Monday, September 19, 2011

Remains identified as those of Michelle Le

Michele Le Human remains found in a canyon in Alameda County were identified Monday night as those of Michelle Le, a nursing student who disappeared in May, according to media reports.

Le, who was raised in San Diego County, went missing May 27 after she left a Hayward hospital where she had been training. A woman who went to high school with Le in San Diego, Giselle Esteban, was arrested last week in connection with Le's disappearance.

The remains were identified by the Alameda County coroner's office, the San Francisco Chronicle reported.

Esteban had been a person of interest in the investigation, authorities said, because she had blamed Le for ruining her relationship with her boyfriend. Investigators also said they found Le's DNA on one of Esteban's shoes, along with evidence that she had been in Le's car and security camera footage of Esteban from the Hayward parking lot.

Searchers found remains and other items Saturday and Sunday near Pleasanton Sunol Road and Verona Road, said Sgt. J.D. Nelson of the Alameda County Sheriff's Department.

ALSO:

John Travolta's vintage Mercedes stolen in Santa Monica

Irvine 11 D.A.'s closing statement branded 'political theater'

Hockey mom accused of having sex with son's underage teammates

— Robert J. Lopez

twitter.com/LAJourno

Photo: An undated file photo of 26-year-old nursing student Michelle Le. Credit: Hayward Police Department

Tour bus traveling from Tijuana to L.A. catches fire

Tour bus fire
A tour bus traveling from Tijuana to Los Angeles on the 5 Freeway caught fire Monday, sending passengers scrambling for safety.

About two dozen passengers fled the bus as it filled with smoke at the Del Mar Heights Road exit in San Diego, Fox 5 TV reported. All the passengers were to able to safely get out of the vehicle.

"All of a sudden we started seeing smoke in back of the restroom and everyone started panicking,"  Emilene Castanon told the TV station.

Several northbound lanes were shut down as crews mopped up the area Monday afternoon. The cause of the fire was under investigation.

ALSO:

John Travolta's vintage Mercedes stolen in Santa Monica

Irvine 11 D.A.'s closing statement branded 'political theater'

Hockey mom accused of having sex with son's underage teammates

— Robert J. Lopez

twitter.com/LAJourno

Photo: Firefighters mop up tour bus blaze. Credit: Fox 5 San Diego TV

Four die, two are injured in Camarillo car crash

Fatal Camarillo Car Crash
Four men in their 20s died and two other victims were hospitalized after a car was broadsided early Monday in dark, foggy conditions in Ventura County.

The accident occurred in Camarillo when a 1997 Toyota Camry carrying five people was broadsided by a 2002 Cadillac sedan driven by a 78-year-old man, the Ventura County Sheriff's Department said Monday night, citing a preliminary investigation.

Three men in the Camry were pronounced dead at the scene after the 6 a.m. crash on Pleasant Valley Road. A fourth man died at a hospital, authorities said, and a fifth suffered numerous head injuries but was expected to survive. He was in 20s.

The driver of the Cadillac was being treated for a broken leg, broken ribs and other internal injuries. He was identified as William Thomas Kimbell, the department said.

The names of the men in the Camry were not released. The department said the accident was under investigation.

Anyone who may have witnessed the accident is asked to call investigators at (805) 662-6755.

ALSO:

John Travolta's vintage Mercedes stolen in Santa Monica

Irvine 11 D.A.'s closing statement branded 'political theater'

Hockey mom accused of having sex with son's underage teammates

— Robert J. Lopez

twitter.com/LAJourno

Map shows area where fatal crash occurred. Credit: Google Maps

Sex offenders banned from parks and playgrounds in La Habra

La Habra enacted a law Monday night to ban registered sex offenders from city parks and playgrounds, joining several other jurisdictions in Orange County that have passed or are considering similar ordinances.

The ordinance resulted from a vote last month by the La Habra City Council to create "child safety zones," which are off limits to sex offenders unless they obtain written permission to enter from the city Police Department. Under the new ordinance, sex offenders caught in the zones would face misdemeanor prosecution.

"The city of La Habra took a big step today in protecting children from dangerous, sexually deviant predators," Orange County Dist. Atty. Tony Rackauckas said in a statement Monday night.
 
Similar laws have been enacted by Westminster and Irvine.

The ordinances are modeled after one approved for unincorporated county areas in April by the Orange County Board of Supervisors.

ALSO:

John Travolta's vintage Mercedes stolen in Santa Monica

Irvine 11 D.A.'s closing statement branded 'political theater'

Hockey mom accused of having sex with son's underage teammates

— Robert J. Lopez

twitter.com/LAJourno

Brush fire at Camp Pendleton caused by fatal helicopter crash

A brush fire caused by a helicopter crash that killed two Marines has burned 50 acres, the Marine Corps announced at 4 p.m. Monday.

