Killer of H.B. girl gets death penalty

From the Los Angeles Times

An Orange County jury needed just a few hours Tuesday to hand down the death penalty for Rodney James Alcala, convicted Feb. 25 of murdering four Los Angeles County women and a 12-year-old girl from Huntington Beach in the late 1970s.

It was the third time Alcala, 66, has been convicted for the murder of Robin Samsoe, 12, last seen alive riding her bike to ballet class in June 1979. He had been condemned to death both times, but the convictions were overturned. He has been in custody since his 1979 arrest.

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Newport Harbor High wins culinary title

The Newport Harbor High School’s culinary team took first place over the weekend in the California ProStart Competition, a two-day cooking event held in in Sacramento.

The school, which competed against 15 other California high schools, will now advance to the finals in Overland,  Kan., April 30 through May 2.

This is the second year in a row that the high school has placed first in the competition, which is hosted by the California Restaurant Assn. Educational Foundation.

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Three Santa Ana schools among state’s lowest achieving

By Gretchen Meier, OCLNN

Three Orange County schools in the Santa Ana Unified School District were named on the state’s preliminary list of 188 public schools identified as the persistently lowest-achieving.

Century High, Valley High and Willard Intermediate are on the list that is subject to approval by the State Board of Education on March 11. After Thursday, the three OC schools must “engage in a school intervention model as required by state and federal law,” according to a release from state superintendent of public instruction Jack O’Connell.

“This is an opportunity to make dramatic changes at chronically under-performing schools,” O’Connell said. “The intervention choices provide an opportunity to make systemic changes that improve teaching and learning. As a result, we will help prepare thousands of students for a brighter future.”

… Continue Reading: Three Santa Ana schools among state’s lowest achieving

Suspect dies in custody

Ruben Maya Gallegos

From the Daily Pilot

A man who was scheduled to appear in court Monday on charges that he assaulted two Newport Beach police officers in December died in custody over the weekend, officials said.

Ruben Maya Gallegos, 36, of Costa Mesa, was identified by the Orange County Sheriff’s Department website as the man who died Saturday morning while incarcerated at the Theo Lacy Facility in Orange. Officials later confirmed the information on the website.

Deputies at the jail reported a medical emergency in Gallegos’ cell about 4:05 a.m. He was taken to UC Irvine Medical Center in Orange and pronounced dead, said department spokesman Jim Amormino.

… Continue Reading: Suspect dies in custody

Environmentally friendly house goes platinum

Steve Blanchard, a real estate development investor, had an idea to build a house for his family that would efficiently use energy and be environmentally friendly.

Orange County's first Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) house is located on Gisler Ave. in Costa Mesa.

Today his house at 1811 Gisler Ave. in Costa Mesa is the first in Orange County to receive a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design platinum rating from the U.S. Green Building Council. In the parlance of green building, the designation is known as LEED certification.

But in plain English, that means Blanchard’s house is considered one of the most environmentally friendly houses in Orange County.

… Continue Reading: house goes platinum

Homeless statistics revealed at UCI

From the Daily Pilot

Orange County, one of the wealthiest counties in the country, has about 17,000 homeless children, according to a study unveiled Monday at UC Irvine.

“There’s this feeling that because people are wearing $45,000 watches around here and because reality TV shows are based here that we don’t have a problem with the homeless,” said Paul Leon, executive director with the Irvine-based Illumination Foundation. “Well, I’m here to tell you that we do, and it’s a big one.”

More than 50 students, many of them interested in social service and public health, attended the seminar, hoping to learn more about the nonprofit foundation and how they could possibly volunteer their services.

… Continue Reading: Homeless statistics revealed at UCI

Man charged in sweeping student visa fraud case

From the Los Angeles Times

Eamonn Daniel Higgins spent seven years attending college.

Between 2002 and 2009, he attended 10 different schools in Southern California, including Cal State Los Angeles, Irvine Valley College and Santa Monica College, according to federal prosecutors. During that time, he studied sociology, marketing, English, business and math.

The problem was that Higgins hadn’t registered for any of the courses, authorities said. Rather, dozens of foreign students — mostly from the Middle East — were paying him to sit in class, take exams and write papers for them so their student visas would remain valid, according to a charging document filed in the case. Students paid up to $1,500 for course assignments and finals and up to $1,000 for English and writing proficiency exams, the document said.

… Continue Reading: Man charged in sweeping student visa fraud case

O.C. sheriff seeks contract to house federal detainees

From the Los Angeles Times

While Los Angeles County is releasing hundreds of inmates early because of budget cuts, Orange County Sheriff Sandra Hutchens is trying to avoid similar cuts by importing hundreds of new detainees.

She has won approval to negotiate with the federal government for the Orange County jail system to house more than 800 immigration detainees. In return, the county would receive $40 million a year — money Hutchens said would be used to avoid cutbacks in the jails and possible layoffs of deputies.

… Continue Reading: O.C. sheriff seeks contract to house federal detainees

High winds and surf predicted for Southern California

From the Los Angeles Times

Gusty winds are blowing into Southern California.

The National Weather Service issued a high-wind warning from 9 a.m. Tuesday to 3 a.m. Thursday, saying gusts of up to 60 mph are possible, especially in the Antelope Valley and mountains of Los Angeles County.

Winds with sustained speeds of 20 to 35 mph could reach destructive levels as they strengthen and become more widespread through the morning, said officials with the National Weather Service.

… Continue Reading: High winds and surf predicted for Southern California

Kazmir looks to bounce back from post-season struggles

From the Los Angeles Times

Reporting from Tempe, Ariz. – Scott Kazmir spoke in a voice soft and low, but the feelings his words revealed were unmistakable.

“It was very frustrating, very frustrating,” the Angels starting pitcher said of his subpar performance in last year’s American League playoffs.

And after the Angels lost to the New York Yankees in the AL Championship Series, “I came into the off-season bitter, frustrated,” the 26-year-old left-hander said as the Angels prepared to open this year’s spring-training season Thursday against the Chicago White Sox. “I felt like I let the team down.”

… Continue reading: Angels pitcher Scott Kazmir tries to turn negative into positive