Celebrity & Entertainment News: June 2009

BACK IN THE SADDLE 

The curtain went down momentarily for two of our fav funny men over the past couple of months.  Both are back as good as ever.  YEAH!  

Robin Williams mending nicely after an aortic valve replace- ment.  All went well and his reps say that he will resume touring in the fall. 

Jay Leno in and out in a flash at  Saint Joseph Medical Center in Burbank with a nasty case of food poisoning. Not to break his routine he entertained the medical staff.

Jessica Lange getting her strength back and bones healed after a bad fall weeks ago at her Minnesota cabin. It was reported that the much loved actress broke her shoulder and collarbone, dislocated her arm and required several stitches.

A serious throat condition forced Jennifer Hudson to cancel several recent  concerts dates.  Reps say all willbe rescheduled for later dates.

 

IN & OUT OF THE OVEN 

Uber designer Tommy Hilfiger and his wife Dee Ocleppo awaiting the stork.

Nicole Richie and Joel Madden gear- ing up for #2.

Boston Legal‘s Julie Bowen and hubby Scott Philips gearing up for twins. 

Former Bachelor Andrew Firestone and wife Ivana happy and more happy with a new baby named Adam.

Country Super Stars Brad Paisley and Kimberly Williams-Paisley say hello to a second son, Jasper Warren.

Sarah Jessica Parker getting ready for twins with Matthew Broderick and a little help from a surrogate.

 

RAPPER RIFT 50 Cent and Rick Ross fighting over a homemade porn tape 50 Cent bought to release starring one of Ross’ baby mama’s.  

 

FINALLY…AN “I DO” 

Supermodel Gisele Bündchen and her footballer Tom Brady   

Salma Hayek and businessman/baby daddy Francoise Henri Pinault; two weddings in two months. 

 

AND THEN…“I DON’T

Holly Madison (Hef’s ex) calls it quits with Vegas magician Criss Angel.

Another bust-up for Jennifer Aniston and John Mayer (run girl run and fast!)

Sean Penn and Robin Wright Penn file for divorce a second time in two years.  The couple have two children and were married in 1996.  

Pregnant singer Kelis gives rapper Nas his walking papers after five years. 

Hotel mogul Steve Wynn calls off marriage to his wife Elaine for a second time.  Married in 1963, they divorced in 1986, then remarried in 1991.  They have two daughters. 

Sarah Palin’s daughter Bristol gives her PR seeking baby daddy the boot.

Singer Rihanna hopefully giving no second chances to rapper Chris Brown after his brutal assault on her.

Kimora Lee Simons and Russell Simons making things ultimately final; she gets sole legal/physical custody of their two daughters as well as $40,000 a month in child support. 

More drama unfolding in the bitter divorce war as money matters make things a whole lot worse between Kate Walsh and Alex Young.
BOO HOO

Sad times for Martha Stewart who is mourning the death of one of her dogs who died in a propane explosion at a Pennsylvania kennel. Another 16 dogs were also killed in the explosion.  

 

BUSTED

Coolio arrested with crack cocaine at LAX; found the drug on the rapper on his way through screening.  A scuffle went down as he was hauled off.

Kenley Collins, loser on Project Runway arrested and jailed for reportedly using a living cat as a weapon and firing it at her ex-fiance.  The alleged animal abuser attaced her sleeping ex with the cat, a laptop, and some apples.

Donte Stallworth, a wide receiver for the Cleveland Browns was questioned by Miami Beach police when he struck and killed a pedestrian while driving his Bentley; he was tested for drugs and alcohol

Everyone’s fav mum Sharon Osbourne sued for battery, negligence as well emotional distress by a Rock of Love: Charm School contestant who says Osbourne grabbed her hair and punched her during filming.  OH PLEASE.

Demaris Meyer, the passenger riding in Morgan Freeman’s car when he crashed last summer, suing for medical expenses, saying Freeman was drinking.

Amy Winehouse up to her neck again;  charged with assaulting a fan last year.  The victim says Winehouse slapped her when she asked for a picture . 

Record spinner DJ AM suing over a airplane flight that ended in a fiery crash killing everyone on board except for himself and rocker Travis Barker.  The suit carries a hefty $20 million price tag.

Rapper Kanye West arrested for criminal misdemeanors grand theft, vandalism and battery after a camera grabbing/smashing incident last September at LAX.

Celebrity & Entertainment News: April

Three defendants have been charged with conspiring to furnish controlled substances to Anna Nicole Smith between July 2004 and January 2007.  Smith’s long-time companion Howard Stern and Dr. Sandeep Kapoor were charged with one count of unlawfully prescribing a controlled substance, while Khristine Eroshevich and Stern were charged with unlawfully prescribing a controlled substance. Kapoor and Eroshevich were charged with obtaining a prescription for opiates by “fraud, deceit or misrepresentation” and also for obtaining a prescription for opiates by giving a false name or address.  Additional charges include one count of “prescribing, administering or dispensing a controlled substance to an addict.” Currently, Stern and Kapoor are out on $20,000 bail.

 

A Japanese man grabbed at Hugh Jackman’s manhood during a taping of a Japanese game show. Jackman kept his cool, and later folks found out that it was a comedy show and the grabbers were comedians out for a good laugh. 

WWE wrestling star Andrew “Test” Martin has been confirmed dead by Tampa Police.  He was discovered by a neighbor who saw him lying motionless through a window in his Harbour Island, Florida, apartment.  Martin hadn’t worked for the WWE since 2007.  No foul play was indicated.

Donte Stallworth, a wide receiver for the Cleveland Browns, was questioned by Miami Beach police when he struck and killed a pedestrian while driving his Bentley.  Stallworth was tested at the time of the accident for drug and alcohol use.  His contract is worth $35 million over seven years.

Radio jock Don Imus is battling Stage II prostate cancer.  Imus’ rep released this statement: “Don appreciates the good wishes he’s already received from his listeners and viewers.  After years at the Imus Ranch surrounded by inspirational children battling cancer, Don is well prepared to fight this. And no, this does not make him eligible for the kids’ rodeo competition.”

Record spinner DJ AM is suing the company that booked the jet whose flight ended in a fiery crash killing everyone on board except for himself and rocker Travis Barker.  The suit carries a $20 million price tag.

