TEHACHAPI, CALIFORNIA (BNO NEWS) — A large fire in southern California which was initiated by a small plane crash on Sunday has continued to spread, officials said on Monday. Residents also reported seeing a rare phenomenon called a fire tornado.

The fire began when a small single-engine Cessna 210 Centurion aircraft crashed on Sunday at around 11.30 a.m. local time on the Old West Ranch in the Blackburn Canyon, located just south of Tehachapi, around 35 miles (56 kilometers) east-southeast of Bakersfield.

As of Monday morning, the Kern County Fire Department (KCFD) said the Canyon Fire had spread to around 4,759 acres (1,925 hectares) while only about five percent was contained. Local media reported on Monday afternoon that the fire had grown to about 5,700 acres (2,306 hectares).

KCFD said one structure had been destroyed as of Monday morning, while 650 residents and 150 out buildings are threatened by the spreading fires. Local media later reported that at least a dozen structures had already been destroyed.

At least six hundred firefighters, twenty-five engines, fifteen dozers, four helicopters, and seven air tankers from agencies including Cal Fire, United States Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, Kern County Sheriff, and Los Angeles County Fire have been deployed to the area.

But the firefighting efforts have been further challenged by erratic winds and steep, rugged terrain. With hundreds of local residents being evacuated, officials set up a temporary relief center for evacuees at Jacobsen Junior High School in Tehachapi.

Jeannine Giuffre, president of the Greater Tehachapi Area Fire Safe Council and a resident of Old West Ranch, told the Tehachapi News that the flames developed an extreme behavior, creating a fire tornado with flame lengths between 200 and 300 feet (61 and 91 meters) high.

Witnesses said entire trees were ripped out and taken by the whirling flames, while one resident also reported seeing a trailer flying through the flames. Fire tornadoes are a rare phenomenon created under certain conditions, most often during wildfires.

Although there have been no casualties as a result of the fire, Sunday’s plane crash is believed to have killed two men from Southern California. Few details about their deaths have been released.

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LOS ANGELES (BNO NEWS) — The California state senate has approved a bill which will give college students who are illegal immigrants access to public financial aid, the Los Angeles Times reported on Thursday.

The measure, which passed 22-11 on a party-line vote with Democratic support and Republican opposition on Wednesday, still needs to pass the Assembly. If approved, it will be sent to Governor Jerry Brown for his signature.

Part of a two-bill package known as the California Dream Act, the measure would allow undocumented students to apply for state-funded scholarships and financial aid. To be eligible they must be California high school graduates who attended schools in the state at least three years, and demonstrate financial need and academic merit.

Opponents decried the bill, AB 131, saying the state cannot afford new spending, particularly on illegal immigrants. It is not known how many undocumented students would be eligible for the aid, but a Senate committee analysis estimated the bill’s cost at about $40 million.

“It’s against the rule of law for benefits to be given out to people here without legal status,” Senator Doug La Malfa said in an interview. “People are just insulted. The state is out of money and we are opening a new door here for more funds to be expended.”

Senator Ron Calderon, however, told his colleagues the measure is about rewarding good students. “This is about promoting success,” he said. The Assembly is expected to vote this week on the bill, according to the L.A. Times.

A federal DREAM act aimed at facilitating citizenship for millions of immigrants who came to the United States as children failed in the U.S. Senate last year. It would have granted to the approximately 2 million illegal immigrants a chance to gain legal status if they attend college or join the U.S. armed forces for a minimum of two years, among other requirements.

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LOS ANGELES (BNO NEWS) — U.S. and Japanese scientists have for the first time ever observed a tsunami by high-frequency radar, raising the possibility of new early warning systems.

Parts of northeastern Japan were devastated in March when an enormous 9.0-magnitude earthquake struck off its coast, unleashing a giant tsunami. Scientists at the University of California in Davis (UC Davis) were able to identify the tsunami waves with the help of high-frequency radar.

Professor John Largier, an oceanographer at UC Davis, and his colleagues have been using a high-frequency radar array at the Bodega Marine Lab to study ocean currents for the last 10 years. The lab is part of a network of coastal radar sites funded by the State of California for oceanographic research.

Largier, together with collaborators from Hokkaido and Kyoto universities in Japan and San Francisco State University, used data from radar sites at Bodega Bay and Trinidad in California and two sites in Hokkaido, Japan, to look for the tsunami offshore.

