Archive for April 1st, 2013
Study: high school grads don't shrink as much when they're older
Health | | April 01 2013, 6:16 PMEducation, income, and where we live may all play a role in how much we shrink in old age, according to a study by US and Chinese economists.

April Fools' Day: 8 best prank stories, including Google Maps Treasure Mode
Arts & Entertainment | | April 01 2013, 5:20 PMGoogle Nose lets you sniff "15M+ sentibytes" via your computer screen. Twttr is for those who only want to use consonants. YouTube closes until 2023 because it has enough videos already. Morning Edition profiles "Hootie and the Time Travelers." The April 1 foolishness has begun.

Owner of nine pot shops pleads guilty to federal drug trafficking charges
Crime & Justice | | April 01 2013, 4:39 PMJohn Melvin Walker was considered one of the biggest operators of storefront medical marijuana operations in Southern California.

Police make arrest in 10-year-old Northridge girl's kidnapping
Crime & Justice | | April 01 2013, 1:59 PMPolice have arrested a suspect in connection with last week's kidnapping and sexual assault of a 10-year-old girl from her family's home in Northridge.

Edison submits plan to feds to restart San Onofre nuclear plant
Local | | April 01 2013, 12:32 PMSouthern California Edison submits draft plan to fed regulators to restart one of two units at offline San Onofre nuclear plant.

Update: Chase Bank's website back up after crashing for 2nd time in weeks
Business & Economy | | April 01 2013, 11:59 AMChase Bank tweeted at 10:36 a.m. that the site was experiencing issues, and users have been registering their difficulties with the site.

Fontana police dog injured in 2-story fall
Crime & Justice | | April 01 2013, 10:32 AMA dog sent into a home in search of suspect was thrown out a second-story window. An officer rushed the dog to a vet, and the suspect was arrested.

UPDATE: 2 dead in fiery crash on 118 Freeway in Los Angeles
Local | | April 01 2013, 10:12 AMA car hit the truck at about on westbound State Route 118 in Granada Hills. A second car hit the first, which burst into flames. Two people have died.

Prosecutors to seek death penalty in Colorado theater shootings
Crime & Justice | | April 01 2013, 9:37 AMJames Holmes had offered to plead guilty in exchange for a life sentence. Prosecutors called that a publicity ploy. Twelve people died and another 58 were wounded in the attack.

Calif. legislature considers statewide plastic bag ban (MAP)
Local | | April 01 2013, 7:55 AMThe bills that would eliminate the use of plastic bags at grocery and big box stores – and charge small fees for paper bags. The paper industry opposes the bills.

US construction spending up in Feb, highest in 4 years
Business & Economy | | April 01 2013, 7:52 AMSpending on U.S. construction projects rebounded in February, helped by a surge in home construction, which rose to the highest level in more than four years.

Why not apologizing makes you feel better
Arts & Entertainment | | April 01 2013, 6:23 AMExpressing regret may grease the social wheels, but not doing so boosts your sense of power, control and self-worth. Try explaining that to your boss.

The Next Mission: Some veterans struggle adapting to college life
Education | | April 01 2013, 6:15 AMMany vets are entering Southern California schools under the Post 9/11 GI Bill. It helps student vets and their families pay for tuition, books and housing.

Public Radio Bracket Final 4: Wait Wait vs. This American Life, Fresh Air vs. Radiolab
Arts & Entertainment | | April 01 2013, 6:00 AMIt's down to your public radio final four, and it's time to make your vote known. Vote in our polls to decide the one public radio show to rule them all.

LA mayor's race: Cesar Chavez lives! (On political mailers)
Politics | | April 01 2013, 6:00 AMAs California commemorates the holiday devoted to the iconic labor leader, his image has found its way into L.A.'s mayoral campaign.
MAP: Student veterans centers in the US
http://www.scpr.org/archive | | April 01 2013, 12:51 AMBrowse our map of student veterans resource centers throughout the U.S. and let us know of centers around you.

The Next Mission: Veterans go to college in Southern California
Local | | April 01 2013, 9:17 AMAs the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan wind down, hundreds of thousands of American veterans are choosing to get a college education, but they are not your typical student. Our series presents an in-depth examination of these challenges facing student vets.

The Next Mission: Taking brain injuries from the battlefield to the classroom
Local | | April 01 2013, 7:19 AMExperts estimate there are more than 200,000 student vets with traumatic brain Injury. In the second story in our series "The Next Mission: Veterans go to college in Southern California," we focus on such students.

