Los Angeles Times - Top News

A 10-year nightmare over rape conviction is over

Ashley Powers, Los Angeles Times — Fri, 25 May 2012 07:00:00 GMT

Brian Banks spent years in prison, branded a rapist. Then his accuser provided the key to getting his conviction dismissed.

Brian Banks logged onto Facebook last year, and a new friend request startled him.

Etan Patz: New Jersey man arrested in boy's 1979 disappearance

By Tina Susman — Thu, 24 May 2012 23:19:00 GMT

NEW YORK -- New York police on Thursday said they had arrested a New Jersey man in the case of Etan Patz, a 6-year-old boy whose disappearance 33 years ago launched a nationwide effort to improve methods of finding missing children and ushered in a more cautious style of parenting.

Employee behind lavish Las Vegas conference out at GSA

By Morgan Little — Thu, 24 May 2012 22:35:00 GMT

WASHINGTON -- Jeff Neely, the regional director responsible for much of the General Services Administration’s highly controversial $823,000 conference in Las Vegas in 2010, is no longer employed by the agency, a spokesman said.

Metro approves subway extension under Beverly Hills High

By Ari Bloomekatz — Thu, 24 May 2012 21:55:00 GMT

Despite strong objections and threats of legal action, Los Angeles County transportation officials on Thursday approved a plan to tunnel beneath Beverly Hills High School as part of a long-awaited Westside subway extension from downtown to the Westwood area.

New data add to worries about European economies

By Henry Chu — Thu, 24 May 2012 21:54:00 GMT

With European leaders squabbling over how to revive their withering economies, new market indicators Thursday showed the steep challenge they face, including signs that even powerhouse Germany may be heading for trouble.

Police question man who claims he killed Etan Patz

By Tina Susman — Thu, 24 May 2012 19:01:00 GMT

NEW YORK -- A New Jersey man was being questioned by New York police Thursday after claiming to have killed Etan Patz, a 6-year-old boy who vanished 33 years ago on his way to school, but some investigators were skeptical that his confession would close one of the country's most gripping missing-child cases.

Former high school football standout exonerated in rape case

By Ashley Powers — Thu, 24 May 2012 18:15:00 GMT

A former Long Beach high school football star convicted of raping a classmate a decade ago had his conviction dismissed Thursday after his accuser recanted her story.

Romney ventures onto Democratic turf, gets earful in Philadelphia

By Paul West — Thu, 24 May 2012 16:55:00 GMT

PHILADELPHIA – Making a rare inner-city campaign stop, Mitt Romney preached the merits of traditional, two-parent families and touted his platform of educational choice at a West Philadelphia charter school.

Obama leads in key swing states, new polls find

By Michael A. Memoli — Thu, 24 May 2012 15:50:00 GMT

Two of the states are familiar bellwethers, the third a relative newcomer to the swing-state category. For either Mitt Romney or President Obama, a clean sweep would guarantee victory on election night.

U.S. banking industry posts highest quarterly profit since 2007

By Jim Puzzanghera — Thu, 24 May 2012 15:24:00 GMT

WASHINGTON -- The U.S. banking industry posted a $35.3-billion profit in the first quarter of the year, its best performance since 2007, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. said Thursday.

Negative equity remains a drag on housing market

By Alejandro Lazo, Los Angeles Times — Thu, 24 May 2012 12:00:00 GMT

Nearly 1 in 3 homeowners with a mortgage in L.A. County owes more than the property is worth, new data show. These underwater loans hinder mobility and hurt prices because they tend to stymie the important move-up market.

Even as a tentative housing recovery in the Southland appears underway, a big stumbling block remains: the vast number of underwater homeowners.

Etan Patz: N.Y. police holding person in 1979 missing-child case

By Tina Susman — Thu, 24 May 2012 11:20:00 GMT

New York police on Thursday had someone in custody in connection with one of the city's and country's most gripping missing-child cases: that of Etan Patz , a 6-year-old boy who vanished off a Manhattan street in 1979 on his way to school.

NYPD: Person implicated in Etan Patz death

Thu, 24 May 2012 11:03:00 GMT

The New York City police commissioner says a person who's in custody has implicated himself in the disappearance and death of Etan Patz (AY'-tahn payts) 33 years ago.

SpaceX successfully flies by International Space Station

By W.J. Hennigan — Thu, 24 May 2012 10:51:00 GMT

While orbiting Earth at about 17,000 mph, SpaceX’s Dragon capsule Thursday came within 1.5 miles of the International Space Station in preparation for its historic hookup scheduled for later this week.

