Saw this ad on Craigslist. Here's the pitch:

Talented freelance online bloggers and vloggers wanted to intern for for start-up weekly blog/vlog reaching thousands via email in the Foothill Communities (from the 57 fwy to the 15 fwy along the 210 corridor...

Posted at 8:34 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

The Daily Bulletin reports a brush fire that began in Phillips Ranch Friday about 11 a.m. was 50 percent contained at press time last night. Brush clearance intended to prevent fires apparently caused the blaze.

The photo comes from Bulletin reporter Will Lester with this caption:

Maria and Avsencio Reyes watch a fire burn from the roof of their home on Friday May 16, 2008 in the Phillips Ranch area of Pomona, Calif. (Inland Valley Daily Bulletin, Will Lester)

 

Here's an excerpt from an AP story about brush fires and the heatwave:

MOUNT BALDY VILLAGE, Calif. (AP) _ Firefighters braced for more hot and dry weather Saturday as they worked to surround a wildfire that has burned 460 acres of parched brushlands in the San Gabriel Mountains.

The Bighorn Fire on the flanks of Mount Baldy was 72 percent contained, with full containment expected Sunday evening, U.S. Forest Service spokesman Matt Corelli said. No injuries or building damage were reported.

It was among several small but dangerous wildfires that broke out in five Southern California counties this week as the region withered under the influence of a high- pressure system expected to last into the weekend. The National Weather Service issued a heat advisory Saturday warning of temperatures reaching up to 105 degrees in some areas.

Posted at 7:48 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Reporter Brian Day's story on Tuesday's officer involved shooting in Covina has the first actual quotes by representatives of Glenn Patrick Rose's family.

Here's the story top:

COVINA - Details continue to emerge about a fatal officer-involved shooting earlier this week and the local man who was killed.

The driver, Glenn Patrick Rose, 25, was shot to death by police. Rose and his girlfriend, 24-year-old Sarah Morales, were both zapped with a Taser prior to the shooting and Rose had been convicted twice before of fleeing police, according to police and court documents.

Rose and Morales were inside an allegedly stolen pickup truck when he rammed a car being used for cover by a sheriff's deputy and a California Highway Patrol officer, said sheriff's Lt. Dan Coleman.

Records show that Rose was convicted of evading police in July 2001 and May 2002. He had also been found guilty of grand theft and driving a vehicle without the owner's consent.

Brian Claypool and Eric Maier, attorneys representing Rose's family, said Rose had no history of violent crime and that the 6- and 7-year-old convictions only bolster their belief that he was merely trying to evade officials, not attack them.

"When the officers opened fire, they didn't know that (Rose had a criminal record)," Claypool said, adding that past deeds do not excuse bad decisions made by officials.

"He was really doing a lot to change his life," Claypool added. "He was really working hard."

Though Rose had a drug problem in the past, he had been sober for more than four years, Claypool said.

Posted at 7:25 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

After two days of intensive reporting Brian Day is set to report several new revelations that have emerged from his investigation into the slaying of Glenn Patrick Rose.

Among those revelations, Rose had been Tasered prior to an officer involved shooting that led to his death. Additionally he had been convicted of participating in at least two police pursuits in 2001 and 2002.

On Tuesday morning, Rose was shot to death by deputies from the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department and officers from the California Highway Patrol. The shooting occurred after Rose led officers on a high speed pursuit from Walnut through West Covina.

Rose, a woman who was riding in the car with him, and the officers ended up in a Covina alleyway near First and Puente avenues in Covina.

Once there, officers said Rose attempted to steal another car before attempting to run them down.

As many as 15 shots were fired and Rose was killed.

