Author name: CCAR Staff

Kings general manager Dean Lombardi stood in front of the team last week, before training camp began at the Toyota Sports Center in El Segundo, and delivered a speech like none of the others he’s given in his long management career in the NHL.

Lombardi had a good deal of ground to cover in the wake of the arrest of Slava Voynov on a domestic violence charge last October and the drug busts of Jarret Stoll and Mike Richards during the offseason, and this was the time for a simple and direct message.

“We had a tough talk here last week, the hardest talk of my career with my team,” Lombardi told Kings beat reporters before Tuesday’s exhibition against the Arizona Coyotes at Staples Center. “It was hard enough to even decide to go in there. I agonized for a week.

“We’ve got to face it head on. I told them it’s not the time to be sensitive or politically correct right now. One thing about them, they’ve met every challenge they’ve ever faced and I have a feeling they’re going to meet this one, too. I believe we’re going to learn from it.”

Lombardi said he blamed himself for being caught unprepared for the off-ice issues of the last year. He said he missed the warning signs despite decades as a general manager with the Kings and the San Jose Sharks, as well as serving as a scout with the Philadelphia Flyers.

Richards’ arrest after a stop at the Canadian border was especially troubling for Lombardi, who counted the forward as one of the team’s leaders and a driving force in the Kings’ run to the franchise’s first Stanley Cup championship in 2012.

The Kings terminated Richards’ contract not long after he was stopped June 17 at the Emerson, Manitoba, border crossing, allegedly while in possession of a controlled substance without a prescription, reportedly Oxycontin. The players’ union has filed a grievance on his behalf.

“The first thing is the sense of trust, you know?” Lombardi said, speaking in general terms. “That’s the hardest part. One of the things we’ve been built here and I think why we were so successful was those values were in place.”

Speaking of Richards, Lombardi added, “I don’t know if I’ll ever get over it, quite frankly.”

Lombardi couldn’t speak about the details of Richards’ case, but promised to do so later. Richards has a court date in Canada in December. Lombardi said the cases of first Voynov and then Stoll and Richards prompted him to enact a series of off-ice initiative, including the hiring of former NHL player Brantt Myhres as a special consultant.

Myhres spoke to Lombardi several times about serving in a player-assistance capacity. Myhres played for six teams in the league, including for the Sharks while Lombardi was their GM. Myhres was suspended four times for positive drug tests, but has been sober for seven years.

“I think he came by three years ago,” Lombardi said. “He contacted me a number of times. Actually, reflecting back to some of the things he told me, I should have listened. Unfortunately, it takes something like that to open your eyes and wake up. He was ahead of the curve.”

UPLAND >> Two women are dead following a high-speed crash into a slope and a highway sign here Monday night.

The unidentified women in their 20s were pronounced dead at the scene, said Sgt. Cameron Broyles with the California Highway Patrol.

Around 10:15 p.m., the women were traveling east on the 10 Freeway near San Antonio Avenue in a white Scion reportedly at speeds of about 100 mph, when the driver made an unsafe lane change and struck a gray Chevrolet Malibu, he said.

That sent the Scion ricocheting toward the shoulder, where the vehicle was launched off a raised asphalt hill onto the hillside, officials said. The momentum of the impact into the hillside sent the Scion into the air a second time and into the pole that holds the highway message sign, officials said.

The Malibu driver, a 48-year-old man from Adelanto, suffered only minor injuries.

The fatal crash is still under investigation.

WHITTIER >> On a night that should have had Hun Joon “Paul” Lee eat birthday cake and open presents surrounded by family, Tuesday was one where about 500 people, mostly empathetic strangers, took part in a vigil honoring him.

The non-verbal autistic teen, who died aboard a school bus nearly two weeks ago, was celebrated for being a happy young man who was the center of his family.

Parents, a lot with special needs children accompanying them to the courtyard of Sierra Vista Center, spoke of their empathetic grief for the Lee family on the day of what would have been his 20th birthday.

“I was devastated,” said Sally Lunbeck, who was in attendance with her husband, Alan, and their daughter, Amber, who once rode Pupil Transportation Cooperative buses as a special needs student. “I can’t pretend to know what Paul’s family, especially his parents, are going through.”

