A second trial in gay slaying case could be risky, former D.A. says

 
Prosecutors may face an uphill climb in retrying a former Oxnard middle school student who shot a gay classmate to death during a morning computer lab three years ago, a former district attorney said Friday.

“These are extremely difficult cases,” said Michael Bradbury, the longtime district attorney in Ventura County.

“The public may see a straightforward murder case, but this case is far more complex, firstly, because of the age of the defendant at the time of the act and, secondly, the manner in which he was raised by his parents, which was clearly dysfunctional and by all accounts horrific,” Bradbury said.

The raw emotions of the case make the outcome of a second trial “highly unpredictable,” the former prosecutor said.

Jurors were unable to reach a decision in the case, even after 17 hours of deliberations and the option of convicting Brandon McInerney of murder or the less serious offense of voluntary manslaughter. A judge declared a mistrial Friday.

Prosecutors vowed Friday to immediately retry McInerney for fatally shooting Larry King, a 15-year-old student who’d begun to wear makeup and women’s attire to school.

However, Ventura County prosecutors said they are considering whether to again try McInerney as an adult -- a choice that legal experts believe made it harder for them to win a conviction.

Others, including Bradbury, said there are challenges beyond the defendant’s age.

“It will be equally difficult a second time despite the lawyers having gaining a wealth of information from individual jurors,” Bradbury said.

Most southbound lanes of I-15 reopened; 1,100-acre fire still burning

Three of the four southbound lanes of Interstate 15 that were closed earlier because of a brush fire in  the Cajon Pass have reopened, a Caltrans official said Friday evening.

The three lanes were opened shortly after 7 p.m., said Terri Kasinga, a spokeswoman for the California Department of Transportation. As with the northbound side, only the lane closest to the median remains closed because of fire equipment stationed there, she said.

The fire has grown to about 1,100 acres, with mandatory evacuations still in effect in some areas, officials said. The fire is 20% contained.

Two firefighters have been injured. One injury is believed to be heat-related and the other due to smoke inhalation, said Fred Pena, a spokesman for the U.S. Forest Service.

"The winds are in our favor," Pena said. "They seem to be blowing back into the fire. The rate of spread has dramatically slowed down."

About 200 firefighters, assisted by 18 aircraft, including a DC-10, were battling the blaze, said Bob Poole, also a U.S. Forest Service spokesman. One structure has been damaged by the fire, but Poole said he didn’t yet know whether it was a home or an outbuilding.

Mandatory evacuations remain in effect for Jenny Street between Columbine and Braceo in Hesperia, and for residents west of Caliente and east of Baldy Mesa Road, south of Joshua to the top of the Cajon Pass in Oak Hills.

An evacuation center has been set up at Baldy Mesa Elementary School, 10376 Baldy Mesa Road, between Avenal Street and Bonanza Road.

ALSO:

Shock over allegations that professor led motorcycle gang

Spreckels mansion death was a suicide, investigators conclude

San Diego lifeguards to watch for sharks over Labor Day weekend

-- Hector Becerra

Northbound lanes of Interstate 15 reopened; brush fire along Cajon Pass continues to burn [Updated]

View Hesperia fire in a larger map

Three northbound I-15 lanes have reopened after a fast-moving brush fire along the Cajon Pass swept through the area, scorching more than 500 acres and prompting the evacuation of several San Bernardino County neighborhoods.

Holiday-weekend traffic is being escorted by the California Highway Patrol, said Terry Kasinga, a Caltrans spokeswoman. In Fontana, some vehicles are backing up on the shoulder to get off the freeway, she said, but traffic is slowly moving.

Southbound lanes of the freeway --  which are coated with fire retardant dropped by air crews -- are expected to remain closed for an extended period between Highway 138 and Interstate 395, Kasinga said.

“That closure could possibly be through the night,” she said.

Kasinga said the fire burned out a couple of Caltrans traffic cameras on the freeway in the Oak Hill area.

The San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department called for evacuations in the Oak Hills area on Elk Ridge/Oak Hills Road.

An evacuation center has been set up at Baldy Mesa Elementary School, 10376 Baldy Mesa Road, between Avenal Street and Bonanza Road. The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

[Update, 4:10 p.m.: Brandt Maxwell, a meteorologist for the National Weather Service, said the good news is that the winds have not been strong and could decrease slightly over the weekend
“Wind speeds as a whole will be moderate, and it’s usually when you get the strong winds that the fire danger is very high,” he said.

