THE DAILY DEATH?

Perhaps we should change our paper's name from the Tribune to something a little more fitting for the kinds of stories we've been covering in recent weeks. OK, so maybe the above title is a little dramatic, but it seems to me that there have been more slayings in the last few weeks than in recent months or even compared to the last few years. There's no numbers to compare yet, but the perceived uptick in crime of all types has been a hot topic around the newsroom.

Today, reporter Frank Girardot, who also runs the increasingly popular Crime Scene blog, is working on the recent developments of a triple homicide in Rowland Heights yesterday. And just now, reporter Dan Abendschein is on his way back from the scene where two men were found dead in El Monte. We'll be updating both as the stories progress throughout the day.

I've always been told that the crime rate increases during summer, but is the weather to blame? Or is there a better explanation for the alleged recent uptick in crime? Or is it just our little nook of the Valley? I'm going to keep an eye out for crime stories in other newspapers to see if this is just a Valley thing or all over. Feel free to comment any findings of your own.