NEWS*
Home prices continue to drop in the Bay Area, according to a report from Standard & Poor's/Case-Shiller. The average cost of a home in this region of the state dropped just over 17 percent year-over-year in February. That compares to just over 13 percent in January and nearly 11 percent in December.*
Tooth fragments located in the body of 66-year-old David Martin, the San Diego area triathlete killed in a shark attack last Friday off Solana Beach, show that the creature was a great white shark. Martin, who bled to death, was swimming with others around 7 a.m. when he was attacked. The shark was reportedly 15 to 16 feet long.
* Lawanda Jackson, 49, a former UCLA Medical Center employee, was indicted for allegedly accessing the records of a number of high-profile patients. She reportedly then sold the information to a media outlet. Jackson, who will be arraigned on June 9, could face up to a decade in jail if convicted.
SPORTS
* The Los Angeles Dodgers got one run in the ninth inning in a 7-6 victory at Florida. Meantime, the San Diego Padres dropped a 7-4 decision in Philadelphia to start a nine-game East Coast trip.
NEWS*
And you think your financial times are tough. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger reports that California is looking at a budget gap that could reach $20 billion through June 2009. With talk of such a deficit, there is already discussion in Sacramento of possible tax increases and spending cuts that may reach classrooms, law enforcement and health care.*
Officials with the California Division of Labor Standards Enforcement (Labor Commissioner’s Office) issued 38 citations totaling more than $207,000 in fines to restaurants in Riverside and San Bernardino Counties in a recent two-day enforcement sweep. To see more on this story, visit dailyinsurer.blogspot.com.
* SmartDrive Systems Inc. will be participating at the 2008 Risk and Insurance Management Annual Conference in San Diego (April 27-May 1) exhibiting driver risk management solutions for fleets. RIMS 2008 gathers more than 10,000 risk professionals over five days. The annual Conference and Exhibition will offer resources to help companies identify the critical issues facing risk professionals today, discover innovative ideas and solutions to optimize risk, acquire the skills and resources to become a risk management expert and cultivate and strengthen your network of contacts. To see more on this story, visit dailyinsurer.blogspot.com.
SPORTS
* The Los Angeles Lakers made it a clean sweep of the Denver Nuggets in their first round Western Conference matchup, eliminating the 50-win team in a 107-101 victory in Denver.
A number of Beaches in San Diego's North County remain closed following Friday's fatal shark attack on a local triathlete.
David Martin, 66, of Solana Beach, was killed early Friday morning when he was bitten in both legs by what authorities believe may have been a great white shark. Several people on the scene who were swimming with Martin at the time helped bring the former veterinarian into shore, but he was likely already dead. Although autopsy details have not been released, reports say Martin likely bled to death before reaching the shore.
Great white shark attacks are extremely rare in Southern California waters. Although there is a substantial seal population in the La Jolla area, there has not been a confirmed great white attack in the San Diego area in some 50 years. Sharks are very minimal in the water off Southern California, though female great white sharks can move south from their usual territory in the cooler waters of the central and northern coast to pup. Experts say the shark that attacked Martin could have been anywhere from 12 to 17 feet long.Beaches were ordered closed until at least Monday morning from Torrey Pines State Beach to south Carlsbad.
Authorities said that while warning signs are posted, no one will reportedly be arrested if they dare to enter the water.
NEWS*
Several beaches in San Diego's North County were closed Friday morning after a shark killed a man swimming less than 200 yards from the shore in Solana Beach. The victim, David Martin, 66 of Solana Beach, was apparently bitten in both legs by a great white shark, although authorities have not confirmed that species of shark. Beaches were ordered closed for at least 72 hours from Torrey Pines State Beach to south Carlsbad. Great white sharks are rarely seen in the San Diego area, but there have been a few attacks in the past that make them not entirely impossible.The last fatal shark attack in San Diego County was off Ocean Beach in 1994.
* A hit-and-run accident claimed the life of a man who was fatally injured on a transition road off the Santa Monica (10) Freeway in the Los Angeles area. Authorities say they received a call shortly before 5:30 a.m. The man, who was not immediately identified, was reportedly in his mid-30s.
*
Reflecting the general upward trends in the cost of property and liability insurance claims, State Farm General Ins. Co. has filed a request for an average statewide 6.9 percent rate increase with the California Department of Insurance. The rate filing covers policies for homeowners, renters and condos. For more information on this story, visit dailyinsurer.blogspot.com.
SPORTS
* The San Diego Padres open a three-game set at home tonight with the N.L. West leading Arizona Diamondbacks. First pitch at Petco Park is set for 7:05 p.m. Meantime, the Los Angeles Dodgers host the Colorado Rockies, while the San Francisco Giants are home to the Cincinnati Reds.
NEWS*
A jury returned the final two guilty verdicts this week in the case of two California women convicted of befriending homeless men, then murdering them to collect $2.8 million in life insurance.