The scientists found that the radar does not pick up the actual tsunami wave – which is small in height while out at sea – but changes in currents as the wave passes. The researchers found they could see the tsunami once it entered shallower coastal waters over the continental shelf. As the waves enter shallower water, they slow down, increase in height and decrease in wavelength until finally hitting the coast.

The continental shelf off the California coast is quite narrow, and approaches to the coast are already well-monitored by pressure gauges, Largier said. But he said radar detection could be useful, for example, on the U.S. East Coast or in Southeast Asia, where there are wide expanses of shallow seas. “It could be really useful in areas such as south-east Asia where there are huge areas of shallow continental shelf,” Largier said.

The earthquake and tsunami in Japan killed at least 15,698 people while more than 4,600 people remain missing. The tsunami also killed two people in Indonesia and in California.

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LOS ANGELES (BNO NEWS) — The former lead singer of rock group Warrant, Jani Lane, was found dead at a hotel in Los Angeles on late Thursday afternoon, police said on Friday. He was 47.

A spokesperson for the Los Angeles Police Department said Los Angeles Fire Department paramedics arrived at the Comfort Inn hotel in Woodlands Hill, a district of Los Angeles, at approximately 5.30 p.m. local time after a 9-1-1 call was received.

“When emergency personnel arrived, the Fire Department pronounced the death of a 47-year-old man, later identified as Jani Lane, the lead singer of the popular rock band Warrant,” a police spokesperson said. “The cause of death is unknown and the Los Angeles County Coroner’s Office is conducting an investigation into Mr. Lane’s death.”

Born John Kennedy Oswald in Akron, Ohio, Lane is probably best remembered for being the frontman of glam metal band ‘Warrant,’ which was formed in 1984 by Erik Turner. In 1986, Lane joined the group, recording eight albums with the band and writing several Top 40 hit singles, including ‘Heaven,’ ‘Down Boys,’ ‘I Saw Red,’ and ‘Cherry Pie.’

Lane left Warrant in 1993 but returned on several occasions to record a number of more albums while beginning his solo career. He also appeared in a couple of short-budget films, including 1991s ‘High Strung.’ Lane, who remained active and even toured last year with Great White, substituting for singer Jack Russell, was also featured in VH1′s ‘Celebrity Fit Club 2′ in 2005.

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SANTA BARBARA, CALIFORNIA (BNO NEWS) — The U.S. military on Thursday lost contact with a hypersonic aircraft during a test flight over the Pacific Ocean, the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) confirmed.

The Hypersonic Technology Vehicle 2 (HTV-2) was launched aboard an Air Force Minotaur IV rocket at 7.45 a.m. local time from the Vandenberg Air Force Base in California.

After the Minotaur rocket launched and neared orbit, it successfully inserted the HTV-2 into the desired trajectory. Separation of the vehicle was confirmed by rocket cam and the aircraft transitioned to Mach 20 aerodynamic flight, according to a spokesperson for DARPA.

The hypersonic vehicle was expected to fly at a speed of Mach 20, approximately 13,000 miles per hour (21,000 kilometers per hour), while experiencing temperatures in excess of 3,500 F (1927 C). However, the flight ended prematurely when engineers and scientists lost communication with the speeding craft.

DARPA said that more than nine minutes of data was collected before an anomaly caused the loss of signal and the aircraft likely impacted the Pacific Ocean along the planned flight path as initial data indicated.

According to DARPA, the aircraft transition to Mach 20 represents a critical knowledge and control point in maneuvering atmospheric hypersonic flight. “We know how to boost the aircraft to near space. We know how to insert the aircraft into atmospheric hypersonic flight. We do not yet know how to achieve the desired control during the aerodynamic phase of flight,” said U.S. Air Force Major Chris Schulz, DARPA HTV-2 program manager. “It’s vexing; I’m confident there is a solution. We have to find it.”

The prototype HTV-2 had its first test flight on April 22 of last year when telemetry assets also experienced a loss of signal from the aircraft. According to Schulz, there are many technical obstacles to overcome in these kind of flights and his team will review and analyze the data collected during the coming weeks.

This data will be used for decisions regarding future Conventional Prompt Global Strike programs, which has the ultimate goal of having the capability to deliver a precise weapon strike anywhere in the world in less than an hour. HTV-2 was designed to fly anywhere in the world in less than 60 minutes.

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SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA (BNO NEWS) — Two U.S. Marines were rescued safely after their fighter jet crashed off Mexico’s Pacific coast on late Wednesday evening, officials said on Thursday.

