The Daily News entered the interactive age in the mid-1990s, with the launch of a website that enhanced its coverage of the San Fernando and neighboring valleys.
In addition to local news, the paper featured front-page stories about the tragic Oklahoma City bombing, the devastating equestrian accident that paralyzed actor Christopher Reeve and the stunning acquittal of O.J. Simpson.
This installment in the Daily News’ Centennial series features excerpts of select stories from 1995-96:
Family adds 5 bundles of joy
Fate dealt Marcella Quezada a rare hand Thursday, as she gave birth to a full house – three girls and two boys.
The quintuplets were born 7-1/2-weeks premature, but healthy.
The 26-year-old West Hills woman, who had taken fertility medication, was resting Thursday evening at Kaiser Permanente Medical Center in Woodland Hills — and husband Ramon Quezada, a restaurant cook, said he was ready for the challenge with help from the couple’s families. (Feb. 10, 1995)
Suspect seen as lonely man who craved recognition of skill
Federal agents know him as “Condor,” a hacker who eluded authorities for years and whose exploits, they say, poked holes in the electronic safeguards around the world’s largest computer networks.
But Harriet Rosetto knows him as Kevin D. Mitnick, an alienated man from Calabasas whose sole connection to the world was tied to the tricks he played at a computer keyboard … Over the years, Mitnick, 31, has been convicted of stealing things other criminals might have left behind: telephone company manuals, software, security programs and telephone codes. (Feb. 16, 1995)
LAPD rookie, 59, turns in badge after 4 months
Less than four months after hitting the streets as the LAPD’s oldest-ever rookie, Edward Olivares has quietly turned in his service pistol and badge.
“I did my best. I took my best shot at it and put my best effort and then some,” said Olivares, who joined the Los Angeles Police Department at age 59 after a 30-year career in aerospace and training at the famed Cordon Bleu cooking school. (March 7, 1995)
Thieves laying waste to recycling program
They come mostly at night, slipping quietly through residential neighborhoods to scavenge from yellow recycling bins and turn trash into cash before the city of Los Angeles can do it … Scavengers, many of whom work in motorized fleets, are draining an estimated $25,000 a month away from the city in recycling earnings and, in some instances, have turned to violence to protect their turf.
One of them stabbed a sanitation worker with a crowbar when confronted. Another used his fists to beat up a garbage truck driver. (March 13, 1995)
Theft of car phones accelerating in Valley
Detective Dexter Owens stood behind his desk with a telephone wedged in his ear, sounding sympathetic as he filed Monday’s new batch of theft reports into an overstuffed blue notebook.
“They broke your window. They took your phone,” Owens said into the receiver. Nodding his head, he added: “You’re probably No. 1,000 since January. It’s an epidemic.” (April 4, 1995)
Terror in the heartland
Just 48 hours after the Oklahoma City bombing, authorities Friday arrested a suspect whom a witness described in court papers as enraged over the federal raid on the Branch Davidian compound near Waco, Texas, two years to the day before the blast … Friday night the suspect under arrest, Timothy J. McVeigh, a 27-year-old Army veteran, was brought before a federal magistrate at Tinker Air Force Base in Oklahoma on charges of maliciously damaging federal property. (April 22, 1995)
Pierce to run farm, produce stand
Just five weeks after Joe Cicero lost a contract to run a small farm and produce stand at Pierce College, a deal that would have brought in a group of replacement farmers has fallen through.
But instead of putting the farm back out to bid or giving the contract to the next highest bidder, Acting College President Mary Lee has decided to take over the farm, hoping to turn Pierce’s green acres into a profit-maker for the campus … (May 3, 1995)
Fleiss gets the minimum
Hollywood madam Heidi Fleiss — sentenced Wednesday to three years in prison on pandering charges — suffered from low self-esteem and depression and may have viewed her exclusive call-girl ring as a way to achieve power, wealth and status, her probation report shows. (May 25, 1995)
Actor Reeve paralyzed after fall from horse
Actor Christopher Reeve, whose portrayal of “Superman” made him a star, is paralyzed and unable to breathe on his own after breaking his neck in a weekend horseback riding accident …
“He has sustained complex fractures to the first and second cervical vertebrae that have resulted in an injury to the spinal cord,” Dr. John A. Jane said in a statement.
“He may require surgery to stabilize the upper spine in the near future. At this time, it is premature to speculate on his long-term prognosis,” the statement said. (June 1, 1995)
`Best farmer in the Valley’ dies at age 77
Before Warner Center was a center and the Promenade was a mall, Mike Gazzera farmed hundreds of acres in the heart of Woodland Hills, working the land from sunrise and into the night.
The pioneering San Fernando Valley farmer, whose strawberries and sweet corn fed generations of Valley residents, died Sunday at 77.