Helen Louise Golay (far left), 77, and Olga Rutterschmidt, 75, are scheduled to be sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole for their crimes. Golay is scheduled to be sentenced on June 24 and Rutterschmidt on July 15.
A jury of nine women and three men returned the bulk of the guilty verdicts against the women last Wednesday following a little more than a day of deliberation. Golay was convicted of two counts of first-degree murder with the special circumstances of murder for financial gain and multiple murders, and two counts of conspiracy to commit murder for financial gain. The jury convicted Rutterschmidt of one of the conspiracy counts, but was unable to reach verdicts on the other three. Jurors told trial Judge David Wesley they needed more argument from both the prosecution and defense to help them decide.
Jurors on Thursday came back with a guilty verdict on one of the murder counts against Rutterschmidt, but were unable to reach verdicts on the other two counts of murder and conspiracy. One of the jurors – a man – was replaced because he had to leave town on a business trip. He was replaced by a male alternate and the judge told jurors to renew the deliberations. Verdicts on the two counts were reached in a half-hour.
Both women were convicted of Paul Vados, 73, who was killed on Nov. 8, 1999. He was run over by an automobile in an alley in the 300 block of Westwood Boulevard in Westwood. It was a hit and run killing.
They also were convicted of murdering Kenneth McDavid, 50, on June 21, 2005, when he was run over by an automobile in an alley in the 1200 block of North La Brea Avenue in Hollywood. It also was a hit and run.
The women provided housing for both victims prior to their deaths. They applied for dozens of insurance policies in the men’s names and were involved in activities relating to the victims after their deaths.
Originally charged with capital murder, the District Attorney’s office later decided to seek life in prison without the possibility of parole for the two women, dubbed by the media during the trial as the “Black Widows.”
Editor's note: For more insurance news, visit dailyinsurer.blogspot.com .
NEWS* Is a San Diego County Chipotle Mexican Grill to blame for six cases of hepatitis A? Health officials are investigating the health concerns of some patrons who ate at the La Mesa establishment between March 1 and yesterday. Twenty-five employees at the restaurant are being tested for the viral infection that is spread by fecal contamination of food or water.
* Gaining a rather dubious distinction, four of the top five stolen car cities are in California. According to a report from the National Insurance Crime Bureau, Modesto is the top city with the highest per capita rate for auto thefts nationwide in 2007. After Las Vegas, the next three cities are San Diego, Stockton and San Francisco.
* BB&T Insurance Services has reached an agreement with Union Bank of California, N.A., to purchase its San Diego-based insurance subsidiary, UnionBanc Insurance Services Inc. The acquisition would expand BB&T Corporation's insurance operation in California, where wholesale insurance subsidiary CRC Insurance Services and large account commercial insurer McGriff, Seibels & Williams already operate. The deal has been approved by the directors of BB&T Corporation and Union Bank holding company UnionBanCal Corporation. It is expected to be completed by the end of the second quarter pending regulatory approval. For more on this story, visit dailyinsurer.blogspot.com.
SPORTS
* Behind 49 points from Kobe Bryant, the Los Angeles Lakers took a 2-0 lead in their series with the Denver Nuggets, posting a 122-107 victory at Staples Center. The first-round series now shifts to Denver this weekend for games 3 and 4.
NEWS*
The housing crisis in California continues, as foreclosures in the Bay Area and across the state rose more than 300 percent in the first quarter. In information released by DataQuick Information Systems, 6,579 homes in the nine-county region were taken back by lenders during the three-month period. Contra Costa County noted the most foreclosures with 2,228, with Marin County recording the least amount with 76.*
The fact that there is little or no financial gain in setting a home on fire may explain why investigators are seeing so few cases of suspected arson involving houses threatened with foreclosure, according to the Insurance Information Network of California. When a home is destroyed by fire, insurance will cover the replacement cost of the home. However, whether the fire is a result of arson or other means, the lender will be named on the insurance settlement check. Editor's note: For more on this story, visit www.dailyinsurer.blogspot.com .
* A bear trainer died when a grizzly bear, which had appeared in the recent Will Ferrell movie "Semi-Pro," killed the 39-year-old trainer by biting him. The attack took place at a private facility in the Big Bear Lake area used for hosting exotic animals used in motion pictures and television. The bear was not injured in the attack.
SPORTS
* The San Jose Sharks moved on to the NHL conference semifinals with a 5-3 Game Seven win over Calgary. San Jose will host Dallas beginning Friday Night at the Shark Tank.
NEWS*
A new survey of insurance companies estimates that nearly 90 percent of claims stemming from the devastating October fire and wind storms in California have been settled. A poll by the Insurance Information Network of California (www.iinc.org) of companies representing nearly two-thirds of California’s homeowner insurance market found that they have settled 29,954 of their 33,789 residential claims from the October catastrophe. To date, those claims have resulted in more than $1.27 billion worth of claims settlements among the surveyed companies, which expect those claims to ultimately total $1.47 billion. Editor's note: To see more of this story, visit dailyinsurer.blogspot.com.
