Way Home

Chris Paul and Mo Williams wouldn't let the Clippers finish their six-game, 10-day trip as losers. Mo Williams and Chris Paul were not going to let the Clippers continue their losing ways against the Spurs when they play in San Antonio. No matter which order the two point guards were placed in, they were the primary forces behind the Clippers' impressive 120-108 victory over the Spurs on Friday night at the AT&T Center. They combined to score more than half of the Clippers' points, lighting up the Spurs' backcourt by producing 69 points.

CLEVELAND -- Three women, missing after they were kidnapped a decade ago, were released from a hospital Tuesday, hours after they were freed from their captivity, authorities said. Police said they believed that the three women -- Amanda Berry, Gina DeJesus and Michelle Knight -- were imprisoned for years in a Cleveland house after they were abducted when they were in their teens and early 20s. After their rescue Monday, all were hospitalized overnight and released Tuesday morning to be reunited with their families, according to the hospital.

Andrew McCarthy chews thoughtfully on a red apple, slowly whittling it down to its core. Sitting at a table in the very back corner of the Blvd. restaurant at the Beverly Wilshire hotel wearing a charcoal-colored shirt and dark jeans, he looks contemplative and distant. Despite his media-dubbed membership in the iconic "Brat Pack" of the 1980s, McCarthy is a loner and has never felt comfortable in a pack. The only pack for him is the backpack he takes with him on his many solitary journeys around the globe for his second career as a well-regarded, award-winning travel writer.

An 18-year-old accused of driving into the back of a minivan while drunk and killing five of its passengers was on his way to Las Vegas after visiting family in Utah, according to the Nevada Highway Patrol. Jean Ervin Soriano told a Highway Patrol officer he had been drinking Budweisers before the early Saturday morning crash on Interstate 15 in southeastern Nevada that killed three brothers, a wife and a 13-year-old girl, according to an arrest report. Several beer bottles were found in his car, police said.

Former California Highway Patrol Officer Tomiekia Johnson, charged with killing her husband more than two years ago, tearfully testified Friday that she and Marcus Lemons were struggling over her gun when it accidentally went off. "I was not trying to kill Marcus. I would never try to hurt him," she said, weeping. "He always hit me. " Johnson took the stand on the fourth day of her trial. She is accused of fatally shooting her husband in the head on the night of Feb. 21, 2009, as they argued on the side of a road in Compton.

Five days before Christmas in 1995, Becky Comeaux suddenly found herself buying gifts for a son she hadn't seen in 12 years. Just 15 months old when he was taken, Beau Arceneaux had become a computer-savvy teenager who, with the help of people using an Internet chat room, found his way home. Mother and son were on hand Jan. 30 to help inaugurate a World Wide Web site run by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. The goal: more cases like theirs solved, but solved faster.

An 18-year-old accused of driving into the back of a minivan while drunk and killing five of its passengers was on his way to Las Vegas after visiting family in Utah, according to the Nevada Highway Patrol. Jean Ervin Soriano told a Highway Patrol officer he had been drinking Budweisers before the early Saturday morning crash on Interstate 15 in southeastern Nevada that killed three brothers, a wife and a 13-year-old girl, according to an arrest report. Several beer bottles were found in his car, police said.

A driver admitted to authorities he had “too many” beers to drink before hitting a van on a remote Nevada highway, killing five members of the same family in the other vehicle, an arrest report shows. Jean Ervin Soriano, 18, told a Nevada Highway Patrol deputy he had been drinking Budweisers before the violent crash on Interstate 15 in southeastern Nevada early Saturday morning that killed three brothers, a wife and a 13-year-old girl, according to the report. Several beer bottles were found in his car, police said.

CLEVELAND -- Three women, missing after they were kidnapped a decade ago, were released from a hospital Tuesday, hours after they were freed from their captivity, authorities said. Police said they believed that the three women -- Amanda Berry, Gina DeJesus and Michelle Knight -- were imprisoned for years in a Cleveland house after they were abducted when they were in their teens and early 20s. After their rescue Monday, all were hospitalized overnight and released Tuesday morning to be reunited with their families, according to the hospital.

A motorist who is responsible for the death of an 8-year-old boy in Carson was being sought Friday. Allen Cooper Jr. of Carson died Wednesday at Long Beach Memorial Medical Center of injuries he suffered two days earlier, Deputy Russell Shapley said. The youngster was walking across Santa Fe Avenue between Monroe and Carson streets about 3:45 p.m. Monday when he was struck by a late 1980s dark blue or black Cadillac, possibly an Eldorado, that was northbound on Santa Fe.

