Kings, Ducks put up a fight that would be great to see in postseason

For those seeking deep, dark omens for the Kings after the Ducks rallied for four goals in the third period Friday and skated off with a 4-2 victory at Honda Center, for those who would see it as a symbol of the Kings' problems or inconsistencies this season after they lost for the second straight time after winning eight in a row, Jeff Carter would differ with you.

Asked what he took out of a game the Kings led largely on the strength of Martin Jones' solid goaltending and two opportunistic goals, he smiled.

"Not much, really," he said. "I think we were up, 2-0, after two periods and a big part of that was the play of Joner. He made some big saves, and we know we have to be better than we were the last couple of games and we will be."

Kings captain Dustin Brown all but snorted when asked whether he's concerned about the team's consistency.

"We won eight in a row and lose two and you guys think it's consistency?" he said to reporters. "It's just playing our game. We didn't play our game for a full 60. I don't know what you want me to say about consistency. No one was questioning it two games ago."

This was a hard game, a physical game, an emotional game reminiscent of the playoff series they played last spring. If they meet again in the postseason tournament this spring, it's likely every game will be like this — highlighted by bits of remarkable skill and exceptional goaltending and settled by who's tougher mentally.

The Kings were the tougher team last spring, and the Ducks have acknowledged that. For them, after a long stretch of midseason foundering, the outcome Friday meant a lot more than it did to Carter.

"We turned the corner tonight," said center Ryan Kesler, who began the scoring spree after the Ducks forced Kings defenseman Robyn Regehr into giving the puck away behind his own net, and the floodgates opened.

"That's the kind of hockey we need to start playing. Not just against L.A. but against everybody. We knew how well they were playing up until this game and how few goals they were giving up. We were upbeat and we definitely took it to them in the third period."

Exactly.

"I think their forecheck overwhelmed us the whole night and it caught up with us," Kings Coach Darryl Sutter said, adding that playing three games in four nights contributed to the Kings' inability to fight back in the final period.

Ducks captain Ryan Getzlaf thought Friday's rally was a big moment.

"Any time you can beat that team from behind, that's a big step for us," he said. "It was a good hockey game again, as we've come to expect from these guys. It's always going to be a hard-fought battle. We did a great job of staying in the hockey game. We talked about it a couple weeks ago, when we get down, not losing our composure. We're doing a better job."

Brown also saw the Ducks' forecheck and his own team's fatigue as the deciding factor.

"We made really good plays coming out of our zone in the first two periods and we didn't handle the pressure they put on in the third coming down the walls, and as a result they got turnovers and goals," he said.

Both teams made trades last week in preparation for playoff runs. The Kings acquired defenseman Andrej Sekera from Carolina, and he made his Kings debut paired most often with Regehr. The two had played together in Buffalo, with Regehr on the left side and Sekera on the right. "He was solid," Carter said.

The Pacific Division-leading Ducks made a move too, acquiring left wing Jiri Sekac from Montreal on Tuesday for winger Devante Smith-Pelly. On Friday, in his second game with the Ducks, Sekac picked up his first assist with the team on the Ducks' second goal, by Emerson Etem.

The Kings probably are done trading. The Ducks might still be looking for a defenseman. That wasn't changed by what happened Friday. All Friday's game proved is how quickly momentum can change — and how exciting it would be to see these teams meet in the playoffs again.

Copyright © 2015, Los Angeles Times

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Kings, Ducks put up a fight that would be great to see in postseason

For those seeking deep, dark omens for the Kings after the Ducks rallied for four goals in the third period Friday and skated off with a 4-2 victory at Honda Center, for those who would see it as a symbol of the Kings' problems or inconsistencies this season after they lost for the second straight time after winning eight in a row, Jeff Carter would differ with you.

Asked what he took out of a game the Kings led largely on the strength of Martin Jones' solid goaltending and two opportunistic goals, he smiled.

"Not much, really," he said. "I think we were up, 2-0, after two periods and a big part of that was the play of Joner. He made some big saves, and we know we have to be better than we were the last couple of games and we will be."

Kings captain Dustin Brown all but snorted when asked whether he's concerned about the team's consistency.

"We won eight in a row and lose two and you guys think it's consistency?" he said to reporters. "It's just playing our game. We didn't play our game for a full 60. I don't know what you want me to say about consistency. No one was questioning it two games ago."

This was a hard game, a physical game, an emotional game reminiscent of the playoff series they played last spring. If they meet again in the postseason tournament this spring, it's likely every game will be like this — highlighted by bits of remarkable skill and exceptional goaltending and settled by who's tougher mentally.

The Kings were the tougher team last spring, and the Ducks have acknowledged that. For them, after a long stretch of midseason foundering, the outcome Friday meant a lot more than it did to Carter.

"We turned the corner tonight," said center Ryan Kesler, who began the scoring spree after the Ducks forced Kings defenseman Robyn Regehr into giving the puck away behind his own net, and the floodgates opened.

"That's the kind of hockey we need to start playing. Not just against L.A. but against everybody. We knew how well they were playing up until this game and how few goals they were giving up. We were upbeat and we definitely took it to them in the third period."

Exactly.

"I think their forecheck overwhelmed us the whole night and it caught up with us," Kings Coach Darryl Sutter said, adding that playing three games in four nights contributed to the Kings' inability to fight back in the final period.

Ducks captain Ryan Getzlaf thought Friday's rally was a big moment.

"Any time you can beat that team from behind, that's a big step for us," he said. "It was a good hockey game again, as we've come to expect from these guys. It's always going to be a hard-fought battle. We did a great job of staying in the hockey game. We talked about it a couple weeks ago, when we get down, not losing our composure. We're doing a better job."

Brown also saw the Ducks' forecheck and his own team's fatigue as the deciding factor.

"We made really good plays coming out of our zone in the first two periods and we didn't handle the pressure they put on in the third coming down the walls, and as a result they got turnovers and goals," he said.

Both teams made trades last week in preparation for playoff runs. The Kings acquired defenseman Andrej Sekera from Carolina, and he made his Kings debut paired most often with Regehr. The two had played together in Buffalo, with Regehr on the left side and Sekera on the right. "He was solid," Carter said.

The Pacific Division-leading Ducks made a move too, acquiring left wing Jiri Sekac from Montreal on Tuesday for winger Devante Smith-Pelly. On Friday, in his second game with the Ducks, Sekac picked up his first assist with the team on the Ducks' second goal, by Emerson Etem.

The Kings probably are done trading. The Ducks might still be looking for a defenseman. That wasn't changed by what happened Friday. All Friday's game proved is how quickly momentum can change — and how exciting it would be to see these teams meet in the playoffs again.

Copyright © 2015, Los Angeles Times

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Kings, Ducks put up a fight that would be great to see in postseason

For those seeking deep, dark omens for the Kings after the Ducks rallied for four goals in the third period Friday and skated off with a 4-2 victory at Honda Center, for those who would see it as a symbol of the Kings' problems or inconsistencies this season after they lost for the second straight time after winning eight in a row, Jeff Carter would differ with you.

Asked what he took out of a game the Kings led largely on the strength of Martin Jones' solid goaltending and two opportunistic goals, he smiled.

"Not much, really," he said. "I think we were up, 2-0, after two periods and a big part of that was the play of Joner. He made some big saves, and we know we have to be better than we were the last couple of games and we will be."

Kings captain Dustin Brown all but snorted when asked whether he's concerned about the team's consistency.

"We won eight in a row and lose two and you guys think it's consistency?" he said to reporters. "It's just playing our game. We didn't play our game for a full 60. I don't know what you want me to say about consistency. No one was questioning it two games ago."

This was a hard game, a physical game, an emotional game reminiscent of the playoff series they played last spring. If they meet again in the postseason tournament this spring, it's likely every game will be like this — highlighted by bits of remarkable skill and exceptional goaltending and settled by who's tougher mentally.

The Kings were the tougher team last spring, and the Ducks have acknowledged that. For them, after a long stretch of midseason foundering, the outcome Friday meant a lot more than it did to Carter.

"We turned the corner tonight," said center Ryan Kesler, who began the scoring spree after the Ducks forced Kings defenseman Robyn Regehr into giving the puck away behind his own net, and the floodgates opened.

"That's the kind of hockey we need to start playing. Not just against L.A. but against everybody. We knew how well they were playing up until this game and how few goals they were giving up. We were upbeat and we definitely took it to them in the third period."

Exactly.

"I think their forecheck overwhelmed us the whole night and it caught up with us," Kings Coach Darryl Sutter said, adding that playing three games in four nights contributed to the Kings' inability to fight back in the final period.

Ducks captain Ryan Getzlaf thought Friday's rally was a big moment.

"Any time you can beat that team from behind, that's a big step for us," he said. "It was a good hockey game again, as we've come to expect from these guys. It's always going to be a hard-fought battle. We did a great job of staying in the hockey game. We talked about it a couple weeks ago, when we get down, not losing our composure. We're doing a better job."

Brown also saw the Ducks' forecheck and his own team's fatigue as the deciding factor.

"We made really good plays coming out of our zone in the first two periods and we didn't handle the pressure they put on in the third coming down the walls, and as a result they got turnovers and goals," he said.

Both teams made trades last week in preparation for playoff runs. The Kings acquired defenseman Andrej Sekera from Carolina, and he made his Kings debut paired most often with Regehr. The two had played together in Buffalo, with Regehr on the left side and Sekera on the right. "He was solid," Carter said.

The Pacific Division-leading Ducks made a move too, acquiring left wing Jiri Sekac from Montreal on Tuesday for winger Devante Smith-Pelly. On Friday, in his second game with the Ducks, Sekac picked up his first assist with the team on the Ducks' second goal, by Emerson Etem.

The Kings probably are done trading. The Ducks might still be looking for a defenseman. That wasn't changed by what happened Friday. All Friday's game proved is how quickly momentum can change — and how exciting it would be to see these teams meet in the playoffs again.