Jessica Lange recently took a nasty fall at her Minnesota cabin.  Family sources report that she broke her shoulder and collarbone, dislocated her arm and required stitches at a local hospital.  The actress is on the mend and doing well.

Demaris Meyer, the passenger riding in Morgan Freeman’s car when he crashed last summer, is suing for medical expenses, claiming that Freeman was drinking.

An L.A. judge ordered Adnan Ghalib to stay away from Britney Spears for three years.  Brit’s conservator—her father—asked for a temporary restraining order prohibiting Adnan from having any contact with his daughter.  Adnan failed to appear at the hearing.

Kenley Collins was a loser on Project Runway Season 5—and she seems to play the same role in real life. She was arrested and jailed for reportedly using a living cat as a weapon and firing it at her ex-fiance.  The alleged animal abuser was arrested in Brooklyn after the D.A. claimed that she attacked her sleeping ex with a cat, a laptop, and apples.

Rapper Kanye West was arrested and charged with three criminal misdemeanors for vandalism, battery and grand theft after a camera grabbing/smashing incident last September at LAX.  TMZ had a camera broken while trying to document the fray and is also  involved in the legal action.  

Actor Tom Sizemore is likely heading back to jail.  Tom was in jail in ‘07 for a probation violation and has graduated to grand theft after stealing cell phones, a pen and a highlighter from a Verizon Wireless store in L.A.  Security cameras caught the incident on tape.

Celebrity & Entertainment News

 

Justin Timberlake has hit a bump of legal troubles.  It seems he and his touring entourage bowed out of a 2007 concert set for the Staples Center in Los Angeles.  Accoring to papers filed in the L.A. Superior Court, the rights to the debunked concert were held by Andrew Kim.  Kim is asking $30,000,000 in  punitive damages.

Martha Stewart is mourning the death of one of her dogs (Genghis Khan) who died in a sudden propane explosion at a Pennsylvania kennel. Another 16 dogs were killed in the explosion, which occured during the delivery of a propane tank.  The man making the delivery was in the hospital suffering from severe burns.  He managed to save several dogs before he was injured.  

Bad news for Coolio, who was busted with crack cocaine at LAX.  A security person found the drug on the rapper as he was going through a security screening on his way to catch a Southwest flight.  Reports say a small scuffle occurred between Coolio and the screener when he was arrested. 

Singer Rihanna was given permission by the court to tape conversations between herself and the man accused of beating her, rapper Chris Brown.  The order was filed in Los Angeles Superior Court and states that Brown must not “harass, strike, threaten, assault (sexually or otherwise), follow, stalk, molest, destroy or damage personal or real property, disturb the peace, keep under surveillance, or block movements of” Rihanna.  Seems silly now that she’s allegedly back with her abuser.

Amy Winehouse is up to her neck in legal problems again.  The singer was charged with assaulting a fan last year.  The victim says that Winehouse slapped her when she asked for a picture at a charity event in London. 

Actor/comedian Robin Williams temporarily put a hold on his recent tour and headed off to the hospital instead to have heart surgery.  Reps state that Williams underwent “surgery for an aortic valve replacement.” If all goes as well as expected, he will resume his tour again in the fall.  Williams released this message to his fans:  ”I’m so touched by everyone’s support and well wishes.  This tour has been amazing fun, and I can’t wait to get back out on the road after a little tune-up.”

Hotel mogul Steve Wynn (67) has called off his marriage to wife Elaine for a second time.  The two were initially married in 1963, divorced in 1986 and then remarried in 1991.    Wynn filed a divorce petition in Las Vegas’ Clark County District Court.  The hotel mogul’s grand fortune is somewhere in the arena of $3.9 billion.  In 1993 one of Wynn and Elaine’s two daughters, Kevyn, was kidnapped and released after Wynn paid $1.45 million in ransome. The kidnappers were later apprehended trying to buy a Ferrari with some of the money.

TMZ was the first to report that Charles “Mask” Lewis Jr., owner of the TapouT MMA clothing line, died when his $300,000 Ferrari hit a light pole and split the car in half. The accident took place in Orange County, California and “Mask” was declared dead at the scene.  A female passenger, who was ejected from the car, was taken to the  hospital.  Police on the scene suggest that “Mask” was street racing with a Porsche.  Police later arrested the driver of the Porche, Jeffrey David Kirby, who had fled the scene.  He was held on suspicion of gross vehicular manslaughter.

Reports have Sarah Palin’s unwed-teenage daughter Bristol giving her baby daddy the boot.  

Seems the rift between rappers 50 Cent and Rick Ross has reached a new low.  The fight began over a homemade porn tape that 50 Cent bought and planned on releasing to the press co-starring the mother of at least one of Rick Ross’ children.  

An odd looking and even stranger acting Joaquin Phoenix reportedly flew off stage and jumped at a fan in the audience at a Miami concert.  The way Phoenix has been acting lately it’s hard to tell what is going on with him and why.

It’s mano y mano as porn king Larry Flynt comes out kicking with the statement that he has slept with more women than his rival Hugh Hefner.

Health & Science News: April

Santino, a 30-year-old chimpanzee who has lived in a Swedish zoo most of his life, is the only male in a group of half a dozen females.  He shows displeasure at human observers and flings stones or bits of concrete at them, but quickly finding suitable weapons isn’t an easy task, so the chimp starts his day by scavenging for stones within his confines and getting them ready for when he needs them. In the past, he has thrown stones at visitors in rapid succession, using an underhand technique, and has hit spectators as far as 30 feet away.  And that’s made him quite a celebrity, but Santino has also become “the subject of a scientific paper documenting how an animal can plan an attack,” said Mathias Osvath, director of the primate research station at Lund University and author of the aforementioned paper. 

Migraine sufferers say they don’t need a weatherman to forecast what’s coming; their headaches do the job just fine.  Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center researchers have studied 7,000 emergency-room visitors over seven-years and have report that headache-related hospital visits went up in the 24 hours after air temperatures rose. A lower barometric pressure 48 to 72 hours before a patient’s arrival showed a higher risk of headache.  For every temperature increase of 9 degrees Fahrenheit (5 degrees Celsius) in 24 hours, there was a 7.5% risk of severe headache. For every 5 millimeters the barometric pressure reading fell over 72 hours, there was a 6 percent risk of headache. Surprisingly, air pollutants did not vary the stats.