The two marines, who are based at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar in San Diego, California, crashed their F/A-18 Hornet fighter jet on Wednesday night at around 10.15 p.m. local time and were reported missing. The fighter jet crashed into the Pacific Ocean approximately 85 miles (136 kilometers) southwest of San Diego.

The U.S. Coast Guard said its 13th “Island” Class Patrol Boat Cutter Edisto heard the Marines and deployed the Coast Guard MH-60 Jahawk helicopter to the survivors’ location. In addition, another patrol boat, Cutter Morgenthau, and a C-130 Hercules aircraft from Air Station Sacramento, which had already been deployed to the scene, were sent out as well.

Around four hours after the crash, the Marines were successfully rescued and airlifted to a local hospital. Both Marines, a pilot and a weapons systems officer, were reported to be in a stable condition.

It was not immediately known what caused the accident.

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WASHINGTON, D.C. (BNO NEWS) — Former U.S. First Lady Betty Ford, the widow of President Gerald Ford, died at a hospital in California on Friday afternoon, her family said on early Saturday morning. She was 93.

“It is with great sadness that we inform you that our beloved mother Betty Ford has passed away at 93 years of age,” a joint statement from her four children said. It said Betty Ford died peacefully on Friday afternoon at Eisenhower Medical Center in Rancho Mirage, California, but gave no details on the cause of death.

“Mother’s love, candor, devotion, and laughter enriched our lives and the lives of the millions she touched throughout this great nation. To be in her presence was to know the warmth of a truly great lady,” her children added. “Mother’s passing leaves a deep void, but it also fills us with immeasurable appreciation for the life we and Dad shared with her.”

Betty Ford was born as Elizabeth Anne Bloomer in Chicago on April 8, 1918 but was raised in Grand Rapids, Michigan. She developed a passion for dance at an early age and, upon graduation from high school in 1936, Bloomer attended the Bennington School of Dance in Vermont for two summers. She then continued her studies in New York City, where she became a member of Auxiliary Performance Troupe and performed at Carnegie Hall.

But close family ties brought Bloomer back to Grand Rapids in 1941. She became fashion coordinator for Herpolsheimer’s, a locally prominent department store, and continued her interest in dance, forming her own performance group. She also worked with handicapped children, helping them experience the joy of rhythm and movement in dance.

Less than a year later, Bloomer married salesman William Warren. But the union did not last, and they divorced amicably in 1947. During the same year, Bloomer was introduced by a friend to Gerald R. Ford, Jr., a young lawyer who had served as a U.S. Navy lieutenant during World War II.

Months later, in February 1948, the couple was engaged to be married. Their wedding took place on October 15, 1948, two weeks before Gerald Ford was elected to his first term in Congress. They moved to Washington, D.C. where he served as member of the House of Representatives for 25 years.

Betty Ford quickly assumed the tasks of a congressional spouse of the era, spending much of her time in volunteer work with the Congressional Wives Club, the 81st Congress Club, and the National Federation of Republican Women. She also provided tours of the Capitol to visiting constituents from Michigan.

Over the years, the Fords became the parents of four children: Michael Gerald, born March 14, 1950; John Gardner, born March 16, 1952; Steven Meigs, born May 19, 1956; and Susan Elizabeth, born July 6, 1957. Clara Powell, hired in 1949 to assist in housekeeping, became an extended family member over the next twenty years.

While in Congress, the Fords lived in Alexandria, Virginia. There, in addition to her congressional spouse activities, Betty Ford supervised the home, did the cooking, undertook volunteer work, and taught Sunday school at Emmanual-on-the-Hill Episcopal Church. She was active in PTA and devoted much time to supporting her children’s pursuits in Scouting, baseball, and football and the many other activities of a young growing family.

By 1973, the Fords were planning retirement from Congress when a turn of political events shook the nation and reshaped their own future. After the 1972 break-in of Democratic Headquarters in the Watergate Hotel, the Nixon administration gradually became mired in an unfolding scandal and consumed by legal investigations. Then, when Vice President Spiro Agnew resigned amidst a scandal of his own, President Nixon nominated Congressman Ford to replace Agnew. After President Nixon himself resigned on August 9, 1974, Gerald Ford took the oath of office as 38th President of the United States. Instead of retiring, the Fords moved to the White House.

As the new First Lady, Betty Ford immediately revealed the openness and good-natured candor that became her trademark. She held her first press conference on September 4, 1974. Expressing herself with humor and forthrightness on controversial issues of the day, she answered questions about women in politics, abortion rights, and a proposed Equal Rights Amendment to the Constitution.