Copyright © 2015, Los Angeles Times

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Gunman in South Korea kills 3 people before shooting himself, officials say

South Korea was reeling Friday from its second bloody shooting in less than a week, incidents that shocked a nation where gun violence is extremely rare.

Both incidents allegedly involved disputes over money and involved victims and perpetrators who knew one another well.

Friday's shooting happened in Hwaseong, a city about an hour south of Seoul, the capital. Police said a man armed with a hunting rifle shot and killed his brother, sister-in-law and a police officer before turning the gun on himself.

Guns are legal but not widely used in South Korea. Gun owners store their weapons at the local police station and sign them out for use, which can only be done during hunting season. The alleged gunman in Friday's shooting reportedly checked his weapon out at the police station that morning, shortly before driving to his brother's house.

The police were reportedly called to the scene by a woman who told police that her uncle had entered their home and shot her parents. The woman survived but sustained injuries after jumping from a second floor window to escape, police said.

The two brothers were apparently well known in their neighborhood for having heated arguments, particularly over financial matters. A police officer investigating the scene told the Kyunghyang newspaper: "The brothers didn't have a good relationship. Whenever they got together and had any alcohol one of them would badger the others, demanding money."

Shootings are uncommon in South Korea, and saying "I'm going to shoot you" is an idiom for offering to treat someone to drinks or a meal. Gun deaths that do occur here usually happen within the military (all able-bodied men must perform about two years of service).

Friday's incident came just two days after a shooting in Sejong, the administrative capital, where a man killed his ex-girlfriend's father, brother and current boyfriend. The gunman, identified as a 50-year-old man surnamed Kang, then shot himself to death on the banks of a nearby river.

Police said Kang had had a dispute with his former girlfriend over how to divide property that had been purchased before they broke up a year and a half ago.

Borowiec is a special correspondent. 

Copyright © 2015, Los Angeles Times

1:20 a.m.: This story was updated throughout with additional details and background. 

This story was published at 11:14 p.m. Thursday. 

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Kings' eight-game winning streak ends in 1-0 loss to Senators

Goaltending duels you can realistically envision …

The Kings' Jonathan Quick vs. Corey Crawford of the Chicago Blackhawks. Quick vs. Carey Price of the Montreal Canadiens. Or Quick vs. Pekka Rinne of the Nashville Predators.

Presumably, Quick vs. Andrew Hammond of the Ottawa Senators would have been far far down that list. The goalie was plying his trade with the Senators' American Hockey League affiliate in Binghamton (N.Y.) as recently as Jan. 29.

Now he is the goalie with the magic touch. Hammond recorded shutouts on consecutive nights, the second coming in Ottawa's 1-0 victory against the Kings on Thursday night at Staples Center. It ended the Kings' eight-game winning streak (one short of the club record), which had been the longest active run in the league, and this was the first victory by the Senators in Los Angeles since 2000.

Hammond, who made 35 saves and frustrated the Kings time and time again, is not exactly a youngster. He turned 27 this month and has recorded some impressive numbers since the Senators recalled him on an emergency basis, winning four times in four starts. Ottawa has won four straight games.

"I don't think too many people expected a goalie battle between Quick and the Hamburglar tonight," said Hammond. "It's obviously pretty crazy what's going on right now."

It looked like the Kings had scored first, early in the second period, at 2:12, but what would have been a goal by Justin Williams was waved off when the referee Ian Walsh lost sight of the puck and the whistle was blown.

Still, the Kings had several excellent chances later on, namely a late power play with 1:57 remaining. With 57.7 left, Kings winger Marian Gaborik set up winger Tyler Toffoli in close but Toffoli was denied by Hammond's left pad.

"Gabby made a nice play," Toffoli said. "I had it in my hands and couldn't get it up there. I don't think we played our best game. I thought we lacked a couple of things. So we've got to regroup and be ready to play against a big team [Anaheim] tomorrow.

"He [Hammond] played really well tonight."

Said Kings forward Dwight King: "We had our moments where we were in the zone and had some very good chances and didn't capitalize on them and were sloppy for some parts.

"We just couldn't find a way to beat the goalie."

Hammond's 3-0 shutout against the Ducks on Wednesday night in Anaheim was the first of his career and came with his parents in attendance, the first time they were able to see him play in the NHL.

Quick, who had a shutout in his last start on Tuesday against Detroit, was nearly as sharp.

The lone goal came early in the third period, at 1:40, on the rush by speedy winger Mike Hoffman, who was set up with a slick pass across from center Mika Zibanejad, and beat Quick up high.

For Hoffman, it was his 21st goal of the season and Zibanejad has six points in his last seven games.

The Kings had not lost since blowing a late third-period lead at Florida on Feb. 5. Since then, they had won in a variety of manners and, of late, their special teams had been excelling. They haven't allowed a power-play goal since Feb. 12 against Calgary, and that streak did stay intact on Thursday.

Ottawa was 0 for 3 on the power play, and the Kings have now killed off 19 straight penalties.

"I thought our defense was really slow in the first period moving pucks," Kings Coach Darryl Sutter said. "In the second, we passed the puck to them. It probably should have been 2-1 for them after the second.

"In the third, we couldn't get the goal. Jeff Carter's line was really good. After that, it was pretty much zero."

Sutter was asked if some of his players were looking ahead to the Ducks' game on Friday night in Anaheim. He said he did not think that was the case.

"The older players that didn't play very well tonight, won't play very well tomorrow night, that's my concern," he said. "Why would they be looking ahead to tomorrow night? You get two points for every game."

The Kings will play the Ducks with their newest player in the lineup: defenseman Andrej Sekera, who was acquired in a trade with the Carolina Hurricanes on Wednesday.

"It's a high-end club," Sekera said of the Kings.

"Losing is not an option here. It's great to be in an environment like that. I'm looking forward to that. It's going to be fun, and it's going to be a challenge."

lisa.dillman@latimes.com

Twitter: @reallisa

Copyright © 2015, Los Angeles Times

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Gunman in South Korea kills 3 people before shooting himself, officials say

South Korea was reeling Friday from its second bloody shooting in less than a week, incidents that shocked a nation where gun violence is extremely rare.

Both incidents allegedly involved disputes over money and involved victims and perpetrators who knew one another well.

Friday's shooting happened in Hwaseong, a city about an hour south of Seoul, the capital. Police said a man armed with a hunting rifle shot and killed his brother, sister-in-law and a police officer before turning the gun on himself.

Guns are legal but not widely used in South Korea. Gun owners store their weapons at the local police station and sign them out for use, which can only be done during hunting season. The alleged gunman in Friday's shooting reportedly checked his weapon out at the police station that morning, shortly before driving to his brother's house.

The police were reportedly called to the scene by a woman who told police that her uncle had entered their home and shot her parents. The woman survived but sustained injuries after jumping from a second floor window to escape, police said.

The two brothers were apparently well known in their neighborhood for having heated arguments, particularly over financial matters. A police officer investigating the scene told the Kyunghyang newspaper: "The brothers didn't have a good relationship. Whenever they got together and had any alcohol one of them would badger the others, demanding money."

Shootings are uncommon in South Korea, and saying "I'm going to shoot you" is an idiom for offering to treat someone to drinks or a meal. Gun deaths that do occur here usually happen within the military (all able-bodied men must perform about two years of service).

Friday's incident came just two days after a shooting in Sejong, the administrative capital, where a man killed his ex-girlfriend's father, brother and current boyfriend. The gunman, identified as a 50-year-old man surnamed Kang, then shot himself to death on the banks of a nearby river.

Police said Kang had had a dispute with his former girlfriend over how to divide property that had been purchased before they broke up a year and a half ago.

Borowiec is a special correspondent. 

Copyright © 2015, Los Angeles Times

1:20 a.m.: This story was updated throughout with additional details and background. 

This story was published at 11:14 p.m. Thursday. 

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Number of Christians abducted by Islamic State rises to 220, activists say

Syrian activists say the number of Christians abducted by Islamic State militants in northeastern Syria has risen to 220.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Thursday that the militants have picked up dozens more Christian Assyrians from 11 communities near the town of Tal Tamr in Hassakeh province in the past three days.

IS began abducting the Assyrians on Monday, when militants attacked a cluster of villages along the Khabur River, sending thousands of people fleeing to safer areas.

Younan Talia, a senior official with the Assyrian Democratic Organization, said IS had raided 33 Assyrian villages, picking up as many as 300 people along the way.

Copyright © 2015, Los Angeles Times

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Clippers fall to Houston Rockets, 110-105, in potential playoff preview

What transpired here Wednesday night could hardly be called a playoff preview, even though the Clippers and Houston Rockets are currently aligned to meet in the first round.

The Rockets were missing starters Dwight Howard and Patrick Beverley, both of whom are expected to return in the not-too-distant future.

The Clippers were without All-Star forward Blake Griffin, who could be back in about a week.

More significant for the Clippers, the reserves whose ragged play early in the fourth quarter was largely responsible for their 110-105 loss at the Toyota Center don't figure to log nearly as much time in the playoffs.

Don't expect to see a lineup of Hedo Turkoglu, Austin Rivers, Glen Davis, Jamal Crawford and Matt Barnes on the court together at any point in the postseason, unless it's at the end of a blowout.

That was the collection of players who surrendered a game-turning 10-1 run for the Rockets to start the fourth quarter. Rivers committed two turnovers and the Clippers missed their first six shots before the starters reentered the game.

Things didn't immediately improve, the Rockets scoring the next five points to take a 99-86 lead on the way to ending a six-game losing streak against the Clippers.

"They got on a run, and we talked about that," said Crawford, whose 24 points led all scorers. "There's always a five- or six-minute gap, especially in our losses, where teams put together a run and we don't really respond well."

The Clippers (37-21) closed the deficit to 109-105 when Crawford made a finger-roll layup with 37 seconds left, but James Harden (21 points) made one of two free throws and the Clippers missed their final three shots while losing to the Rockets for the first time since March 2013.

"Very important," Harden, who shook off a rolled ankle late in the game, said of the victory. "Just to give us the confidence to beat these guys."

