Stations

With summer ending, local television news stations recently rolled out their back-to-school features. In 10 big cities, that meant an appearance by a young mother and "toy expert" named Elizabeth Werner. Werner whipped through pitches for seven toys in just a few minutes. Perky and positive-plus, Werner seemed to wow morning news people in towns like Detroit, Atlanta and Phoenix. They oohed and aahed as they smelled Play-Doh, poked at mechanical bugs and strummed an electronic guitar she brought to the studio.

In a pivotal moment for private spaceflight, a towering white rocket lifted into space a cone-shaped capsule headed for a three-day trip carrying cargo to the International Space Station and a tricky rendezvous in outer space this week. The launch Tuesday marked the first time a private company has sent a spacecraft to the space station. On a column of fire, a Falcon 9 rocket - built by Space Exploration Technologies Corp., or SpaceX - carried the unmanned Dragon capsule into space after a 3:44 a.m. EDT launch from Cape Canaveral, Fla. But the launch is just the beginning of the mission, and some of the most challenging tasks lie ahead.

A regional panel Thursday turned down nearly $11 million in federal stimulus dollars targeted to build 55 ethanol fueling stations across Southern California, saying it had policy concerns about ethanol as an alternative to gasoline. Corn-based ethanol causes more harm than good for the environment because it has to be trucked from farms in the Midwest, said council members of the Southern California Assn. of Governments. Several also voiced concern that the council's usual process for submitting grant applications had not been followed, and that the funds would be contracted to a single recipient, San Diego-based Pearson Fuels.

SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket roared to life before dawn at Cape Canaveral, Fla., today and blasted into space on a column of fire that lit the night sky for miles around. The nine-engine rocket lifted off at 3:44 a.m. EDT carrying a cone-shaped space capsule that's set to berth with the International Space Station later this week. SpaceX, formally known as Space Exploration Technologies Corp., is the first private company to embark on such a mission.

Considering the numerous accidents caused by overweight trucks, one cannot help but observe that the--few and far between--official weigh stations operate only nine hours per day, Mondays through Fridays, which amounts to 26% of the available total time. This factor provides an opportunity for driving trucks unweighed and uninspected during 74% of the remaining time period. As bad and as questionable as this practice is, it permits every somewhat talented and motivated truck driver to avoid all inspections simply by scheduling his itinerary accordingly and, obviously, also his next accident--and many more.

In your very enjoyable article, how could you leave out Primos Westdale Donut? They have been the best in Los Angeles since 1956. LEAH M. POZIL, Los Angeles

Brian Lowry's article, "And Now a Word From Our Anchor" (Oct. 14) raised significant issues and concerns of journalistic integrity that newscasters in Los Angeles grapple with on a daily basis. The Los Angeles local of the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, AFL-CIO, represents the on-air professional news, weather, sports and talk-show staff broadcasters at most of the stations mentioned in Mr. Lowry's article. A distinction needs to be made between explicit product endorsements and the reading of commercials on these stations.

CBS Corp. on Thursday tapped a veteran general manager, Steve Mauldin, to run its two Los Angeles stations: KCBS-TV Channel 2 and KCAL-TV Channel 9. Mauldin has worked in the industry for 32 years, most recently managing CBS' Dallas stations. Mauldin visited Los Angeles four years ago to learn how executives combined the operations of the two stations and replicated the model in Dallas, so he is familiar with his new turf in L.A. "We have a lot to work with here. Both television stations have a lot of talent and KCAL has a great brand," he said in an interview.

Government troops raided three independent radio stations in the capital, seizing equipment, forcing the stations off the air and arresting one journalist. The raids in Mogadishu came a day after at least 14 people were killed and 30 wounded in fighting that pitted soldiers and their Ethiopian allies against suspected insurgents.

Shamrock Broadcasting in Burbank said it agreed to buy Denver radio stations KBRQ-AM and FM for $9 million. The stations, which feature country music, were bought from Great Empire Broadcasting of Wichita, Kan. Shamrock Broadcasting is a subsidiary of Shamrock Holdings, a Burbank investment firm owned by the Roy E. Disney family.

