Inland Valley Daily Bulletin

Menorah-Lighting Ceremony Scheduled

UPLAND Community members are invited to attend a menorah- lighting ceremony Sunday, the first night of Hanukkah. The event, sponsored by Chabad of the Inland Empire, will include music, traditional food such as latkes, Hanukkah gifts for children, a raffle and the lighting of a candle atop a neight-foot menorah.

Family Displaced by Fire Seeking Help

POMONA A family of 11 who lost all their belongings in a house fire is seeking assistance. Anna Maria Garcia, six other adults and her four children have been staying in a motel with the help of the American Red Cross, Garcia said.

Thursday, December 22

EVENTS - Soccer Camp Registration: San Dimas Parks and Recreation Department is offering a soccer camp for children from Dec. 27 through 30 at Horsethief Canyon Park. Registration is being taken at city hall, 245 E. Bonita Ave., San Dimas. Participants will have a chance to learn fundamental soccer skills in a safe positive environment. Cost is $70 for the half-day and $120 for the full-day camp. Information: (909) 394-6234.

Civil Rights Group to Protest Miller

BREA An Asian American civil rights group plans a protest today of a new immigration law in front of Republican Congressman Gary Miller's Brea office. The Asian Pacific American Legal Center is organizing the rally against Miller and the bill he co-sponsored. HR 4437 passed the House of Representatives on Friday, making it a civil crime to be an illegal alien in this country while denying a slew of services to undocumented immigrants.

Buses Will Be Limited Today

Omnitrans bus service will be severely limited todayin areas west of the 15 Freewaydue to a shortage of liquefiednatural gas. Officials urge regular bus riders to find alternate ways ofgetting around.

Local

GRANTS FOR THE HOMELESS: This year, 78 battered women and their children found a safe place to call home through Victor Valley Domestic Violence Inc.'s transitional housing program.This week, that program received an $829,000 federal grant to continue for at least three more years, said Executive Director Margaret Diaz. "We can pay the rents for 20 units - that's three-, two- and one- bedroom apartments," said Diaz, who was joyous over the news. SEE PAGE A4 STATE GETTY ON PROBATION: The natio...

Mccook Fights Latest Charges ; Lawyers Argue Bribery Case Already Tried

JOSHUA TREE A lawyer for an Orange County businessman accused of bribing San Bernardino County officials in the 1990s is fighting to have his client's latest case dismissed. Richard Beswick, who represents William Shepardson "Shep" McCook in a case connected to a far-reaching county corruption scandal, was at a hearing in Joshua Tree Superior Court on Wednesday discussing motions for dismissal.

Obituaries

Linda L. Brown, 54, Ontario died Dec. 14, 2005 Draper Mortuary, Ontario

Time to Learn Two-Step

Hud Gives Grants to Help Homeless

This year, 78 battered women and their children found asafe place to call home through Victor Valley Domestic ViolenceInc.'s transitional housing program. This week, that program received an $829,000 federal grantto continue for at least three more years, said ExecutiveDirector Margaret Diaz.

Norco High Student Had Long-Term Goals

NORCO Most high school freshmen have no idea whatthey'll do with the rest of their lives. But Stephanie Cox wasn't like most kids her age.

State to Lose Welfare Funds

WASHINGTON, D.C. - California's needy families will losemore than $550 million a year under a deficit-reduction billapproved Wednesday by the U.S. Senate, marking the first cutsto welfare, Medicare and other entitlement programs in nearly adecade. Vice President Dick Cheney cut short his Iraq trip to castthe tie- breaking vote on the controversial $39.7 billionpackage, opposed by California's Democratic Sens. Barbara Boxerand Dianne Feinstein.

School Gets $2,500 Apology

SAN DIMAS - Shull Elementary School received a giftWednesday from the most unusual of donors - someone whovandalized the school 32 years ago. Brought in by a student and given to Principal Chris AnnHorsley, the $2,500 cashier's check came with an anonymous notethree sentences long.

Nowak Leaves County Position

The director of the county Redevelopment Agencyresigned Tuesday at a time when the agency has a number oflarge, complex projects in the works. John E. Nowak joined the county and became head of theagency in March 2003.

Traffic Issues Plague Local Schools

Lori Hebert carefully guides her daughter Maria, 7,past a street choked with sport utility vehicles as they walkhome together from Windrows Elementary School in RanchoCucamonga. With few children walking or bicycling to school anymore,afternoons devolve into mini-rush hours at many Inland Valleyschools, a potentially dangerous mix that worries Hebert.

Jury Delivers Two Counts for 2004 Killings of Teens

RANCHO CUCAMONGA -- Lanny Woosley was convicted of twocounts of first degree murder on Wednesday by jurors who wereunconvinced he pulled the trigger, but certain he was at leastpartly responsible for the machine gun killings of twoteenagers. Friends and relatives of the victims filled a RanchoCucamonga courtroom beyond capacity, then cheered andapplauded as a court clerk read the first of the guiltyverdicts against Woosley.

Aol, Google Inc. Complete $1b Deal

SAN FRANCISCO - America Online finalized a $1billion deal to sell a 5 percent stake to Google Inc.,deepening the ties binding two of the Web's most popular siteswhile thwarting Microsoft Corp.'s efforts to grab a largerpiece of the booming Internet advertising market. Approving the expanded alliance had been considered a mereformality since last Friday when AOL's corporate parent, TimeWarner Inc., abruptly ended several months of negotiations withMicrosoft, which had hoped to supplant Google ...

Oil Prices Rise Amid Distillate Fuel Drop

WASHINGTON Crude-oil prices rose Wednesday morningafter the U.S. government's weekly petroleum report showed adecline in domestic inventories of distillate fuel, whichinclude heating oil and diesel. February light sweet crude rose 47 cents to settle at $58.56a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange. February Brentcrude futures on London's ICE Futures exchange rose 55 cents tosettle at $56.72 a barrel.

Dollar Rises Against Euro On U.S. Data

BERLIN - The dollar rose against the euro Wednesdayas new data showed that the U.S. economy grew at its fastestpace for 1 1/2 years in the third quarter. The 12-nation European currency bought $1.1830 in late NewYork trading, down from $1.1863 late Tuesday in New York.

Fedex Profit Jumps for Second Quarter

MEMPHIS, Tenn. - FedEx Corp. said Wednesday itssecond-quarter profit jumped 33 percent, easily beating WallStreet's predictions and its own. FedEx stock rose to a new52-week high on the earnings report. While a strong economy helped, earnings largely were due toa focus on operating costs and promotion of the integratedshipping company's more profitable services, market analystssaid.