When she was diagnosed with breast cancer later that month, Betty Ford broke with social conventions by fostering public discussion of her diagnosis and treatment. In doing this, she purposefully raised public awareness of screening and treatment options and reassured the many women already suffering from similar ordeals. As soon as possible, she resumed her public duties at the Executive Mansion.

During her tenure as First Lady, Betty Ford was an outspoken advocate of women’s rights and aspirations in an era when there was much debate on the matter. She also encouraged the appointment of more women to senior government posts, supported the U.N. International Women’s Year in 1975, and supported passage of the Equal Rights Amendment.

Then, during an interview on CBS News’ 60 Minutes, Betty Ford candidly shared her opinions on such provocative issues as abortion rights, pre-marital sex, and marijuana use. Her statements drew the ire of many conservatives at a time when former California governor Ronald Reagan was already challenging her husband for the Republican Party’s presidential nomination in 1976. Public approval ratings for the Fords fell as a result, but they recovered months later.

Betty Ford was an enthusiastic supporter of her husband during the 1976 Presidential election campaign. She made several speaking tours throughout the east and mid-west. Her popularity was reflected on lapel buttons that proclaimed “Betty’s Husband For President!” When Gerald Ford was defeated by former Georgia governor Jimmy Carter, the couple left Washington and moved to Rancho Mirage, California.

In 1978, Betty Ford’s prescription drug and alcohol use led to a family intervention and her self-admittance to Long Beach Naval Hospital for treatment. But she again, as with her breast cancer, openly dealt with the problems.

Her 1978 autobiography, ‘The Times of My Life’, chronicled her life through the White House years and concluded with a candid, unplanned chapter on her admittance to Long Beach. Her second book, ‘Betty: A Glad Awakening’, was published in 1987, recounting her experience of recovery from chemical dependency. She became an active and outspoken champion of improved awareness, education, and treatment for alcohol and other drug dependencies.

In 1982, her good friend, Ambassador Leonard Firestone, joined Betty Ford in co-founding the non-profit Betty Ford Center at the Eisenhower Medical Center in Rancho Mirage, California. Betty Ford worked tirelessly to raise funds and to help research and design treatments to assist men, women and families in recovery from alcoholism and other drug dependency.

Betty Ford passed the leadership of the Betty Ford Center to her daughter, Susan Ford Bales, in 2005 but continued to remain active and interested in the work being done at the center. After her husband’s death on December 26, 2006, Betty Ford vanished from the public eye. She resided in Rancho Mirage until she died at an area hospital on Friday.

U.S. President Barack Obama praised the life of Betty Ford in a statement released by the White House. “While her death is a cause for sadness, we know that organizations such as the Betty Ford Center will honor her legacy by giving countless Americans a new lease on life,” Obama said. “Today, we take comfort in the knowledge that Betty and her husband, former President Gerald Ford, are together once more.”

Former U.S. President George W. Bush said he and his wife Laura are ‘deeply saddened’ by the passing of Ford. “We admired her as a First Lady and valued her as a friend. She made countless contributions to our country, and we especially appreciate her courage in calling attention to breast cancer and substance abuse,” Bush said. “Because of her leadership, many lives were saved. Tonight our prayers go out to Mrs. Ford’s entire family.”

Former U.S. President Bill Clinton and his wife, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, also said they are ‘deeply saddened’ by the passing of Ford. “Betty was a remarkable woman whose legacy will live on in people around the country whose lives are longer and better because of her work. Our thoughts and prayers are with her children and grandchildren. We are grateful for her contributions, and for her kindness to us. We will miss her,” the couple said.

Former U.S. President George H.W. Bush said he and his wife Barbara loved Ford ‘very much.’ “She was a wonderful wife and mother; a great friend; and a courageous First Lady. No one confronted life’s struggles with more fortitude or honesty, and as a result, we all learned from the challenges she faced.”

Also in response to the news, former U.S. President Carter and his wife Rosalynn said Betty Ford was a close personal friend and ‘our frequent partner’ in bipartisan efforts to improve mental health and substance abuse care in the United States. “She was a remarkable political spouse, whose courageous candor helped forge a new era of openness after the divisiveness of the Vietnam War and Watergate,” the couple said.

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SAN FRANCISCO (BNO NEWS) — San Francisco police on Thursday announced the arrest of a New Jersey man in possession of the missing Picasso drawing, the San Francisco Chronicle reported on Friday.

