Shannon Sisters Come to Hef's Aid

In light of another rough week on Wall Street, John McCain down in the polls, and our IRA looking as successful as the Detroit Lions, we figured we'd end the session on a positive note.

Since Holly Madison and Hugh Hefner have apparently called it quits, we were concerned that Hefner may not be getting as much attention as needed.

Have no fear....the Shannon sisters (Karissa and Kristina) are here. The twins (pictured third and fourth from the left from a My Space page) have apparently been occupying Hef's time since his break up with Madison. Now don't forget Hef still has other "girlfriends" sharing his bedroom.

We wish the Shannon sisters and Hef all the best. Heck, Hef sure doesn't mourn the loss of a break up for too long.

Nancy Reagan Hospitalized Following Fall

Former First Lady Nancy Reagan was hospitalized following a fall at her Bel Air home that resulted in a broken pelvis.

Mrs. Reagan, 87, reportedly fell last week at home, but did not get checked by a doctor until Monday when she went to the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center because of persistent pain. She is reportedly undergoing some physical therapy, but will not need surgery.

Mrs. Reagan was hospitalized three days earlier this year after a similar fall at the hillside home she shared with President Reagan following their time in the White House. The 40th President died June 5, 2004, after a 10-year battle with Alzheimer's disease.

Photo: Fox News

UPDATE: Several Wildfires Continue Burning

Several wildfires continue to burn in Southern California Tuesday morning, fueled by Santa Ana winds and dry brush.

To date:

• Two major fires -- the Marek and Sesnon blazes -- have burned more than 15,000 acres in the hills and mountains north of Los Angeles.

• At Camp Pendleton, near Oceanside, a fire has burned more than 3,000 acres and forced the evacuation of Marines from their barracks and other personnel from the base.

• A fast-moving fire east of San Diego that started early Tuesday led to the evacuation of 300 homes in the Campo area, near the Mexican border.

California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger declared a state of emergency in Los Angeles and Ventura counties on Monday, and local officials are urging President Bush to issue a federal disaster declaration.

The Marek fire, burning at the northeastern end of the valley, had charred nearly 5,000 acres in the Angeles National Forest, according to officials.

That fire destroyed 39 homes, including some 30 mobile homes, and five outbuildings in the Lopez Canyon area.

In October of 2007, fires fueled by Santa Anas destroyed 2,196 homes and burned a combined 800 square miles in Southern California.

AIG Sub to Pay San Diego $1.625M to Settle Claim

Lexington Insurance Co., a subsidiary of AIG, will pay the City of San Diego $ 1.625 million to settle a claim brought by the city to recoup lost revenues from a Chargers game that was canceled as a result of the 2003 wildfires.

According to the city attorney's office, San Diego officials determined the Oct. 27, 2003, Monday Night Football game between the San Diego Chargers and Miami Dolphins could not be played at Qualcomm Stadium because of ash and smoke, so the game was moved to Tempe, Arizona, which at the time was home to the Arizona Cardinals. As a result, the city lost out on about $500,000 from its cut of stadium sales, taxes and other revenues.

Following the fires, city officials filed a claim with Lexington Insurance Co. in an effort to recover some of the money. The claim was intially denied, so city officials sued the insurer in 2006 in an effort to recover the money.

Lexington Insurance recently said it would pay the city $1.625 million to close the lawsuit.

Hayward BART Station Closed Following Shooting

The Hayward BART Station was closed this afternoon following a shooting that wounded two people, one seriously.

The shooting reportedly took place shortly after 12:30 p.m. outside the station after a group of men gathered prior to the violence breaking out.

According to authorities, a male teen came into the station and fell to the floor near an agent's booth. He was transported to a hospital with life-threatening injuries.

A second victim, reportedly a middle-aged man, was hospitalized with non-life threatening injuries.

No arrests were reported as of mid-afternoon.

Sand Dune Collapse Kills 11-Year-Old Boy

Authorities still do not know what led to the collapse of a sand dune on Saturday afternoon in Santa Cruz that killed an 11-year-old boy.

According to authorities, three boys were trapped beneath the dune at Natural Bridges State Beach after they had reportedly been digging there.

The two boys who escaped the collapse were 9 and 10 years old. Volunteers tried to rescue the third boy, but were unable to.

UPDATE: Wildfires Kill One; Still Burning

Authorities reported Monday that a pair of Los Angeles area wildfires that are being driven by strong Santa Ana winds have killed a man, while destroying several dozen mobile homes.

