PE.com - Daily News Digest

John McCain making Southern California sweep

2008-03-24T14:45:16Z

Arizona Sen. John McCain is scheduled to attend a $2,300-per-person fundraising reception in Palm Desert tomorrow in his first trip to California since becoming the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, a campaign aide said.

McCain is set to begin a three-day trip to Southern California tomorrow by attending a campaign fundraising luncheon at a La Jolla hotel and a town hall meeting with military families in Chula Vista.

During the trip, McCain is scheduled to attend a roundtable for Latino small business owners in Santa Ana and fundraisers in Newport Beach and Bel-Air and speak to the Los Angeles World Affairs Council in Los Angeles.

—From news services

Sigalerts causing traffic chaos on Highway 91

2008-03-24T14:29:06Z

First a herd of horses shut down a Corona freeway and now a motorcycle wreck has triggered a SigAlert, according to the California Highway Patrol Web site.

Eastbound lanes of Highway 91 are moving - albeit slowly - now that crews have cleaned up after a 3:30 a.m. wreck at Green River Drive that left two horses dead, three injured and nine uninjured and taken away, officials say. Residual congestion remains.

And now the westbound lanes are locked tight because of a 7:05 a.m. motorcycle accident in the westbound lanes near Serfas Club Drive. An ambulance was assigned to the call, though there are no details available on injuries.

--Richard Brooks
rbrooks@PE.com

Woman taken in custody in connection with Desert Hot Springs stabbing

2008-03-24T14:24:16Z

A 32-year-old woman was booked today on assault with a deadly weapon charges for repeatedly stabbing a 23-year-old man in south Desert Hot Springs, authorities said.

Deputies responded to the reported stabbing in the 15300 block of Avenida Florencita, Riverside County sheriff's officials said in a release.

The 23-year-old victim had multiple stab wounds. He was transported to a local hospital where he was listed early today in critical but stable condition, sheriff's officials said.

Georgina Lopez Aguirre, 32, was booked at the Indio Jail and was in the process of being released on $25,000 bail, a jail spokesman said.

—From news services

Jury sought in trial of man accused of killing 10 year old in Moreno Valley

2008-03-24T14:15:34Z

Jury selection is slated to get under way today in the trial of a 20-year-old Los Angeles man accused in the shooting death of a 10- year-old boy.

Gregory Ford Lymoel is charged with first-degree murder in the death of Chris Fields, a fifth-grader from El Cajon who was shot as he sat in the back seat of his mother's car in Moreno Valley.

The defendant is also charged with attempted murder for allegedly shooting Chris's 22-year-old brother and trying to shoot the boy's mother.

The Fields family was on its way home, stopped for a red light at the intersection of Iris Avenue and Kitching Street around midnight on Dec. 23, 2006, when people in three separate vehicles began exchanging words nearby, according to authorities.

Riverside County sheriff's investigators allege Lymoel, a reputed gang member who goes by the moniker ``T-Zone,'' opened fire on the Fields' car, hitting Chris in the head and his brother, Floyd, in the cheek.

Roberta Fields, the child's mother, attempted to accelerate away from the gunfire but was unable to escape in time, authorities said.

Chris Fields was pronounced dead at Riverside County Regional Medical Center within hours of the shooting.

Sheriff's investigators spent nearly six months working on the case before arresting Lymoel last June.

In addition to the murder and two attempted murder charges, he faces allegations of discharging a firearm to cause great bodily injury and using a firearm in the commission of a felony, court documents indicated.

The District Attorney's Office may seek the death penalty.

The trial has been set on several previous occasions, but Lymoel's attorney, Ryan Markson, has asked for continuances in order to finish other trials.

Lymoel is being held without bail at the Robert Presley Detention Center in downtown Riverside.

—From news services

UPDATE: Two horses killed, three hurt in Highway 91 crash

2008-03-24T14:02:50Z

An pre-dawn wreck involving a herd of 14 horses on a Corona freeway left five animals dead or injured and Highway 91 at a standstill, officials say.

"There were two (horses) deceased. There were three injured. And the other nine appeared to be OK," Orange County Animal Care Services spokesman Ryan Drabek said about 7 a.m. "They are the ones that were corralled and returned to the stable."

The herd apparently escaped from a horse farm just south of the freeway at Green River Drive, where the 3:30 a.m. accident occurred in the eastbound lanes.

Traffic remains tied up for at least eight miles in both directions, California Highway Patrol Officer Albert Gracino said. Three eastbound lanes have been reopened and the remaining two lanes may be reopened soon, he said.

But the residual back-up is likely to continue for several hours, he cautioned.

--Richard Brooks
rbrooks@PE.com

Highway 91 backup expected for some time

2008-03-24T13:55:43Z

Expect a massive tie-up along Highway 91 through Corona for most of the morning as freeway crews clean up after a wreck involving a herd of horses, the California Highway Patrol warns.

The two eastbound car pool lanes and the fast lane reopened, CHP Officer Albert Gracino said about 6:45 a.m.

The accident happened about 3:30 a.m. in the eastbound lanes near Green River Drive.

About a dozen horses got loose in the traffic lanes, according to initial reports. At least one animal was killed and the rest had to be rounded up.