Mark Lugo, 30, a resident of Hoboken, New Jersey, was detained for the theft of Pablo Picasso’s “Tête de Femme” (Head of a Woman) from the Union Square gallery last Tuesday.

The suspect flew from New York City, where he worked in high-end restaurants, to San Francisco on July 4. The next day he walked into the gallery and stole the Pablo Picasso pencil drawing from the wall, according to the police.

Lugo was arrested at about 9:30 p.m. local time on Wednesday. Police found the Picasso drawing ready for shipment at an apartment complex in Napa, where he was staying with local friends.

Police Chief Greg Suhr told the Chronicle that the frame that held the drawing at the gallery was not found but otherwise, the artwork “was undamaged.” It is believed that Lugo acted alone on the theft of the $200,000-valued drawing.

Lugo’s friends were not arrested as police determined they were unaware of his alleged scheme. Before the arrest, Lugo was recorded by a security camera of a local restaurant moments after the theft.

The footage showed a man in a dark jacket walking on the sidewalk with a framed artwork under his left arm, partly covered with a newspaper. Police confirmed Thursday that the man was Lugo.

“Tête de Femme,” also kown as “Jacqueline,” was drawn by Spanish artist Pablo Picasso in 1965. It is a portrait of the artist’s second wife who became the most important of all his Muses and models.

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WATSONVILLE, CALIFORNIA (BNO NEWS) — Two people were killed on early Thursday evening when a small plane crashed into a hospital building in central California, local and federal officials said on early Friday morning.

The accident happened at around 7.30 p.m. local time when the small plane, a single-engine Mooney, crashed into a medical office building next door to Watsonville Community Hospital in Watsonville, a city in Santa Cruz County which is part of the San Francisco Bay Area.

“The fire department responded immediately to contain and extinguish the fire,” said Cindy Weigelt, a spokeswoman for the 106-bed hospital. “We do not believe anyone was inside the medical office building at the time of the crash.”

Local authorities confirmed that both people on board the aircraft were killed in the accident. Their identities were not immediately released, but Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) spokesman Lynn Lunsford said the aircraft was registered in Santa Cruz and had departed Watsonville Airport just before it crashed.

“Because of the quick response by the fire department, no evacuation was necessary,” added Weigelt. “All areas of the hospital remain operational, including our emergency room, and our continued focus is on the care and well-being of our patients. Everyone at the hospital is extremely grateful for the fast response of our fire department. We thank the firefighters for their efforts to quickly bring the fire from this accident under control.”

The FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) will investigate the cause of the accident.

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LOS ANGELES (BNO NEWS) — The Los Angeles dodgers on Monday announced that the organization filed for bankruptcy protection after owing around $30 million in payroll obligations, Major League Baseball (MLB) reported.

Frank McCourt, Dodgers’ owner, sought the intervention of the court after MLB interfered with the organization’s operations and Commissioner Bud Selig rejected a $3 billion television deal with Fox Sports. The acclaimed franchise is now likely to be sold in the near future.

Selig claimed that the lucrative deal would not be beneficial for the club on the long term as well as for the best interests of baseball. On the other hand, McCourt said that Selig’s actions have been risking the finances of the team.

“It is my hope that the Chapter 11 process will create a fair and constructive environment to get done what we couldn’t achieve with the Commissioner directly,” said McCourt in a statement.

Reportedly, the 17-year agreement between Los Angeles Dodgers and Fox Sports would have injected $235 million into the organization immediately in order to cover the team’s payroll. The current television deal with FOX runs out in 2013.

“This transaction would make the Dodgers financially secure for the long term and one of the best capitalized teams in Major League Baseball,” said Steve Susman, senior partner of Susman Godfrey. “Commissioner Selig’s letter of rejection is not only a disappointment, but worse, is potentially destructive to the Los Angeles Dodgers, and MLB.”

In late April, Selig appointed Thomas Schieffer, former president of the Texas Rangers, to monitor operations of Los Angeles Dodgers franchise after the league took over the organization due to the financial issues of McCourt.

In addition, MLB urged McCourt to settle his divorce dispute with Jamie McCourt, his wife of 29 years who also served as CEO of the club until 2009. Frank and Jamie reportedly reached an agreement but the FOX deal was rejected anyway.

This was the third time in recent MLB history that the Commissioner’s office has taken over operations of a club. Last year, the Texas Rangers, the American League champions, were placed under operational control of MLB. The situation was resolved in a bankruptcy court and the team was sold for $550 million.

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