Heads
Date: 06-16-2008 12:04 PM - Word Count: 468


   Midday Headlines
   City News Service

   A Missouri woman accused of playing a role in the suicide of a 13-year-
old girl has pleaded not guilty in Los Angeles to federal charges related to
her alleged creation of a fake MySpace account. Prosecutors say Lori Drew posed
as 16-year-old boy to befriend, then jilt a friend of her daughter's. Megan
Meier hanged herself in 2-thousand-6 after getting a barrage of hate e-mail,
including one from Drew that said the world would be better off without her.
The case is believed to be the first of its kind.

   The head of the most populous Roman Catholic archdiocese in the country
says homosexuals should be accepted with respect, compassion and sensitivity
... but they shouldn't be allowed to get married. L-A Cardinal Roger Mahony
says the church can't accept the re-definition of marriage, something that has
a unique place in God's creation.

   Broadcom co-founder Henry -T- Nicholas has pleaded not guilty to stock-
option backdating and drug-related charges. The criminal charges will heard by
separate judges in federal court in Santa Ana. Former Broadcom C-F-O William
Ruehle ... who is also charged in the stock options case ... pleaded not
guilty, as well.

   The latest figures show that home sales in L-A County dropped nearly 27
percent in May compared to the same month a year ago, while prices dipped by 23-
point-3 percent. A real estate information service reports that a total of 5-
thousand-445 homes sold in May ... down from 7-thousand-426 for May 2007, while
the median price of a home in the region was 422-thousand-dollars ... down from
550-thousand a year ago.

   (more home sales)

   In Orange County, the median home price was 485-thousand in May ... down
23-point-6 percent from the year-ago period, according to DataQuick. Bargain
shoppers pushed Southern California home sales higher in May compared to April,
but it was still the slowest May in more than 20 years. A DataQuick analyst
says sales remain especially slow in most higher-end markets.

  On the commercial real estate front ... Maguire Properties ... the biggest
landlord in downtown L-A ... plans to jettison one of its Orange County jewels
under newly installed C-E-O Nelson Rising, who replaced founder Robert Maguire
last month. For sale is the 105-acre Park Place office complex in Irvine, and
some of the firm's 15 other properties in the O-C may also be sold. Maguire
paid nearly a half-billion-dollars for Park Place in 2-thousand-4.

  Weatherwise ... it's getting to be that time of year when temperatures can
vary 30 degrees or more between the valleys and beaches. Forecasters say we can
expect sunshine across the region this afternoon ... with temperatures ranging
from the upper 60s on the sand to more than 100 degrees in the warmest valley
spots.

CNS-06-16-2008 12:04