Van Nuys Ca

A Los Angeles jury Wednesday deliberated murder charges against the alleged gunman in the 2003 shooting death of a man whose decaying body was found in a trash can at a Van Nuys storage shed. Jeffrey Lawrence Weaver, 37, is accused of firing the fatal shot into the head of Christopher Walsh, also 37.

Built in 1930, Donna Hart's Spanish-style California bungalow is design-magazine pretty. Elegant arches mark the windows and doorways, and stenciled ships sail across its mahogany doors. The thick lath-and-plaster walls speak of an era when homes were built to last and look good for the duration. But perhaps the most striking thing about her home is the location.

Once it was "The New Town"--a hopeful square mile of bean fields purchased by William Paul Whitsett for subdivision into 50-foot lots for the bargain price of $1,000. Some 85 years later, Van Nuys--named for Southland pioneer Isaac Newton Van Nuys--is the geographic and governmental heart of the San Fernando Valley. Even in 1911, the appeal of Van Nuys' flat land was apparent: Within eight months of the town's inception, the fields yielded to homes, stores and the emergence of automobiles.

A 28-year-old man fatally shot his wife at a Van Nuys apartment complex Monday afternoon before he shot and critically injured himself, Los Angeles police said. The shooting was witnessed by the couple's 9-year-old daughter who ran to a neighbor's apartment for help, crying, "Daddy shot Mommy and then shot himself," police said. The shooting was reported about 3:15 p.m. in the 6800 of North Sepulveda Boulevard near Vanowen Street, a neighborhood lined with motels and apartment buildings.

A garbage can sealed in plastic wrap and duct tape and found Wednesday in a Van Nuys storage unit could contain the remains of a 35-year-old man who was reported missing several days ago, according to police. The trash can, which emitted a vile odor, was discovered about noon in a self-storage shed in the 15500 block of Erwin Street.

An enraged man shot and critically wounded an opposing lawyer outside the Van Nuys courthouse Friday as news crews covering an unrelated event captured the bloody attack on videotape. The gunman, who was tackled and wrestled to the pavement by a Traffic Court judge, was identified as William Strier, 64, of Thousand Oaks. The victim, Gerald E. Curry, 53, of Simi Valley, suffered gunshot wounds to the neck and chest.

The Los Angeles City Council agreed Tuesday to redraw neighborhood boundaries to allow an area of about 1,800 homes in Van Nuys to join the more upscale community of Sherman Oaks. The 10-2 vote, which was met with the boisterous cheers of proponents, was the latest in a series of name changes in the San Fernando Valley over the last few decades.

The message from residents and business owners attending a town hall meeting Thursday night on a controversial area code relief plan for the San Fernando Valley was unmistakably clear: Delay the overlay. About 65 people gathered in the auditorium at the State Building in Van Nuys to question state regulators on their plans to implement an area code overlay that would require all callers in the Valley to dial 11 digits for local calls. At the meeting, state Sen.

The Los Angeles City Council personnel committee approved four new positions for the Planning Department, one of which is aimed at improving service at the customer counter in the Van Nuys office. Counter work at the Van Nuys location has increased 17% over last year. Currently, three planners, one clerk, one case manager and one Geographic Information Systems person staff the counter, handling more than 13,000 visits and inquiries.

An out-of-control car plowed into two vehicles, then struck a group of pedestrians at an intersection Sunday afternoon, killing a 15-year-old boy and injuring four others, authorities said. The boy and three family members -- a man, a woman and a teenage girl -- were waiting to cross the street at Victory Boulevard and Kester Avenue when the car struck them, said Jim Wells, a spokesman for the Los Angeles Fire Department. The family members suffered moderate injuries, Wells said.