Quake forces evacuations in Southern California

<b>Fire crews red-tagged 20 apartment units in a building in the Orange County city of Fullerton after finding a major foundation crack. </b><br /><b><br /></b><br /><br /><img src="http://cbssacramento.files.wordpress.com/2014/03/73298476.jpg?w=620&h=349&crop=1" /><br /><br /><br />Structural woes including broken chimneys and leaning were uncovered in half a dozen single-family houses, which were also deemed as unsafe to occupy until building inspectors clear the structures.<br /><br />The damage displaced 83 residents.<br /><br /><br /><img alt="California quake: 5.1 Magnitude" src="http://newsbcpcol.stb.s-msn.com/amnews/i/8d/56de5bb959786f6ce88c9d85d06cf8/_h309_w628_m6_utrue_otrue_lfalse.jpg" /><br /><br /><br /><br />Despite the evacuations, Friday night's magnitude-5.1 quake centered about 25 miles south of downtown Los Angeles mostly frayed nerves.<br /><br />The quake was preceded by two smaller foreshocks, and more than 100 aftershocks followed, including a magnitude-4.1 that hit Saturday afternoon, the largest in the sequence so far. No injuries were reported.<br /><br />Residents were inconvenienced and some lost valuables, but "thankfully the damage wasn't greater," said Chi-Chung Keung, a spokesman for the city of Fullerton.<br /><br /><a href="http://newsbcpcol.stb.s-msn.com/amnews/i/8d/56de5bb959786f6ce88c9d85d06cf8/_h0_w295_m6_otrue_lfalse.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="California quake: 5.1 Magnitude" border="0" src="http://newsbcpcol.stb.s-msn.com/amnews/i/8d/56de5bb959786f6ce88c9d85d06cf8/_h0_w295_m6_otrue_lfalse.jpg" /></a>Business owners in Orange County spent the aftermath sweeping up shattered glass and restocking shelves. Utility crews worked to restore power and shut off gas leaks and water main breaks. A rock slide in the Carbon Canyon area of nearby Brea remained closed to traffic.<br /><br /><br />The Red Cross opened a shelter in neighboring La Habra and closed it once 38 people who stayed overnight returned home.<br /><br />California quake: 5.1 magnitudeAP: The Orange County Register, Ken Steinhardt<br />David Richardson of CalTrans photographs a rock wall where a rockslide closed Carbon Canyon Road near Carbon Canyon Regional Park in Brea, Calif., on Saturday, March 29, 2014, after an earthquake hit Orange County Friday night.<br />"Everything is starting to get settled down here," La Habra police Sgt. Mel Ruiz said.<br /><br />In Fullerton, some residents will have to stay elsewhere until building inspectors can check out the red-tagged apartments and houses and give an all-clear, Fire Battalion Chief John Stokes said.<br /><br />Another 14 residential structures around the city suffered lesser damage, including collapsed fireplaces.<br /><br />A water-main break flooded several floors of Brea City Hall, and the shaking knocked down computers and ceiling tiles, Stokes said.<br /><br />Friday's jolt was the strongest to strike the greater Los Angeles region since 2008. Southern California has been in a seismic lull since the deadly 1994 Northridge earthquake killed several dozen people and caused $25 billion in damage.<br /><br />The latest quake hit a week after a magnitude-4.4 centered in the San Fernando Valley shook buildings and rattled nerves.<br /><br />It appeared to break a one-mile segment of the Puente Hills thrust fault, which stretches from the San Gabriel Valley to downtown Los Angeles and caused the 1987 Whittier Narrows quake that killed eight people. The rupture lasted half a second, scientists said.<br /><br /><a href="http://newsbcpcol.stb.s-msn.com/amnews/i/61/761b5ffe7e7c435e4813fd455da62/_h0_w295_m6_otrue_lfalse.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="California quake: 5.1 magnitude" border="0" src="http://newsbcpcol.stb.s-msn.com/amnews/i/61/761b5ffe7e7c435e4813fd455da62/_h0_w295_m6_otrue_lfalse.jpg" /></a>U.S. Geological Survey seismologist Lucy Jones said it's unclear whether Southern California is entering a more active seismic period. "We have been in a really quiet time. It can't stay that way," Jones said.<br /><br /><br />Peter Novahof went shopping with his family at a hardware store in Long Beach a day after the quake. Though nothing was knocked out of his place at his home, he figured it was a good time to think about securing his television and cupboards with glassware.<br /><br />"We've had an earthquake drought for a while," he said. So people are decorating their houses without taking into consideration that "we're in earthquake zone."<br /><br /><br /><img alt="California Quake: 5.1 magnitude: A broken block wall blocks the sidewalk Saturday, March 29, 2014, after an earthquake hit Orange County Friday night in Fullerton, Calif." src="http://newsbcpcol.stb.s-msn.com/amnews/i/39/2131c1bf6bd86774f6583831416a/_h353_w628_m6_otrue_lfalse.jpg" />

Quake forces evacuations in Southern California

Fire crews red-tagged 20 apartment units in a building in the Orange County city of Fullerton after finding a major foundation crack.  Struc...

Calif.lawmakers OK driver's licenses for illegal immigrants

SACRAMENTO — California Gov. Jerry Brown said he approved of a measure to provide driver's licenses to illegal immigrants. Its author had withdrawn it on Thursday under the threat of a veto, capping a full day of lobbying by California politicians for immigration reform at the federal level.<br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img abp="83" alt="Illegal immigrants driver's license: California Gov. Jerry Brown speaks at the 7th Annual California Hall of Fame induction ceremony. Brown approves of a driver's license measure for illegal immigrants." class="image" src="http://newsbcpcol.stb.s-msn.com/amnews/i/90/3f2eb56fec7f989f678c613a8154b7/_h353_w628_m6_otrue_lfalse.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">California Gov. Jerry Brown</td></tr></tbody></table>"This bill will enable millions of people to get to work safely and legally," Brown, a Democrat, said in an email sent to reporters shortly after midnight. "Hopefully it will send a message to Washington that immigration reform is long past due."<br /><br />Over the past year, nine states and the District of Columbia have passed laws enabling undocumented immigrants to drive legally. In California, lawmakers and governors have routinely rebuffed such efforts.<br /><br />Just on Thursday, Assemblyman Luis Alejo, a Democrat from the agricultural town of Salinas, told Reuters that he was withdrawing the bill he had written until next year, largely because of concerns expressed by Brown.<br /><br />The governor, Alejo said, wanted to make sure the new licenses complied with federal law requiring them to clearly indicate the driver was undocumented.<br /><br />For example, he said, Utah licenses for people who cannot show they are in the country legally bear the words "temporary visitor's driver license" on the front.<br /><br />Alejo said he would prefer California's licenses to be more discreet, with small wording on the back indicating that the license was not to be used for identification purposes.<br /><br />He withdrew the bill, promising to bring it up again next year. But late in the day on Thursday, just hours before the legislature recessed for the year, Alejo accepted amendments that would make the distinction more clear.<br /><br />After Brown's objections were satisfied, both houses of the state legislature quickly passed the bill, with a number of Republicans joining the Democratic majority to vote for it.<br /><br />It was approved by votes of 28-8 in the California Senate and 55-19 in the Assembly.<br /><br />"We need those living here and sharing our roads to be educated and insured," said Republican state Sen. Anthony Cannella. "There are both social and financial reasons to provide licenses to immigrants who are part of our communities."<br /><br />Latino organizations and immigrant rights groups welcomed the measure.<br /><br />Angelica Salas, executive director of the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles, called it "fundamental and way overdue."<br /><br />Also on Thursday, Cannella led a group calling on Republicans in Congress to take action on broader immigration reform.<br /><div><br /></div>

Calif.lawmakers OK driver's licenses for illegal immigrants

SACRAMENTO — California Gov. Jerry Brown said he approved of a measure to provide driver's licenses to illegal immigrants. Its author ha...

CA gives transgender students restroom,sports choices

<h3>Public schools in California will now allow transgender students to choose which restrooms to use and whether to join girls' or boys' sports, a new law says.</h3><br /><br /><img height="426" src="http://www.addictinginfo.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/transgender.png" width="640" /><br /><br />California public schools must allow transgender students to choose which restrooms to use and whether to join the girls' or boys' sports teams under a law signed by Democratic Gov. Jerry Brown on Monday.<br /><br />Supporters say it is the first state law to require equal access to sex-segregated school facilities based on the gender with which the student identifies instead of their biological gender.<br /><br />But opponents say the law is too vague and could lead to abuses.<br /><br />Some school districts, including Los Angeles and San Francisco, already allow students to participate in sports programs and choose school facilities in accordance with their gender identity, said Carlos Alcala, spokesman for the law's author, Democratic Assemblyman Tom Ammiano of San Francisco.<br /><br />Under this law, all of the state's districts would have to do that.<br /><br />"There were other school districts that made it very difficult on students, so that's why we felt the law was necessary," Alcala said.<br /><br />Last month, the Arcadia School District, in Southern California, settled a transgender discrimination lawsuit filed when a middle school student, who was born female but identified as male, was barred from using male restrooms and locker rooms at school.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://localtvwjw.files.wordpress.com/2012/06/87602768.jpg?w=339" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://localtvwjw.files.wordpress.com/2012/06/87602768.jpg?w=339" width="640" /></a></div><br />Alcala said that at least one other U.S. state had policies addressing transgender student access issues, but California was the first state to enact a law mandating access to restrooms and sports teams.<br /><br /><br />Supporters said the law would provide a morale boost for transgender students, who often feel isolated and frequently endure abuse.<br /><br />"It's going to send them a message that they are a part of the school community and that they are valued and that we want to see them participate fully and want to see them succeed," said Ilona Turner, legal director for the Transgender Law Center, a nonprofit legal transgender rights organization that co-sponsored the bill. "That's a powerful message that, frankly, they have not been getting up to this point."<br /><br />Dozens of civil rights, gay rights and educational groups, including the American Civil Liberties Union of California and the California Teachers Association, supported the bill.<br /><br />A handful of conservative and religious groups, including the California Catholic Conference and Concerned Women for America, opposed it, according to documents filed by the Senate Rules Committee.<br /><br /><br />Pro-family policy organization Capitol Resource Institute opposed the bill.<br /><br />"They didn't need to force this on every single California school district," said Karen England, a spokeswoman for the Capitol Resource Institute.<br /><br />England said the law is too vague and provides no guidelines for implementation or to guard against abuse.<br /><br />"Most Californians don't want their daughters showering or going to the restroom with boys," she said.<br /><div></div>

CA gives transgender students restroom,sports choices

Public schools in California will now allow transgender students to choose which restrooms to use and whether to join girls' or boys...