The Next Mission: Student veterans and a space of their own
Local | | April 01 2013, 6:24 AMIn the last of our series looking at looking at how schools and veterans in Southern California are navigating the transition from combat to campus, we look at the role of veterans centers.

Steve Soboroff: find creative ways to fund LA's parks
Represent! | | April 01 2013, 7:18 PMParks Save co-founder Steve Soboroff says LA's 400-plus parks have taken the brunt of budget cuts over the past few years, and it's time to start finding new ways to fund them.

Cheese wiz: How to do grate during National Grilled Cheese Month
The Latest | | April 01 2013, 6:33 PMClementine's cozy and popular neighborhood cafe has been offering grilled cheese menus that are possibly the greatest thing since sliced bread. Their 12th Annual Celebration of National Grilled Cheese Month is no exception.
Judge rules fast-track law on CEQA challenges unconstitutional
Pacific Swell | | April 01 2013, 6:00 PMA provision in state law forced environmental challenges to certain development projects to skip the lower courts. A judge says that's unconstitutional.

Administration, students and faculty clash at Pasadena City College
Pass / Fail | | April 01 2013, 5:54 PMThere's been tensions since trustees canceled the winter term, and now the faculty advisor to the campus newspaper has been placed on leave.

AT&T West reaches tentative agreement with workers
The Breakdown | | April 01 2013, 4:14 PMThe agreement ends the threat of a strike, though it must still be approved by a majority of the union's 18,000 members in California and Nevada.

More college grads are working minimum wage jobs
Pass / Fail | | April 01 2013, 3:42 PMA lack of high-skilled jobs in the US could be a long-term problem. The number of college grads working minimum wage jobs is up 70 percent over a decade ago.

San Bernardino watches Stockton bankruptcy hearing 'with interest'
The Breakdown | | April 01 2013, 3:33 PMA federal bankruptcy judge has ruled the Central Valley city can enter Chapter 9, over the objections of creditors. Will San Bernardino now follow?

Awesome cosplay from WonderCon (photos)
Without A Net | | April 01 2013, 3:11 PMFans of popular culture went all out with their costumes at WonderCon on Easter weekend in Anaheim. Check them out in our photo slideshow.

Wet Seal promotes 2 executives to help reenergize business
The Breakdown | | April 01 2013, 11:48 AMWet Seal promoted two executives to help reenergize its company, which posted a nearly $86 million net loss in its fourth quarter.

In immigration news: The not-so-fast reform deal
Multi-American | | April 01 2013, 10:53 AMCongress is officially in recess, but special working groups in the House and Senate are making progress on legislative packages.

Labor leader Dolores Huerta backs Curren Price in South LA
Represent! | | April 01 2013, 10:28 AMShe joins Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, council President Herb Wesson and the County Federation of Labor in backing the State Senator for the Ninth District seat.

Maven's Morning Coffee: Watts Towers get a makeover
Represent! | | April 01 2013, 7:55 AMToday is Monday, April 1 and headlines include a makeover for the Watts Towers, visions for the controller's office, and pardons out of Sacramento.

California may provide interpreters for patients on Medi-Cal (PDF)
Represent! | | April 01 2013, 6:00 AMA state lawmaker wants to reimburse Medi-Cal patients who speak limited English for interpreters to help them get the right diagnosis and treatment. Read the bill.

A clash over family-sponsored immigrant visas
Multi-American | | April 01 2013, 6:00 AMLawmakers have proposed eliminating visas for siblings and adult married children of U.S. citizens as part of immigration reform.
The Loh Life
Hawaii, Part Two: Hawaiian Vacation, Up All Night!
| April 01 2013, 9:54 AMSandra Tsing Loh learns about Hawaii.
AirTalk®

How the Information Age is changing everything
| April 01 2013, 10:43 AMHow has big data transformed the way we approach and evaluate information? What will its impact be in years to come? Can this kind of analysis be dangerous, or have significant drawbacks? Kenneth Cukier joins Larry to speak about the revolution of big data and how it will affect our lives.

North Korea names new premier, escalates nuclear tension
| April 01 2013, 10:43 AMAfter a week of saber-rattling, North Korea has stepped up its bellicose rhetoric against South Korea and the United States. This weekend, the country announced that it is in a “state of war” with South Korea, and North Korea’s parliament voted to beef up its nuclear weapons arsenal.

