MONDAY, JUNE 19, 2006
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Volume 5, Issue 187
Santa Monica Daily Press
SPEARS NO SAFARI GIRL PEOPLE IN THE NEWS 11
Fresh memories
DAILY LOTTERY 27 30 36 38 45 Meganumber: 13 Jackpot: $12M 6 9 10 22 25 Meganumber: 4 Jackpot: $70M 7 12 27 30 31
Mother who lost son to unsolved killing finds the shade
MIDDAY: 9 8 3 EVENING: 1 9 9
BY KEVIN HERRERA Daily Press Staff Writer
1st: 11 Money Bags 2nd: 08 Gorgeous George 3rd: 03 Hot Shot RACE TIME: 1:43.61 Although every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of the winning number information, mistakes can occur. In the event of any discrepancies, California State laws and California Lottery regulations will prevail. Complete game information and prize claiming instructions are available at California Lottery retailers. Visit the California State Lottery web site: http://www.calottery.com
Emilie Phelps/Special to the Daily Press Sam Alper, of Santa Monica, took top honors at Saturday’s Teen Film Fest.
NEWS OF THE WEIRD BY
CHUCK
SHEPARD
In May, independent arson experts reported that the 2004 Texas execution of Tyrone Willingham was based on evidence that has now been scientifically disproved (and which had probably been repudiated earlier in 2004, when another Texas arson convict had had his death sentence overturned). According to a Chicago Tribune story, the fire marshals whose testimony cinched Willingham’s sentence relied on out-of-date, discredited tests, leaving no reliable evidence for the jury that the fire that killed Willingham’s three kids was deliberately set. According to the report (commissioned by the Innocence Project), no formal training (only training “on the job") is required of Texas fire marshals.
TODAY IN HISTORY Today is the 170th day of 2006. There are 195 days left in the year. On June 19, 1865, Union troops commanded by Maj. Gen. Gordon Granger arrived in Galveston, Texas, with news that the Civil War was over, and that all slaves were free. (The anniversary of this celebration is called “Juneteenth.")
QUOTE OF THE DAY “To seek fulfillment is to invite frustration.’
JIDDU KRISHNAMURTI
INDIAN AUTHOR AND PHILOSOPHER
INDEX Horoscopes Talk budget, Pisces
2
Snow & Surf Report Water temperature: 66°
3
Opinion A lack of Control
4
Commentary Pro-life is just the opposite
5
Local Know You Before You Go
7
State Domain to blame
10
MOVIETIMES ‘Inconvenient’ shows
11
Comics Strips tease
12
Teenagers get to take Action! with own fest
PICO BOULEVARD — While cars zoomed past amid the lunchtime rush here on Thursday, Arminda Lopez stood on the curb looking content, delicately trimming the thin green stems of a brightly colored bouquet. She placed the flowers in the clear
plastic jugs that she and one of her girlfriends filled with fresh water for the week. The jugs rest at the bottom of a tree, its skinny trunk covered with faded photos, deflated birthday balloons and handwritten notes, including one written with black marker on cardboard that reads: “If the cops don’t get you first … God Will! Jesus, let justice be done!!” The message speaks to the sus-
pected gang member wanted for the murder of Lopez’ 15-year-old son, Eduardo “Eddie” Lopez, who was shot and killed on Feb. 28, just steps away from the tree that now serves as a memorial for the former student-athlete gunned down by a suspected gang member. Eddie Lopez is remembered for See LOPEZ, page 6
BY EMILIE PHELPS Special to the Daily Press
DOWNTOWN — Mention teenagers and the film industry together and images of Corey Haims and Leif Garretts gone wrong may spring to mind, but the adolescent auteurs who gathered here on Saturday have bigger ideas than landing on “True Hollywood Stories.” The youngsters who made their arrivals at the Main Library’s Martin Luther King Jr. auditorium over the weekend aren’t child actors, but budding directors looking to put an original slant on life at the inaugural Santa Monica Teen Film Festival. One of the afternoon’s highlights was a film by Santa Monican Sam Alper and his friend Josh Margolin, which won the top prize for a liveaction film, as well as the audience award. “Semi Formal,” a sevenminute short, depicts the story of two young men and their struggles to get ready for their school’s semiformal dance, which includes a hilarious, but controversial moment in which a rejected boy punches a haughty girl in the face. The boys were prompted to make the film by their student body president, who wanted a film to promote the semi-formal. “We were just worried we wouldn’t finish it,” admitted Alper, “or we’d finish it and get terrible grades on our tests for that week.”
Classifieds Ad space odyssey
A newspaper with issues
See FILM FEST, page 6
13-14
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Kevin Hererra/Daily Press Arminda Lopez trims the stems of fresh flowers last week before placing them at a memorial for her late son.
COMMUNITYPROFILES
A W E E K LY S E R I E S T H AT A P P E A R S E A C H M O N D AY A N D D E LV E S I N T O T H E L I V E S O F P E O P L E W H O L I V E , W O R K A N D P L AY I N S A N TA M O N I C A .
Lessons of a life in the scrum BY MICHAEL J. TITTINGER Daily Press Staff Writer
Rugby is the sport for those who loved playing “kill the man with the ball” as kids, according to Stuart Krohn of Sunset Park, summing up the mindset of those who don their mouthguards and little else each week to ruck, scrum and grub the day away. But that’s a good thing, according to the inner-city English teacher and rugby coach. When there’s a maul
Alejandro Cesar Cantarero II/Daily Press
RUGBY REDUX: Santa Monica rugby coach Stuart Krohn now has a pair of titles.
going on involving his students, Krohn is typically behind it. Rugby is a sport about fear, he feels, and those who learn to overcome their fears can tackle anything.
At 43, the barrel-chested Krohn has hung up his own white-collared jersey after playing professionally for See PROFILES, page 8
The Road to Riches “This is not just another book – this is a life changing program. The help and encouragement we received from Carl and his team was inspirational. They were always there to help us.” – Peter Foster, Texas
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