Roofs

A crew of burglars allegedly walked away with at least $6 million by cutting through the rooftops of San Gabriel Valley banks under the cover of darkness, according to law enforcement authorities. On Wednesday, authorities announced five Inland Empire men had been arrested on suspicion of carrying out the unusual bank heists. The arrests came after investigators searched for clues for more than a year and gathered DNA evidence from crime scenes. "It is one of the most elaborate crimes we have seen," Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca said at a news conference.

A burglary suspect fled to a Venice rooftop Friday morning, prompting police to surround the building as the man took off his shirt and lay down as if to take a nap. Few details were immediately available about the incident, which Los Angeles police officer Mike Scott said began when the man was spotted leaving a house. "He took off running," Scott said. "We set up a perimeter, and he ended up on a roof. " That roof, Scott said, is near the intersection of 6th and Vernon avenues.

The Chatsworth Roofing Co., otherwise known as the Chatsworth High boys' volleyball team, was put out of business Friday night. Reason: leaky roofs. The defending City champions were outhustled, outsmarted, outplayed and outscored by a much smaller University team, 15-11, 15-7, 15-10, in the City championship match before a vocal crowd of about 1,500 at Pepperdine University. University's upset victory ended a 32-match winning streak for Chatsworth, which was 17-0 this season.

A burglary suspect was taken into custody Friday morning after trying to evade police on a Venice rooftop . The incident began about 6 a.m. when officers responded to a report of a burglary suspect, said Los Angeles police spokesman Richard French. The man eventually made his way to the top of a three-story apartment building near the intersection of 6th and Vernon avenues. "He took off running," LAPD officer Mike Scott said. "We set up a perimeter, and he ended up on a roof.

In an effort to prevent a firestorm like the one that destroyed hundreds of homes in Laguna Beach in 1993, homes in San Clemente will be required to have fire-retardant tile roofs. Under the new "very high fire hazard severity zone" ordinance, homeowners who have older houses covered with wood shingles and who already plan to re-roof at least half of the dwelling within one year must now use so-called Class A roofing material.

Three small roof fires Monday at adjacent homes in Seal Beach were probably related to fireworks, but the cause remains under investigation, fire officials said. The first fire was reported at 5:37 p.m. at 4424 Elder Ave., a county fire spokesman said. Moderate damage was reported to the roof and attic, he said. Two adjacent roofs suffered similar damage in the three-alarm incident, officials said, after they were apparently ignited by sparks from the first house. No injuries were reported.

Thousand Oaks will receive $1.28 million to repair the main library's leaky roof, in a settlement agreement reached after three years of negotiations with the building's architect, construction manager and sub-contractors. With most of the settlement cash in hand, city officials on Monday said they plan to immediately begin working on the roof, which has leaked since the $9-million library was built in 1982.

Hoping to be reimbursed later, the City Council has decided to pay nearly $30,000 for a new roof for the Boys and Girls Club of Cypress. The city-owned building at 10161 Moody St. is leased by the Boys and Girls Club for $1 a year. City Public Works Director Mark Christoffels told the council that the lease requires the club to pay for upkeep and repairs. The club, however, has said it is unable to pay for a new roof.

Dean Scheller pulled himself out of the gutter to reach the top of his profession. He is an address painter who goes door to door volunteering to stencil street numbers in exchange for a small donation. But instead of putting them on the sides of curbs, he paints them on the tops of buildings. Only a handful of people ever see his handiwork, but in Scheller's view, they are the ones who count. "It's for the police helicopter pilots," he said. "In an emergency, they could save your life."

Naomi Wormell is a vicar, not a vigilante. But these days, she finds it hard to choose Christian charity over some swift -- and terrible -- retribution. The centuries-old church she leads in this quiet English village has fallen victim to a plague sweeping across Britain. Like hungry locusts, metal thieves have repeatedly attacked St. Mary's Church, swooping down on its roof in the dead of night and stripping away large sections of its Victorian-era lead cladding. Six times over a four-month period, the heartsick residents of Hatfield Broad Oak awoke to discover yet another piece of their history stolen, most likely to be melted down and sold for scrap.

