The Californian from Salinas, California • 5

CaL'farth'an Thursday, May 8, 2008 CALIFORNIA Grants aid stem cell study 12 facilities to receive $271 million BACKGROUND. The California Supreme Court allowed for the creation of the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine, a grant-issuing state agency, turning back a legal challenge by abortion foes and other critics of stem cell research. also, this kind of public-private investment in a growing jobs sector is exactly the kind of good news our economy needs right now." Recipient institutions could not qualify for the grants without providing a minimum of 20 percent in matching funds. The 12 institutions have committed an additional $560 The largest grant to a single campus will go to Stanford University for $43.6 million. Nearly $137 million in funding will be divided between eight University of California campuses, with UC San Francisco drawing the largest share at $34.9 million.

The San Diego Consortium for Regenerative Medicine will get $43 million, and the Buck Institute for Age Research will get $20.5 millioa CIRM President Dr. Alan Trounsoun said the new facilities will be geared toward speeding "the pace of research toward clinical applicatioa" Nearly a year ago, the California Supreme Court allowed for the creation of the grant-issuing state agency, turning back a legal challenge by abortion foes and other critics of stem cell research. Research began despite the legal challenge after Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger authorized a $150 million loan and philanthropic organizations loaned another $45 million to fund research. In a statement Wednesday, Schwarzenegger praised California for investing three times more in embryonic stem cell research than the National Institutes of Health.

"This will go a long way toward medical research that could save lives and improve them for people with chronic diseases," said Schwarzenegger. "But By SHAYA TAYEFE M0HAJER The Associated Press LOS ANGELES No longer hampered by legal challenges, California's stem cell agency announced $271 million in grants Wednesday to build new research laboratories. A dozen universities and research centers will receive funding from the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine, a $3 billion stem cell research agency that Cali-fornians approved through Proposition 71 in 2004. California Digest Compiled wire reports SAN DIEGO Fugitive homemaker extradited to Michigan A suburban homemaker arrested in San Diego 32 years after she escaped a Detroit prison is on her way back to Michigan to serve out her sentence on drug charges. Officials at the Las Coli-nas Detention Facility say Susan Lefevre was released early Wednesday morning and boarded a bus run by a private extradition service.

LeFevre's attorney Paul Denenfeld says he expects his client to arrive in Michigan within the next week. The 53-year-old mother of three was arrested April 24 outside her home. Authorities say she never told her husband and children of her criminal past Michigan officials say LeFevre could be eligible for parole in 2013. SAN FRANCISCO Schools rescind 535 layoff notices San Francisco school officials say they won't need to layoff hundreds of teachers after alL School officials are rescinding the 535 teacher layoff notices following a vote by the Board of Supervisors to commit up to $20 million to help fill the district's budget gap. The notices were mailed in March.

The supervisors voted 11-0 Tuesday to approve a resolution promising the money from the city's rainy day fund. The fund requires the city to set aside money in good economic times to cover shortfalls during the bad years. RICHMOND Wildlife death count rises in solvent leak State officials say they've found several hundred dead fish during their cleanup of a toxic chemical leak from a plant in Richmond. The figures are up from Tuesday, when the same officials were estimating the fish death toll as in the dozens. State Fish and Game spokeswoman Carol Singleton says at least 400 fish and three mallard ducks have been found dead as of Wednesday.

About 3300 gallons of the solvent, toluene, were released from the plant over the weekend after thieves stripped critical valves from factory equipment Only trace amounts of toluene reached the bay, because almost all the solvent was captured in an irrigation ditch as were the dead fish and ducks. LONG BEACH Customs agents seize counterfeit shoes The shipping containers were supposed to hold drainage pipe fittings, but when inspectors opened them, they found 18,560 pairs of counterfeit Nike sneakers. U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents seized the shoes from two shipping containers which had recently arrived from China at the Port of Long Beach. Inspectors also seized 252 pairs of other shoes that were placed in front of the fake Nikes to conceal them.

SAN DIEGO, Dogs assist with probe of courthouse bomb Dogs were sniffing downtown San Diego streets Wednesday to help agents investigating a pipe bomb explosion at the city's federal courthouse. FBI spokesman Darrell Foxworth says the dogs were trying to identify where the attackers fled after leaving explosives outside the courthouse early Sunday. The dogs were trained with scents from evidence collected at the scene. Sunday's blast caused considerable damage to the lobby and entrance of the courthouse, which reopened Tuesday. Authorities say the dog-sniffing briefly closed several downtown intersections but didn't cause major traffic.

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