The fire, near the base's border with De Luz, is being fought by Camp Pendleton firefighters, four helicopters and four air tankers.

The crash of the AH-1 Cobra occurred about 1 p.m. during a training mission. The two Marines aboard the helicopter died.

ALSO:

John Travolta's vintage Mercedes stolen in Santa Monica

Irvine 11 D.A.'s closing statement branded 'political theater'

Hockey mom accused of having sex with son's underage teammates

-- Tony Perry in San Diego

Marine killed in Afghanistan had dreamed of long motorcycle ride

Dutcher 
Marine Cpl. Michael Dutcher was dreaming of a cross-country motorcycle ride from Camp Pendleton to his hometown of Asheville, N.C., once his battalion returned from Afghanistan.

Dutcher "wanted to see some of the country he had spent the last four years fighting for," the Asheville Citizen-Times wrote after interviewing his family.

There were other plans too. He was engaged to be married. He was planning to go college and maybe become a history teacher.

None of those plans will come true.

CALIFORNIA'S WAR DEAD: Marine Cpl. Michael Dutcher

Dutcher, 22, was killed Thursday during a foot patrol in Helmand province, Afghanistan. His flag-draped casket arrived at Dover Air Force Base on Saturday.

He graduated from high school in June 2007 and immediately shipped out to Marine boot camp. He was on his second deployment to Afghanistan and had received three Bronze Stars.

"He was loving and caring," Dutcher's mother, Teresa, told the Asheville paper. "He was an awesome dude."

Dutcher's funeral is set for Friday in Asheville.

He was the 10th Marine from the Camp Pendleton-based 1st Battalion, 5th Regiment killed in Afghanistan, according to the independent website www.icasualties.org. The battalion is assigned to the Sangin district, long a Taliban stronghold.

 ALSO:

Summer heat to hold on through last week of season

Music teacher accused of trying to arrange sex date with girl, 11

Woman escapes when kidnapper takes her to breakfast, police say

-- Tony Perry in San Diego

Photo: The casket of Cpl. Michael Dutcher arrives at Dover Air Force  Base (Del.). Credit: U.S. Air Force

 

Camp Pendleton brush fire 80% contained

A brush fire caused by the fatal crash of a helicopter at Camp Pendleton has burned 120 acres and is 80% contained, the Marine Corps announced about 6:15 p.m.

"The fire does not possess the threat of leaving the base at this time," according to the announcement.

Two Marines aboard an AH-1 Cobra helicopter died in the crash, which occurred about 1 p.m.

Camp Pendleton firefighters and California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection crews  backed by helicopters continue to battle the blaze, the Marines said.

 ALSO:

Summer heat to hold on through last week of season

Music teacher accused of trying to arrange sex date with girl, 11

Woman escapes when kidnapper takes her to breakfast, police say


--Tony Perry in San Diego

Long Beach police seek clues in fatal shooting

Long Beach homicides
Long Beach on Monday were looking for leads in a shooting that left a 21-year-old man dead.

Tony Calloway was with several other men on a sidewalk in the 2300 block of Locust Avenue on Sunday night when an attacker opened fire, the Long Beach Police Department said.

Calloway was struck in the upper body and taken to local hospital, where he died.

Since January 2007, at least 184 homicides have been reported in Long Beach, according to a Times Homicide Report database.

Anyone with information in Calloway's killing is asked to call Det. Greg Krabbe or Det. Mark McGuire at (562) 570-7244.

Judge rules in favor of charter taking over two L.A. schools

Photo: Students take advantage of the new track at Jordan High School in Watts. The school will undergo major change in the upcoming school year. Credit: Mariah Tauger / Los Angeles TimesA Los Angeles County Superior Court judge ruled Monday that the city school district can allow an outside group to run two long-struggling campuses.

The teachers union had sued to stop the Los Angeles Unified School District from letting Green Dot Public Schools, a charter school organization, take over all of Clay Middle School in Athens and half of Jordan High in Watts. The other half of Jordan is operated by a nonprofit group backed by Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa. Classes have started at both campuses.

Teachers union officials had claimed that the district needed the approval of the majority of permanent teachers at the two schools before giving Green Dot control, but the judge ruled that the district was “obligated” to take action under federal and state law.

Teachers union officials said they planned to appeal the decision.

