Red Line

I intended to ride the Red Line subway through Hollywood this week, as if that might help me understand the bizarre scene that unfolded in front of dozens of horrified riders last weekend: A middle-age man, wildly swinging a chain; a younger man fending him off with a skateboard, then stabbing him with a knife. And captive commuters forced to choose sides: tend to a bloodied, dying man, or mollify his frantic attacker with getaway advice. It was the first violent death on the subway since the line opened 18 years ago. The suspect took off minutes later, when the train pulled into the underground station at the next stop, Hollywood and Vine.

Potential rule changes being discussed by NHL general managers this week drew mixed reactions from the Kings, who said they needed clarification on the proposed hybrid icing rule before they could make their judgments. Apparently, the general managers need clarification, too. They recommended that the idea be forwarded to the league's competition committee for further discussion but want the language to be more specific and cover all possible scenarios. Kings defenseman Matt Greene said he could see the rationale behind eliminating a full-length race to the goal line between the attacking and defending players--and he spoke from personal knowledge.

Re opening day at North Hollywood's Metro station: parking spaces: 846; bicycle racks: 0. JOHN HEANER Valley Village

An hour before the clock struck midnight, two young women got off the Metro Red Line subway at Hollywood and Vine and melted into a crowd dressed in the bondage gear that passes for ball gowns in L.A.: tight black skirts that barely covered their bottoms, high-heeled booties, strapless tops, all worn in resolute defiance of the 50-degree air. They were Brianna Tomaselli and Gianna Vona, two fashion students lately transplanted from "Jersey" to...

I must be seeing something, or maybe I just entered the Twilight Zone. The headline (June 16) read: "Red Line Expected to Open Early and Under Budget"!!! Three cheers to the contractors for their fantastic efforts and planning to accomplish this almost unheard-of feat in these times! LARRY BICKMANN Glendale

Re "L.A. Residents Divided on Subway Completion," Feb. 7 Regarding The Times poll about the Red Line subway, I'd like to point out some misconceptions about earthquake safety. (I ride the Red Line every day.) After the Northridge earthquake, sections of the Santa Monica, Golden State, and Simi Valley freeways were out of service due to collapses. The Metro Red Line, which was open, was undamaged, as was the Blue Line. The MetroLink commuter rail system was intact, and the system quickly expanded to Lancaster and Oxnard to provide an alternate way for motorists to commute.

I realize you couldn't cover all the eats available at each Red Line spot in your July 10 cover story ["Dining Destinations"], but as a public transportation dependent and a Red Line rider since its inception, let me just add a few that are available within walking distance of the Sunset/Vermont stop: In the Barnsdall shopping complex, for example, there is Yum, a fine Thai restaurant, as well as Jons Market, where the tres leches cake is first-rate --...

Re "Council Backs Expansion of the Red Line," Sept. 29: It amazes me that we are still debating whether extension of the Red Line down the Wilshire Corridor is even necessary. That this issue is still the subject of debate and not action shows that we aren't taking our congestion and pollution problems seriously. To be fair, however, L.A. County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky, an MTA director, has stated that the MTA does not have the budget to cover the extremely high costs of underground expansion.

The 60 homeowners in Terrace on the Park and Universal Park Condominium complexes wish to thank you for running Doug Smith's insightful article "Metro Red Line Is Invading Shangri-La" (June 19). The invasion of our "Shangri-La" hardly expresses the depth of our fears and concerns. While the article was fair and well-written, three-quarters of it focused on the plight of our neighbors, the renters, who are upset over when and how much money they will get to move. Most of us would gladly change places with them in a second!

As someone who lives and works along Wilshire Boulevard, I applaud the MTA for reviving its subway proposal (Oct. 2). Extending the Red Line down Wilshire Boulevard all the way to the ocean would include such popular destinations as the Third Street Promenade in Santa Monica, Brentwood, the Federal Building and VA Center, Westwood Village and UCLA, the Century City Shopping Center, Rodeo Drive, the Beverly Center, the Grove and Farmers Market, the...

Brentwood-area residents are rallying to raise funds for the upkeep of San Vicente Boulevard's cherished coral trees, one of which toppled over this month after succumbing to what appeared to be a root-rotting fungus. The city of Los Angeles planted the trees after World War II to replace the discontinued Red Line trolley tracks but has limited funds to care for them. For decades, neighborhood residents have taken on much of the cost of pruning the trees, which are distinctive for their orange-scarlet blooms, twisting limbs and spreading canopies.

I have been castigated by readers who felt I over-dramatized the peril of riding L.A.'s subway system in my Saturday column about the fatal stabbing of a Red Line rider 11 days ago. "You're joking, right?" wrote Julia Tyson La Grua. "I rode the Gold, Red and Purple lines every weekday for 3 months when I was on jury duty in Koreatown and they were immaculately clean, prompt and I felt entirely safe. " But I was also scolded by readers who thought I soft-pedaled the risks that passengers face on the city's five subway lines.

I intended to ride the Red Line subway through Hollywood this week, as if that might help me understand the bizarre scene that unfolded in front of dozens of horrified riders last weekend: A middle-age man, wildly swinging a chain; a younger man fending him off with a skateboard, then stabbing him with a knife. And captive commuters forced to choose sides: tend to a bloodied, dying man, or mollify his frantic attacker with getaway advice. It was the first violent death on the subway since the line opened 18 years ago. The suspect took off minutes later, when the train pulled into the underground station at the next stop, Hollywood and Vine.

A transient sought in a fatal stabbing on the Metro Red Line in Hollywood has been arrested, authorities said Wednesday. Gene Sim, 33, was taken into custody Tuesday night in Buena Park, officials with the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department said. He was booked in connection with a probation violation and was being held without bail. Sheriff's officials described him as a transient. Murder charges against Sim are pending, said Sgt. Diane Hecht, who was unsure of the exact nature of his alleged probation violation.

Authorities say they have obtained surveillance video footage that might identify the man who fatally stabbed a fellow passenger on the Metro Red Line train on Friday evening, the first slaying to occur on the Los Angeles subway since it began operation in 1993. The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, which patrols the area's public transit system, also appealed to the public Saturday for information on the killer, who bolted from the train at the Hollywood and Vine station about 7:30 p.m. The attack, which played out before a handful of witnesses, including a Los Angeles Times journalist, sent passengers scurrying to the rear of the rolling subway car as the victim, Jesse Garay, 59, of North Hollywood, collapsed, his blood pooling on the floor.

It's easy to see why Terrence Malick, more than just about any working American filmmaker, inspires a reverence bordering on the cultish. There's the scarcity of output (four features in nearly four decades), the Pynchonesque reticence (no interviews and almost no public appearances) and above all the overwhelming nature of his films, which are defined by their sensory intensity and a sense of spiritual questing. The Malick faithful have been abuzz lately: His newly completed "Tree of Life" has been acquired for a 2011 release, and he is due to start shooting another film this fall.

In a long-standing court battle involving the Red Line subway, a judge has found evidence of possible witness tampering by Los Angeles transportation officials and referred it to the state attorney general for investigation. According to an order filed Tuesday, Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Carolyn B. Kuhl wrote that witness statements taken during a contempt hearing in May raised the possibility that officials reasssigned a subcontractor's employee to prevent him from testifying.