The fires continued to threaten neighborhood outside of downtown Los Angeles, along with forcing evacuations.

Firefighters continued to battle a 3,700-acre blaze in the San Fernando Valley's northeastern corner as a new blaze formed at midmorning a few miles to the west in mountains above the Porter Ranch area.

The fatality reportedly occurred at the first fire. The victim was a man who appeared to be a transient living in a makeshift shelter, according to authorities.

A number of "suspicious" fires involving a few acres were reported Monday at various areas in the county, some near the Antelope Valley (14) Freeway, according to authorities. Officials urged people to call authorities if they witness anything suspicious.

Police Investigate 8-Year-Old Girl's Hanging

Authorities in Rialto are investigating the hanging death of an 8-year-old girl.

According to police, the girl was found hanging from the top of a bunk bed with a belt situated around her neck early Wednesday morning. Police have not ruled whether it was an accident or a suicide.

The girl, whose bedroom was reportedly locked, was seen about an hour before being discovered doing homework in her room. There were no apparent signs of foul play.

6 Dead in Murder-Suicide in Los Angeles Area

Reported financial troubles may have led to a Los Angeles area man killing his family over the weekend, then turning the gun on himself.

According to authorities, Karthik Rajaram, 45, an unemployed industry worker, shot and killed his wife, Subasari, 39, three sons, ages 19, 12, and 7, mother-in-law, 69, and then himself in a rented upscale home in a gated community of Porter Ranch in the San Fernardo Valley.

Police discovered the bodies on Monday after checking on the family when the wife did not show up at a neighbor's home to head to work.

Police reportedly discovered a handgun near the father's body and suicide notes were also reportedly uncovered. Karthik Rajaram was reportedly a one-time millionaire who was unemployed and, apparently lost his money due to stock market setbacks.

Bus Crash Kills 8, Injures Dozens

A bus bound for a casino flipped over Sunday evening on a rural road in Williams, killing at least eight people. The accident also injured dozens of other passengers. The accident scene was about 60 miles north of Sacramento.

Authorities reported early Monday that the bus driver, Quinton Joey Watts, 52, was arrested on suspicion of driving while under the influence. Watts suffered serious injuries and was still hospitalized as of Monday morning.

The bus reportedly had an invalid license plate from Texas and was headed for the Colusa Casino Resort after leaving Sacramento. Many of the passengers were reportedly Laotian.

Palin Did Her Job, Now Up to McCain

As many of you who read this site know, the menu on here is often California news. From time to time, we look at national and world events.

Some of us live in divided households when it comes to politics. Having said that, we naturally will then have split decisions on last night's vice presidential debate.

While I thought Sarah Palin held her ground and did not harm the ticket, I can say the same for Joe Biden. I felt both did what they had to do.

Palin had to re-establish herself and go back to her appearance at the RNC last month. She did that and then some last night.

What made many of us cheer even louder was Palin's opening comment that the moderator and Biden may not hear the questions that were being asked answered the way they would like to hear them. She set the tone for the evening and talked about energy, taxes, Iraq, healthcare, etc. in a way that the average American would understand and appreciate.

As for the claims from the left that Palin does not comprehend the issues, etc. this is not a college class on history or political science. This is about who will best govern for middle class America. It is about time those on the right show a little spunk to the likes of Gwen Ifill, Katie Couric, Charlie Gibson, Brian Williams, Rachel Maddow, Keith Olbermann, etc. Just because you do not hold three degrees from Harvard, Yale and Oxford does not mean you cannot be in the conversation.

As for Biden, although he can be long winded at times, I felt he created no major gaffes, although he did make several inaccurate remarks regarding John McCain's views, as did Sarah Palin when it came to Barack Obama.

The attention now turns to next Tuesday evening's second presidential debate in Nashville. I for one hope McCain takes the gloves off and goes after Obama. He let him off the hook at the first debate.

For someone who says that he will not win any Mr. Congeniality awards, it is time for McCain to fight for the presidency. Otherwise, get ready for President Obama in a little over three months.

Olbermann, MSNBC = No Credibility

As many of you who read this site know, the menu on here is often California news. From time to time, we look at national and world events.

We start this message off by saying that there are plenty of blowhards on the right who need to get a life.

That being said, we took in another episode of "Countdown with Keith Olbermann" tonight on MSNBC. To say it is a little biased towards the left would be like saying that Kobe Bryant is a fair basketball player.