Maxwell added that while humidity levels will remain relatively low over the weekend, that could improve a bit in the next few days.]

ALSO:

Shock over allegations that professor led motorcycle gang

Spreckels mansion death was a suicide, investigators conclude

San Diego lifeguards to watch for sharks over Labor Day weekend

-- Hector Becerra

 

Cajon Pass fire grows to 800 acres; southbound lanes of I-15 still closed [Updated]

View Hesperia fire in a larger map

A brush fire along the Cajon Pass has grown to about 800 acres, with mandatory evacuations still in effect in some areas while the southbound lanes of Interstate 15 are expected to remain closed until at least Saturday morning, officials said.

Three northbound lanes of the interstate have reopened, but one remains closed until further notice, officials said. Motorists are advised to use alternative routes and avoid the pass.

About 200 firefighters, assisted by 18 aircraft, including a DC-10, were battling the blaze, said Bob Poole, a U.S. Forest Service spokesman. Crews from the U.S. Forest Service, the San Bernardino County Fire Department and the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection were among those assisting in the fight, he said.

One structure has been damaged by the fire, but Poole said he didn’t yet know whether it was a home or an outbuilding.

Reader photos: Southern California Moments, Day 245

Days of summer: Sand stretches to the horizon in this beach image taken in Santa Monica by Sandy Gonzalez on Aug. 24.

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.

Cajon Pass fire grows to 800 acres; southbound lanes of I-15 still closed

View Hesperia fire in a larger map

A brush fire along the Cajon Pass has grown to about 800 acres, with mandatory evacuations still in effect in some areas while the southbound lanes of Interstate 15 are expected to remain closed until at least Saturday morning, officials said.

Three northbound lanes of the interstate have reopened, but one remains closed until further notice, officials said. Motorists are advised to use alternative routes and avoid the pass.

About 200 firefighters, assisted by 13 aircraft, including a DC-10, were battling the blaze, said Bob Poole, a U.S. Forest Service spokesman. Crews from the U.S. Forest Service, the San Bernardino County Fire Department and the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection were among those assisting in the fight, he said.

One structure has been damaged by the fire, but Poole said he didn’t yet know whether it was a home or an outbuilding.

California officials say jobs riding on transportation bill

State and local leaders this week used the approaching Labor Day holiday as a platform to call for federal investment in transportation projects, warning that failure to do so would further damage the nation’s infrastructure and cost millions of jobs.

In a letter to congressional leaders, at news conferences and in “A Common-Sense Jobs Agenda” issued Friday, elected officials urged federal leaders to extend the nation’s surface transportation law and take other steps to boost the economy and create jobs.

“The clock is ticking,” said a letter issued Wednesday by the U.S. Conference of Mayors to congressional leaders. “If such an extension is not signed by the President before September 30, the entire program will be suspended.”

U.S. Sens. Barbara Boxer of California and Tim Johnson of South Dakota, both Democrats, released a joint statement Thursday saying nearly 2 million jobs would be lost if Congress failed to pass the transportation bill.

“The $52 billion in Federal funding provided through these programs, when matched by State and local investments, supports over 1.8 million jobs nationwide through all sectors of the economy,” the statement read.

Nearly 40% of North Hollywood, Sun Valley homeless found at risk

Nearly 40% of the homeless population in North Hollywood and Sun Valley are at risk of premature death, according to a survey completed this week.

Of the 271 people surveyed, 106 were found to have health conditions associated with a high mortality risk, according to organizers from the San Fernando Valley Homeless Coalition, a network of service providers.

About 60 volunteers took part in the effort, fanning out in the early morning hours Monday through Wednesday to interview people living on the streets and in shelters about their health status, institutional history, length of homelessness and other issues.

The survey found that 199 people -- about 73% -- met the definition of chronically homeless, meaning that they have a disabling condition and have been homeless for at least a year, or had four episodes of homelessness in the last three years. Studies have shown that this population accounts for a disproportionate share of government spending because of their frequent use of hospital emergency rooms, other crisis services and jail cells.

Those surveyed included 63 people over the age of 55, 19 under 25 and 50 veterans.

Members of the homeless coalition plan to use the results to prioritize people for housing and support services. 

