SATURDAY HEADLINES.....

It is the weekend and we're packing up the car and headed to the beach to escape our mini heat wave that has descended on Southern California. That being the case, we thought a visual for the day would be appropriate. It appears model Kate Moss left nothing to be hidden when she was out with her 5-year-old daughter in public recently. So, did Kate bear a little too much? Photo - Scanpix/SipaPress

FRIDAY HEADLINES.....

** Thought of the Day: It is Friday and all our heads are already thinking the weekend. With that being the case, I couldn't help but pull out a photo of our good friend Jocelyn Kirsch. Don't know who Jocelyn Kirsch is? Well, we blogged (see June 5 entry) about her a while back. Jocelyn is the young 20-something who got into a wee bit of trouble with her former boyfriend. Authorities say the two went on an identity theft crime spree in Philadelphia and stole ID's from other people to travel the world before finally being caught last year. Kirsch, whose mother lives in California, reportedly stole a credit card out here and used it after being nabbed in Philly in '07. She has since returned to Philly and was recently in court, with her sentencing yet to come. Anyhow, we couldn't resist another pic of the beauty to start the weekend off right. She definitely can work a camera.

On a more serious note, see story below if you like to drive with one hand on the wheel and one hand holding a cell phone. Times are about to change. Happy weekend!!

NEWS
* Starting July 1, drivers in California will have to stop using hand-held cell phones while driving or risk a fine. But one area not covered in the new law is texting.

The new law states that drivers must use hands-free devices to talk while driving, but it does not stipulate you cannot text while driving.

Looking to make things safer for all drivers on California's roadways, one state senator has proposed legislation that would add texting to the new cell phone ban. Sen. Joe Simitian (D- Palo Alto), has proposed that text messaging be added to the lists of things not to do while driving.

However, even if the no-texting legislation does gain approval and is signed by the governor, it would not take effect until Jan. 1.

The law taking effect next month takes special aim at juvenile drivers. While adults will no longer be able to use hand-held cell phones (they can use hands-free or text messagers), juveniles cannot use any mode of communication, including all cell phones and text messagers.

The violation, though, is a secondary offense, which means minors may not be pulled over for using a hands-free cell phone or text messager unless they are pulled over for breaking a second traffic offense at the same time.

California became the fourth state to ban motorists from holding cell phones while driving when Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed into law legislation that passed in the state assembly back in 2006.

New York, New Jersey, Connecticut and Washington, D.C. are the other areas where it is illegal to drive and be talking on a hand-held cell phone, unless in an emergency situation.

Thursday Headlines.....

** Thought of the Day: We saw a story on the wires today about what happens to homes after someone is murdered in them. The story on Foxnews.com (http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,369083,00.html) looked at such former homes as those of murderers John Wayne Gacy and Jeffrey Dahmer, and victims like Sharon Tate (pictured to right), Nicole Brown Simpson and JonBenet Ramsey. It is a very interesting story and makes one wonder if you could live in the home of someone who killed or was killed. Our guess is it would be a little spooky to say the least.

NEWS/SPORTS
* San Diego City Attorney Michael Aguirre has sued San Diego Gas & Electric in an effort to recover millions of dollars in damages caused to city property and for firefighting costs associated with last October's wildfires. The civil complaint says SDG&E failed to take steps to prevent downed utility lines from sparking the devastating Witch Creek and Guejito fires. The lawsuit reportedly seeks to claims tens of millions of dollars. To see more on this story, visit dailyinsurer.blogspot.com .

* A Norwalk man was arrested after reportedly leaving his 8-year-old Rotweiler in the car as temperatures outside topped 100 degrees. The dog, Sierra, died after being left in the vehicle on Wednesday afternoon. The man claims he answered a phone after leaving the car and forgot about the dog.

* A new cell phone law goes into effect in California on July 1. If you are caught holding a phone in your hand while driving, police will issue fines. The initial ticket is $20, but with court fees, it's closer to $75. Motorists will still be allowed to use a hand-held cell phone or other mobile device in an emergency.

* Mixed results Thursday afternoon for So Cal's baseball teams. The Los Angeles Dodgers scored a 7-4 win in Cincinnati, while the San Diego Padres dropped a 2-1 decision to the Yankees in New York.

Celtics Rout Lakers 131-92, Claim 17th NBA Title

The NBA championship is back with its traditional holder - the Boston Celtics.

Boston placed five players in double figures, led by a game-high 26 points from both Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett, in routing the Los Angeles Lakers Tuesday evening in Beantown, 131-92. Finals MVP Paul Pierce added 17 points. You could say that the Big 3 had a little help from their friends.

Rajon Rondo (21 points, six steals) and James Posey (11 points), who also both scored in double figures, and a cast of others, clearly outplayed the Lakers on this late spring evening in Boston.

