Source of California oil spill that’s killing birds a mystery

Los Angeles Investigators are testing oil wiped from the coated bodies of birds to try to determine the origin of a mysterious oil spill somewhere along a 90-mile stretch of the Southern California coast.

More than 1,100 birds have been brought to a bird care center in San Pedro, and a sea lion was taken to a nearby marine mammal center.

Officials are searching for the spill somewhere between Venice and Santa Barbara County.

Possible sources of the oil include pipes broken in mudslides, natural seepage exacerbated by seismic activity, or even cars and trucks submerged in floods, officials said.

“We’ve done several overflights. We haven’t been able to find any source at all,” Coast Guard Chief Warrant Officer Lance Jones said.

Finding a source is especially difficult because there does not seem to be one spot in the water with a high concentration of oil. State wildlife officials were only tipped off to the problem when oil-coated birds were found on shore.

“Unlike a lot of spills, there isn’t a big oil slick out in the bay,” said Dana Michaels, a spokeswoman for the state Department of Fish and Game’s Office of Spill Prevention and Response.

“This is a real mystery.”

A total of 1,141 live birds had been taken to the Los Angeles Oiled Bird Care and Education Center in San Pedro. Of those, 366 died or were humanely euthanized, Michaels said.

The center also received 246 dead birds, all of which were “visibly oiled,” Michaels said.

Most of the birds at the center are Western grebes, which live entirely on the water and build nests out of floating debris. They are slender black-and-white birds, usually about 2 feet long, with long necks and long, pointed bills.

Rescuers have also found 13 endangered brown pelicans – large, stocky diving birds that are about 4 feet long. They were to be taken to Sea World in San Diego for further treatment.

Investigators are intrigued by the timing of the spill, which coincided with heavy rains and mudslides.

Woman pleads not guilty to strangling woman, cutting out baby

Kansas City, Mo. A woman accused of strangling an expectant mother and cutting the baby from her womb pleaded not guilty Thursday, and prosecutors said they are leaning toward seeking the death penalty.

Lisa Montgomery, 36, of Melvern, Kan., did not speak during the brief hearing before a federal magistrate, who appointed another lawyer to her defense team after U.S. Attorney Todd Graves indicated he plans to seek a death sentence.

Montgomery is charged in the December slaying of Bobbie Jo Stinnett, a 23-year-old who was eight months pregnant, at her Missouri home. Stinnett’s baby girl was found alive the next day with Montgomery in Kansas.

Sydney officials send benefits check to family of ‘Mrs. Passed Away’

Sydney, Australia State government officials who sent a benefits check payable to “Mrs. Passed Away” to the family of a deceased woman said they want to apologize for their mistake in person.

The father of a 15-year-old boy who opened the letter said the family initially believed the check was a “sick joke,” until they realized it was accompanied by official government letterhead, the Daily Telegraph newspaper reported.

Both the check and the letter were addressed to “Mrs. Passed Away.”

“This is nothing short of disgraceful,” said the father. . “All the work that’s gone into helping my son since his mother died has gone down the drain.”

The New South Wales state Director-General of Education, Andrew Cappie-Wood, said the government had sent the family a written apology, but said he wanted to contact them personally to explain the mistake.

Woman gives birth to boy weighing more than 16 pounds

Sao Paulo, Brazil A 38-year-old woman in northeastern Brazil has given birth to a son weighing more than 16 pounds, hospital officials said.

Francisca Ramos dos Santos delivered 16-pound, 11-ounce Ademilton on Tuesday at the Albert Sabin Maternity Hospital in Salvador, 900 miles northeast of Sao Paulo, said hospital director Rita Leal.

“It is the biggest baby ever born in the hospital’s 12-year history and I think it could very well be one of the biggest ever born in this country,” Leal said .

A Caesarean section was performed and mother and baby were doing well, she said.

Leal said Santos was a diabetic and that “it is common for women with diabetes to give birth to large babies.”

The child was Santos’ fifth and heaviest, Leal said. Her four other children – now between 9 and 15 years old – ranged in weight from seven to 11 pounds at birth.

“She, her husband and the hospital staff were caught by surprise.”