SATURDAY, MARCH 16, 2002
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Volume 1, Issue 107
Santa Monica Daily Press Picked fresh daily. 100% organic news.
Governor decides to delay ban on use of MTBE
The sign says it all Bail held for hijacker accused of murder
Suspected carcinogen blamed for contaminating Santa Monicaâs drinking water
Albert White, who allegedly bludgeoned his elderly father to death, presents a 'significant risk,' prosecutors said
BY CHRISTINA ALMEIDA Associated Press Writer
BY ANDREW H. FIXMER Daily Press Staff Writer
A judge ruled Friday that a 1970âs Lithuanian hijacker who allegedly murdered his father in Santa Monica last month will remain in jail on $1.2 million bail. Albert Victor White, who 32 years ago helped his father Pranas âFrankâ Brazinskas hijack a Soviet commercial jetliner to escape cold warera Lithuania, stands accused of beating to death his 77-year old father on Feb. 5 during a struggle at the pairâs 21st Street apartment. Santa Monica Superior Court Judge Bernard J. Kamins denied a motion by Whiteâs attorney, Jack Alex, to reduce bail or release White on his own recognizance. The judge also granted a request by the district See BAIL, page 3
Andrew H. Fixmer/ The Daily Press
Ellen Korak, of Venice Beach, paints a neon-colored sign on the front window of Stewart Photo on Wilshire Boulevard Friday afternoon.
REDONDO BEACH â Saying he wanted to avoid another kind of energy crisis, Gov. Gray Davis on Friday gave gasoline makers another year to phase out the use of fuel additive MTBE. Davis extended the deadline from Dec. 31, 2002 to Jan. 1, 2004. Without the extension, he said, the strain of shifting from MTBE to ethanol in gasoline manufacturing would create shipping problems, gas shortages and sharp price increases. âIf I could snap my fingers and eliminate MTBE today I would do it in a heartbeat,â Davis said at a news conference. âBut Iâve seen this movie before, and Iâm not going to watch out-ofstate energy companies hold California hostage once again.â Davis said only about seven companies nationwide produce ethanol, and adhering to the original See MTBE, page 3
St. Patrickâs Day in SM, from shamrocks to green beer Daily Press Staff Writer
St. Patrickâs Day has been a religious celebration for thousands of years, but some where along the way it became an excuse to drink excessive amounts of green beer. Sunday marks the anniversary of St. Patrickâs death, a day when millions of people â Irish and otherwise â will take to the local churches and pubs to recognize the patron saint of Ireland, who is one of Christianityâs most recognized figures. Early tradition meant families attended church in the morning and danced, drank, and feasted on meals of Irish bacon and cabbage in the afternoon. The feast was particularly special since it was the only day meat could be eaten because of Lent. In modern-day Ireland, St. Patrickâs Day is a religious occasion. Up until the 1970âs, laws called for pubs to be closed on March 17. However in 1995, Irish government officials saw St. Patrickâs Day as an opportunity to drive tourism and to put Ireland back on the map.
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St. Patrickâs Day celebrations became popular in America for political reasons. In 1845, close to a million poor, uneducated Irish Catholics began to pour into America to escape the great potato famine. They were hated because of their religious beliefs and
âfunny accents.â And when they took to the streets for St. Patrickâs Day celebrations, they were portrayed by the press as âdrunk, violent monkeys.â See ST. PATRICK, page 3
Miramax eliminates 75 jobs in NY, LA By The Associated Press
LOS ANGELES â Miramax eliminated 75 jobs Friday, or about 15 percent of the movie studioâs work force. The cuts were made across all departments, including publicity, production and marketing, company spokesman Matthew Hiltzik said. Most of the cuts were midlevel executives and assistants at the companyâs headquarters in New York, although several people in Los Angeles and overseas were also let go. Some people were fired and some open jobs went unfilled, the company said.
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Hiltzik said Miramax â a division of Walt Disney Co. â had increased its staff by 17 percent since October, topping the 500-employee mark. After hiring a new chief financial officer and director of publicity, the company decided to re-evaluate its staffing, he said. âWe grew really quickly over the last few months and needed to take a pause to be sure we were operating as efficiently as possible,â he said. The company did not say how much would be saved by the cuts. Miramax has several movies in contention for Academy Awards this year, including âIn the Bedroom,â âAmelieâ and âIris.â
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