Here's the new information:

• Rose was Tasered before he was shot, according to an autopsy performed by the Los Angeles County Department of Coroner.
• Rose had a criminal record in Los Angeles County that included convictions for fleeing officers in 2001 and 2002. His record also included convictions for grand theft and driving a vehicle without the owner's consent.
• An attorney hired by Rose's family to possibly file a wrongful death lawsuit against the county told Day in an interview Friday he was unaware of convictions, but believes it bolsters his case; as Rose was never charged with violent crimes stemming from previous pursuits.
• Rose's family and friends as well as the attorney told also told reporter Day that Rose, who previously had a substance abuse problem, had turned his life around and was attending a 12-step program.
• Rose's girlfriend Sarah Rebecca Morales remains in custody for her role in the pursuit. She is being held in lieu of $50,000 bail.

Much of this continues to be debated in a Topix forum that's been pretty heated.

As a sample, here's an anonymous comment from a person identified as a friend of both Rose and Morales:

 I knew Sarah and Patrick very well. I was in sober living with Patrick and knew Sarah from her job at Alpha Omega. She was and is a sweet young lady. It is so sad to see what the drugs and alcohol do to us and how we turn into a totally different person once we are on them. I am in recovery and have been sober for four years. I know the strugles of staying clean and sober. I relapsed many times befor I got the four years I have today. The one thing that AA tell us is,(If we do not stop doing the drugs and drinking and work the Spiritual Program put befor us, that we are doomed to Jails, Institutions or Death. It is just really sad and ashame that Patrick had to draw the death card, because when he was sober he was a very good person and helped many.) I have seen so many guys that I care about and that have been through the sober living that I went through and managed go back to prison and institutions that it really hurts. But, Sarah and all of the men that have had to go to jail or back to prison are the lucky ones, because they can resume there lives once they have served there time,

Posted at 9:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

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Blogged at Foothill Cities

Story at Daily Bulletin

Posted at 2:53 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The PCC Courier got a copy of the coroner's report on Liya "Jessie" Lu.

Lu, a student at PCC, went missing last summer. Her body was later discovered stuffed in a trashcan in an Arcadia b ackyard.

Isaac Campbell, Liu's boyfriend was arrested on suspicion of killing Liu after he was captured in Minnesota, following his flight from California.

Here's an excerpt of the Courier story by reporter Franco Sui Yuan: (nice job Franco!)

The cause of death of former PCC student Liya 'Jessie' Lu remains a mystery after the Coroner's medical examiners released their report on Tuesday.

Lu's body was found in a trashcan covered with approximately 10 gallons of kitty litter on Sept. 15, almost a month after her disappearance.

"The elaborate preparation to dispose of the cadaver is a strong indication of the intent to dispose of evidence that could point out the cause and manner of death," said medical examiners in the Coroner's autopsy report. "Considering all these circumstances the manner of death is homicidal."

Eventually, Lu's advanced-decomposing body stopped any type of conclusions in regards of her cause of death. "The cause of death in this case remains undetermined after autopsy and toxicological examinations," said the report.

The Coroner's report reveals that Lu's body was suffering greenish discoloration on the skin, disintegration on the internal and external organs, and brain liquification - the process in which a solid or a gas becomes liquid.

The report also discloses that Lu's body had no external or internal evidence of injuries, which increased the ambiguity on her slaying.

One-time PCC nursing program student Isaac Campbell is charged with murder in the death of his ex-girlfriend Lu.

Posted at 1:22 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

KABC ran a hokey (but informative) piece on Thursday's newscast about the ongoing dispute between the Monrovia POA and City Hall (of course THE BILLBOARD was prominently featured).

Reporter Rob Hayes told the story Thursday night outside City Hall

It's the kind of place where you see a city worker putting up an American Flag and if you whistle a few bars you feel as if you are in Mayberry.

(snip)

As for the noise these billboards are making, its certainly harder to hear the whistle... (Mayberry theme in the background)

Hayes' report also makes reference to a planned rally at the police station Friday night...

*UPDATE: The rally, which starts at 5:30 p.m outside the police station is the work of residents and shop owners who dont' care for the billboard. Melissa Pamer reports:

Some residents and local business owners have condemned the billboards, saying they paint an unfair picture of Monrovia and will drive away customers.

The rally is intended to ask officers to take the billboards down, said Debbie Elliott-Penzer, one of the chief organizers of the rally.