ALSO:

John Travolta's vintage Mercedes stolen in Santa Monica

Irvine 11 D.A.'s closing statement branded 'political theater'

Hockey mom accused of having sex with son's underage teammates

-- Jason Song

Photo: Students take advantage of the new track at Jordan High in Watts. The school will undergo major changes in the upcoming school year. Credit: Mariah Tauger / Los Angeles Times

West Hollywood considers fur ban

Photo: A pooch makes an anti-fur stand during a demonstration along Santa Monica Boulevard in West Hollywood back in January. Credit: Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times West Hollywood has long been known for its animal-friendly laws. After all, this is a city where pets are formally recognized as “companions” and their owners as “guardians.”

In its latest effort, the City Council will consider an ordinance Monday night that would prohibit the sale of clothing or personal attire made of animal hair, wool or fur. Under the proposal, the sale of leather would not be considered a violation, however.

Ed Buck, a volunteer with Fur Free West Hollywood, believes the city is on the right side of the issue.

“I think this would be an international, great turning point for the humane community worldwide,” Buck said. “We’ve gone from talking about the problem to talking about the solution. We all know fur is dead.”

But the board of the Avenues: Art, Fashion and Design district opposes the ordinance.

The fashion industry would perceive West Hollywood as “a city not interested in allowing the creative expression inherent in fashion” if the new law is approved, according to a letter to the City Council from the chair and executive director of the organization. The West Hollywood Chamber of Commerce also opposes the ordinance.

L.A. building inspector gets prison for taking bribes

Photos: Federal prosecutors say photo shows Raoul Joseph Germain taking a bribe. Credit: FBIA city of Los Angeles building inspector who pleaded guilty to accepting bribes during an FBI sting operation was sentenced Monday to 21 months in prison.
               
Raoul Germain, 60, of Altadena was “very remorseful” about his deeds but also did not cooperate with federal investigators trying to determine the extent of corruption within the Department of Building and Safety, said his lawyer, Steven Cron. Asked why Germain did not help with the FBI probe, Cron responded: “What do you think happens to someone who cooperates?

“There is certainly the possibility of danger to oneself or one’s family,” the lawyer added.

Germain was one of two men caught on tape accepting bribes involving multiple building sites in South L.A. In exchange for thousands of dollars, Germain signed off on electrical work, plumbing, framing and fire sprinklers –- sometimes without visiting the construction sites, according to an affidavit filed by FBI agents.

Prosecutors recommended the 21-month sentence. Germain had asked for a lighter sentence, appealing to U.S. District Judge Christina A. Snyder in a personal letter. Snyder declined the request.

Court trustee gets 18 months for theft to feed gambling habit

A licensed private fiduciary who acted as a court-appointed trustee was sentenced Monday to 18 months in prison after admitting that she stole nearly $500,000 from clients to feed a gambling habit.

Teresa Laggner, 56, had pleaded guilty in San Diego federal court to one count of wire fraud and one of money laundering.

Laggner, while managing numerous bank accounts for trust beneficiaries, transferred funds to her personal accounts without authorization, according to court documents.

The total loss to the trusts totaled more than $470,000, prosecutors said. Much of the money was used to gamble at casinos in San Diego and Nevada.

Along with the prison term, Laggner agreed to make $471,000 in restitution.

ALSO:

John Travolta's vintage Mercedes stolen in Santa Monica

Irvine 11 D.A.'s closing statement branded 'political theater'

Hockey mom accused of having sex with son's underage teammates

--Tony Perry in San Diego

Reader photos: Southern California Moments Day 262

Click through for more photos of Southern California Moments.

Another day in Hollywood: A pedestrian sidesteps a costumed crusader on Hollywood Boulevard in this Jan. 14 photo by Greg Lilly.

RELATED:

Photos: Hollywood characters come to life

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.

Interior Secretary Ken Salazar jabs GOP on San Joaquin River pact

San Joaquin River
U.S. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar took some shots Monday at Republican efforts to roll back environmental protections and repeal a historic agreement on river restoration in California.

The GOP majority in the House is floating a number of bills that would freeze or dismantle an array of environmental regulations, arguing that they strangle business and hurt the economy.  

In a speech at the Commonwealth Club in San Francisco, Salazar took particular aim at a proposal introduced by Rep. Devin Nunes (R-Tulare) that would increase water deliveries to Central Valley farmers, eliminate long-standing reforms to federal irrigation contracts and repeal a legal settlement that calls for increased flows and the restoration of salmon runs on the San Joaquin River.

"A few members of Congress are bent on killing a restoration program that is restoring water flows to the river, bringing stability and certainty to agricultural users, and that will bring the first salmon runs in half a century," Salazar said in a copy of his prepared remarks.

More broadly, the former Democratic senator from Colorado said Americans face two competing visions of how to deal with the nation's economic problems: Under one, he contended, "It’s a place where we give up on the rules and standards that give us clean water, abundant wildlife and open lands to hunt, hike and fish. It’s a place where we cut taxes for the few and abandon the less fortunate among us, rather than make the investments we need to compete and win."