There is direct evidence that increasing acidification of the oceans, brought on by rising levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide, affects the ability of small marine organisms to create shells.  Evidence comes from foraminifera, crunchy plankton that float by the untold billions in the ocean.  Andrew D. Moy and William R. Howard of the Antarctic Climate and Ecosystems Cooperative Research Center in Hobart, Tasmania, found the shells of one modern species in the Southern Ocean lighter than shells of the same species in core samples from the same ocean floor.  Those core shells predate the industrial age, when CO2 levels started rising and acidity of the ocean, caused by the absorption of the gas, began to increase.  Researchers, reporting their work in Nature Geoscience publications, said that the modern shells were 30 to 35 percent lighter than older shells of the same size range. “We think the shells are thinner,” Dr. Howard said.

Research shows that mental work is physically exhausting.   A British study in The Journal of Applied Physiology, asked 10 men and 6 women to perform a computer exercise requiring concentration, memory and reaction speed. Participants then exercised on a stationary bicycle until exhausted.  Bicyclers reported being tired 15 percent more quickly after mental exercise.  Samuele M. Marcora, lead author and a senior lecturer in physiology at Bangor University in Wales said, “If you want to improve fitness at maximum levels, you’re probably better off doing training when you’re not mentally fatigued.”

The crew of the International Space Station hurriedly climbed into a spacecraft lifeboat for 11 minutes while a small but potentially dangerous piece of an old rocket motor whizzed past.

Reports show that online donors, most times, do not fulfill their online promises.  Findings suggest that while the Internet is a valuable fund-raising tool for charities, it does not replace direct mail or other forms of fund-raising.

A report says terminally ill patients who drew comfort from religion sought more aggressive, life-prolonging care before they died than the less religious. 

Flesh-eating maggots may not be as good for open wounds as thought.  Although they clean wounds faster than normal treatments, their presence does not aid the wound in healing more quickly.  Some patients even found the larval therapy more painful, according to the study in the British Medical Journal.  Maggots have a long history in medicine.  Napoleon’s battle surgeon was a maggot enthusiast, and put maggots to work during the American Civil War and World War One.  Medical experts now examine their healing powers and potential to prevent dangerous infections like methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus.

Scientists say that electrically stimulating the spinal cords of rodents has reversed some symptoms of Parkinson’s disease.  With a mild current flowing up their spines and into their brains, animals had the ability to scamper around their cages, normally.  The therapy is a potential alternative to direct stimulation, which requires risky and invasive surgery to implant electrodes deep in the brain. Only 30 percent of severely impaired Parkinson’s patients qualify for the operation.  Spinal cord stimulation is less invasive, safer, and would reduce the drugs needed to treat the disease, said the report’s lead author, Duke Neuroscientist, Dr. Miguel A. L. Nicolelis.  The procedure is being tested on monkeys and “if it succeeds, human clinical trials could begin in the next few years.” 

The National Center for Health Statistics has stated that the U.S. recorded more births in 2007 than any other year in American history.  The 4,317,000 births in 2007 barely took the lead from births recorded in 1957, at the height of the baby boom.  The increase is due to women of all ages, including those in their 30s and 40s, and a record share was from unmarried women.  The average woman has 2.1 children.

Reports show that being overweight takes years off your life.  People weighing a third more than their ideal weight may reduce their life by three years on average.  ”Excess weight shortens human life span,” said researcher Gary Whitlock of the Clinical Trial Service Unit at the University of Oxford.  For a lot of people, a third means 50 to 60 pounds of excess weight.  Data from 57 existing studies examined mortality rates for 900,000 adults.  Obesity is considered 30 pounds of additional weight.  Heart disease, stroke, diabetes, kidney disease, liver disease; cancer; increase in death from lung disease and other vascular diseases were attributed to being over weight.  Age, sex, and smoking were counted in the research study.  Severe obesity has a similar effect to smoking on mortality rates, but researcher Richard Peto of the Clinical Trial Service Unit at the University of Oxford cautioned that smoking to stay thin is not the answer.

A 7.9 earthquake hit the South Pacific island country of Tonga.  No reports of casualties or damages emerged.  A tsunami alert was issued immediately after the earthquake, but then canceled.  The earthquake center reported sea level readings indicating a tsunami was generated but its waves were determined to be not that much higher than normal sea levels.

World News: April

In an attempt to address the 50th anniversary of a failed uprising against China Pro-Tibet, protesters tried to break through a police line guarding the Chinese embassy.  Approximately 12 activists charged the barrier line during a march from Parliament House in support of Tibetan independence.  During the incident there was a heated argument between demonstrators and an embassy official as he attempted to take pictures of the group.  Police arrested four people for disrupting the peace, including a man who threw his shoes at the building.  Around 150 people converged on Parliament House in a peaceful rally bearing flags and banners and were joined by representatives from Australia’s major political parties.  Greens leader Bob Brown asked Prime Minister Kevin Rudd to declare Australian support for Tibetan autonomy.

Pope Benedict XVI, while visiting Africa, said a responsible and moral attitude toward sex—and not condoms would help fight the AIDS disease. 

Morgan Tsvangirai, Zimbabwean Prime Minister said the car crash that killed his wife Susan was an accident.  His statement helped override speculation among Zimbabweans that political intent motivated the driver in the truck that hit their vehicle.  Mr. Tsvangirai had just returned from Gaborone, Botswana where he received follow-up medical care for injuries to his head and neck sustained in the crash. The driver, Chinoona Mwanda (35) was charged with culpable homicide, but his attorney, Chris Mhike said the accident was caused by poor road conditions.

Three Doctors Without Borders’ aid workers kidnapped in Sudan have been released unharmed.

Iraqi’s famous shoe thrower, who launched a foot attack at President Bush when he visited the country, got sentenced to three years in jail.  The journalist pleaded not guilty, saying that he was overcome by passion.

