In more ways with one.
"Whale dies after month in Calif. river" August 17, 2011|Associated Press
A 45-foot gray whale that delighted people for more than a month after taking up residence in Northern California’s Klamath River died yesterday after beaching itself on a sandbar.
The whale drew big, curious crowds since swimming into the river with its calf in late June, taking refuge in fresh water for an unknown reason while migrating north from birthing grounds off Baja, Calif. Scientists said it may have been escaping from killer whales.
Efforts to drive it back to sea with calls of killer whales played upriver and other measures could not persuade the whale to leave, but the calf swam out to sea on July 23.
The mother remained, sometimes feeding on invasive species of clams and snails in the mud of the river bottom, blowing geysers of air and water out her blowhole, and spending time within sight of people who lined a bridge over the river.
Its behavior enthralled people who stood in the river playing violins, paddled out to the whale in canoes playing flutes, and jumped out of kayaks to swim with the huge animal.
“It’s very sad,’’ said Thomas O’Rourke, chairman of the Yurok Tribe, whose reservation lines the banks of the river south of Crescent City, Calif. “It started to become a part of the community.’’
O’Rourke visited the dead whale and said a prayer for it. He believes the whale might have been showing its calf a place it had known in its youth.
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"Woman threw son from 4th floor, police say" August 24, 2011|Associated Press
ORANGE, Calif. - The husband of a woman accused of tossing her 7-month-old son from the fourth floor of a hospital parking garage says his wife was hospitalized for postpartum depression in June.
Noe Medina told the Orange County Register yesterday that his wife also was taking medication for the condition following the birth of their son, Noe Jr.
Sonia Hermosillo of La Habra was being held without bail after her arrest Monday on suspicion of attempted murder.
The 31-year-old is accused of throwing her son from the parking lot at Children’s Hospital of Orange County late Monday.
Related: Throwing the Baby Out With the Bath Water
She was arrested several hours later after Medina called police to report his wife and baby missing and a police officer spotted her driving near the hospital.
The baby is in critical condition at the University of California, Irvine, Medical Center.
Hermosillo, who could make a first court appearance as early as today, was said to be cooperating in the investigation. A sheriff’s office spokesman said she was undergoing a psychological evaluation in the jail’s medical ward and was also on an immigration hold....
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Related: Baby tossed from Calif. hospital dies
"Family asks police to tell of beating" Associated Press / August 13, 2011
FULLERTON, Calif. - Police should break their code of silence and speak out about the violent confrontation that preceded the death of a mentally ill homeless man and has outraged residents of this Southern California suburb, an attorney for the man’s father said yesterday.
The comments by Garo Mardirossian, a lawyer for Kelly Thomas’s father, came as Fullerton officials moved toward hiring an attorney to investigate the death of the 37-year-old after the clash with officers.
Police have said the officers tried to detain Thomas during an investigation of reported vehicle break-ins at a transit hub.
Witnesses said officers beat Thomas and repeatedly used a stun gun on him.
The six officers have been placed on paid administrative leave, and the incident is being investigated by the FBI and the district attorney’s office.
City officials met in closed session yesterday to discuss a claim filed by Thomas’s father, Ron, against the city alleging civil rights violations, conspiracy, and negligence.
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"Calif. agency blocked cell use; Free speech was violated, critics say" August 16, 2011|By Paul Elias, Associated Press
SAN FRANCISCO - Free-speech advocates criticized a San Francisco Bay area transit agency yesterday, saying its decision to cut off wireless service in an effort to stifle a protest last week was unconstitutional.
The mounting criticism comes as the Bay Area Rapid Transit agency prepared for renewed protests, though officials would not say whether they would block cellphone service again.
The transit agency blocked the signal Thursday at several San Francisco stations as it tried to thwart a planned protest over the July 3 shooting death of a 45-year-old man by transit police. Officials said he was wielding a knife.
A hacker group known as Anonymous, angry over the transit agency’s action, broke into an agency website and posted contact information for more than 2,000 customers.
How does that help other than give authorities justification to crack down and shut down?
The hacker group’s action was the latest showdown between anarchists angry at perceived attempts to limit free speech and officials trying to control protests that grow out of social networking....
Smells like an intelligence operation to me.
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Also see: Stolen art turns up in Calif. church