* California's Labor and Workforce Development Agency announced that Economic Employment Enforcement Coalition (EEEC) investigators issued 41 citations for labor violations – with fines totaling more than $226,000 – in a recent sweep of 28 San Diego auto body businesses. Editor's note: To see more of this story, visit dailyinsurer.blogspot.com
* Gas prices continue to go up, up, up and California drivers are seeing the worst of it. While drivers in New Jersey pay the least on average for a gallon of gas, drivers in the Golden State are paying $3.86 on average for a gallon of gas.
SPORTS
* The Los Angeles Dodgers rebounded from being swept over the weekend in Atlanta as they posted a 9-3 win at Cincinnati. Meantime, the San Diego Padres were hammered in Houston by a 10-3 score.
NEWS*
A new scanner will search some travelers at Los Angeles International Airport, searching for weapons and explosives that previous technology could not reportedly detect. The technology will reportedly peer through clothing and creates an image of the traveler's body. Questions are being raised, though, about privacy rights with the new technology.
* Some estimates say up to 5,000 people protested outside CNN's Hollywood Studios in anger over comments made by one of the network's commentators regarding China. The protest was aimed at CNN's Jack Cafferty, who angered China and many of its citizens with comments earlier this month, saying that Americans "continue to import their junk with lead paint on them and the poison pet food" and said, "I think they're basically the same group of goons and thugs they've been for the last 50 years." Cafferty apologized, saying he was referencing the Chinese government, not the people. There were no arrests reported during the demonstration.
*
The decomposing body of a male was found in bushes in San Diego's famed Balboa Park. Authorities say a homeless man discovered the body in the early afternoon hours. An autopsy will be done to determine a cause of death.
SPORTS
* The Los Angeles Angels scored a 4-1 win over the Seattle Mariners, while the Los Angeles Dodgers dropped a 4-1 decision in Atlanta. Both San Francisco and Oakland scored diamond victories.
NEWS*
A high-speed chase lasting close to two hours ended when a woman behind the wheel of a stolen SUV surrendered to authorities on I-5 near Camp Pendleton. The woman was reportedly driving at speeds of close to 110 mph during the chase. California Highway Patrol officers used a spike strip to puncture a tire, leading to the ending of her wild ride. The vehicle had reportedly been stolen out of the Anaheim area earlier in the day.*
Don't look now, but San Francisco will likely become the first major U.S. city to pay an average of $4 a gallon for gas in the next week. AAA Auto Club says that folks in San Francisco are paying on an average of $3.97 for gas right now.*
Anaheim resident Angel Montero Avila, 44, was sentenced to 46 years to life in prison, having been convicted of murdering three people as he drove drunk and fled from police two years ago. Three people were killed carpooling to work that day and their two co-workers with them in the car suffered serious injuries as Avila's minivan ran into the Toyota Camry at a stop light.
Editor's note: For more world and national news and opinions, please visit newsblip.blogspot.com .
SPORTS
* Fresh-off their 22-inning 2-1 loss to the Colorado Rockies on Thursday, the San Diego Padres dropped a 9-0 decision in Arizona this evening. Meantime, the Los Angeles Angels scored a 5-4 home victory over Seattle.
NEWS*
In a case that previously gained national attention, now the San Diego District Attorney's office said it will drop all charges against alleged Marine husband killer Cynthia Sommer.
The 34-year-old Sommer (www.cynthiasommerdefense.com), who was released from jail Thursday evening, was originally convicted of killing her husband, Todd, back in 2002. Todd Sommer collapsed at the couple's home at the Miramar Marine base, then died in a hospital on Feb. 18. His death was ruled a heart attack, but prosecutors said they believed his wife had poisoned him with arsenic. A military lab test said he had high levels of the substance in his system.
Two medical experts hired by the DA's office now say recent tissue sample tests lead them to believe that they could not conclude by a reasonable doubt that Mr. Sommer could have been poisoned by arsenic.
It was back in January of 2007 that a jury convicted Sommer of her husband's murder, saying she did it for financial reasons. Witnesses for the prosecution had testified that Sommer, who has four kids, often partied, slept with other men shortly after Todd's death, and used some of his life insurance earnings to pay for breast implants.
Last November, a San Diego Superior Court Judge said that Sommer, who could have gotten life in prison without parole, had received ineffective representation by her former defense attorney, therefore granting her a second trial this May.
While that trial will not happen now, it is rather evident that someone has some explaining to do here.
Just what did kill Todd Sommer? Which lab tests are right and which ones were wrong? And, did Cynthia Sommer receive a bad rap because she did not act like other widows may at the time of their husband's death or is she someone that just got away with murder?
