BRIEFLY.

College officials answer queries

WOODLAND HILLS -- Representatives from more than 100 colleges nationwide will be available today to answer questions about admissions, financial aid and course offerings during the College Faire Extraordinaire at Pierce College.

Pierce and the Los Angeles Unified School District teamed up for the event, which will offer 35 workshops, including overviews of the University of California and California State University systems.

The event will be held from 9 a.m. to noon at Pierce, 6201 Winnetka Ave.

-- Daily News

Morones given airports position

Ralph Morones was appointed director of construction and maintenance for Los Angeles World Airports, airport officials announced Friday.

Morones, who has worked for the city of Los Angeles for 33 years, will oversee 1,300 employees at Los Angeles International, Ontario International, Van Nuys and Palmdale airports, officials said.

Morones, who attended the University of Texas at Austin, Long Beach City College and Los Angeles Harbor College, most recently served as director of maintenance at Ontario International Airport.

-- City News Service

Court: Leg irons OK for prisoners

A federal appeals court ruled Friday that the U.S. Marshals Service in Los Angeles can automatically shackle detained defendants' legs when they make their initial court appearance.

The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, ruling on a lawsuit brought by 18 defendants, said the marshals could shackle individual defendants during their initial court appearance to protect those inside and outside the courtroom.

Last year, the appeals court said the Los Angeles federal courthouse's every-defendant policy was over-broad, but allowed it to go forward Friday after being convinced that the policy is necessary for safety reasons.

The policy was adopted in 2003 amid general safety concerns, and because several detainees are often in the same small courtroom waiting for their case to be called.

-- Associated Press

Vandenberg new home for unit

The Air Force said Friday it will move its space surveillance operations from Cheyenne Mountain near Colorado Springs, Colo., to Vandenberg Air Force Base in California.

Gen. Kevin P. Chilton said 140 staff members, including civilians and contractors, will move.

Chilton said his command's Joint Space Operations Center is already at Vandenberg, on the coast west of Buellton, and it makes sense to combine the operations. The first personnel will move in January with the transfer complete by July. Chilton said the change is needed because the threat from space has increased as more countries develop the ability to launch satellites. The headquarters of the Space Command, which includes 40,000 military and civilian staff, will remain at Peterson Air Force Base near Colorado Springs.

-- Associated Press

Killer of model gets 25 to life

An ex-convict who strangled an aspiring model who thought she was getting a part in a James Bond movie was sentenced Friday to 25 years to life in prison.

Before sentencing, Victor Lawrence Paleologus tried to withdraw his guilty plea to first-degree murder, claiming he was pressured into it. Superior Court Judge Robert J. Perry turned down the request.

Paleologus, 44, entered the plea in July, three weeks into his trial. He could have faced the death penalty if a jury had convicted him of the Feb. 15, 2003, murder of Kristine Johnson.

Prosecutors said Paleologus met the 21-year-old aspiring model and actress at a Century City mall and persuaded her to take part in a phony photo shoot. The Holland, Mich., native told her roommate that she was planning to see a man about a movie part for a ``James Bond action-type movie.'' Her body was found in a Hollywood Hills ravine about three weeks after she vanished.

Paleologus has a criminal record dating to 1998 that included a felony conviction for assault with attempt to commit rape.

-- Associated Press