Two big changes are coming to Wimbledon, one this year, one in 2019. Tournament organizers announced Tuesday that this year's men's and women's singles champions will each receive $2.4 million, a significant increase over the $1.75 million last year's winners, Roger Federer and Serena Williams, received. Prize money will increase for all players in all categories. Also, it was announced that a retractable roof will be built over Court No. 1 in an attempt to avoid rain delays.

A crew of burglars allegedly walked away with at least $6 million by cutting through the rooftops of San Gabriel Valley banks under the cover of darkness, according to law enforcement authorities. On Wednesday, authorities announced five Inland Empire men had been arrested on suspicion of carrying out the unusual bank heists. The arrests came after investigators searched for clues for more than a year and gathered DNA evidence from crime scenes. "It is one of the most elaborate crimes we have seen," Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca said at a news conference.

The bank heist crew didn't carry demand notes or confront tellers. The robbers' tools of choice included power saws, hand-held radios and ladders. They allegedly walked away with at least $6 million by cutting through the rooftops of San Gabriel Valley banks under the cover of darkness, according to law enforcement authorities. Once inside, the men used power tools to break into concrete vaults, then fled with bags of cash. FOR THE RECORD: Bank heists: An article in the April 11 LATExtra section about a series of nighttime heists at San Gabriel Valley banks described the crimes as robberies and the criminals as robbers.

The driver of a Cadillac apparently lost his brakes after he left his steep driveway, flying down a hill and landing on the roof of a home, Glendale police said. The car crossed a yard and went airborne, coming to rest in the 400 block of Audraine Drive in the Glendale hills on Saturday evening. The Glendale Fire Department had to call in a crane to remove the vehicle from the home, but no one was seriously hurt. An 80-year old man was in his bedroom below. Authorities said he was startled, but otherwise fine.

Authorities are investigating how a car landed on the roof of a home in Glendale on Saturday night. According to KTLA News, the driver of a Cadillac lost control of his vehicle and landed on the roof of a home. The Glendale Fire Department had to call in a crane to remove the vehicle. No one was hurt. The driver told authorities that the brakes on the car failed, according to KTLA News.  

Matthew Gordon Lasner is the official biographer of the condominium. (Well, as official as these things get, anyway.) Several years ago, the assistant professor of urban affairs and planning at Hunter College in New York became curious about how condo ownership of apartments, town houses and their legal cousins, co-ops, became ubiquitous in this country in so short a time. "Like everybody else, I just presumed they began in the 1960s and grew from there," Lasner said. But he started digging through legal documents, news reports and historical records, tracing the birth of the "owner-occupied apartment" to a building (alas, long since demolished)

The leaky roof on Aaron and Candy Spelling's $48-million mansion was not their contractor's fault, a Superior Court jury found Friday, clearing a Studio City construction firm of liability. The Spellings had sought to recoup the cost of a replacement roof along with punitive damages. The nationally publicized trial cast a rare glimpse into the lavish tastes of the renowned producer responsible for "Melrose Place," "Dynasty" and a host of other prime-time soap operas.

Auto buyers are trading the open air for high-tech glass. Ford Motor Co. reported that sales of vehicles with so-called vista or panoramic roofs are soaring. About half the buyers of its Explorer and Edge sport-utility vehicles and about a third of its Flex upright station wagon buyers are purchasing the option — essentially a long, sweeping sunroof or two skylight-like panels. The glass roof upgrade can cost as much as $1,600. Meanwhile, sales of convertible cars are lagging behind the rest of the market, auto information firm R.L. Polk & Co. reported.

We don't fight musical battles the way we used to. In the 19th century, you were expected to take sides between Brahmsian traditionalism and Wagner's music of the future. Gone too are the last century's partisan days of Stravinsky versus Schoenberg, serialism versus Minimalism, the avant-garde versus neo-Romanticism. Today's musicians take great pains to make different kinds of music get along even at the expense of bland conformity in much new music. Gustavo Dudamel, who seems captivated by nearly everything, is perhaps the last guy you'd expect to reopen musical wounds.

It's good to be turning 40 this year. Red Roof Inn , which also marks its four-decade anniversary this year, offers 40-year-olds a room for $19.73 when they stay at one of the budget motels on their birthday.  The deal: You have to show a valid ID to take advantage of this offer at more than 300 motels in 36 states and Washington, D.C. Besides the discount, the chain launched a 40 & Fabulous Sweepstakes with prizes of a seven-day trip...