Secret files detail clergy abuse at Santa Barbara boarding school

By Ashley Powers, Los Angeles Times — Thu, 24 May 2012 07:00:00 GMT

After court battle, papers are released regarding accusations of sexual abuse of children at the Franciscans' St. Anthony Seminary.

Robert Van Handel remembered the boy as about 9 years old, tan, effeminate.

Leaders of cash-strapped Coliseum complex claim luxury suite

By Paul Pringle and Rong-Gong Lin II, Los Angeles Times — Thu, 24 May 2012 07:00:00 GMT

The taxpayer-owned venue is in financial ruins, but four commissioners kept a private, catered area at the Sports Arena from public sale, so they had prime views of Bruce Springsteen singing about blue-collar struggles.

Last month, four of the Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena's bosses decided to catch the Boss, so they used their government position to claim a luxury suite for Bruce Springsteen's sold-out stand there.

Mother shocked by daughter's alleged murder plot against her

By Phil Willon, Los Angeles Times — Thu, 24 May 2012 07:00:00 GMT

Angelica Aquirre of Hesperia says she recently became tougher with her rebellious daughter. Then the 13-year-old plotted to kill her, police say.

HESPERIA — Worried that her daughter may be on drugs, or worse, Angelica Aquirre did what any parent of a rebellious 13-year-old might do. She cracked down, set a curfew and thought about moving closer to her family in Mexico.

Egypt lines up to vote in its first free presidential election

By Jeffrey Fleishman, Los Angeles Times — Thu, 24 May 2012 07:00:00 GMT

Two days of balloting mark a historic contest between political Islam and secularists connected to the Mubarak regime. Egyptians marvel at the experience.

CAIRO — Seizing a moment in history they never imagined, the two old men walked arm in arm into a polling station on a day that was thoroughly and wonderfully Egyptian: Opinion polls were unreliable, intrigue was high, and there was a sense of destiny to rekindle the grandeur of the nation's ancient past.

13 candidates turn up the heat in inland congressional race

By Phil Willon, Los Angeles Times — Thu, 24 May 2012 07:00:00 GMT

Ten Republicans, two Democrats and one independent — at 13, the most in any state congressional race — are vying to represent California's 8th District.

LAKE ARROWHEAD — A hiss rose from the front row as the Republican-turned-independent took a swing at his grand old party.

L.A. OKs ban on plastic bags at checkout

By David Zahniser and Abby Sewell, Los Angeles Times — Thu, 24 May 2012 07:00:00 GMT

Council also imposes a 10-cent fee on paper totes. The law will be phased in over the next 16 months.

Los Angeles became the largest city in the nation to approve a ban on plastic bags at supermarket checkout lines, handing a hard-fought victory to environmentalists and promising to change the way Angelenos do their grocery shopping.

Secret Service director says Colombia prostitution scandal was isolated incident

By Brian Bennett, Washington Bureau — Thu, 24 May 2012 00:11:00 GMT

Mark Sullivan assures a Senate panel that there's no evidence of a wider culture of reckless partying and that President Obama's safety was not compromised.

WASHINGTON — The prostitution scandal that has embroiled the Secret Service is not evidence of a wider culture of boozing and paying for sex among those who are trained to take a bullet for the president, the director of the agency told skeptical senators.

Nevada fire: Man-made cause seen in blaze near California border

By Dalina Castellanos — Thu, 24 May 2012 00:07:00 GMT

A 6,600-acre Nevada wildfire burning near the California border was caused by people, fire officials announced Wednesday.

Tech giant HP to slash 27,000 jobs by 2014

By W.J. Hennigan — Wed, 23 May 2012 21:30:00 GMT

Hewlett-Packard Co., the world’s largest PC maker, will cut 27,000 jobs, or about 8 percent of its staff, by 2014 to bring down costs and make the company more competitive in a changing marketplace.

Ban on plastic bags at L.A. markets is approved

By David Zahniser — Wed, 23 May 2012 20:03:00 GMT

Los Angeles became the largest city in the nation Wednesday to adopt a ban on plastic bags at supermarket checkout lines, handing a major victory to clean-water advocates who sought to reduce the amount of trash clogging landfills, the region's waterways and the ocean.

Documents reveal Pentagon gave Hollywood special Bin Laden access

By Kim Geiger — Wed, 23 May 2012 19:41:00 GMT

WASHINGTON -- In the months after the U.S. military mission that killed Osama bin Laden, Pentagon officials met with Hollywood filmmakers and gave them special access in an effort to influence the creation of a film about the operation, newly released documents show.