Referred to as the “Swiss gigolo” Helg Sgarbi (44) was deemed a master of his craft by wooing Germany’s richest woman into an illicit affair and talking her out of nearly all her money.  He confessed to defrauding Susanne Klatten, a billionaire whose family controls BMW, and was sentenced to six-years in prison.  In a country where old-money families down play their wealth, Klatten decided to go to the police even though as a rule people of her status keep scandal a secret.  Three other women fell victim to Sgarbi’s charms. Sgarbi extorted millions of pounds out of rich European women using a blackmail plot involving mafia hit men and a mysterious sect.  Klatten’s fortune (she is the 68th wealthiest person in the world) is estimated at $9.6 billion.  Sgarbi told the women he was a secret agent working for the Swiss government in hostage situations. Not quite James Bond, he was instead an accomplished predator.  

The election of Salvadorean President Mauricio Funes of F.M.L.N. is a turning point after two decades of rule by the right wing

Andry Rajoelina, Madagascar’s chief opposition leader came up for air, after hiding for two weeks, and stated that he was taking charge of the Madagascar nation.

Sudan’s President Omar Hassan al-Bashir threatened to expel even more aid groups, diplomats and peacekeepers on his first trip to Darfur since the International Criminal Court ordered his arrest on charges of war crimes.  Sudan had previously expelled 13 of the largest aid groups operating in Darfur in protest to the warrant issued by the court in The Hague.  According to the Sudan Media Center, the Sudanese Army announced that it was mobilizing three-quarters of its troops and preparing for full alert. Waving a sword in defiance, Bashir told thousands of cheering supporters that other foreign groups could also be forced to leave if they (Bashir and his supporters) banned together and got involved in dealing with his war crimes case. 

The Pakistani government agreed to reinstate the former Chief Justice of the Supreme Court after a weekend of protests to the opposition leader, Nawaz Sharif.

The U.S. made a formal protest with the Beijing government after five Chinese ships harassed an American surveillance vessel in international waters, in actions the Pentagon described as illegal, unprofessional and dangerous.  The incident took place off the coast of Hainan Island, south of the Chinese mainland. Pentagon officials have stated that the American vessel, USNS Impeccable, was carrying out a surveillance mission involving towing sonar equipment designed for anti-submarine warfare. Two Chinese ships blocked the Impeccable when it requested safe transit and Chinese sailors dropped pieces of wood in its path and tried to hook the cables towing the sonar equipment.  USNS Impeccable’s crew sprayed some of the Chinese sailors with a fire hose. 

Thousands of American Marines went into South Korea to kick off an annual joint military exercise that the U.S. describes as routine. North Korea disagreed with a statement calling it a preparation to invade.  North Korea plans to send a satellite into orbit, but neighboring governments believe it actually will be testing its Taepodong-2 missile, which theoretically can reach as far as Hawaii and Alaska.  North Korea put a 1.1 million member armed force on standby and cut off a military hotline, the only remaining channel of direct communications between the Koreas. North Korea’s statement reinforced that it might resort to military provocations to vent anger at South Korea, who stopped sending North Korea free food.  North Korean missile and nuclear threats act as the impoverished country’s main tool of extracting foreign aid.

Japan condemned North Korea’s plan to launch a rocket next month, warning that it can legally shoot down a rocket if it falls toward its territory.

Mohammad Khatami, a reformist former president of Iran, withdraw from the presidential race to support a political ally.

A deal between Israel’s conservative Likud Party and the nationalist Yisrael Beitenu Party appointed Avigdor Lieberman as the nation’s foreign minister.

Josef Fritzl received a life sentence for keeping his daughter in a self-built prison beneath his own home in Amstetten, Austria for 24 years.  Reports say he raped her some 3,000 times, fathered her seven children and contributed to the death of one son.  A jury of five women and three men convicted Fritzl of incest, rape, enslavement, coercion and murder by neglect. Fritzl waived his right to appeal saying, “I regret from the bottom of my heart what I have done to my family.” The trial raised questions as to why authorities failed to question Fritzl’s behavior over the years.  Fritzl was a convicted rapist investigated for many other sex crimes, but not questioned when his daughter went missing in August 1984 at the age of 18. He claimed she had joined a sect. Fritzl kept his emotions to himself as the verdict was read.

U.S. News: April

China reported that a U.S. Navy ship was involved in a confrontation with some of its vessels off the southern island of Hainan.  They said the incident  violated international law.  Ma Zhaoxu

Foreign ministry spokesman said that U.S. reports that five Chinese vessels harassed the USNS Impeccable were “totally inaccurate”.  China requested that the U.S. stop these activities immediately.  U.S. reports stated that the Chinese ships moved in dangerously close to an unarmed U.S. navy surveillance vessel during routine operations in international waters 75 miles south of Hainan island.  A Pentagon rep said that Chinese ships “aggressively manoeuvred” around the Impeccable “in an apparent co-ordinates effort to harass the U.S. ocean surveillance ship.”

A California stem cell company jumped for joy as did its stock prices after President Obama brought to an end an eight-year limit on federal funding for studies of embryonic stem cells.  The executive order allows federal funding for research on numerous embryonic stem cell lines that did not qualify for federal support under a policy signed by former President George W. Bush in 2001.  That policy limited government-sponsored research to the 21 embryonic stem cell lines created prior to 2001.

Scientists and patient-advocacy groups have lobbied for years to overturn the Bush restrictions in hope that research will offer improved medical treatments for conditions including damaged spinal nerves, reinforce weakened heart muscle and restore a diabetic’s ability to manufacture insulin. 

Statistics show that one in 50 children becomes homeless in the U.S. each year.  The National Center on Family Homelessness researched data from 2005-2006 and discovered there are more than 1.5 million children without homes with numbers expected to rise along with devastating increases in home foreclosures.  States citing the most cases were Texas, Georgia, Arkansas, New Mexico and Louisiana. Hawaii, Connecticut, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and North Dakota fared better.  Homeless children have poor health, emotional problems and low graduation rates, the study found.

Regarding federally financed human embryonic stem cell research, President Obama hopes to bypass the biggest question pertaining to the subject: should taxpayer dollars be used to experiment on embryos?  White House reps said the president will leave the decision to Congress to determine whether the long-standing legislative ban on federal financing for human embryo experiments is overturned.

A man strolled into a First Baptist church near St. Louis during a meeting and shot to death the pastor and two congregants according to police reports.  Churchgoers wrestled the gunman to the ground as he waved a knife, slashing himself and two other people.  The assailant was not recognized by any of the 150-or-so congregants .

