Bailiff, label it ‘Exhibit Yuck’

Animals see but can’t talk, hear but can’t repeat. And yet sometimes they might be the only witnesses to a crime, making their testimony invaluable.

So the Orange County district attorney’s office is becoming the first local law enforcement agency in the country to tap into animal evidence on a regular basis. Animal material will be systematically collected from crime scenes and results of DNA testing will be presented to juries.

“Everybody who has animals knows that you are forever getting their hair on your clothing, so you can imagine how powerful this type of analysis may prove to be,” says one forensics expert.

But the evidence can go beyond pet hair. Investigators may find themselves collecting food dishes, chew toys and even animal poop. One criminal in Iowa, for example, was identified with help from the victim’s dog, which had lifted its leg and sprayed the man’s truck. Page B1

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In school battle, parents are pawns

School Me columnist Bob Sipchen says both sides in the fight over control of the Los Angeles Unified School District have used parents as pawns. But he warns that the experience could be teaching the pawns something about the power of organization -- and that some day the parents on each side might realize how much power they could have if they cooperated with one another. Page B1

Meanwhile, at a meeting of teachers union leaders, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa tries to rally support for his plan, reminding the educators: “I stood with you every single time you asked for a decent wage, for good benefits.” Page B3

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Can seminars stop extremists?

Can violent extremists be halted by methods other than surveillance, detective work and punishment? How about outreach, tolerance and assimilation?

Britain has tried to lessen the possibility of home-grown terrorism by tackling the root causes of religious extremism among young people. So far, the results aren’t encouraging.

A Muslim gym owner in London wanted to counter religious extremism by starting a community organization. One of his government-aided efforts, a community forum and party, drew 500 kids who shared free food and talked with the police.

But he allowed music at the event, angering religious conservatives at his mosque. Now his state funding is drying up and several regulars at his gym were arrested in connection with a plot to blow up airliners heading for the U.S. Page A9

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Agent represents a different method

Here’s a stereotype-buster: a Hollywood agent who’s considered a gentleman and who prefers not to make a lot of noise about his work.

That’s the profile of Sam Gores, chairman of the Paradigm agency.

Paradigm represents such actors as Philip Seymour Hoffman, Felicity Huffman and Laurence Fishburne, who calls Gores “the most un-agent-like agent in the business because he’s a human being first.”

None of which means that Gores is of modest ambition.

His firm has been moving into the music business and today is expected to announce the acquisition of Little Big Man Booking, which represents Coldplay and the Arctic Monkeys. Page C1

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Fix memorial, or let it fade?

Cracked headstones at Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia are replaced routinely. Not so with the damaged Tomb of the Unknowns, which after more than 70 years of service is showing wear.

Large cracks run throughout the marble memorial, and although a replacement block of marble has been made available, cemetery officials are still deciding what action to take, if any.

Some people argue that it is more respectful to let nature take its course on the tomb, which marks the graves of three never-identified soldiers from World Wars I and II and the Korean War. Page A10

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It’s all in the way they look at you

Attachment is an instant reaction, columnist Al Martinez says. And when it’s real, “lightning strikes, thunder rolls, the surf pounds, stars blink, and you’re in love.”

Martinez recently saw the stars blink twice in two days, which explains why he has a new car -- and a new puppy. Page E5

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Spreading like fire

Western deserts have been plagued by wildfires this year. This summer, five blazes seared parts of Joshua Tree National Park, where for the last 50 years fires generally have struck only every few years. Is this a symptom of climate change that allows nonnative weeds such as cheatgrass, shown above, to proliferate? Or is just an aftershock from last year’s heavy rains? Page B1

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HEALTH

Meditations on high life

Here at the center of the celebrity universe, yoga’s top practitioners are increasingly in the same klieg lights as the famous folks they lead from sun salutations through the final namaste. Balancing can be tough for superyogis such as Shiva Rea, above. Page F1

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Fat chance for babies

American babies are getting bigger, which isn’t necessarily a good thing.

A roly-poly 6-month-old with chunky thighs and blubbery cheeks might wind up having lifelong weight problems.

Weight issues take root in the very young, and recent studies show an alarming rise in the number of overweight infants. Early feeding patterns can drive a child’s metabolism later in life, and problems should be addressed promptly.

But in which cases, and how?

Sometimes it’s all easier said than done.