His family and friends gathered Wednesday at a Canoga Park funeral home where they recalled Gazzera as a farmer’s farmer, a man who led a life as straight as the rows he sowed until he retired at age 75 … A man of few words, Gazzera’s father did not advise his sons on which career to choose, but Joe Gazzera said he told them:
“I came to this country. I never had to go on relief. I never had to beg. If you can’t make it after you have gone to school, save a nickel — and buy a bullet.” … The farm stretched from Topanga Canyon Boulevard and De Soto Avenue on the west and east to Vanowen Street and Burbank Boulevard on the north and south. (June 15, 1995)
Raiders commit to Oakland
Raiders owner and NFL maverick Al Davis agreed Friday to abandon Los Angeles and take his team back to Oakland, ending 13 years of feuding, fighting and sometimes winning in Southern California.
The move would leave Los Angeles without a professional football team for the first time since 1945 … Poor attendance during his years in Los Angeles weighed against the fervor in Oakland over the team’s return also played roles. (June 24, 1995)
Daily News expands features, local coverage
Emphasizing the newspaper’s deep commitment to the San Fernando and neighboring valleys, Daily News President and CEO Larry T. Beasley has announced a series of changes designed to improve the Daily News for readers and advertisers.
The changes will include new and expanded features in the paper’s News, L.A. Life, Business, Sports and Opinion pages; stronger focus on local news coverage; and greater interactivity between the newspaper and its readers and advertisers. (July 23, 1995)
City shows off theater plan
Arts groups and merchants got their first glimpse Thursday of plans for a state-of-the-art theater they hope will revitalize the Canoga Park business district and provide a much-needed performing arts venue.
The proposed 500-seat Madrid Theatre would be built on the site of the demolished Pussycat Theater at 21622 Sherman Way.
Merchants said the former X-rated movie house symbolized the decline of the business district, and the new theater will show its rebirth … The new Madrid Theatre is named for a vaudeville venue that stood on the site in the 1920s, before it became the Pussycat adult movie theater. (Aug. 4, 1995)
Plan to move Van Nuys statue ignites Fernandomania
For more than three decades, Fernando has stood his ground in the courtyard of the Van Nuys Civic Center, weathering the elements, pigeons and graffiti.
Now, the bronze and granite statue, whose image has come to symbolize volunteerism in the San Fernando Valley, is at the center of a tug of war as its owners consider moving the landmark to Woodland Hills.
The issue is less one of aesthetics than civic pride.
“Fernando is a symbol of the first Valley resident. I don’t want it to be moved. It’s become a territorial issue,” said Nancy Hoffman, executive vice president of the Mid Valley Chamber of Commerce, which represents the Van Nuys, Panorama City and North Hills areas.
“Fernando is part of history. You don’t move the White House, and you don’t move the Vietnam War Memorial,” she said. (Aug. 5, 1995)
Daily News sportswriter Jim Bertken missing at sea
Jim Bertken, a sportswriter for the Daily News, was reported missing early Friday from a fishing boat off the California coast and was presumed to have been swept overboard during an overnight charter trip.
A Coast Guard cutter and two aircraft conducted a daylong search but reported no sign of Bertken. (Aug. 26, 1995)
Simpson free
In a finish that left America breathless and then divided, O.J. Simpson was acquitted Tuesday in the knife slayings of his former wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ronald Goldman.
Simpson, seeming stunned momentarily as the verdicts were read by a court clerk, smiled weakly and nodded his head – then mouthed the words “thank you” to jurors.
Lead defense counsel Johnnie Cochran Jr. pumped his fist and said, “Yes” upon hearing the words “not guilty.”
“Oh, my God” exclaimed Simpson’s daughter Arnelle, embracing her brother Jason. “We did it” another family member exulted.
Relatives of the victims seemed disbelieving.
Goldman’s father, Fred, mouthed the word “murderer” and then sat with his mouth agape as the verdicts were read. Goldman’s sister Kim broke down sobbing. (Oct. 4, 1995)
Coyote causing concern
Lynne Mazur recalls the day recently when she left her home for a few hours and returned to a blood bath.
“I turned on the answering machine and turned around to look at the room. I saw blood everywhere,” Mazur said. “I thought someone had come in my house to die.”
What Mazur discovered was her badly injured cat, Edison. The culprit, Mazur and her veterinarian suspect, was a coyote.
Mazur is among a group of residents who say coyote sightings and pet attacks are on the rise in the neighborhoods near Woodlake Avenue and Roscoe Boulevard. (Nov. 16, 1995)
Magic’s back
The inevitable return of the most popular figure in Los Angeles sports history finally materialized Monday when Earvin “Magic” Johnson announced he will resume playing for the Lakers after four-plus years of retirement.
What had been anticipated for days, and really ever since he reluctantly left the game Nov. 7, 1991, after testing positive for human immunodeficiency virus, became official around 9 a.m. after Johnson passed a physical and signed a contract worth $2.5 million for the rest of the season. (Jan. 30, 1996)
Guilty
A jury convicted Erik and Lyle Menendez of first-degree murder and conspiracy Wednesday in the shotgun slayings of their parents 6-1/2 years ago, rejecting a defense that sought leniency by claiming that the brothers endured years of abuse.
