11-Year-Old Boy Charged With Trying to Kill Another Student at School
A fifth-grader was charged with attempted murder today for allegedly stabbing another fifth-grade boy at a Boyle Heights elementary school.
The 11-year-old boy is scheduled to be arraigned Monday in Eastlake Juvenile Court on the attempted murder charge, along with a felony count of bringing or possessing a weapon on school grounds, according to Greg Risling of the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office.
The stabbing occurred Thursday at Bridge Street Elementary School, according to school police. The fifth-grader was stabbed with a pocket knife. “We made the arrest of the boy who stabbed the other boy and transported him to juvenile hall,” Sgt. George Sandoval of the Los Angeles Unified School District police said this morning. “The other boy remains in
the hospital.”
The injured child was last reported in stable condition and Sandoval said there should be an update on his condition later today. There was no word on what precipitated the attack. Crisis counselors were on hand at the school today.
“The entire L.A. Unified family is saddened by the tragic incident involving two students at Bridge Street Elementary School yesterday,” Los Angeles Unified School District Superintendent Michelle King said in a statement. “Student safety is paramount and remains our top priority. Our thoughts go out to the entire school community, especially the victim.
“While the law enforcement investigation continues, the District is providing support for students and staff, including those who may have witnessed the incident,” King said. “Crisis counselors are at the school today. All schools have a Safe School Plan in place, and this plan will be included in the recovery process at Bridge Street Elementary School.” (CNS)
Group launches $2 million ad campaign to block Merrick Garland appointment
The Judicial Crisis Network, a conservative group at the forefront of efforts to block President Obama’s Supreme Court nominee, is launching a $2 million advertising campaign, urging the Senate to stand firm against Merrick Garland’s appointment to the high court.
The TV, digital and radio campaign will focus on six states, including Colorado and West Virginia, where it will target Democratic Sens. Michael Bennet and Joe Manchin, respectively. It also seeks to boost Republican senators up for re-election this fall in swing states, including New Hampshire Sen. Kelly Ayotte and Iowa Sen. Chuck Grassley, who heads the Senate Judiciary Committee. Grassley has sided with the Senate’s Republican leaders, who say they will not hold Judiciary panel hearings, much less a confirmation vote, on any Supreme Court pick until voters choose a new president.
The 30-second ads, called “Let the People Decide,” are similar to ads the group ran last month, shortly after the death of Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia.
The conservative legal group is leading what is expected to be a bitter political fight over Obama’s efforts to fill the high court vacancy. The brawl already has spilled into the presidential contest and key Senate races. One Nation, a group affiliated with Republican strategist Karl Rove, this week released an ad backing Grassley in Iowa.
Liberal groups also are gearing up for political warfare. A trio of former Obama aides have formed a non-profit group, the Constitutional Responsibility Project, and have launched a website, weneednine.org, to pressure the Senate to take action on Garland. The liberal activist group, MoveOn.org, plans a “day of action” Monday, targeting senators in their state offices as lawmakers begin a two-week Easter recess.
Democrats also are taking aim at Republican senators on social media. On Friday, Obama and others joined a #DoYourJobFriday campaign on Twitter. The president urged his followers to retweet his message “if you believe Judge Merrick Garland deserves fair consideration.” (USA Today)
710 Freeway To Be Closed This Weekend For Road Work
San Gabriel Valley and East LA motorists be advised – the Long Beach (710) Freeway in the Monterey Park area will be shut down all weekend for road work.
According to Caltrans, the southbound 710 Freeway will have only one lane open between the San Bernardino (10) and Pomona (60) freeways to accommodate the placement of concrete slabs.
Connector ramps from the 10 Freeway to the southbound 710 will also be closed.
The closures begin at 10 p.m. and are scheduled to continue until 5 a.m. Monday.
The work is part of a $120 million pavement replacement project on the 710 Freeway between the Century (105) Freeway and the 10. The project is scheduled to be completed later this year. （CBS）
California unemployment rate dips to 5.5 percent
California’s unemployment rate was 5.5 percent in February, continuing a slight downward trend but remaining higher than the nation’s jobless rate as a whole, state figures indicated Friday.
The state added 39,900 nonfarm payroll jobs, according to a business survey cited by the state Employment Development Department.
A smaller federal survey estimated nearly 18 million Californians held jobs last month, an increase of 62,000 from January, the state agency reported.
Just over 1 million Californians were unemployed, a decrease of 36,000 over the month and a dip of nearly 207,000 compared with February of last year.
The unemployment rate generally has been falling for months except for a slight increase in December to 5.8 percent.
The state has added some 2 million jobs since it began to recover from the recession in February 2010, when the unemployment rate was at a recession-era high of 12.4 percent.
However, February’s unemployment figure of 5.5 percent was still higher than the U.S. rate of 4.9 percent, which was unchanged from January.
Construction and four other work categories added nearly 52,000 jobs over February. Leisure and hospitality posted the largest increase, with 18,300 jobs.
A loss of 12,000 jobs was reported in four categories, including government and a combination of trade, transportation and utilities.
The Employment Development Department said 388,417 people received regular unemployment insurance benefits in February, compared with more than 410,000 a month earlier. About 42,000 people filed new claims for unemployment insurance. （KPCC）