Harden made only four of 13 shots but salvaged his performance by repeatedly going to the free throw line, where he was 10 for 12.

The Rockets took 30 free throws to the Clippers' 19 and tied a season high with 17 three-pointers on 44 attempts.

"Threes and free throws is what they do and it's why we've been so successful, not letting them get both," said Clippers point guard Chris Paul, who had 22 points and 14 assists. "Tonight they got everything."

Clippers Coach Doc Rivers said the three-pointers were primarily a result of dribble penetration, the Rockets continually sucking in the defense before finding open players on the perimeter.

Clippers center DeAndre Jordan capitalized on the absence of Howard to collect 22 points and 19 rebounds, Jordan's sixth consecutive game with at least 15 rebounds. Jordan even made four of his first six free throws before missing two with 12 seconds remaining.

It didn't matter as the Clippers dropped the opener of a four-game trip that makes its next stop in Memphis on Friday.

Rivers said he wasn't concerned after his team lost a second consecutive game and fell to 4-3 without Griffin.

"I know y'all's job is to overreact to every game, and I get that," Rivers told reporters. "But fortunately, we can't. We have to think about Memphis now. It's a tough road trip, so our game and our job is to go one game at a time."

Follow Ben Bolch on Twitter @latbbolch

Copyright © 2015, Los Angeles Times

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Clippers fall to Houston Rockets, 110-105, in potential playoff preview

What transpired here Wednesday night could hardly be called a playoff preview, even though the Clippers and Houston Rockets are currently aligned to meet in the first round.

The Rockets were missing starters Dwight Howard and Patrick Beverley, both of whom are expected to return in the not-too-distant future.

The Clippers were without All-Star forward Blake Griffin, who could be back in about a week.

More significant for the Clippers, the reserves whose ragged play early in the fourth quarter was largely responsible for their 110-105 loss at the Toyota Center don't figure to log nearly as much time in the playoffs.

Don't expect to see a lineup of Hedo Turkoglu, Austin Rivers, Glen Davis, Jamal Crawford and Matt Barnes on the court together at any point in the postseason, unless it's at the end of a blowout.

That was the collection of players who surrendered a game-turning 10-1 run for the Rockets to start the fourth quarter. Rivers committed two turnovers and the Clippers missed their first six shots before the starters reentered the game.

Things didn't immediately improve, the Rockets scoring the next five points to take a 99-86 lead on the way to ending a six-game losing streak against the Clippers.

"They got on a run, and we talked about that," said Crawford, whose 24 points led all scorers. "There's always a five- or six-minute gap, especially in our losses, where teams put together a run and we don't really respond well."

The Clippers (37-21) closed the deficit to 109-105 when Crawford made a finger-roll layup with 37 seconds left, but James Harden (21 points) made one of two free throws and the Clippers missed their final three shots while losing to the Rockets for the first time since March 2013.

"Very important," Harden, who shook off a rolled ankle late in the game, said of the victory. "Just to give us the confidence to beat these guys."

Harden made only four of 13 shots but salvaged his performance by repeatedly going to the free throw line, where he was 10 for 12.

The Rockets took 30 free throws to the Clippers' 19 and tied a season high with 17 three-pointers on 44 attempts.

"Threes and free throws is what they do and it's why we've been so successful, not letting them get both," said Clippers point guard Chris Paul, who had 22 points and 14 assists. "Tonight they got everything."

Clippers Coach Doc Rivers said the three-pointers were primarily a result of dribble penetration, the Rockets continually sucking in the defense before finding open players on the perimeter.

Clippers center DeAndre Jordan capitalized on the absence of Howard to collect 22 points and 19 rebounds, Jordan's sixth consecutive game with at least 15 rebounds. Jordan even made four of his first six free throws before missing two with 12 seconds remaining.

It didn't matter as the Clippers dropped the opener of a four-game trip that makes its next stop in Memphis on Friday.

Rivers said he wasn't concerned after his team lost a second consecutive game and fell to 4-3 without Griffin.

"I know y'all's job is to overreact to every game, and I get that," Rivers told reporters. "But fortunately, we can't. We have to think about Memphis now. It's a tough road trip, so our game and our job is to go one game at a time."

Follow Ben Bolch on Twitter @latbbolch

Copyright © 2015, Los Angeles Times

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Inglewood council approves NFL stadium plan amid big community support

The Inglewood City Council voted unanimously Tuesday night to approve an 80,000-seat stadium at the site of the old Hollywood Park racetrack, jump-starting the effort to bring an NFL team back to the area after a two-decade absence.

After almost four hours of presentations and discussion in front of a weary crowd, Inglewood Mayor James T. Butts Jr. hailed the agreement as "the best financial arrangement in the history of stadium deals in this country."

"We need to do the will of the people and we need to do it tonight," Butts said just before the vote.

When the measure passed, 5-0, Butts told the room: "Now we can celebrate."

"We're on our way!" an audience member shouted.

Dozens of others jumped from their seats in jubilation and started chanting: "L.A. Rams, L.A. Rams."

Developers on the project include St. Louis Rams owner Stan Kroenke and the Stockbridge Capital Group.

The vote capped six frenzied weeks, from the project's public unveiling to the approval without a public vote. A ballot initiative to add the stadium to existing plans to develop the site was certified earlier this month after organizers collected 22,183 signatures, twice the number needed. Inglewood had the choice of putting the project on the ballot in June or letting the City Council approve the plan, which includes a mixed-use development sprawling over 298 acres.

"We're going as fast as we can," said Chris Meany, senior vice president for the Hollywood Park Land Co., which controls the property. "We've got a whole bunch of architects and engineers working on this."

An economic impact report commissioned by the city estimated the privately funded stadium with open-air sides and a clear retractable roof could be the most expensive in U.S. sports history: $1.86 billion.

Although the developers plan to start construction on the stadium by December, the return of professional football to the country's second-largest market after years of failed plans and false hope is far from certain.

Last week, the San Diego Chargers and Oakland Raiders introduced another option to bring back the league when they announced plans to build a privately financed $1.7-billion stadium on the site of a former landfill in Carson. The teams, however, pledged to continue negotiations for new stadiums in their current cities.

Meanwhile, St. Louis is mounting an aggressive effort to retain the Rams built around a $900-million stadium, including about $400 million in state financing, on the banks of the Mississippi River.

The Rams, which left L.A. in 1995, shifted to a year-to-year lease at the Edward Jones Dome last month, the latest move in a long-running dispute over the facility's condition.

No NFL team, however, has filed for relocation.

The Inglewood City Council's vote on the project, which was announced last month, is a critical first step to separate themselves from the rival efforts.

Forty-five minutes before Tuesday's meeting started, the Inglewood council chambers were jammed to capacity.

"We'd be out there tomorrow with our shovels if they'd let us," said Tom Bateman, president of Bring Back the Los Angeles Rams.

At least 50 people signed up to address the council about the stadium. The vast majority encouraged the council to immediately approve the project.

"It's going to put Inglewood back on the map and make it the City of Champions once again," longtime resident Michael Benbow said.

Just five speakers voiced concerns. One of them, Lynette Lewis, said Inglewood residents have heard these types of promises about developments before.

"I'm sick of looking at the pretty pictures that they draw for us," she said. "At some point in time we'd like to have insight to what's in this contract and what we get out of it as residents."

A decade from now, the stadium will boost Inglewood's budget by as much as $18 million per year, Debby Kern, a consultant hired by the city to analyze Hollywood Park's financial projections, told the council.

Most of the revenue would come from a 10% tax on tickets to events at the stadium.

The consultants' study projected the average ticket to cost $140 per game. That would have been the highest average price in the NFL last season.

The only risk for Inglewood in the project, Kern said, is if the team doesn't sell enough tickets.

"You have to get people in those seats," she said.

The facility projects to host 10 NFL games each year plus eight major non-football events such as the NCAA's Final Four. The project also includes a 6,000-seat performing arts center, parks, hundreds of thousands of square feet in retail and office space and up to 2,500 homes.

In 2013, Kroenke approached Terry Fancher, Stockbridge Capital's executive managing director, about adding a stadium to the company's existing project at the Hollywood Park site.

Kroenke wanted to try again. The billionaire real estate developer purchased 60 acres of land in January 2014 next to the 238 acres being developed by Fancher. That provided the first public hint of a potential stadium project.

For the moment, the NFL is watching from the sidelines.

The league has said for years that the return of a team to L.A., the stadium site and all other major relocation decisions will be subject to a vote of team owners. Those votes require a three-quarters majority of the 32 teams to pass.

The NFL recently formed the Committee on Los Angeles Opportunities, made up of six owners, to evaluate stadium opportunities.

The drafting of a ballot initiative to approve the Carson project is complete and will be made public shortly, according to a person with knowledge of the negotiations.

Using an initiative allows the developers to bypass the lengthy environmental review process in a competition in which time is of the essence.

In the coming weeks, Carson2gether, a community group formed the support the stadium, will start gathering the 8,041 signatures needed to place the stadium on the ballot. The Carson City Council could follow Inglewood's lead by skipping a public vote and adopting the initiative.

Following Tuesday's vote, Butts dismissed any concern about Carson's effort.

"When you're running a race and you're ahead, you don't look behind you," he said.

Any opponents of the Inglewood plan, dubbed the City of Champions Revitalization Project, now have 30 days to file a referendum to force a public vote.

tim.logan@latimes.com

angel.jennings@latimes.com

nathan.fenno@latimes.com

Times staff writer Sam Farmer contributed to this report.

Copyright © 2015, Los Angeles Times

16.38 | 0 komentar | Read More

Inglewood council approves NFL stadium plan amid big community support

The Inglewood City Council voted unanimously Tuesday night to approve an 80,000-seat stadium at the site of the old Hollywood Park racetrack, jump-starting the effort to bring an NFL team back to the area after a two-decade absence.

After almost four hours of presentations and discussion in front of a weary crowd, Inglewood Mayor James T. Butts Jr. hailed the agreement as "the best financial arrangement in the history of stadium deals in this country."

