Large Bear Rumbles Through Sierra Madre Neighborhood

For the second time in less than a week, a large wild animal has been spotted roaming through Sierra Madre.

This time it was a black bear.

The animal knocked over several trash cans as it foraged for food in the 600 block of Oak Crest Drive at around 1 a.m. Monday. The bear searched the area for several minutes, then scampered back up into the nearby hills.

This sighting follows two large mountain lions that were spotted lounging in the front yard of a home about a mile away last Tuesday.

Those two big cats were chased back into the hills by police.

No one was injured in either incident.

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Daley Nephew Running for Office

Months after former Mayor Richard Daley left Chicago politics, his nephew wants in.

Patrick Daley Thompson, 42, is ready to throw in his hat to fill a spot on the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District board that's soon to be vacated by President Terrence O'Brien, retiring after 34 years.

Last month Thompson declared his intention to run for the position at a Democratic Party pre-slating meeting.

Similar to his uncle and his grandfather, Richard J. Daley, Thompson, a Chicago attorney, appears to be starting small. Also similar to his well-known family members, he lives at 3536 S. Lowe Ave. in Bridgeport, where his uncle grew up.

But Thompson, whose middle name is Daley, told the Sun-Times he wants to use the position to clean up the water. He said he's not even sure he'll use the Daley name in his bid.

The latter remains to be seen, and so far he's in line with the family's modest political roots. Ward Room pointed out last month, Richard Daley was a mere delegate to the Illinois Constitutional Convention back in 1970 when his father was one of the most powerful mayors in the United States.

 

Vineland Police K-9 Killed in Accident

The Vineland, N.J. Police Department is mourning the loss of one of its own.

“Cliff,” a police K-9, was killed in the line of duty Monday morning in the Cumberland County City.

The dog was struck by a car on Becker Drive around 5:50 a.m. while trying to track down a burglary suspect, according to police.

Police say the vehicle went off the road and hit the dog in the front yard of a home.

The K-9 was with his handler at the time.

Cliff was a member of the Vineland Police Department for 3-and-a-half years.

What's Closed for Columbus Day

Happy Columbus Day -- do you have the day off?

Chicago students do. Chicago Public Schools are closed Monday in honor of the holiday. Most suburban and private schools also are closed.  

All government offices and courts in Chicago, Cook County and the state took the day off, as well.

The CTA keeps weekday schedules, but your mail won't be delivered until Tuesday.

Pilot Error Blamed in NJ Plane Crash That Killed 3

Investigators have concluded pilot error caused a small plane crash in New Jersey that killed a doctor and two other people last year.     

The single-engine plane crashed in July 2010 in Fairfield after aborting a landing at Essex County Airport. Manhattan rheumatologist Margaret Smith as well as Michael Ferguson and wife, Theresa, died in the crash.     

The 70-year-old Smith was piloting the plane that had departed from an airport in upstate New York.     

Witnesses described seeing the plane touch down and then climb steeply before appearing to stall and plummet straight down.     

An investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board released last week concluded Smith failed to maintain control during the aborted landing and had the plane's flaps set improperly for that maneuver.    

Large Bear Rumbles Through Sierra Madre Neighborhood

For the second time in less than a week, a large wild animal has been spotted roaming through Sierra Madre.

This time it was a black bear.

The animal knocked over several trash cans as it foraged for food in the 600 block of Oak Crest Drive at around 1 a.m. Monday. The bear searched the area for several minutes, then scampered back up into the nearby hills.

This sighting follows two large mountain lions that were spotted lounging in the front yard of a home about a mile away last Tuesday.

Those two big cats were chased back into the hills by police.

No one was injured in either incident.

Follow USA LOCAL NEWS for the latest LA news, events and entertainment: Twitter: @USA LOCAL NEWS // Facebook: USA LOCAL NEWS

Halloween-Masked Robbers Arrested

Two men were arrested in Encanto for robbing a pizza delivery man as his car was stopped at around 9 p.m. Sunday night, according to police.

The men were wearing Halloween masks and gloves as they robbed the delivery man near the 200 block of Roth Court.

The suspects then fled to a nearby home where they were holed up for nearly three hours. The incident ended after police threatened the suspects with dogs. A third person was taken out of the home but it is unclear if this person is considered a suspect.