CHP OFFICER SHOT DURING TRAFFIC STOP IN WEST COVINA; 1 SUSPECT IN CUSTODY

A man was taken into custody in Fontana after allegedly shooting a California Highway Patrol during a traffic stop in West Covina on Friday, Sept. 11, 2015. (Southern Counties News)

Updated 57 mins ago

FONTANA, Calif.  --

A California Highway Patrol officer was wounded after being shot during a traffic stop in West Covina.

The officer attempted to pull over a driver around 1:20 a.m. on the 10 Freeway at Sunset and Garvey. When the officer approached the vehicle, officials say the male driver opened fire. The officer returned fire and called for backup.

The officer was wounded and transported to an area hospital. The extent of his injuries was not immediately known, but he was reported to be in stable condition.

Following the shooting, the suspect took off from that location. Several law enforcement agencies pursued him traveling eastbound on the 10 Freeway. They caught up with the man near Arrow Boulevard and Citrus in Fontana, where he was taken into custody with the help of K-9 support.

A shotgun was recovered inside the suspect's vehicle.

Investigators said a search was underway for a female who was also inside the suspect's vehicle. Her involvement in the incident remains unclear.

Walnut Raid Yields Hundreds of Thousands in Marijuana The Seizure occurred Wednesday.

Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies Wednesday night raided a home thought to be a marijuana grow house and seized 403 marijuana plants, officials said.

Investigators on a surveillance operation secured a search warrant for the home, in the 20200 block of Burnt Tree Lane, according to sheriff’s Deputy Juanita Navarro-Suarez.

An elaborate and dangerous marijuana grow system was discovered at the location where about $2,000 dollars in cash and 403 marijuana plants at various stages of growth were seized.

Equipment used in the production of illegal marijuana and other equipment used to attempt to prevent the odor from filtering out of the residence were also found at the home, Navarro-Suarez said.

The illegal marijuana grow was precariously wired, creating an extremely dangerous fire hazard because of the large amount of electrical energy -- which could have become overloaded.

Two men were arrested.

The combined street value of the marijuana plants was estimated at close to $400,000 dollars.

Southern California Edison employees were notified of the dangerous fire hazard created by the allegedly illegal wiring. After quickly responding, they turned off the power to the residence and rendered it safe.

The investigation is on-going and there is no additional information available at this time.

Man Found Dead in Walnut The death occurred a little after 9:45 a.m. in the 20000 block of Gartel Drive Sunday, where the man was pronounced dead at the scene.

Sheriff’s homicide detectives Monday investigated the death of a man whose body was found in Walnut.

The death occurred a little after 9:45 a.m. in the 20000 block of Gartel Drive, where the man was pronounced dead at the scene, said Deputy Amber Smith of the Sheriff’s Information Bureau. There was no other immediate information.

Detectives asked anyone with information regarding the death to call them at (323) 890-5500.

Dental Insurance - Should you Purchase Dental Insurance? Facts to Consider Before Buying Dental Insurance

With the rising cost of going to the dentist, many people are struggling with the decision of whether or not to purchase dental insurance. Whether you are considering buying dental insurance through your employer or independently, be sure to investigate several different plans and ask questions about the factors listed below. This information will help you choose the right dental insurance plan before signing on the dotted line.

Affordability and Yearly Maximum

The yearly maximum is the most money that the dental insurance plan will pay within one full year. The yearly maximum will automatically renew every year. If you have unused benefits, these will not roll over. Most dental insurance companies allow an average yearly maximum of $1,000.

In/Out of Network Dentists

Most independent dental insurance plans will only pay for your dental services if you go to a contracted and participating In-Network Dentist. Find out if you are required to go to a participating dentist or if you can chooseyour own. If the plan requires that you see an In-Network Dentist, ask for a list of the dentists in your area with whom they are contracted so you can decide if they have a dentist you would consider seeing.

If you wish to stay with your current dentist, some policies allow you to see an Out-of-Network Dentist, however, the costs covered may be significantly lowered.

UCR (Usual Customary and Reasonable)

Almost all dental insurance companies use what is called a Usual, Customary and Reasonable (UCR) fee guide.

This means that they set their own price that they will allow for every dental procedure that they cover. This is not based on what a dentist actually charges, but what the dental insurance company wishes to cover. For example, your dentist may charge $78 for adental cleaning, but your insurance company will only allow $58 because that is the UCR fee that they have set.

