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FRIDAY, JULY 21, 2006
Volume 5, Issue 215
Santa Monica Daily Press A newspaper with issues
DAILY LOTTERY 12 13 29 49 52 Meganumber: 20 Jackpot: $12M 9 15 22 36 44 Meganumber: 13 Jackpot: $15M 3 11 20 26 27
City to recycle rodents as raptor food
MIDDAY: 6 2 2 EVENING: 6 4 7
BY CAROLYN SACKARIASON
1st: 03 Hot Shot 2nd: 08 Gorgeous George 3rd: 11 Money Bags RACE TIME: 1:43.20 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
NEWS OF THE WEIRD BY
Squirrels are for the birds
CHUCK
SHEPARD
■ The Rhode Island Supreme Court in June affirmed a $400,000 judgment for Charles Lennon, 68, who had sued the now-bankrupt Dacomed company after his Dura-II penile implant remained constantly erect for 10 years. Lennon said embarrassment had forced him to become a recluse. ■ In Waupun, Wis., in June, a 36-yearold man filed a police complaint against a female bartender at the Alcatraz Pub because she injured him by aggressively nuzzling him to her bosom during horseplay at the bar.
Daily Press Staff Writer
PALISADES PARK — City Hall’s latest plan for the resident squirrels here: Trap them, gas them and feed them to the birds. Once the population has been reduced to acceptable levels by county officials, the remaining female squirrels’ sex organs will be inhibited by a vaccine so they can’t
reproduce. It’s not a pretty picture, but a necessary plan, according to city, county and pest control officials. Because the squirrels carry fleas which can lead to bubonic plague, they are considered a health threat, officials said. And because Palisades Park is overrun with the rodents, City Hall has been mandated by the Los
File photo
A NUTTY NO-NO: Despite posted signs asking people not to feed the squirrels See SQUIRRELS, page 10
at Palisades Park, some just can’t say no to a fuzzy tailed friend.
Rescuing for dummies
Providing a Sensible alternative
TODAY IN HISTORY
BY KEVIN HERRERA
Today is the 202nd day of 2006. There are 163 days left in the year.
Daily Press Staff Writer
On July 21, 1861, the first Battle of Bull Run was fought at Manassas, Va., resulting in a Confederate victory. In 1831, Belgium became independent as Leopold I was proclaimed King of the Belgians.
metro market in Northern California’s Silicon Valley, where the average rent climbed to $1,414, a 9.1 percent increase over the same period last year. In Southern California, average
CITYWIDE — Criticized by foes during the last campaign season for being a mouthpiece for the hotel and restaurant industry, members of Santa Monicans for Sensible Priorities are looking to prove themselves as a legitimate, community-based group capable of influencing local politics for the benefit of the people — not big business. While originally backed by the hotel and restaurant industry, SMSP has received plenty of cash from residents — one personal check at a time, said Seth Jacobson, a political consultant and spokesman for SMSP. At a recent City Council meeting, members of the group presented elected officials with 5,000 signatures from residents who said they are affiliated with SMSP and support its mission to reduce crime, traffic and the homeless population. The signatures, presented during the public comment portion of the meeting, was an attempt to show widespread support for the group’s platform and announce their arrival. Since then, Jacobson said SMSP has increased its support network to 7,500 and wants to see that number climb to 9,000 or more this summer,
See HIGH RENTS, page 9
See SMSP, page 7
QUOTE OF THE DAY “There is no bigotry like that of ‘free thought’ run to seed.”
HORACE GREELEY
AMERICAN JOURNALIST (1811-1872)
INDEX Horoscopes Relax together, Capricorn
2
Surf Report Water temperature: 67°
3
Opinion Take our nuts and go home
4
Commentary A morbid lease on life
5
Fabian Lewkowicz/Daily Press Kasey Marenco, 11, (far back), Ashley Cardoza, 13, (center) and Tamara Katoni, 12, (foreground) drag a dummy through a tunnel to safety during a confined-space rescue drill on Thursday at Rosie’s Girls Camp at the Santa Monica Fire Department training center. Rosie’s Girls Santa Monica is based on a national program designed to build selfesteem, leadership and physical confidence in middle school girls.
Crime Watch There ought to be a law
6
STATE
8
No day like today for rent increases
Entertainment The hills are alive
Sports Athletes of a feather
11
AP Business Writer
MOVIETIMES Care for a ‘Nacho’?
13
Comics Strips tease
14
Classifieds Ad space odyssey
BY ALEX VEIGA
15-18
LOS ANGELES — Apartment rents across the West’s major markets increased in the second quarter compared to the same period last year, as demand for rental housing jumped in
many metropolitan areas, according to a report released Thursday. The biggest rent increases were concentrated in California, home to four of the 29 markets surveyed by Novato-based real estate research firm RealFacts Inc. Leading the pack was the San Jose
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