California murder-kidnap suspect killed in Idaho, girl rescued: police

A California man suspected of killing his longtime friend and her son and abducting her 16-year-old daughter was killed in Idaho on Saturday as authorities were attempting to arrest him, the San Diego County Sheriff said.<br /><br /><br /><a href="http://media2.s-nbcnews.com/j/MSNBC/Components/Photo/_new/g-cvr-130808-dimaggio-4x3-615p.380;380;7;70;0.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://media2.s-nbcnews.com/j/MSNBC/Components/Photo/_new/g-cvr-130808-dimaggio-4x3-615p.380;380;7;70;0.jpg" /></a>The girl, Hannah Anderson, was rescued apparently in good health and taken to a hospital, San Diego County Sheriff William Gore said at a news conference.<br /><br />More than 150 law enforcement officers on foot and on horseback had descended on the central Idaho wilderness in search of James Lee DiMaggio, 40, after a group of backcountry horsemen told police that they had spotted the pair on Wednesday.<br /><br />The telecommunications technician is wanted in the killing of Christina Anderson, 44, and 8-year-old Ethan and in the disappearance of Hannah, all of whom were last seen last Saturday, the day before DiMaggio is suspected of setting his house on fire in the Southern California community of Boulevard, triggering a multi-state search.<br /><br />The San Diego County Sheriff confirmed late on Friday that the remains of a second body found at the house were Ethan's. Police declined to say how Christina Anderson or her son were killed.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGIXgrLO3pH_9PPs0GKq0iVR1M7lGulVpJ2qUWwzsaxhi5Yx08Ap18Zal4S9ulYVQsQg55tgFLqvEceeR2dWefuDDbBPt7hJs1XVstR07evOuvXZvUvtDwJ22_2Z4aZ8Qe11hExxHxjzo/s1600/01qq.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGIXgrLO3pH_9PPs0GKq0iVR1M7lGulVpJ2qUWwzsaxhi5Yx08Ap18Zal4S9ulYVQsQg55tgFLqvEceeR2dWefuDDbBPt7hJs1XVstR07evOuvXZvUvtDwJ22_2Z4aZ8Qe11hExxHxjzo/s1600/01qq.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">James Dimaggio's car is towed to the town of Cascade </td></tr></tbody></table><br />

California murder-kidnap suspect killed in Idaho, girl rescued: police

A California man suspected of killing his longtime friend and her son and abducting her 16-year-old daughter was killed in Idaho on Saturday...

Crews searching for missing investigator find body

Sandra Coke, a capital case investigator for the federal public defender's office in Sacramento, Calif., was last seen in Oakland on Sunday.<br /><br /><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="Parolee probed about missing federal investigator: Randy Alana" class="image" src="http://newsbcpcol.stb.s-msn.com/amnews/i/a5/10cbaded205da76d6638592612264/_h353_w628_m6_otrue_lfalse.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">An undated booking photo of Randy Alana, 56, provided by the Oakland Police Department.</td></tr></tbody></table>OAKLAND, Calif. — Authorities found a woman's body on Friday near a Northern California park where they had been searching for a missing federal investigator.<br /><br />Oakland police Officer Johnna Watson said the body has not been identified and will be taken to the Solano County coroner.<br /><br />It was found by Contra Costa County sheriff's search and rescue teams in a woodsy area near Laguna Valley Park in Vacaville, as crews searched for 50-year-old Sandra Coke of Oakland.<br /><br />The search for Coke was ended after the discovery, and authorities remained tight-lipped about what led dozens of local, state and federal investigators to the area.<br /><br />Coke, a capital case investigator for the federal public defender's office in Sacramento, was last seen in Oakland on Sunday.<br /><br />On Thursday, Oakland police identified Coke's former boyfriend, Randy Alana, as a person of interest in the case. He and Coke were seen together Sunday, police said.<br /><br />Alana, 56, of Oakland, a registered sex offender, was arrested on an unspecified parole violation on Tuesday.<br /><br />"We are looking at an angle to see if foul play was involved," Watson said.<br /><br /><span class="media hover"></span><br /><div><div><a href="http://newsbcpcol.stb.s-msn.com/amnews/i/98/b2513ce0fb04fed9ca52dde2ddf/_h0_w295_m6_otrue_lfalse.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="This undated photo provided by the Coke family shows Sandra Coke. Coke was last seen Sunday night, Aug. 4, 2013, after leaving her home in Oakland, Calif. Police are asking for the public's help as they try to locate the missing 50-year-old California woman who worked as a federal investigator. Relatives say Sandra Coke of Oakland was a capital case investigator for the Office of the Federal Public Defender in the Eastern District of California." border="0" class="image articleimage" data-class="img1" src="http://newsbcpcol.stb.s-msn.com/amnews/i/98/b2513ce0fb04fed9ca52dde2ddf/_h0_w295_m6_otrue_lfalse.jpg" /></a>Coke left her Oakland home shortly after 8:30 p.m. Sunday after reportedly telling her 15-year-old daughter she was meeting with someone who had found her missing dog.</div><div><br /></div><div>Coke said she would be back in 30 minutes. Her daughter called police when her mother did not come home that night.</div><div><br /></div><div>A family friend, Laura Burstein, said Coke dated Alana more than 20 years ago. Another friend, Dan Abrahamson, told KGO-TV, that Alana recently reappeared in the area and reached out to Coke for help.</div><div><br /></div><div>Alana was being held without bail. He is considered a high-risk sex offender, with state records showing he has convictions for rape and kidnapping.</div><div><br /></div><div>Dozens of Coke's family and friends announced a $100,000 reward on Thursday for any information leading to her return.</div><div><br /></div><div>"These last few days have been a living nightmare," said her sister, Tanya Coke, who believes foul play may be involved.</div><div><br /></div><div>Calls to Tanya Coke on Friday were not immediately returned. Earlier, Sandra Coke's family released a statement hoping for her return.</div><div><br /></div><div>"We are enormously grateful for the efforts of everyone - law enforcement, colleagues and friends of Sandra, and members of the public and the media - who have labored day and night - to find Sandra," the statement read.</div><div><br /></div><div>Police found Coke's 2007 Mini Cooper convertible on Monday, just a few blocks from her home and her cellphones were discovered near the Oakland-Emeryville border and near Interstate 80 in Richmond.</div><div><br /></div><div>As an investigator, Coke was assigned to probe capital cases that are appealed to federal court to ensure death sentences are fair.</div></div><div><br /></div>

Crews searching for missing investigator find body

Sandra Coke, a capital case investigator for the federal public defender's office in Sacramento, Calif., was last seen in Oakland on Sun...

Burned body ID'd as brother of missing California girl

<h4>A body found in a burning house in Southern California is that of the 8-year-old brother of missing Hannah Anderson, San Diego sheriff's officials said Friday.</h4><br /><br /><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="Burned bodies, child abduction: A massive search entered a sixth day Friday, Aug. 9, 2013 for DiMaggio, suspected of abducting the 16-year-old family friend." class="image" height="359" src="http://newsbcpcol.stb.s-msn.com/amnews/i/a0/576d16eb7db4313d62e4db84add7/_h353_w628_m6_otrue_lfalse.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This combination of photos provided by the San Diego Sheriff's Department shows James Lee DiMaggio, 40, left, and Hannah Anderson, 16</td></tr></tbody></table>SAN DIEGO, Calif. —  A car belonging to a man suspected of killing a California woman and her young son and then fleeing with the 16-year-old daughter was found in the Idaho wilderness on Friday after a horseback rider reported seeing the man and girl hiking in the area two days earlier, authorities said.<br /><br />The discovery came as authorities in California positively identified the charred body of the girl's younger brother five days after its discovery.<br /><br />The rider said he saw two people who matched the description of the pair near Morehead Lake, in an extremely rugged backcountry area 70 miles northeast of Boise sometime around noon Wednesday, Ada County Sheriff's Department spokeswoman Andrea Dearden said.<br /><br />The rider didn't report his encounter with the pair until later, after seeing news reports and realizing they were being sought.<br /><br /><a href="http://newsbcpcol.stb.s-msn.com/amnews/i/85/1eb0e0c1cd85ca285222e213c883/_h0_w295_m6_otrue_lfalse.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Suspected Calif. abductor's vehicle found: Map showing Cascade, Idaho." border="0" class="image articleimage" data-class="img1" src="http://newsbcpcol.stb.s-msn.com/amnews/i/85/1eb0e0c1cd85ca285222e213c883/_h0_w295_m6_otrue_lfalse.jpg" /></a>Idaho authorities started searching Thursday and the car was found Friday morning and identified through serial numbers as belonging to James Lee DiMaggio, 40.<br /><br /><div><div>There have been no other reported sightings of the pair since Wednesday, but the discovery launched a massive search in the southwest corner of The Frank Church-River of No Return Wilderness.<br /><br /></div><div><span class="media hover"></span></div><div>More than 100 people were searching on foot and on horseback or were on their way to join the search of an area that Ada County sheriff's spokesman Patrick Orr described Friday evening as covering 320 square miles.</div><div><br /></div><div>The rider also told police it did not appear that the girl, believed to be 16-year-old Hannah Anderson, was being held against her will. Both people seemed healthy and were equipped with gear necessary to hike and camp in Idaho's remote wilderness.</div><div><br /></div><div>"There was nothing that was so alarming at the time that he felt threatened or alarmed," Dearden said of the unidentified rider. "But after seeing the Amber Alerts, there was something that made him think, in hindsight, that it all seemed a little odd."</div></div><div><div>Also late Friday, San Diego County sheriff's officials announced that, as expected, they had positively identified a charred body discovered at DiMaggio's home near the Mexican border as the girl's 8-year-old brother, Ethan Anderson.</div><div><br /></div><div>The sheriff's crime lab identified the body found Sunday through DNA extracted from bone marrow, the department said in a brief statement.</div><div><br /></div><div>The children's mother, Christina Anderson, 44, was also found dead at the burning house on Sunday night, and authorities around the west have been looking for DiMaggio and Hannah Anderson ever since.</div><div><br /></div><div>Brett Anderson, Hannah's father, said he was "very happy" that Hannah may have been spotted alive. He said he couldn't explain why his daughter didn't ask the horseback rider for help.</div><div><br /></div><div>"We don't know what kind of frame of mind she was in or what he told her," Anderson said. "Maybe if she acted differently, there would be more dead people."</div><div><br /></div><div>Hannah's grandfather, Christopher Saincome, also was relieved and refused to try to explain the girl's reaction.</div><div><br /></div><div>"He could have strapped something to her and told her it was a bomb. He could have had her tethered to him," he said. "I'm sure she's totally in shock."</div><div><br /></div><div>The car, a blue Nissan Versa, was covered in brush off a road about 5 or 6 miles from the spot where the man and girl had been seen. The license plates had been removed, but the vehicle identification number matched that of the car being sought, San Diego County Sheriff Bill Gore said.</div><div><br /></div><div>Police previously warned that the car might be rigged with explosives. A law enforcement team from San Diego was expected to search and secure the car at the trailhead, sheriff's spokesman Orr said.</div><div><br /></div><div>Morehead Lake is in the southwest corner of a rugged 2.3 million-acre preserve in the heart of Idaho. Because of its wilderness designation, the preserve is not open to motorized vehicles and traffic is limited to hikers and horseback riders — rules that will also apply to searchers.</div><div><br /></div><div>The lake is about 2 miles west of the Middle Fork of the Snake River, a waterway that winds through the wilderness and is extremely popular for recreationists who float and camp for up to a week at a time.</div><div><br /></div><div>The pine-blanketed area is at an altitude of about 7,800 feet and the lake itself is seven miles into the wilderness area. Temperatures at night can fall into the high 30s. Daytime highs can reach the 90s.</div><div><br /></div><div>Police have set up check points in the area where the car was found and near other nearby trailheads, about 60 miles east of Cascade.</div><div><br /></div><div>Gore noted that DiMaggio bought camping gear a few weeks ago.</div><div><br /></div><div>DiMaggio was close to the family. Brett Anderson has described him as a best friend and said his children thought of him as an uncle.</div><div><br /></div><div>Authorities have said DiMaggio had an "unusual infatuation" with the 16-year-old, although the father said he never saw any strange behavior. If he had, he said, "we would have quashed that relationship in an instant."</div><div><br /></div><div>DiMaggio, a telecommunications technician at The Scripps Research Institute in San Diego, was planning to move to Texas and invited Christina Anderson and the children to his home last weekend to say goodbye, said Christopher Saincome, Anderson's father.</div><div><br /></div><div>It's unclear how the two were killed, though police believe the crime was planned.</div><div><br /></div><div>Brett Anderson said his friend is an outdoorsman.</div><div><br /></div><div>"He was very interested in hiking and camping," Anderson said. "Whenever he had the chance and had the funds he would go on a hiking trip."</div><div><br /></div><div>The Cascade area is an outdoorsman's paradise. Perched along the southeastern shoreline of the Cascade Reservoir and The West Mountains, the town is a popular summer getaway for hikers, campers and kayakers.</div></div><div><br /></div>

