BRIEFLY : KEEPERS OPTIMISTIC ABOUT BABY WHALE.

SAN DIEGO - An orphaned baby whale found near death off Venice Beach has steadily gained weight and energy, buoying the hopes of keepers who have kept a 24-hour vigil over her tank.

J.J., as the California gray whale is known among her caretakers at Sea World, spends her days and nights swimming, floating, eating and playing in 120,000 gallons of sea water pumped in from nearby Mission Bay.

``I have an optimistic feeling,'' said Keith Yip, an animal care supervisor. In a year or so, keepers said J.J. must return to the Pacific Ocean because she may grow as long as 50 feet in length and 35 tons in weight - far too big for the pools at the aquatic park.

?13- Associated Press

Restored historic post office to reopen

GLENDALE - The main post office in downtown Glendale, which has been closed for more than a year for earthquake repairs and seismic retrofitting, will reopen today.

The building at 313 E. Broadway opened in 1934 and is on the National Register of Historic Landmarks. The construction project took more than a year because great care was taken during the renovation to restore the building to its 1930s character.

In conjunction with the reopening, the U.S. Postal Service closed its temporary main post office at 339 N. Central Ave. on Friday. Mail in post office boxes at the temporary location has been shifted to the reopened post office.

?13- Daily News

Baby whale freed from tangle in kelp 

A baby gray whale entangled in a kelp bed and abandoned by its mother was freed Monday by lifeguards off the coast of San Diego.

The calf's tail was wrapped in kelp, but the swimmers managed to set it free by cutting the aquatic plant, said Lt. Marshall Parks of the San Diego Lifeguard Service.

``Every so often we'll have a whale die in our area, maybe one every two or three years,'' he said. ``As far as a small calf entangled in kelp, I've never seen anything like this before.''

The U.S. Marine Fisheries Service has directed the lifeguard service and others to leave the freed whale alone and let nature take its course.

?13-Associated Press

Officials seek help in identifying body

Sheriff's investigators are seeking the public's help in identifying a man found dead Sunday afternoon on a roadway off the Artesia Freeway in Rancho Dominguez.

The man was found in a dirt area between the freeway and a business at 17511 S. Susana Road, said Sheriff's deputy Bob Killeen, who added the Coroner's Office will determine the cause of death through an autopsy.

The victim is described as an adult 25-30 years old, about 5 feet 7 inches tall and weighing 138 pounds with thick, wavy black hair, brown eyes and a round face.

The victim was found wearing a gold, long-sleeved front-button cotton shirt with black Levi's and blue and white tennis shoes. He also had several small religious objects in his pants pockets.

?13- Daily News