Fire season is upon us, and the proof is literally burning before my eyes.  As of this writing, I’m witnessing two fires, the earlier one commencing north of Azusa, and the Wednesday afternoon blaze near the foothills of La Cañada Flintridge. The 750+ acre Azusa fire centered in the Morris area of the Angeles National Forest thankfully cannot claim any homes or lives as victims (due to dry air and lack of winds in the area), although the pungent white haze in its wake is being inhaled by countless Southland residents. The second fire is now spread over ten acres of dry chaparral, and the Angeles Crest Highway is shut down north of Altadena. The cause of both fires are under investigation and let’s hope if arson is the cause the culprits are apprehended and prosecuted swiftly.  The forecast consists of temperatures exceeding 100 degrees and low humidity, so another fire could easily spring up elsewhere. I want to take this opportunity to again commend the brave men and women of our local fire departments, who are sorely underpaid and who risk life and limb for us all.

Jasmine Fiore thought it was true love when, earlier this year, she wed investment banker turned reality-television star Ryan Jenkins. Their courtship lasted 2 days.  Fast forward to August 15th, when her strangled body sans fingers and teeth was found inside a suitcase in a trash bin behind her apartment in Orange County. Her breast implants provided the only clue to her identity.  The suspected killer was none other than Jenkins, who fled to a motel room in Canada to end his life.  In an interview on NBC’s Today Show, Fiore’s mother, Lisa Lepore, stated his death brought the beginning of much-needed closure to this terrible ordeal and that he is no longer a threat to others.  Lady Justice shudders at the thought – could Fiore’s life will now be the fodder of a movie similar to Star 80, the 1983 vehicle about Playboy Playmate Dorothy Stratten who met a similar fate at the hands of her husband.