If you are on a policy that requires you to go to a participating provider, you should not be charged the difference between these two prices. A contracted dentist generally has an agreement with the insurance company to write off the difference in charges. If the policy allows you to go to a dentist of your choice, check the insurance company’s UCR fee guide against the fees that dentist charges. You may be required to pay the difference out of your pocket, however, you cannot put a price tag on quality dental care.

Dental Insurance Coverage Types

According to most dental insurance companies, dental procedures are broken down into three categories:

1. Preventative
   Most insurance companies consider routine cleanings and examinations as preventative dental care, however, X-rays, sealants and fluoride can be deemed as preventative or basic, depending upon the specific insurance carrier.
2. Basic or Restorative
   Basic or restorative dental treatment usually consists of fillings and simple extractions.Root canals can be considered basic or major. However, the majority of dental plans list root canals as basic.
3. Major
   Crowns, bridges, dentures, partials, surgical extractions and dental implants are dental procedures that most dental insurance companies consider as a major procedure.

Since all dental insurance carriers are different, it is important to clarify which dental procedures fall under each specific category. This is important because some insurance plans don't cover major procedures and others have waiting periods for certain procedures. If you know that you will need major dental work that is not covered by a given plan, you should probably look elsewhere to find one that suits all of your needs.

Dental Insurance Waiting Periods

A waiting period is the length of time an insurance company will make you wait after you are covered before they will pay for certain procedures. For instance, if you need a crown and the policy has a 12 month or longer waiting period, chances are you could have already paid for your crown while you have been paying your premiums and waiting.

Missing Tooth Clause and Replacement Period

More than 90 percent of dental insurance policies carry a “missing tooth clause” or a “replacement clause.” Many include at least one of these clauses, but most have both. Amissing tooth clause protects the insurance company from paying for the replacement of a tooth that was missing before the policy was in effect. For example, if you lost a tooth before your coverage started and later decided that you would like to have a partial, bridge or implant, the insurance company would not have to pay for that service if they have a missing tooth clause in the plan. A replacement clause is similar except that the insurance company won’t pay to replace procedures such as dentures, partials or bridges until the specified time limit has passed.

Facts to Consider Before Buying Dental Insurance

With the rising cost of going to the dentist, many people are struggling with the decision of whether or not to purchase dental insurance. Whether you are considering buying dental insurance through your employer or independently, be sure to investigate several different plans and ask questions about the factors listed below. This information will help you choose the right dental insurance plan before signing on the dotted line.

Affordability and Yearly Maximum

The yearly maximum is the most money that the dental insurance plan will pay within one full year. The yearly maximum will automatically renew every year. If you have unused benefits, these will not roll over. Most dental insurance companies allow an average yearly maximum of $1,000.

In/Out of Network Dentists

Most independent dental insurance plans will only pay for your dental services if you go to a contracted and participating In-Network Dentist. Find out if you are required to go to a participating dentist or if you can choose your own. If the plan requires that you see an In-Network Dentist, ask for a list of the dentists in your area with whom they are contracted so you can decide if they have a dentist you would consider seeing.

If you wish to stay with your current dentist, some policies allow you to see an Out-of-Network Dentist, however, the costs covered may be significantly lowered.

UCR (Usual Customary and Reasonable)

Almost all dental insurance companies use what is called a Usual, Customary and Reasonable (UCR) fee guide. This means that they set their own price that they will allow for every dental procedure that they cover. This is not based on what a dentist actually charges, but what the dental insurance company wishes to cover. For example, your dentist may charge $78 for a dental cleaning, but your insurance company will only allow $58 because that is the UCR fee that they have set.

If you are on a policy that requires you to go to a participating provider, you should not be charged the difference between these two prices. A contracted dentist generally has an agreement with the insurance company to write off the difference in charges. If the policy allows you to go to a dentist of your choice, check the insurance company’s UCR fee guide against the fees that dentist charges. You may be required to pay the difference out of your pocket, however, you cannot put a price tag on quality dental care.

Dental Insurance Coverage Types

According to most dental insurance companies, dental procedures are broken down into three categories:

1. Preventative
   Most insurance companies consider routine cleanings and examinations as preventative dental care, however, X-rays, sealants and fluoride can be deemed as preventative or basic, depending upon the specific insurance carrier.
2. Basic or Restorative
   Basic or restorative dental treatment usually consists of fillings and simple extractions.Root canals can be considered basic or major. However, the majority of dental plans list root canals as basic.
3. Major
   Crowns, bridges, dentures, partials, surgical extractions and dental implants are dental procedures that most dental insurance companies consider as a major procedure.

