Friday, August 28, 2009

Wednesday, August 26, 2009

The GOODS--STOLEN

Eds: Sgt. Leavins may be willing to display the stolen goods. He can be reached at (562) 762-7019.
LOS ANGELES (CNS) - Two suspected gang members were behind bars today on suspicion of stealing about $200,000 worth of jewelry from a home in West Los Angeles, a sheriff's captain reported.
Ashton Carter of Los Angeles and Jason Willis of Inglewood were arrested Monday afternoon in an `upscale'' neighborhood in West L.A. when they allegedly came out of a home carrying two Gucci bags, according to sheriff's Capt. James Ritenour.
Sheriff's detectives watched Carter and Willis before they went into the home and pursued them when they came out with the bags and got into a rented car, Ritenour said.
Carter jumped out of the car and ran, but detectives caught both Carter and Willis, Ritenour said.
Detectives recovered about $200,000 worth of jewelry that had been taken from the home, he said.
Carter, 26, and Willis, 21, were held today at the sheriff's Temple Station in lieu of $50,000 bail each, according to jail records. They were scheduled to appear at the airport courthouse on La Cienega Boulevard some time this morning.
Ritenour said detectives are looking other similar burglaries and encouraged anyone with information to call the sheriff's Major Crimes Bureau at (562) 762-7019.

TODAY'S TOP STORIES FROM CNS

Local News in Brief
City News Service
Unseasonably warm weather will return to the Southland today ... promising triple-digit temperatures in some valley areas. The National Weather Service says that the heat ... very low humidity levels and bone-dry vegetation have combined to create wildfire conditions. A red flag warning signifying a high risk of wildfire will be in effect from 6 this morning until 9 Friday night. The warning is in force on the mountains of Los Angeles ... Ventura ... Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties. That vast stretch includes the Angeles and Los Padres national forests.
In the Angeles National Forest ... the fire that broke out yesterday afternoon along North San Gabriel Canyon Road is raging over 750 acres as of this morning. It's only 10 percent contained. There have been some evacuations ... but fire officials say that there have been no injuries and no residential properties are threatened at this hour. The blaze is 10 percent contained ... with no one predicting when full containment might occur.


An inmate has been beaten to death in a two-man cell at Antelope Valley State Prison in Lancaster. The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department says the man's body was discovered last night. Sheriff's investigators are at the prison at this hour to conduct a probe into the slaying. The victim's name hasn't yet been released.
The California Highway Patrol says this morning that a motorist has died in a crash on the southbound Harbor Freeway in Wilmington ... just south of the Pacific Coast Highway. A black sport utility vehicle ended up in the center divider as a result of last night's crash. The name of the person who was killed hasn't yet been released.


The death of Massachusetts Senator Ted Kennedy is drawing reaction from around the nation ... including Southern California. Former first lady Nancy Reagan has issued a statement saying she'll miss Kennedy as a dear friend. She also praises the senator for having been her ally in promoting stem cell research. Nancy Reagan says that even though her husband and Kennedy came from different sides of the political divide ... President Reagan and Kennedy were close and had great respect for each other.


R&B singer Chris Brown faces five years probation and 180 days of community labor for assaulting his then-girlfriend Rihanna after a pre-Grammy Awards ceremony in Los Angeles. As part of his sentence ... Brown must also complete a one-year domestic violence counseling program and stay away from Rihanna. Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Patricia Schnegg agreed to allow Brown to perform his community labor in Virginia ... where he lives.


It will be sunny today ... and warm. Highs will be in the mid 80s at the beaches ... the mid 90s inland ... and the low 100s in the valleys. Air quality will range from moderate to unhealthful for sensitive groups.

