SIERRA MADRE, Calif. — A wildfire burned dangerously close to homes at the foot of the rugged San Gabriel Mountains early Monday, but firefighters stood their ground and turned back the flames.
The dramatic battle came on the third day of a 538-acre blaze that has forced at least 1,000 people from homes in and near Santa Anita Canyon in the foothill suburb of Sierra Madre, 15 miles northeast of Los Angeles. All schools in the community of about 11,000 residents were closed Monday.
The fire’s overnight advance reduced containment from 30 percent to 21 percent, but by Monday evening little smoke wafted from the charred slopes. The burn area still was not expected to be fully surrounded by fire lines for four to seven days. Nearly 700 firefighters were on the lines.
Deputies kill knife-wielding man in courtroom
A man with a history of mental illness burst into a packed Fresno courtroom Monday wielding two carving knives and was shot to death as he threatened a judge he may have blamed for his misfortune, authorities said. Robert Eaton, 40, had an extensive arrest record and last year, rammed his car into the Merced County courthouse out of anger that he was refused treatment by a mental health facility, Merced County Sheriff Mark Pazin said. Merced is about 50 miles northwest of Fresno.
D.C.: Congressman may issue torture policy subpoenas
The chairman of the House Judiciary Committee threatened Monday to subpoena Bush administration officials who have refused to appear at a hearing on torture and interrogation policies. Rep. John Conyers, D-Mich., said he would “have no choice but to consider compulsory process” if current and former officials, including vice presidential chief of staff David Addington, rejected the panel’s requests for testimony next week. Former Attorney General John Ashcroft and former Office of Legal Counsel deputy John Yoo have rebuffed the committee’s request.
West Virginia: Two officials resign in university degree scandal
West Virginia University’s president accepted the resignations of two top school officials Monday in a scandal over a master’s degree awarded to the governor’s daughter, but said he has no plans to resign himself. R. Stephen Sears, dean of WVU’s business school, and Provost Gerald Lang are stepping down June 30. An investigating panel concluded last week that both men were among several administrators who acted inappropriately and applied “severely flawed” judgment in awarding Heather Bresch a degree the panel said she did not earn.
Pennsylvania: Friend suspected of pushing man off cliff
A man who called 911 after his friend survived a 500-foot fall at a strip mine was charged Monday with pushing him over the edge. While Nathan Bowman recovered from broken bones and other injuries in a hospital, Richard D. George was sent to Schuylkill County Prison in lieu of $10,000 bail. Authorities said in court documents that George, after telling a story that didn’t add up, admitted under questioning that he pushed Bowman into the canyon-shaped mine about 1 a.m. Friday after they got into an argument. Police said the 23-year-olds were trespassing on coal company property when George pushed Bowman off a sheer cliff.
Cuba: Bin Laden’s driver intends to boycott his trial
Osama bin Laden’s former driver has joined other Guantanamo detainees in refusing to participate in his war-crimes trial, declaring Monday he felt no hope for justice after more than six years in confinement. The case against Salim Ahmed Hamdan, a Yemeni, is scheduled to be the first to reach trial at the U.S. Navy base in southeast Cuba next month. The U.S. says Hamdan delivered weapons to al-Qaida and its associates and trained at terrorist camps. His lawyers concede he was a driver for bin Laden but say he had no significant role in planning or carrying out attacks against the U.S.
Brazil: Navy ends search for balloonist priest
Brazil’s navy has dropped its search for a priest who vanished more than a week ago while floating over the Atlantic with a cluster of party balloons, a spokeswoman said Monday. The Rev. Adelir Antonio de Carli has been missing since April 20, shortly after he lifted off from the southern port city of Paranagua strapped to 1,000 helium-filled balloons.
Mexico: Tijuana shootout death toll hits 15
Mexico’s military posted soldiers around a major hospital Monday to guard suspects wounded during weekend gun battles that raged across Tijuana. Two more deaths raised the toll to 15 from the pre-dawn Saturday shootouts in the city across the U.S. border from San Diego, local news media reported. All of the dead were believed to be drug traffickers, possibly rival members of the same drug cartel, Baja California state Attorney General Rommel Moreno said.
Vietnam: No more American adoptions
Vietnam announced Monday it is halting all U.S. adoptions following allegations of baby-selling, corruption and fraud. The abrupt cutoff cast a cloud of uncertainty over pending adoptions in the Southeast Asian country, which have surged in the face of tightened restrictions in China, Guatemala and elsewhere.
From Herald news services
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