BRIEFLY : COUNCIL ESTABLISHES PANEL ON TAXICABS.Concerned about problems with taxi service in Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. , including contract disputes between firms bidding for city franchises, the City Council voted Wednesday to create a new five-member Taxicab Commission. The action takes regulation of the taxi industry from the city Transportation Department and Transportation Commission. Councilman Richard Alarcon proposed the change based on the belief that regulating the taxi industry is a big enough job to justify a special office that is not distracted by the many other transportation issues in the city. ``Our Transportation Commission spends about half of its time on taxi issues. That's the problem,'' Alarcon said. - Daily News Valley man plotted terror, agent says VENTURA - A Sherman Oaks businessman plotted an Oklahoma City-style bombing of the Ventura County Courthouse The Ventura County Courthouse, located in Ventura, California, was designed in 1910 by one of the early pioneers of architecture in Southern California: Albert C. Martin, Sr. in the hope of killing prosecutors and destroying evidence in his securities fraud trial, an undercover federal agent testified Wednesday. The bombing was just one part of a reign of terror Reign of Terror, 1793–94, period of the French Revolution characterized by a wave of executions of presumed enemies of the state. Directed by the Committee of Public Safety, the Revolutionary government's Terror was essentially a war dictatorship, instituted to that Frank Boyd Cockrell II planned in order to escape fraud charges and retaliate against prosecutors whom Cockrell believed were conspiring against him, said Charles M. Pratt, a special agent for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms. ``He told me that he intended to destroy the Ventura County Courthouse - specifically the third floor, the District Attorney's Office - and to kill as many district attorneys, DA investigators and judges as possible . . . and (destroy) evidence against him,'' said Pratt, who was posing as an anti-government militia leader when he allegedly was solicited by Cockrell. Cockrell, 49, has pleaded not guilty to fraud, grand theft, money laundering The process of taking the proceeds of criminal activity and making them appear legal. Laundering allows criminals to transform illegally obtained gain into seemingly legitimate funds. and tax evasion The process whereby a person, through commission of Fraud, unlawfully pays less tax than the law mandates. Tax evasion is a criminal offense under federal and state statutes. A person who is convicted is subject to a prison sentence, a fine, or both. charges in connection with a $1.7 million stock scam. - Daily News Cardenas' family adds new member MISSION HILLS - Assemblyman Tony Cardenas Tony Cardenas served in the California State Assembly. In the Assembly, he had the powerful position of chair of the Budget Committee. He is now a Los Angeles City Councilman, representing the 6th district, which includes parts of the San Fernando Valley. , D-Panorama City, and his wife, Norma, are celebrating the birth of a daughter, it was announced Wednesday. Alina Brianna made her arrival late Tuesday afternoon, weighing in at 8 pounds, 4 ounces and measuring 21 inches. ``Once again we have been blessed with God's greatest gift,'' the assemblyman said. ``She is healthy and beautiful.'' The couple also have 3- and 5-year-old sons, and Norma Cardenas has a 13-year-old daughter from a previous marriage. - City News Service Reseda duo denies assaulting whites NEWPORT BEACH Newport Beach, residential and resort city (1990 pop. 66,643), Orange co., S Calif., on Newport Bay and the Pacific Ocean; inc. 1906. It is a popular seaside resort and yachting center. Manufactures include electrical and medical equipment, computers, boats, and adhesives. - Two brothers from Reseda pleaded not guilty to charges that they attacked outsiders at a Persian holiday celebration at an Irvine park Sunday. Two men said they were attacked by a group of celebrants shouting that they didn't belong at the party because they were white, said Irvine police Sgt. Brian Clifton. Jahad Afridi, 26, and Said Afridi, 23, were charged with assault and civil rights violations. A preliminary hearing was set for April 17. - Associated Press Associated Press: see news agency. Associated Press (AP) Cooperative news agency, the oldest and largest in the U.S. and long the largest in the world. Teacher accused of spanking spanking Pediatrics Corporal punishment, usually of children, in which the buttocks, are pummeled, swatted, or otherwise struck. See Corporal punishment Sexology Slapping, usually of the buttocks as a part of sexuoerotic activity. Cf Sadomasochism. child An elementary school teacher was removed from a Mid-City campus Wednesday after a student accused him of grabbing his arm and spanking him. Godswill Amugo, 45, a first- and second-grade teacher at Marvin Avenue School, was transferred to an undisclosed administrative location, pending the outcome of an investigation by police and school officials, Principal Anna McLinn said. ``Mr. Amugo is no longer on this school site,'' McLinn said. ``It's a personnel matter being handled by the Los Angeles Unified School District The Los Angeles Unified School District (the "LAUSD") is the largest (in terms of number of students) public school system in California and the second-largest in the United States. Only the New York City Department of Education has a larger student population. . All procedures are being followed according to state law and district policy in terms of child abuse. He's not in a situation where he is a danger to children.'' A phone call to Amugo's home was not immediately returned. - Daily News |
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