"We need to do the will of the people and we need to do it tonight," Butts said just before the vote.

When the measure passed, 5-0, Butts told the room: "Now we can celebrate."

"We're on our way!" an audience member shouted.

Dozens of others jumped from their seats in jubilation and started chanting: "L.A. Rams, L.A. Rams."

Developers on the project include St. Louis Rams owner Stan Kroenke and the Stockbridge Capital Group.

The vote capped six frenzied weeks, from the project's public unveiling to the approval without a public vote. A ballot initiative to add the stadium to existing plans to develop the site was certified earlier this month after organizers collected 22,183 signatures, twice the number needed. Inglewood had the choice of putting the project on the ballot in June or letting the City Council approve the plan, which includes a mixed-use development sprawling over 298 acres.

"We're going as fast as we can," said Chris Meany, senior vice president for the Hollywood Park Land Co., which controls the property. "We've got a whole bunch of architects and engineers working on this."

An economic impact report commissioned by the city estimated the privately funded stadium with open-air sides and a clear retractable roof could be the most expensive in U.S. sports history: $1.86 billion.

Although the developers plan to start construction on the stadium by December, the return of professional football to the country's second-largest market after years of failed plans and false hope is far from certain.

Last week, the San Diego Chargers and Oakland Raiders introduced another option to bring back the league when they announced plans to build a privately financed $1.7-billion stadium on the site of a former landfill in Carson. The teams, however, pledged to continue negotiations for new stadiums in their current cities.

Meanwhile, St. Louis is mounting an aggressive effort to retain the Rams built around a $900-million stadium, including about $400 million in state financing, on the banks of the Mississippi River.

The Rams, which left L.A. in 1995, shifted to a year-to-year lease at the Edward Jones Dome last month, the latest move in a long-running dispute over the facility's condition.

No NFL team, however, has filed for relocation.

The Inglewood City Council's vote on the project, which was announced last month, is a critical first step to separate themselves from the rival efforts.

Forty-five minutes before Tuesday's meeting started, the Inglewood council chambers were jammed to capacity.

"We'd be out there tomorrow with our shovels if they'd let us," said Tom Bateman, president of Bring Back the Los Angeles Rams.

At least 50 people signed up to address the council about the stadium. The vast majority encouraged the council to immediately approve the project.

"It's going to put Inglewood back on the map and make it the City of Champions once again," longtime resident Michael Benbow said.

Just five speakers voiced concerns. One of them, Lynette Lewis, said Inglewood residents have heard these types of promises about developments before.

"I'm sick of looking at the pretty pictures that they draw for us," she said. "At some point in time we'd like to have insight to what's in this contract and what we get out of it as residents."

A decade from now, the stadium will boost Inglewood's budget by as much as $18 million per year, Debby Kern, a consultant hired by the city to analyze Hollywood Park's financial projections, told the council.

Most of the revenue would come from a 10% tax on tickets to events at the stadium.

The consultants' study projected the average ticket to cost $140 per game. That would have been the highest average price in the NFL last season.

The only risk for Inglewood in the project, Kern said, is if the team doesn't sell enough tickets.

"You have to get people in those seats," she said.

The facility projects to host 10 NFL games each year plus eight major non-football events such as the NCAA's Final Four. The project also includes a 6,000-seat performing arts center, parks, hundreds of thousands of square feet in retail and office space and up to 2,500 homes.

In 2013, Kroenke approached Terry Fancher, Stockbridge Capital's executive managing director, about adding a stadium to the company's existing project at the Hollywood Park site.

Kroenke wanted to try again. The billionaire real estate developer purchased 60 acres of land in January 2014 next to the 238 acres being developed by Fancher. That provided the first public hint of a potential stadium project.

For the moment, the NFL is watching from the sidelines.

The league has said for years that the return of a team to L.A., the stadium site and all other major relocation decisions will be subject to a vote of team owners. Those votes require a three-quarters majority of the 32 teams to pass.

The NFL recently formed the Committee on Los Angeles Opportunities, made up of six owners, to evaluate stadium opportunities.

The drafting of a ballot initiative to approve the Carson project is complete and will be made public shortly, according to a person with knowledge of the negotiations.

Using an initiative allows the developers to bypass the lengthy environmental review process in a competition in which time is of the essence.

In the coming weeks, Carson2gether, a community group formed the support the stadium, will start gathering the 8,041 signatures needed to place the stadium on the ballot. The Carson City Council could follow Inglewood's lead by skipping a public vote and adopting the initiative.

Following Tuesday's vote, Butts dismissed any concern about Carson's effort.

"When you're running a race and you're ahead, you don't look behind you," he said.

Any opponents of the Inglewood plan, dubbed the City of Champions Revitalization Project, now have 30 days to file a referendum to force a public vote.

tim.logan@latimes.com

angel.jennings@latimes.com

nathan.fenno@latimes.com

Times staff writer Sam Farmer contributed to this report.

Copyright © 2015, Los Angeles Times

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Inglewood council approves NFL stadium plan amid big community support

The Inglewood City Council voted unanimously Tuesday night to approve an 80,000-seat stadium at the site of the old Hollywood Park racetrack, jump-starting the effort to bring an NFL team back to the area after a two-decade absence.

After almost four hours of presentations and discussion in front of a weary crowd, Inglewood Mayor James T. Butts Jr. hailed the agreement as "the best financial arrangement in the history of stadium deals in this country."

"We need to do the will of the people and we need to do it tonight," Butts said just before the vote.

When the measure passed, 5-0, Butts told the room: "Now we can celebrate."

"We're on our way!" an audience member shouted.

Dozens of others jumped from their seats in jubilation and started chanting: "L.A. Rams, L.A. Rams."

Developers on the project include St. Louis Rams owner Stan Kroenke and the Stockbridge Capital Group.

The vote capped six frenzied weeks, from the project's public unveiling to the approval without a public vote. A ballot initiative to add the stadium to existing plans to develop the site was certified earlier this month after organizers collected 22,183 signatures, twice the number needed. Inglewood had the choice of putting the project on the ballot in June or letting the City Council approve the plan, which includes a mixed-use development sprawling over 298 acres.

"We're going as fast as we can," said Chris Meany, senior vice president for the Hollywood Park Land Co., which controls the property. "We've got a whole bunch of architects and engineers working on this."

An economic impact report commissioned by the city estimated the privately funded stadium with open-air sides and a clear retractable roof could be the most expensive in U.S. sports history: $1.86 billion.

Although the developers plan to start construction on the stadium by December, the return of professional football to the country's second-largest market after years of failed plans and false hope is far from certain.

Last week, the San Diego Chargers and Oakland Raiders introduced another option to bring back the league when they announced plans to build a privately financed $1.7-billion stadium on the site of a former landfill in Carson. The teams, however, pledged to continue negotiations for new stadiums in their current cities.

Meanwhile, St. Louis is mounting an aggressive effort to retain the Rams built around a $900-million stadium, including about $400 million in state financing, on the banks of the Mississippi River.

The Rams, which left L.A. in 1995, shifted to a year-to-year lease at the Edward Jones Dome last month, the latest move in a long-running dispute over the facility's condition.

No NFL team, however, has filed for relocation.

The Inglewood City Council's vote on the project, which was announced last month, is a critical first step to separate themselves from the rival efforts.

Forty-five minutes before Tuesday's meeting started, the Inglewood council chambers were jammed to capacity.

"We'd be out there tomorrow with our shovels if they'd let us," said Tom Bateman, president of Bring Back the Los Angeles Rams.

At least 50 people signed up to address the council about the stadium. The vast majority encouraged the council to immediately approve the project.

"It's going to put Inglewood back on the map and make it the City of Champions once again," longtime resident Michael Benbow said.

Just five speakers voiced concerns. One of them, Lynette Lewis, said Inglewood residents have heard these types of promises about developments before.

"I'm sick of looking at the pretty pictures that they draw for us," she said. "At some point in time we'd like to have insight to what's in this contract and what we get out of it as residents."

A decade from now, the stadium will boost Inglewood's budget by as much as $18 million per year, Debby Kern, a consultant hired by the city to analyze Hollywood Park's financial projections, told the council.

Most of the revenue would come from a 10% tax on tickets to events at the stadium.

The consultants' study projected the average ticket to cost $140 per game. That would have been the highest average price in the NFL last season.

The only risk for Inglewood in the project, Kern said, is if the team doesn't sell enough tickets.

"You have to get people in those seats," she said.

The facility projects to host 10 NFL games each year plus eight major non-football events such as the NCAA's Final Four. The project also includes a 6,000-seat performing arts center, parks, hundreds of thousands of square feet in retail and office space and up to 2,500 homes.

In 2013, Kroenke approached Terry Fancher, Stockbridge Capital's executive managing director, about adding a stadium to the company's existing project at the Hollywood Park site.

Kroenke wanted to try again. The billionaire real estate developer purchased 60 acres of land in January 2014 next to the 238 acres being developed by Fancher. That provided the first public hint of a potential stadium project.

For the moment, the NFL is watching from the sidelines.

The league has said for years that the return of a team to L.A., the stadium site and all other major relocation decisions will be subject to a vote of team owners. Those votes require a three-quarters majority of the 32 teams to pass.

The NFL recently formed the Committee on Los Angeles Opportunities, made up of six owners, to evaluate stadium opportunities.

The drafting of a ballot initiative to approve the Carson project is complete and will be made public shortly, according to a person with knowledge of the negotiations.

Using an initiative allows the developers to bypass the lengthy environmental review process in a competition in which time is of the essence.

In the coming weeks, Carson2gether, a community group formed the support the stadium, will start gathering the 8,041 signatures needed to place the stadium on the ballot. The Carson City Council could follow Inglewood's lead by skipping a public vote and adopting the initiative.

Following Tuesday's vote, Butts dismissed any concern about Carson's effort.

"When you're running a race and you're ahead, you don't look behind you," he said.