The tenor of the speech was unusual for Salazar, whose public remarks tend to the bland. 

He also promoted another pact opposed by some in California's GOP House delegation, an agreement that calls for the removal of salmon-blocking dams on the Klamath River on the Oregon-California border.

While Salazar said environmental documents scheduled for release later this week conclude the project will cut hydroelectric power generation and eliminate some recreation on the river's reservoirs, it would restore 68 miles of coho salmon habitat and 420 miles of steelhead habitat.

The restoration and dam work would bring "4,600 jobs to the regional economy over 15 years, including around 1,400 during the year of dam removal," he added.

ALSO:

Scientists find holes in Klamath River dam removal plan

House GOP budget bill aims to slash environmental regulation

Settlement Will Provide Water for Parched River

-- Bettina Boxall

Photo: Water flows are being restored to this dry stretch of the San Joaquin River under a restoration agreement. Credit: Carlos Chavez / Los Angeles Times

Two Marines dead in Camp Pendleton helicopter crash

CobraXXX 
Two Marines were killed in a helicopter crash during a training mission Monday at Camp Pendleton, officials said.

The two were aboard an AH-1 Cobra that crashed about 1 p.m. in the northeast corner of the sprawling base near Fallbrook. No other injuries were reported.

Camp Pendleton firefighters responded to a blaze at the crash scene. The helicopter was part of the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing.

ALSO:

John Travolta's vintage Mercedes stolen in Santa Monica

Irvine 11 D.A.'s closing statement branded 'political theater'

Hockey mom accused of having sex with son's underage teammates

-- Tony Perry in San Diego

Photo: AH-1 Cobra in Afghanistan. Credit: Marine Corps

In a Married World, Singles Struggle for Attention

Here’s a September celebration you probably didn’t know about: It’s National Single and Unmarried Americans Week.

But maybe celebration isn’t the right word. Social scientists and researchers say the plight of the American single person is cause for growing concern.

About 100 million Americans, nearly half of all adults, are unmarried, according to the Census Bureau — yet they tend to be overlooked by policies that favor married couples, from family-leave laws to lower insurance rates.

That national bias is one reason gay people fight for the right to marry, but now some researchers are concerned that the marriage equality movement is leaving single people behind.

“There is this push for marriage in the straight community and in the gay community, essentially assuming that if you don’t get married there is something wrong with you,” says Naomi Gerstel, a sociologist at the University of Massachusetts in Amherst who has published a number of papers comparing the married and unmarried.

“But a huge proportion of the population is unmarried, and the single population is only going to grow. At the same time, all the movement nationally is to offer benefits to those who are married, and that leaves single people dry.”

Yet as she and other experts note, single people often contribute more to the community — because once people marry, they tend to put their energy and focus into their partners and their own families at the expense of friendships, community ties and extended families.

In a report released this week by the Council on Contemporary Families, Dr. Gerstel notes that while 68 percent of married women offer practical or routine help to their parents, 84 percent of the never-married do. Just 38 percent of married men help their parents, compared with 67 percent of never-married men. Even singles who have children are more likely than married people to contribute outside their immediate family.

“It’s the unmarried, with or without kids, who are more likely to take care of other people,” Dr. Gerstel said. “It’s not having children that isolates people. It’s marriage.”

The unmarried also tend to be more connected with siblings, nieces and nephews. And while married people have high rates of volunteerism when it comes to taking part in their children’s activities, unmarried people often are more connected to the community as a whole. About 1 in 5 unmarried people take part in volunteer work like teaching, coaching other people’s children, raising money for charities and distributing or serving food.

Unmarried people are more likely to visit with neighbors. And never-married women are more likely than married women to sign petitions and go to political gatherings, according to Dr. Gerstel.

The demographics of unmarried people are constantly changing, and more Americans are spending a greater percentage of their lives unmarried than married. While some people never marry, other adults now counted as single are simply delaying marriage longer than people of their parents’ generation did. And many people are single because of divorce or the death of a spouse. About one-sixth of all unmarried adults are 65 and older; nearly one-eighth of unmarried people are parents.

The pressure to marry is particularly strong for women. A 2009 study by researchers at the University of Missouri and Texas Tech University carried the title “I’m a Loser, I’m Not Married, Let’s Just All Look at Me.” The researchers conducted 32 interviews with middle-class women in their 30s who felt stigmatized by the fact that they had never married.

“These were very successful women in their careers and their lives, yet almost all of them felt bad about not being married, like they were letting someone down,” said Lawrence Ganong, a chairman of human development and family studies at the University of Missouri.