A driver admitted to authorities he had “too many” beers to drink before hitting a van on a remote Nevada highway, killing five members of the same family in the other vehicle, an arrest report shows. Jean Ervin Soriano, 18, told a Nevada Highway Patrol deputy he had been drinking Budweisers before the violent crash on Interstate 15 in southeastern Nevada early Saturday morning that killed three brothers, a wife and a 13-year-old girl, according to the report. Several beer bottles were found in his car, police said.

Kansas City 17, Angels 11 AT THE PLATE: Albert Pujols had two hits and hit a home run for the second consecutive day. Vernon Wells also had two hits, including a home run, to raise his average to .467, and Hank Conger hit a home run and scored twice. He is batting .412. ON THE MOUND: Five of the seven batters Ernesto Frieri faced in the fourth inning scored, and four of the five Michael Kohn pitched to in the sixth found their way home. Nonroster invitee Kevin Johnson, who worked the eighth, was the only Angel to retire the Royals in order.

A series in Sunday Calendar about what Times writers and contributors are listening to right now... Angel Olsen “Half Way Home” (Bathetic) A few Fridays ago at the little Bootleg Theater in Silver Lake, a singer and songwriter named Angel Olsen performed to a crowded room of curious, rapt admirers. Standing before a microphone and holding an electric guitar, the St. Louis (via Chicago) singer offered work from her debut solo album, “Half Way Home,” a small, good thing that's slowly (and after-the-fact)

It was dawn when word spread throughout the neighborhood. People stepped outside to absorb the news and then lingered in disbelief. Kendrick Blackmon - a 22-year-old church musician they all watched grow up - had been shot to death driving home in South Los Angeles. Months have passed since that April morning and there is still no answer as to why an affable young man who steered clear of trouble was gunned down. Authorities say they have exhausted every lead. Now, Kendrick's family and friends are hoping that a $50,000 reward offered by the city of Los Angeles will turn the tide by encouraging witnesses to come forward.

Andrew McCarthy chews thoughtfully on a red apple, slowly whittling it down to its core. Sitting at a table in the very back corner of the Blvd. restaurant at the Beverly Wilshire hotel wearing a charcoal-colored shirt and dark jeans, he looks contemplative and distant. Despite his media-dubbed membership in the iconic "Brat Pack" of the 1980s, McCarthy is a loner and has never felt comfortable in a pack. The only pack for him is the backpack he takes with him on his many solitary journeys around the globe for his second career as a well-regarded, award-winning travel writer.

With virtually all of his prime-time and late-night rivals airing reruns Wednesday night, CNN's Piers Morgan had the airwaves to himself on the Fourth of July. The British host chose to commemorate  Independence Day with a special called “Pride of America.” The show featured interviews with several American athletes who will be competing later this month at the Olympic Games in London. On a more meta level, it was also a glimpse ahead into the soft-focus stories of personal triumph that form such a major part of television coverage of the Games.

Kansas City 17, Angels 11 AT THE PLATE: Albert Pujols had two hits and hit a home run for the second consecutive day. Vernon Wells also had two hits, including a home run, to raise his average to .467, and Hank Conger hit a home run and scored twice. He is batting .412. ON THE MOUND: Five of the seven batters Ernesto Frieri faced in the fourth inning scored, and four of the five Michael Kohn pitched to in the sixth found their way home. Nonroster invitee Kevin Johnson, who worked the eighth, was the only Angel to retire the Royals in order.

With virtually all of his prime-time and late-night rivals airing reruns Wednesday night, CNN's Piers Morgan had the airwaves to himself on the Fourth of July. The British host chose to commemorate  Independence Day with a special called “Pride of America.” The show featured interviews with several American athletes who will be competing later this month at the Olympic Games in London. On a more meta level, it was also a glimpse ahead into the soft-focus stories of personal triumph that form such a major part of television coverage of the Games.

CLEVELAND - It was hard to tell what Howie Kendrick was more proud of Monday, his first home run in two months or his second stolen base in three weeks. Each led to a run, helping the Angels and ace right-hander Jered Weaver to a 3-0 win over the Cleveland Indians. But more important, Kendrick said, is the fact that by scoring with the long ball and with little ball the Angels are serving notice they can beat teams both ways. "That's classic Angel baseball right there," Kendrick said.

Eric Brightwell grew up in small places - a tiny town in Iowa, rural Missouri, a Florida suburb whose nearby city he barely got the chance to visit. When he first saw Los Angeles on a post-college road trip in 1998, its hugeness floored him. There were so many people from so many countries, so many wildly different experiences within reach. In Koreatown, he tasted fermented beans. On Olvera Street, he followed a familiar voice to find Mr. Sulu from "Star Trek," George Takei, posing with a donkey for tourists.