CALIFORNIA | LOCAL
February 21, 2014 | By Anh Do and Adolfo Flores
Attorneys for two women accused in a fatal beating outside a Santa Ana nightclub said Friday they have evidence that several of the victim's friends have “Asian gang affiliation” and may have escalated the altercation. “It changes everything in terms of the tenor of the case because it explains and justifies my clients' fear for themselves,” defense attorney Michael Molfetta said after a brief court hearing in Westminster. Prosecutors on Friday added additional charges against Vanese Tapia Zavala and Candace Marie Brito, accusing them of assault likely to cause great bodily injury.
CALIFORNIA | LOCAL
February 11, 2014 | By Anh Do and Adolfo Flores
Two women were ordered Tuesday to stand trial for murder in the death of a 23-year-old woman who was beaten during an altercation outside a popular Santa Ana nightspot. The ruling followed a two-day hearing with attorneys dissecting the shaky and sometimes chaotic scene, captured on the cellphones of bystanders. Lawyers for Vanesa Tapia Zavala and Candace Marie Brito, who are accused of killing Kim Pham on Jan. 18, said it was Pham who instigated the brawl by throwing the first punch, then jumping on a woman who had tumbled to the ground.
WORLD
January 21, 2014 | By Carol J. Williams
Thai officials proclaimed a state of emergency Tuesday to contain increasingly violent anti-government protesters trying to oust Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra and derail an election she has called. The 60-day emergency state gives the government sweeping powers to impose curfews, ban public gatherings, censor news media and arrest people without charges or warrants, news agencies reported in Bangkok, the capital. Yingluck's embattled government needs the emergency measure " to take care of the situation ," said Deputy Prime Minister Surapong Tovichakchaikul, the Bangkok Post reported.
BUSINESS
January 17, 2014 | By Salvador Rodriguez
T-Mobile this week announced it would hold a Macklemore & Ryan Lewis concert, just one week after the company's chief executive was thrown out of the hip-hop duo's concert in Las Vegas that was put on by AT&T. The two wireless carriers have been at each others' throats the last few weeks, and T-Mobile's upcoming concert seems to be the latest shot in its fight with AT&T. The concert will be held Jan. 23 in Los Angeles at the Belasco Theatre. T-mobile and AT&T recently escalated their rivalry by announcing new strategies to poach customers from each other.
TRAVEL
January 12, 2014 | By Jen Leo
A social travel site that rewards followers of popular itineraries with savings. Name: CarryOn.com What it does: Features deals with escalating savings, meaning that the more people who follow a trip, the more savings CarryOn delivers. Members (free to join) choose between following an existing deal or creating their own. As more people follow the same deal, the price starts to drop. The site claims members can save up to 40%. What's hot: The site is attractive, and the deals are inviting, with large photos.
CALIFORNIA | LOCAL
December 6, 2013 | By Seema Mehta and Abby Sewell
Striking social workers took to the picket lines for a second day Friday, with no progress reported in negotiations with Los Angeles County and a probable escalation of work-site actions next week by the county's largest public-employee union. "We intend to ramp it up," said Bob Schoonover, president of SEIU Local 721, which represents 55,000 county employees - including 3,600 social workers and their supervisors - who have been working without a contract for two months. "This is not going to be an easy fight.