North Hollywood and Sun Valley are among more than 90 communities nationwide to join the 100,000 Homes campaign, an effort to get 100,000 homeless people into permanent housing by 2013.

Similar initiatives in Santa Monica, Venice, West Hollywood, Glendale, Pasadena, Hollywood, Van Nuys, Long Beach and downtown Los Angeles have put permanent roofs over the heads of more than 700 of the most hard-core homeless in Los Angeles County, according to figures collected by the campaign. It's estimated that more than 51,000 people are homeless on any given day in the county.

RELATED:

Volunteers survey the homeless in San Fernando Valley

Community project gets dozens of Hollywood's homeless off the streets

After the hospital, a haven for homeless patients to recuperate

-- Alexandra Zavis

Marijuana street fair promises ultimate smoking lounge

Talk about the ultimate smoking lounge.

A street fair this weekend in Oakland is devoted to marijuana and will feature speakers, hundreds of exhibitors, music and what organizers call a "Patient Consumption Area and VIP Lounge" with "approved onsite consumption" -- located directly in front of City Hall.

Tickets for the International Cannabis and Hemp Expo start at $18.

For $300, you get a Golden Ticket that includes, according to the expo's website, "a judge's pass that allows you to sample dozens of strains," access to a tented "Vapor Lounge" and two "complementary hash bars."

"A true VIP experience," organizers promise.

ALSO:

Shock over allegations that professor led motorcycle gang

Spreckels mansion death was a suicide, investigators conclude

San Diego lifeguards to watch for sharks over Labor Day weekend

-- Mike Anton

Photo: Marijuana varieties on display in Portland, Ore. Credit: Rick Bowmer / Associated Press

Prosecutors vow to retry teen who killed gay classmate

Prosecutors vowed Friday to immediately retry an Oxnard middle school student who shot a gay classmate, maintaining that the incident was a premeditated murder and a hate crime despite doubts by some jurors in the initial trial, which ended with a hung jury and a mistrial.

However, Ventura County prosecutors said they are considering whether to again try Brandon McInerney as an adult -- a choice that legal experts believe made it harder for them to win a conviction.

McInerney, who was 14 at the time of the killing, would face up to life in prison if convicted as an adult. In the juvenile system, even convicted murderers are typically released at age 25.

"We will consider the fact that this was a very significantly split jury. We will consider everything," said Chief Asst. Dist. Atty. Jim Ellison. "There are obviously very strong reactions on both sides, and we will consider all those in how we proceed."

Jurors on Thursday said they were deadlocked on a verdict, with seven favoring a voluntary-manslaughter conviction and five pushing for first- or second-degree murder. The jurors, who have not spoken to the media about the deliberations, told defense attorneys that they did not believe the killing amounted to a hate crime.

Prosecutors on Friday disagreed and said they continue to believe the killing was motivated by victim Larry King's sexual preference. They also said they believe that McInerney was lying in wait to kill King, an allegation that automatically qualifies him to be tried as an adult, Ellison said.

Laurie Levenson, a Loyola law professor and former federal prosecutor, said it was possible that jurors thought the charges were too harsh.

"Jurors felt prosecutors overcharged, and they were clearly not comfortable putting the boy away for life. They probably believed the dynamic between two adolescent boys is not the same as two adults,"  Levenson said. "With a hate crime, there is usually an agenda to go after a whole group, and this case as presented was a very personal. This was a shooting but not a traditional cold-blooded killing. It had an emotional complexity, especially one associated with adolescents.”

ALSO:

Shock over allegations that professor led motorcycle gang

Spreckels mansion death was a suicide, investigators conclude

San Diego lifeguards to watch for sharks over Labor Day weekend

-- Catherine Saillant in Ventura County and Richard Winton in Los Angeles

Photo: Dawn King, mother of victim Larry King, leaves the courthouse after the jury deadlocked Thursday. Credit: Lawrence K. Ho / Los Angeles Times

Massive waves likely smashed marijuana-smuggling boat

Massive waves probably caused a marijuana-smuggling boat to split in two near Point Mugu, investigators said Friday.

What began as a potential rescue quickly became a crime investigation Thursday after the boat carrying 250 pounds of marijuana was found broken apart on rocks south of Point Mugu State Park.

By the time authorities arrived, the smugglers had fled.

