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GRANADA HILLS - A high school has taken top honors at the 2011 U.S. Academic Decathlon, besting competitors from all over the country and giving the Los Angeles Unified School District a record 12th national title. Officials say the nine-member team from Granada Hills Charter High School won Saturday by a wide margin, with 52,113.5 points out of a possible 60,000. Granada Hills Charter beat second-place Dobie High School, from the Houston area, by about 1,700 points. The big win in Charlotte, N.C., came after days of testing in math, social science, economics and other subjects. Thirty-five high schools participated. NEW YORK - Two police officers ran into some unexpected trouble when they made a traffic stop that netted one of the city's more powerful officials, schools Chancellor Dennis Walcott. Walcott was a few blocks from his Queens home just before midnight Thursday when his city-owned vehicle was pulled over by plainclothes officers in an anti-crime unit. Walcott was a passenger. The chancellor's spokeswoman told the New York Post the driver hadn't done anything wrong, but the officers said they stopped the vehicle for making a turn without signaling. After Walcott identified himself, the officers ran a license check and let the vehicle go without writing a ticket. The Post says Walcott later complained to the police commissioner that the officers had refused to identify themselves. LAS VEGAS - A North Las Vegas teacher faces attempted murder and other charges after police say he fired shots at a television crew for the Spike TV reality show "Repo Games." The Las Vegas Review-Journal reports that 40-year-old Carlos Enrique Barron has been suspended with pay from his job as a special education teacher at Smith Middle School while the investigation continues. "Repo Games" allows debtors a chance to win back their repossessed cars. The Review-Journal reports a crew from the show was looking for a vehicle belonging to one of Barron's neighbors Tuesday night. A police report says Barron got upset that the crew's security van was parked in front of his home. It says Barron confronted the crew with a gun, slapped one of the crew's security officers and fired at least three shots. No one was hurt. The Associated Press
May 1, 2011
May 1, 2011

Around the nation — Sgt. 1st Class Jeremy Jacobson spots his family, including son Jett, 6, during the troop-veteran parade in Des Moines.
DAVID PURDY / THE DES MOINES REGISTER

GRANADA HILLS - A high school has taken top honors at the 2011 U.S. Academic Decathlon, besting competitors from all over the country and giving the Los Angeles Unified School District a record 12th national title. Officials say the nine-member team from Granada Hills Charter High School won Saturday by a wide margin, with 52,113.5 points out of a possible 60,000. Granada Hills Charter beat second-place Dobie High School, from the Houston area, by about 1,700 points. The big win in Charlotte, N.C., came after days of testing in math, social science, economics and other subjects. Thirty-five high schools participated. NEW YORK - Two police officers ran into some unexpected trouble when they made a traffic stop that netted one of the city's more powerful officials, schools Chancellor Dennis Walcott. Walcott was a few blocks from his Queens home just before midnight Thursday when his city-owned vehicle was pulled over by plainclothes officers in an anti-crime unit. Walcott was a passenger. The chancellor's spokeswoman told the New York Post the driver hadn't done anything wrong, but the officers said they stopped the vehicle for making a turn without signaling. After Walcott identified himself, the officers ran a license check and let the vehicle go without writing a ticket. The Post says Walcott later complained to the police commissioner that the officers had refused to identify themselves. LAS VEGAS - A North Las Vegas teacher faces attempted murder and other charges after police say he fired shots at a television crew for the Spike TV reality show "Repo Games." The Las Vegas Review-Journal reports that 40-year-old Carlos Enrique Barron has been suspended with pay from his job as a special education teacher at Smith Middle School while the investigation continues. "Repo Games" allows debtors a chance to win back their repossessed cars. The Review-Journal reports a crew from the show was looking for a vehicle belonging to one of Barron's neighbors Tuesday night. A police report says Barron got upset that the crew's security van was parked in front of his home. It says Barron confronted the crew with a gun, slapped one of the crew's security officers and fired at least three shots. No one was hurt. The Associated Press

California

Charter high school team wins national academic decathlon

Environmental group to sue US over endangered frog, salamander

LOS ANGELES - An environmental group says it plans to file a lawsuit against the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service on allegations that the agency failed to develop a recovery plan for the endangered Southern California mountain yellow-legged frog.

The Riverside Press-Enterprise reports the Center for Biological Diversity filed a 60-day notice of intent to sue Thursday.

The group accuses federal officials of not taking adequate steps under the Endangered Species Act to save the frog from extinction.

The mountain yellow-legged frog has been on the federal endangered species list for nine years. The Press-Enterprise reports only about 200 adult frogs remain in the San Bernardino, San Jacinto and San Gabriel mountains, where they once thrived.

The suit covers the frog and the California tiger salamander, which also is endangered.

New York

Traffic stop involves top official

Nevada

Police: Teacher brandished, fired gun in 'Repo Games' incident

The Associated Press

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