They admitted to some “struggles” with PTC years ago, but on Tuesday night the Lunbecks, they said, were just one among many families to pay their respects and say a prayer for Lee.

He died after being left unattended for hours on a bus parked at a Whittier Union High School District parking lot leased to PTC. The death shocked the community and prompted action on initiating new safety measures aboard school buses.

PTC officials have confirmed there were two other students on the bus with Lee and that no adult aide was on the bus because the students’ Individualized Educational Plan stated none was required.

“It’s always a struggle to trust people to take care of your children,” Alan Lunbeck said, trusting they have the safety measures in place to do the job.”

Carlos Peralta, whose daughter, Ellie, 20, takes PTC buses to attend the same special needs transitional program as Lee was sad and angry about the teen’s death.

“How could something like this happen?” he asked. “Someone was supposed to be taking care of Paul. He was a good kid who should have gotten off that bus alive.”

A substitute driver, or “cover” driver, drove the bus carrying Lee, PTC officials said. Six cover drivers, who go through the same training as regular drivers but not may be up-to-date on the individual needs of each safety needs student they transport, work for PTC, which has a fleet of more than 100 buses that travel more than a million miles annually, officials said.

PTC admitted that the driver, who is on administrative leave, signed off on the bus being cleared.

An official cause of death for Lee has been deferred by the Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner-Coroner, pending the results of toxicology and other tests.

NORWALK >> Hundreds of mourners gathered in Norwalk Saturday to say their final farewells to a 19-year-old autistic student from Whittier who died after being left alone in a school bus last week.

The death of Hun Joon “Paul” Lee, who died after being left unattended for hours on a contracted school bus parked at a Whittier Union High School District parking lot, shocked the community and prompted renewed conversation about care for those with special needs.

Still reeling from the sudden and tragic manner in which Paul’s life was cut short, devastated family members hosted a funeral mass for the young man at St. Raphael Korean Catholic Center in Norwalk.

“I’m so thankful for everyone who loved and cared for him in his life, and I regret I wasn’t able to spend more time with him,” sister Eiden Lee said through tears.

• Photos: Funeral services for student Hun Joon “Paul” Lee

“Since the day of this tragic accident, and for the rest of my life, although it will be so very painful, I will make sure this horrific tragedy will not go unnoticed. I will make sure to live my life to the fullest for my dear brother.”

Loved ones sobbed as the young man’s casket, covered with a white cloth, was wheeled to the front of the sanctuary.

A doll depicting the character “Woody” from the animated “Toy Story” film series provided by the family was placed alongside Paul Lee in his casket.

In addition to his sister, Paul Lee is survived by father Sang Sik Lee and mother Eun Ha Lee.

The father thanked community members who have supported the Lee family and kept the Lee family in their prayers over the past week.

“Even though Hun Joon left us, through him we learned love, felt joy and were happy,” Sang Sik Lee said in Korean.

“Hun Joon went to heaven, but I hope that our society will care and share the love with people with special needs because they should not be ignored or disregarded. What happened to Hun Joon should not happen again,” the distraught father said.

“And lastly, I’m sorry that I couldn’t protect you,” he said. “I love you. I love you Paul.”

Funds to help the Lee family are being collected online through Sunday at www.gofundme.com/uh44mgbs.

Family and friends have also established a Facebook page titled “Justice for Paul, Safety for All!” to share their thoughts and memories about Paul Lee, as well as the ongoing investigation into his death on Sept. 11.

“My heart continues to break every day for Paul’s family,” Jinri Kim, who said she used to babysit Paul, wrote in the forum.

“Paul is honestly the most gentle and peaceful person I know. He always responded to my questions with a smile, and his gentleness always struck me as to how a person could be so pure and peaceful,” she wrote.

Paul loved drawing and watching a Korean cartoon about a baby dinosaur, Kim added.

“Paul was truly an angel on Earth — he has never hurt a single soul in his life, brought so much joy and peace to those around him, and now he’s making the society reflect on issues that have gone neglected for far too long,” Kim wrote.

“The way Paul has gone to heaven was truly horrendous and unjust, but I truly believe that Paul will bring a positive change to the safety protocols in schools for all children in the world. The Lee family has a long journey ahead. Please let us continue to carry this momentum and carry Paul in our hearts until significant measures are put in place to ensure safety for all children.”

