This Week In The News (01/20-01/24)

Hydrogen Cyanide Spill Closes 405 Freeway in Redondo Beach

Thursday, January 23 (CBS Los Angeles) – On Thursday, the California Highway Patrol temporarily closed the San Diego 405 Freeway in Redondo Beach due to a hazardous materials spill. The Freeway was closed in both directions at Inglewood Avenue. It was originally believed the truck was carrying hydrogen cyanide, per a Los Angeles County Fire Report, but the substance was instead corrosive thioglycolic acid. The roadway was open in both directions by 2:58 p.m.

6-Year-Old’s Drowning Death at Altadena Camp Spurs Lawsuit, Calls for Legislative Action

Tuesday, January 21 (KABC) – The family of 6-year-old Roxie who drowned at Summerkids Camp in Altadena last June has filed a lawsuit. Parents Elena Matyas and Doug Forbes said camp operators claim five counselors were supervising the pool at the time of the incident. After an investigation, the California Department of Social Services cited the camp was not licensed to operate a child day care facility. The family is also now advocating for new licensing laws for camps, with the help of a state lawmaker.

Impeachment Trial Day 3: Democrats Continue Their Case for Removing Trump From Office

Thursday, January 23 (CapRadio) – Hour impeachment managers resumed their prosecution of President Donald Trump on Thursday, focusing on Article 1, abuse of power, during the second day of the Senate trial. Democrats focused on the apparent scheme to coax Ukraine into helping Trump win the 2020 election. Remarks were provided by Representative Jerry Nadler, D-N.Y., the chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, who cited the president’s conduct was wrong and dangerous. Nadler used past videos of Senator Lindsey Graham, R-S.C. and Harvard Law professor Alan Dershowitz (one of Trump’s defenders) to demonstrate they’ve supported impeachment in the past. Representative Sylvia Garcia, D-Texas also offered a presentation to dispute allegations against former Vice President Joe Biden. The Democrats will take up Article 2, obstruction of Congress, on Friday.

New Jersey Court Commands Cannabis Reimbursement in Workers’ Compensation Dispute

Wednesday, January 22 (The National Law Review) – In the January 13, 2020 decision in Hager v. M&K Construction, the New Jersey Appellate Division determined employers must reimburse employees for medical cannabis following a workplace accident. The decision contradicts federal prohibitions against distributing cannabis. It is the first time a court in New Jersey has required reimbursement for a cannabis prescription as part of workers’ compensation. So far, only three states have considered whether the Controlled Substances Act preempts state law in this manner (New Mexico held a similar ruling, while a Maine decision in 2018 had the opposite conclusion).

LeBron James Closes in on Kobe Bryant, Anthony Davis Has 28 as Lakers Beat Knicks

Thursday, January 23 (NBC Los Angeles) – On Wednesday night, the Los Angeles Lakers beat the New York Knicks 100-92, with LeBron James scoring 21 points (19 were before halftime). James is quickly catching up to Kobe Bryant’s #3 scoring spot in NBA history with 44 fewer than Bryant at 33,599 points. Anthony Davis scored 28 points after missing five games. At the half, the game was tied at 48, while the Lakers led by six after three quarters. In the final four minutes, the Knicks were within six points; Davis scored the Lakers’ only two baskets during that time to win the game.

Driver Accused of Intentionally Ramming Car Full of Teens Off Road Faces Murder Charges

Thursday, January 23(NBC Los Angeles) – Anorag Chanrda, 42, faces three counts of murder and attempted murder following a rollover crash on Sunday in Corona. Chandra’s sedan struck a Toyota Prius carrying six teenagers, three of whom died—Jacob Ivascu, 16, of Riverside, and Drake Ruiz and Daniel Hawkins, 16, of Corona. Two other boys (ages 13 and 14) and the 18-year-old driver of the Prius were injured. According to a California Highway Patrol investigation, the boys were playing a prank; after they rang the doorbell of a home on Modjeska Summit Road and ran back to their car, Chandra chased them in his Infiniti Q50, hitting the back of the Prius, causing it to veer off and hit a tree.

Woman Pleads Guilty in DUI Crash That Killed Pedestrian

Thursday, January 23 (Fox 5 San Diego) – Evelin Nunez, 21, pleaded guilty to manslaughter Wednesday for running down Nang Arm, 37, on a Rancho Peñasquitos sidewalk on August 25, 2019. The incident occurred on Black Mountain Road north of Carmel Mountain Road. According to the San Diego County Medical Examiner’s Office, Arm was taken to Scripps Memorial Hospital in La Jolla and pronounced dead the next day. Nunez is scheduled to be sentenced to up to nine years in prison on February 24 with charges of gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated, fleeing the scene, and causing great bodily injury.

Falling Tree Strikes Person in University City

Thursday, January 23 (Fox 5 San Diego) – A tree trimmer was seriously injured Thursday morning while trying to remove a palm tree in the lobby of the Embassy Suites Hotel in University City. Part of a crew with Arbor West Tree Surgeons, he was working about 30 feet up when the tree uprooted, taking him down with it, according to a company supervisor. The worker was treated for a fractured arm and leg and facial injuries at Scripps Memorial Hospital; coworkers said he is expected to survive.