American Scene

CALIFORNIA

Thieves leave Ito’s courtroom nameless

LOS ANGELES | Judge Lance Ito’s fame has ironically made his courtroom the most difficult to find in downtown Los Angeles.

Since presiding over O.J. Simpson’s murder trial more than a decade ago, Judge Ito has repeatedly had his name placard stolen from the door of his courtroom.

For now, he has given up replacing the placard, and people looking for his courtroom must seek help in the lobby.

Judge Ito was not available for comment but confirmed the thefts in an e-mail to a Superior Court spokesman that was cited Wednesday by the Los Angeles Times. No records are kept at the courthouse on placard replacements, so an exact number was unavailable.

FLORIDA

Shuttle leaves space station, heads home

CAPE CANAVERAL | Shuttle Atlantis undocked from the International Space Station early Wednesday and headed home with one astronaut eager to hold his newborn daughter for the first time and another who has been away from her young son since summer.

Before signing off from Mission Control, flight director Mike Sarafin wished the seven crew members a happy Thanksgiving and a good landing on Friday.

“We’ll do our best to stay sharp until the round things stop rolling,” replied commander Charles Hobaugh.

The shuttle departed as the spacecraft soared nearly 220 miles above the Pacific, just northeast of New Guinea. Over the past week, the astronauts stocked the outpost and performed maintenance that should keep it running for another five to 10 years.

MISSOURI

Eight plead guilty to funneling money

ST. LOUIS | Eight members of the criminal Hamed Organization have pleaded guilty to federal charges for selling stolen goods at five St. Louis area convenience stores and funneling part of their profits to the Palestinian territories.

Story Continues →