hSupply store collapse leaves 5 people hurt

hSupply store collapseleaves 5 people hurt
EATONTOWN, N.J. -- The roof of a pet supply store collapsed Friday after a damaged gas line exploded, injuring five people and killing many small animals, authorities said. All five were rescued from the rubble. Four were Petco store employees and one was a construction worker who had gone in trying to help people get out, officials said.
The explosion caused more than half of the single-story store to collapse into the basement.
"A third of the roof has collapsed, there's debris all over, the glass is all blown out. This was a tremendous explosion," said Harry Conover, director of emergency management for Monmouth County.
County prosecutor Robert Honecker said the victims were hospitalized with what he described as crushing injuries. Authorities did not release their identities.
Animal-attack probe
HAVILAH, Calif. -- Investigators said Friday they are trying to figure out how two chimpanzees that viciously attacked a visitor at an animal sanctuary escaped from their cage. The chimps chewed off St. James Davis' nose and severely mauled his genitals and limbs Thursday before the son-in-law of the sanctuary's owner shot the animals to death, authorities said. Davis, 62, and his wife had gone to there to visit another chimpanzee that had lived with them for decades before they were forced to give the animal up. LaDonna Davis, 64, was bit on the hand.
"A big part of the investigation will be figuring out whether the [sanctuary] owners were in compliance with regulations," sheriff's Cmdr. Hal Chealander said. "There's a reason why those chimpanzees got out. It will be crucial to our investigation how they got out." Health authorities were testing the dead chimps for rabies and other diseases. The Davises were at Animal Haven Ranch, in a canyon 30 miles east of Bakersfield, to celebrate the birthday of Moe, a 39-year-old chimpanzee who was taken from their suburban Los Angeles home in 1999 after biting off part of a woman's finger.
Blake trial deliberations
LOS ANGELES -- Jurors began deliberating Friday in the Robert Blake murder trial after his lawyer ridiculed the evidence in the case and urged them to "end this nightmare" by clearing the actor's name. The jury deliberated for about 90 minutes before going home for the weekend. They were ordered to return Monday. In his closing argument earlier Friday, defense attorney M. Gerald Schwartzbach portrayed the prosecution's key witnesses as liars and said police rushed to judgment while bungling the investigation.
"They convicted him that night," Schwartzbach said. "If you do justice, you will end this nightmare for Mr. Blake and you will give him back his life," the attorney told jurors. Blake is accused of killing Bonny Lee Bakley, 44, on May 4, 2001, outside his favorite Italian restaurant in Studio City. The 71-year-old actor is charged with murder, two counts of solicitation of murder and a special circumstance of lying in wait. If convicted, the former "Baretta" star could be sentenced to life in prison.
Unpredictable LA race
LOS ANGELES -- There's no smart money in the race for mayor of Los Angeles. A weakened incumbent, unpredictable turnout, a barrage of attack ads, and the volatility of racial and ethnic politics could make uncertainty the only sure thing in Tuesday's election. The polls show Mayor James Hahn and two fellow Democrats, former state Assembly Speaker Bob Hertzberg and City Councilman Antonio Villaraigosa, leading the pack of 12 in the nonpartisan race. But it appears unlikely any of them will get the 50 percent needed to win the mayor's office outright.
The top two finishers would meet in a runoff in May. "Just about anything can happen," said John Pitney, a political scientist at Claremont McKenna College. "A lot will depend on the get-out-the-vote operation." Hahn, who is trying to fend off allegations of corruption at city hall while also persuading voters he has the charm to do the job, is the first Los Angeles mayor in 32 years in danger of losing his bid for re-election.
From Vindicator wire reports