The Supreme Court has ruled that: “Only election districts in which minorities make up at least half of the voting-age population are entitled to the protections of a part of the Voting Rights Act that seeks to ensure and preserve minority voting power”.

North Carolina officials argued that the act required that they maintain black influence at the voting booth by creating a district that included about 39 percent of the black voting-age population.  In effect the theory was that the law protected black voters willing to join white “crossover voters” to elect a candidate of the black voters’ choice.  It was rejected by the court in a 5-to-4 vote.

The Obama administration said it will not use “enemy combatant” in reference to Guantánamo Bay detainees, but asserts the power to detain them.

A healthier Barbara Bush was released from a Houston 9-day hospital stay after heart surgery.

Failure in passport security is higher due to a rising problem in counterfeit documents.  The identities of a dead man and a 5-year-old boy were obtained by a government investigator in a test of security measures.

South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford’s request to use $700 million in federal stimulus cash to pay down his state’s debt was rejected by the Obama administration. White House budget director, Peter R. Orszag, said that the federal stimulus law did not allow President Obama to make an exception for that cash.  The $787 billion stimulus legislation has reportedly set strict rules for the $53.6 billion available to help state budgets. Exactly 82 percent of the money is to be used for public schools and colleges and 18 percent on public safety and other government services.  Congress won’t authorize the executive branch to waive statutory requirements.  

It’s being reported that the U.S. government knew that top Guatemalan officials that the U.S. was supporting with arms and cash were responsible for the disappearance of thousands of people during a 36-year civil war.  The now declassified documents were obtained by a U.S. research institute.

U.S. Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. stated that the Justice Department will not prosecute California medical pot dispensaries operating legally under state laws.  Obama administration officials say they hope to take a hands-off approach to the clinics, as they have changed priorities toward the controversial prosecutions.  The Bush administration targeted medical marijuana distributors even in states that had passed laws allowing use of the drug for medicinal purposes by cancer patients, those in chronic pain and other serious ailments.  The administration will target egregious offenders operating in violation of federal and state laws and those that use the clinics as fronts for drug dealers.

A federal judge  blocked a federal rule allowing people to carry concealed, loaded guns in national parks and wildlife refuges. The decision by U.S. District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly halts a change in regulations issued in the waning days of the Bush administration and orders further review. 

The rule, which took effect in January allows visitors to carry a loaded gun into a park or wildlife refuge as long as the person has a permit for a concealed weapon and the state where the park or refuge was located allowed concealed firearms. Previously, guns in parks had been severely restricted.

More headaches for Congress and the Obama administration when a disclosure showed that 13 financial firms that had received federal bailout money owed around $220 million in unpaid taxes.  Headline making mortgage giant Fannie Mae was ready and willing to pay millions in retention bonuses—the same as AIG did, but the House quickly threw in the measure, that a 90% tax was going to be imposed on anyone receiving bonuses at AIG and other firms that received more than $5 billion in federal bailout funds.

State News: April

Riverside, Los Angeles and San Bernardino counties say that assessors are going to pull in the lowest numbers in property tax collections in more than 10 years—bad news for their cash-poor local governments. In the past, revenue from property taxes provided a steady source of income for cities. Assessors say that the reduction in auto sales, a high rate of foreclosures and low real- estate sales will devastate the tax rolls.

To help reduce their debt, California counties have imposed work furloughs and pay cuts, postponed city repairs and reduced public services.  In Los Angeles County, assessor Rick Auerbach estimates a 1% reduction in the county’s $1.1 trillion property-tax base and estimates that the losses will be even greater in coming months.

The recent ban placed on medical marijuana dispensary closures by L.A.’s U.S. Attorney Thomas P. O’Brien has everyone wondering why O’Brien ordered prosecutors to back off, then abruptly changed his mind and sent a confidential memo to prosecutors lifting the ban.  O’Brien’s decision to temporarily halt prosecutions was made just days after Attorney General Eric Holder stated at a Washington, D.C. press conference that medical marijuana prosecutions would not be a priority for President Obama’s Justice Department. A Justice Department official stated that the attorney general did not direct O’Brien or any other U.S. attorney to alter policies regarding the prosecution of such cases.

State Controller John Chiang has announced that California has resumed tax refunds.  Since adopting a new budget, payments for income-tax refunds and grants for college students, needy families, the elderly, the blind and the disabled—frozen when California ran out of cash in February—are generally back on track. 

Governor Schwarzenegger’s administration has rolled out a new ethics policy. A review of senior advisors’ economic statements is set to root out conflicts of interest.  Statements for officials’ travel expenses will be posted on the Web.  Recently, a state Cabinet official resigned amid speculation regarding her outside income and the free use of government expense accounts by her top aide and other appointees of the governor.  New ethics rules apply to all senior staff members.

It looks like a San Diego zoo worker is responsible for skin infections at the zoo.  A baby elephant being hand-raised by zoo keepers because its mother couldn’t care for it was infected along with 20  human caretakers. This is the first case of methicillin-resistant ataphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in a zoo elephant and the first recorded transmission of the bug from zoo animal to human being, says the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The infection has proven resistant to antibiotics.   

The state’s interagency Climate Action Team has issued the first of 40 reports outlining what Californians must do to deal with floods, erosion and other disastrous effects of rising sea levels.  Computer models suggest that hundreds of thousands of people and billions of dollars in property and infrastructure are at risk if ocean levels rise 55 inches by the end of the century.  This change will affect coastal development in areas targeted for a rise in sea levels, halt federally subsidized insurance for property likely to be affected and require that all coastal structures be built to adapt to the change.

The state department of education estimates that it will lay off about  26,500 teachers, plus 15,000 bus drivers, janitors, secretaries and administrators.

Rotting and damaged warships off San Francisco Bay are not going to cause environmental contamination, according to federal scientists. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration noted that levels of PCBs, toxic metals and other compounds were generally no higher around the Suisun Bay Reserve Fleet of ships than anywhere else in the bay area waters.  Because of the findings, the agency said that it won’t recommend specific cleanup in any areas near the fleet of 70 ships that will remain in the bay, ready for action in case of war.  

