Boxer Manny Pacquiao is not welcome at The Grove because of an interview in which he spoke out against same sex marriage.

Pacquiao was supposed to be interviewed by Mario Lopez for the TV show EXTRA, which tapes at the Grove, but the event was canceled after Pacquiao gave an interview to the National Conservative Examiner in which he criticized President Obama's support of same sex marriage.

The boxer was quoted as saying "obey God's law first before considering the laws of man," and "God only expects man and woman to be together and to be legally married."

The interviewer then added a passage from Leviticus 20:13 which says, "If a man lies with a man as one lies with a woman, both of them have done what is detestable. They must be put to death; their blood will be on their own heads."

Pacquiao denies quoting the bible. He says he hasn't even read that book yet.

The Grove posted a statement to its Twitter account saying Pacquiao is not welcome.

Posted by Karla Marquez

SAN CLEMENTE (CNS) - The Orange County Health Care Agency today was investigating what appeared to be the spontaneous combustion of rocks that a woman put in her pockets while on a beach outing, landing her in a hospital with third-degree burns.

The woman's children picked up the rocks Saturday in the trestles area of San Clemente, a popular destination for surfers, and later gave them to their mother to hold, Orange County Fire Authority Capt. Marc Stone said. About 3:30 p.m., the seemingly ordinary rocks caught fire, he said.

The woman, whose name was not released, remains hospitalized at Western Medical Center in Santa Ana with third-degree burns to her right thigh and knee, Stone said.

He added that the victim ``stopped, dropped and rolled'' in an effort to douse the flames, and her husband suffered second-degree burns to his hand as he tried to help.

It could take about a week for the Health Care Agency to finish the investigation, Stone said.

Posted by David Perez
KFI News

LOS ANGELES (CNS) A lawsuit was filed today against Rose Hills Memorial Park near Whittier by the children of a woman who allegedly was placed in the wrong casket and buried in someone else's clothing.

Alberto Pernudi of Pasadena, Marelena Covarrubias of Whittier and Patricia Khazraei of Temple City filed the case in Los Angeles Superior Court, alleging intentional infliction of emotional distress and fraud.

A Rose Hills representative did not immediately return a call for comment.

According to the suit, Mercedes Rodriguez died Sept. 30, 2010. Her three children say they contracted Rose Hills to prepare their mother for burial at the family's above-ground burial site at her birth place of Granada, Nicaragua, where her mother and sister also were buried.

Rose Hills officials lost track of Rodriguez, placed her in the wrong casket, dressed her in another person's clothing, then buried her, the suit alleges.

Three days after the wrongful burial, Rose Hills dug up the woman and took off the stranger's clothing, according to the lawsuit.

Rodriguez's children say they were preparing to travel to Nicaragua to meet their mother's body at the airport and deliver her to her final resting place when a Rose Hills salesperson telephoned them to tell them of the mistake.

Posted by Karla Marquez

CORONA, Calif. (AP) A Southern California pastor charged with terrorizing a 13-year-old boy allegedly carried out the assault during a Bible study session while a circle of men watched, newly unsealed court documents revealed.

The pastor of the Corona storefront church and two of his followers are accused of disciplining the teen by pinching him with pliers, beating him with a shovel and forcing him to dig a grave while being threatened with death, authorities said.

Heart of Worship Community Church pastor Lonny Remmers, 54, and followers Nick Craig, 22, and Darryll Jeter Jr., 28, all pleaded not guilty last month to kidnapping, assault and other felonies.

The newly released affidavit, based on statements by witness Steven Larkey to a Corona police detective, included new details on the alleged assault during Bible study and an allegation that Craig or Jeter rubbed salt into cuts on the boy's back.

The Riverside Press-Enterprise obtained the documents after getting a judge to unseal affidavits in the case.

Police believe Remmers directed Craig and Jeter to scare the teenager after his mother brought him to Remmers to be disciplined.

Court documents allege that Craig and Jeter took the unidentified boy to the desert, made him dig a grave, threw dirt on him and hit him with a belt before returning to a group home and assaulting him.

The teen was showering after the desert trip when salt was rubbed into his back wounds, according to Larkey, who said the shower was splashed with blood the following day.

After showering, the boy was taken to a men's Bible study in the garage of Remmers home, Larkey told authorities. He said there were about 12 people there and Remmers asked the boy to sit in the center of a group of men.

Larkey told Detective Brad Voorhees that he heard Remmers say, ``'Get me some pliers.'''

The teen lifted his shirt, Larkey said, and Remmers used the tool to squeeze a nipple, according to the affidavit.

The boy's 30-year-old mother has not been arrested or charged, but the teen and his 7-year-old sister were taken into protective custody while the investigation continues. The mother's name has not been released.

The church's website says its mission is ``to raise the church body to be true disciples of Christ, meaning that if Christ would not think it, say it, or do it, neither will we.''

The church location, a former dance studio in a strip mall, is closed.

Affidavit for Search Warrant

Posted by Karla Marquez

MANHATTAN BEACH (CNS) Shoemaker Skechers USA agreed to pay $40 million to settle a Federal Trade Commission lawsuit over health claims it made regarding toning footwear, the agency announced today.