“If a person is happy being single,” he said, “then we should support that as well.”

Bella DePaulo, a visiting professor of psychology at the University of California, Santa Barbara, has a term for discrimination against single people, which she calls one of the last accepted prejudices. It is the title of her new book, “Singlism: What It Is, Why It Matters and How to Stop It.”

As an example, Dr. DePaulo cites the Family and Medical Leave Act. Because she is single and has no children, nobody in her life can take time off under the law to care for her if she becomes ill. Nor does it require that she be given time off to care for a sibling, nephew or close friend.

Stephanie Coontz, director of research for the Council on Contemporary Families, says policy makers often neglect the needs of single people because their view is outdated — based on the way they themselves grew up.

In researching her latest book, “A Strange Stirring: The Feminine Mystique in American Women at the Dawn of the 1960s,” Ms. Coontz found that in the past single people were often called “deviant,” “neurotic” and “selfish.”

“We do have the tendency to think that there is something special about married people, and that they are the ones who keep community and family going,” she said. “I thought it was important to point out that single people keep our community going, too.”

Dolores Hope, widow of comedian Bob Hope, dies at 102

Dolores and Bob Hope in 1998Dolores Hope, who throughout her 69-year marriage to comedian Bob Hope oversaw their charitable giving and played a key role in establishing the Eisenhower Medical Center in Rancho Mirage, has died. She was 102.

In the late 1960s, the Hopes donated 80 acres of land near their future Palm Springs estate for the medical center, which opened in 1971.

She was born Dolores DeFina on May 27, 1909, in New York City and grew up in the Bronx.

During the 1930s, she sang in nightclubs using the stage name of Dolores Reade and met Hope when he caught a New York City show.

After a brief courtship they married in 1934 and were soon sharing the vaudeville stage.

Bob Hope died in 2003.

A full obituary will follow at latimes.com/obits.

ALSO:

Man who found victim online gets year in jail for sex assault

Graffiti artist takes his protest to the skies over Los Angeles

Hockey mom accused of having sex with son's underage teammates

-- Valerie Nelson and Claire Noland

Photo: Dolores and Bob Hope in 1998. Credit: Associated Press

The Plight of American Singles

Here’s a September celebration you probably didn’t know about: It’s National Single and Unmarried Americans Week.

But maybe celebration isn’t the right word. Social scientists and researchers say the plight of the American single person is cause for growing concern.

About 100 million Americans, nearly half of all adults, are unmarried, according to the Census Bureau — yet they tend to be overlooked by policies that favor married couples, from family-leave laws to lower insurance rates.

That national bias is one reason gay people fight for the right to marry, but now some researchers are concerned that the marriage equality movement is leaving single people behind.

“There is this push for marriage in the straight community and in the gay community, essentially assuming that if you don’t get married there is something wrong with you,” says Naomi Gerstel, a sociologist at the University of Massachusetts in Amherst who has published a number of papers comparing the married and unmarried.

“But a huge proportion of the population is unmarried, and the single population is only going to grow. At the same time, all the movement nationally is to offer benefits to those who are married, and that leaves single people dry.”

Yet as she and other experts note, single people often contribute more to the community — because once people marry, they tend to put their energy and focus into their partners and their own families at the expense of friendships, community ties and extended families.

In a report released this week by the Council on Contemporary Families, Dr. Gerstel notes that while 68 percent of married women offer practical or routine help to their parents, 84 percent of the never-married do. Just 38 percent of married men help their parents, compared with 67 percent of never-married men. Even singles who have children are more likely than married people to contribute outside their immediate family.

“It’s the unmarried, with or without kids, who are more likely to take care of other people,” Dr. Gerstel said. “It’s not having children that isolates people. It’s marriage.”

The unmarried also tend to be more connected with siblings, nieces and nephews. And while married people have high rates of volunteerism when it comes to taking part in their children’s activities, unmarried people often are more connected to the community as a whole. About 1 in 5 unmarried people take part in volunteer work like teaching, coaching other people’s children, raising money for charities and distributing or serving food.

Unmarried people are more likely to visit with neighbors. And never-married women are more likely than married women to sign petitions and go to political gatherings, according to Dr. Gerstel.

The demographics of unmarried people are constantly changing, and more Americans are spending a greater percentage of their lives unmarried than married. While some people never marry, other adults now counted as single are simply delaying marriage longer than people of their parents’ generation did. And many people are single because of divorce or the death of a spouse. About one-sixth of all unmarried adults are 65 and older; nearly one-eighth of unmarried people are parents.

The pressure to marry is particularly strong for women. A 2009 study by researchers at the University of Missouri and Texas Tech University carried the title “I’m a Loser, I’m Not Married, Let’s Just All Look at Me.” The researchers conducted 32 interviews with middle-class women in their 30s who felt stigmatized by the fact that they had never married.

