James Murphy

A Hollywood casting director charged with failing to comply with sex offender registry laws testified Tuesday that his use of a professional alias was not an attempt to hide his criminal past. "I've spent so long trying to become a productive member of society there's nothing I want to do to go back to jail," Jason James Murphy told a Los Angeles County Superior Court judge during a hearing in Beverly Hills to determine whether prosecutors have enough evidence to proceed to trial.

James F. Murphy has been named managing vice president in the Los Angeles office of Alexander & Alexander Inc., an insurance brokerage and risk management company. He previously was managing vice president in the San Jose office.

Sean Salisbury, playing in his first Canadian Football League game, threw touchdown passes of 17, 64 and 21 yards to James Murphy as the Winnipeg Blue Bombers downed the Saskatchewan Roughriders, 32-20. Salisbury, a former USC star, was forced into action after starting quarterback Tom Muecke pulled up lame before the game. Salisbury finished with 17 completions in 38 attempts for 257 yards.

Fire Chief Carl Johnson will retire Dec. 30, after nearly 36 years as a Covina firefighter. Johnson, 61, began his career in February, 1956, and worked his way up through the ranks to become assistant fire chief in 1964 and fire chief in 1976. Battalion Chief James Murphy will serve as interim chief until city officials complete a feasibility study on whether to contract with Los Angeles County for fire service, Johnson said.