LOS ANGELES -- A man convicted of causing a deadly commuter-rail wreck that he blamed on an attempt to commit suicide was sentenced yesterday to 11 consecutive life terms by a judge who denounced him as a remorseless killer.
Judge William Pounders of Superior Court said that , if it were possible, he would have imposed a sentence of "forever" on Juan Alvarez, who will not be eligible for parole.
On Jan. 26, 2005, Alvarez parked his gasoline-soaked SUV on railroad tracks in suburban Glendale, where it was struck by a Metrolink train that derailed and struck another Metrolink train traveling in the other direction. Eleven people were killed and about 180 were injured.
Grieving elephant gets reprieve, won't have to leave
HOUSTON -- The Dallas Zoo has decided to keep a troubled elephant named Jenny, build a larger exhibit for her, and get her a companion after a public outcry over plans to send the animal to a wildlife park in Mexico.
The zoo had planned to ship the 10,500-pound elephant, who has suffered from bouts of depression and panic attacks, to the Africam Safari Park in Puebla, Mexico, after her companion, Keke, died of heart disease in May. African elephants mourn their dead, and it was feared that Jenny might slip into a profound funk.
But the plan led to a firestorm of criticism from local residents, legislators, animal-rights advocates and several elephant experts. Critics said that the safari park in Puebla, with its cars, might trigger Jenny's rages.
‘Dinnertime Bandit' convicted in robberies of upscale homes
STAMFORD, Conn. -- The man dubbed the "Dinnertime Bandit" was convicted yesterday of robbing upscale homes at night, while residents were home and had turned off their alarms.
The jurors convicted Alan Golder of kidnapping, two counts of burglary and one count of larceny. He was acquitted of two counts each of burglary and larceny.
In a prison interview in February, Golder said that he burglarized hundreds of homes from 1975 to 1980, including those of Johnny Carson, the Kennedys in Florida and singer Glen Campbell.
Settlement ends lawsuit over lead wheel weights
OAKLAND, Calif. -- An Oakland environmental group has announced that Chrysler LLC and three makers of auto parts have agreed to end their use of lead wheel weights in California.
The settlement yesterday comes a year after the Center for Environmental Health sued the companies claiming that weights falling off cars and trucks were polluting California's drinking water.
The settlement approved in Alameda County Superior Court requires Chrysler, Perfect Equipment Inc., Hennessey Industries Inc. and Plombco Inc. to phase out lead wheel weights statewide by the end of 2009.
Man killed by falling rocks as section of bluff collapses
SAN DIEGO -- A man in his 50s suffered fatal head injuries yesterday when a section of the bluff at Torrey Pines State Beach collapsed, police said.
The man, a visitor from Las Vegas, was playing Frisbee with his brother and nephew about 1 p.m. when he sat down near the bluff to change his shoes, and rocks -- some the size of basketballs -- came cascading down, officials said.
No one else was injured, but state lifeguards immediately closed the beach.
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