The first mission by a private company to the International Space Station was aborted before dawn Saturday at Cape Canaveral, Fla., when computers detected an anomaly in one of the rocket's engines and automatically shut down the launch sequence. The countdown forSpace Exploration Technologies Corp., or SpaceX, was flawless until about 4:55 a.m. EDT when, at the last second, the rocket engines briefly lit up and then went dark. "Three, two, one, zero and liftoff," announced NASA commentator George Diller before he realized what had happened.

A gas station that also offers E85 ethanol and biodiesel fuels has opened in Fullerton, becoming the first of more than 200 so-called clean mobility centers slated for the state. The Propel Clean Mobility Center at 1124 E. Chapman Ave., which opened Wednesday, was partially funded by grants from the California Energy Commission and the U.S. Energy Department. "People are looking for alternatives. They're looking for transportation options that aren't dependent on petroleum," said Matt Horton, chief executive of Propel Fuels in Redwood City, Calif., which at its new Fullerton station also offers a self-service bicycle repair station, recycling containers, free air and water, and maps of rail stations, bike paths and busways.

Now that the king of pop radio has reclaimed its throne, is KIIS-FM (102.7) beginning another long reign, or are the Los Angeles-Orange County airwaves about to see a roundtable of stations vying to rule the ratings? KIIS, the home of Top 40 artists such as Katy Perry, Rihanna and Justin Bieber, had been the top station in the market for most of the last three years and retook first place in April, according to figures released Monday by the Arbitron ratings service. In the survey of listeners from March 29 to April 25, KIIS garnered 5.1% of the audience age 6 and older.

For the last half-century, space flight has been the domain of the world's superpowers. All that is set to change as soon as Saturday when SpaceX, the private rocket company in Hawthorne, will attempt to launch a spaceship with cargo into orbit and three days later dock it with the International Space Station. If successful, the mission could mean a major shift in the way the U.S. government handles space exploration. Instead of keeping space travel a closely guarded government function, NASA has already begun hiring privately funded start-up companies for spacecraft development and is moving toward eventually outsourcing NASA space missions.

ART Damien Hirst is one of the most controversial yet iconic names in art right now. His droll Pop Art sculptures, "spot" paintings and, famously, his grinning diamond skull engage with questions of death and commerce and pure aesthetics. While they've made him wealthy, some wonder what, exactly he really has to say. See for yourself at this new exhibit of silkscreens, "spot" paintings and his much-liked butterfly-based mixed media work. Ikon, Bergamot Station, 2525 Michigan Ave. G4, Santa Monica.

WASHINGTON - After more than 12 years and at least $100 billion in construction costs, NASA leaders say the International Space Station finally is ready to bloom into the robust orbiting laboratory that the agency envisioned more than two decades ago. "The ISS has now entered its intensive research phase," said Bill Gerstenmaier, head of NASA operations and human exploration, in recent testimony to Congress in defense of the roughly $1.5 billion...

Management at the seven major local television stations had a muted response Thursday to reports of the launch of an investigation by the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights into the hiring and treatment of minorities and women at the stations' newsrooms.

Train tracks carry a lot of history. In 1862, President Lincoln inked the Pacific Railroad Act to fund construction of a transcontinental rail route. Seven years later it was completed with the symbolic golden spike ceremony at Promontory Summit in what was then the Utah territory. National Train Day on Saturday marks the 143rd anniversary of the completion of the route with free events in Philadelphia, Chicago, New York City and Los Angeles, and many cities and towns in between.

An independent monitor for the Los Angeles County sheriff has found shortcomings in the department's handling of complaints against deputies by members of the public, according to a report released Monday. Specifically, a majority of the complaints filed in 2010 were not handled in a timely manner - with major stations taking 101 days on average to forward the complaints to headquarters. Department policy requires that it be done in 60 days. One complaint lingered for 659 days.