This was no fluke or what could have been for the Lakers. They were clearly outplayed for most of the Finals and by one factor - defense. Although Boston scored 131 points on this night, it was the defensive play of the Celtics that was the difference.

As great a player as Kobe Bryant is, his supporting cast left him out to dry for most of the Finals. There is no doubt Bryant is the best player in the NBA at this time, but his teammates were virtually non-existent for much of this series.

Although the Lakers figure to be back in the hunt next season, and although salaries and free agency will play a major role with this team, management needs to do some house cleaning. We believe that moving Vlad Radmanovic, Luke Walton and Ronny Turiaf would be a good start. The Lakers bench in this series was clearly a major disappointment.

Secondly, Lamar Odom needs to amp up his game if he wants to keep playing with Bryant. Odom, except for flashes of good play here and there, was also non-existent in this series. The same could be said for Pau Gasol.

In the end, the better team clearly won, but Lakers fan can only wonder what the series would had been like if Bryant would have had a little help from his friends.

MONDAY HEADLINES.....

NEWS

* Police captured a parolee accused in the killing of a Yolo County sheriff's deputy in Dunnigan. Marco Antonio Topete, 35, of Arbucke was arrested for allegedly shooting and killing deputy Tony Diaz of Woodland. The shooting happened around 10 p.m. Sunday during a traffic stop. Topete reportedly then fled on foot after the shooting. Dunnigan is approximately 40 miles from Sacramento.

* Police shot and killed a man outside Turlock Saturday evening after he reportedly beat a baby to death. The man reportedly fought with passers-by who tried to intervene, before he was shot to by a police officer. The 27-year-old suspect has not been identified. The child appeared to be 1 or 2 years old.

* One woman was killed and seven others were injured Sunday after an SUV ran into a crowd of people leaving church in Venice. The vehicle hit five people around 1:15 p.m. following a Father's Day mass at the Catholic Church of St. Mark.

* The former husband of a San Diego area woman who was found dead in her driveway in May was to be arraigned today on a murder charge. Frank Weaver, 60, was arrested last month in Idaho and brought back to San Diego. While police have not said how the Santee woman died, her body exhibited signs of trauma, according to reports.

SPORTS

* With Game 5 in their pockets, the Los Angeles Lakers headed back east today to prepare for Tuesday night's Game 6 in the NBA Finals with the Boston Celtics. Los Angeles avoided elimination Sunday evening with a 103-98 victory at the Staples Center.

* In baseball action today, New York Mets at Los Angeles Angels (7:05 p.m.); Detroit Tigers at San Francisco Giants (7:15 p.m.).

Hollywood Celebs Need to Tell It Like It Is

Do you think there will come a day when Hollywood celebrities just tell us the truth? We didn't think so.

The Hollywood crowd goes out of its way to shield itself from the public, except of course, when it will do them some good.

Whether it is the hush-hush of having a baby, noting a disease or who you are currently dating, Hollywood celebs go out of their way to keep it private for the most part. Now everyone is entitled to their privacy of course, but we generally support these stars through thick and thin.

A report out today says actor Paul Newman, 83, is doing just fine after previous communications said he was battling lung cancer. Okay, either Newman is fighting lung cancer or he is doing just fine for a man his age, which is it? If he is battling lung cancer but is in relatively good condition, then just tell us that. Maybe he could help other lung cancer patients by coming out and addressing the disease.

Are celebs afraid that if word gets out they are seriously ill, etc. that they will never work again?

Another example are Hollywood celebs having babies and keeping it more of a secret than the secret code at Fort Knox. While we don't need to know every single detail, telling us (the public who supports your movies and tv shows) a few nuggets is not the end of the world.

On a brighter but sad note, we congratulate Ed McMahon for going public on his foreclosure difficulties. McMahon and his wife are reportedly some $640,000 behind on house payments and could lose their home. Maybe McMahon did it to gain some attention for his personal cause, but it is something most folks would not want to brag about. We applaud McMahon for being up front about it.

Maybe some other celebs will take a cue from Johnny's right hand man and just tell it like it is.

Jail Time for Jocelyn? Not Just Yet

Is jail time in the cards for Jocelyn Kirsch? Well, at least not yet.

A judge in Philadelphia on Thursday released her on bail and said that she could continue home confinement. It was just recently that Kirsch was on California soil and allegedly up to her old tricks again.

You remember our report (www.newsblip.blogspot.com) a few days ago on our globe-trotting little daddy's girl, right? Well if you don't know, Kirsch, 22, is charged with identity theft that allowed her and her former boyfriend to travel the world for a year at other people's expenses.

Kirsch had been under house arrest, but new allegations are that she stole a credit card while working at a Starbucks in California where her mother resides. The original charges from her jet-setting travels include aggravated identity theft, money laundering and fraud. The judge, however, said the alleged credit card swipe in California was not considered a violent crime.

