SAG new President

Ken Howard has been elected president of the Screen Actors Guild.

Station Fire Update

Firefighters are focusing today on the eastern and western flanks of the Station Fire.

Investigators say the cause of this massive blaze is a result of arson.

Since it broke out more than a week ago, the fire has claimed the lives of two firefighters and scorched 147,418 acres -- 230 square miles -- and was 56 percent contained as of Monday night.

Full containment is projected in a week.The fire has destroyed 64 residences, three commercial buildings and 27 outbuildings.

suicide strikes young teen

NORTHRIDGE -- A died today in an apparent sucide after being struck by a train.

The collision occurred at around 3:40 in the afternoon on Nordhoff Street and Business Center Drive.

The woman, described as being between the ages of 19 and 21, is believed
to have committed suicide and left a note in her purse, which she placed
right next to the tracks, said Lt. Steven Stein.

WOMAN WAS JUST TO HOT

IRVINE -- The burned body of an African American woman in her mid 20's was found today in an Irvine parking lot.

She was discovered by a passerby around 8:30 a.m. in the 1800 block of Kettering, said Lt. John Hare of the Irvine Police Department.
``Responding officers arrived at the location and did in fact locate a deceased victim lying burned in the parking lot,'' Hare said.
Authorities believe she was burned in the parking lot hours about 2 hours before police were notified.
The victim did not appear to have been associated with the business where she was found, Hare said.

INMATES RELEASE DATA

IRVINE (CNS) - A study released today by a UC Irvine professor offers statistics to back critics of the proposal to reduce the state prison population by up to 27,000 prisoners
UC Irvine criminologist John Hipp's study showed that crime shoots up in some neighborhoods when parolees are released. Hipp said his study is the first time researchers have analyzed monthly crime statistics in correlation with parolee releases in specific neighborhoods.
The report, which studied neighborhoods in Sacramento because it is a good sample of economic and ethnic demographics, showed that if the parolees have violent backgrounds, murder rates increase. The same is true of reports of aggravated assault, robbery and burglary, according to Hipp.
However, the crime rates decrease when parolees move back into solid, longtime neighborhoods and neighborhoods where there are organizations available to provide the kinds of services parolees need to rebuild their lives and stay out of trouble, Hipp said.
``The study looked at Sacramento over a four-year period and it was a real fine-grained thing looking at the monthly change in the number of parolees going back to neighborhoods and the crime rates in those neighborhoods,'' Hipp said.
``What we were trying to do is pull it all apart and see month to month as the parolees go back into the neighborhoods do we see a change in crime.''
The prison-release plan was already a hot topic of debate in the state capital, but it grew even more intense when Phillip Garrido, a parolee and registered sex offender accused of abducting Jaycee Dugard when she was 11 years old and holding her hostage for 18 years, came to light.
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger today asked a three-judge panel ordering California to reduce its inmate population over the next two years by more than 40,000 to stay its order. If the judges refuse, Schwarzenegger's administration will ask the U.S. Supreme Court to review the case.
The prison system is under a federal consent decree to reduce the number of inmates because it is so overcrowded prisoners' civil rights are being violated.
Schwarzenegger backs legislation to reduce the inmate population by about 37,000 over the next couple of years by sending more convicts to county jails or ordering more home confinement. The Assembly passed a bill Monday slashing prison spending by about $1 billion, but it excised a Senate bill's proposed release of older prisoners.
``It's a tough situation to be in to have to release people,'' Hipp said. ``In some ways it's an obvious thing: If you're stuck then release them, but be careful who you release. Don't just do it across the board. And it goes the other way. Who do we slam in prison with our limited resources? We need to be more selective.''
Hipp advised officials to make sure parolees have social safety nets when they get out of prison.
``If they're coming back to the neighborhoods then we should help them as much as we can. For our findings, that did make a difference,'' he said.
In an average month, researchers found more than an 8 percent rise in aggravated assault reports, a 20 percent increase in robbery reports and a nearly 10 percent bump in burglary reports correlating with increases in the parolee population. When violent parolees returned to the neighborhoods murder rates jumped up 20 percent.

Station Fire Update

Six days into it, the Station Fire is now at 127,513 acres and is 22 percent contained.

The Station Fire is burning within the Angeles National Forest and near surrounding communities of La Canada-Flintridge, La Crescenta, Acton, Soledad Canyon, Pasadena and Glendale.

Steep terrain, decadent old growth brush and hot dry weather are factors that drive fire activity. Evacuations and a forest closure order remain in effect.
MANDATORY EVACUATIONS:
ALTADENA AREA:
Open: Fair Oaks Avenue west to Arroyo Seco Road, with the exception of Prieto Fire Road and Millard Canyon north of Rising Hill Road, which remain under mandatory evacuation.
Closed: Chaney Trail and Alzada Drive north of Jaxine Drive
Closed: Areas east of Fair Oaks and north of Loma Alta Drive
NATIONAL FOREST:
Big Tujunga Canyon Road from Mount Gleason to Angeles Forest Highway
Little Tujunga Canyon Road north of the Little Tujunga Ranger Station and Gold Creek
Chantry Flats
ACTON:
Soledad Canyon Road from Agua Dulce Canyon Road to Bootlegger Canyon Road
Angeles Forest Highway south of Aliso Canyon
TUJUNGA:
Northwest of Day at Blue Gum Canyon Road to Glory Avenue to westbound Apperson Street to northbound Fairgrove Avenue to westbound Summitrose Street to northbound Pinyon Avenue to westbound Hillrose Street to northbound Seven Hills Drive to Lonzo Street
VOLUNTARY EVACUATIONS:
JUNIPER HILLS:
South of Fort Tejon Road from Mount Emma Road to Longview Road
LITTLEROCK:
Littlerock Recreational Area, Mount Emma Road & Cheseboro Road
GLENDALE:
North of Markridge road between Pennsylvania and Lowell

NOT EVEN SPIDERMAN CAN CLIMB THIS TOWER (at least without a fine)

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia – A French climber nicknamed "Spiderman" has been fined 2,000 ringgit ($570) for climbing Malaysia's 88-story Petronas Twin Towers.
A Kuala Lumpur court official says Alain Robert pleaded guilty Wednesday to criminal trespass. He declined to be named, citing court policy.
A day earlier, Robert sneaked past security to reach the top of Tower 2 of the landmark buildings. He was arrested right after his feat. He was quoted by the national Bernama news agency as saying, "Climbing is my passion, my life, my addiction."
Robert tried to scale the Twin Towers in 1997 and 2007 but was arrested at the 60th floor both times. He has climbed more than 70 skyscrapers worldwide, including the Empire State Building and Taipei 101.

THIS ARTICLE WAS WRITTEN By JULIA ZAPPEI, Associated Press Writer Julia Zappei, Associated Press Writer – Wed Sep 2, 3:35 am ET