The Heat goes on and on, The Heat goes on and on

LOS ANGELES (CNS) - A red flag warning signifying a high risk of wildfire was issued today for the mountains of Southern California because of high heat, very low humidity and bone-dry vegetation.
Highs once again will reach triple digits in some Southland areas, although the warmest temperatures are expected Thursday through Saturday, and ``a few temperature records could be broken,'' according to an NWS statement.
Even before the red flag warning went into effect, a wildfire broke out Tuesday afternoon in the San Gabriel Canyon section of the Angeles National Forest and had scorched more than 600 acres by this morning.
The National Weather Service said the red flag warning would be in effect from 6 a.m. today until 9 p.m. Friday in the mountains of Los Angeles, Ventura, Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties -- an area that includes the Angeles and Los Padres national forests.
Forecasters blamed the region's newest heat wave on a strong upper-level high-pressure system now over southern New Mexico and expected to reach the Southland by Friday.
``This, in combination with weakening onshore flow, will result in continued warming and drying during the next few days,'' according to an NWS advisory.
During that time, mountain areas will experience 10 hours per day or more of single-digit humidity levels, with little improvement occurring during overnight hours, according to the NWS.
``The combination of long-duration single-digit humidities, hot temperatures and critically dry fuels has prompted the issuance of the red flag warning for the mountains of Southwest California,'' the advisory said.
Valley areas also will be very dry over coming days, but the humidity levels in the valleys are not expected to fall enough below the norm to warrant red flag warnings, according to the NWS.
``The long-duration heat event could pose health hazards for anyone outdoors, especially for the elderly, small children and pets,'' the NWS said in a statement, urging residents to drink plenty of water, wear loose-fitting clothing and stay out of the sun as much as possible.
``Never leave children or pets in cars with the windows up or cracked during the day, even for a very short time, as temperatures can quickly reach lethal levels,'' the statement said.
Some subtropical moisture could return to the region over the weekend, which could send humidity levels back to two-digit territory, although it will remain hot.
The NWS forecast highs today of 83 in Avalon and at LAX; 92 on Mount Wilson; 93 in downtown L.A.; 95 in Long Beach; 98 in San Gabriel and Burbank; 99 in Pasadena; 100 in Lancaster; 101 in Palmdale; 102 in Newhall; and 104 in Woodland Hills.
Temperatures will be even higher Thursday and Friday, return roughly to today's levels on Saturday and begin falling -- by around 5 degrees in some areas -- on Sunday, except in the Antelope Valley, where highs will be in the low 100s through early next week.

Sunday, August 23, 2009

Ryan Jenkins is Dead

ABC News is reporting that Ryan Jenkins, who was accused of killing swimsuit model Jasmine Fiore, has been found dead in Canada.

U SCREAM, I SCREAM, WE ALL SCREAM FOR ICE CREAM

I guess one ice cream truck is all the city of El Segundo.
City Councilman Bill Fisher said, "I just want to make sure we're doing the right thing and have the right controls in place, and that (vendors) know what the grounds rules are.''

City officials have delayed granting approval to what be El Segundo's second permitted ice cream vendor until October, when they will review city and police statistics, and decide how to proceed.

The hold up is over whether another ice cream truck will take away business from local sport vendor who sell ice as a fundraising method.

We will just have to wait to see, how this plays but at least in El Segundo they are tackling the big issues facing the city.

CAR CRASH IN RIVERSIDE

Four people were injured today near downtown Riverside when a stolen SUV crashed into another vehicle, police said.
Police were following the 2006 Nissan Pathfinder around 2 p.m. when they saw it run a stop sign on Cedar Street at University Avenue and crash into a westbound Chrysler PT Cruiser that was on University, said Riverside police Lt. Chuck Griffits.
The PT Cruiser went off the road and rolled on its side in the yard of a home on the corner, Griffits said.
The driver of the Pathfinder and all three people in the PT Cruiser were taken to a hospital, but none of the injures were considered serious, Griffits said.
The Pathfinder had been reported stolen earlier today in Monterey Park.
The driver, Adrian Sandoval, 28, of Monterey Park, was expected to be arrested on suspicion of possessing a stolen vehicle, reckless driving causing injury and violating parole, Griffits said.