“These were very successful women in their careers and their lives, yet almost all of them felt bad about not being married, like they were letting someone down,” said Lawrence Ganong, a chairman of human development and family studies at the University of Missouri.

“If a person is happy being single,” he said, “then we should support that as well.”

Bella DePaulo, a visiting professor of psychology at the University of California, Santa Barbara, has a term for discrimination against single people, which she calls one of the last accepted prejudices. It is the title of her new book, “Singlism: What It Is, Why It Matters and How to Stop It.”

As an example, Dr. DePaulo cites the Family and Medical Leave Act. Because she is single and has no children, nobody in her life can take time off under the law to care for her if she becomes ill. Nor does it require that she be given time off to care for a sibling, nephew or close friend.

Stephanie Coontz, director of research for the Council on Contemporary Families, says policy makers often neglect the needs of single people because their view is outdated — based on the way they themselves grew up.

In researching her latest book, “A Strange Stirring: The Feminine Mystique in American Women at the Dawn of the 1960s,” Ms. Coontz found that in the past single people were often called “deviant,” “neurotic” and “selfish.”

“We do have the tendency to think that there is something special about married people, and that they are the ones who keep community and family going,” she said. “I thought it was important to point out that single people keep our community going, too.”

Graffiti artist takes his protest to the skies over Los Angeles

Graffiti artist takes protest to sky

If you’re outside in Los Angeles and you see what looks like a message in the clouds, you haven’t lost your mind. A Los Angeles artist is taking his craft, and his message, to the skies.

Saber, a longtime graffiti artist in Los Angeles, is up in an airplane skywriting. He's sharing his creations on Twitter along the way. His messages include “End Mural Moratorium” and “Art Is Not A Crime,” as well as “OBEY,” an homage to artist Shepard Fairey and his Obey Giant campaign.

Fairey tweeted a photo of Saber’s work, and said, “If you are in Los Angeles right meow, Look up! #obeygiant.”

Saber, who says on his website that he’s a Glendale native, claims to have completed the largest piece of graffiti ever. His piece on the bank of the Los Angeles River, he said, is “nearly the size of a professional football field, and can be read clear as day from a satellite photo.”

ALSO:

Summer heat to hold on through last week of season

San Luis Obispo teacher shot and killed by son, police say

Woman escapes when kidnapper takes her to breakfast, police say

-- Rick Rojas

Photo: Graffiti artist Saber takes his art protest to the skies. Credit: Saber / via Twitter

$44.4-million settlement reached in San Francisco Bay oil spill

An oil-soaked bird is treated at a rescue center.

Local, state and federal officials on Monday announced a $44.4-million civil settlement with the owners and operators of a container ship that spilled 53,000 gallons of oil into San Francisco Bay after striking a tower of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge in heavy morning fog.

The 2007 spill killed thousands of birds, damaged the bay’s herring spawn, sullied miles of coastal habitat and closed regional waters and beaches to fishing and recreation.

"This bay is the jewel of the San Francisco region and the Cosco Busan oil spill left a lasting scar across our water, natural habitats and wildlife," California Atty. Gen. Kamala Harris said in a statement. "This settlement will allow all of these precious resources to be restored to their original health and beauty."

The settlement comes in the form of a U.S. Justice Department consent decree negotiated with Regal Stone Limited and Fleet Management Ltd., the owners and operators of the M/V Cosco Busan. The state, the city and county of San Francisco and the city of Richmond also are parties to the decree.

The settlement includes funds for natural resource restoration, penalties and reimbursement to governmental entities for spill response costs.

Redondo Beach day laborer ordinance is ruled unconstitutional

Day laborers and their supporters march on Redondo Beach City Hall in 2004

A Redondo Beach effort to crack down on day laborers is an unconstitutional restriction on free speech, a federal appeals court has ruled.

The city's anti-solicitation ordinance, which has been in place for more than two decades, drew attention in 2004 after undercover police officers posing as potential employers arrested nearly 60 day laborers in a period of about four weeks. The National Day Laborer Organizing Network and the Comite de Jornaleros de Redondo Beach sued the city soon after those arrests.

The ordinance, which city officials said was needed to regulate traffic safety at two major intersections, barred standing on a street or highway and soliciting “employment, business or contributions from an occupant of any motor vehicle.”

Officials fire bean bags at bear to scare it from La Crescenta

State Department of Fish and Game officials fired two rounds of bean bags at a bear over the weekend after it made its way down from Deukmejian Wilderness Park.

