Trial begins for Ferrari driver
Following last week’s plea on a misdemeanor drunken driving charge, Bo Stefan Eriksson now faces the more serious charges of embezzlement and grand theft in a trial that began this week. Erikkson, a Swedish businessman, crashed a rare Enzo Ferrari on Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu last February while allegedly traveling at more than 160 mph.
Prosecutors claim Eriksson leased the Ferrari and another car in Great Britain, then shipped them to California in violation of the lease. They further accuse him of stopping payments on the cars and attempting to avoid detection by the banks.
Eriksson also faces an illegal gun possession charge, but he will receive a separate trial for that.
Pepperdine head to be honored
The American Educational League will honor Pepperdine University President Dr. Andrew K. Benton on Nov. 2 at a ceremony at the Wilshire Grand Hotel in Los Angeles. The AEL is an organization dedicated to enhancing students’ understanding of American history.
Benton began working for Pepperdine in 1984, serving in various senior administrative posts. Prior to becoming president in 2000, he was the school’s executive vice president and chief operational officer for nine years.
Benton received his bachelor’s degree in American Studies from Oklahoma Christian University and a law degree from Oklahoma City University School of Law.
The ceremony will take place at 5:30 p.m. The hotel is located at 930 Wilshire Blvd. The event is also a fundraiser for the organization. For more information, call 626.357.7733.
Hazardous waste disposal opportunity
Los Angeles County residents can dispose of household hazardous waste including antifreeze, car batteries, used motor oil, paint, pesticides, universal waste including household batteries, fluorescent light bulbs, and electronic waste (e-waste) such as TVs and monitors, computers, VCRs, stereos and cell phones at the next free Countywide Household Hazardous Waste Roundup. It will be held in Malibu at the Civic Center Rear Parking Lot, 23519 West Civic Center Way on Dec. 2, 2006 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Residents can bring up to 15 gallons or 125 pounds of household hazardous waste per vehicle to the Roundup.
“The Roundups offer County of Los Angeles residents a convenient way to discard common household products, e-waste and universal waste such as household batteries and fluorescent light bulbs that are hazardous to people and the environment if not properly disposed of,” said Los Angeles County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky. “Also, electronic waste is a growing problem, even though many of these products can be recycled so they can be refurbished and reused.”
“The improper disposal of household hazardous waste poses a public health threat,” added Malibu Mayor Ken Kearsley. “By participating in these free, convenient Roundups, we are able to help do our part to avoid serious pollution problems that could result if these items end up in our landfills or down our storm drains.”
Since the first Household Hazardous Waste Roundup in 1988, more than 763,000 households have participated in the weekly Roundups.
Residents have dropped off more than 3.9 million gallons of paint, 904,000 gallons of used motor oil, 174 tons of dry-cell batteries, 65 tons of used oil filters and thousands of pounds of other miscellaneous household hazardous waste items. More than 80 percent of the household hazardous waste and 100 percent of the electronic waste collected by the program is recycled.
– Jonathan Friedman