The Associated Press is reporting that former Secretary of Commerce John Bryson will not face charges related to two hit-and-run accidents that took place in California last month.
» What happened: Police believe Cortez was shot and killed after his father, Mauro Cortez, was mistaken to be a member of a rival gang. The mix-up is attributed to a purple T-shirt he wore which read, “I own a Honda. Be nice to me.” As for the donation, Timothy Leiweke, the president of AEG (the firm that owns the Kings) noted: “During such an exciting time such as this we can’t lose sight of the importance and responsibility we all share in keeping our community safe.”
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I was just in awe that we were at the Coliseum. I’ve made movies for about 20 years and I’ve done a lot of things, but that one really stands out.Porn star “Mr. Marcus” • Discussing his 2001 adult video shoot on the floor of the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum football field, where the USC Trojans play football and two Olympics were played (among other things). Officials are unaware of how the production company, Anabolic Video, managed to get approved for the shoot, which featured 40 minutes of explicit scenes under the lights of the same stadium where Pope John Paul II once held mass. Yikes.
» Saddled with debt: The bidding group, led by former NBA star-turned-entrepreneur Magic Johnson, is about to set a record for the most expensive team purchase in history, topping a $1.1 billion 2008 buyout of the Miami Dolphins and a $1.47 billion buyout of Manchester United in 2005. (Well, a federal bankruptcy court still needs to approve the sale.) The team, currently owned by Frank McCourt, declared bankruptcy in June of last year after admitting the team has $600 million in outstanding debt. McCourt had to sell the franchise partly because of an expensive divorce, and was told by a court in December that he could not sell the team’s media rights, leading to his sale of the team. But he’s still making out like a bandit — even considering that he has to cover the debt on the team’s sale, he spent just $330 million to buy the team eight years ago, along with another $100 million to build the team’s current stadium.
“Eh, he is a pissant,” the man said, proceeding to spew about how an “illegal alien” killed the son of a friend down in L.A., and how it was Villaraigosa’s fault. “He is a Mexican. That is what he claims. He is always defending illegal Mexicans and Mexico. … I have no qualms about saying anything to him.”
The fellow’s name is Davi Rodrigues. From where? “Right here in Sac,” he said. “I’m an American. Period.”
By the way, it’s worth noting that Villaraigosa (who’s been mayor of the second-largest city in the country since 2005) is a born-and-raised American citizen. Just like Mr. Rodrigues.
“This is definitely a milestone in this long battle for safety in adult films, but we still have a long way to go,” said AIDS Healthcare Foundation President Michael Weinstein, whose group has fought for the measure for years. The industry has long had trouble with the spread of AIDS.
Perhaps the most heartbreaking part of the utterly disturbing situation at Miramonte Elementary School (note: trigger warning) is that the school had been on a bit of an upswing in recent years, with rising test scores, recent improvements to the building, and a notorious neighborhood that appeared to have cleaned up its act. But with two sets of unspeakable allegations involving three different teachers, the school — one of California’s largest, with 1,500 students — effectively has to start over for now, with a completely different staff, leaving many afraid that the recent improvements will be a thing of the past. (photo by Irfan Khan/Los Angeles Times)
![reuters:
A Beverly Hills Police Crime Lab vehicle is seen outside the Beverly Hilton Hotel where singer Whitney Houston was found dead in Beverly Hills, California February 11, 2012.
Singer and actress Houston, a winner of six Grammy Awards including record of the year for “I Will Always Love You” and album of the year for “The Bodyguard,” has died at age 48, a spokeswoman for the singer said. [REUTERS/Danny Moloshok]
Read more: Whitney Houston dies at 48
This is not a great way to go out; in the highest-profile of ways, before a celebrity-stacked party. So unfortunate. (more at our tag)](http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lz9etuMaIa1qmaoalo1_500.jpg)
A Beverly Hills Police Crime Lab vehicle is seen outside the Beverly Hilton Hotel where singer Whitney Houston was found dead in Beverly Hills, California February 11, 2012.
Singer and actress Houston, a winner of six Grammy Awards including record of the year for “I Will Always Love You” and album of the year for “The Bodyguard,” has died at age 48, a spokeswoman for the singer said. [REUTERS/Danny Moloshok]
Read more: Whitney Houston dies at 48
This is not a great way to go out; in the highest-profile of ways, before a celebrity-stacked party. So unfortunate. (more at our tag)
Currently jumping from roof to roof: This guy, currently chillin’ in Westwood, Los Angeles, California. Happening live. Watch here.
She was a teacher who would escort little girls into Berndt’s classroom when he was all alone. Berndt would come over in the middle of day, whisper in her ear, and they would giggle, and then teacher would pick out two girls, escort them through a common door, so that they were stuck with a pedophile in this classroom.Lawyer Bryan Claypool • Speaking on the rash of horrific charges to emerge from the pedophilia case at Miramonte Elementary, in the Los Angeles County School District. Claypool says he notified the Sheriff’s department after becoming aware of a female teacher, who he believes “patently aided and abetted” the alleged pedophilic abuse methods of fellow teacher Mark Berndt, one of two former teachers arrested on such charges. As a consequence of the scandal, and the public outrage directed at the school, the entire staff has been removed pending further decision. Be warned, the full details of this story are quite graphic and disgusting. source (via • follow)
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The unprecedented move is intended to build confidence among the many families who have lost faith in their neighborhood elementary school. More than a quarter of students did not show up for classes Monday.
Officials stressed that no one else on the Miramonte staff is under suspicion of wrongdoing but that the chain of events has placed a cloud over the campus that can be lifted only with a drastic response.
One of the largest elementary schools in the nation, Miramonte has about 1,500 students and a teaching and administrative staff of about 150.
That is in fact a drastic move. However, it is expected to be temporary: Officials say that most, if not all, teachers would return to the district eventually. The district has been rocked by allegations and charges over the past week.
» And parents were protesting outside: Roughly three dozen parents and supporters protested outside the L.A.-area school Monday, which has been rocked by two shocking but unrelated allegations of sexual molestation. The first case, involving a former teacher accused of doing unspeakable things to his students (note: trigger warning), was shocking enough; the second case, involving a teacher active until last week, only worsened things, as the allegations against him came out only as a result of the first case. The initial allegations did not lead to parents keeping their children home en masse (as the school had over 90 percent attendance throughout last week), but the second case, however, did. Low attendance hurts the school’s funding, so this hurt financially, but the school will also close Tuesday and Wednesday for emergency staff meetings, so the pain could go even deeper for the school. And things might go deeper: A third allegation at a different school in the region led to the arrest of a janitor.
Trigger warning: We have to warn you that this story is NOT pleasant, so please take care when reading.
Mark Berndt, a 61-year-old teacher who taught for three decades at Miramonte Elementary School in South L.A., is accused of lewd acts with 23 children between the ages of 7 and 10 — allegedly tying children up and putting giant cockroaches on their faces. And something else we’re not going to print. Berndt, who was fired in March and is being held on a $2.3 million bail, wasn’t caught as the result of children coming forward, but a photo-processor who turned pictures of some of the heinous acts over to the authorities. The L.A. Times has more, including a felony complaint. This is just appalling.
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