Officials said rescuers first came upon debris, such as floating gasoline containers and marijuana packaged neatly in burlap bags. Farther south, washed up among rocks, was what remained of a splintered 20-foot fishing boat. Large waves have pounded the Southern California coastline in recent days.

"We did not find injured people along the beach or in the water," said Bill Nash, a spokesman for the Ventura County Fire Department. "We turned the matter over to law enforcement."

Documents inside or near the boat were in Spanish, suggesting the smugglers may have sailed from Mexico, said Capt. Mike Aranda of the Ventura County Sheriff's Department.

Investigators said there's been an increase in smuggling in recent months by traffickers attempting landfall in remote areas along the shoreline in Ventura County and adjoining counties.

ALSO:

Mom: Son was tossed overboard by dad

Shock over allegations that professor led motorcycle gang

San Diego lifeguards to watch for sharks over Labor Day weekend

-- Richard Winton

Photo: Officials investigate a drug-smuggling boat washed ashore near Point Mugu. Credit: KTLA

 

Fire burns NBC4 news truck on 405 Freeway

A fire broke out Friday on an NBC4 news truck on the 405 Freeway, backing up traffic in the Sepulveda Pass, but Los Angeles firefighters quickly extinguished the blaze.

No one was injured in the 10:30 a.m. fire on the northbound 405 near Getty Center Drive, said Matt Spence, a spokesman for the Los Angeles city Fire Department. The cause of the fire was unknown.

NBC4 reported that photographer Joel Cooke was the only person in the van at the time and was able to get out safely before alerting authorities.

The burned-out front edge of the Chevy Suburban was visible to motorists.

ALSO:

Shock over allegations that professor led motorcycle gang

Spreckels mansion death was a suicide, investigators conclude

San Diego lifeguards to watch for sharks over Labor Day weekend

-- Richard Winton

Photo: Fire breaks out on news truck. Credit: @veisandrew / Twitter

Santa Ana man charged in crash that killed nephew

A man accused of drunk driving has been charged with killing his nephew and severely injuring his brother-in-law when he crashed into a light pole in Irvine.

Tapu Aniceto Sitagata, 27 of Santa Ana was drinking at Newport Five Cocktail Lounge in Tustin on Dec. 20 when a bartender asked Sitagata, his friends and family to leave because they were being rowdy, according to an Orange County district attorney's office news release.

Both the bartender and a Tustin police officer offered to call a cab for Sitagata, but he told the officer he was waiting for a cab, prosecutors said.

After the officer left, prosecutors allege Sitagata drove his Chevrolet Suburban away from the bar and crashed at Irvine Center and Culver drives in Irvine, about five miles away, the Daily Pilot reported.

Sitagata's 20-year-old nephew, Pesa Sitagata, was killed and Sitagata's 34-year-old brother-in-law, Aron La, suffered fractures to both legs, broken ribs and lacerations to his spleen and liver, the release said.

A passerby offered to call 911, but Sitagata refused before fleeing on foot, according to prosecutors. He was arrested a short distance away.

Sitagata is charged with one felony count each of murder, driving under the influence causing great bodily injury, driving with a blood-alcohol level of 0.08 or higher, and hit-and-run with injury; and one misdemeanor count of driving with a suspended license, according to the release.

He faces a maximum sentence of 20 years and eight months to life in prison.

ALSO:

Mom: Son was tossed overboard by dad

Shock over allegations that professor led motorcycle gang

San Diego lifeguards to watch for sharks over Labor Day weekend

-- Lauren Williams, Times Community News

Image: Map shows location of the car crash in Irvine. Source: Google Maps

Spreckels mansion death was a suicide, San Diego sheriff says

Rebecca Zahau, the girlfriend of pharmaceutical executive Jonah Shacknai, committed suicide at his Coronado mansion and her death was not the result of a criminal act, San Diego County Sheriff Bill Gore said at a news conference Friday.

Investigators based their conclusion in part on forensic evidence.

The evidence is "compelling" and points "persuasively" to suicide, Gore said.

Mary Zahau-Loehner, Rebecca's Zahau's sister, had told reporters Thursday night that the family does not believe Zahau took her own life.

Gore, backed by detectives and the medical examiner, explained how forensic evidence and interviews with people who talked to Zahau in the days before her death led to the overwhelming conclusion that she committed suicide and was not the victim of foul play.

Zahau may have been despondent over a sense of responsibility for the injury suffered by Shacknai's 6-year-old son Max during a time when Zahau was supposed to be watching him, authorities said. The boy's death was ruled an accident.