So what do you think?
NEWS*
With the U.S. Supreme Court voting 7-2 to resume lethal injections in death penalty cases, California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger said this decision affirms California's capital punishment procedure. With that, he said he would allow executions to resume. Executions in the Golden State had been held up for two years due to legal challenges in federal and state court.
* With hopes of bringing professional football back to Los Angeles, realtor Edward Roski Jr. will on Thursday lay out his plans for a stadium in the City of Industry, approximately 20 miles from downtown L.A. The stadium would have a shopping mall surrounding it. Los Angeles has been home in the past to both the Los Angeles Rams (St. Louis) and the Los Angeles Raiders (Oakland).
* A club in the city of Orange that promotes weekly sex parties is closing its operations. Club Amnesty's Web site said the city was causing too much hassle for them to operate. They went on to say that it would take too much time and money to fight city hall.
Editor's note: For more world and national news and opinions, please visit newsblip.blogspot.com .
SPORTS* The Los Angeles Dodgers pounded out 15 hits in an 8-1 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates. Meantime, the Colorado Rockies rolled to a 10-2 win at San Diego.
NEWS* According to information released by DataQuick Information Services, home prices in Southern California dropped nearly 25 percent in March, sending property values to almost a four-year low. Median prices for homes that were sold in a six-county region were at $385,000, more than $100,000 less than the same time a year ago.
* Two men suffered injuries when a small plane went down in San Dimas. The twin-engine Piper reportedly took off around 8:45 p.m. from Brackett Field and crashed a short time later.
*
With older arenas and stadiums falling by the wayside nationwide, one local landmark doesn't appear to be going anywhere anytime soon. The Bay Area's Cow Palace obtained a new lease on life as State Sen. Leland Yee (D) halted his bid to place the aging facility up for sale. The new deal calls for just an adjoining parking lot to be sold. The Cow Palace, which could have been razed for condos and a market, was built in 1941. Among other events, it hosted the former San Francisco Warriors of the NBA for several years.
Editor's note: For more world and national news and opinions, please visit newsblip.blogspot.com .
SPORTS
* The San Jose Sharks evened their NHL first round series with the Calgary Flames at 2-2 with a 3-2 victory in Calgary. The Anaheim Ducks now trail the Dallas Stars 2-1 in games following a 4-2 victory in Dallas.
NEWS*
When can the Golden State plan on its next big earthquake? According to a just released report, don't be surprised if a sizeable quake hits the state by 2037. A new report says there is a 99.7 percent chance that a magnitude 6.7 or larger quake will strike California in the next 30 years. Southern California is slightly more at risk than Northern California, according to the report, which is a combined effort by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Southern California Earthquake Center, (SCEC) and the California Geological Survey. The last major quake to hit California was the 1994 Northridge quake which resulted in some $25 billion in damage and 72 fatalities.
* A man will spend several decades behind bars after receiving a 58-year sentence for kidnapping and raping a 22-year-old San Diego woman. Larry Eugene Wilson got the sentence nearly a decade after the crime. Authorities say Wilson kidnapped, then raped the woman numerous times back in July of 1999. The rapes reportedly took place in Balboa Park and at a trolley station in La Mesa. Authorities did not arrest the man until last year after DNA evidence proved he was the attacker.
* A reporter from KTTV (www.kttv.com), who alleged that Los Angeles Police Department officers used excessive force on her during a May Day 2007 protest at MacArthur Park, has filed a civil suit against the LAPD. Christina Gonzalez is asking for unspecified damages, claiming she was injured by police who targeted her among others because she was with the press and because she is Hispanic.
Editor's note: For more world and national news and opinions, please visit newsblip.blogspot.com .
EVENTS* 7:10 p.m. (Dodger Stadium) Pittsburgh Pirates at Los Angeles Dodgers
* 7:15 p.m. (AT&T Park) Arizona Diamondbacks at San Francisco Giants
NEWS*
Friends, family members and admirers turned out to honor Hollywood legend Charlton Heston at a funeral service in Pacific Palisades. More than 200 people were on hand for the man who starred in such movies as "Ben Hur" and "Planet of the Apes." Heston, 84, died April 5 after a battle with Alzheimer's disease. *
Four people were injured when a twin engine Cessna 310 crashed into a Compton neighborhood. The flight had reportedly originated at Montgomery Field in San Diego.*
Three individuals were rescued in the San Francisco bay area on the west side of Treasure Island as their motor yacht caught fire. No reports were availabe if there were any injuries.
SPORTS
*
St. Louis got a run in the 10th inning in posting an 8-7 win over the San Francisco Giants in afternoon baseball.EVENTS*
(Honda Center) 7 p.m. Dallas Stars at Anaheim Ducks (Stars lead playoff series 1-0)
NEWS