Any opponents of the Inglewood plan, dubbed the City of Champions Revitalization Project, now have 30 days to file a referendum to force a public vote.

tim.logan@latimes.com

angel.jennings@latimes.com

nathan.fenno@latimes.com

Times staff writer Sam Farmer contributed to this report.

Copyright © 2015, Los Angeles Times

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Ducks score three goals in the third, beat Detroit, 4-3 in shootout

Looking for a substantive example that they've pulled out of their slump, the Ducks found it Monday, scoring three third-period goals and beating the Detroit Red Wings, 4-3, in a shootout.

"That's what we wanted," Ducks forward Andrew Cogliano said of the Ducks' third consecutive victory. "We wanted to get that ball rolling again in the right direction.

"We stuck to the game plan, kept forcing them, put more pressure on them."

Cogliano scored the first of the three goals against Detroit goalie Jimmy Howard, saying that after just 10 shots through a scoreless first two periods the hosts made a conscious effort to shoot high on the goalie.

"He was letting pucks out in front of him," Cogliano said.

Cogliano followed a shot from defenseman Hampus Lindholm to the net 9 minutes 17 seconds into the third.

Then, a long-distance offering from Ducks defenseman Clayton Stoner bounced off Howard's chest, and when Red Wings defenseman Alexey Marchenko whiffed on the loose puck, Ducks forward Emerson Etem didn't, scooting a shot under Howard's legs.

"Kind of had a wicked bounce, I just had time to slide it through," Etem said. "If we score one, we know we have the guys to keep it coming."

Keeping the Ducks' longtime first-line mates Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry separated for the first two periods didn't stir success on offense.

Both were without shots through 40 minutes.

So Ducks Coach Bruce Boudreau reunited the pair after eight periods of estrangement and the result was a key point, Getzlaf outmuscling Detroit to work a backhanded pass to defenseman Francois Beauchemin that was smacked to the net with 7:03 left.

Beauchemin has a career-best three-game goal streak and praised Getzlaf for "working hard" on the play.

"We didn't quit, kept going," Beauchemin said. "[The Red Wings] were doing a great job keeping our shots down, they were blocking shots … [but] in the third, we came out more aggressive. Keeping it in the zone, working the walls.

"Detroit is one of the best [teams] in the league. We responded the right way."

The Red Wings (33-14-11) forced overtime on Riley Sheahan's goal with 3:51 remaining, but in the shootout, Perry and Jakob Silfverberg also scored and Ducks goalie John Gibson kept two of three shots out after 35 saves in regulation and overtime in his sixth consecutive start.

Detroit center Pavel Datsyuk opened scoring 74 seconds into the second period by collecting a pass along the boards in the Ducks' defensive zone by Stoner, skating in and firing high.

The Ducks (38-16-7) had only three shots on goal in the second.

Then, Ducks forward Patrick Maroon committed a holding penalty and the NHL's top power-play team struck again.

Datsyuk took a pass from forward Justin Abdelkader in front of Gibson, and instead of shooting quick — as Gibson anticipated by moving toward his right — Datsyuk held the puck, slid to his left and backhanded in his 21st goal to open net 6:50 into the second.

"We stayed within striking distance of a team that was outplaying us," Boudreau said. "Sometimes, one really good period … you get some emotion in the game, they start backpedaling."

Copyright © 2015, Los Angeles Times

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Ducks score three goals in the third, beat Detroit, 4-3 in shootout

Looking for a substantive example that they've pulled out of their slump, the Ducks found it Monday, scoring three third-period goals and beating the Detroit Red Wings, 4-3, in a shootout.

"That's what we wanted," Ducks forward Andrew Cogliano said of the Ducks' third consecutive victory. "We wanted to get that ball rolling again in the right direction.

"We stuck to the game plan, kept forcing them, put more pressure on them."

Cogliano scored the first of the three goals against Detroit goalie Jimmy Howard, saying that after just 10 shots through a scoreless first two periods the hosts made a conscious effort to shoot high on the goalie.

"He was letting pucks out in front of him," Cogliano said.

Cogliano followed a shot from defenseman Hampus Lindholm to the net 9 minutes 17 seconds into the third.

Then, a long-distance offering from Ducks defenseman Clayton Stoner bounced off Howard's chest, and when Red Wings defenseman Alexey Marchenko whiffed on the loose puck, Ducks forward Emerson Etem didn't, scooting a shot under Howard's legs.

"Kind of had a wicked bounce, I just had time to slide it through," Etem said. "If we score one, we know we have the guys to keep it coming."

Keeping the Ducks' longtime first-line mates Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry separated for the first two periods didn't stir success on offense.

Both were without shots through 40 minutes.

So Ducks Coach Bruce Boudreau reunited the pair after eight periods of estrangement and the result was a key point, Getzlaf outmuscling Detroit to work a backhanded pass to defenseman Francois Beauchemin that was smacked to the net with 7:03 left.

Beauchemin has a career-best three-game goal streak and praised Getzlaf for "working hard" on the play.

"We didn't quit, kept going," Beauchemin said. "[The Red Wings] were doing a great job keeping our shots down, they were blocking shots … [but] in the third, we came out more aggressive. Keeping it in the zone, working the walls.

"Detroit is one of the best [teams] in the league. We responded the right way."

The Red Wings (33-14-11) forced overtime on Riley Sheahan's goal with 3:51 remaining, but in the shootout, Perry and Jakob Silfverberg also scored and Ducks goalie John Gibson kept two of three shots out after 35 saves in regulation and overtime in his sixth consecutive start.

Detroit center Pavel Datsyuk opened scoring 74 seconds into the second period by collecting a pass along the boards in the Ducks' defensive zone by Stoner, skating in and firing high.

The Ducks (38-16-7) had only three shots on goal in the second.

Then, Ducks forward Patrick Maroon committed a holding penalty and the NHL's top power-play team struck again.

Datsyuk took a pass from forward Justin Abdelkader in front of Gibson, and instead of shooting quick — as Gibson anticipated by moving toward his right — Datsyuk held the puck, slid to his left and backhanded in his 21st goal to open net 6:50 into the second.

"We stayed within striking distance of a team that was outplaying us," Boudreau said. "Sometimes, one really good period … you get some emotion in the game, they start backpedaling."

Copyright © 2015, Los Angeles Times

16.38 | 0 komentar | Read More

Ducks score three goals in the third, beat Detroit, 4-3 in shootout

Looking for a substantive example that they've pulled out of their slump, the Ducks found it Monday, scoring three third-period goals and beating the Detroit Red Wings, 4-3, in a shootout.

"That's what we wanted," Ducks forward Andrew Cogliano said of the Ducks' third consecutive victory. "We wanted to get that ball rolling again in the right direction.

"We stuck to the game plan, kept forcing them, put more pressure on them."

Cogliano scored the first of the three goals against Detroit goalie Jimmy Howard, saying that after just 10 shots through a scoreless first two periods the hosts made a conscious effort to shoot high on the goalie.

"He was letting pucks out in front of him," Cogliano said.

Cogliano followed a shot from defenseman Hampus Lindholm to the net 9 minutes 17 seconds into the third.

Then, a long-distance offering from Ducks defenseman Clayton Stoner bounced off Howard's chest, and when Red Wings defenseman Alexey Marchenko whiffed on the loose puck, Ducks forward Emerson Etem didn't, scooting a shot under Howard's legs.

"Kind of had a wicked bounce, I just had time to slide it through," Etem said. "If we score one, we know we have the guys to keep it coming."

Keeping the Ducks' longtime first-line mates Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry separated for the first two periods didn't stir success on offense.

Both were without shots through 40 minutes.

So Ducks Coach Bruce Boudreau reunited the pair after eight periods of estrangement and the result was a key point, Getzlaf outmuscling Detroit to work a backhanded pass to defenseman Francois Beauchemin that was smacked to the net with 7:03 left.

Beauchemin has a career-best three-game goal streak and praised Getzlaf for "working hard" on the play.

"We didn't quit, kept going," Beauchemin said. "[The Red Wings] were doing a great job keeping our shots down, they were blocking shots … [but] in the third, we came out more aggressive. Keeping it in the zone, working the walls.

"Detroit is one of the best [teams] in the league. We responded the right way."

The Red Wings (33-14-11) forced overtime on Riley Sheahan's goal with 3:51 remaining, but in the shootout, Perry and Jakob Silfverberg also scored and Ducks goalie John Gibson kept two of three shots out after 35 saves in regulation and overtime in his sixth consecutive start.

Detroit center Pavel Datsyuk opened scoring 74 seconds into the second period by collecting a pass along the boards in the Ducks' defensive zone by Stoner, skating in and firing high.

The Ducks (38-16-7) had only three shots on goal in the second.

Then, Ducks forward Patrick Maroon committed a holding penalty and the NHL's top power-play team struck again.

Datsyuk took a pass from forward Justin Abdelkader in front of Gibson, and instead of shooting quick — as Gibson anticipated by moving toward his right — Datsyuk held the puck, slid to his left and backhanded in his 21st goal to open net 6:50 into the second.

"We stayed within striking distance of a team that was outplaying us," Boudreau said. "Sometimes, one really good period … you get some emotion in the game, they start backpedaling."

Copyright © 2015, Los Angeles Times

16.38 | 0 komentar | Read More

Yemen port city of Aden seethes with separatist fervor

A replica Big Ben still looks down on the harbor. Queen Victoria casts a dour gaze from her bronzed throne in a patch of green fronting the port.

But this one-time jewel of the British Empire has fallen onto hard times — and now seethes with sedition as Yemen lurches toward civil war and possible disintegration.

The return this weekend of ousted President Abdu Rabu Mansour Hadi, a southerner, after weeks of house arrest in the capital, Sana, has done little to quell separatist furor here in the south.

Blue-tinged flags of an erstwhile new independent nation are ubiquitous. Gaggles of pro-independence protesters march on the streets. Separatist slogans line the walls. Talk of rebellion is rampant.

"If there is no secession, then this area will become the biggest conflict in the Middle East — bigger than Iraq or Syria," warned Mohammad Nasser Hattab, who heads a "popular committee" militia that has commandeered a police station across from the tattered park where a stolid and plump Victoria still observes the horizon.

