The Californian from Salinas, California • 3

Tuesday, October 20, 2009 NEWS 1 Co dm: i TO HELP Salinas: Anyone with information about the shooting of a custodian at Creekside School can call Salinas police at 831-775-4222 or 800-78-CRIME. Soledad: Anyone with information about the robbery of a Soledad school custodian or a gold Ford Explorer with license plate No. 5TUJJ36 can call 911 or police LL Jaime Fernandez at Private guard will patrol east side schools after two custodians were robbed BY MARIA INES ZAMUDIO mzamudiothecalifornian.com After the armed robberies of two school custodians in Monterey County last week, a Salinas school district has hired private security to help keep this type of crime away from its campuses. The Salinas Union High School District is paying the Monterey Private Security Firm $21 per hour for a security guard to patrol middle schools' and high schools in east Salinas. The district is also developing other safety measures.

SUHSD hired the firm after robberies in the Alisal Union and Soledad Unified school district. Thesecurityofficerstarted Monday and will patrol the campuses three hours before school starts and four hours in the evening, said Jerry Stratton, manager for business and safety operations for the district. "We are trying to create a comfort zone for our staff," Stratton said. "We are also walking around schools identifying lighting problems." Besides paying for the private security guard, the district is encouraging its workers to use a "buddy said. In such a system, employees work in pairs if they are working on campus late at night or early in the morning, Stratton said.

SUHSD's safety plan will be said Officer Lalo Villc-gas of the Salinas Police Department. The Alisal district, which oversees Creekside School, upgraded communication equipment and is reassigning a private security officer previously hired by the district to patrol school sites, said Esper-anza Zendejas, superintendent. Jorge Guzman, superintendent in Soledad, said the district already employs a school resource officer and gets frequent visits from two probation officers. It's not planning to hire additional security, Guzman said. All the locks at the school had been changed as of Monday, he said.

Salinas Californian reporter Kimber Solana contributed to this report. preparedness plans. Since the two custodians were victims of violent crimes last week, MCOE has been trying to put together safety training. About 6:30 a.m. Oct.

13, custodian Abraham Ancheta was shot while being robbed inside Creek-side Elementary School's cafeteria. Officials of the Alisal Union School District closed the school for the rest of the day. Then, about 9 p.m. Thursday in Soledad, a custodian at Rose Ferrero Elementary School was robbed, tied up and left in a janitor's closet for 30 minutes until she escaped and called police. Salinas and Soledad police are sharing information and checking for similarities in the crimes.

Both departments are looking into the possibility that they are related, shared with other school districts today when the Monterey County Office of Education hosts a monthly meeting on school safety. During the meetings, administrators, teachers, nurses and other employees share their emergency Hartnell unveils mural by local artist Transient arrested inSoCal fire probe The Associated Press FT. 1 Judge halts cuts to state in-home care services The Associated Press OAKLAND A federal judge has put at least a temporary halt to a plan by California officials to reduce spending for a state program that helps with meal preparation, shopping and other services for disabled or elderly people. U.S. District Judge Claudia Wilken on Monday issued a preliminary injunction, saying the notices the state wanted to send to recipients were complicated and gave too little time for appeals.

Wilken's decision came after disabled and elderly rights advocates sued over the cuts approved by the governor and Legislature arguing that 130,000 people would see their services reduced. The In-Home Supportive Services program pays workers, often a relative, to cook, clean and bathe 440,000 elderly and disabled people so they can continue living at home. The state Attorney General's Office plans to appeal the ruling to the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. ESTABLISHED IN 1871 I I ,1 A new mural is unveiled at Hartnell College on Monday morning featuring Maria Teresa De La Guerra and William Hartnell.

Standing in front of the wall relief, which hangs on the side of the Merrill Hall Building, are, from left Penelope Hartnell, a descendant of the Hartnelffamily; John Cerney, mural artist; Phoebe Helm, Hartnell College superintendent-president and Don Bovee, another descendant of the Hartnell family. The unveiling program included the Hartnell Chamber Singers, speeches, cake and pictures taken in front of the mural. Artwork depicts Salinas Valley education pioneer LOS ANGELES A homeless man was arrested and charged with arson for starting a tiny blaze in August near the spot where a gigantic wildfire erupted several days later, killing two firefighters, homicide detectives said Monday. Babatunsin Olukunle, 25, is the strongest lead to date in the arson investigation stemming from a fire that destroyed 89 homes, burned 250 square miles of national forest and killed two firefighters when their truckplungedoffaroad.lt was one of the largest fires in Southern California history. The Nigerian man was arrested Thursday and charged Monday with one felony count of recklessly causing a fire.

Authorities said he started a fire that charred an area about the size of a tabletop on Aug. 20 and was quickly extinguished by two U.S. Forest Service workers who happened to be passing and spotted smoke. The small fire burned off the side of the Angeles Crest Highway, a mountain road northeast of Los Angeles. Six days later and six miles down the same road, the devastating Station Fire broke out.

Authorities stopped short of calling Olukunle a suspect in the fire, though Los Angeles County Sheriff's Lt. Liam Gallagher said he was lead." Olukunle pleaded not guilty at his arraignment Monday and remained jailed on $100,000 bond. The District Attorney's Office did not immediately know the name of his pub- wn plaque to be installed later, Penelope Hartnell said. Attendees and speakers at the unveiling ceremony included Hartnell family members, donors, members of the Hartnell board and students. Penelope Hartnell and local resident Alice Moser spearheaded the project, which Penelope Hartnell said took 18 months from proposal to completion.