Glendale police and animal control officers responded to the 3400 block of Markridge Road in La Crescenta at about 8 p.m. Saturday after residents reported that the bear was sifting through trash cans and meandering through front yards, Sgt. Tom Lorenz told the Glendale News-Press.

After officials fired two rounds of bean bags at the bear, it fled into a nearby wash.

"They fire rounds just to scare them and get the bear's attention and not welcome it in the area," Lorenz said.

Around midnight, Glendale police officers received reports that the bear had returned to the neighborhood, but as of Sunday morning, Lorenz said, there were no sightings.

Officials also issued a public-safety alert and stressed the importance of not leaving pet food outside overnight and securing trash cans to make residential properties less inviting for enterprising wildlife.

"We've got to make sure we don't provide [the bear] with the opportunity to stay in our neighborhood," Lorenz said.

Should the bear keep returning to the neighborhood, Lorenz said, officials with the Department of Fish and Game will trap and relocate it.

Earlier this month, a black bear frightened residents of La Crescenta's Briggs Terrace neighborhood. It was also digging through trash cans in search of a snack.

ALSO:

Bomb threat on Oakland-bound flight an apparent hoax

L.A. building inspector convicted of bribery faces prison stint

Third fire reported at home where Chatsworth couple was killed

-- Kelly Corrigan, Times Community News

Michelle Le case: Items found in area near decomposed remains

Crime scene near Pleasanton Sunol Road at Verona Road

Officials in Alameda County on Sunday found more items in the secluded area where volunteers searching for missing nursing student discovered a body.

Alameda County coroner's officials will determine whether the decomposed body found on a dirt trail Saturday is that of Le.

The body was discovered about 10:30 a.m. Saturday by members of a search party made up of family members and volunteers looking for 26-year-old Le, who went missing in May.

Marc Klass, whose daughter Polly was kidnapped and killed in 1993, was helping the Lee family in the search. "We've always had one goal, and that's to help the family find Michelle," Klaas told the San Francisco Chronicle. "And if that's what occurred today, then we've been successful in our efforts."

Crime scene investigators were inspecting the remains, which were found in a brushy area near Pleasanton Sunol Road and Verona Road, said Sgt. J.D. Nelson of the Alameda County Sheriff's Department.

Investigators said it could not immediately be determined whether the body was that of Le. Because of the condition of the remains, not even the gender could be discerned, according to a news release by the Hayward Police Department.

L.A. building inspector convicted of bribery faces prison stint

Federal prosecutors say photo shows Raoul Joseph Germain taking a bribe

A former Los Angeles city building inspector is to be sentenced Monday afternoon after his conviction on a federal bribery charge.

Raoul Joseph Germain pleaded guilty in May to one count of accepting bribes. He was one of two inspectors arrested and convicted this year after a federal probe of the department.

According to the federal complaint, Germain and the other defendant, Hugo Gonzalez, took thousands of dollars in bribes to sign off on properties that they had not inspected, and in some cases never even saw.

Prosecutors recommended a sentence of 21 months in prison for Germain.

Gonzalez, who also pleaded guilty, is scheduled for sentencing Oct. 3.

In addition to Germain and Gonzalez, who were both fired, three other building department employees were fired and two placed on leave as a result of the probe.

ALSO:

Driver in Ferrari crash had several DUI arrests

Grocery strike threat: Talks continue to try to avert walkout

Long Beach police release sketches of suspects in 2010 slaying

-- Abby Sewell

Photos: Federal prosecutors say photo shows Raoul Joseph Germain taking a bribe. Credit: FBI

Pilot injured when small plane crashes in Redlands

A pilot was injured Monday when the small plane he was flying crashed and burned near the Redlands Municipal Airport.

Redlands city spokesman Carl Baker said a small biplane -- a plane with two pairs of wings at different levels -- crashed on Sessums Drive, a frontage road at the airport, about 8:50 a.m.

The 35-year-old pilot, the sole occupant of the plane, was pulled out by a bystander and taken to a local hospital after reporting pain and cuts on his forehead, Baker said. The pilot, who has not been identified, was conscious and talking.

The plane caught fire and was destroyed.

Baker said the aircraft also clipped a parked car. It was unclear whether the plane was taking off or attempting to land or why it crashed, he said.

-- Abby Sewell

Really? The Claim: Musicians Have a Greater Risk of Hearing Loss

THE FACTS

To many musicians, hearing loss is just an unfortunate — and inevitable — consequence of pursuing a passion.

But a lifelong dedication to playing an instrument or being in a band may not be quite as hard on the ears as many assume. Some recent research suggests it may even benefit hearing.

In a study published this year, researchers examined professional musicians recruited from four classical orchestras. Their jobs often require multiple concerts each week, hours of practice and, in some cases, teaching others. Extensive tests analyzing factors that included blood cholesterol as well as noise exposure, the scientists found hearing loss among the musicians no worse than among the general population.