"The situation has gotten to the point that it is us or them on this land," said Nasser, amid nods of agreement from fellow militiamen with Kalashnikovs and checkered head scarves gathered on the second floor of a dingy police precinct office in the port-side Tawahi district, known as Steamer Point during British rule.

This fractured nation of 26 million, the poorest in the Arab world, has many hot spots in the aftermath of the fall of the capital, Sana, to the northern-based Houthi faction, a mostly Shiite Muslim group in a largely Sunni Muslim nation. The Houthis overran the capital in September and consolidated control in recent weeks, placing Hadi and others in his administration under house arrest and dissolving parliament.

The emergence of the Houthis, an ally of Iran, threatens to turn Yemen into yet another geopolitical battleground with profound implications for U.S. policy. The nation has until now been relatively free of the sectarian-fueled violence that has ravaged Iraq and Syria.

Fostering stability here has been a major goal of the Obama administration, which has touted Yemen as a success of its counter-terrorism strategy. The nation is home to Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, regarded as among the most potent of the global terrorist network's branches. U.S. drone strikes continue to hit Al Qaeda targets in Yemen, despite the Houthi takeover.

The port of Aden, still bustling but much depleted since its colonial-era days as one of the world's busiest harbors, was the site of a signature Al Qaeda attack: The 2000 strike on the U.S. destroyer Cole that left 17 U.S. service members dead and 39 wounded.

The Houthis have vowed to destroy Al Qaeda, a Sunni group that has repeatedly targeted them. But others argue that the Houthi advance has become an Al Qaeda recruiting bonanza, drawing in Sunni youth and tribesmen.

"Many tribes had abandoned Al Qaeda, but the arrival of the Houthis in Sana pushed the tribes back to Al Qaeda," Aden Gov. Abdul Aziz bin Habtoor said in an interview here.

To the east of Sana, Sunni Arab tribes, some allied with Al Qaeda, are arming against a possible Houthi thrust into resource-rich Marib province, source of much of the nation's oil and gas and its major energy infrastructure. Sunni tribal leaders, reportedly receiving aid from Saudi Arabia, Yemen's wary northern neighbor, have vowed to resist.

Meanwhile, the central government in Sana appears to have lost much of its control over the south.

Northern and southern Yemen were two countries until merging in 1990, but tensions between the two distinct regions never completely dissipated. Now, the nation's political turmoil has given a renewed boost to the secessionist agenda.

The Houthis have relatively little support in the south. There is widespread disdain for what southerners call a Houthi power grab — though the Houthis insist that their goal is a democratic, united state in which all regions are represented.

Hadi, a former general, as well as a former vice president under longtime strongman Ali Abdullah Saleh, fled from house arrest and arrived in Aden on Saturday.

Many here were outraged that Hadi did not embrace secession upon his return. Instead, he pledged to work toward a political settlement to maintain a unified Yemen — the goal of United Nations-brokered talks.

"The situation is very dangerous now," said Mohsen Mohammed bin Farid, who heads a coalition seeking to create "South Arabia" among eight southern provinces. "The people of the south were hoping that Hadi would be with us, be with independence."

Although Hadi has many supporters here, street protesters greeted his statement of unity with the chant: "Hadi, you are contemptible, the blood of the sons of the south is not cheap."

So-called popular committee militiamen, on the payroll of political factions and tribes, have set up checkpoints and usurped the security services in parts of the south, including Aden. They bristle with indignation at the idea of Houthi-led rule.

"They [the Houthis] do not represent a Yemeni point of view," said Nasser, the popular committee commander near the port, in an apparent reference to the Houthis' links to Iran. "They are influenced by external dictates."

The future role of Hadi, backed by the United States and its Persian Gulf allies, remains a question mark. Hadi appears to have rescinded his resignation from the presidency — tendered Jan. 22 while he was under house arrest — and signaled that he favors continued dialogue among all of Yemen's factions to keep the nation intact. His allies insist that most southerners prefer to remain part of Yemen.

"The great majority of people in the south support the idea of unity and adhere to the concept of a federal state," said Bin Habtoor, the Aden governor, who spoke Sunday after meeting with the president here.

But Hadi insists that all appointments and government actions made since Sept. 21, when the Houthis overran Sana, are null and void. The governor also said talks should be moved from Houthi-controlled Sana to Aden, where, despite the political turmoil, life in this coastal town proceeds at a leisurely pace: on our street market, fish mongers offer silver-colored, small sharks and thick red steaks cut from giant tunas, while young men play billiards on outdoor tables.

"The Houthi forcibly seized power with the gun and he must relinquish power whether he wants to or not," said Bin Habtoor.

In Sana, however, the Houthis have showed no sign of pulling back. With regional, sectarian and tribal tensions rising, the prospect for compromise appears to be narrowing.

"What we see in Yemen is a potential humanitarian crisis, the prospect of economic collapse, and possible areas of conflict," Jamal Benomar, the U.N. special envoy for Yemen, said in an interview in Sana. "The prospect for fragmentation is clearly there. We are saying that there is no other way but for all the political parties to come together and make a deal sometime soon."

Bulos is a special correspondent. Special correspondent Zaid al-Alayaa in Aden contributed to this report.

Copyright © 2015, Los Angeles Times

11:37 p.m.: This story was updated with additional information and details about the coastal town, Aden. 

This story was published at 5:56 p.m.

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Yemen port city of Aden seethes with separatist fervor

A replica Big Ben still looks down on the harbor. Queen Victoria casts a dour gaze from her bronzed throne in a patch of green fronting the port.

But this one-time jewel of the British Empire has fallen onto hard times — and now seethes with sedition as Yemen lurches toward civil war and possible disintegration.

The return this weekend of ousted President Abdu Rabu Mansour Hadi, a southerner, after weeks of house arrest in the capital, Sana, has done little to quell separatist furor here in the south.

Blue-tinged flags of an erstwhile new independent nation are ubiquitous. Gaggles of pro-independence protesters march on the streets. Separatist slogans line the walls. Talk of rebellion is rampant.

"If there is no secession, then this area will become the biggest conflict in the Middle East — bigger than Iraq or Syria," warned Mohammad Nasser Hattab, who heads a "popular committee" militia that has commandeered a police station across from the tattered park where a stolid and plump Victoria still observes the horizon.

"The situation has gotten to the point that it is us or them on this land," said Nasser, amid nods of agreement from fellow militiamen with Kalashnikovs and checkered head scarves gathered on the second floor of a dingy police precinct office in the port-side Tawahi district, known as Steamer Point during British rule.

This fractured nation of 26 million, the poorest in the Arab world, has many hot spots in the aftermath of the fall of the capital, Sana, to the northern-based Houthi faction, a mostly Shiite Muslim group in a largely Sunni Muslim nation. The Houthis overran the capital in September and consolidated control in recent weeks, placing Hadi and others in his administration under house arrest and dissolving parliament.

The emergence of the Houthis, an ally of Iran, threatens to turn Yemen into yet another geopolitical battleground with profound implications for U.S. policy. The nation has until now been relatively free of the sectarian-fueled violence that has ravaged Iraq and Syria.

Fostering stability here has been a major goal of the Obama administration, which has touted Yemen as a success of its counter-terrorism strategy. The nation is home to Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, regarded as among the most potent of the global terrorist network's branches. U.S. drone strikes continue to hit Al Qaeda targets in Yemen, despite the Houthi takeover.

The port of Aden, still bustling but much depleted since its colonial-era days as one of the world's busiest harbors, was the site of a signature Al Qaeda attack: The 2000 strike on the U.S. destroyer Cole that left 17 U.S. service members dead and 39 wounded.

The Houthis have vowed to destroy Al Qaeda, a Sunni group that has repeatedly targeted them. But others argue that the Houthi advance has become an Al Qaeda recruiting bonanza, drawing in Sunni youth and tribesmen.

"Many tribes had abandoned Al Qaeda, but the arrival of the Houthis in Sana pushed the tribes back to Al Qaeda," Aden Gov. Abdul Aziz bin Habtoor said in an interview here.

To the east of Sana, Sunni Arab tribes, some allied with Al Qaeda, are arming against a possible Houthi thrust into resource-rich Marib province, source of much of the nation's oil and gas and its major energy infrastructure. Sunni tribal leaders, reportedly receiving aid from Saudi Arabia, Yemen's wary northern neighbor, have vowed to resist.

Meanwhile, the central government in Sana appears to have lost much of its control over the south.

Northern and southern Yemen were two countries until merging in 1990, but tensions between the two distinct regions never completely dissipated. Now, the nation's political turmoil has given a renewed boost to the secessionist agenda.

The Houthis have relatively little support in the south. There is widespread disdain for what southerners call a Houthi power grab — though the Houthis insist that their goal is a democratic, united state in which all regions are represented.

Hadi, a former general, as well as a former vice president under longtime strongman Ali Abdullah Saleh, fled from house arrest and arrived in Aden on Saturday.

Many here were outraged that Hadi did not embrace secession upon his return. Instead, he pledged to work toward a political settlement to maintain a unified Yemen — the goal of United Nations-brokered talks.

"The situation is very dangerous now," said Mohsen Mohammed bin Farid, who heads a coalition seeking to create "South Arabia" among eight southern provinces. "The people of the south were hoping that Hadi would be with us, be with independence."

Although Hadi has many supporters here, street protesters greeted his statement of unity with the chant: "Hadi, you are contemptible, the blood of the sons of the south is not cheap."

So-called popular committee militiamen, on the payroll of political factions and tribes, have set up checkpoints and usurped the security services in parts of the south, including Aden. They bristle with indignation at the idea of Houthi-led rule.

"They [the Houthis] do not represent a Yemeni point of view," said Nasser, the popular committee commander near the port, in an apparent reference to the Houthis' links to Iran. "They are influenced by external dictates."