Since all dental insurance carriers are different, it is important to clarify which dental procedures fall under each specific category. This is important because some insurance plans don't cover major procedures and others have waiting periods for certain procedures. If you know that you will need major dental work that is not covered by a given plan, you should probably look elsewhere to find one that suits all of your needs.

Dental Insurance Waiting Periods

A waiting period is the length of time an insurance company will make you wait after you are covered before they will pay for certain procedures. For instance, if you need a crown and the policy has a 12 month or longer waiting period, chances are you could have already paid for your crown while you have been paying your premiums and waiting.

Missing Tooth Clause and Replacement Period

More than 90 percent of dental insurance policies carry a “missing tooth clause” or a “replacement clause.” Many include at least one of these clauses, but most have both. Amissing tooth clause protects the insurance company from paying for the replacement of a tooth that was missing before the policy was in effect. For example, if you lost a tooth before your coverage started and later decided that you would like to have a partial, bridge or implant, the insurance company would not have to pay for that service if they have a missing tooth clause in the plan. A replacement clause is similar except that the insurance company won’t pay to replace procedures such as dentures, partials or bridges until the specified time limit has passed.

For Information on Dental Plans, please log onto: http://www.InsuranceMarketingGroups.com or call 909.254.5954.

Industry pulls land in Chino Hills, Diamond Bar off market

City of Industry’s new city council has suspended the potential sale of Tres Hermanos Ranch until it examines all the major policy challenges it faces.

New city manager Paul Philips told the Champion Wednesday that the successor agency to the city’s former redevelopment agency owns the land and will decide in 60 to 90 days what should be done with it.

The successor agency consists of the City of Industry city council.

The decision will go before the oversight board, and then to the State Department of Finance for approval.

Mr. Philips said although a broker was selected to market the property, the contract was not signed. “There was never a listing,” he said.

The broker, selected by the oversight board, was The Hoffman Co., based in Irvine.

“I told the broker to go on hold until a determination is made,” Mr. Philips said. “The process has been suspended pending direction from the new council.”

Tres Hermanos consists of 2,400 acres of open grassland, oaks and sycamores straddling both sides of Grand Avenue, including 1,700 acres in Chino Hills and 720 acres in Diamond Bar.

Mr. Philips said the previous city council was serious about selling the land, but the new council has yet to decide.

The June election yielded three new council members. Mr. Philips was hired June 25.

The Hoffman Co. had begun its marketing efforts by visiting the community development departments of both Chino Hills and Diamond Bar.

A grass-roots group called “Save Tres Hermanos” formed to oppose residential development.

Mr. Philips said he made a commitment to the city council that City of Industry would be open, transparent and a good neighbor. “That’s the way I like to operate,” he said.

Mr. Philips is a former city manager for Covina, Artesia and others. His most recent position was deputy director for California Contract Cities Association in Downey, which advocates for cities that contract for municipal services.

The 12.5-square-mile City of Industry has a population of just 469 and 69,040 jobs, mainly in manufacturing and wholesale, according to a 2015 profile prepared by Southern California Association of Governments.

Tres Hermanos Ranch was purchased by the City of Industry’s redevelopment agency in 1978. In 2012, the state dissolved all redevelopment agencies and Tres Hermanos was transferred to the “successor agency,” which is governed by an “oversight board” made up of three county employees, two school district employees, and two council members from City of Industry.

Boy Reported Missing From Walnut, Located Kayne Doughty Jr. had been reported missing after telling his parents that he had a cross country team meeting at Walnut High School.

A missing 14-year-old Walnut boy was found safe Thursday in Whittier, according to a broadcast report.

Kayne Doughty Jr. had been reported missing after telling his parents that he had a cross country team meeting at Walnut High School. He wasn’t there when his parents went to pick him up and it’s unclear if there was a meeting.

The teen was found Thursday at a restaurant in Whittier, his family told CBS2.

The freshman cross country runner’s lunch container was found this morning in a creek along some running trails, family members told reporters at the scene. His cellphone battery was dead, according to news reports.