Burned body ID'd as brother of missing California girl

A body found in a burning house in Southern California is that of the 8-year-old brother of missing Hannah Anderson, San Diego sheriff's...

Suspected San Diego kidnapper's car found in Idaho: police

A man and woman believed to match the description of a San Diego kidnapping suspect and the 16-year-old California girl with him were spotted by horseback riders in Idaho on Wednesday, authorities said at a Friday news conference.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjoQ67dJAxtm-LLCVfI3LrtZOrTNNF2NW4XZ0HfBytRJS_CU2rk7DPEbd44MK0QF0ka2koZQXvX4gt6E_M-h9bm5HiNMyfuH__GU6QQ-fvZOgAQn-DNp2RxPcDvG_4uzIlptIv-jujQ8k/s1600/compa.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjoQ67dJAxtm-LLCVfI3LrtZOrTNNF2NW4XZ0HfBytRJS_CU2rk7DPEbd44MK0QF0ka2koZQXvX4gt6E_M-h9bm5HiNMyfuH__GU6QQ-fvZOgAQn-DNp2RxPcDvG_4uzIlptIv-jujQ8k/s1600/compa.gif" /></a>San Diego County Sheriff Bill Gore said a car matching the description of the vehicle driven by James Lee DiMaggio was found in a remote, mountainous area of Idaho, about six miles outside of the city of Cascade.<br /><br />"The people on horseback, the four individuals who were out in that area, they thought it was just unique that they ran across them out there," Gore said. "And then when they came back, they made some inquiry and they found out about the Amber Alert and the information we have on DiMaggio."<br /><div><div>Officials suspect DiMaggio, 40, of setting fire to his own house, killing a woman and a boy inside, and kidnapping 16-year-old Hannah Anderson. Authorities in several states, Canada and Mexico are looking for him.</div><div><br /></div><div>The man and woman were spotted carrying backpacks about six miles from where the car was found, Gore said, adding that DiMaggio had recently purchased camping equipment. Both people spotted on Wednesday appeared in good health, he said.</div></div><div><div>The witnesses notified law enforcement authorities in the area about the sighting on Thursday.</div><div><br /></div><div>"As far as we know, it didn’t look like she was being held against her will,” the sheriff added.</div><div><br /></div><div>A ground search was initiated and a car matching DiMaggio's Nissan Versa was found Friday covered with brush and without any license plates. A check of the car's vehicle identification number on the windshield was performed and confirmed it was DiMaggio's car, the sheriff said.</div><div><br /></div><div>The vehicle was found in a remote section of land that is not easily accessible, Gore added, but said he was confident the girl would be returned safely.</div><div><br /></div><div>“She was alive on Wednesday and we hope that law enforcement will find them up in the mountains there and return them safely,” Gore said.</div><div><br /></div><div>--------------------------------------------------------------------------------</div><div><img alt="Amber Alert issued in California: From left, James Lee DiMaggio, 40; Ethan Anderson, 8; and Hannah Anderson, 16" class="image" src="http://newsbcpcol.stb.s-msn.com/amnews/i/5f/a55548f257b12cf9c8a182a2714e21/_h353_w628_m6_otrue_lfalse.jpg" /></div><div>Hannah Anderson and her 8-year-old brother, Ethan, have been missing since their mother’s death.</div><div><br /></div><div>On Sunday, police discovered the burned remains of Christina Anderson, 44, in a log cabin-style home in Boulevard, Calif. Along with Anderson’s body, police also found the body of a child that has yet to be identified, but authorities believe may be Ethan’s.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Amber Alerts were issued in Oregon and Washington on Wednesday for the two kids after DiMaggio’s car was believed to have been spotted in Northern California. The alert did not say whether DiMaggio or either of the children was in the car. An alert was also posted in Nevada on Thursday. </div><div><br /></div><div>The FBI and various state and local law enforcement agencies are assisting in the investigation. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>DiMaggio is described as white, 5 feet 9 inches, 150 pounds, with brown hair and brown eyes. He may have shaved off a mustache and beard, detectives said.</div><div><br /></div><div>Sheriff's officials told NBC San Diego that Christina Anderson had a “close platonic relationship” with DiMaggio. Neighbors told the station had he moved to the area five years ago. A neighbor told The Associated Press that Christina and her husband, Brett Anderson, had recently separated. </div><div><br /></div><div>San Diego sheriff’s officials said DiMaggio has had an “unusual infatuation” with Hannah.</div><div><br /></div><div>“That is kind of a working theory, that it may be something of a motivator,” San Diego County sheriff’s Capt. Duncan Fraser told NBC San Diego. “It’s definitely something that we're looking at.”</div><div><br /></div><div>Marissa Chavez, 15, told The Associated Press that a couple of months ago she had witnessed DiMaggio tell her friend that he had a crush on her and would date her if they were the same age, as they drove home from a gymnastics competition.</div><div><br /></div><div>“She was a little creeped out by it. She didn’t want to be alone with him,” Chavez told the news service.</div></div><div><br /></div>

Suspected San Diego kidnapper's car found in Idaho: police

A man and woman believed to match the description of a San Diego kidnapping suspect and the 16-year-old California girl with him were spotte...

Federal investigator still missing; parolee questioned

<h4>Sandra Coke, a capital case investigator for the federal public defender's office in Sacramento, Calif., was last seen in Oakland on Sunday. </h4><br /><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="Parolee probed about missing federal investigator: Randy Alana" class="image" src="http://newsbcpcol.stb.s-msn.com/amnews/i/a5/10cbaded205da76d6638592612264/_h353_w628_m6_otrue_lfalse.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">An undated booking photo of Randy Alana, 56, provided by the Oakland Police Department.</td></tr></tbody></table><br />OAKLAND, Calif. — An extensive search continued in Northern California on Friday for a missing federal criminal defense investigator after a parolee was identified as a person of interest in her disappearance, authorities said.<br /><br />About 50 local, state and federal investigators are searching an area around the Solano County Fairgrounds in Vallejo for any clues involving the disappearance of Sandra Coke, Oakland police spokeswoman Officer Johnna Watson said.<br /><br />"We will stay out here as long as it takes, and we will search every area that's necessary," Watson said at a news conference Friday. "We want to keep a very wide scope in the investigation."<br /><br />Coke, 50, a capital case investigator for the federal public defender's office in Sacramento, was last seen in Oakland on Sunday. She left her Oakland home after telling her 15-year-old daughter she was meeting with someone who found her missing dog.<br /><br />Coke said she would be back in 30 minutes. Her daughter called police when her mother did not return home that night.<br /><br />Police arrested Randy Alana, 56, of Oakland on an unspecified parole violation on Tuesday as he was being questioned about his ties to Coke. Watson said the arrest took place after investigators discovered he was with Coke on Sunday.<br /><br />A family friend, Laura Burstein, said Thursday that Coke dated Alana more than 20 years ago.<br /><br />"He is a person of interest. We do know they were seen together last Sunday evening," Watson said. "We are looking at an angle to see if foul play was involved."<br /><br />Alana was being held in jail without bail Thursday. He is considered a high-risk sex offender as state records show he has convictions for rape and kidnapping.<br /><br />Earlier Thursday, dozens of Coke's family and friends announced a $100,000 reward for any information leading to her return.<br /><br />"These last few days have been a living nightmare," Tanya Coke, her sister, said Thursday. "We are all desperate to see her return home safely."<br /><br />Police found Coke's 2007 Mini Cooper convertible on Monday, just a few blocks from her home and her two cellphones were found near the Oakland-Emeryville border and in Richmond.<br /><br />Oakland Police Lt. Chris Bolton said they are still treating Coke's disappearance as a missing person's case. Thursday's search in Vallejo, about an hour from Oakland, will also include the FBI, California Highway Patrol and divers from the Alameda County Sheriff's Department.<br /><br />Coke's sister, however, is convinced that foul play is involved.<br /><br />"We are certain that she has been abducted," she said. "She would never leave her daughter for more than an hour or two so we know that there must be something terribly wrong."<br /><br />Watson said authorities will look into all angles.<br /><br />"Our primary focus on this investigation is to find Sandra Coke," Watson said. "We are hopeful that she is safe and we hope to find her safe."<br /><div><br /></div>

Federal investigator still missing; parolee questioned

Sandra Coke, a capital case investigator for the federal public defender's office in Sacramento, Calif., was last seen in Oakland on Sun...