The future role of Hadi, backed by the United States and its Persian Gulf allies, remains a question mark. Hadi appears to have rescinded his resignation from the presidency — tendered Jan. 22 while he was under house arrest — and signaled that he favors continued dialogue among all of Yemen's factions to keep the nation intact. His allies insist that most southerners prefer to remain part of Yemen.

"The great majority of people in the south support the idea of unity and adhere to the concept of a federal state," said Bin Habtoor, the Aden governor, who spoke Sunday after meeting with the president here.

But Hadi insists that all appointments and government actions made since Sept. 21, when the Houthis overran Sana, are null and void. The governor also said talks should be moved from Houthi-controlled Sana to Aden, where, despite the political turmoil, life in this coastal town proceeds at a leisurely pace: on our street market, fish mongers offer silver-colored, small sharks and thick red steaks cut from giant tunas, while young men play billiards on outdoor tables.

"The Houthi forcibly seized power with the gun and he must relinquish power whether he wants to or not," said Bin Habtoor.

In Sana, however, the Houthis have showed no sign of pulling back. With regional, sectarian and tribal tensions rising, the prospect for compromise appears to be narrowing.

"What we see in Yemen is a potential humanitarian crisis, the prospect of economic collapse, and possible areas of conflict," Jamal Benomar, the U.N. special envoy for Yemen, said in an interview in Sana. "The prospect for fragmentation is clearly there. We are saying that there is no other way but for all the political parties to come together and make a deal sometime soon."

Bulos is a special correspondent. Special correspondent Zaid al-Alayaa in Aden contributed to this report.

Copyright © 2015, Los Angeles Times

11:37 p.m.: This story was updated with additional information and details about the coastal town, Aden. 

This story was published at 5:56 p.m.

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Yemen port city of Aden seethes with separatist fervor

A replica Big Ben still looks down on the harbor. Queen Victoria casts a dour gaze from her bronzed throne in a patch of green fronting the port.

But this one-time jewel of the British Empire has fallen onto hard times — and now seethes with sedition as Yemen lurches toward civil war and possible disintegration.

The return this weekend of ousted President Abdu Rabu Mansour Hadi, a southerner, after weeks of house arrest in the capital, Sana, has done little to quell separatist furor here in the south.

Blue-tinged flags of an erstwhile new independent nation are ubiquitous. Gaggles of pro-independence protesters march on the streets. Separatist slogans line the walls. Talk of rebellion is rampant.

"If there is no secession, then this area will become the biggest conflict in the Middle East — bigger than Iraq or Syria," warned Mohammad Nasser Hattab, who heads a "popular committee" militia that has commandeered a police station across from the tattered park where a stolid and plump Victoria still observes the horizon.

"The situation has gotten to the point that it is us or them on this land," said Nasser, amid nods of agreement from fellow militiamen with Kalashnikovs and checkered head scarves gathered on the second floor of a dingy police precinct office in the port-side Tawahi district, known as Steamer Point during British rule.

This fractured nation of 26 million, the poorest in the Arab world, has many hot spots in the aftermath of the fall of the capital, Sana, to the northern-based Houthi faction, a mostly Shiite Muslim group in a largely Sunni Muslim nation. The Houthis overran the capital in September and consolidated control in recent weeks, placing Hadi and others in his administration under house arrest and dissolving parliament.

The emergence of the Houthis, an ally of Iran, threatens to turn Yemen into yet another geopolitical battleground with profound implications for U.S. policy. The nation has until now been relatively free of the sectarian-fueled violence that has ravaged Iraq and Syria.

Fostering stability here has been a major goal of the Obama administration, which has touted Yemen as a success of its counter-terrorism strategy. The nation is home to Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, regarded as among the most potent of the global terrorist network's branches. U.S. drone strikes continue to hit Al Qaeda targets in Yemen, despite the Houthi takeover.

The port of Aden, still bustling but much depleted since its colonial-era days as one of the world's busiest harbors, was the site of a signature Al Qaeda attack: The 2000 strike on the U.S. destroyer Cole that left 17 U.S. service members dead and 39 wounded.

The Houthis have vowed to destroy Al Qaeda, a Sunni group that has repeatedly targeted them. But others argue that the Houthi advance has become an Al Qaeda recruiting bonanza, drawing in Sunni youth and tribesmen.

"Many tribes had abandoned Al Qaeda, but the arrival of the Houthis in Sana pushed the tribes back to Al Qaeda," Aden Gov. Abdul Aziz bin Habtoor said in an interview here.

To the east of Sana, Sunni Arab tribes, some allied with Al Qaeda, are arming against a possible Houthi thrust into resource-rich Marib province, source of much of the nation's oil and gas and its major energy infrastructure. Sunni tribal leaders, reportedly receiving aid from Saudi Arabia, Yemen's wary northern neighbor, have vowed to resist.

Meanwhile, the central government in Sana appears to have lost much of its control over the south.

Northern and southern Yemen were two countries until merging in 1990, but tensions between the two distinct regions never completely dissipated. Now, the nation's political turmoil has given a renewed boost to the secessionist agenda.

The Houthis have relatively little support in the south. There is widespread disdain for what southerners call a Houthi power grab — though the Houthis insist that their goal is a democratic, united state in which all regions are represented.

Hadi, a former general, as well as a former vice president under longtime strongman Ali Abdullah Saleh, fled from house arrest and arrived in Aden on Saturday.

Many here were outraged that Hadi did not embrace secession upon his return. Instead, he pledged to work toward a political settlement to maintain a unified Yemen — the goal of United Nations-brokered talks.

"The situation is very dangerous now," said Mohsen Mohammed bin Farid, who heads a coalition seeking to create "South Arabia" among eight southern provinces. "The people of the south were hoping that Hadi would be with us, be with independence."

Although Hadi has many supporters here, street protesters greeted his statement of unity with the chant: "Hadi, you are contemptible, the blood of the sons of the south is not cheap."

So-called popular committee militiamen, on the payroll of political factions and tribes, have set up checkpoints and usurped the security services in parts of the south, including Aden. They bristle with indignation at the idea of Houthi-led rule.

"They [the Houthis] do not represent a Yemeni point of view," said Nasser, the popular committee commander near the port, in an apparent reference to the Houthis' links to Iran. "They are influenced by external dictates."

The future role of Hadi, backed by the United States and its Persian Gulf allies, remains a question mark. Hadi appears to have rescinded his resignation from the presidency — tendered Jan. 22 while he was under house arrest — and signaled that he favors continued dialogue among all of Yemen's factions to keep the nation intact. His allies insist that most southerners prefer to remain part of Yemen.

"The great majority of people in the south support the idea of unity and adhere to the concept of a federal state," said Bin Habtoor, the Aden governor, who spoke Sunday after meeting with the president here.

But Hadi insists that all appointments and government actions made since Sept. 21, when the Houthis overran Sana, are null and void. The governor also said talks should be moved from Houthi-controlled Sana to Aden, where, despite the political turmoil, life in this coastal town proceeds at a leisurely pace: on our street market, fish mongers offer silver-colored, small sharks and thick red steaks cut from giant tunas, while young men play billiards on outdoor tables.

"The Houthi forcibly seized power with the gun and he must relinquish power whether he wants to or not," said Bin Habtoor.

In Sana, however, the Houthis have showed no sign of pulling back. With regional, sectarian and tribal tensions rising, the prospect for compromise appears to be narrowing.

"What we see in Yemen is a potential humanitarian crisis, the prospect of economic collapse, and possible areas of conflict," Jamal Benomar, the U.N. special envoy for Yemen, said in an interview in Sana. "The prospect for fragmentation is clearly there. We are saying that there is no other way but for all the political parties to come together and make a deal sometime soon."

Bulos is a special correspondent. Special correspondent Zaid al-Alayaa in Aden contributed to this report.

Copyright © 2015, Los Angeles Times

11:37 p.m.: This story was updated with additional information and details about the coastal town, Aden. 

This story was published at 5:56 p.m.

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What's really troubling about Obama's immigration plan

To the editor: Legal scholars Erwin Chemerinsky and Samuel Kleiner believe that President Obama's immigration amnesties are legal because the "executive branch of government always has discretion as to whether and how or when to enforce the law." ("Texas judge's immigration ruling is full of legal holes," Op-Ed, Feb. 18)

Though we can all agree this is normally the case, the two professors overlook other aspects of the executive order, which also allows for the issuance of work permits. This is not only the creation of a new law, but a violation of an existing law.

Before Obama issued his memorandum, he stated many times that he could not act unilaterally on immigration. The president lost patience with constitutional protocol and decided to issue a memorandum, knowing he could find "legal experts" who would ignore our laws and the Constitution.

Hopefully, higher courts will read the Constitution before making their judgment.

Bill Cool, Corona del Mar

..

To the editor: Chemerinsky and Kleiner are missing the point of U.S. District Judge Andrew S. Hanen's decision.

The primary grievance of the plaintiffs (the states opposing Obama's questionable executive amnesty) is not the deferred deportation of millions of illegal immigrants, it is the numerous benefits conferred upon the beneficiaries as a result of Obama's unlawful amnesty and the economic burden those benefits place on the states.

Perhaps it is for this reason that Obama only mentioned the deportation deferment during his national address and omitted the morally questionable issuance of work permits and Social Security cards and access to healthcare and tax benefits that the 26 states are objecting to.

Henry Clifford, San Diego

Follow the Opinion section on Twitter @latimesopinion and Facebook

Copyright © 2015, Los Angeles Times

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What's really troubling about Obama's immigration plan

To the editor: Legal scholars Erwin Chemerinsky and Samuel Kleiner believe that President Obama's immigration amnesties are legal because the "executive branch of government always has discretion as to whether and how or when to enforce the law." ("Texas judge's immigration ruling is full of legal holes," Op-Ed, Feb. 18)

Though we can all agree this is normally the case, the two professors overlook other aspects of the executive order, which also allows for the issuance of work permits. This is not only the creation of a new law, but a violation of an existing law.

Before Obama issued his memorandum, he stated many times that he could not act unilaterally on immigration. The president lost patience with constitutional protocol and decided to issue a memorandum, knowing he could find "legal experts" who would ignore our laws and the Constitution.