Says one pediatrician: “Feeding is your way of nurturing your infant. It’s primarily what you do in the first year of life. It’s a hard place to tread.” Page F1

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Just shoot me now

It’s one of those yin and yang deals. When people inject Botox to relax wrinkles and erase lines, the paralytic effect of the toxin can drain the life from their face. So with smoother skin comes the demeanor of a zombie. But a new study, based on research at the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota, turns that lemon into lemonade.

When used to treat serious facial wounds, Botox appears to enhance healing and reduce scarring, thanks to the muscle immobilization. Even sweeter, says a plastic surgeon and coauthor of the study, “For old scars, you could get it re-excised and make it look better.

“Anyone with any kind of laceration or wound anywhere on their body -- this would help it look better.” Page F2

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SPORTS

Bridging baseball’s language gap

The language of baseball is universal, but the language of baseball players isn’t. Nearly 30% of the players in the major leagues were born outside the United States, and many of them came to the U.S. able to turn a double play but not order from an English-language menu.

Teams often set up language classes for their minor-league players. “It’s just like starting over from the first grade,” says one minor-leaguer from the Dominican Republic. “You just have to pick up and start all over again.”

Players such as the Angels’ Francisco Rodriguez and Ervin Santana say learning a language demands dedication. “You’ve got to learn, listen to other people, the conversations other people have,” Rodriguez says. Page D1

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CALENDAR

Spike Lee listens to Katrina victims

Fimmaker Spike Lee, who’s made a four-hour HBO documentary about the Hurricane Katrina disaster, tells columnist Patrick Goldstein that he discovered the catastrophe was as much about class as race. Page E1

Critic Paul Brownfield reviews Lee’s “When the Levees Broke: A Requiem in Four Acts,” and applauds the filmmaker for allowing people to tell their stories. Brownfield also says Lee makes his points without coming off as didactic. Page E1

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Filmgoers call ‘em as they see ‘em

Movie studios increasingly aren’t allowing critics to see some films before they open, apparently worried that bad reviews might hurt them at the box office. But what do paying customers think about these films?

Calendar reporters head to the multiplexes to ask movie-goers for their opinions on three unreviewed films: “Snakes on a Plane,” “Zoom” and “Pulse.” The public tells all -- including, it should be noted, some plot points from the movies. Page E3

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ON LATIMES.COM

Tweens 2.0: Our teen sensations are getting too grown up. Britney’s pregnant with baby No. 2. Mischa got killed off on “The O.C.” and is now a fixture on the fashion show circuit. Lindsay is bringing cupcakes to work to atone for the sin of partying too hard. So how is America’s appetite for starlets going to be satisfied?

Through the family franchise, that’s how. A second generation of Spearses, Bartons and Lohans is on the way to pick up where their big sisters left off.

latimes.com/entertainment

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THE WEEK AHEAD

MONDAY

2nd Saddam trial opens

At least 50,000 men, women and children were allegedly slaughtered during Saddam Hussein’s campaign against Kurdish areas of Iraq in 1988. This week, Hussein goes on trial for those deaths, accused of genocide. The trial is the second the former Iraqi president faces, but involves far more deaths than the previous case, in which testimony ended earlier this summer. That verdict is scheduled to be announced in mid-October.

TUESDAY

Angels look east for next battles

The Angels are battling, maybe too literally, to remain in contention in the American League West. They are still picking up the pieces from a brawl last week against Texas that resulted in suspensions and fines. Now they could have a lot to do with determining the outcome of the American League East. They play the Boston Red Sox in Anaheim Tuesday through Thursday, then play host to the Yankees.

TUESDAY

Statehouse gets L.A. school plan

Mayor Villaraigosa’s proposal to win some control of the L.A. Unified School District goes to the full state Senate as early as Tuesday. Despite opposition from district officials and some of the cities in the area, the bill is expected to pass both houses of the Legislature over the next several days and be sent to the governor, who has promised to sign it. The mayor would share power with the superintendent and the school board.

SUNDAY

Emmy nods for canceled shows

Television executives are nervous about Sunday’s Emmy Awards. Will they help promote the fall season -- just weeks away -- or will they turn into a glorified bon voyage party to departing friends? Fourteen of the major acting nominees were in shows that went off the air during the last season. Conan O’Brien hosts the proceedings from the Shrine Auditorium, which will be seen on NBC, tape delayed, at 8 p.m.