Venice Beach crash suspect was looking for work

<b><br /></b><b>Nathan Louis Campbell, 38, pleaded not guilty to one count of murder, 16 counts of assault with a deadly weapon and 17 counts of hit-and-run. </b><br /><br /><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="Nathan Louis Campbell" class="image" src="http://newsbcpcol.stb.s-msn.com/amnews/i/36/a4d5d4fedbdd4efda7a9df826981/_h353_w628_m6_otrue_lfalse.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Prosecutors contend that Nathan Campbell deliberately maneuvered around a barrier and drove through the crowds. His attorney Philip Dube called it "a horrible accident."</td></tr></tbody></table><br />LOS ANGELES, Calif. — A transient charged with ramming his car through a weekend crowd on the Venice Beach boardwalk chatted cheerfully with regulars at a Southern California job center and gave no indication of a problem hours before the deadly drive, acquaintances said.<br /><br />Suspect Nathan Campbell told the manager of the Malibu Community Labor Exchange that he had purchased a car in Colorado and was living in it, but friends said he had a line on a job and planned to stay awhile, the Los Angeles Daily News reported Wednesday.<br /><div><br /></div><div><div>Mark Hewitt, a homeless man who hung out at the center, said Campbell had at least one job in recent weeks and was promised more work.</div><div><br /></div><div>Hewitt said Campbell, who struggled with alcohol abuse in the past, seemed sober and in a good mood on Saturday — before the boardwalk rampage that left one person dead and 16 injured.</div><div><br /></div><div>"He asked me if I wanted to go to Venice with him to do laundry," Hewitt said. "But I told him I didn't need to go. When he left, I felt like everything was fine. I was shocked when I heard. Maybe if I'd have gone, he wouldn't have done this."</div></div><div><div>Video taken Saturday showed a dark-colored 2008 Dodge Avenger mowing down vendors and tourists along the popular boardwalk. Italian newlywed Alice Gruppioni, 32, was killed.</div><div><br /></div><div>Campbell, 38, pleaded not guilty on Tuesday to one count of murder, 16 counts of assault with a deadly weapon and 17 counts of hit-and-run. He could face life in prison if convicted and remains jailed on $1.48 million bail.</div><div><br /></div><div>Prosecutors contend that Campbell deliberately maneuvered around a barrier and drove through the crowds. His attorney Philip Dube called it "a horrible accident."</div><div><br /></div><div>Campbell has a history of run-ins with the law in several states including a conviction for driving with alcohol, although Dube told reporters there was no indication that drugs or alcohol were involved in the weekend incident.</div><div><br /></div><div>Hours earlier, Campbell was at the day-labor center 15 miles away in Malibu.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Campbell had worked regularly last year, doing day-labor construction, moving and landscaping jobs in the wealthy coastal enclave, said Oscar Mondragon, director of the nonprofit job exchange.</div><div><br /></div><div>"This guy was calm, really helpful. We had no complaints about him, and in our eyes he was a good worker," he said. "It's out of character in my eyes."</div><div><br /></div><div>Campbell said he was living in a car that he had bought in a Denver suburb earlier this summer.</div></div><div><div>"He was so proud that he saved money to buy the car," Mondragon said. "He came over and told me 'Look, Oscar! I got a car!'"</div><div><br /></div><div>Campbell has ties to Colorado. In 2010 he began working as a cook and intake administrator at a residential sober-living facility in Denver. He worked there until February 2012 when he quit, the Daily News reported.</div><div><br /></div><div>In March 2012, he was evicted from his apartment in Denver for not paying $655 in rent, records show.</div><div><br /></div><div>He went to California and was a regular at the Malibu job center for several months.</div></div><div><div>He got jobs but had trouble keeping steady work and had begun drinking again, said an acquaintance, Raymond Figueroa.</div><div><br /></div><div>"When he was drunk, you couldn't even understand him, he would be incoherent," Figueroa said. "He was always very remorseful later."</div><div><br /></div><div>Campbell went back to Colorado in December and returned to work at the rehab facility.</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://newsbcpcol.stb.s-msn.com/amnews/i/42/201ce8426829157743e8436c13ac/_h0_w295_m6_otrue_lfalse.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Nathan Louis Campbell, 38, a transient from Colorado, enters Los Angeles Superior Court on Aug. 6." border="0" class="image articleimage" data-class="img1" src="http://newsbcpcol.stb.s-msn.com/amnews/i/42/201ce8426829157743e8436c13ac/_h0_w295_m6_otrue_lfalse.jpg" /></a>"He had saved up a bunch of money and was going to school" for a certificate program related to his rehabilitation work, Figueroa said. "He told me awhile back that he was only a week away from finishing."</div><div><br /></div><div>But he left the job in June and by early the next month he was back in California.</div><div><span class="media hover"></span></div><div>"I just can't believe it. Maybe he snapped or he was under the influence," Figueroa said. "My heart goes out to the people that were hurt. I just don't understand it."</div><div><br /></div><div>Campbell had a history of petty crime convictions.</div><div><br /></div><div>He was sentenced to five days in jail after pleading guilty to shoplifting at a Denver supermarket in February 2009. Five months later, he was accused of trespassing at an outdoor mall in Denver and sentenced to 10 days in jail, but instead served time in a sheriff's work program.</div><div><br /></div><div>Records also show he had a 2002 conviction in Santa Monica for trespassing after starting a fire on private land, and a month later he was convicted of being drunk in public and resisting arrest. He also was convicted of reckless driving with alcohol in Florida in 2008, the Daily News reported.</div></div><div><br /></div>

Venice Beach crash suspect was looking for work

Nathan Louis Campbell, 38, pleaded not guilty to one count of murder, 16 counts of assault with a deadly weapon and 17 counts of hit-and-run...