"Everybody needs a raise, but don't go about it this way," Elliott-Penzer said. "We don't do business like that in the city of Monrovia."

Robert CJ Parry responds in an email:

Really?  Are you sure the shop owners are even mostly resident of Monrovia?

Posted at 10:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (5)

The Times found some Sichuan immigrants in the San Gabriel Valley who are anxiously awaiting word from their relatives in China's Sichuan Provence, which was devastated by a 7.9 earthquake earlier this week.

But Monday's earthquake has thrust a community used to being overlooked and misunderstood to the forefront of Southern California's bustling Chinese American community. For the Sichuanese who gathered for lunch Thursday at Chung King restaurant in San Gabriel, it was a bittersweet experience.

"We feel extreme sadness," said Tang, a nanny. "The only way Sichuan is being mentioned now is through this tragedy."

It's been a nightmarish week for the lunch group, many of whom met after overhearing one another speak Sichuanese at a supermarket.

The Chinese community in the United States was founded mostly by Southern immigrants from China's coastal regions. That's why the Cantonese and Taishanese dominated Chinatowns for decades. That changed with the influx of immigrants from Taiwan, then Beijing and Shanghai.

Though there are no statistics available, observers say Sichuanese immigrants began arriving steadily in the San Gabriel Valley in the 1990s. Many took the route of earlier immigrants by seeking jobs in restaurants or the import-export business. The number of Sichuanese living in Southern California is unclear because they lack the family associations and student groups that are ubiquitous with immigrants from Hong Kong, Taiwan and areas of mainland China.

Elsewhere:

For the first time since 1949, according to Sina News (as translated by Google), China will accept help from other countries as it recovers from the quake:

After the disaster, many countries and international organizations issued statements one after another, the people of China expressed condolences, some countries have begun to China financial and material assistance. The international media also to China's earthquake was significant, concern is comprehensive, and the first time for China immediately started rescue operations that respect.

May 13, the State Council Information Office held a news conference.  In the conference, the Ministry of Civil Affairs disaster relief Secretary, said Wang Zhenyao, China is very grateful for the generous assistance of the international community, will accept donations of time and timely delivery of disaster areas.

Finally, here's a translated blog from Sina.com that points to Google maps, and other information from the quake zone

Posted at 10:01 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Never leave your cow suit in an unlocked car. From the Daily Bulletin:

The store's crowd-pleasing life-size cow costume was stolen from the car trunk of an unidentified employee last weekend, and police have no leads so far.

The employee, a 42-year-old Upland woman, called police Saturday morning when she woke to find her car had been ransacked overnight on Bodenhamer Street.

The entire car had been scoured - even the glove box was left open - but "the only thing that was missing was the adult-sized black-and-white cow suit belonging to Chick-fil-A," Upland police Sgt. Cliff Mathews said.

(snip)

In his 17 years as a police officer, Mathews said he has never seen a mascot costume stolen.

"Certainly it's a very uncommon occurrence," he said.

Posted at 9:32 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

The death of Glenn Patrick Rose following a pursuit that ended in a hail of gunfire in a Covina alley is generating a lot of comment from friends and family in a Topix discussion of Amanda Baumfeld's story.

Here's a sample comment from someone identified as JoJo of Covina:

Those of us that knew Patrick know what cause's this type of behavior. Those of you that were close to him know exactly what I'm saying.

Several other commenters have taken up a defense of Rose on the site.

Meanwhile, Rose's girlfriend Sarah Rebecca Morales, 24, of Pomona was arraigned Thursday on three counts of assault on a police officer or firefighter and two counts of taking or driving a vehicle without the owner's consent.

She's being held in lieu of $60,000 bail at the same Lynwood facility that housed Paris Hilton last summer, according to the sheriff's inmate locator.

BTW, here's a link to the Trib's discussion forum, which is hosted by Topix.

Posted at 5:26 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Melissa Pamer reports that the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Homicide Bureau has released the sketches of two men wanted in connection with a Jan. 14 drive-by shooting in Monrovia in which two men might have been slightly injured.

Here's the sketches at left.