The teen’s parents said it was not like him to run away or remain out of contact and although a sheriff’s helicopter and search dogs were deployed earlier in an effort to locate the boy, foul play was not suspected and the matter was being treated as a voluntary missing person case, said Lt. John Saleeby, watch commander at the sheriff’s Walnut Station.

When reached tonight, Saleeby said investigators were trying to confirm reports that the boy had been found.

What Haggen’s lawsuit against Albertsons means for the grocery chain’s problems

Haggen Food & Pharmacy stores are to experience layoffs and cutbacks including this location on Diamond Bar Boulevard in Diamond Bar, Calif. July 24, 2015. (Photo by Leo Jarzomb/San Gabriel Valley Tribune) 

Haggen’s entry into Southern California’s grocery industry has widely been viewed as a failure.

Earlier this year, the Bellingham, Wash-based supermarket chain acquired 146 stores that previously had operated as Vons or Albertsons. But shortly thereafter, the company began cutting employee hours and laying off workers. Supermarkets that had been bustling in their previous incarnation were now virtually empty. Prices were high, shoppers said, and advertising appeared to be minimal.

Haggen’s rapid expansion from 18 stores to 164 locations appeared to be imploding — rapidly.

HAGGEN’S LAWSUIT AGAINST ALBERTSONS

But things changed Tuesday when Haggen filed a lawsuit against Albertsons that accuses the company of “coordinated and systematic efforts” to sabotage its expansion in five states by engaging in “an illegal campaign” against Haggen including “premeditated acts of unfair and anti-competitive conduct.”

The lawsuit alleges Albertsons provided Haggen with “false, misleading and incomplete retail pricing data, causing Haggen stores to unknowingly inflate prices.” The action additionally claims that Albertsons diverted customers from Haggen stores by illegally accessing Haggen’s confidential data to gain an unfair competitive advantage.

Albertsons released a brief statement on Tuesday that said the allegations were “without merit.”

But the company expanded that statement on Wednesday.

ALBERTSONS’ RESPONSE

“The allegations contained in the Haggen complaint are completely without merit and we will vigorously defend ourselves in court,” Albertsons said. “Albertsons has not engaged in anti-competitive or inappropriate practices as alleged by Haggen. The divesture of stores to Haggen followed the process determined by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) order.”

Albertsons said it has satisfied its obligations and worked to ensure the success of the transition of the divested stores to Haggen and several other companies.

“Recently, Albertsons was forced to sue Haggen for an amount in excess of $40 million for unpaid inventory,” statement added. “Rather than paying the amounts owing, Haggen responded by filing this lawsuit against us in an attempt to deflect attention from their failure to comply with basic contractual obligations.”

As with any lawsuit, the allegations have yet to be proven. But they do raise the possibility that Haggen’s wounds might not necessarily be self-inflicted.

Diamond Bar burglary suspect prompts freeway chase, underground search in Pico Rivera

Law enforcement officers search a storm drain on Esperanza Avenue for a burglary suspect after a pursuit that ended near the San Gabriel River and Whittier Boulevard on Wednesday September 2, 2015. (Photo by Keith Durflinger/Whittier Daily News) 

PICO RIVERA >> A SWAT team launched a subterranean search after a burglary suspect led deputies on a pursuit from Diamond Bar to the Whittier area, then abandoned his SUV and fled into the storm drain system along the San Gabriel Riverbed, authorities said.

The incident began about 12:15 p.m. with a report of a burglary in the 800 block of Pantera Drive in Diamond Bar, where a man was seen in one of the houses, according to Lt. John Saleeby of the sheriff’s Walnut-Diamond Bar station.

He said deputies later spotted the suspect’s sport utility vehicle and chased the suspect.

The driver exited the 605 Freeway and drove through the riverbed in Pico Rivera, officials said. Deputies said the suspect ran from the SUV south of Whittier Boulevard and ran into a nearby drainage pipe.

Deputies cordoned off the area and summoned a SWAT team to assist in the search, sheriff’s Sgt. Andrew Serrano said. Aerial footage from the scene showed the SWAT team arriving via helicopter.

Aided by public works officials, deputies checked manhole covers as they worked to determine where the drainage pipes lead, and where the fleeing suspect had gone. The area is surrounded by residential neighborhoods.

The suspect had not been seen with a weapon, Serrano said. A detailed suspect description was not available.

— Staff writer Brian Day contributed to this report.