California abductor may have homemade explosives

<h3>Authorities have expanded their search for a missing teen and are investigating whether a charred body may be her 8-year-old brother.</h3><br /><br /><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="Amber Alert issued in California: From left, James Lee DiMaggio, 40; Ethan Anderson, 8; and Hannah Anderson, 16" class="image" src="http://newsbcpcol.stb.s-msn.com/amnews/i/5f/a55548f257b12cf9c8a182a2714e21/_h353_w628_m6_otrue_lfalse.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">An Amber Alert is in effect for the two missing children of Christina Anderson, whose body was found inside a burned rural house near the US-Mexico border. Authorities say James Lee DiMaggio, left, suspected of killing Anderson, may have abducted the children, right.</td></tr></tbody></table>LAKESIDE, Calif. — Authorities say a man suspected of abducting a 16-year-old Southern California girl might be armed with homemade explosives.<br /><br />San Diego County Sheriff's Capt. Duncan Fraser said Thursday that evidence recovered at James Lee DiMaggio's home east of San Diego suggests he might have fled with explosives.<br /><div><a data-cthref="/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=James+Lee+DiMaggio&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&docid=Z9oliB_Kik7W1M&tbnid=tB_zrr76VJWs3M:&ved=0CAUQjRw&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.hlntv.com%2Farticle%2F2013%2F08%2F07%2Fcalifornia-amber-alert-hannah-anderson-best-friend-disturbing-details-dimaggio&ei=hQsEUq7aFeaFyQHKhYCYBw&psig=AFQjCNG__viqQf4BTGTiN260El-rABkX3A&ust=1376083171926544" data-ved="0CAUQjRw" href="http://www.google.com/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=James+Lee+DiMaggio&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&docid=Z9oliB_Kik7W1M&tbnid=tB_zrr76VJWs3M:&ved=0CAUQjRw&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.hlntv.com%2Farticle%2F2013%2F08%2F07%2Fcalifornia-amber-alert-hannah-anderson-best-friend-disturbing-details-dimaggio&ei=hQsEUq7aFeaFyQHKhYCYBw&psig=AFQjCNG__viqQf4BTGTiN260El-rABkX3A&ust=1376083171926544" id="irc_mil" style="border: 0px currentColor;"><img height="360" id="irc_mi" src="http://i2.cdn.turner.com/dr/hln/www/release/sites/default/files/imagecache/textarticle_640/2013/08/07/photo.png" style="margin-top: 17px;" width="640" /></a></div><div><div>Amber Alerts expanded to Oregon and Washington as authorities searched for a California man suspected of abducting a 16-year-old girl and wanted in the death of the girl's mother and possibly her 8-year-old brother.</div><div><br /></div><div>Oregon state police said there was a possible sighting of James Lee DiMaggio's blue Nissan Versa in northeast California near Alturas on Wednesday, followed by another about 50 miles along the same highway near Lakeview, in south-central Oregon.</div><div><br /></div><div><a data-cthref="/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=James+Lee+DiMaggio&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&docid=RS2ic0OrJGGBlM&tbnid=NeMdFeoqmr5ZYM:&ved=0CAUQjRw&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.columbian.com%2Fnews%2F2013%2Faug%2F07%2Famber-alert-issued-children-missing-out-calif%2F&ei=sQsEUrjfC8WMygGX34GQDA&psig=AFQjCNG__viqQf4BTGTiN260El-rABkX3A&ust=1376083171926544" data-ved="0CAUQjRw" href="http://www.google.com/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=James+Lee+DiMaggio&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&docid=RS2ic0OrJGGBlM&tbnid=NeMdFeoqmr5ZYM:&ved=0CAUQjRw&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.columbian.com%2Fnews%2F2013%2Faug%2F07%2Famber-alert-issued-children-missing-out-calif%2F&ei=sQsEUrjfC8WMygGX34GQDA&psig=AFQjCNG__viqQf4BTGTiN260El-rABkX3A&ust=1376083171926544" id="irc_mil" style="border: 0px currentcolor; clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img height="225" id="irc_mi" src="http://columbian.media.clients.ellingtoncms.com/img/photos/2013/08/07/0808_MET_dimaggio_t180.jpg?370a03faaa4bde2115f371a02430eb3e6a451be5" style="margin-top: 84px;" width="180" /></a>In Washington, State Patrol Trooper Russ Winger told KOMO Radio that a driver near Bremerton reported seeing a blue Nissan hatchback on Highway 101 on Thursday morning with a man driving and a woman passenger.</div><div></div><div>Winger said a trooper checked the area and was unable to locate the car.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Investigators have said DiMaggio may be headed to Texas or Canada with 16-year-old Hannah Anderson and possibly her 8-year-old brother, Ethan, though investigators said a charred body discovered along with the mother could be the boy.</div></div><div><br /></div><div><div>Also Wednesday, a friend of Hannah Anderson said DiMaggio told Hannah he had a crush on her and would date her if they were the same age.</div><div><br /></div><div>DiMaggio explained that he didn't want the girls to think he was weird in an effort to defend himself after noticing they exchanged glances, 15-year-old Marissa Chavez said. She said he spoke while driving them home from a high school gymnastics meet a couple months ago.</div><div><br /></div><div>Hannah Anderson asked Chavez to join her from then on whenever DiMaggio, 40, drove her to meets.</div><div><br /></div><div>"She was a little creeped out by it. She didn't want to be alone with him," Chavez said.</div><div><br /></div><div>DiMaggio was like an uncle to Hannah and 8-year-old Ethan. He was very close with their parents for years.</div><div><br /></div><div>On Sunday night, authorities found the body of 42-year-old Christina Anderson when they extinguished flames at DiMaggio's rural home. A child's body was found as they sifted through rubble in Boulevard, a tiny town 65 miles east of San Diego on the U.S.-Mexico border.</div><div><br /></div><div>The child's body has not been identified but it may be Ethan's, sheriff's Lt. Glenn Giannantonio said late Tuesday.</div><div><br /></div><div>Christina Anderson's father, Christopher Saincome, said Wednesday that his daughter visited DiMaggio's home last weekend to say goodbye before he moved to Texas. DiMaggio, who works as a telecommunications technician at The Scripps Research Institute in San Diego, was a regular presence at the Anderson family apartment in Lakeside, a suburb of 54,000 people.</div><div><br /></div><div>"He must have had this planned," Saincome said.</div><div><br /></div><div>Saincome said nothing seemed amiss when he called his daughter at work Friday to let her know she didn't call on his birthday. Anderson, a medical assistant, said she would call back that night but never did.</div><div><br /></div><div>Investigators had no evidence that the relationship between DiMaggio and the missing girl was more than friendly.</div><div><br /></div><div>"We're not looking into that directly at this point," Giannantonio said.</div><div><br /></div><div>DiMaggio is wanted on suspicion of murder and arson in a search that began in Southern California and spread to Mexico and neighboring states.</div><div><a data-cthref="/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=James+Lee+DiMaggio's&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&docid=M1dpSwteXrcO9M&tbnid=Gkz5lZBdTz89uM:&ved=0CAUQjRw&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.heavy.com%2Fnews%2F2013%2F08%2Fcalifornia-amber-alert-james-jim-dimaggio-photo%2F&ei=IwsEUrCYEYbuyAH-9YDQDA&psig=AFQjCNESytJp_A34mnfoYxp9DfFbKnl6nQ&ust=1376083091322071" data-ved="0CAUQjRw" href="http://www.google.com/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=James+Lee+DiMaggio's&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&docid=M1dpSwteXrcO9M&tbnid=Gkz5lZBdTz89uM:&ved=0CAUQjRw&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.heavy.com%2Fnews%2F2013%2F08%2Fcalifornia-amber-alert-james-jim-dimaggio-photo%2F&ei=IwsEUrCYEYbuyAH-9YDQDA&psig=AFQjCNESytJp_A34mnfoYxp9DfFbKnl6nQ&ust=1376083091322071" id="irc_mil" style="border: 0px currentColor;"><img height="376" id="irc_mi" src="http://media.heavy.com/media/2013/08/plates-.jpg" style="margin-top: 9px;" width="640" /></a></div><div>DiMaggio's sister, Lora Robinson, told U-T San Diego that the allegations against her brother were "completely out of character." She said he spent four years in the Navy, left the service to care for her after their mother died of cancer and volunteered rescuing animals.</div><div><a data-cthref="/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=James+Lee+DiMaggio&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&docid=qmCiU3ss5B-WAM&tbnid=rUTe5Gb031DLBM:&ved=0CAUQjRw&url=http%3A%2F%2Fabclocal.go.com%2Fwls%2Fstory%3Fsection%3Dnews%2Fnational_world%26id%3D9199094&ei=1QsEUvCuC-PhyQHmi4DgBA&psig=AFQjCNG__viqQf4BTGTiN260El-rABkX3A&ust=1376083171926544" data-ved="0CAUQjRw" href="http://www.google.com/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=James+Lee+DiMaggio&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&docid=qmCiU3ss5B-WAM&tbnid=rUTe5Gb031DLBM:&ved=0CAUQjRw&url=http%3A%2F%2Fabclocal.go.com%2Fwls%2Fstory%3Fsection%3Dnews%2Fnational_world%26id%3D9199094&ei=1QsEUvCuC-PhyQHmi4DgBA&psig=AFQjCNG__viqQf4BTGTiN260El-rABkX3A&ust=1376083171926544" id="irc_mil" style="border: 0px currentColor;"><img height="338" id="irc_mi" src="http://cdn.abclocal.go.com/images/kgo/cms_exf_2007/news/state/9196568_600x338.jpg" style="margin-top: 28px;" width="600" /></a></div><div>"He is the kindest person in the world," Robinson said.</div><div><br /></div><div>She told ABC's "Good Morning America" that she believed her brother was also a victim of foul play, along with the Andersons.</div><div><br /></div><div>"He tried to take care of those kids, and he took care of them as if they were his own," Robinson said.</div></div><div><br /></div>

California abductor may have homemade explosives

Authorities have expanded their search for a missing teen and are investigating whether a charred body may be her 8-year-old brother. An Amb...

Rapper 50 Cent pleads not guilty to domestic violence

Curtis Jackson was charged after Daphne Narvarez reported that he had trashed her Toluca Lake condo and kicked her during an argument.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="Rapper and actor Curtis Jackson appears during an arraignment at a Van Nuys Courthouse in Los Angeles on Aug 5." class="image" src="http://newsbcpcol.stb.s-msn.com/amnews/i/8f/67f128b3b79e977f4c17674b5a974/_h353_w628_m6_otrue_lfalse.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rapper and actor Curtis Jackson appears during an arraignment at a Van Nuys Courthouse in Los Angeles on Aug 5.</td></tr></tbody></table><br />LOS ANGELES, Calif. — Rapper and actor 50 Cent stood silently before a judge on Monday as his attorney entered his plea of not guilty to domestic violence and vandalism charges involving an ex-girlfriend who is the mother of his child.<br /><br />The performer, whose real name is Curtis Jackson, was given a long list of instructions by Superior Court Judge Bernard J. Kamins, who told him to stay away from Daphne Narvarez and forbid him from contacting her by phone or email.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMR4sncE2cLh7rhO3bR6yFf541-9toMl1GunoPJgCRIFwoOBIyB_ptnuWMRXUCFITdGSwiuydGmHw8rB0y8BvVhKocVkNNh_4DzAlNR8BmXkwvk_NXaTj1-paXSBJOoE7l6VNqdRVpk6g/s1600/ay.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="192" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMR4sncE2cLh7rhO3bR6yFf541-9toMl1GunoPJgCRIFwoOBIyB_ptnuWMRXUCFITdGSwiuydGmHw8rB0y8BvVhKocVkNNh_4DzAlNR8BmXkwvk_NXaTj1-paXSBJOoE7l6VNqdRVpk6g/s1600/ay.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>He also was told not to possess any weapons or try to dissuade witnesses from coming to court.<br /><br />The 37-year-old "In Da Club" singer was ordered to return to court on Sept. 4 for a pretrial hearing.<br /><br />Jackson was charged after Narvarez reported that he had trashed her Toluca Lake condo and kicked her during an argument. Police said property worth $7,100 was destroyed.<br /><br />Outside court, defense attorney Scott Leemon said his client denies the allegations.<br /><br />Narvarez told police that during a June 23 argument, Jackson began destroying property at her Toluca Lake condo before she locked herself in a bedroom. She also said Jackson kicked open the bedroom door and kicked her, causing injury.<br /><br />Police said Jackson was gone when they arrived, and they saw broken items including chandeliers, furniture and a television.<br /><br />Narvarez said she had a three-year relationship with Jackson.<br /><br /><br />He was charged with domestic violence and four counts of vandalism.. If convicted, he could face up to five years behind bars and $46,000 in fines<br /><br />Jackson, somber in a dark suit and tie, was rushed out of court to a waiting SUV. A process server tried to deliver unspecified legal documents to him by placing them on the windshield of the car, but the papers flew away.<br /><br />The Queens-raised rapper has referenced drug dealing and violence in songs and is known for having survived nine gunshots in an attempted assassination.<br /><br />Jackson also has worked as an actor. He starred in an autobiographical account of his life as a drug dealer in "Get Rich or Die Tryin'''.<br /><div><br /></div>

Rapper 50 Cent pleads not guilty to domestic violence

Curtis Jackson was charged after Daphne Narvarez reported that he had trashed her Toluca Lake condo and kicked her during an argument. Rappe...

Calif.man stabs father,cuts own hands off with saw,pleaded not guilty.

