case.

No further information was available late Sunday night.

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Two people critically injured in La Puente fire

Five people were injured, two critically, in a house fire in the 1700 block of Piermont Drive in La Puente, Los Angeles County firefighters said.

All of the injured were taken to a hospital, a county FIre Department spokesman said. The two with critical injuries were unresponsive, he said.

One firefighter suffered smoke inhalation and was treated at a hospital.

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