BRIEFLY; ATTORNEYS QUESTION FURROW SANITY PLEA.

Federal prosecutors seeking the death penalty against a white supremacist charged with killing a Filipino-American postal carrier want his attorneys to declare whether they'll argue that he was temporarily insane.

Buford O'Neal Furrow is charged with killing Joseph Ileto on Aug. 10, just hours after he allegedly wounded five people at the nearby North Valley Jewish Community Center. FBI agents said he told them he shot Ileto because the mail carrier was nonwhite and a government worker.

Furrow has pleaded not guilty.

U.S. District Judge Richard A. Paez is set to hear the government's motion Monday. It asks that Paez order Deputy Federal Public Defender Sean K. Kennedy to declare whether he plans to mount an insanity defense.

Kennedy could not be reached Friday.

Court papers filed by Kennedy say the defense does not want to immediately divulge its plans.

- Associated Press

OFFICER DIES AFTER TRAINING INJURY

CAMP PENDLETON - A decorated veteran of the Los Angeles Police Department who hit his head in an accidental fall during a training exercise at Camp Pendleton died Friday.

Louie Villalobos, a 30-year veteran, fell off a 10-foot-high catwalk during a training exercise with the department's elite Metropolitan Division Special Weapons and Tactics unit and hit his head. He died late Friday.

Villalobos joined the SWAT unit in 1983 and was an assistant squad leader. Last year, he was Officer of the Year and received a medal of valor for his act of bravery in rescuing a fallen colleague.

``This is a tragic accident,'' said LAPD Chief Bernard C. Parks, in a news release. ``I have known Officer Villalobos for many years. He represented everything that was good about our department and he will be greatly missed.''

- Daily News

FIREFIGHTERS RESCUE HORSE FROM A DITCH

MOUNT WILSON _ Using ropes, pulleys and slings, 10 Los Angeles County firefighters Friday pulled a 7-year-old mare out of a ditch off a steep mountain trail after the horse fell in during a late afternoon ride.

The horse named Shiva, and its owner, Donna Klein, walked away unscathed.

``We got the horse back with its owner, and they walked out onto the trail and back to the trailer,'' said County fire spokesman Mark Whaling. ``A vet looked at it and gave it a clean bill of health.''

The 5:38 p.m. accident occurred when the horse slipped on a slope in Eaton Canyon on a narrow mountain trail, tumbled into a natural ditch and got wedged against a wooden wall put up to halt erosion.

Whaling said Klein held tight onto Shiva's tail to keep the animal from falling further down the mountainside.

``I think what she did is pretty miraculous, by holding the horse like that and keeping it calm,'' Whaling said. ``The horse could have fallen 100 feet to her death.''

- City News Service

STUDENTS TO COMPETE AT SHAKESPEARE FEST

SUN VALLEY - Students from nearly 40 Southern California middle schools will take part in the 81st annual ``Shakespeare Festival 2000,'' a drama competition to be hosted from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. today at Sun Valley Middle School.

An accompanying high school competition will be held April 8 at Birmingham High School. Winners from that event's monologue competition are awarded $500 scholarships from the Pasadena Playhouse.

Past winners in the festival have included Sally Field, Kevin Spacey and Cuba Gooding Jr. Winners at both levels go on to perform in a showcase at Paramount Studios on April 10.

The events are free and open to the public. Sun Valley Middle School is located at 7330 Bakman Ave.

- Daily News

YAROSLAVSKY NAMED TO CORRECTIONS BOARD

Gov. Gray Davis named Los Angeles County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky to the California Board of Corrections on Friday.

If confirmed by the state Senate, Yaroslavsky and other board members will work with city and county officials to develop and maintain standards for the construction and operation of local jails and juvenile detention facilities.

Yaroslavsky, 51, has been a county supervisor since 1994 and was previously a City Council member.

- City News Service

LATINO PANEL MAKES CONVENTION PLAN

Delegates to this summer's Democratic National Convention in Los Angeles will get a taste of Latino culture and views, according to a local group that announced its formation Friday.

Latino Committee 2000's charter members include county Supervisor Gloria Molina; Assembly Speaker Antonio Villaraigosa; Los Angeles City Councilmen Nick Pacheco and Alex Padilla, Assemblymen Gil Cedillo, D-Los Angeles, and Martin Gallegos, D-City of Industry; and Rep. Xavier Becerra, D-Los Angeles.

- City News Service