Jason Dunn, 27, pleaded not guilty on Monday in a Shasta County courtroom to an attempted murder charge in the attack on his father, Gregory Dunn.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxuVoi6cJOvqz9J9JXj8s5xa4S_-MQlLcaz-qTRqbIiCSL3nj5t91aS3Rynu4E5Rpo6SOf82GgRdKWhuNN2jrOVuryZu6JGthnszPTpdtSkzSQoI4exh-spMPjqwBRLcanSPY5AtFpNFI/s1600/63911.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="208" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxuVoi6cJOvqz9J9JXj8s5xa4S_-MQlLcaz-qTRqbIiCSL3nj5t91aS3Rynu4E5Rpo6SOf82GgRdKWhuNN2jrOVuryZu6JGthnszPTpdtSkzSQoI4exh-spMPjqwBRLcanSPY5AtFpNFI/s1600/63911.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>REDDING, Calif. — A Northern California man is accused of stabbing his father with a pair of scissors before using a power saw to cut off his own hands.<br /><br />Jason Dunn, 27, pleaded not guilty on Monday in a Shasta County courtroom to an attempted murder charge in the attack on his father, Gregory Dunn. The Record Searchlight of Redding reports that Jason Dunn appeared in court with his hands reattached but heavily bandaged.<br /><br />According to court records, deputies who went to a Redding area home on June 17 found the elder Dunn lying in the driveway with multiple stab wounds and Jason Dunn standing nearby with both of his hands severed at the wrists.<br /><br />Authorities say Jason Dunn acknowledged stabbing his father with scissors and cutting off his own hands with a radial arm saw, a circular saw mounted on a stand. He allegedly said the two men had been in an argument.<br /><div><br /></div>

Calif.man stabs father,cuts own hands off with saw,pleaded not guilty.

Jason Dunn, 27, pleaded not guilty on Monday in a Shasta County courtroom to an attempted murder charge in the attack on his father, Gregory...

Police arrest Nathan Campbell,38,in deadly LA boardwalk crash

<h3>Nathan Campbell, 38, is being held on $1 million bail on suspicion of murder after the Saturday driving attack that left 32-year-old Alice Gruppioni dead.</h3><br /><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="Car hits pedestrians on Venice Beach: Pedestrians scatter as a car drives through a crowd along the Venice Beach boardwalk in Los Angeles." class="image" src="http://newsbcpcol.stb.s-msn.com/amnews/i/d4/61f0c84caa9540a129e64effe677/_h353_w628_m6_otrue_lfalse.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">In a security cam image, pedestrians scatter as a car drives through a packed afternoon crowd along the Venice Beach boardwalk in Los Angeles.</td></tr></tbody></table>LOS ANGELES — Los Angeles police have arrested a man on suspicion of intentionally driving into crowds at the Venice Beach boardwalk, killing a woman and injuring 11 others.<br /><br />Police say 38-year-old Nathan Campbell has been booked for investigation of murder and remains jailed Sunday on $1 million bail.<br /><br /><div><div>He turned himself about two hours after the attack that occurred at around 6 p.m. Saturday. Investigators don't yet have a motive.</div><div><br /></div><div>Witnesses reported a horrendous scene of people scattered and bloody in the popular tourist area.</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://img1.catalog.video.msn.com/image.aspx?uuid=dc570dec-c0ab-ff0c-83ea-2285c07d2d1e&w=300&h=169&so=4" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Car plows into LA crowd, kills 1" border="0" class="image" src="http://img1.catalog.video.msn.com/image.aspx?uuid=dc570dec-c0ab-ff0c-83ea-2285c07d2d1e&w=300&h=169&so=4" /></a>A coroner's investigator tells City News Service that the dead woman is 32-year-old Alice Gruppioni of Italy.</div><div></div><div>Police say another victim was critically hurt, two were in serious condition and others were treated for less serious injuries.</div><div><br /></div><div>Security video taken from the scene of the Venice Beach boardwalk shows a man parking his black car, stepping out and surveying the leisurely scene for several minutes before getting back into the vehicle and speeding into the crowd. Hundreds of people were walking or sitting at cafes when the car sent them scrambling wildly before it sped out of sight.</div><div><br /></div><div>Witnesses reported a horrifying aftermath.</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://newsbcpcol.stb.s-msn.com/amnews/i/27/b690564cc67023106398b8f79a7/_h0_w295_m6_otrue_lfalse.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Car hits pedestrians in LA: Pedestrians gather as police and fire officials respond after a car drove through a crowd along the Venice Beach boardwalk." border="0" class="image articleimage" data-class="img1" height="299" src="http://newsbcpcol.stb.s-msn.com/amnews/i/27/b690564cc67023106398b8f79a7/_h0_w295_m6_otrue_lfalse.jpg" width="400" /></a>People were "stumbling around, blood dripping down their legs, looking confused not knowing what had happened, people screaming," said Louisa Hodge, 35. </div><div><br /></div><div>She said there were "blocks and blocks of people just strewn across the sidewalk."</div><div><br /></div><div>Injured people were taken to the hospital, where Gruppioni died.</div><div><span class="media hover"></span></div><div>Afterward, police began to circulate word that they were searching for a black Dodge with a driver in his 20s. </div><div><br /></div><div>Around that time, a man later identified as Campbell walked into a police station in neighboring Santa Monica and told officers he was involved, Los Angeles police Lt. Andy Neiman said Saturday night.</div><div><br /></div><div>Police then found a car nearby that they believe belonged to Campbell, he said. Detectives questioned him to determine whether he was the driver.</div><div><br /></div><div>Authorities at the scene, meanwhile, searched for evidence at the cultural hub in a part of Los Angeles known for eccentricities. </div><div><br /></div><div>The 1.5-mile ribbon of asphalt that runs along the sand a few hundred yards from the ocean is home to galleries, restaurants, tattoo shops, skateboard parks and the famous outdoor weight room known as Muscle Beach. It can draw as many as 150,000 people on summer weekends.</div><div><br /></div><div>According to the security video and witness accounts, the driver parked next to the Cadillac Hotel, twice walking out to the boardwalk before getting into the Dodge Avenger and accelerating, swerving around yellow poles meant to prevent cars from getting into the pedestrian-only area and onto the boardwalk.</div></div><div><div>"I heard a big 'boom, boom,' like the sound of someone going up and down the curb, it was super loud," said Alex Hagan, 22, who was working the desk at the Cadillac Hotel and watched the scene unfold from the start.</div><div><br /></div><div>The man knocked over two mannequins then started hitting people, swerving from side to side and often running straight into them.</div><div><br /></div><div>The car hit at least three vendors who were sitting at their sales booths, video showed.</div><div><br /></div><div>The vehicle hit two women who appeared to be in their 60s, Hagan said.</div><div><br /></div><div>Many ran after the car, screaming and cursing as it sped away, he said.</div><div><br /></div><div>Hodge said she and her friend, Ashley Taylor, 31, had made note of the numbers walking along the seaside.</div><div><br /></div><div>"It was a really nice day, there were tons of people out, in fact, we were talking about how packed it was, because we were having a hard time getting through all the people," said Hodge.</div><div><br /></div><div>The two women stepped into a store to buy a couple of hats, in a move that may have saved their lives. They stepped out to see the aftermath, as emergency crews arrived and started putting victims on tarps.</div><div><br /></div><div>Hodge saw one man and woman lying next to each other, wearing head braces, barely able to move.</div><div><br /></div><div>"They were just laying next to each other and grasping hands," Hodge said, "just a man and a woman holding hands."</div></div><div><br /></div>

Police arrest Nathan Campbell,38,in deadly LA boardwalk crash

Nathan Campbell, 38, is being held on $1 million bail on suspicion of murder after the Saturday driving attack that left 32-year-old Alice G...

Supreme Court won't delay release of California inmates

California Governor Jerry Brown argued that the early release of nearly 10,000 inmates by the year's end would jeopardize public safety.<br /><br /><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="California prisons: Inmate Kevin Barry does pushups in the exercise yard of Sacramento County's Rio Cosumnes Correctional Center in Elk Grove, Calif." class="image" src="http://newsbcpcol.stb.s-msn.com/amnews/i/f7/e5182face813c343426dbd974bd4/_h353_w628_m6_otrue_lfalse.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Inmate Kevin Barry does pushups in the exercise yard of Sacramento County's Rio Cosumnes Correctional Center in Elk Grove, Calif., May 30, 2013.</td></tr></tbody></table>WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Friday refused to delay a court order for California to release nearly 10,000 inmates by year's end to improve conditions in state prisons.<br /><br />The court rejected a plea from Gov. Jerry Brown, over the objections of three justices. Brown argued the early release would jeopardize public safety.<br /><br />Justices Samuel Alito, Antonin Scalia and Clarence Thomas said they would have granted the state's request.<br /><br />The court ruled 5-4 in 2011 that the state must cut its inmate population to deal with unconstitutional prison conditions caused by overcrowding.<br /><br />State officials said conditions have improved dramatically since a lower court order in 2009. The order calls for the population to be cut to about 110,000 inmates.<br /><br /><br />Scalia, joined by Thomas, said the state's evidence shows that it has made "meaningful progress" and that such reductions in the inmate population are no longer necessary.<br /><br />The Brown administration argued in its July 22 filing with the Supreme Court that most of the less dangerous inmates already are being diverted to county jails or have been released from state prison,<br /><br />The state says it has fewer than 1,800 inmates defined as low-risk, who have not committed felonies while in prison or do not have gang affiliations.<br /><br />Releasing the additional 10,000 inmates, it says, will involve violent criminals and overwhelm the abilities of local law enforcement and social services.<br /><br />"No data suggests that a sudden release of inmates with these characteristics can be done safely," the state says in its filing. "No expert has recommended doing it. No state has ever done it."<br /><br />A special three-judge federal panel and attorneys representing inmates have consistently rejected that argument. Other states have marginally reduced inmates' sentences without sparking an increase in crime, they say.<br /><br />They have said that further delay in reducing prison overcrowding will further the substandard delivery of medical and mental health care and, by extension, lead to more inmate deaths and injuries.<br /><br />In recent years, the special panel of judges has accused Brown of attempting to delay and circumvent their orders. They threatened to cite the governor for contempt if he does not comply.<br /><br />The judges waived all state laws in June as they ordered Brown to expand good-time credits leading to early release. They also directed the governor to take other steps, including sending more inmates to firefighting camps, paroling elderly felons, leasing cells at county jails and slowing the return of thousands of inmates now housed in private prisons in other states.<br /><br />If those steps fail, the judges ordered the state to release enough inmates from a list of lower-risk offenders until it reaches the maximum allowed population.<br /><br />In its latest filing with the Supreme Court, the state argued that no governor has the unilateral authority to take the steps ordered by the three-judge panel. They would require approval in the Legislature or "judicial pre-emption of California's core police powers," the administration wrote.<br /><br />At issue is whether the state has done enough to improve medical and mental health care in recent years and whether the original inmate population cap ordered by the federal courts remains relevant in light of those improvements.<br /><br />Brown has argued that prison conditions have substantially improved and that circumstances have changed since the federal courts' original order four years ago to reduce the prison population.<br /><br />The state is spending $2 billion on new or expanded facilities for inmate medical and mental health treatment. That includes seven new centers for mental health treatment and the opening last June of an $839 million prison hospital in Stockton that will treat 1,722 inmates requiring long-term care.<br /><br />The state also has boosted hiring and salaries for all types of medical and mental health professionals.<br /><br />The judges want the population reduced to 137 percent of the designed capacity in the state's 33 adult prisons by the end of the year, to a total of 110,000 inmates. That means the state will have to let about 10,000 inmates out before they have served their full sentences, after already reducing the population by 46,000 inmates since 2006.<br /><br />More than half of the decrease that has occurred so far is due to a two-year-old state law — referred to as realignment — that is sentencing offenders convicted of crimes considered non-violent, non-serious and non-sexual to county jails instead of state prisons.<br /><div><br /></div>

Supreme Court won't delay release of California inmates

California Governor Jerry Brown argued that the early release of nearly 10,000 inmates by the year's end would jeopardize public safety....