The consumer lawsuit claimed "toning"' footwear known as Shape-ups, Tone-ups, Skechers Resistance Runner, and Shape-ups Toners toning shoes were falsely advertised to improve posture, promote weight loss, strengthen the back, improve blood circulation, promote sleep, reduce stress, reduce physical stress on knees, legs and ankle joints, and burn calories.

The settlement was reached in conjunction with the Federal Trade Commission and 44 states and the District of Columbia.

If approved by the court, the proposed settlement will result in cash refunds for each pair of shoes purchased in the following amounts: Shape-ups $40-$80; Podded Sole Shoes $27-$54; Tone-ups, non-podded sole, $20-$40; Resistance Runner $42-$84.

"This settlement represents an excellent recovery for consumers,'' said Timothy Blood of San Diego-based Blood Hurst & O'Reardon LLP, one of the lawyers representing consumers.

The 44-state investigation was led by the Tennessee and Ohio attorneys general offices.

"Skechers' unfounded claims went beyond stronger and more toned muscles. The company even made claims about weight loss and cardiovascular health," said David Vladeck, head of the FTC's Bureau of Consumer Protection.

Reebok International Ltd. was invovled in similar settlement last year.

The Skechers ads challenged by the FTC included shape-ups ads featuring celebrities, including Kim Kardashian and Brooke Burke. Airing during the 2011 Super Bowl, the Kardashian ad showed her dumping her personal trainer for a pair of Shape-ups. The Burke ad told consumers that the newest way to burn calories and tone and strengthen muscles was to tie their Shape-ups shoe laces.

To be eligible for a refund, claims can be submitted at:

http://www.skecherssettlement.com/, http://www.ftc.gov/opa/2012/05/consumerrefund.shtm,

or by calling (866) 325-4186

Posted by Karla Marquez

LOS ANGELES (CNS) - A livery service vehicle slammed into an exotic car shop in a hit-and-run crash in the Mid-City area of Los Angeles today, injuring a passenger and damaging a Ferrari and a Lamborghini.

The crash at 1862 South La Cienega Blvd. was reported at 3:31 a.m., according to a Los Angeles Fire Department captain who said at least one person was taken to a hospital.

The car that hit the shop, called Specialty Car Craft, was a Lincoln Town Car with license plates indicating it was used as a taxi, news photographers at the scene said. The crash damaged the Ferrari and the Lamborghini inside the shop, they said.

The driver of the Lincoln pulled a female passenger out of the car and left her bleeding from the head on the sidewalk near the crash scene before he fed on foot, one of the photographers reported, quoting officials at the scene. 

Posted by Donald Morrison

FULLERTON (CNS) - The mother of schizophrenic transient Kelly Thomas last night reached a $1 million settlement with Fullerton in connection with his beating death at the hands of Fullerton Police Department officers.

According to a statement released by the city, Brian Gurwitz, the attorney for Cathy Thomas, asked city officials about the possibility of exploring an early resolution of her potential legal claims against the city and its police officers.

The inquiry led Cathy Thomas and Gurwitz and Fullerton officials and their attorney, Dana Fox, to attend a voluntary non-binding mediation before mediator Andrew Albert. After lengthy discussions, Albert made a proposal to Thomas and Fullerton, which both sides accepted.

There was no finding of liability in the case and Fullerton did not admit liability.

The $1 million will be paid from the city's insurance reserves.

Ron Thomas, Kelly Thomas' father and Cathy Thomas former husband, has also filed a claim against Fullerton, which remains active.

Kelly Thomas was beaten on July 5 at the Fullerton Transportation Center and died five days later when his family took him off life support.

Officer Manuel Anthony Ramos, 38, is charged with second-degree murder and involuntary manslaughter, while Cpl Jay Cicinelli, 40, is charged with involuntary manslaughter and excessive force in the beating death of the 37- year-old homeless man. Both have been ordered to stand trial. 

Posted by Donald Morrison

STANTON (CNS) - A hoodie worn by a man who robbed a Stanton convenience store was identical to one worn by a robber arrested for a holdup at a nearby store, indicating both suspects may belong to a robbery gang, an Orange County sheriff's spokesman said today.

In the latest holdup, a roughly 6-foot, 160-pound black man with a mustache walked in to Shell convenience store at 8971 Katella Ave. about 8:30 p.m. Tuesday, grabbed a soft drink and took it to the register, sheriff's spokesman Jim Amormino said.

When the clerk -- who was working his first shift at the store -- opened the register, the man pulled out a semiautomatic pistol and told him to put all the cash in a plastic bag, said Amormino. The robber then walked away.

``Now, here's the twist,'' Amormino said. ``A couple of days ago, a guy who robbed a nearby (convenience store) was wearing the same distinctive hoodie.''

The suspect in the previous holdup -- which happened at Katella and Gilbert Street -- was behind bars at the time of the latest crime, Amormino said. That suspect used the same method of operation as in the Shell holdup, and the gun appeared to be similar, he said.

Detectives don't believe the similarities are a coincidence because several other recent convenience store robberies fit the same pattern, said Amormino.

``We believe it's a gang working robberies,'' he said.

The Shell station clerk in Stanton, who had a pistol pointed in his face, ended up quitting his job after the ordeal, Amormino said.

Posted by David Perez
KFI News