The eight-man, four-woman jury also found that the Menendez brothers were guilty of lying in wait and multiple murders in the Aug. 20, 1989, killings of Jose and Kitty Menendez — findings that make the brothers eligible for the death penalty. (March 21, 1996)
Theater gives mall new life
The thousands of moviegoers who flooded the AMC Promenade 16 megaplex’s grand opening were probably too distracted by the comfy seats and 16-cent popcorn to think about the bonanza they brought to the theater complex and surrounding restaurants this weekend.
But for merchants and mall managers, the crowds were big news. Weekend business at the Woodland Hills mall increased an eye-popping 75 percent over the same time last year, with an estimated 82,000 customers passing through between Friday and Sunday. (April 2, 1996)
Pac Bell, GTE getting word out about Caller ID
A massive media campaign on Caller ID is clearing the way for the new service, but hangups over privacy may give phone companies a hollow victory.
Pacific Bell and GTE said Monday that more than 70 percent of their California customers surveyed were aware that their phone numbers would be revealed when calling phones equipped with Caller ID. (May 7, 1996)
Owners to close curtain on Chatsworth Drive-in
After two decades in business, the Winnetka Drive-In is slated to close this year to make way for a 26-screen indoor theater and entertainment complex, owner Pacific Theatres said Thursday.
The six-screen drive-in, which opened March 14, 1975, will be replaced with the 5,500-seat theater complex … “It’s a development that will add a lot more jobs to the community and a lot more economic activity in the community than a drive-in theater would do,” said Chatsworth Chamber of Commerce President Dick Pearson.
“Drive-in restaurants and drive-in theaters are both dinosaurs,” he added. (May 17, 1996)
Rocketdyne property sought for Valley sports complex
In a scenario that mirrors the seismic economic forces at work in Southern California, a proposal has been floated to convert a 16-acre portion of aerospace contractor Rocketdyne’s Canoga Park plant to build a 9,000-seat sports and entertainment complex.
The proposed $60 million project will be unveiled tonight at 7 before the Woodland Hills/West Hills Neighborhood Planning Advisory Council. (July 10, 1996)
Shaq bringing act to L.A. coveted center signs $120 million contract with Lakers
In perhaps the biggest summer blockbuster Hollywood has ever seen, the Lakers on Thursday signed free-agent center Shaquille O’Neal away from the Orlando Magic.
With a staggering seven-year offer worth slightly more than $120 million, the Lakers established a new record for guaranteed contracts in professional team sports and re-established themselves as NBA title contenders. (July 19, 1996)
Blue day for Dodgers: Lasorda retires
Tom Lasorda, manager of the Dodgers for 19-1/2 seasons, announced his retirement Monday, one month after he suffered a heart attack.
After two World Series championships, four National League pennants and eight Western Division titles, Lasorda, 68, said Monday that he chose his heart over baseball. Bill Russell, a former player for Lasorda and the club’s interim manager since June 25, was named to replace Lasorda until the end of the season. Lasorda will stay with the club as a vice president, with responsibilities in player evaluation. (July 30, 1996)
Daily News, AOL create on-line site
In a partnership aimed at forming a vibrant local on-line community in Los Angeles, the Daily News has launched a site on America Online as part of AOL’s new Digital City Los Angeles. (Sept. 4, 1996)
CSUN nears boil over Duke visit
Tension mounted at Cal State Northridge on Tuesday as the school braced for a controversial debate today pitting former Klansman David Duke against civil rights activist Joe Hicks on the issue of affirmative action.
The controversy came to a head at a Student Senate meeting as members of the Cal State Northridge chapter of the College Republicans threatened to initiate a recall drive against student body President Vladimir Cerna unless he resigned by next week. (Sept. 25, 1996)
Tickle Me Elmo craze turns costly
How much do you love your child?
Enough to pay $1,000 or perhaps even $2,500 for a Tickle Me Elmo doll — the piping-hot, must-have Christmas toy of 1996?
Not that money is the only gauge of a parent’s care. But if Tickle Me Elmo is at the top of your child’s holiday list and you can’t imagine Christmas without it, then prepare for a descent into black-market hell.
“TICKLE ME ELMO, mint, in box, $900, firm,” read a classified ad in Wednesday’s edition of the Daily News. “TICKLE ME ELMO, $2500 obo,” read another.
With just six shopping days until Christmas and store shelves laid bare of Tickle Me Elmo dolls, horse-trading is under way with a vengeance.
One measure of the dolls’ value: A Los Angeles radio station staged a charity auction of a Tickle Me Elmo doll Wednesday, with bids reaching $1,100 by midafternoon. (Dec. 19, 1996)
Article source: http://www.dailynews.com/centennial/ci_18635903?source=rss
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