Iranians’ visas revoked

U.S. officials abruptly revoke the visas of dozens of Iranian professionals headed to a university reunion in Northern California.

The men and women are graduates of Iran’s prestigious Sharif University of Technology and planned to attend a global reunion of the alumni association in Santa Clara.

A few successfully entered the U.S., but it now appears the bulk of the 120 Iranians had their visas revoked without notice under a 2002 national security law that bars nationals of countries deemed state sponsors of terrorism.

Many were detained upon arrival at airports and told to leave voluntarily or face formal deportation proceedings that could preclude future visits. Page B1

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Anti-gang czar needed, chief says

L.A. Police Chief William Bratton calls for the appointment of a “gang czar” to oversee nearly two dozen programs aimed at combating street gangs.

“We spend $80 million a year on gang prevention and intervention in this city,” the chief says, “and it’s a mess. Nobody coordinates it.”

Mayor Villaraigosa plans a gang advisory group to study the idea, an aide says. Page B4

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It felt good then; now comes the bill

During last month’s heat wave, Robert Ciminski and thousands of other Southern California electricity consumers relished the air conditioning they ran night and day at home.

Now, it’s time to pay the electricity maker.

Southern California Edison, which serves 4.4 million households, says customers used 31% more power in the July heat wave than in June.

The increased usage, combined with a previously planned rate hike, means many customers may find their July bills double or triple the usual figure.

And another rate hike comes in November. Page A1

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Police arrest 2 in Phoenix killings

Phoenix police announce the arrest of two men they identify as the so-called “Serial Shooter” who has killed six people, wounded a dozen others and terrorized the sprawling city in a yearlong shooting spree.

The men, Dale Hausner and Samuel Dieteman, were grabbed by members of a multi-agency team late Thursday.

“These are the two monsters we’ve been hunting” says Mayor Phil Gordon. Page A16

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How do you like your nectar?

You may not have known that bumblebees like to take their nectar hot. And they also use color to find it.

A new study published in Nature reports that researchers presented bees with artificial flowers containing the same amount of sugar water.

But the pink flowers were heated to 69 degrees and the purple ones to 84. The bees made a beeline for the purple.

When the temperatures were switched, the bees switched too.

Just for fun, the researchers switched all the flowers to one color but heated them inconsistently. The bees got confused. Page A21

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Burying the victims

In Acre, Israel, the mourners from one funeral barely leave a gravesite before mourners for the next funeral gather nearby. On Friday, Israelis bury eight civilians killed in the country’s bloodiest day in more than three weeks of fighting. Five were Acre residents who had emerged from bomb shelters thinking the coast was clear. Page A1

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CALENDAR

No routine oil change

As gas prices soar, alternative fuels are filtering into the mainstream. Kristina Wong, above, watches as vegetable oil is put into her 1981 Mercedes turbo diesel at the Lovecraft Biofuels auto shop in Silver Lake. Page E1

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This music video’s real gym dandy

An Internet low-budget, high-impact music video called “Here It Goes Again” by the Chicago band OK Go had half a million hits within 48 hours of its posting on the website You Tube.

In the video, the four band members perform the song while climbing, kicking and sliding across eight churning treadmills.

The idea for the video came from singer Damian Kulash’s older sister, Trish Sie, after, fittingly, she went to a gym. She was the choreographer of the band’s “A Million Ways” video a few years ago, which showed the guys sashaying like the Backstreet Boys.

That one was downloaded 10 million times. Page E1

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He’s no longer skirting fame

Fashion designer David Meister has decided to step out from behind the label that bears his name. Evidence of that was when he came out to take a runway bow at Los Angeles Fashion Week.

It was the first time many people had ever laid eyes on him, even though he was not a newcomer to fashion. He launched his line in 1998, after designing for Laundry and Danskin.

Meister, who chose design school over medical school, started thinking about becoming a designer at age 8. He saw “Cher’s costumes by” in the credits of the “Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour” and realized some people did this for a living. Page E1

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BUSINESS

A crafty way to fight global poverty

Pangea Artisan Market & Cafe, which recently opened in Washington, not far from the White House, was created as “a showcase for goods made by poor farmers and handicraft producers from around the world,” says entrepreneur Sunil Shrestha of his latest project.

Pangea -- from the Greek word for “all lands” -- might loosely be translated in this case as “retail with a conscience,” since suppliers have agreed to act ethically, providing fair wages and working conditions as well as promising not to use child labor. But not everyone looks favorably on this fair-trade movement. One critic calls it a “brilliant marketing ploy,” adding that a better way to help poor African farmers would be to remove barriers that prevent exporting sugar and cotton to the U.S. and Europe. Page C1

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THE CRITIC: ‘The only part of this affair that legitimately concerns anyone but Gibson and his family is whether any of those views made their way into his work.’ Times Columnist Tim Rutten on actor Mel Gibson’s anti-Semitic comments after his drunk-driving arrest. Calendar, E1

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SPORTS

Cowboy corrals ultimate honor

Troy Aikman, who started his college career at Oklahoma and finished it at UCLA, went on to the an outstanding NFL career as the quarterback of the Dallas Cowboys. With Aikman at the helm, the Cowboys won three Super Bowls in four seasons. But Aikman’s career did not get off to a good start.

A turning point came with the hiring of Norv Turner as offensive coordinator of the Cowboys in 1991. The two didn’t just have a coach-player relationship, but were more like big brother and little brother.

It’s Turner who will introduce Aikman today when he is enshrined into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio. Others to be inducted: Warren Moon, John Madden, Harry Carson, Rayfield Wright and the late Reggie White. Page D1

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ON LATIMES.COM

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