BODY PULLED FROM CORTE MADERA CREEK ID'D: NOVATO (AP) — Authorities have identified a body pulled from Corte Madera Creek as that of a Novato man who allegedly jumped into the water while fleeing police.
The Marin Independent Journal reports that a sheriff's dive team recovered 23-year-old Anthony Donelson's body on Monday night after it was spotted around Kentfield.
The coroner's office confirmed the identity on Tuesday. The cause of death is pending.
Authorities say Donelson jumped into the rain-swollen creek on Dec. 24 after police stopped him on suspicion of drunken driving. A subsequent search for him was unsuccessful.
ICONIC LAPD HEADQUARTERS CLOSING ITS DOORS: LOS ANGELES (AP) — Parker Center, the iconic building that housed Los Angeles police operations for nearly 60 years, is closing its doors.
The boxy, glass-windowed structure, seen often in episodes of "Dragnet" and other TV shows, is considered a classic representation of 1950s architecture.
A new, more modern downtown headquarters opened nearby in 2009, however, and Parker Center's last employees left earlier this month.
Police officials scheduled a formal closing ceremony Tuesday afternoon.
Originally named the Police Administration Building when it was completed in 1954, Parker Center centralized police operations downtown.
It was renamed in 1966 to honor the city's longest-serving police chief, William H. Parker.
LAPD spokesman Richard French says officials aren't sure what the future holds for the old building.
STUDY: CALIFORNIA LEADS IN CHARTER SCHOOL GROWTH: LOS ANGELES (AP) — A new study has found that California leads the nation in charter school growth.
The National Alliance for Public Charter Schools announced Tuesday that California added 81 charters in the academic year that started last fall, pushing the state's total number of publicly funded autonomous schools to more than 1,000.
The study notes that 109 new charters opened in California in the fall, but 28 closed.
California has the highest number of charters in the nation, followed by Florida, Texas, New York and Michigan.
Nationally, 381 charters launched in the fall, enrolling 275,000 additional children. The number of charters across the country now tops 6,000. They enroll some 2.3 million students.
The alliance says charter schools are growing nationwide because parents are increasingly demanding quality education for their children.
LA VOTERS COULD FACE 3 MEDICAL MARIJUANA PLANS: LOS ANGELES (AP) — Los Angeles voters may have to decide among three measures in the next election to regulate medical marijuana dispensaries.
Activists have qualified two measures for the May ballot and the City Council will decide Wednesday if a third should join them. Language for that plan is still being worked out.
The proposals would regulate and in some cases limit the number of dispensaries in town. Currently there are hundreds of clinics.
The City Council approved a total ban on clinics last year but that ban was rescinded after supporters qualified a ballot measure to overturn it.
The clinics still face federal and state prohibitions against marijuana sales.
JOSHUA TREE GIRL, 7, EATS MISTAKES METH FOR CANDY: SAN BERNARDINO (AP) — Authorities say a 7-year-old girl in Joshua Tree became critically ill after eating methamphetamine she thought was candy. Her parents are under arrest.
A San Bernardino County sheriff's statement said Tuesday that 32-year-old Johnnie Glenn Koranda and 30-year-old Michelle Lee Beamer were being held on $100,000 bail for investigation of child endangerment.
The investigation began after the girl was taken to High Desert Medical Center with seizures, a severe fever and an elevated heart rate, and her condition was so severe she was flown to Loma Linda University Children's Hospital.
She tested positive for methamphetamine.
A urine test showed the girl, whose name was not released, tested positive for methamphetamine. The statement says her condition is improving.
The couple's other three children have been placed in county custody.
ALLEGED TRUCK THIEF DOUSES SELF WITH GASOLINE: RAMONA (AP) — Authorities in San Diego County say a burglary suspect doused himself with gasoline and threw a burning towel from a stolen pickup truck during a chase before he was arrested.
Oscar Torres of Chula Vista was evaluated at a hospital before he was booked. He remains jailed Tuesday morning.
City News Service says sheriff's deputies received calls Monday afternoon about a man with black paint on his face and arms who was entering homes in Ramona. Callers said he also stole a pickup truck from a driveway.
Deputies spotted the truck a short time later. During a chase, the driver reportedly doused himself with gas and threw a burning towel and other objects out the window. A spike strip was used to blow the tires and stop him.