Maybe a little time behind bars with some other girls, and not the kind who have breast implants, tons of money (via other people) and travel the world will do little Jocelyn some good.

Photo courtesy of Fox 29

TUESDAY HEADLINES.....

NEWS

* SAN DIEGO - With all the votes not counted yet, San Diego Mayor Jerry Sanders (pictured) garnered 52 percent of the vote in his race against businessman Steve Francis for mayor. If Sanders holds onto his current lead, he will avoid a November runoff election against Francis. Francis, who spent more than $4 million campaigning, is trying to oust Sanders from office, in an election that has gotten ugly at times.

* SAN FRANCISCO - According to the San Francisco Medical Examiner, a teen killed last December by an escaped tiger at the San Francisco Zoo had both marijuana and alcohol in his system at the time of his death. A just released toxicology report says Carlos Sousa Jr. had both drugs in his body when killed. Two of Sousa's friends were injured by the tiger, who was killed by police. The zoo has come under fire because it was discovered that the enclosure surrounding the tiger was lower than what industry standards recommend.

* RANCHO CUCAMONGA - A Rancho Cucamonga transient is behind bars, accused of torturing cats. Officials allege that Timothy Kooyman, 24, abused two cats who were found with broken bones and had their tails removed. He is also linked to an arson in which a cat had been covered with gasoline and set on fire. He is charged with six counts of felony animal cruelty and one count of recklessly causing a fire. He was reportedly on probation from abusing cats previously at the time of his arrest.

* VENTURA COUNTY - Ventura County District Attorney Gregory Totten announced that Alexandra Eisele (DOB 10/28/65) of Port Hueneme was found guilty of five felony counts of workers' compensation fraud following a two-week jury trial. On Dec. 8, 2003, Eisele filed a workers' comp claim alleging a work injury from typing and cradling her phone between her head and neck. Eisele's primary treating physician kept her off work based on her complaints that she was in so much pain that she could not work. She then began receiving workers' comp benefits in the form of tax free bi-weekly checks for $820. While Eisele was receiving benefits, her workers' comp insurance carrier learned she had reportedly opened a clothing boutique store and was working. Video surveillance reportedly showed her working at her boutique store for up to seven hours a day.

SPORTS

* The Los Angeles Lakers enter as slight underdogs (+2.5) in Thursday night's opening game of the NBA Finals at Boston. The rivals have not met in the finals in 21 years.

5 Dead Orange County Family Members Wore Black

Were the deaths of five members of the same Orange County family a murder-suicide?

Authorities on Wednesday released an interesting tidbit, noting that the five members of the Ucar family discovered in their home over the weekend were all wearing black.

The dead were identified as Manas Ucar, 58; his wife, Margrit, 48; their twin 21-year-old daughters, Margo (pictured on right) and Grace (pictured left), and the family's maternal grandmother, 72-year-old Fransuhi Kesisoglu.

The bodies were so badly decomposed that authorities were using fingerprint experts to help determine who the deceased were. Two family members broke into the home on Sunday after not hearing from the family for a couple of weeks.

Although two guns were found near two of the bodies, police have not said how the family members died.

Photos from KDOC.

UPDATE: 5 Found Dead in Orange County Home

Five members of an Orange County family were found dead in a home over the weekend.

Authorities indicated it may have been a murder-suicide that took place at the gated Sea Point Estates neighborhood, which overlooks the Pacific Ocean. Two handguns were reportedly discovered in the home, which sits on Campanilla Street.

On Tuesday, authorities identified the dead as Manas Ucar, 58; his wife, Margrit Ucar, 48; their 21-year-old twin daughters, Grace and Margo; and Fransuhi Kesisoglu, the wife's mother.

The bodies were reportedly so badly decomposed that fingerprint experts were called in to help identify the deceased.

Police and family members checked on the house after not hearing from the family for a couple of weeks. Authorities said the family may have been dead for two weeks or more.

Convicted Felon Stoops to New Low; Gets 120 Days

A convicted felon accused of impersonating a Los Angeles County Fire Fighter Paramedic was convicted Monday after pleading guilty to the court to two felony counts of being a felon in possession of a firearm and one misdemeanor count of fraudulently impersonating fire personnel.

James Charles Campbell, 45, was sentenced to 120 days in custody, which the Court allowed him to serve in home confinement over the objection of the People.

Campbell reportedly has prior felony convictions in Arizona related to burglaries and the fraudulent misuse of credit cards. He was working in Arizona as an emergency medical technician for a local ambulance company, where his paramedic license was later revoked based on his felony convictions.

Campbell obtained an Emergency Medical Technician license in May 1995 in the state of California. California revoked Campbell’s license in November 1997 because he reportedly failed to disclose his prior felony convictions. Campbell was arrested at his home shortly before 8 a.m. on Sept. 7, 2007, by County District Attorney’s Office investigators. He was reportedly found in possession of a handgun, a shotgun, and Los Angeles County Fire Department equipment in his house.

