Daily Corrections Clips

 NEWS:

Calif. hopes for end to court oversight of prisons
By Don Thompson, Associated Press-- Gov. Jerry Brown has likened it to the "Sword of Damocles," the sense of foreboding and uncertainty that has hung over California government since the federal courts assumed control over the state's massive prison medical operations.

California Inmates

How California's lifers are dying inside
By Sadhbh Walshe, The Guardian-- In 1981, when Randall Ellis was 16 years old, he participated in a robbery in which his co-defendant shot and killed a young store clerk. Because he took part in a robbery that led to a murder, he was found guilty of the murder and was tried as an adult by the state of California, which chose to impose the maximum sentence the law would allow, of 25 years to life.

Still searching for Cyndi Vanderheiden
By Ross Farrow, Lodi News-Sentinel-- Cyndi Vanderheiden's remains are likely located in Calaveras County, said nationally known bounty hunter Leonard Padilla, who added that he's willing to pay convicted killer Wesley Shermantine Jr. $15,000 to show where her body is located.

Should Cops Search For New 'Speed Freak Killers' Victims?
KCRA-- Law enforcement officials are considering whether to search anew for several bodies thought to have been killed by the "Speed Freak Killers" in California's Central Valley in the 1980s and 1990s.

California Parole

Convicted killer Loren Herzog commits suicide
By Katie Nelson and Ross Farrow, Lodi News Sentinenial -- Loren Herzog, convicted in the killing of Cyndi Vanderheiden of Clements, committed suicide by hanging Monday night, according to prison officials.

Loren Herzog Suicide: Bounty Hunter Called Parolee Before His Death
By Paul Elias, Associated Press-- The apparent suicide of a parolee suspected of killing as many as 19 people occurred after a bounty hunter called him earlier in the day with an ominous warning.

Gang member, woman nabbed on suspicion of burglary
By Veronica Rocha, Glendale News-Press-- A 21-year-old woman and a reputed gang member who was recently released on unsupervised parole were charged Wednesday with receiving stolen property, officials said.

Killer denied parole in 1974 Santa Cruz murders
By Stephen Baxter, Santa Cruz Sentinel-- A 57-year-old man convicted of killing a Santa Cruz convenience-store clerk in 1974 and two others in a three-week span was denied parole from state prison, prosecutors said Wednesday

OPINION

Gov. Brown's vision
By Los Angeles Times-- The gist of Gov. Jerry Brown's State of the State address — that California is recovering — is hard to absorb, given the continuing high levels of unemployment, the year-to-year multibillion-dollar shortfalls in the state budget, the shuttering of state parks, the looming cuts to schools and the dismantling of human services programs.