FONTANA >> A motorist was killed early Saturday when the vehicle struck a power pole in the southern part of town, police said.

The single-vehicle crash, which occurred on Jurupa Avenue near Calabash Avenue, was reported at 2:52 a.m., said police Lt. Gary Aulis.

As of 10 a.m., the street was still closed while officers conducted an investigation into the cause of the crash.

“It did take out power to the area,” Aulis said.

Southern California Edison was on scene by 3:30 a.m. According to the company’s website, the outage impacted 59 customers. Power is estimated to be completely restored by 11 p.m.

Aulis could not provide any information about the driver.

Riding your bike from home to catch a bus or train comes with multiple issues.

Carrying a bike onto a train takes muscles. Buses only have two bike slots so if those are taken, the rider is out of luck. Leaving a bike at the bus stop or station the whole day? Even with a lock, the risk of theft is high.

To solve this problem, the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) is opening secure bike rooms at five transit stations to encourage mass transit riders to ride bikes and leave their cars in their garages.

On Monday, the first bike hub in the Metro system opened at the El Monte Bus Station, the busiest bus depot west of Chicago with 22,000 daily boardings. For $5 a day, $12 a month or $60 a year, a person can park and lock the bike in a secure room with an attendant — sort of like a parking garage for bicycles — then proceed to the nearby bus gate.

Only bike hub members can enter the room. After hours, a scanner recognizes the member’s driver license and unlocks the door so he or she can claim the bike and ride it home. Each owner must lock his or her own bike.

With the 1,200 vehicle parking spaces at the El Monte station maxed out every weekday morning, the 56 extra bike spaces may convince people to ride their bikes and then hop a bus.

“Secure bike parking is one of the barriers to getting people to bike to transit stations,” said Dave Sotero, Metro spokesman.

Metro is planning four more bike hubs in the next three years at the following locations: Hollywood and Vine Red Line subway station; Union Station (300 bike spaces) in downtown Los Angeles; Culver City Expo light-rail station; North Hollywood Red Line subway/Orange Line busway at the renovated Lankershim Depot.

The county transportation agency will have added 700 secure-access bike spaces by 2018, Sotero said.

Next year, Metro will roll out its bike-sharing program in downtown L.A., and in 2017 in Pasadena which will mesh with the bike hubs, said board member and Duarte City Council member John Fasana.

Transportation planners call it a “multi-modal approach.”

Gene Oh, 38, owner of BikeHub, who opened his 10th bike parking station Monday in El Monte, calls it a revolution.

“This is a giant pedal toward the bike revolution beginning in Los Angeles County,” said Oh, an Oakland resident.

Oh said grants and subsidies from Metro will help with the finances the first year. He’s planning bike classes and will do flat repairs inside the bright green hub, located in the southeast entrance off Ramona Boulevard and Santa Anita Avenue near the 10 Freeway.

Certain elements are shifting Angeleno commuters to two wheels.

“We look at LA and see it is flat, and no one knows gridlock like L.A. County,” said the Bay Area native.

The revolution from cars to bikes “is waiting to happen here in L.A. County,” Oh added.

Vincent Chang, president of Bike SGV, a San Gabriel Valley bicycle club, said he’s seen some Metro flops, such as those metal bike lockers at stations. “I’ve never ever seen anyone use them,” he said.

He’s hopeful that won’t be the case with the bike hubs.

In downtown L.A., the San Gabriel Valley and the San Fernando Valley, the bicycle culture has not progressed as much as in Long Beach and Santa Monica, where existing bike hubs are crowded.

“We are still waiting for that cultural change here, where more people are utilizing multi-modal transportation,” Chang said.

1

SAN BERNARDINO >> Full and empty beer bottles and cans fell out of the bed of a pickup truck driven by an allegedly drunken man who crashed into at least one Rialto police vehicle as he tried to flee from officers Monday morning.

Juan Pablo Mercado Romo, 36, was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence, assault on a peace officer and evading police, said Lt. William Wilson with the Rialto Police Department.