Moser said she hopes the mural will "forever remind people of the legacy of the Haitnells." William Hartnell did not actually found his namesake college. The Monterey businessman and politician opened the first public secondary school in California in the 1830s in what is now ensure the historical accu-racyof the 16-foot-by-14-foot mural. Six panels arranged in an arc behind Hartnell and his wife illustrate scenes spanning Hartnell history. A printed metal guide near the mural describes each scene. The mural is "a link between the past and future of Hartnell," said Juan Martinez, a member of the Hartnell College board of trustees and of a committee that oversaw the mural's production and installation.

Hartnell family members and friends and local residents donated more than $15,000 to pay for the creation of the mural. DMC construction contributed to installation costs. The donations will also cover the cost of a bronze commemorative BY SANDRA M. CHUNG schungthecalifomian.com More than 100 people gathered Monday morning at Hartnell College in Salinas for a ceremony to unveil a new mural on the south side of the Merrill Hall science building. Local muralist John Cerney was commissioned to create the colorful piece, which depicts William Hartnell and his wife, Maria Teresa de la Guerra.

Cer-ney's larger-than-life plywood portraits of everyday characters and local workers grace fields and walls around Monterey County. Cerney worked closely with Penelope Hartnell, one of William HartneU's great-great-granddaughters, to Salinas. HartneU's school closed after two years, and the original building was destroyed in 1960. Salinas Junior College, which opened in 1920, changed its name to Hartnell College in 1948. Hartnell students Maria de la Garma and Sione Polota posed for one of the panels, which depicts them as graduates in vivid red caps and gowns.

De la Garma, a Salinas native and international relations major, said she experienced some good-natured teasing about the highly visible portrait from her friends. Polota, a sophomore business major from Hawaii, said he will have to adjust to the idea of walking by his own likeness everyday. SERVING THE SALINAS VALLEY AND MflNTFRFY fQI INTY i lie defender. Lawrence E.Biegel.Lopez's attorney, said attorneys were unable to complete the hearing Monday. The hearing to determine whether the men will go to trial in the crime was continued to Oct.

30, Ruiz is represented by Salinas attorney Susan The Salinas Californian (478-120) is published Monday-Saturday morning by Salinas Newspapers, Inc, 123 W. Alisal St, P.O. Box 81091, Salinas, CA 93901 -2644 Phone (831) 424-2221 or (831) 649-6626 TTY: (831) 754-4296 A Gannett Newspaper Periodicals postage paid at Salinas, CA, postmaster. Send address changes to The Salinas Californian, P.O. Box 81091, Salinas, CA 93912-1091.

Local news 8 am to 1a.m...... 754-4260 FAX machine 754-4293 Sports 754-4265 Feature 754-4270 E-mail. newsroomthecalifornian.com Circulation Customer service Toll Free 1-877-4244917 Monday-Friday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Missed deliveries Toll Free 1-877-4244917 sonal use of a firearm.

Witnesses told police they saw two people drive away from the shooting in a white Ford F-250 pickup, and pointed police to a mobile home park in the 1200 block of Rider Avenue. Police encountered the pickup, pulled it over and arrested Ruiz and Lopez. I I I I 1 AROUND THE COUNTY Staff reports Pacific Grove woman pleads guilty in death A 66-year-old Pacific Grove woman pleaded guilty Monday to voluntary manslaughter in the death of her co-habi-tant, the Monterey County District Attorney's Office said. Lynne Nicole Feurer will be sentenced Dec. 11 for the death of Joseph Cupita, who in May 2007 was found dead in his apartment in the 300 block of Eight Street.

Feurer, a former Seaside High School history teacher, was arrested at the London Bridge Pub for being drunk in public. Officials said patrons told police that Feurer said she would be in the newspaper the next day because she killed her husband. Feurer faces three, six or 1 1 years in a California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation facility. Slain teen's family gets community help Salinas's business and faith communities are collecting donations to help the family of Rodolfo Cristobal, 15, shot and killed last week, to pay for his funeral expenses. "The family is truly in need," said Pastor Frank Gomez of the Community Alliance for Safety and Peace.

On Wednesday, four people were shot in a car in the .700 block of Archer Street. Two teenagers, Cristobal and Ociel Montiel, 14, were killed. As of Monday, the two other victims remained in critical condition at Bay Area hospitals, police said. Gomez said the fundrais-ing efforts involve Salinas merchants placing collection boxes at their businesses. Donations may also be sent to the East Salinas Family Center at 995 N.

Madeira Ave. Gomez said the effort will help Cristobal's family with funeral costs and getting the boy's body to Mexico. Marina target of special traffic operation The Monterey Regional Strategic Traffic Operations and Prevention Program, or STOPP, will conduct a special traffic enforcement operation in Marina on Wednes day, officials said Monday. Made up of Monterey County law enforcement agencies, STOPP officers will be enforcing traffic laws on Reservation Road, Imjin Parkway, Del Monte Boulevard and the areas surrounding these schools: lone Olsen, Marina Vista, JC Crumpton and Marina Del Mar. Each month, STOPP agencies provide personnel and equipment to participating STOPP members for traffic enforcement in problem areas, officials said.

Hearing for 2 men in shooting continued A preliminary hearing for two men charged in the fatal shooting of a 17-year-old boy in Salinas in August will continue next week, a defense lawyer Jorge Luis Meza Ruiz, 22, and Raul Lopez, 19, both of Salinas, are charged with first-degree murder in the Aug. 4 shooting death of Andres Chavarin outside his home in the 700 block of Yucatan Way. Both men are also charged with acting for the benefit of a criminal street gang. Ruiz is additionally charged with the per FRUE TEETH miTEmo Take home kit or FREE cm-B MECHANICAL TOOTHBRUSH Valid only for new patients with Insurance. Please call for details.

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