Zahau’s nude body was found in the courtyard of the historic Spreckels mansion on the morning of July 13. Her hands and feet had been tied, and a noose was around her neck and tied to a second-story balcony.

She had apparently jumped off a small table in the courtyard. Her lifeless body was found by Shacknai's brother, Adam, a guest at the mansion.

Almost immediately, a media-fanned “mystery” suggested that the 32-year-old Zahau  may have been murdered.

But investigators said that it is not unknown for suicide victims to tie their hands and feet to avoid having second thoughts about dying.

The Sheriff's Department delayed making its determination until forensic tests were completed and interviews done to assess Zahau's mental state. Shacknai, his brother and his ex-wife were interviewed.

Mom: Son was tossed overboard by dad

The mother of a 7-year-old boy who authorities said was thrown overboard by his father during a Newport Harbor cruise released a statement saying eyewitness accounts about the incident are accurate.

Christin Briles, through attorney Eric Dubin, said Wednesday night that although she was not on the boat, her sons corroborated witness' statements that Sloane Briles, 35, of Irvine threw his son overboard Sunday, the Daily Pilot reported.

"While these good people could not prevent what happened, at least their reports to the police will help get full accountability," Christin Briles said in her statement.

Sloane Briles was arrested Sunday on suspicion of child endangerment and resisting arrest.

Witnesses said that Sloane Briles hit the boy several times when he wouldn't stop crying before throwing him overboard.

Earlier this week, Sloane Briles told KTLA that he did nothing wrong.

"We were having fun; it was a harbor cruise," he told the TV station, adding that he would "absolutely" do the same thing if he had not been drinking.

Sloane Briles could not be reached for further comment on the incident. 

RELATED:

"We were having fun," dad says

Man threw 7-year-old son overboard for crying, authorities say

-- Lauren Williams, Times Community News

Photo: Sloane Briles. Credit: Orange County Sheriff's Department / KTLA

Making Vegetables the Meal

Vegetables are often relegated to the side of the plate, but in the latest Recipes for Health series, Martha Rose Shulman shows how stuffed vegetables can make the meal. She writes:

Travel anywhere in the Mediterranean region, and you will find stuffed vegetables. In Provence, they tend to be filled with meat (a way to stretch leftover stews), but in the Middle East and Greece rice and grain fillings prevail. Regional cooks make abundant use of fresh herbs like parsley, dill and mint, and sweet spices like cinnamon and allspice.

Fragrant stuffed vegetables can be made ahead of the meal and served hot or at room temperature. They don’t require a lot of patience to assemble — they just need a long simmer and then a rest to let the flavors mingle and intensify

Here are five new ways to create stuffed vegetables that are hearty enough to serve as a main dish.

Eggplant Stuffed With Rice and Tomatoes: The filling for these irresistible stuffed eggplants are also good with peppers or squash.

Pattypan Squash Stuffed With Corn: Large dark green and yellow pattypan squash, available at farmers’ markets, are perfect for stuffing with this simple mixture of squash, corn, a little onion and a very light custard.

Stuffed Yellow Peppers With Israeli Couscous and Pesto: This recipe uses the large spherical couscous that we know as Israeli couscous.

Greek Stuffed Tomatoes: Stuffed tomatoes are ubiquitous in Greece, and this recipe can be made with bulgur or, for a gluten-free dish, rice.

Barley and Herb-Stuffed Vegetables: This dish is based on a Turkish stuffing for vegetables, a delicate sweet-savory rice mixture seasoned with allspice, cinnamon, parsley, and dill or mint.

Park rangers say Glendale fired them after complaints about boss

Two former Glendale park naturalists have filed a lawsuit against the city, claiming they were wrongly terminated when they complained about a manager's misuse of city resources. 

Russell Hauck and Eric Grossman claim in separate lawsuits filed July 29 in U.S. District Court that they were laid off only after they raised concerns about Dave Ahern, the former capital projects administrator for the city's Community Services & Parks Department, and his alleged use of a city-owned vehicle and public employees for his own landscaping, the Glendale News-Press reported.

Hauck and Grossman told managers that a Glendale resident saw a city vehicle and city employees landscaping Ahern's home at least five times in two months, according to the lawsuit. 

