Harbor

Vietnam veteran John Otte did his best to forget the war. He got married, raised two sons and made a career working at credit unions. But as Otte neared retirement, memories of combat flooded back. Starting in 2005, he filed a series of claims with Veterans Affairs for disability compensation, contending that many of his health problems stemmed from the war. The VA agreed, and now the 65-year-old with two Purple Hearts receives $1,900 a month for post-traumatic stress disorder and diabetes - and for having shrapnel scars on his arms.

The harlequin ladybird was once a stalwart ally of greenhouse growers around the world. Native to Japan, Korea and other parts of eastern Asia, the bright red ladybugs were prized for their aphid-eating abilities - until they caused serious declines in other ladybug populations. Now researchers have discovered the harlequin ladybird's secret weapon: a deadly parasite that lives harmlessly in its body but kills other species with abandon. The findings, published this week in the journal Science, demonstrate how things can go awry when a foreign creature is introduced into an ecosystem, even when done with the best intentions.

As long as I have to listen to people crying, "Remember Hiroshima and Nagasaki," I'll be shouting, "Remember Pearl Harbor"! MICHAEL FREMONT Temple City

Two truck drivers have sued one of Southern California's largest trucking companies, alleging they were denied breaks, lunch hours and overtime because they were treated as independent contractors rather than employees of Harbor Express Inc. The lawsuit filed this week is one of several complaints lodged against trucking companies in recent years and is seeking class-action status. Lawyers for the plaintiffs said it could affect as many as 400 truck drivers who worked for the Wilmington-based company since May 2009.

Heard the fish tale about the one that got away? Here's one about a fish that won't go away. A deep-water swordfish has taken up residency in busy King Harbor in Redondo Beach, where it is sharing space with 1,500 pleasure boats and a sportfishing fleet. Hard-boiled fishermen who normally would be chasing such a fish halfway across the Pacific with their harpoons at the ready were working Tuesday to keep it safe from propellers and dockside anglers.

For the most part, the 1988-89 season was satisfying for El Camino and somewhat frustrating for Harbor. The Warriors sent 10 teams to postseason action while Harbor struggled through football and got nailed in the playoffs in basketball and baseball. El Camino did especially well in track, softball, football and basketball. The women were impressive in track and softball. The Warriors, champions of the South Coast Conference, brought home their third state track title of the decade.

Every commercial harbor in the nation has its own pilots, and at the Port of Long Beach one family has been running the pilot operation for 90 years. It's the Jacobsen clan, whose roots stretch back to a Norwegian fishing village. Today they are responsible for shepherding ships as long as skyscrapers are tall. "My grandfather Jacob started doing this in 1922, when this port was pretty much just a mud flat," said Tom Jacobsen, the third-generation president of Jacobsen Pilot Service.

The day after a tsunami destroyed this beleaguered city's fishing harbor and battered the economy along with it, the sky here on the wild Northern California coast struggled to brighten. Rain pelted the debris-strewn harbor. Winds whipped through the redwoods. And still the cars came, headlights glowing, passengers craning to see boats upended like toys. Most of the region's emergency staff had been working nonstop since the giant waves were first predicted, and the city was hard-pressed to stop a steady parade of gawkers.

Mark and Cindy Evans make the rounds of Southern California flea markets early, before most shoppers have gotten out of bed. Their favorite stops: The Groves Antique Market Held the first Sunday of the month from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. Irvine Valley College, 5500 Irvine Center Drive, Irvine. Admission and parking are free. Dogs allowed. (949) 786-5277. Pasadena City College Flea Market Also held on the first Sunday of every month, from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. (Due to a scheduling change, the market happens to be open this Sunday.

Pirates: A photo in Section A on Sunday accompanying an article about pirate attacks on yachters in the Caribbean was of St. Vincent's Cumberland harbor, not nearby Chateaubelair harbor.