CBS goes dark for many major market viewers in U.S.

Timer Warner customers in NYC, Dallas and LA won't be able to watch new episodes of "The Big Bang Theory" and "NCIS" until negotiations with CBS start resume.<br /><br /><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="CBS goes dark for US viewers: Time Warner Cable Inc. began blacking out CBS for many customers after fee negotiations collapsed." class="image" src="http://newsbcpcol.stb.s-msn.com/amnews/i/f5/3fa9c516b0c360a7a72d6b9568fa9/_h353_w628_m6_otrue_lfalse.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Time Warner Cable office in Carlsbad, Calif.</td></tr></tbody></table>Time Warner Cable Inc. began blacking out broadcast network CBS for customers in New York, Dallas and Los Angeles after fee negotiations between the two companies collapsed, Time Warner Cable said on Friday.<br /><br />CBS-owned cable networks, including Showtime, are also going dark, a Time Warner Cable spokeswoman said.<br /><br />The cable operator said it had agreed to extend talks until Tuesday morning. "Since then, CBS has refused to have a productive discussion," Time Warner Cable said in a statement.<br /><br />"It's become clear that no matter how much time we give them, they're not willing to come to reasonable terms," it added.<br /><br />CBS shot back that Time Warner Cable "conducted negotiations in a combative and non-productive spirit, indulging in pointless brinksmanship and distorted public positioning."<br /><br />CBS is the No. 1 rated U.S. broadcast network with shows such as "The Big Bang Theory" and "NCIS."<br /><div><br /></div>

CBS goes dark for many major market viewers in U.S.

Timer Warner customers in NYC, Dallas and LA won't be able to watch new episodes of "The Big Bang Theory" and "NCIS"...

Asiana Airlines Flight 214 crash:Couple stole passengers' luggage at San Francisco airport

In the hubbub at San Francisco's airport following the crash of Asiana Flight 214, an airline employee and his fiancee allegedly stole luggage and exchanged some of its contents at a nearby Nordstrom for cash, a prosecutor said Tuesday.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6-VpUTR-bBY8sqnWOaeP3gSvuYJsAMpqNjbgbatZTFc3r7hV48wlN62QUQg16oV7WCuBSIL8Ozr5rJPlJ8j4B8Zv-ggyLEJiFV6hLmrrvZdTqgYlsl2Ykth0pvhq9sfoyTPZUi50mBwI/s1600/Sean-Crudup-and-his-wife-Raychas-Thomas.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="368" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6-VpUTR-bBY8sqnWOaeP3gSvuYJsAMpqNjbgbatZTFc3r7hV48wlN62QUQg16oV7WCuBSIL8Ozr5rJPlJ8j4B8Zv-ggyLEJiFV6hLmrrvZdTqgYlsl2Ykth0pvhq9sfoyTPZUi50mBwI/s1600/Sean-Crudup-and-his-wife-Raychas-Thomas.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />The two suspects -- Sean Crudup, a United customer service representative, and Raychas Thomas, his fiancee -- were arrested as the latter was catching a flight to Hawaii, the San Mateo County District Attorney's Office said in a news release.<br />Both are free on bail.<br /><br />The incident happened in the aftermath of the July 6 crash-landing of Flight 214 at San Francisco International Airport. Two people died right after the Boeing 777 shed parts, spun and burst into flames and another died six days later; about 180 others were hurt.<br /><br />Thousands more were inconvenienced when departing and incoming air traffic at the airport was halted in the hours after the crash.<br /><br />In some cases, incoming flights were diverted to other airports in California. Passengers' bags sometimes made it to San Francisco before they did, leading to a pileup of luggage.<br /><br />That's where, according to the district attorney's office, the case against the suspects begins.<br />Surveillance video showed Crudup stealing bags and handing them to his fiancee and another unnamed woman, the prosecutor's office said.<br /><br />Thomas exchanged valuable clothing that had been in the bags at a Nordstrom store in Pleasanton, California, for about $5,000, the district attorney's office said.<br />More of the victims' property was found during a search of the home that Crudup and Thomas shared, according to authorities.<br /><br />Crudup and Thomas have been charged with one count each of grand theft and two counts each of commercial burglaries, District Attorney Stephen Wagstaffe said. Convictions on these charges -- all of them felonies -- carries a maximum sentence of 4 years and 4 months in prison.<br /><br />Thomas posted bail "right away" and is set to appear in court August 26 for her arraignment, the district attorney notes. Her fiancee, Crudup, was in court last Friday, July 26, at which time he's pleaded not guilty. Wagstaffe didn't know the name of the court-appointed attorney assigned to Crudup, who posted $75,000 bail over the weekend.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.cnn.com/2013/07/30/travel/california-luggage-stolen/index.html?hpt=us_t3" target="_blank">In a statement to CNN on Tuesday</a>,United said that it has "zero tolerance for any theft."<br />"We are assisting the San Francisco Police Department in this investigation," the airline said, "and this employee has been held out of service."

Asiana Airlines Flight 214 crash:Couple stole passengers' luggage at San Francisco airport

In the hubbub at San Francisco's airport following the crash of Asiana Flight 214, an airline employee and his fiancee allegedly stole l...

The city of San Diego sues mayor over sex harassment lawsuit.

<h3>The city of San Diego sued its mayor,Bob Filner,to require that he pay any costs that stem from a sexual harassment suit filed by his former employee.</h3><br /><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="San Diego sues mayor: San Diego Mayor Bob Filner speaks during a news conference." class="image" src="http://newsbcpcol.stb.s-msn.com/amnews/i/bf/e2f1345d7cb368abc5166e8c9bce61/_h353_w628_m6_otrue_lfalse.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">San Diego Mayor Bob Filner speaks during a news conference.</td></tr></tbody></table>SAN DIEGO — The city of San Diego sued Mayor Bob Filner on Tuesday to require that he pay any costs incurred from a sexual harassment lawsuit filed by his former communications director, dealing another setback to the leader of the nation's eighth-largest city amid mounting calls that he resign.<br /><br /><h3>The City Council voted 9-0 to ask that the mayor pay any damages and attorney fees if the city is found liable. The decision behind closed doors came hours before the council was to consider a request by the mayor's attorney to have the city pay his legal expenses.</h3><br />"If Bob Filner engaged in unlawful conduct and the city is held liable, he will have to reimburse us every penny the city pays and its attorney fees," City Attorney Jan Goldsmith said.<br /><br />Irene McCormack Jackson sued the mayor and the city July 22, alleging the mayor asked her to work without panties, demanded kisses, told her he wanted to see her naked and dragged her in a headlock while whispering in her ear. Since then, six other women have offered detailed accounts of Filner's alleged advances, including touching and forcible kisses.<br /><br />"The City of San Diego maintains a zero tolerance policy as to sexual harassment and sexual harassment is not within the course and scope of employment," according to the city's lawsuit filed in San Diego Superior Court.<br /><br /><br />The mayor's office and his attorney, Harvey Berger, didn't immediately respond to requests seeking comment.<br /><br />Seven of nine City Council members have urged the city's first Democratic leader in 20 years to resign.<br /><br />Ann Ravel, chairwoman of the California Fair Political Practices Commission, said an official cannot accept more than $440 a year in donated services.<br /><br />Campaign money can be used only to defend against alleged violations of the state's campaign finance law.<br /><br />An official can, however, create a legal defense fund under state law, Ravel said.<br /><br />Filner, who is 70 and divorced, said Friday he would enter two weeks of "intensive" therapy Aug. 5, defying calls from his own party leaders to resign. The former 10-term congressman is less than eight months into a four-year term as mayor.<br /><br />Land-use surveyor Michael Pallamary published a newspaper notice Sunday to begin a recall bid, two days after gay rights activist and newspaper publisher Stampp Corbin did so. Pallamary accused Corbin of being a stealth supporter of the mayor and threatened to file a complaint with the San Diego County district attorney's office alleging election law violations.<br /><br />Pallamary said Corbin would make little effort to collect the more than 100,000 signatures needed to get a recall measure on the ballot, setting it up to fail and preventing another recall drive for six months.<br /><br />Corbin denied the accusation Tuesday,saying Pallamary or anyone else was welcome to join the recall drive.<br /><br /><h3>He said he wouldn't pay anyone to collect signatures — a common practice in California — but that anyone could visit his office to sign the petition or pick up blank forms to circulate.</h3><br />Corbin, who was appointed chairman of a city commission under Filner, declined to say if he voted for Filner or how he would cast his ballot in a recall. He said his motive was to bring swift resolution to the controversy.<br /><br />"There's nothing going on in the city, in City Hall. Everyone is focused on this scandal. That is not good for this city," he said.<br /><br /><br />Confusion over whether recall petitions can circulate concurrently isn't the only procedural flaw uncovered since the mayor came under pressure to resign.<br /><br />The city attorney's office says a rule that voters must cast a ballot on a recall to be eligible to pick a replacement should be repealed because a federal judge struck down a nearly identical law during the successful 2003 recall of California Gov. Gray Davis.<br /><br />Tony Krvaric,chairman of the San Diego County Republican Party,said Friday that he didn't expect big GOP donors or business leaders to make significant donations to a recall.<br /><div><br /></div>

The city of San Diego sues mayor over sex harassment lawsuit.