They did find a greater risk of hearing loss among musicians with the greatest exposure to higher-frequency noise (above three kilohertz) and a greater prevalence of tinnitus, or ringing in the ears, among musicians in general.

In another study, in the current issue of the journal Psychology and Aging, scientists gave hearing tests to 74 musicians and 89 nonmusicians.

The musicians showed far less age-related decline in certain aspects of hearing, among them the ability to discern frequencies, hear conversation against a noisy background and hear tones as they get quieter.

THE BOTTOM LINE

While chronic exposure to any loud noise can cause hearing damage, musicians may have better hearing than people in the general population.

Crime alerts for Carthay, Bel-Air and six other L.A. neighborhoods

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

Six neighborhoods reported a significant increase in violent crime. Carthay (A) was the most unusual, recording three reports compared with a weekly average of 0.5 over the last three months.

Bel-Air (G) topped the list of two neighborhoods with property crime alerts. It recorded seven property crimes compared with its weekly average of 2.0 over the last three months.

Alerts are based on an analysis of crime reports for Sept. 10–Sept. 16, the most recent seven days for which data are available.

Ben Welsh, Thomas Suh Lauder

Los Angeles considers making yellow lights longer: Good idea?

LA considers lengthening yellow light
Talk back LALos Angeles is considering whether to increase the time that yellow lights are illuminated as traffic signals cycle from green to red as a way to improve safety at intersections.

City Councilman Bill Rosendahl has proposed studying the effects of lengthening the yellow signal -- a move that comes after the city decided to kill its controversial red-light camera traffic enforcement program.

The Times' Ari Bloomekatz reported that Rosendahl also wants a review of a so-called all-stop option, a practice already in place in which signals turn red in every direction before permitting any traffic to pass.

The idea caught on with some council members during this summer's debates over the red-light cameras and after reports that smaller cities, such as Loma Linda, had positive results after they ditched their cameras and changed yellow-light times.

"Intersections which exhibit a higher than average number of red-light-related collisions most likely have either a yellow phase or all-red phase which is too short," said Jay Beeber of the anti-camera group Safer Streets L.A. "Oftentimes, both problems exist at the same intersection."

Changing the signal timing, he said, would most likely eliminate "the vast majority of collisions at these locations."

What do you think of this idea? Would a longer yellow improve safety -- or just encourage more motorists try to speed through the intersection? Tell us your thoughts by clicking on the "comment" button above.

ALSO:

Driver in Ferrari crash had several DUI arrests

Grocery strike threat: Talks continue to try to avert walkout

Long Beach police release sketches of suspects in 2010 slaying

-- Ari Bloomekatz and Kimi Yoshino

Photo: Some studies indicate that simple, low-cost changes to signal durations can significantly reduce accidents. Credit: Reed Saxon / Associated Press

Ferrari was going 90 mph before fatal crash on PCH, police say

Ferrari crashes on PCH
Authorities said a Ferrari involved in a spectacular crash on Sunday morning was going twice the legal speed limit of 45 mph when it hit a power pole and split in half on Pacific Coast Highway.

Basil Max Price III, 23, of Pomona, died after the car crashed on PCH just north of Sunset Boulevard at 1:27 a.m.

The car split in half and fell to the beach below. Both occupants were ejected. Price, the passenger, died at the scene and the driver, whose name has not been released, was taken to UCLA Medical Center in critical condition.

[Updated at 8:13 a.m.: The driver's name is Vladimir Skvortsov, 24, of Upland, police said.]

Price's family told KCBS-TV they still cannot believe what happened.

Grocery strike threat: Talks continue to try to avert walkout

Grocery workers threaten to strike

Representatives from Albertsons, Ralphs and Vons are still trying to work through contract negotiations even after a deadline for a possible grocery strike passed.

"Progress is being made, but we do not yet have an agreement. Even though the 72-hour notice period has expired, nothing has changed. The terms of our most recent contract -- including wages and benefits -- remain in place, and our stores are open to serve customers as they usually are. We are still hopeful that a contract will be reached soon," a representative for Albertsons said in a statement Sunday night.

Ralphs says it is prepared to shut down all of its Southern California stores in the event of a grocery worker strike.

"If there is a strike, Ralphs will initially close all of our stores," said Kendra Doyel, spokeswoman for the chain.

"During a strike, it is difficult to create a good shopping experience for our customers and a good working environment for our employees. We will evaluate the situation as it progresses," she said.

The statement comes one day after unionized grocery workers issued a 72-hour notice canceling a contract extension, removing the final barrier to a strike.

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