Gracino figures that the clean-up will take about 40 minutes.

But the back-up will last for hours in both directions.

"The back-up westbound is to La Sierra - eight, nine, maybe 10 miles," Gracino said. "I can't really make out the backup coming in from the west. At the very least, it's got to be back to Gypsum Canyon - that's about seven or eight miles.

"After they get it cleaned up, the residual backup is going to be several hours."

--Richard Brooks
rbrooks@PE.com

AIR TRAFFIC UPDATE: Delay information @ U.S. airports

2008-03-24T13:50:14Z

Click here to see up-to-the-minute air traffic status at airports across the United States.

Place your cursor on the dot at the airport you're seeking and a pop-up window will give you a status report.

You have three choices for getting the data:

 View by region
 Search by airport
 View by major airport

A legend at the bottom of the page explains the dots' color code:

GREEN: General Arrival/Departure delays are 15 minutes or less.
YELLOW: Departures are experiencing taxi delays of 16 to 45 minutes and/or arrivals are experiencing airborne holding delays of 16 to 45 minutes.
ORANGE: Traffic destined to this airport is being delayed at its departure point. Check your departure airport to see if your flight may be affected.
RED: Departures are experiencing taxi delays greater than 45 minutes and/or arrivals are experiencing airborne holding delays greater than 45 minutes.
BLACK: This denotes a closed airport.

—The Press-Enterprise

TRAFFIC UPDATE: East 91 snarled when horses run loose in lanes

2008-03-24T13:39:48Z

A SigAlert remains in effect along eastbound Highway 91 through Corona near Green River this morning after a herd of horses got loose on the freeway, triggering a wreck that killed at least one animal and spooked the rest, according to the California Highway Patrol website.

At least two traffic lanes reopened at 5:45 a.m.

The trouble began about 3:30 a.m. when callers began reporting "dozens of horses in (traffic) lanes - some have been hit," according to the website. Within 15 minutes, officers determined that one horse was dead and the rest were in a grassy area on the freeway's right shoulder.

An hour after the accident, the horses' owner was enroute with a trailer to reclaim the animals. And two hours after the accident officer's had reopened the car pool and fast lanes.

—Richard Brooks
rbrooks@PE.com

Tax officials beginning to reduce assessed values in Southern California

2008-03-24T13:30:00Z

County tax officials throughout Southern California are beginning to reduce the assessed values of homes as the housing market continues to spiral downward.

Los Angeles County has dropped the assessed values of more than 41,000 homes, resulting in an average tax saving of $660 per home. Other counties have also begun the reassessment process.

Property tax bills are mailed in October.

Riverside County assessor Larry Ward says staff will be working 10-hour days and weekends to handle reassessments. His office is getting at least 100 calls a day from homeowners.

Last year, Riverside County’s automated system reduced the value of about 9,000 homes. Values were cut an average $43,000, and the homeowners received a $500 tax break.

—The Associated Press

Norco will get rid of residents' old cars in new program

2008-03-24T13:15:00Z

Get rid of old cars, trucks and horse or boat trailers for free during the next four months when the city of Norco runs its Junk Your Clunker campaign.

The city will haul away unwanted vehicles and trailers inside city boundaries from April through July.

To have an old car or trailer removed, call 951-737-8097 Monday through Thursday between 1 and 6 p.m. The city prefers to see the ownership papers but can take vehicles without them.

—Alicia Robinson
arobinson@PE.com

WEATHER UPDATE: SoCal radar loop of Inland sky conditions

2008-03-24T13:00:00Z

Click here to link to the radar loop, giving you a bird's eye view of SoCal's weather.

—The Press-Enterprise

THE EARLY BIRD

2008-03-24T12:45:00Z

Thought for Today: “Not to be able to grow old is just as ridiculous as to be unable to outgrow childhood.” — Carl G. Jung, psychiatrist (1875-1961).

—The Associated Press

AIR TRAFFIC UPDATE: Delay information @ U.S. airports

2008-03-24T12:30:00Z

Click here to see up-to-the-minute air traffic status at airports across the United States.

Place your cursor on the dot at the airport you’re seeking and a pop-up window will give you a status report.

You have three choices for getting the data:

 View by region
 Search by airport
 View by major airport

A legend at the bottom of the page explains the dots’ color code:

5:15 A.M. TRAFFIC: Up-to-the-minute look @ Inland freeways

2008-03-24T12:15:00Z

Click here to get a snapshot of Inland region traffic conditions – in real time.

Check in with us through the morning. We'll be posting detailed traffic reports of any major incidents in BREAKING NEWS as soon as we've gathered the details.

—The Press-Enterprise

GOOD MORNING: Today's Inland weather

2008-03-24T12:00:00Z

It's Monday, March 24, 2008. Here's how the weather is looking:

Today
Sunny, with a high near 77.

TONIGHT:
Mostly clear, with a low around 48.

TOMORROW:
Sunny, with a high near 76.

TOMORROW NIGHT:
Patchy fog after 11pm. Otherwise, increasing clouds, with a low around 47.

Click here to see the detailed forecast for the Inland region. And while you're there, scroll down the page and put in your ZIP code to get the outlook for your neighborhood.