HEALTH CARE DEBATE (DRAMA-FREE)

A South Los Angeles congresswoman held a drama-free town hall meeting at Los Angeles Southwest College in support of President Barack Obama's national health care plan, it was reported today.
``The health care system is broken and it's got to be fixed,'' Rep. Maxine Waters, D-Los Angeles, told an supportive crowd of more than 400 people Saturday, the Daily Breeze reported.
``It's not simply about the 47 million people who are uninsured, it's about people who can afford health care, who are paying premiums every month but finding that their premium costs keep increasing. God forbid you have a catastrophe.''
Other politicians have faced angry questioners when they hosted similar events in recent weeks. And protestors have used the events as opportunities to criticize not only health care, but other policies of the president.
Waters opposition at Saturday's town hall meeting included a man wearing a Halloween mask and a hood, silently holding a handmade sign over his head, reading ``Disease yes. Medical reform no. Satan.'' When asked if he was expecting any support, the man laughed.
The only time the crowd booed was when Waters mentioned Sarah Palin, the former Alaska governor, who helped popularize the idea that ``death panels'' would decide end-of-life issues for seniors.
Hawthorne resident Yvette Johnson-Reagan told the Daily Breeze she had insurance, but wanted to make sure the less fortunate could afford it as well.
``I'm not doing it for me,'' Johnson-Reagan said. ``I'm doing it for the people who were at the Forum.''
She was referring to a health clinic at the Forum in Inglewood earlier this month that drew thousands of people seeking free medical attention.
Waters drew applause when she painted a picture of greedy insurance companies milking the public dry.
``This is about getting a handle on the rising costs,'' she said. ``It's about creating competition. It's about being able to ensure that we don't let the same people that's been ripping us off continue to rip us off.''
Sybil Tullos told the Daily Breeze she has had trouble getting insurance because she has pre-existing conditions, a situation Waters promised to fix.
``If I lose my job, I'm screwed,'' Tullos said. ``I'm sick of seeing people demonize President Obama.''

