Diaz Shocked by Dad's Sudden Death at 58

Group plans to use state's Parent Trigger law

(NEWSER) - The Parent Trigger is cocked and ready to fire at an underperforming elementary school in California. A 2010 state law gives parents the power to take over schools, and a parents group at Desert Trails Elementary outside Los Angeles plans to do so if the district doesn't overhaul the institution, reports the Wall Street Journal . Under the law, if more than 50% of parents sign a petition, they can force the district to close the school, convert it into a charter school run by the parents themselves, or fire the principal and teachers. More»

LA County women scammed other parents out of life savings

(NEWSER) - Look out, Bernie Madoff: A trio of mothers in a well-to-do suburb of Los Angeles have been charged with scamming other parents out of millions. Police say the women, all members of an elementary school PTA, ran a $14 million Ponzi scheme by simply winning the trust of victims at school events and social functions, the Pasadena Star-News reports. More»

Women over 40 face double the risk compared to moms under 25

(NEWSER) - Older mothers face an increased risk of giving birth to a child with autism, a new study says. Researchers analyzed all 4.9 million births in California in the 1990s and found that women who give birth over the age of 40 are 77% more likely to have an autistic child than mothers under 25, and 51% more likely than mothers between the ages of 25 and 29. More»

(NEWSER) - Michael Jackson's family held a quiet vigil beside his casket last night before the singer is interred today, reports the Times of London. Jackson's sister La Toya, brother Randy and daughter Paris were spotted at the Forest Lawn Memorial Park soon after Jackson's casket was transported there for a private service this morning. Jackson will be buried near the tombs of Sammy Davis Jr., Humphrey Bogart and Clark Gable. More»

Untrained young aide also lacked protective gear, OSHA finds

(NEWSER) - UCLA has been fined $31,000 for serious safety violations linked to a fire that killed a lab assistant early this year, reports the Los Angeles Times. Sheri Sangji, 23, had not been properly trained and was not wearing protective clothing when an experiment exploded, seriously burning more than 43% of her body, concluded the California Division of OSHA. She died 18 days later. The dead researcher's sister, however, criticized the agency's report for not examining the accident carefully enough. More»