3 HURT AS AMBULANCE, GARBAGE TRUCK COLLIDE IN LA: LOS ANGELES (AP) — Authorities say an ambulance from the Los Angeles Fire Department and a garbage truck have collided, sending the two firefighters in the ambulance and the driver of the truck to the hospital.
Fire spokesman Matt Spence said the ambulance and the truck crashed in the Boyle Heights section of Los Angeles on Monday at about 2:30 p.m.
Spence said the garbage truck driver was taken to a hospital in fair condition.
He says the two firefighters were also hospitalized, but didn't know their condition.
There were no patients or anyone else in the ambulance. It's not clear if anyone else was in the garbage truck.
The cause of the collision was under investigation.
MAGNITUDE-3.9 QUAKE SHAKES PART OF S. CALIFORNIA: SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO (AP) — A small earthquake jolted the Orange County area of Southern California on Monday, startling residents but apparently causing no damage.
The U.S. Geological Survey said the magnitude-3.9 quake occurred at 10:37 a.m. and was centered a mile west of San Juan Capistrano.
The quake occurred at a depth of just over two miles and was felt in the central county area as a strong jolt.
There were no immediate reports of damage, said Orange County Fire Authority Capt. Marc Stone.
"It might knock a picture crooked on the wall or something like that," he said. "It's one of those reminders you should always be prepared in case another one does hit."
The earthquake did not affect the San Onofre nuclear generating station, Southern California Edison spokeswoman Jennifer Manfre said. Both reactors at the plant, about 10 miles south of San Juan Capistrano, are currently shut down.
Laurie McIntyre, a librarian in San Juan Capistrano, said she heard a slow rumble for maybe two seconds and the temblor was over. Patrons took note of the sound but no books fell, she said.
"It was real short," she said. "I just kind of waited it out and I was about ready to stand up and it was over."
At historic Mission San Juan Capistrano, whose Great Stone Church was destroyed by a deadly earthquake in 1812, employees were dispatched to inspect exhibits but there were no immediate signs of damage.
AUSTRALIAN WOMAN CHARGED WITH BRIBERY IN LA: LOS ANGELES (AP) — An Australian woman suspected of prostitution faces federal bribery charges after authorities say she tried to pay off a pair of U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents so she wouldn't be deported.
Leyna Le, 41, was charged with one count of bribery and could face up to 15 years in prison if convicted. She was expected to make a court appearance Monday. It wasn't immediately known if she has retained an attorney.
According to an affidavit, customs agents stopped Le on Friday at Los Angeles International Airport after they learned she previously was arrested for investigation of prostitution.
The document said Le was in the U.S. to visit a few boyfriends who were going to pay her between $1,000 and $3,000 for each date, and that she planned to send the money to her 21-year-old son in Australia.
BIG-RIG SPILLS SULFUR NEAR YOSEMITE ENTRANCE: FISH CAMP, (AP) — Hazardous materials crews are cleaning up a highway sulfur spill near the entrance of Yosemite National Park.
The California Highway Patrol says a big-rig started spilling 25-pound bags of powdered sulfur Sunday night on U.S. Route 41 near Fish Camp and the entrance to Yosemite.
Some 600 bags of sulfur spilled on the highway, sparking several small fires that were extinguished.
Highway 41 remained closed in the area early Monday and agencies involved in the cleanup expect to have Highway 41 and the Yosemite entrance open by noon.
MOTORIST ARRESTED AFTER HITTING POLICE MOTORCYCLE
SAN JACINTO (AP) — A Southern California motorist has been arrested for hitting a police motorcycle after making a U-turn to avoid a DUI checkpoint.
Riverside County sheriff's investigators say 58-year-old Otis Gibson was arrested Saturday night for investigation of being under the influence of marijuana.
Gibson was behind the wheel of a pickup truck in San Jacinto when he spotted the sheriff's drunken-driving checkpoint and made an illegal U-turn to avoid it.
A motorcycle officer stopped the pickup in the parking lot of a tire store and he got off the motorcycle.
Investigators say Gibson then backed over the motorcycle.
4 HURT IN TRUCK PROPANE BLAST AT DRIVE-THRU: COACHELLA (AP) — Riverside County authorities say a leaking propane tank on a truck exploded at a McDonald's drive-thru over the weekend, injuring four people, including two children.
The four suffered burns and other non-life-threatening injuries.
The Sheriff's Department says the truck had stopped at a McDonald's in the town of Coachella Saturday afternoon when the driver heard a hissing sound coming from one of two propane tanks in the truck bed.
Authorities say when he got out and moved the tank, it exploded. So did the other tank.
The truck's roof buckled, its tailgate blew off and hit another vehicle, and the truck burst into flames. The fire scorched part of the drive-thru.
Four people in the truck were hurt.
FRESNO MAN PRESUMED DROWNED IN SAN JOAQUIN RIVER: FRESNO . (AP) — Fresno search and rescue officials say a Fresno man is presumed drowned after he disappeared while swimming in the San Joaquin River.
The Fresno Bee reports 20-year-old Nick Gilbert was following some friends when he tried to cross the river on Sunday and was swept under water.
The Fresno Fire Department, American Ambulance and other agencies sent diving teams, a rescue boat and a helicopter to search for the man — but did not find him.
Fresno Fire Department spokesman Sean Johnson says rescue operations were suspended after night fall Sunday. Johnson said Monday that the Fresno County Sheriff's Department will assume the job of recovering Gilbert's body.
Officials warn that the San Joaquin is cold and deep with a fast-moving current this time of the year due to snowmelt.
75 DEAD COCK FIGHT ROOSTERS FOUND NEAR BAKERSFIELD: BAKERSFIELD . (AP) — Kern County deputies say they found 75 dead roosters while raiding a suspected cock fight in an orchard north of Bakersfield.
The dead birds were discovered piled on a Ford pickup Sunday with fresh injuries to their breasts and thighs.
The bust near Delano was based on a tip. Officials say the individuals involved in the cockfighting fled on foot and in cars when deputies arrived.
Four people who were selling food at the event were arrested. The men, all from North Hollywood, were cited and released on suspicion of aiding in a cockfight and trespassing.
It was the second cockfighting bust in Kern County this year. Last year, a Kern County man died after being stabbed in the leg by a cockfighting bird that had a knife attached to its limb.