MISSING MODEL UPDATE

Canadian police said today they believe a reality TV contestant who fled after police tried to arrest him for killing his bikini- model wife in Southern California is in Canada.
Earlier in the day, the millionaire murder suspect, Ryan Jenkins, 32, was rumored to be somewhere on an island off Honduras by friends who noted his father had developed an island resort there.
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police issued a statement at midday today that ````RCMP is now prepared to say that information believed to be credible suggests that Mr. Jenkins is in Canada.''
The Mounties issued a statement urging that Jenkins turn himself in ``in the interest of the safety of the Canadian public, the police and Ryan Jenkins.''
Earlier in the day, the suspect's father denied comment to reporters in Calgary when they asked him if he as been in touch with his fugitive son. Dan Jenkins, a successful architect, also owns a private airplane that returned to Canada just as his son fled U.S. police at the Canada-U.S. border and walked north into his homeland.
The RCMP said they are seeking a Canadian warrant to arrest Jenkins in connection with the beating, strangling and mutilating of 28-year-old Jasmine Fiore, a resident of the Fairfax District who was found dead last Saturday, stuffed in a suitcase in a trash bin in Buena Park.
The elder Jenkins said he has been advised by his lawyer not to comment, reported CTV, Canada's largest private broadcaster.
The Web site for the TMZ.com television show said the suspect's father had developed an island resort off the coast of Honduras, and that the father's private plane had returned to Canada just before the border incident. Former friends of the Jenkins family have also said they theorize that the murder suspect has fled to some island in Honduras.
Authorities said Fiore had been beaten and strangled, and her fingers and teeth had been removed. She was identified after a coroner found serial numbers on her breast implants.
Jenkins who is a former VH1 dating show contestant, and was charged Thursday with her murder. Last week he was chased by police boats at the U.S.- Canada border and was last spotted walking calmly into British Columbia.
On Aug. 13, the two had gone to San Diego for a charity poker tournament at the Hilton hotel, and had checked into the posh L'Auberge Del Mar Resort and Spa. There are conflicting reports if they are married, or if any marriage was annulled.
Security video showed Jenkins leaving the hotel alone the next morning, with a suitcase, and Buena Park police detectives went to the hotel on Monday and Wednesday, but a hotel manager said he did not believe she was killed there.
``We saw nothing unusual,'' said hotel manager Mike Slosser. ``We do 300, 400 guests a day, I mean, they were just as normal as anybody I've ever seen.''
However, at least one witness told news outlets he saw the two arguing during the poker tournament.
The witness, Sean Feald, told ABC7 that Fiore ``was obviously a very pretty woman, scantily dressed, easy to see out of a crowd.''
He said Fiore began to argue with and ``badger'' Jenkins, ``putting him down,'' and that she spent much of the night by herself.
He said she was ``texting some guy'' and ``probably did not want to be around (Jenkins) at that point in time, which makes sense, but I did see her a lot more by herself than with him.''
ABC7 reported that witnesses said the arguing continued when they returned to their hotel.
The two met in April in Las Vegas, where she was living at the time, and soon after they got married. But months later the marriage was annulled, according to her mother, Lisa Lepore.
Also in April, Jenkins was arrested in Las Vegas on suspicion of hitting Fiore in the arm, but they later began seeing each other again. He had also been convicted of assaulting a girlfriend in Canada in 2007 and was sentenced to 15 months probation.
Recently, Fiore had rekindled a romance with a former boyfriend, Robert Hasman, and investigators were looking into whether jealousy may have played a role in the slaying.
TMZ reported that last month, Fiore and Hasman had gone to Los Cabos, Mexico, together.
``This message goes out to the family, his mother and father, and to the friends that are helping him try to leave this country,'' Hasman said Thursday ``Ryan Jenkins is an animal. What he has done to Jasmine is unspeakable.''
Jenkins reported Fiore missing last Saturday night, telling investigators that she left their Fairfax Village home in the 800 block of Edinburgh Avenue, near Melrose Avenue, about 8:30 p.m. Friday, police said.
A man searching for recyclables found Fiore's badly beaten, nude body inside a large, gray, blood-stained suitcase in a trash bin in Buena Park about 7 a.m. Saturday.
The coroner put her time of death a few hours before the body was found, according to police.
Early Thursday, authorities in Washington state said a man matching Jenkins' description was seen boarding a boat bound for a remote area where people can walk across the Canadian border. The boat, which belongs to Jenkins, was later found abandoned in Point Roberts, Wash., near British Columbia.
Jenkins' black BMW X5 SUV and an empty boat trailer were also found in nearby Blaine, Wash. Authorities are still looking for Fiore's white Mercedes- Benz CLS 550.
Chief Investigator Tom Hession of the U.S. Marshals Service said that although there was no official confirmation that the suspect was in Canada, local officials were preparing paperwork to issue an arrest warrant there, and warned that anyone assisting Jenkins could be charged with aiding, abetting and harboring a fugitive

THIS IS FROM A CITY NEWS SERVICE ARTICLE

WOMEN FOUND

A 24-year-old woman who sent her family text messages saying she was in danger is safe today.
Silvia Mardini was last seen Friday running errands in her Ford Focus.
Her family contacted authorities Saturday after she sent them texts saying she was in danger.
She was located safe and unharmed around 3 p.m. in Routt County, Colorado.
No suspects were in custody and Mardini is in the process of being reunited with her family, police said.
``Robbery homicide detectives are continuing their investigation into the circumstances surrounding Mardini's disappearance,'' according to an LAPD statement.
The FBI and officers from both Utah and Colorado assisted in finding Mardini.