Hauck and Grossman claim that soon after notifying their superiors -- who at the time were former department director George Chapjian and current director Jess Duran -- their duties were consistently reassigned.

The pair were fired June 30, less than six weeks after complaining about Ahern, according to the lawsuit. 

Glendale Human Resources Director Matt Doyle declined to discuss specific personnel matters, although he said Hauck chose to retire. Any jobs lost were a result of budget cuts, he added.

The city attorney's office this week denied a Public Records Act request by the Glendale News-Press for all city correspondence regarding Ahern's personal residence and any investigation or review of using a parks department vehicle and city resources for personal landscaping. A records request for complaints filed on behalf of Hauck and Grossman about Ahern was also rejected because the city said it involved confidential personnel matters.

ALSO:

Shock over allegations that professor led motorcycle gang

Spreckels mansion death was a suicide, investigators conclude

San Diego lifeguards to watch for sharks over Labor Day weekend

-- Veronica Rocha, Times Community News

Critters stolen from school terrarium recovered

Two animals that were among three stolen last month from a Jurupa Valley elementary school classroom have been found and returned.

The third -– a bright orange spiny lizard called a uromastyx -– was released by the thieves because they feared selling the distinctive creature would get them caught, according to a report in the Riverside Press-Enterprise.

They were arrested anyway.

Officials said the animals were taken from the fifth-grade classroom terrarium at Troth Street Elementary School during an August weekend.

A bearded dragon and a tarantula were recovered this week by Riverside County Sheriff's Department deputies, who arrested the alleged thieves at the home where the stolen critters were found.

ALSO:

Man shoots into crowd outside Hollywood nightclub

36 pounds of cocaine seized at U.S.-Mexican border

San Diego lifeguards to watch for sharks over Labor Day weekend

-- Mike Anton

Photo: A tarantula, much like the one stolen from a Jurupa Valley elementary school. Credit: Rachel Denny Clow / Corpus Christi Caller-Times

San Diego lifeguards to watch for sharks over Labor Day weekend

 
San Diego lifeguards plan to vigilantly watch for sharks this Labor Day weekend as more than 200,000 visitors are expected to descend on area beaches to mark the unofficial end of summer.

Three credible shark sightings in the past week have led to beach closures: Two in Mission Beach and one in La Jolla.

Additional lifeguards will be on duty, officials said. A few years ago, a Labor Day brawl at Mission Beach caused a political uproar. Since then, the city has added lifeguards and beach police for the long weekend.

On Wednesday, a two-mile stretch of beach in La Jolla, north and south of the Children's Pool, was closed after a surfer spotted a dorsal fin.

On Thursday, the beach reopened and surfers and boogie-boarders raced into the water.

Tim Warner, 27, a Christian missionary from Mozambique, said the surf off La Jolla was so strong it swept him 100 yards or more before he was able to paddle frantically to the more tranquil waters of the Children's Pool cove.

"It's intense out there, real intense," Warner said as he lugged his boogie board to shore.

His boogie-boarding buddy, Clay Walking-Eagle, 26, of Carlsbad, agreed. "It's a rush," he said.

Local and national news reporters swarmed the beach, looking for sharks and pestering onlookers for quotes.

One theory unconfirmed by scientists is that sharks are drawn to San Diego beaches by a food source -- seals lounging on the beach at the Children's Pool.

With no sharks in sight, the surf was the attraction Thursday.

A crew from the Weather Channel was busy filming the foaming water for a documentary on rough-water rescues.

"Surf's up, dude," said Cathy Clark, a Weather Channel producer, an expression that needed no further explanation.

RELATED:

Coast Guard calls off search for missing swimmer

High surf set to pound Southern California beaches

San Diego lifeguards on watch for shark; La Jolla beach reopened

-- Tony Perry in San Diego

Photo: The beach at the Children's Pool in La Jolla. Credit: Don Bartletti / Los Angeles Times 

College student arrested, charged with making terrorist threats

A 30-year-old San Bernardino County man has been arrested after police said he made threats to attack students and staff at a community college in Yucaipa.

Authorities say Stanley Roring, a student at Crafton Hills College, posted messages on Facebook stating a "genocide" at the school would be similar to the 2007 Virginia Tech massacre in which 32 people were shot to death by a student.

San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department deputies arrested Roring at his home a few hours after school officials alerted them to the threats, authorities said. He was charged with making terrorist threats and was being held in jail on $50,000 bail.

