INACTIVE PE.com - Daily News Digest

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2012-02-02T22:55:59Z

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SUPREME COURT: Upcoming case stems from Chino beef recall

2011-10-04T14:53:33Z

The U.S. Supreme Court will weigh whether to overturn a 2008 California law barring the meat industry from selling, buying or processing animals too sick or hurt to stand.

The law arose from a nationwide beef recall, which was sparked by an undercover video showing workers abusing so-called downer cows at a Chino slaughterhouse run by the now-defunct Westland/Hallmark Meat Co.

Last year, the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the law, but critics within the meat industry have argued that the law illegally pre-empts federal meat inspection rules and should not apply to the state's hog industry.

The case, known as National Meat Association v. Harris, is slated for oral arguments on Nov. 9.

SAN BERNARDINO: New police chief at City Council meeting

2011-10-03T22:41:04Z

Robert Handy, who is due to be sworn in as San Bernardino police chief in October, is attending tonight's City Council meeting.

He met with City Manager Charles McNeely and in closed session with the City Council.

Current Police Chief Keith Kilmer said Handy would be sworn in Oct. 17.

Handy's last day as a Phoenix police commander will be Tuesday, Handy said.

He said he is excited about becoming San Bernardino police chief.

"My family and I are very much looking forward to it," Handy said before the meeting.

He spent several minutes chatting with and shaking hands with police officers. The mood was cordial and upbeat.

- Brian Rokos
brokos@PE.com

RIVERSIDE: Driver killed when train hits car

2011-10-03T05:48:39Z

The driver of a BMW was killed tonight when his car was struck by a train at the Adams Street crossing about 8:45 p.m., the Riverside Police Department reported in a news release.

At 8:45 PM, the Riverside Police Department Communications Division received a call from ATX/BMW which is similar to the ONSTAR system.

ATX/BMW was reporting that they received an "airbag activation signal" in the area of Adams Street and the railroad tracks. The driver of the vehicle would not respond to the company's calls. Additional phone calls were received from people in the area reporting they heard a loud crash.

The police helicopter crew found the BMW embedded in the front of an east bound BNSF train approximately a half mile from the intersection. Officers responded to the scene on foot and were able to extricate the driver prior to the vehicle erupting in flames.

American Medical Response and Riverside Fire Department arrived on the scene and pronounced the driver deceased.

Witnesses advised that the crossing arms were operational at the time of the crash and an investigation is being conducted to determine the reason for the vehicle being on the tracks, the news release said.

No other details were provided.

Anyone with information pertinent to this incident is encouraged to call the watch commander at 951-351-6050.

- Brian Rokos
brokos@PE.com

SAN BERNARDINO: Spontaneous combustion blamed for fire

2011-10-02T04:36:18Z

Oily rags thrown in a trash can sparked a fire Saturday that caused about $1,000 in damage to a San Bernardino business on Arrowhead Avenue, a fire department spokesman said.

San Bernardino Fire Department spokesman Tom Rubio said the rags generated heat and burst into flames in a plastic trash can in a workshop area of Empire Gate at 460 S. Arrowhead Ave.

Firefighters responded to the fire, which was reported at 6:25 p.m., and doused the blaze in 10 minutes, Rubio said. Firefighters initially called for a second alarm but then cancelled it, a fire department dispatcher said.

The business was closed. Damage was limited to the workshop area.

The fire was reported at Empire Gate on the 400 block of Arrowhead Avenue.

No injuries were reported.

SALTON SEA: Man killed in truck rollover

2011-10-02T04:00:00Z

A North Shore man was killed early Saturday when the truck he was riding in got a flat tire and rolled over, authorities said.

Gustavo Navarro-Alcala, 29, was pronounced dead at the scene of the single accident which was reported at 8:53 a.m., Cheri Patterson, spokeswoman for Cal Fire/Riverside County Fire Department, said in a news release.

The wreck occurred in an agriculture field on Avenue 70, about a mile and a half north of Cleveland Street near the Salton Sea.

A second person was taken to Desert Hospital for treatment of minor injuries, Patterson said.

BLYTHE: Girl killed in single-car wreck

2011-10-02T03:45:00Z

A 9-year-old Blythe was killed Sept. 30 when the car she was riding in hit a pole, authorities said.

Maria Guadalupe Gonzalez was pronounced dead at the scene of the 6:54 p.m. accident on Defrain Boulevard, north of Seeley Avenue in the Blythe area, according to a Cal Fire/Riverside County news release. The girl was ejected from the car, the news release said.

The girl's mother and 12-year-old sister were taken to a local hospital with minor injuries. A 5-year-old brother was flown to Desert Hospital for treatment of minor injuries, the news release said.

The names of the mother and two other children were unavailable.

ANZA: Firefighters douse lightning-caused blaze

2011-10-02T03:30:00Z

Lightning sparked a vegetation fire in a remote area of Anza on Saturday but a large response by firefighters held the blaze to a quarter-acre, Cal Fire/Riverside County Fire Department spokeswoman Cheri Patterson said in a news release.

The fire was reported at 11:08 a.m. in the area of Terwilliger Road and Tule Canyon Truck Trail. Seven engines and 66 firefighters responded and the fire was declared contained at 1:15 p.m., Patterson said.

There were no injuries. And no structures were threatened.

CHINO: Firefighters at accident scene

2011-10-02T03:15:33Z

Firefighters and emergency vehicles have converged at the scene of a multi-vehicle accident in the city of Chino.

The accident was reported at 6:34 p.m. in the area of Central and Schaefer avenues.

Information on injuries was unavailable.

RIVERSIDE: Burglars target fumigated home

2011-10-01T23:27:00Z

Two males were taken into custody today (Oct. 1) on suspicion of burglarizing a Riverside home that was unoccupied because it was being fumigated, a Riverside Police Department spokesman said.

Lt. Leon Phillips said the burglary in the 1400 block of Abernathy Drive was discovered about 7:30 a.m. and is believed to have occurred on the night of Sept. 30. The burglars cut the fumigation tent and entered the home through an open window.

Phillips said police received a call about 9:30 a.m. from a homeowner who reported he had seen items he suspected had been stolen in his Seventh Street home. He told police he suspected his houseguests had taken them. The items had been reported stolen from the tented home.

The names of the two men in custody are not being released until police can determine if they are juveniles or adults, Philips said.