The owner of an Orange County car dealership that accounts for about five percent of all Lamborghinis sold worldwide has  pleaded guilty to a  felony charge involving  wire fraud.  The man, 45-year-old Viken Keuylian  from Laguna Beach, could get the maximum penalty of 30 years in prison.   A report from Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrew Stolper stated that Keuylian defrauded Volkswagen Credit Inc. out of nearly $12 million.  Keuylian owned Lamborghini of Orange County in Santa Ana and Lamborghini of Calabasas, now closed.  Volkswagen Credit loaned the money to Keuylian to purchase the cars on his lots, and he was to repay the loan when he sold the vehicles.  He managed to get around paying by telling Volkswagen Credit that cars he had sold were on the lots.  He used the money to pay debts, including some connected with a vineyard and a Beverly Hills Lotus car dealership. 

The U.S. Department of Justice has launched an investigation into the Inglewood Police Department as the incidence of officer-involved shootings of unarmed suspects increases.  This is the second look by the Justice Department focusing on community protests last year when Inglewood officers shot and killed four people— three of whom were unarmed—in a four-month period.  The Los Angeles County Office of Independent Review started investigating at the request of the city, which found that Inglewood police officers resorted to physical or deadly force in many of their arrests.

Vo Duong Tran, a former FBI agent, made plans to rob an Orange County  ”stash house” that he thought was filled with $500,000 in drug money.  The now-disgraced agent came all the way from New Orleans hoping to get rich but instead was convicted in a Santa Ana federal court on charges related to the botched home-invasion robbery.  Tran, 41, conspired with a supposed accomplice (actually an undercover FBI agent) to commit the robbery. He had hoped to create a crew of criminal associates to commit violent crimes. 

The father of teenager Brandon McInerney, who is accused of gunning down a gay classmate, was found dead in the living room of his home.  The death of 45-year-old Bill McInerney is being blamed on an accidental head injury. Brandon McInerney is being tried as an adult for the death of classmate Lawrence “Larry” King.  The two boys (both 15 years old) had been fighting for days before the attack, and it is alleged that King had a romantic interest in McInerney.  The hearing was postponed with news of  the elder McInerney’s death. 

Ed Boks, manager of Los Angeles’ Department of Animal Services, has said that the department is returning to  giving low-income residents vouchers for free spaying and neutering of their pets. Boks had suspended the program two weeks earlier, but animal-welfare advocates protested. So did members of the Los Angeles City Council. “It’s time for Mr. Boks to find another place to work,” Councilman Dennis Zine said. “It’s been a continuing saga of him and his mismanagement.”

Local News: April

Actor/comedian Dane Cook’s half brother was indicted by a grand jury for allegedly stealing millions from the funny man.  Darryl McCauley was charged with eight counts of larceny over $250 and forgery and larceny by continuous scheme.  Prosecutors said that McCauley had forged a $3 million check written from Cook’s account to himself.  Reports say that McCauley  pulled off the allegedly scheme even while Cook was paying him $12,500 a month to be his personal business manager.  McCauley continues to deny any wrongdoing.

Get ready users of Southern California Edison Company because depending on who is calculating your monthly electric bill, if you are a residential customer, you will likely see an increase due to a recent rate hike approved by utility regulators.  California Public Utilities Commission president, Michael Peevey said the rate hike would add $2 to the average monthly residential bill of $85 within Edison’s service area covering Central and much of Southern California, but not the city of Los Angeles.  Consumer groups say rate raises could possibly double the estimate given by Edison and the PUC in 2009.  Homes using a lot of energy will pay even more than that. 

The decision allows Edison to raise rates by less than 2% a year in 2010 and 2011, but the amount could be affected by changes in the price of natural gas used to run power plants or electricity bought from other generators.  The increase is less than what Edison sought, but more than an administrative law judge recommended.

Edison reports that 65% of its 4.3 million residential customers will see little or no change in their monthly charges because they participate in special programs for low-income families or consume little power.  Business charges also will increase, but neither the PUC nor Edison offered any estimates.  Edison will start collecting the new rates April 2009.

Actor T.R. Knight was involved in a three-car accident in Hollywood.  He was going eastbound on Hollywood Boulevard and the other car was going westbound when they collided. Knight was not injured but a man and a woman were taken to the hospital by ambulance.  Police investigated who was at fault, but no citations were given.

President Obama called his visit to Los Angeles a wrap, but not before he made a talk show television appearance hoping to boost his ratings by  popping in to the “The Tonight Show” hosted by Jay Leno.  He dished with Leno and the millions watching about his life in the White House.   Topics included everything from the desperate search for a family dog to pickup basketball games under the watchful eyes of Secret Service agents.

“I don’t get the hard fouls I used to,” Obama said.  Obama’s visit to the nation’s most populous state served as a nice ‘thank you’ for the sizable amount of votes he picked up here on election day in November.

Almost a month after controversy erupted over Corona del Mar High School’s reported cancellation and then all of a sudden rescheduling of a theatrical production of “Rent,” the American Civil Liberties Union sued school officials for fostering a “sexist” and “homophobic” atmosphere.  Although the complaint cites the show’s brief cancellation as an example, much of it focused on the aftermath of a Facebook video posted in January in which three Corona del Mar football players threatened to rape and kill a female classmate and also used slurs to describe homosexuals.  The video was posted on the online profile of a fourth student, who threatened the young woman at school said reports.  The video has been removed, but ACLU officials cite little that the school did to punish the boys or for that matter protect the young woman, even after her parents expressed dire concerns over her safety.  ”School and district officials, through their action and inaction, have not only failed to take steps to address this hostile environment, but they have contributed to it and given sanction to it,” stated the 36-page complaint filed in Orange County Superior Court.  ”These allegations are very serious and the district will utilize its best efforts to ascertain the truth of these matters, as well as to be sure there are procedures to promptly resolve discrimination and harassment disputes.” stated district Supertindent Jeffrey Hubbard. 

