La Mesa

Two men charged with murdering a popular Grossmont High School student were ordered to stand trial Tuesday after an emotional hearing that included testimony from an alleged accomplice. Municipal Judge Frank A. Brown ordered the trial for Aaron Sylvester Hill, 20, and the victim's former boyfriend, Alex Love II, 19, after several witnesses linked the men to the killing. Love is charged with being the gunman who fired two bullets from a semiautomatic pistol into Tameka Henderson's head and torso.

LA MESA -- It's not every day a California Highway Patrol officer pulls over an "Easter Bunny. " But that's what happened on a San Diego County freeway over the weekend when Officer Adam Griffiths pulled over a motorcyclist who was dressed as a giant rabbit. "Griffiths stopped the motorcyclist on westbound Interstate 8 at Jackson Drive for not wearing a helmet," CHP spokesman Brian Pennings said, according to City News Service. Pennings said Griffiths radioed in: "I'm stopping the Easter Bunny.

A man who said he had a gun took an undetermined amount of cash Thursday during a bank holdup, police reported. The robbery occurred at the First La Mesa Bank office in the 5200 block of Jackson Drive about 1:30 p.m. Thursday. A teller handed the money to the robber, who was wearing a blue business suit, said Sgt. Charles Peightal of the La Mesa Police Department. The robber fled in a brown, four-door sedan, and was last seen headed south on Jackson.

LA MESA, Calif. -- And there he was: the Easter Bunny riding a shiny red motorcycle westbound on Interstate 8 along this San Diego suburb. California Highway Patrol Officer Adam Griffiths spotted the bunny on Saturday. White furry suit: good. Pink ears: good. Floppy white feet: good. White gloves: good. No helmet: not good. Griffiths flicked on his red light and ordered the motorcyle rider to pull over. The bunny had an explanation: I'm on my way to an Easter charitable event and this is my costume, he said.

Romney marches on Re "Romney averts disaster," Feb. 29 By no measure do Mitt Romney's primary victories in Michigan and Arizona make him the presumptive Republican presidential nominee. In the 11 contests so far he has averaged about 36% of the votes cast in each state. That means nearly two-thirds of the GOP votes were cast for someone other than Romney - hardly a ringing endorsement. In his home state of Michigan, he outspent all the other candidates by a huge margin yet barely managed to eek out a victory.

If dethroning seven-time San Diego Section champion Oceanside two weeks ago was the highlight of the season for La Mesa Helix, then its 35-24 victory over Loomis Del Oro on Saturday in the CIF Division II state championship bowl game Saturday at the Home Depot Center was the icing on the cake. After losing their opener to Eastlake of Chula Vista, the Highlanders reeled off 13 consecutive victories, the last against a team whose only loss had been in overtime to Westlake Village Westlake, which represented Southern California in Saturday night's Open Division bowl game.

Troy Starr turns 50 in February. How quickly the years have gone by. He was a fiery 25-year-old assistant coach at Carson High in 1987 when the team was upset by Granada Hills in the City Section football championship game. In 1992, he became head coach at Woodland Hills Taft, taking over a program that had a 0-8-1 record the previous season. He lasted 14 seasons and built the Toreadors into a City Section power. He resigned in 2007 to become the director of football operations for Urban Meyer at the University of Florida.

LAS VEGAS BikeFest When, where: Sept. 30 to Oct. 3, mostly at the Cashman Center Highlights: Some 30,000 bikers descend on Las Vegas for this 10th annual rally of revving engines, bikini-clad models and more than 250 vendors selling anything a Harley devotee would ever need. Events include a bike builders' competition, the crowning of Mr. and Miss Las Vegas, the World's Strongest Biker Contest and a custom-bike show. Cost: Party Pass, $40; Ultimate Pass, $65. Vendor Village admission, $15. Info: (702)

An 89-year-old La Mesa man seeking to recover an Impressionist masterpiece seized from his Jewish family by the Nazis has the right to sue Spain and the cultural foundation that has the painting on display at a Madrid museum, a federal appeals court ruled Thursday. Claude Cassirer, who fled Nazi Germany as a youth, said he was delighted by the 9-2 decision of the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals clearing the ownership dispute for trial. But he expressed concern about the long legal road still ahead.

From TV spots, and as explained in the article ["Where Wild Things Are," April 12], it is obvious much of the upcoming Disney film "Earth" uses footage from the exceptional BBC documentary series "Planet Earth." However, the article states that the film is not "merely a distillation": "About 30% of the footage is new." The story really is that 70% of this movie is a rehash. The BBC series was truly groundbreaking because of its originality, and the years BBC devoted to accurately and beautifully depicting the natural world.

Regarding Mike Morris' "Baby Steps? No, a Giant Leap" [Feb. 8]. Our son was on the road, camping and traveling in Mexico and Guatemala by VW bus when he was 4 months old. We used to eat at the tables in mercados centrales throughout the southern region, calmly handing our baby to cooks, vendors and their families. He was enthralled with all the attention. We were grateful to be able to eat an uninterrupted meal. When he was 3, we packed him on the back of a bicycle and road from Srinigar to Ladakh, India.

I was so glad to see your great article on "Life." I am a retired English teacher and I agree the writing is wonderful. The double plot is so well done. This show is my television bright spot. I record it and save it for my TV treat of the week. The characters are full and sometimes unexpected, but so entertaining. I have been living in fear my addiction to "Life" would be cut off so your article was good news, and I am hoping it will prompt others to watch. This show provides laughs as well as great plots.