• Video: Lt. William Wilson with Rialto PD talks about the pursuit that ended in San Bernardino

Shortly after 7 a.m. officers were conducting a DUI patrol near Lilac Street and Rialto Avenue in Rialto when they spotted Romo in a silver Ram truck.

Officers suspected Romo may have been driving while intoxicated and tried to pull him over, Wilson said. Romo refused to pull over and sped off allegedly on the wrong side of the street at speeds reaching 90 mph, he said.

“It was a very dangerous situation,” Wilson said. “It was about to be the height of commuter traffic.”

At one point during the pursuit, one officer lost control of his unit near Foothill Boulevard and Rancho Avenue.

Romo turned east onto Fourth Street which dead ends at the Mt. Vernon Bridge. Rialto police then called the San Bernardino Police Department for help in the pursuit.

When the pursuit reached the end of the street, an officer made the decision to stop the truck with his own police unit, Wilson said.

• Photos: Drunk driver crashes into police in San Bernardino

“The driver then attempted to assault one of our other officers by crashing his vehicle and driving over one of our police units,” Wilson said.

The truck became stuck on top of the hood of the police vehicle, but Romo allegedly still refused to come out of his truck, officials said.

Officers used bean bag rounds to break out Romo’s windows and then Tased the man when he refused to cooperate.

Romo was taken to Arrowhead Regional Medical Center in Colton for treatment of minor injuries, Wilson said adding that no officers were hurt.

Beatriz Galvan a San Bernardino resident was at home when she heard the commotion from her kitchen.

“I heard a bunch of sirens and then a big bang,” she said. “Then I heard some pops and more sirens.”

The frightened woman woke up her husband, but she said they couldn’t see anything from their window.

“But when he took our daughter to school, he saw the crash. It’s a miracle no one was seriously hurt,” she said.

Wilson said Romo caused anywhere from $30,000 to $60,000 in damages to the three vehicles, one of which was only about a year old.

The incident is under investigation.

MULTAN, Pakistan >> A police official says a blast outside of a bus terminal in central Pakistan has killed at least nine people and wounded 48.

Khalid Rauf says several of the wounded from the explosion Sunday night in the city of Multan are in critical condition. He blamed the blast on a remote-controlled bomb. Another government official, Zahid Saleem, said it appeared to be a suicide attack.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility.

Multan lies in a region dotted with thousands of religious seminaries, with several belonging to local al-Qaida linked militant outfits.

Pakistan has long been fighting militants who want to overthrow the government to install their own harsh brand of Islamic law. Tens of thousands have been killed in more than a decade of fighting.

CHINO HILLS >> An over-sized balloon believed to be developed by Google crash-landed into a palm tree early Saturday morning, leaving neighbors startled by the contraption.

It didn’t take residents long to figure out what the white polyurethane material was that was stuck between the lawns of two homes in the 1600 block of Rancho Hills Drive.

Sheriff’s deputies came out to the site because the company that owned the balloon reported it had crash-landed, said resident Gina Hernandez.

Hernandez said she was told the device is called Project Loon and is being used to provide Internet access to rural and remote areas.

According to Google.com/Loon, the purpose is to “use a global network of high-altitude balloons to connect people in rural and remote areas who have no Internet access at all.”

By noon, crews had come to retrieve the device, but Hernandez said that all throughout the morning people had stopped to snap photos of the deflated balloon.

“Oh, people were taking pictures, and taking pictures of themselves in front of them. It was quite the spectacle,” she said.

It was shortly before 6 a.m. when Hernandez heard what sounded like a cement truck driving past the house.

“We didn’t know what it was, but it wasn’t a loud boom,” she said.

Then her husband went out to get the newspaper at 6:30 a.m.

“He came back in and I was like ‘where’s the paper?’” Hernandez said. “Then he told me there was a big balloon out in the front lawn.”

The balloon had crash-landed on a neighbor’s palm tree and parts of it had spilled into her driveway, she said.

Initially, Hernandez said she wasn’t sure what to make of the contraption and if it was safe to be near it.

“It was kind of creepy looking,” she said.

Hernandez said she was grateful the device landed on the palm tree.

“It just landed on shrubbery. Nothing was really damaged,” she said. “The trees diverted it from crashing into the homes.”