A Riverside County jury returned a verdict of death for Raymond Lee Oyler for starting the 2006 Esperanza fire in the foothills of the San Jacinto Mountains that killed five firefighters, destroyed 34 homes and charred more than 41,000 acres.  The decision camedown after barely a day of deliberation.  Firefighters and the families of the victims were thrilled with the verdict saying that it offered a measure of justice for a henious crime that would affect their lives forever.  “For the last 2 1/2 years, life has been unbearable,” stated Gloria Ayala, the mother of Daniel Hoover-Najera, one of the firefighters who was killed in the blaze.  ”Danny is no longer down the hallway, no longer a conversation away.  This loss is almost too much, but now justice will be served.”  She had a message for Oyler.  ”I harbor no anger, only hope that you understand the depth of pain you caused us and your family,” Ayala said, as she stood with the families of other victims outside the courthouse.  ”More importantly, I forgive you for the act that took my son’s life.”  Judge W. Charles Morgan will sentenced Oyler to death or life in prison without parole at a hearing on June 5, 2009.  Oyler (38) was convicted of five counts of first-degree murder, 20 counts of arson and 17 counts of using an incendiary device.  Prosecutors said the Beaumont mechanic had set fires throughout the San Gorgonio Pass in the summer of 2006 leading to the Esperanza fire.

Local News: April

Deputy Police Chief Kenneth O. Garner Passing Tribute

More than 3,000 people attended the South L.A. funeral of Deputy Police Chief Kenneth O. Garner who served the LAPD for more than three decades.  Garner, the second-highest-ranking black officer in the department, passed away at his Pasadena home.  The tribute was held at the Crenshaw Christian Center where Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and state Senator Rod Wright spoke.

 

National Mass Transit Costs Surge

As gas prices soared, so did the use of mass transit. Passenger levels during 2008 hit peaks not seen since 1957, up 4% from 2007. 2008 turned out to be a very good year for Southern California transit agencies who have reported increased revenues from the more than 10.7 billion riders in 2008.  Also on the rise, Orange County Transportation Authority buses and Metrolink commuter trains set records too.

 

FBI Looking For Clues In Vehicle Firebombing 

A vehicle owned by a UCLA neuroscientist was firebombed by an anti-animal research group for using primates in his study of psychiatric disorders.  The incident took place outside the man’s home and no injuries were reported, according to FBI spokeswoman Laura Eimiller.  This was the latest in a series of firebombing and other aggressive acts aimed at university researchers who use animals in medical studies.  Other police reports show that firebombs were left on doorsteps and in homes, vehicles were vandalized, and threatening phone calls and e-mails were received.

 

A Second Term for Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa

Antonio Villaraigosa won his second term as Mayor with strong support on the Eastside and in Wilmington. The San Fernando Valley, however, showed less confidence in another term for the Mayor and delivered a ‘No’ vote.  Final numbers had Villaraigosa winning with 55.6% of the vote though a mere 15% of registered voters actually voted. 

 

Non-Beverly Hills Residents & BHUSD

Months of heated debate over non-Beverly Hills residents attending the city’s schools under special permits is over, as trustees gave the issue a thumbs up.  The district receives $6,114 in state funding per year for each student enrolled, although BHUSD is fast becoming one of California’s few districts that rely on local property taxes rather than aid based on student attendance.  If that happens the financial incentive to enroll non-residents will diminish. 

 

Cedars-Sinai Medical Center Gets A New Tower 

The L.A. Planning Commission approved plans for the construction of a 200,000 square-foot expansion tower at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center that will include 100 new patient beds and 700 parking spaces.  Additional plans were approved for rezoning a vacant property next to the L.A. Public Library in Westwood for a city park.

 

John Mirisch & Willie Brien Win City Council Seats

John Mirisch, a film distributor who, in the past, ruffled the city’s political feathers with his ‘Blog Beverly Hills, won a narrow victory for a seat on the Beverly Hills City Council.  Mirisch walked away with 2,272 votes (14.11%) defeating veteran Councilwoman Linda Briskman.  At the top of Mirisch’s priority list is the quality of the city’s schools and the over-scaled development occurring in Beverly Hills that has diminished the small-town charisma the makes the city a stand out.  Willie Brien, Chief of Staff at Cedars-Sinai and grandson of the late Earl Warren (former California governor and chief justice of the U.S. Supreme Court) also walked away with a City Council seat. Brien took in 18.49% of the votes. Prior to this election he served on the school board as park commissioner.  Current Councilman Barry Brucker was re-elected with 19.38% of the votes.

 

Free Pet Spaying & Neutering: A No Go 

Almost six months after L.A. city stated that pets had to be spayed or neutered, a voucher system providing the free service to low-income owners has been eliminated.  Also eliminated was the distribution of $30 coupons for sterilization procedures.  State budget cuts were behind the decision, said department General Manager Ed Boks. The end of the voucher program will save the state $150,000 in spending.  Supporters of animal welfare were not happy over the abrupt decision. The spay-neuter law was passed last year to help lower and eventually eliminate euthanasia rates at animal shelters.

 

L.A. Prepares For A Water Shortage

Serious warnings that L.A. will probably face a water shortage this summer have come to light.  LADWP will raise its rates and have approved severe penalties for residents who don’t cut their water use by 15%.  This does not apply to low-income residents whose rates will remain the same, but owners of larger homes and lots can expect a hike of  $11 a month on their bill.  Rate increases will take effect on June 1, 2009 and will remain in effect year-round.

 

Beverly Hills Library Gets High Scores

Congrats to the Beverly Hills Public Library which ranked in the top 12 of 1,116 libraries in California by the Library Journal and was listed in the top three percent of 7,000 libraries nationwide. The Beverly Hills Public Library was one of the noted 256 libraries to earn a ranking of three to five stars. Rankings included circulation, visits, total program attendance and public internet terminal use.

 

President Obama Checks In At The Beverly Hilton Hotel

New to the Presidential Suite at the Beverly Hilton Hotel, President Barrack Obama checked in while visiting Los Angeles as part of his tour through Southern California, including a pit stop at The Tonight Show. The luxury digs have also hosted former Presidents Bill Clinton and John F. Kennedy. The Presidential Suite covers 1,870 square feet and includes a master bedroom and living room, 42-inch plasma televisions, a 13-inch LCD screen in the spa bathroom, a patio, fireplace, library area and amazing views of the Beverly Hills Business Triangle and Wilshire Boulevard. 