Sunday, August 9, 2009

Shooting Deaths in the Desert

PALM DESERT (CNS) - A total of five people were injured in a pair of shooting assaults that went down five hours and a half mile apart today in Palm Desert, a police detective said.
``We have three shot, two beat up,'' Palm Desert police Detective Sgt. Dan Bressler told City News Service. ``We have nobody in custody, no guns, no bodies. People are less than forthcoming.''
No fatalities were reported in the shootings, and there was no apparent connection other than the proximity, Bressler said. ``At this point everybody's still alive.''
The first shootings were reported about 12:50 a.m. in the 66000 block of 2nd Street, and the second round of gunfire broke out at 5:45 a.m. in the 66900 block of Pierson Boulevard. according to police.
The violent incidents began before 1 a.m., when police responded to a reported disturbance on 2nd Street and heard gunshots as they arrived. Whoever fired the shots escaped, and police found one young man shot and two young men beaten.
All three were taken to Desert Regional Medical Center for treatment. None of their injuries appeared to be life-threatening.
While police were at the shooting scene on 2nd Street, more gunfire rang out in the 66900 block of Pierson Boulevard near Verbena Drive. Officers followed the sound of gunshots and found two people down in a front yard and a driveway outside a home.
Both of the victims had been shot numerous times, according to police. They were also taken to Desert Regional Medical Center for treatment, and they were expected to survive.
One of the shooters in the second incident was described as a white man in his late teens, about 5 feet-11 inches tall, thin build, with spiked red hair, and he was last seen wearing green shorts and a shirt of no specific description.
Police said they did not know that the types of weapons were used in both incidents and had no information that either incident was gang-related.

Wednesday, August 5, 2009

Journalists Freed

"BURBANK (CNS) - Former President Bill Clinton and the two journalists whose freedom he secured in a 20-hour visit to Pyongyang flew back home today at the culmination of a delicate diplomatic minuet between unpredictable North Korea and the United States.
The private plane carrying Laura Ling, Euna Lee and the former president was expected to land some time after 4 a.m. at Bob Bank Airport in Burbank, where the women were expected to be met by their families and the founder of the media venture that employs them, former Vice President Al Gore.
Ling, 32, and Euna Lee, 36, were sentenced to 12 years of hard labor for illegally entering North Korea from China on March 17 while working for San Francisco-based Current TV.
The journalists, who were working on a story about North Korean refugees at the time of their arrest, were granted a ``special pardon'' Tuesday, shortly after Clinton arrived in the country and met with North Korean leader Kim Jong Il.
Ling and Lee appeared healthy as they boarded their plane in the North Korean capital of Pyongyang. A doctor was aboard the aircraft that flew them back to the United States.
In a statement posted online, the families of Lee and Ling -- the sister of Lisa Ling, a USC graduate and former co-host of ``The View'' -- said they were ``overjoyed by the news of their pardon.''
``We are so grateful to our government: President Obama, Secretary Clinton and the U.S. State Department for their dedication to and hard work on behalf of American citizens. We especially want to thank President Bill Clinton for taking on such an arduous mission and Vice President Al Gore for his tireless efforts to bring Laura and Euna home. We must also thank all the people who have supported our families through this ordeal. It has meant the world to us. We are counting the seconds to hold Laura and Euna in our arms.''
For Clinton, securing the release of Ling and Lee appeared to more a case of stagecraft than negotiating triumph amid signs the outcome had been pre- determined through weeks of secret diplomatic exchanges, orchestrated in part by his spouse, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
U.S. officials told reporters in Washington, D.C., that Ling and Lee told their families in July that they would receive an amnesty if the former president came to fetch them.
Nuclear-armed North Korea has long sought bilateral contacts with the United States, a goal believed to have gained even greater importance for ailing dictator Kim Jong Il at a time when he seeks to shore up his regime internally prior to an eventual transfer of power to one of his sons.
North Korea's conditions presented the administration of President Barack Obama with a dilemma -- how to gain the women's freedom, and perhaps soften North Korea's obdurate stance on its internationally condemned nuclear program, without rewarding Kim for what Washington regards as perennially bad behavior.
As part of that effort, the administration outwardly maintained an arms- length position regarding the Clinton visit, describing it as a private humanitarian mission.
Relations between Washington and Pyongyang have become increasingly tense since North Korea tested a long-range ballistic missile in April and a small nuclear device in May and announced it no longer would take part in the multiparty talks -- involving China, Japan, South Korea, Russia and the United States -- aimed at placing North Korean nuclear facilities under international supervision."

THIS IS FROM A CITY NEWS SERVICE ARTICLE