The city of San Diego sued its mayor,Bob Filner,to require that he pay any costs that stem from a sexual harassment suit filed by his former...

Hacker dies days before he was to reveal how to remotely kill pacemaker patients

Security researcher Barnaby Jack has passed away in San Francisco,only days before a scheduled appearance at a Las Vegas hacker conference where he intended to show how an ordinary pacemaker could be compromised in order to kill a man.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfUDxuWUlcLpEmnDq4_XCjBUovgCs85O80QzsjvClFK1NNvN-YqubNoC-ICryn9ttrJNmVjXQk6ArKEs1ILZIcYHiU2cDKtfIcuNLwWxDC3FilH4eS709eb0S59yX2TFO9QWqY18q72dE/s1600/hacker-barnaby-jack-dies-in-san-francisco.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfUDxuWUlcLpEmnDq4_XCjBUovgCs85O80QzsjvClFK1NNvN-YqubNoC-ICryn9ttrJNmVjXQk6ArKEs1ILZIcYHiU2cDKtfIcuNLwWxDC3FilH4eS709eb0S59yX2TFO9QWqY18q72dE/s1600/hacker-barnaby-jack-dies-in-san-francisco.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Barnaby Jack</td></tr></tbody></table><br />Jack, who previously presented hacks involving ATMs and insulin pumps at the annual Black Hat conference in Vegas, was confirmed dead Friday morning by the San Francisco Medical Examiner’s office, Reuters reported. He passed away Thursday this week, but the office declined to offer any more details at this time.<br /><br />Jack’s death came one week to the day before he was scheduled to detail one of his most recent exploits in a Black Hat talk called “Implantable Medical Devices: Hacking Humans.”<br /><br />“I was intrigued by the fact that these critical life devices communicate wirelessly. I decided to look at pacemakers and ICDs (implantable cardioverter defibrillators) to see if they communicated securely and if it would be possible for an attacker to remotely control these devices,” Jack told Vice last month.<br /><br />After around six months of research, Jack said he developed a way to hack one of those devices remotely and send it a high-voltage shock from upwards of 50 feet away.<br /><br />“If the devices can be accessed remotely, there's always a potential for abuse,” he told Vice tech reporter William Alexander.<br /><br />In a blog post earlier this year, Jack said he was influenced by a recent episode of the television program "Homeland," in which a terrorist remotely hacked the pacemaker of the United States vice president.<br /><br />“In my professional opinion, the episode was not too far off the mark,” he wrote.<br /><br />When Alexander asked Jack if a government official outfitted with a pacemaker would be vulnerable to assassination from a hacker, the researcher remarked, “I wouldn't feel comfortable speculating about such a scenario.”<br /><br />“Although the threat of a malicious attack to anyone with an implantable device is slim, we want to mitigate these risks no matter how minor,” he wrote on his blog post. At the time, Jack said the vulnerability was being discussed with medical device manufacturers.<br /><br />“Over the past year, we’ve become increasingly aware of cyber security vulnerabilities in incidents that have been reported to us,” William Maisel, deputy director for science at the FDA’s Center for Devices and Radiological Health, told Reuters. “Hundreds of medical devices have been affected, involving dozens of manufacturers.”<br /><br />At previous Black Hat talks, Jack detailed how he emulated a stunt found in the movie Terminator 2 that allowed him to remotely hack an automatic teller machine. In addition to being able to read credit card numbers and PINs inputted by another user, Jack also showed how a USB drive could be implanted in an ATM which would override the machine’s firmware and allow a hacker to take control.<br /><br />In another presentation, Jack said he could hack insulin pumps to order the machines to deliver lethal doses to patients, in turn killing them.<br /><br />“We notified the manufacturer of the vulnerability and it will be fixed with the next insulin pump revision,” he told Vice.<br /><br />Jack’s most recent employer, security firm IOActive, said in a statement, “Lost but never forgotten our beloved pirate, Barnaby Jack has passed. He was a master hacker and dear friend. Here’s to you Barnes!”<br /><br />Black Hat is scheduled to begin Wednesday in Las Vegas, with a presentation by NSA Chief Gen. Keith Alexander. It will be immediately followed by the Def Con hacker conference, which will be taking place just down the road. Researchers at Def Con plan to demonstrate various high-profile hacks, including how modern cars can be compromised.

Hacker dies days before he was to reveal how to remotely kill pacemaker patients

Security researcher Barnaby Jack has passed away in San Francisco,only days before a scheduled appearance at a Las Vegas hacker conference w...

Squirrel tests positive for plague at Calif. campground

Los Angeles authorities have shut down part of the Angeles National Forest after a ground squirrel tested positive for "black death."<br /><br /><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="Squirrel infected with plague found in California: Other animals that can carry plague in California." class="image articleimage" data-class="img1" height="360" src="http://newsbcpcol.stb.s-msn.com/amnews/i/c4/ab34fadaf7579af194ef80263884fc/_h0_w628_m6_otrue_lfalse.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Some Animals that can carry plague in California.</td></tr></tbody></table><span class="media hover"></span><br />A ground squirrel found in a Los Angeles-area campground has tested positive for plague, causing authorities to shut down part of the Angeles National Forest for at least a week, according to a public health advisory.<br /><br />Squirrel burrows will be dusted for fleas, which carry the bacteria that cause the disease known as "the Black Death," authorities said, while more ground squirrels in the area will be tested before campers are allowed back.<br /><br />It was the sixth squirrel since 1995 to test positive for plague in Southern California's San Gabriel Mountains, including one in 2010, according to the advisory issued on Wednesday.<br /><br />The most recent infected squirrel was trapped on July 16 during routine checks in the park and confirmed to carry the disease on July 23, according to the advisory. Part of the Angeles National Forest was shut down beginning on Wednesday afternoon.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="A Squirrel tested positive for plague at a Los Angeles area campground: Table Mountain, Angeles Forest" class="image" height="359" src="http://newsbcpcol.stb.s-msn.com/amnews/i/41/94e3673f73c9434a7b178169547eb/_h353_w628_m6_otrue_lfalse.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A Squirrel tested positive for plague at a Los Angeles area campground: Table Mountain, Angeles Forest</td></tr></tbody></table><div><div>The plague was dubbed the Black Death in the Middle Ages, when it was blamed for the deaths of around 25 million Europeans.</div><div><br /></div><div>It is treated with antibiotics and only an average of seven cases a year are reported in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control. Virtually all the U.S. cases have been in the Western states.</div><div><br /></div><div>Last year, an Oregon man survived a bout with plague, one of three reported in that state since the mid-1990s, none of which were fatal. Los Angeles County has  seen four cases since 1987, and none were fatal, according to the advisory.</div></div><div><br /></div>

Squirrel tests positive for plague at Calif. campground

Los Angeles authorities have shut down part of the Angeles National Forest after a ground squirrel tested positive for "black death....

Calif. court rejects bid to stop gay marriages

The California Supreme Court rejected a request to halt same-sex marriages while it ponders a petition arguing that a voter-approved ban remains in effect.<br /><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="Calif. court won't stop gay marriages: Cynthia Wides and Elizabeth Carey hold hands on their way to be married at City Hall in San Francisco." class="image" src="http://newsbcpcol.stb.s-msn.com/amnews/i/27/b89418fbf6bb95b7db813adeca7d9/_h353_w628_m6_otrue_lfalse.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cynthia Wides and Elizabeth Carey hold hands on their way to be married at City Hall in San Francisco.</td></tr></tbody></table>SAN FRANCISCO — California's highest court refused Tuesday to block the state from sanctioning same-sex marriages while it considers a petition arguing that a voter-approved gay marriage ban remains valid in all but two counties.<br /><br />Without comment, the California Supreme Court rejected a request from the elected government official in charge of issuing marriage licenses in San Diego County for an order halting gay marriages, which resumed in the state last month for the first time since the ban passed in November 2008.<br /><br />County clerk Ernest Dronenburg Jr. sought the stay on Friday. He also asked the seven-member court to consider his legal argument that same-sex marriages still are illegal in most of California, despite a U.S. Supreme Court decision widely regarded as having authorized them and the state attorney general's assertion that clerks throughout the state must issue licenses to gay couples.<br /><br />The U.S. Supreme Court cleared the way for same-sex marriages to return to the nation's most populous state last month when it ruled that the sponsors of Proposition 8 lacked authority to appeal a federal trial judge's decision that the ban violated the constitutional rights of gay and lesbian Californians.<br /><br /><br />Dronenburg claims that the trial court's companion directive ordering the governor, attorney general and state public health director to cease enforcing Proposition 8 applies only to the two couples who sued to overturn the ban and to the clerks in Alameda and Los Angeles counties where the couples applied for marriage licenses.<br /><br />Dronenburg, a Republican who was elected as San Diego County's assessor-recorder-clerk in 2010 and who has been known chiefly for his views on tax issues, also argues that county clerks aren't bound by orders from the governor, the state attorney general and the state officials who oversee marriage records.<br /><br />He is being represented by Rancho Santa Fe lawyer Charles LiMandri, who donated $10,000 and loaned another $27,000 to the campaigns to qualify and pass Proposition 8, according to state campaign finance records.<br /><br />The state high court has asked for more written arguments on those issues by Aug. 8.<br /><br />The court last week rejected a similar request for a temporary hold on same-sex marriages from the sponsors of Proposition 8, who have made arguments similar to Dronenburg's about the scope of the trial court's injunction. Lawyers for Proposition 8's backers also have argued that because the U.S. Supreme Court did not rule directly on the measure's constitutionality, state officials are bound by state law to enforce it.<br /><br />The California Supreme Court must decide if it will take up their case and has asked for additional written arguments by Aug. 1. So far, clerks in 24 counties have submitted briefs arguing that it makes sense for their actions with regard to issuing marriage licenses to be guided by state officials so marriage laws are the same statewide.<br /><div><br /></div>

Calif. court rejects bid to stop gay marriages

The California Supreme Court rejected a request to halt same-sex marriages while it ponders a petition arguing that a voter-approved ban rem...