Between 2001 and the present, Campbell reportedly pretended to be a Los Angeles Fire Department Paramedic Captain who flies helicopters for the Department. He obtained a uniform with Los Angeles patches and a badge and carried a wallet badge and firefighter identification with him at all times. The defendant reportedly showed up at the scenes of national and local disasters including the World Trade Center after Sept. 11, Hurricane Katrina, Hurricane Rita, and Hurricane Dean, and falsely represented himself as a paramedic in the Los Angeles County Fire Department.

He reportedly gained access to secure fire areas in California and was on the front line of the Sawtooth fire in San Bernardino County and the Esperanza fire in Riverside County with a video camera. He was also present at the Placentia Metrolink accident.

Campbell owns an Anaheim business, Frontline Safety Products, which sells fire safety equipment online and offers cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) training courses.

Under the false pretense of being a firefighter, Campbell has reportedly been hired to teach CPR to local Southern California government agencies and private industries.

Gay Marriage Coming to a Church Near You

Gay marriage proponents celebrated Thursday as the California Supreme Court overturned a ban on gay marriage. The ruling paves the way for the Golden State to be the second state in the Union to allow gay and lesbian residents to marry.

In a 4-3 decision, Chief Justice Ron George spoke for the majority that domestic partnerships are not a good enough substitute for marriage.

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

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, who originally opposed gay marriages, said he will back the decision.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said that today was a day for all Californians to take pride in.

Well, maybe not all.

While we believe gays and lesbians are entitled to practice their lives as they wish, we still support that marriage is as traditionally viewed, between a man and a woman.

Call us out of touch, or call us in touch with the silent majority. Either way, not everyone thinks this ruling was the right call.

So what do you think?

San Diego Housewife Reacquainted with Michigan

For a little over three decades, Susan LeFevre, alias Marie Walsh, lived a pretty nice life on the run, including time in San Diego.

The suburban housewife raised three kids and enjoyed her life in the Carmel Valley home she shared with her husband. Then late last month, that world came to a crashing end.

You see, LeFevre was wanted in Michigan on drug and conspiracy convictions.

LeFevre had simply walked away after only serving one year of a longer sentence in a Detroit-area House of Corrections back in the mid-1970s and began her new life. That is until authorities finally caught up with her.

Now, she is back in Michigan to begin serving at least five-and-a-half years on the drug conviction she walked away from decades ago. Her lawyer will reportedly petition the Michigan governor to commute the sentence.

We believe she should serve out the remainder of her sentence. Not only is it the law, but it would set a good example for her three children that their mom is a responsible person.

So what do you think?

78-Year-Old Doc in Jail for Prescription Fatality

Following a 10-month investigation, California Department of Justice special agents arrested Dr. Wesley Albert, 78, in Lake Elsinore for reportedly writing large quantities of prescription drugs which led to an individual's death in Riverside last year.

The California Department of Justice opened its investigation into Dr. Albert’s medical practice after a former patient was arrested in Encinitas in April 2007 for possessing controlled prescription drugs. Undercover agents reportedly discovered that Dr. Albert was running a prescription mill from his room at the Lake Elsinore Casino and Hotel in which he reportedly churned out hundreds of prescriptions for dangerous narcotics including Vicodin, Xanax, Soma and Oxycontin.

According to authorities, Dr. Albert routinely prescribed more than 5 times the normal quantity of these drugs, sometimes up to 500 pills per person per month, and pocketed between $50 and $100 cash per prescription.

In November, Jason Morgan, 28, a resident of Riverside, died after Dr. Albert reportedly gave him large prescriptions for Soma, also known as Carisoprodol, which is a centrally acting skeletal muscle relaxant prescribed for treatment of acute, musculoskeletal pain. Investigators found Jason Morgan with 30 bottles of narcotics that Dr. Albert had reportedly prescribed.

Agents charged Dr. Albert with second degree murder, Penal Code Section 187(a), for prescribing medication without pathology. He was booked into Riverside County Jail in Murrieta. Bail is set for $2 million.

UPDATE: Couple Still Missing, Boat Discovered

Just what happened to a California couple who disappeared at sea off the coast of Mexico?

That questions continues to puzzle authorities in the search for Josh Hartman, 28, and his fiancee, Ana Martin, 30, of Oceanside, Calif.

The couple's boat, The Pelican," came ashore on a Mexican beach on Friday near Rosarito. The Mexican community is about 20 miles from the San Diego border.

The Coast Guard has since suspended a search for the couple, with the Mexican Navy now handling the matter. The boat has reportedly since been returned to the U.S.

According to reports, a life raft, life jackets and other items were discovered on the vessel.

The couple were reportedly last seen on the boat around 7:30 a.m. last Thursday.