Will paid sick days for all NYC workers move across the country?
| April 01 2013, 10:42 AMNew York City is set to pass legislation requiring thousands of companies to provide paid sick leave to their employees. Some California cities have passed similar legislation, but many more initiatives here have failed. Why?

Unnecessary roughness? Flag football team forced to forfeit for having girl player
Local | | April 01 2013, 10:41 AMSequoyah School's flag football team had to forfeit their 8-0 record this year, due to a new rule that barred girls from playing on boys' teams. Is that fair?

Tensions mounting between faculty and administration at Pasadena City College
| April 01 2013, 10:41 AMHow should PCC students, faculty, and administrators handle these problems? Is it Rocha’s responsibility to maintain a yearly schedule? Will the decision to cancel the winter intersession continue to have serious repercussions?

Prosecutors say 'justice is death' for Aurora shooter James Holmes
| April 01 2013, 10:35 AMDoes execution mean justice for the victims of Aurora? If you’re opposed to the death penalty on principal, does the egregiousness of this crime change your view? How would you want to see this trial resolved?
Take Two®

LA and San Francisco vie for West Coast's tallest skyscraper
| April 01 2013, 10:39 AMBaseball isn't the only source of rivalry between LA and San Francisco. The two California cities are also competing to have the West Coast's tallest skyscraper.

'General Hospital' at 50: Celebrating a half-century of soap opera drama
| April 01 2013, 9:40 AMFifty years ago today, ABC's "General Hospita" debuted, which means the soap is the longest running daytime drama currently in production. We'll find out how it's managed to maintain its success and what it's like to be on the set.

Hollywood Report: Industry employment hits a new low
| April 01 2013, 9:16 AMWe learned last week that unemployment in California fell to 9.6 percent. That's still two points above the national average, but it's the lowest rate seen in the Golden State since 2008. Leading the way in providing new jobs: technology, tourism and construction. Not helping out: Hollywood. Employment in the industry has fallen to the lowest level in more than a decade.

Is a Dodgers-Angels Freeway World Series on its way?
| April 01 2013, 9:09 AMSince it seems L.A.'s baseball teams have cash to burn, should fans count on both winning a lot of games and maybe giving the city it's first ever Freeway World Series?

College a tough adjustment for many military veterans
| April 01 2013, 8:59 AMMany vets are entering Southern California schools under the Post 9/11 GI Bill. It helps student vets and their families pay for tuition, books and housing.

Zuckerberg, other tech giants to form multimillion-dollar super PAC
| April 01 2013, 8:59 AMFacebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg and his former Harvard roommate Joe Green are reportedly forming a new super PAC. The group could raise as much as $50 million to lobby on issues seen as being key to technology.

Mexican drug cartels send agents to run operations deep inside US
| April 01 2013, 8:59 AMLiving in southern California, we often hear about drug cartel activity spilling over from Mexico, but law enforcement officials say that Mexican drug cartels are setting their sights beyond border states.

Business leaders tackle climate-change preparedness at San Diego forum
| April 01 2013, 8:59 AMLast week, a group of climate scientists, insurance experts, real estate developers and city planners met to discuss how to better prepare for the challenges their city may face.

Stealth fees driving up the cost of college
| April 01 2013, 8:58 AMA new report by ProPublica shows that several schools around the country say they're keeping down tuition costs. But at the same time, more and more fees are popping up on bills --- and those might not be part of the official price tag that prospective students look at.

Update on the murder trial of Rockefeller impostor Christian Gerhartsreiter
| April 01 2013, 8:58 AMGerhartsreiter is a con-man who masqueraded as a member of the wealthy Rockefeller clan; It was just one of many identities he's assumed. He now faces murder charges in the 1985 death of a San Marino man.

Does God love gay Christians? Writer Jeff Chu's search for an answer
Arts & Entertainment | | April 01 2013, 8:58 AMWriter Jeff Chu wanted to know the answer to a pivotal question inspired it the Sunday school song "Jesus Loves Me." As a gay Christian, does Jesus love him?
The Loh Down On Science
Off-Ramp®

Opening Day: Dodgers shut out Giants, fans love stadium makeover (photos)
Local | | April 01 2013, 5:59 PMOne thing hasn’t changed. Vin Scully got the biggest cheer of the day, and, later, up in the top deck, a little transistor radio was broadcasting Vin's play-by-play.