ALSO:

Man shoots into crowd outside Hollywood nightclub

High surf set to pound Southern California beaches

36 pounds of cocaine seized at U.S.-Mexican border

-- Mike Anton

L.A. earthquake: Aftershocks continue from 4.2 temblor

The Earth keeps on quietly rattling after Thursday's moderate 4.2 earthquake near Newhall.

According to the U.S. Geological Survey, there have been more than a dozen aftershocks in the Newhall-San Fernando area, all of them relatively small.

The earthquake was the largest in Southern California in more than a year.

High surf set to pound Southern California beaches

The National Weather Service said some Southern California beaches will be pounded by another day of high surf on Friday, bringing with it the possibility of more coastal flooding.

Conditions are expected to be slightly less severe than Thursday, but officials said they will still pose a serious danger. The surf is expected to generate strong and hazardous rip currents.

The weather service issued a high-surf advisory through 5 p.m. Friday, warning of up to 11-foot waves on south- and southwest-facing beaches.

Photos: Surf's up

On Thursday, Newport Beach officials said waves there reached 10 feet to 13 feet at the beaches and 20 feet at the Wedge. Flooding had subsided from the streets, they said, but water breached at least one parking lot along the Balboa Peninsula.

In Laguna Beach, lifeguards closed the parking lot at Aliso Beach on Wednesday afternoon after a high tide brought heavy deposits of sand and debris ashore, an Orange County parks spokeswoman said.

Capistrano Beach's parking lot was closed Thursday after waves washed up sand and debris and damaged a wooden boardwalk.

End of the line for California solar firm

A California solar panel manufacturer is filing for bankruptcy protection.

Solyndra of Fremont, Calif., received a high-profile $535-million Energy Department loan guarantee said it was ceasing operations, laying of 1,100 workers and preparing to file for bankruptcy protection.

Solyndra said it had been rocked by stifling global economic conditions and faced heavy competition from Chinese firms that were undercutting it on costs.

ALSO:

BPA ban passes California state Senate

Mountain lion killed in attempt to cross 405 Freeway

Sierra magazine ranks UC Irvine among top 10 green schools

--Ronald D. White

Photo: Ben Bierman, left, Solyndra’s executive vice president of operations and engineering, and company founder Chris Gronet take President Obama on a tour. (Paul Chinn, Pool photo / September 1, 2011)

Like it or not, bread needs salt

Ah... delicious salt. It brings out the flavour of the wheat berry (Photo: Getty)

A typical slice of our daily bread may contain as much salt as a packet of crisps, the Telegraph’s science correspondent Nick Collins reports today. And a pain de campagne from the chain Paul contained 2.83g of salt in every 100g – which is apparently more salt than is found in seawater. (Incidentally, Paul is an interesting case: in Britain it has an upmarket image, whereas in France it’s known mainly for its outlets in service stations.)

These findings come from a campaigning group called Cash – Consensus Action on Salt & Health. Have you heard of them before today? I hadn’t. I wonder who they are, why they feel so strongly about dietary salt, and who gives them their money. But apart from that, I think the worry about salt in our diets is exaggerated. I think there’s a group in the population who have a tendency to raised blood pressure who should watch their salt intake, but the rest of us don’t need to worry unduly. At any rate, anyone who’s ever made bread knows that salt is one of the essential ingredients.

To make bread you need flour, water, salt and yeast. You can make bread without salt, but it won’t taste like any bread you’re used to. It’s true that some Italian breads, for example, are made without salt. But on the whole wheat seems to go with salt, the salt seems to bring out the sweetness of the wheat berry, and it’s same with other cereals such as rye. As this recipe from Andrew Whitley for a Lammas loaf shows, you don’t need that much salt. For a large loaf (800g baked weight) he suggests only 6g of salt (which is on the low side, many bakers would say). Andrew Whitley is from the Real Bread Campaign, by the way, which has lots of information about real bread.

No, of far more concern to consumers should the real rubbish the big baking and milling combines chuck into their flour and loaves – especially the sort of stuff that no baker of 50 years ago would recognise, substances that, in some cases, under EU laws, don’t even have to go on the label, such as enzymes.

And, besides, there’s not nearly as much salt in a packet of crisps as people think. A bag of Walker’s crisps only contains half a gram of salt: you could eat 10 bags and still be comfortably within your daily recommended salt limits.