BRIEFLY.

Train hits car stuck on tracks

SUN VALLEY -- A Metrolink train collided with a vehicle that apparently became stuck Thursday evening on the tracks at Sunland Boulevard and San Fernando Road, and witnesses said the motorist jumped out just before impact, authorities said.

No injuries were reported from the 6:53 p.m. collision, Los Angeles Fire Department spokesman Brian Balton said.

The Antelope Valley-bound train, crowded with commuters, dragged the car several hundred feet before stopping, said Denis Wolcott, a passenger in the first car behind the locomotive.

The train stopped at the Sun Valley Station a short time later.

"We felt it," Wolcott said. "It actually made the train kind of stop almost."

Other witnesses told police the driver appeared unable to get his vehicle off the tracks.

-- Daily News

Pet adoptions to be promoted

The city's Animal Services Department will hold a special pet-adoption event Saturday, with discounted adoption fees and other special offers.

The event will run from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at all six city shelters, including East Valley at 13131 Sherman Way, North Hollywood, and West Valley, 20655 Plummer St., Chatsworth.

For information, call [phone] or see www.laanimalservices.com.

-- Daily News

$25 million sold in LAUSD bonds

The Los Angeles Unified School District sold $525 million in general-obligation bonds to fund new construction projects, district officials announced Thursday.

"This week's successful bond sale confirms what I heard during my recent trip to New York and Chicago -- that investors have tremendous confidence in the district's direction and management," said board President Marlene Canter.

Superintendent David Brewer III said the sale demonstrates the "sound financial policies" of the district.

"It underscores investor confidence that the district remains committed to academic and fiscal improvements that benefit our students," Brewer said.

The $25 million refinancing portion of the sale is the seventh successful refinancing of district general-obligation bonds since 2002, according to the school district.

--City News Service

Man confronts thief, is shot

WOODLAND HILLS -- A 30-year-old man was shot in the leg Thursday night when he opened up a garage door to confront a gunman who was trying to steal his Porsche Boxer, police said.

The man, who was listed in fair condition at a local hospital, was told by neighbors about 9:30 p.m. that someone was tampering with his car at a residence on the 4800 block of Topanga Canyon, LAPD Officer Jason Lee said.

The gunman, described as a 5-foot-8-inch black man in his 20s or 30s, shot the man in the leg and fled on foot, heading west on Buena Ventura Street, Lee said.

-- Daily News

CAPTION(S):

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Photo:

Police and firefighters examine the wreckage of a car hit by a Metrolink train in Sun Valley on Thursday. The driver, talking to an officer just behind the car, was not hurt.

Mike Meadows/Special to the Daily News