 

Beverly Hills Elections

The new Beverly Hills City Council and City Treasurer took the oath of office recently in a community installation ceremony.  The community ceremony and reception was held at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ Samuel Goldwyn.  Council member Nancy Krasne was sworn in as Mayor; Councilmember Jimmy Delshad became Vice Mayor and current Vice Mayor Barry Brucker was sworn in for his second term of office.  Eliot Finkel also took on his second, four-year term as City Treasurer.

 

A New Outdoor Sculpture

Beverly Hills was first in line to pick an outdoor sculpture by acclaimed New York artist Roxy Paine.  The City’s Public Art Fund picked up the $ 342,800 tab for the sculpture.  Additional fees of $10,000-$15,000 are estimated for transportation, installation, future   maintenance, lighting and ongoing display of the art piece. The stainless steel boulder measuring 7 feet tall by 15 feet wide offers reference to a rock carried by a glacier hundreds of miles away from its original geographic location.  Paine’s work is exhibited around the world, is on permanent display in Brooklyn’s Prospect Park and will be installed in Beverly Gardens Park in Beverly Hills this summer. 

 

Dante Nicholson Pleads Guilty To Hospital/Homeless Scam

Dante Nicholson, 51, of Palmdale, pleaded guilty to offering money used for illegal kickbacks to recruiters who would take homeless patients from skid row to the hospital, where they would receive services that were not necessary.  Nicholson, former senior vice president of City of Angels Medical Center, is the third person convicted in the scheme to defraud Medicare and Medi-Cal.  If Nicholson is convicted the charges carry a maximum of 10 years in federal prison.

Business News: February 2009

Google won hands down when it comes to Americans watching videos online.  Stats showed that Internet users in the U.S. watched 12.7 billion online videos in November, a 34% increase from a year ago.  Numbers studied by market researcher ComScore hailed a huge  ‘thank you’ to YouTube when Google sites earned top billing with nearly 5.1 billion videos viewed (40% of all videos seen).  The YouTube/Google sharing site accounted for 98% of Google’s traffic.  Second was Fox Interactive Media with 439 million videos watched (3.5%); next Viacom Digital with 325 million videos or 2.6%.  Data reported that in 2008, in the U.S., 77% of Internet users viewed online videos.  Projected numbers show the market will grow another 45% equaling around  $850 million this year.

The German billionaire Adolf Merckle, whose over speculation in Volkswagen stock forced his massive business empire to the brink of financial ruin, ended his misery by committing suicide, his family reported.  The 74-year old who for weeks was said to be emotionally unable to handle his crumbling business was found dead near his estate in the southern German hamlet of Blaubeuren, on a railroad track.  Officials from the city stated that no other persons were involved.  A suicide note had been found, but its contents were not relased by the family.

The nation’s No. 2 electronics retailer  Circuit City will close all 567 stores and sell its assets as it restructures under Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.  Creditors agreed to the shutdown after two potential buyers seeking to continue operating the company backed out of negotiations.

Private investors will buy what is left of IndyMac Bank, a California mortgage lender whose July financial failure set the autumn crisis of the financial system.  This will be the first failed bank in two decades sold to a buyer outside the banking industry by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp.  The investing group, IMB HoldCo, is led by Steven Mnuchin, a former Goldman Sachs executive, and includes the veteran banking investor J. Christopher Flowers, computer maker Michael S. Dell and the hedge fund manager John Paulson.  IndyMac now has a total value to the government of more than $13.9 billion; new investors will remove most liabilities from the governments books, and then they will pay the additional cash needed to cover the balance due. 

United States consumer prices barely rose last year—their slowest pace in more than a half century, a new government report stated; then a stunning turn just a few months later when inflation hit an all time 17-year high.

Much of the reversal was due to a roughly 75% decline in the oil prices from their July peak that now have  brought prices down on everything from gasoline and home heating to airline fares.  But some of the inflation’s disappearance that has been reported is also a consequence of the severe economic recession hitting the nation and that is causing nervous households to delay spending money, adding to the leg long list of companies going out of business.

After a $8.3 billion fourth-quarter loss, Citigroup will reorganize the company into two businesses.  Citicorp will soon operate as a traditional banking business, and a separate business, Citi Holdings, a company to work with risky assets.  Fourth-quarter losses amounted to $1.72 per share compared to a year ago of $1.99 loss per share.  The losses totaled $9.8 billion. The 2008 fourth quarter included a $3.9 billion gain on the sale of its German retail bank.

Fourth-quarter revenue dropped 13%  to $5.6 billion.  Months ago Citigroup had announced that it would cut its banking work force of about 323,000 to 52,000 workers.

President Barack Obama told House Speaker Nancy Pelosi that he favors a price tag of some where in the area of  $775 billion for the U.S. economic stimulus plan, a Democratic aide said.  Obama met with congressional leaders from both parties at the Capitol to help craft and shore up support for a two-year plan he hopes will boost the sagging economy.  He said that the plan would cut taxes for individuals and businesses and allow  money for government programs that will help rebuild the nation’s infrastructure.  “We have to act now to address this crisis and break the momentum of the recession, or the next few years could be dramatically worse,” Obama had told the reporters.  

The plan would attempt to boost consumer demand by providing tax breaks worth $500 for individuals and $1,000 for couples.  By altering tax-withholding rules, workers would see an immediate increase in their take-home pay.  Cutting the payroll tax “would be more efficient” in helping the economy, Michael Darda, chief economist for MKM Partners LP, said on Bloomberg Television, but also cautioned that “there is no silver bullet.” 

The impact of Russia’s natural gas embargo against Ukraine spread to several Eastern European countries, as a senior Ukrainian official warned of serious fuel disruptions across the continent in as little as 10 days if Russia refused to resume shipments.

Poland, Romania, Bulgaria and Hungary reported drops in the gas they receive from Russia via Ukrainian pipelines but said consumers had not yet been affected because of reserve supplies and additional Russian deliveries through other countries.

The European Union which gets a quarter of its gas from Russia, most of it through pipelines that cross Ukraine, said that it planned to call an emergency meeting to discuss the crisis and urged “an immediate resumption of full gas deliveries” to E.U. member states. 

The European Central Bank lowered its benchmark interest rate by more than a half-point to 2 percent, the lowest level ever, and hinted that the rate would fall even further.  The bank has halved its main borrowing rate in the last three months, as the outlook for Europe and the global market for its exports continues to darken.

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