For what seems like the 545th time in barely a month, okay, a little bit over the top, but you get the point, Olbermann attacked Sarah Palin and John McCain tonight.

His attacks on Palin have been particularly interesting. Olbermann hit Palin over her recent interview with CBS' Katie Couric. Now even those of us on the right will say it was not Palin's best performance. But hitting her over the head about not being able to name a Supreme Court decision she took issue with and totally ignoring Joe Biden and Barack Obama's gaffes on the campaign trail is biased beyond recognition.

Maybe we were in the restroom or getting our dinner out of the microwave and missed it, but we've yet to hear Olbermann go on about Biden's infamous gaffe in his interview with Couric. You know, the one where Biden said that FDR went on TV in 1929 to reassure the nation following the stock market crash.

Ummmm...the problem with Biden's response to Couric was that Herbert Hoover was actually sitting in the White House at the time and television had yet to be invented (something no doubt Al Gore would like to take credit for if he had been around).

Olbermann does not even attempt to be partially balanced with his hour long babble fest. It is a simple left wing hit attack on anything wearing elephant clothing.

We know this will come as a shock to Olbermann, but there are many of us out there who didn't go to Harvard, Yale or Oxford and can still figure out that 2+2=4. We don't need left wing talking points shoved down our throats for an hour. You might actually want to present both sides and let the viewers decide. Then again, if you actually did that, people might actually not support your candidate from Illinois.

Criticize Fox News all you want, but at least folks like Alan Colmes, Juan Williams Kirsten Powers, Howard Wolfson, Lanny Davis, etc. are on there either regularly or as guest contributors to give the other side.

One thing we've come to realize in watching Olbermann is that he does fit right in with the Democratic mascot. And we were not referring to the term mule.....

Police Search for Man Who Hit Teen at McDonald's

Authorities in Los Angeles are looking for a man who reportedly assaulted a female teenager at a McDonald's counter after she complained about him moving to the front of the line.

According to police, the teen, her 5-year-old niece and a friend were in line last month at the McDonald's in South Los Angeles. The suspect and two young boys moved toward the counter when the 16-year-old started arguing with the man regarding who was first in line.

Police say the girl, who was treated for her injuries, swore at the man, who then got upset and punched the teen in the face several times.

He reportedly left the scene with the two young boys in a red pickup truck.

Palin Gets Another Opportunity to Shine

As many of you who read this site know, the menu on here is often California news. From time to time, we look at national and world events.

This Thursday evening will be a defining moment in the race for The White House. Will Republican VP nominee Sarah Palin give a performance like her speech at the Republican Convention last month or will she give a performance like her recent interview with CBS' Katie Couric?

We've been amazed at the scrutiny Palin has been under. Now while we would like to see her do more interviews, etc. even the smallest of gaffes are pointed out. Maybe Couric brings out the gaffes and confusion in politicians?

It was not that long ago when Democratic VP nominee Joe Biden informed Couric that FDR went on television to reassure the nation during the stock market crash in 1929. Two problems with that scenario. Herbert Hoover was president at the time, and, oh, television was not around yet. Funny how that item has gotten so little play on places like MSNBC, NBC, and liberal leaning publications and talk shows.

Palin just needs to come off Thursday night as compitent and assure the public that she could step in for John McCain if needed in a McCain-Palin administration.

If she does well, we've got ourselves a race. If not, be prepared for Obama and Biden to roll into the White House next Janaury. If that's the case, we could be looking at another Jimmy Carter. And we all know how that turned out for the country....

Man Arrested for Alleged Attacks on Women

Authorites say a Riverside area ex-con with a history of violence toward women is responsible for sexually assulting nearly a dozen mentally-impared homeless females during a four-year span.

Peter Frances Milosavjeivc is alleged to have invited the women into his home by telling them that he would give them shelter. In turn, he allegedly attacked them. Milosavjevic, however, says the women came into his home by their own choice and had consensual sex with him.

Milosavjevic, 57, is looking at 57 sexual assault-related charges involving 11 victims, between 2001 and 2005, according to authorities.

According to prosecutors, the defendant drove around streets, bus stations and anywhere else he might locate dispossessed, drug-addicted and developmentally disabled women to take advantage of.

Milosavjevic, who faces life in prison if convicted of the current charges, has prior convictions that includes the sexual assault and beating of a woman in 1983, and assaulting another woman a decade later.

He served five years of a 13-year sentence for the second crime and was let out of jail in 2000.