Three people were shot to death, and a was fourth wounded, in a dispute that may have been over drugs at a Harbor Gateway apartment complex, officials said. Police said the incident appeared to be isolated. "There is no additional danger to the community members in the area," LAPD Capt. Nancy Lauer told reporters Friday. Police received a 911 call about 5:35 a.m. from a resident who reported hearing eight or nine gunshots in an apartment building in the 1600 block of West 205th Street.

Crime reports are up significantly for the latest week in nine L.A. neighborhoods, according to an analysis of LAPD data by the Los Angeles Times' Crime L.A. database . Two neighborhoods reported a significant increase in violent crime. Harbor Gateway (A) was the most unusual, recording seven reports compared with a weekly average of two over the last three months. Elysian Park (C) topped the list of seven neighborhoods with property crime alerts. It recorded three property crimes compared with its weekly average of 0.8 over the last three months.

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan - As Pakistan's leading political parties ramp up their campaigns ahead of parliamentary elections in mid-May, they face a burgeoning youth electorate that has become deeply disillusioned with the country's direction and doubtful that democracy is the best course to take, according to new report released Wednesday. A survey by the British Council found that nearly one-third of Pakistan's registered voters are between the ages of 18 and 29, and that more than half of those voters - roughly 13 million - would be going to the polls for the first time.

WASHINGTON - The U.S. Navy is moving a sea-based radar platform closer to North Korea to track possible missile launches, a Pentagon official said Monday, in the latest step meant to deter the North and reassure South Korea and Japan that the U.S. is committed to their defense. The sea-based X-band radar, a self-propelled system resembling an oil rig, is heading toward the Korean peninsula from Pearl Harbor, the official said. The John S. McCain, a guided missile destroyer capable of shooting down ballistic missiles, also is being sent to the region, said another Defense Department official.

Rush-hour traffic in the new 110 Freeway toll lanes is moving faster, but traffic in other lanes has slowed slightly, according to the first report on the project. The Metro and Caltrans data is the first evaluation of the county's initial attempt at "congestion pricing" - charging solo drivers to use the carpool lane to reduce backups. The high-occupancy or "HOT" lanes run from the Harbor Gateway Transit Center at 182nd Street to Adams Boulevard. Transit officials have sold more than 105,000 transponders - the devices drivers need to use the HOT lanes.

Over the objections of environmentalists, community groups and neighboring Long Beach officials, Los Angeles harbor commissioners on Thursday approved a $500-million rail yard that could dramatically boost business but also drive more noise and dirty air into schools, parks and low-income neighborhoods. The proposal to create a huge staging center for trains hauling freight from the Port of Los Angeles has raised questions about environmental justice, particularly for the adjacent poor and working-class neighborhoods of west Long Beach.

Citizen's Dock Overview: Commercial fishing and angling off the pier are the predominant occupations of this 900-foot, I-shaped span, built in 1950. There are good views of the harbor area. Background: In 2011, a Humboldt State professor estimated that Crescent City and its harbor had experienced as many as 35 tsunamis in the last 75 years. In March 2011, an earthquake in Japan sent a tsunami across the Pacific; a surge up to 8 feet swamped the harbor and its boats and tore apart smaller docks.

Harbor 13, West Los Angeles 9--Damon Moore scored on a 10-yard run and Jon Williams had field goals of 42 and 35 yards for the host Seahawks. The victory gave Harbor a 3-0 record. It is the first time since 1965 that the Seahawks have won their first three games. West L.A. is 1-2.

On a tiny sliver of land in Harbor Gateway, the city is beginning construction on what officials believe will be the smallest park in Los Angeles. At one-fifth of an acre, the pocket park will barely have room for two jungle gyms, some benches and a brick wall. But the enjoyment the park will give children is a secondary concern for officials. They are building the park for a different reason: to force 33 registered sex offenders to move out of a nearby apartment building. State law prohibits sex offenders from living within 2,000 feet of a park or school.