1994

Authorities at Lake Tahoe on Monday solved the mystery of a scuba diver who disappeared 17 years ago in the mountain lake's deep, frigid waters. The well-preserved body of Donald Christopher Windecker was discovered July 23 on an underwater shelf, 265 feet below the surface. A remote-controlled mini-submarine with a robotic claw raised the remains July 27. The recovery occurred on the lake's west side, near Rubicon Point. Officials delayed releasing Windecker's name until dental records confirmed his identity.

A former NFL linebacker was found guilty Thursday of shooting a wealthy Newport Beach businessman to death in a plot to collect on a $1-million life insurance policy. Eric Naposki, a onetime linebacker with the New England Patriots and Indianapolis Colts, was accused of plotting William McLaughlin's murder with the businessman's fiancee, Nanette Ann Packard, in December 1994. "We've always been hopeful," Jenny McLaughlin, the victim's daughter, told reporters after the verdict.

They put down bunts, they converted a double play, they threw out a runner at the plate, they executed a hit-and-run play, they pulled off a double steal. Riverside North, the team that was 4-24 two seasons ago, showed everyone Friday night at Dodger Stadium how baseball is supposed to be played, and the result was a 7-1 victory over Anaheim Esperanza in the Southern Section Division 1 championship game. A three-run fourth inning by the Huskies (27-7) wiped out a 1-0 deficit and lifted them to their first title since 1994, when now-major leaguer Adam Kennedy was the star.

Daniel Catán, an opera composer and librettist whose works including "Il Postino" and "Florencia en el Amazonas" have been praised for their lyrical romanticism and humane generosity of spirit, died suddenly Saturday in Austin, Texas. He was 62. Catán's death was announced by the Butler School of Music of the University of Texas, where he was a visiting artist. The cause has not been determined. A South Pasadena resident, Catán had been commissioned by the Butler School to adapt Frank Capra's 1941 classic film "Meet John Doe" for the operatic stage.

Los Angeles City Council candidate Stephen Box did not pay thousands of dollars in taxes on time in 1994, 1995 and 1999, according to liens filed against him with the L.A. County registrar-recorder. According to the liens, Box failed to pay a total of $11,813 in federal taxes in 1994 and 1995, and $2,691 in state taxes in 1999, some of which may have been subsequently paid. Another lien was filed against him in 2008 in connection with a small-claims-court case over an alleged nonpayment of $2,618 to Capital One bank.

John Williams, research director for the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco, was named the bank's new president, succeeding Janet Yellen, who left last year to become the Fed board's vice chairman. Williams, 48, had served as executive vice president and research director since 2009. The economist, who has worked in the Fed system since 1994, joins the central bank's efforts to bolster growth and reverse a jobless rate stuck at 9% or more since May 2009. He represents a nine-state Western region that accounts for about 20% of the economy and has seen more than 60 banks fail since 2004.

As home to the new Valley Performing Arts Center, Cal State Northridge hopes to become the cultural heart of the San Fernando Valley, as well as its intellectual hub. The $125-million arts center, which opened Saturday, could become the signature landmark of the 52-year-old campus, drawing world-class orchestras, productions and entertainers while enhancing the university's academic arts programs. Patrons attending the opening gala, however, passed near a far different symbol of the campus: bent and pockmarked remains of a parking structure that collapsed during the 1994 Northridge earthquake.

For 40 years as a bishop in Mexico's impoverished Chiapas state, Samuel Ruiz championed the rights of the long-suffering Maya Indians who dominate the lush region. He learned their languages and adopted their customs into Roman Catholic practice. He also made powerful enemies among rich landowners, Mexican governments and even the Vatican. He mediated the Zapatista peasant revolt of the 1990s and was both praised for helping to avoid wider bloodshed and criticized for supposedly inciting the rebels in the first place.

Kevin O'Neill and Lane Kiffin are colleagues at USC, one coaching men's basketball, the other football, and each share a resume line of rare distinction. Both coached at Tennessee ? and burned bridges when they skipped town. O'Neill abruptly bolted after a successful three seasons, from 1994-97, when a disagreement with the athletic director led to him leaving for Northwestern. Kiffin exited Tennessee after 13 games in 2009 to take the USC gig, leaving without much of an explanation or a goodbye, which left Volunteers fans as bitter as whiskey.

Last month's political contest between Jerry Brown and Meg Whitman mobilized more California voters than any gubernatorial election since 1994, according to final election results certified Friday by Secretary of State Debra Bowen. The Nov. 2 election drew a 59.6% turnout, Bowen said. "The race for governor and some controversial propositions drew the highest number of people to the polls in five gubernatorial elections," she said. Just as a sweep of statewide offices by Democrats in California ran counter to GOP gains nationally, the Golden State's voters did not exhibit the "enthusiasm gap" that dampened turnout in other states.