Demolition

In a surprising and emotional hearing Wednesday, a judge recused himself from hearing a request by the city to tear down 16 acres worth of vacant buildings, further delaying efforts to remove what many consider a prominent eyesore. The city of Santa Ana filed a lawsuit against Cooper Fellowship in June, alleging that the buildings it owns at 2828 N. Bristol St. had become a nuisance and asking that they be torn down.

Work crews in northern Japan finally succeeded today in blasting to rubble a giant rock that had crushed a highway tunnel. But it may still take days of digging to reach a trapped bus and car and their occupants. The rescue drama has captured Japan's attention since Saturday, when a slab of mountain the size of a 20-story building peeled free and crushed the seaside tunnel, trapping a bus with 19 people aboard and a car with one person inside.

Developers of the Lincoln Place housing project in Venice received two decisions Tuesday on the proposed redevelopment of the property. Superior Court Judge Alan B. Haber granted Transaction Cos. Ltd. the right to demolish a 17-unit building at Lincoln Place, a project that is made up mostly of low- and moderate-income apartments. The city had refused to issue a demolition permit for the building, so Transaction Cos. requested that the court order the city to grant the permit.

By May, all that will be left of the Sea Castle apartments is the land the building now stands on. After two days of testimony, the Santa Monica Nuisance Abatement Board decided Friday that the seaside apartment building should be razed as quickly as possible. The board gave the owner, Robert Braun, about three months to get the necessary approvals and permits to complete the work.

By May, all that will be left of the Sea Castle apartments is the land the building now stands on. After two days of testimony, the Santa Monica Nuisance Abatement Board decided Friday that the seaside apartment building should be razed as quickly as possible. The board gave the owner, Robert Braun, about three months to complete the work. Testimony from firefighters and engineers convinced board members that the structure was unsafe.

Days after authorities broke up a mass rally against Russian troops outside Chechnya's ruined presidential palace, workers began Thursday to demolish the gutted symbol of rebel resistance. Explosions echoed and clouds of black smoke billowed over Grozny's main square as the northern wing of the charred building was blown up. The Russian-backed Chechen government said the building is being destroyed as a safety measure. The palace, once the headquarters of rebel leader Dzhokar M.

Officially, it was known as the General Medical and Surgical Building, a six-story structure that towered for decades over the sprawling Sepulveda Veterans Affairs Medical Center. To those who worked there and for many of the patients treated within its brick walls, however, it was just Building 3. Everyone was evicted, however, on Jan. 17, 1994, when the Northridge earthquake struck before dawn, severely damaging the facility.

Workers began Wednesday to tear down the Dunblane Primary School gym, where gunman Thomas Hamilton killed 16 children and their teacher. The demolition is expected to take several days and be finished before pupils return Monday from their Easter vacation. A flower garden will be planted on the site where Hamilton shot the 5- and 6-year-old children and their teacher March 13 before turning his gun on himself.

Environmental reports required to be submitted to developers of the old General Motors plant on Van Nuys Boulevard should be finished "in the next couple of weeks," according to a spokeswoman for GM. The cleanup process, which includes excavating soil, removing asbestos and extracting concrete embedded underground, has been ongoing since GM closed the plant in 1992 and is nearly complete, sources familiar with the project said.

The gym at Dunblane Primary School where 16 children and their teacher were shot to death last month is to be demolished next week while pupils are away for Easter. The site is to be planted with flower bulbs in memory of those who died when the gunman, Thomas Hamilton, went on a 10-minute rampage before killing himself. British Prime Minister John Major, visiting the Scottish town of Dunblane after the killings, had said that the gym should be razed.