I imagine folks in Monrovia have some questions for officials about certain elements of the story.

Here are my questions and observations:

1. Why is homicide releasing sketches of figures wanted in what is likely to be charged as an assault at best? It's my understanding that homicide detectives only investigate actual homicides.

2. When it comes to the Sammantha Salas slaying, why does homicide Lt. Dan Rosenberg say he's not ready ask for a reward from Supervisor Mike Antonovich's office? Antonovich's flack Tony Bell has said repeatedly that he's talked to detectives about that. Can we infer that these two might be wanted in the Salas case as well? What's the story here?

3. Officials that Pamer talked to said crime tips have decreased as media attention has waned in Monrovia.  It almost sounds as if the media is being blamed for a lack of interest in the community. Truth be told, Monrovia seems to have several pretty active community forums among them FCBLOG, City Hall, North Primrose and Frazgo on MetBlogs. Additionally we've had a section of our Web site exclusively devoted to the shootings.

4. Early on in the investigation, authorities blamed the rising tensions in the community on recently released parolees. Do these composite drawings match the mug shots of actual parolees reportedly released into the community?

Posted at 3:26 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

There's a possibility that victims of the Manson Family may still be buried in near a desert hideout in Inyo County.

This from Radar:

The search for remains at the Barker Ranch in Death Valley begins Next Tuesday when a crew of scientists, laser technicians, cadaver dogs, soil testers, and search team from Inyo County Sheriff's Office will comb the cult's old clubhouse grounds. Since the 1969 murders, rumors and speculation have been rampant as to whether additional bodies had been disposed of at Barker Ranch, where Manson was arrested, found hiding under a kitchen sink in fetal crouch. So, why now after all these years? "The sheriff just really wants to put this to rest," sheriff spokesperson Carma Roper tells Radar. "He wants conclusive answers."

Google map below shows the location of the ranch.

Posted at 12:18 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

A man believed to be the Late Bloomer bandit has been apparently captured by the Whittier Police Department, although there is no information on their site.

FBI shows Late Bloomer captured on their LA Bank Robbers site.

Thanks to the Bank Terrorism blog for this tip.

Here's an excerpt from a Brian Day story about the Late Bloomer published on April 21, 2008:

The Late Bloomer Bandit earned his name because of his age, estimated between 55 and 60, said FBI spokeswoman Laura Eimiller.

He is believed to have struck the Whittier Union Bank branch at 8510 Painter Ave. on March 28, a Pico Rivera Banco Popular at 8500 Washington Blvd. on March 29, and a Santa Fe Springs Banco Popular at 13310 Telegraph Road on April 16, Eimiller said.

The bandit tells his victims he has a gun and isn't afraid to use it, however no weapon has been seen, Eimiller said.

He also uses profanity and appears to be growing bolder with each robbery, she said.

The Late Bloomer Bandit is described as a white or Latino man, standing about 5 feet 7 inches tall, and weighing 180 to 190 pounds, with gray hair and a mustache, Eimiller said. He wears prescription glasses with black frames and carries a newspaper or magazine where he stows the stolen cash, she said.

Posted at 11:32 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The California state Supreme Court issued its ruling on gay marriages this morning. Here's the AP story top:

SAN FRANCISCO--The California Supreme Court has overturned a
voter-approved ban on gay marriage, paving the way for the state to become the second
in the United States where gay and lesbian residents can marry.

The justices released the 4-3 decision Thursday, saying that domestic partnerships
are not a good enough substitute for marriage in an opinion written by Chief Justice
Ron George.

Outside the courthouse, gay marriage supporters cried and cheered as news spread of
the decision.

In striking down the ban, the court said, "In contrast to earlier times, our state
now recognizes that an individual's capacity to establish a loving and long-term
committed relationship with another person and responsibly to care for and raise
children does not depend upon the individual's sexual orientation, and, more
generally, that an individual's sexual orientation -- like a person's race or gender --
does not constitute a legitimate basis upon which to deny or withhold legal
rights."

Here's a pdf of the decision.

Posted at 10:45 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)