Hopefully, higher courts will read the Constitution before making their judgment.

Bill Cool, Corona del Mar

..

To the editor: Chemerinsky and Kleiner are missing the point of U.S. District Judge Andrew S. Hanen's decision.

The primary grievance of the plaintiffs (the states opposing Obama's questionable executive amnesty) is not the deferred deportation of millions of illegal immigrants, it is the numerous benefits conferred upon the beneficiaries as a result of Obama's unlawful amnesty and the economic burden those benefits place on the states.

Perhaps it is for this reason that Obama only mentioned the deportation deferment during his national address and omitted the morally questionable issuance of work permits and Social Security cards and access to healthcare and tax benefits that the 26 states are objecting to.

Henry Clifford, San Diego

Follow the Opinion section on Twitter @latimesopinion and Facebook

Copyright © 2015, Los Angeles Times

16.38 | 0 komentar | Read More

What's really troubling about Obama's immigration plan

To the editor: Legal scholars Erwin Chemerinsky and Samuel Kleiner believe that President Obama's immigration amnesties are legal because the "executive branch of government always has discretion as to whether and how or when to enforce the law." ("Texas judge's immigration ruling is full of legal holes," Op-Ed, Feb. 18)

Though we can all agree this is normally the case, the two professors overlook other aspects of the executive order, which also allows for the issuance of work permits. This is not only the creation of a new law, but a violation of an existing law.

Before Obama issued his memorandum, he stated many times that he could not act unilaterally on immigration. The president lost patience with constitutional protocol and decided to issue a memorandum, knowing he could find "legal experts" who would ignore our laws and the Constitution.

Hopefully, higher courts will read the Constitution before making their judgment.

Bill Cool, Corona del Mar

..

To the editor: Chemerinsky and Kleiner are missing the point of U.S. District Judge Andrew S. Hanen's decision.

The primary grievance of the plaintiffs (the states opposing Obama's questionable executive amnesty) is not the deferred deportation of millions of illegal immigrants, it is the numerous benefits conferred upon the beneficiaries as a result of Obama's unlawful amnesty and the economic burden those benefits place on the states.

Perhaps it is for this reason that Obama only mentioned the deportation deferment during his national address and omitted the morally questionable issuance of work permits and Social Security cards and access to healthcare and tax benefits that the 26 states are objecting to.

Henry Clifford, San Diego

Follow the Opinion section on Twitter @latimesopinion and Facebook

Copyright © 2015, Los Angeles Times

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Prison officials move to quell riot at federal facility in south Texas

Prison officials were trying to get control over a riot at a federal correctional facility in southern Texas, after as many as 2,000 prisoners became involved in the violence late Friday.

The disturbance began Friday morning when inmates at the Willacy County Correctional Center refused to report to work or appear for breakfast, according to Issa Arnita, a spokesman for Management & Training Corp., a private company that runs the prison.

Arnita said some of the prisoners were protesting medical services at the facility.

The prison, located in Raymondville, about 40 miles northeast of the border town of McAllen, houses "deportable individuals" who have been convicted of federal crimes and are eligible to be deported once their prison terms are up, according to Bureau of Prisons spokesman Ed Ross.

Federal prison officials are "monitoring the situation" at the Willacy County facility, which houses about 2,880 inmates, Ross said.

The facility was locked down at 12:15 p.m., and local sheriff's deputies were called in as a precaution.

Soon after that, several inmates broke out of their housing units and went out into the recreation yard. About 2,000 prisoners are believed to have joined the protest, Arnita said. Officials said inmates set fire to three of the 10 prison tents, causing minor damage, the Valley Morning Star reported.

Officers deployed tear gas, and two officers and three inmates sustained minor injuries, Arnita said. All five were treated on site. About 1,000 other inmates housed in a separate building were not involved, officials said.

Officials said they had called in "disturbance control teams" from nearby prisons as well as additional law enforcement officers, who have set up a security perimeter around the prison. All staff members have been accounted for.

"We are attempting to speak with the offenders to bring a peaceful solution to this incident," Arnita said late Friday night. "The facility remains secured with no danger to the public."

Earlier in the day, the riot prompted school officials to place three nearby schools on lockdown.

According to a June 2014 report by the American Civil Liberties Union, most of the living quarters at Willacy County Correctional Center consist of Kevlar tents, equipped with bunk beds, that house about 200 men each.

"Prisoners reported severely overcrowded and squalid living conditions" including frequent sewage leaks and inadequate medical treatment, the report said.

A prisoner revolt in February 2014 resulted in injuries to prisoners and prompted officials to deploy 30 sheriff's patrol cars to the facility as a "defensive measure," the report said.

For more breaking news, follow me @cmaiduc

Copyright © 2015, Los Angeles Times

11:11 p.m.: This story has been updated to include additional information about the facility from a 2014 ACLU report.

10:38 p.m.: This story has been updated to include comment from the federal Bureau of Prisons.

This story was originally published at 9:21 p.m.

16.38 | 0 komentar | Read More

Prison officials move to quell riot at federal facility in south Texas

Prison officials were trying to get control over a riot at a federal correctional facility in southern Texas, after as many as 2,000 prisoners became involved in the violence late Friday.

The disturbance began Friday morning when inmates at the Willacy County Correctional Center refused to report to work or appear for breakfast, according to Issa Arnita, a spokesman for Management & Training Corp., a private company that runs the prison.

Arnita said some of the prisoners were protesting medical services at the facility.

The prison, located in Raymondville, about 40 miles northeast of the border town of McAllen, houses "deportable individuals" who have been convicted of federal crimes and are eligible to be deported once their prison terms are up, according to Bureau of Prisons spokesman Ed Ross.

Federal prison officials are "monitoring the situation" at the Willacy County facility, which houses about 2,880 inmates, Ross said.

The facility was locked down at 12:15 p.m., and local sheriff's deputies were called in as a precaution.

Soon after that, several inmates broke out of their housing units and went out into the recreation yard. About 2,000 prisoners are believed to have joined the protest, Arnita said. Officials said inmates set fire to three of the 10 prison tents, causing minor damage, the Valley Morning Star reported.

Officers deployed tear gas, and two officers and three inmates sustained minor injuries, Arnita said. All five were treated on site. About 1,000 other inmates housed in a separate building were not involved, officials said.

Officials said they had called in "disturbance control teams" from nearby prisons as well as additional law enforcement officers, who have set up a security perimeter around the prison. All staff members have been accounted for.

"We are attempting to speak with the offenders to bring a peaceful solution to this incident," Arnita said late Friday night. "The facility remains secured with no danger to the public."

Earlier in the day, the riot prompted school officials to place three nearby schools on lockdown.

According to a June 2014 report by the American Civil Liberties Union, most of the living quarters at Willacy County Correctional Center consist of Kevlar tents, equipped with bunk beds, that house about 200 men each.

"Prisoners reported severely overcrowded and squalid living conditions" including frequent sewage leaks and inadequate medical treatment, the report said.

A prisoner revolt in February 2014 resulted in injuries to prisoners and prompted officials to deploy 30 sheriff's patrol cars to the facility as a "defensive measure," the report said.

For more breaking news, follow me @cmaiduc

Copyright © 2015, Los Angeles Times

11:11 p.m.: This story has been updated to include additional information about the facility from a 2014 ACLU report.

10:38 p.m.: This story has been updated to include comment from the federal Bureau of Prisons.

This story was originally published at 9:21 p.m.

16.38 | 0 komentar | Read More

Prison officials move to quell riot at federal facility in south Texas

Prison officials were trying to get control over a riot at a federal correctional facility in southern Texas, after as many as 2,000 prisoners became involved in the violence late Friday.

The disturbance began Friday morning when inmates at the Willacy County Correctional Center refused to report to work or appear for breakfast, according to Issa Arnita, a spokesman for Management & Training Corp., a private company that runs the prison.

Arnita said some of the prisoners were protesting medical services at the facility.

The prison, located in Raymondville, about 40 miles northeast of the border town of McAllen, houses "deportable individuals" who have been convicted of federal crimes and are eligible to be deported once their prison terms are up, according to Bureau of Prisons spokesman Ed Ross.

Federal prison officials are "monitoring the situation" at the Willacy County facility, which houses about 2,880 inmates, Ross said.

The facility was locked down at 12:15 p.m., and local sheriff's deputies were called in as a precaution.

Soon after that, several inmates broke out of their housing units and went out into the recreation yard. About 2,000 prisoners are believed to have joined the protest, Arnita said. Officials said inmates set fire to three of the 10 prison tents, causing minor damage, the Valley Morning Star reported.

Officers deployed tear gas, and two officers and three inmates sustained minor injuries, Arnita said. All five were treated on site. About 1,000 other inmates housed in a separate building were not involved, officials said.

Officials said they had called in "disturbance control teams" from nearby prisons as well as additional law enforcement officers, who have set up a security perimeter around the prison. All staff members have been accounted for.

"We are attempting to speak with the offenders to bring a peaceful solution to this incident," Arnita said late Friday night. "The facility remains secured with no danger to the public."

Earlier in the day, the riot prompted school officials to place three nearby schools on lockdown.

According to a June 2014 report by the American Civil Liberties Union, most of the living quarters at Willacy County Correctional Center consist of Kevlar tents, equipped with bunk beds, that house about 200 men each.

"Prisoners reported severely overcrowded and squalid living conditions" including frequent sewage leaks and inadequate medical treatment, the report said.

A prisoner revolt in February 2014 resulted in injuries to prisoners and prompted officials to deploy 30 sheriff's patrol cars to the facility as a "defensive measure," the report said.

For more breaking news, follow me @cmaiduc

Copyright © 2015, Los Angeles Times

11:11 p.m.: This story has been updated to include additional information about the facility from a 2014 ACLU report.

10:38 p.m.: This story has been updated to include comment from the federal Bureau of Prisons.

This story was originally published at 9:21 p.m.

16.38 | 0 komentar | Read More