Going Metro

To ride or not to ride...that is the question. With gas prices hovering just below 5 dollars, the metro is looking like a pretty good option right now. LA residents are jumping on the bandwagon, or shall we say metro car, in support.

Results of a new study out today show that 73 percent of LA County residents surveyed would support a proposed half-cent sales tax on the November 2008 ballot to fund transportation infrastructure improvements. These results couldn't have come at a better time. At this Thursday's Los Angeles Metro Board meeting, members will discuss this initiative...in the hopes of putting it in the hands of voters this November.

It was just last week on June 19th when commuters were urged to "Dump the Pump". The Third Annual National Dump the Pump campaign raised awareness of the financial and environmental benefits of public transportation. But did the campaign really make an impact? Honestly, the freeways were still packed on that day. I do have to admit though, it's hard to drive a mile without seeing at least 4 or 5 hybrids on the road...mostly the Toyota Prius.

Will the going green, going car-less trend catch on with LA and OC drivers? At the rate these gas prices are climbing, going metro may be the only wallet-friendly alternative. Let's hope that employers will lend their support to the cause and maybe offer some type of "metro" incentive. Sound too good to be true? It's not. The University of California, Irvine (UCI) has already begun the trend by offering to pay for a portion of their employees' weekly Metro Pass. Going green while saving some green...a win-win situation.

Little Boy Survives Extreme Torture

A 5-year old boy is finally getting the love and attention he deserves, and it's not from his mom.

The 24-year old mom Starkeisha Brown and her 21-year old girlfriend Krystal Matthews have been arrested for extreme torture on this little boy. Now we've learned a third women, a 26-year old babysitter, has also been arrested.

According to investigators, this 5-year old has endured the worst imaginable pain inflicted by these three women over the last several years. Police say they had no idea this abuse was going on, until now. A neighbor, who noticed the boy abandoned in his South LA home over the weekend, called police. The following details of this abuse will bring tears to your eyes because they're so beyond comprehension. The women are accused of burning the boy with cigarettes on his body and genitals, forcing him to sit in his own urine, burning his hands on a stove and extreme starvation...causing his stomach to protrude.

Over the weekend, I was covering the story while these three alleged child abusers were on the run, and I can't tell you how happy I was to hear that these monsters are now off the streets. To me, there's nothing more cowardly than abuse on a child, and the details of this abuse case just make me sick.

Doctors say the 5-year old is suffering from kidney failure because of malnutrition. A trust fund has now been set up for this little guy. You can find details on how to donate at our website... KTLA.com