Pepperdine athletic blog launched
To increase its presence on the Internet, Pepperdine University has launched an official blog for its athletic department. The purpose of the blog is to provide links to interesting, Pepperdine-related stories and to give added information about Pepperdine athletics in a less formal fashion than that of the official Website. It will provide daily updates, so members are encouraged to check back often. The blog can be accessed at pepperdinewaves.typepad.com or at www.pepperdinesports.com/blog.
Corral fire suspects have court appearance
The three Los Angeles residents charged with causing November’s Corral Fire appeared in Van Nuys Superior Court on Monday. Los Angeles residents Brian David Franks, 27, Brian Alan Anderson, 22 and William Thomas Coppock, 23, appeared before Judge Leslie A. Dunn to schedule a date for a preliminary hearing to decide whether there is enough evidence for a trial to take place. The next court date is scheduled for September 26.
The three men are charged with two felony counts of recklessly causing a fire with great bodily injury and recklessly causing a fire to an inhabited structure. The District Attorney’s Office has alleged the fire started during a governor-declared state of emergency, which, if proven, would require a mandatory state prison sentence. The three men pleaded not guilty in December.
The two other suspects in the case—Culver City residents Eric Matthew Ullman, 18, and Dean Allen Lavorante, 19-have appeared in court four times for their arraignment hearing, but they have yet to enter pleas. Their most recent hearing was delayed last month at the request of prosecutor and defense attorneys, who said “talks” among the parties were taking place. Ullman and Lavorante’s next court appearance is scheduled for Aug. 21.
The Corral Fire burned 4,900 acres and destroyed 86 structures, including 53 homes. Thirty-seven vehicles and a mobile home were also destroyed. Another 45 structures, including 33 homes, were damaged. Six firefighters were injured.
Singer puts $45 million mansion on the block
Singer Cher has put her Italian Renaissance-style, Malibu mansion on the block for $45 million, according to a report in The Wall Street Journal. Set on 1.7 acres on a bluff overlooking the Pacific Ocean, the 14,000-square-foot, three-story house is comprised of six bedrooms, a theater, a gym and multiple verandas. Cher built the house after purchasing the property in 1992.
Malibu resident appointed president and CEO of HRL Laboratories
William A. Jeffrey has been named president and CEO of HRL Laboratories, LLC, effective September 15.
Jeffrey succeeds Matthew W. Ganz, who left HRL in February to become president of Phantom Works, Boeing’s advanced research and development organization, after almost five years as president and general manager of the Malibu-based corporate research-and-development center owned by The Boeing Company and General Motors.
Previously, Jeffrey was the director of the Science and Technology Division for the Institute for Defense Analyses. Prior to joining IDA, he served in the Bush Administration as the director of the National Institute of Standards and Technology within the Department of Commerce. Jeffrey also served as senior director for Homeland and National Security and as assistant director for Space and Aeronautics at the Office of Science and Technology Policy within the Executive Office of the President.
Prior to OSTP, he was the deputy director for the Advanced Technology Office and Chief Scientist for the Tactical Technology Office at the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, or DARPA. While at DARPA, he developed research programs in communications, computer network security, novel sensor development, and space operations. Previously, he was the assistant deputy for Technology at the Defense Airborne Reconnaissance Office, where he supervised sensor development for the Predator and Global Hawk unmanned aerial vehicles and the development of common standards that allow for cross-service and cross-agency transfer of imagery and intelligence products.
Jeffrey is the recipient of the Secretary of Defense Medal for Outstanding Public Service and, most recently, a 2008 recipient of the Navigator Award from the Potomac Institute for Policy Studies for his leadership in advancing science and technology policy.
-Olivia Damavandi and Jonathan Friedman