Here are some of the stories the Channel 4 newsroom is following.
UNDERCOVER STING BUSTS UNLICENSED CONTRACTORS IN SOCAL
More than two-dozen people have been arrested in an undercover crackdown of unlicensed contractors in LA. The state swooped in to make the arrests to protect homeowners from shoody or unsafe work by these "contractors" as part of the two-day sting operation. (NBCLA)
PHARMACY PRICE WARS
The presciption drug market is heating up...and consumers are the ultimate winners. CVS Pharmacy is announcing that it will sell 90-day supplies of more than 400 drugs for $9.99. This price war was started by Wal Mart several years ago...and numerous other chains have followed suit. (LATimes.com)
NEW DIABETES VACCINE
A new vaccine is showing promise to prevent or delay the onset of type-1 diabetes.
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ORANGE COUNTY PARTY OUT OF BOUNDS?
An Orange County judge issued a temporary restraining order to stop a big Halloween party planned at a mansion in the hills above Orange. The party, set to take place Saturday at the 20,000 square foot home of Vini "Big Daddy" Bergeman, promises attendees a full casino, lounge, theatre, and 22 beds that can be used by anyone willing to foot the $100 entry fee. Those opposed to the party say it violates a number of local ordinances, and have gone to court to seek an injunction to keep the party from getting off the ground. Bergeman says he isn't even planning to throw a party this year. He says he's the target of a sheriff's vendetta. (NBCLA)
BALDWIN PARK: CORONER SAYS PREGNANT WOMAN WAS MURDERED
A pregnant woman who died in September in her Baldwin Park home was the victim of a homicide, coroner Ed Winter said. Paramedics sent to the 3000 block of Stichman Avenue on Sept. 1 found Bertha Ramirez Luis, 35, dead at the scene. The coroner's office issued a report Thursday saying the woman, whow as 26 weeks pregnant, died of blunt force trauma. No arrests have been reported.
CITY PANEL APPROVES HISTORICAL MONUMENT STATUS FOR GRIFFITH PARK
A city panel responded to community activists and voted Thursday to approve historical monument status for Griffith Park. The issue now goes to the City Council, where it's backed by Councilman Tom LaBonge. (NBCLA.com)
ANOTHER LAUSD BOARD RETIREMENT ANNOUNCED
Julie Korenstein, the longest-serving Los Angeles Unified School District board member ... says she won't seek re-election. Korenstein was elected in 1987 and re-elected five times, representing parts of the San Fernando Valley. Korenstein is the second school board member in two days to announce her retirement, joining Marlene Canter.
VILLARAIGOSA CAMPAIGNS FOR OBAMA IN NEW MEXICO
Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa is campaigning for Barack Obama in New Mexico on Friday and Saturday. New Mexico has a large Latino population and five electoral votes and is leaning toward Obama, according to the polls. Villaraigosa was in Nevada last weekend to campaign for the Democratic presidential nominee. He endorsed Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., in May 2007 and
served as one of her national campaign chairs. But when Obama clinched the Democratic nomination in June, Villaraigosa got behind him.
SYLMAR: 3 MEN SOUGHT IN DENNY'S RESTAURANT ROBBERY
Three men in their mid-20s robbed a Denny's restaurant in Sylmar Thursday night, emptying its safe and fleeing with several thousand dollars. The holdup in the 12800 block of Encinitas Avenue, near Cobalt Street, occurred shortly after 9 p.m. The bandits, one armed with a handgun, were waiting outside the restaurant when an employee exited. They forced the employee back
into restaurant and ordered them to open the safe. Nobody was injured.
MICHAEL JACKSON WON'T JOIN BROTHERS IN JACKSON 5 REUNION
Michael Jackson said through a spokesman that he has no plans to join his brothers in a Jackson 5 reunion: "My brothers and sisters have my full love and support, and we've certainly shared many great experiences, but at this time I have no plans to
record or tour with them. I am now in the studio developing new and exciting projects that I look forward to sharing with my fans in concert soon."
IRVINE: SUSPECTED KHAKI BANDIT ARRESTED
A man dubbed the Khaki Bandit, suspected of holding up a Washington Mutual Bank branch in Irvine, was arrested Thursday. William Gerald Fedorka, 60, was taken into custody in Los Angeles following a tip to police. Police said Fedorka was a transient and was staying in Los Angeles. He allegedly walked into the Washington Mutual branch in the 3900 block of
Barranca Parkway Tuesday, presented a note to a teller and fled in a newer model black Ford Fusion driven by another person. Fedorka was also wanted in connection with recent robberies at a Bank of America branch in Irvine and banks in Costa Mesa and Huntington Beach. The getaway car was not found, and its driver was not arrested.
SANTA CLARITA: 79-YEAR-OLD MAN RESCUED IN ANGELES NATIONAL FOREST
A 79-year-old man was rescued Thursday afternoon after climbing over the side of a road in the Angeles National Forest to retrieve a remote control glider and getting stuck about 2-1/2 miles down the side. The man was rescued and was not injured.
SUNLAND: FAMILY DOG BITES BABY GIRL
A 7-month-old girl was airlifted to a hospital Thursday afternoon after being bitten by her family's dog. The child was airlifted from a home in the 10400 block of Newhome Avenue at 5:11 p.m. An LA Fire Department spokesman said the baby suffered several puncture wounds on her face and neck and may have been having a minor breathing problem, but she was otherwise awake and alert when taken to Childrens Hospital Los Angeles, where she was listed in serious but stable condition.
LA HABRA: TWO SEXUAL ASSAILANTS SOUGHT
Police say two men grabbed a teenager walking on a La Habra street, pulled her into a car and sexually assaulted her at another location before bringing her back and dropping her off. The girl told investigators she was walking in the area of Erna and Hazel streets around 7 p.m. Tuesday when she noticed a white, older-model compact car with tinted windows approaching from the opposite direction with the headlights off. As the car passed, one suspect jumped out and grabbed the girl from behind, pulling her into the back seat, according to police. The teen said her eyes were covered so she could not see where she was driven. She could not provide a description of her assailants.
MADERA: LARGE HUMAN BONES FOUND NEAR STEVE FOSSETT CRASH SITE
Searchers have found what appear to be two large human bones near the crash site of Steve Fossett's plane in California's Sierra Nevada. The adventurer's tennis shoes and driver's license have also been recovered. Madera County Sheriff John Anderson says the bones were found Wednesday about a half-mile east of the crash site. Investigators have sent them to a Department of Justice testing lab and should know in about a week whether they are Fossett's. Previous bone fragments discovered near the wreckage were either found to be not human or too small for DNA tests. (NBCLA.com)
TORRANCE: MAN CONVICTED OF 3 KILLINGS SENTENCED TO DEATH
A man who strangled two women and a teenage girl at their homes in Los Angeles has been sentenced to death. A Superior Court judge in Torrance issued the decision Thursday against Barry Mosley, who was convicted in August of three murders, two rapes and the sexual assault and attempted murder of a child. Mosley killed Shirley Austin, her 17-year-old daughter Bessie Carter and Adrienne Reed at their homes in 1999 and 2000. He also sexually assaulted and tried to kill Reed's 8-year-old daughter.
