THURSDAY BRIEFING

Owens River has splashy revival

In 1913, a campaign of deception and stealth arranged for the precious water of the Lower Owens River to stop flowing naturally and begin flowing into the aqueduct and down to the sinks, lawns and toilets of the mushrooming metropolis of Los Angeles.

“We can’t take back what happened here 90 years ago,” says L.A. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, acknowledging the old resentment and hurt feelings at a ceremony in Inyo County on Wednesday, “but we can make it better.”

And with that, he cranks open a steel gate on the side of a dam that allows the river’s chilly emerald green waters to begin flowing again in the natural riverbed. It’s the largest river habitat restoration effort ever attempted in the West. Page B1

*

Report: Recession seems unlikely

A widely watched economic forecast, the UCLA Anderson Forecast outlook, predicts a “soft landing” -- slower growth but without a recession -- for the California and U.S. economies in coming months.

That’s because trouble in one economic sector, such as the housing market, is insufficient by itself to trigger a full-blown recession, experts say.

Forecasters say it would take a matching slowdown in another sector, such as consumer spending, to cause a sharper drop. But they conclude such a “double whammy” is unlikely. Page C2

*

Senate approves Gates for Defense

As the political and strategic debate over Iraq war policy rages in Washington, the Senate gives overwhelming bipartisan support to secretary of Defense nominee Robert M. Gates.

The former CIA director was approved in a 95-2 vote to become the 22nd Defense secretary. The two opposing votes come from Republicans Rick Santorum and Jim Bunning.

The White House schedules a formal swearing-in ceremony for Dec. 18. Page A15

*

James Baker back on familiar turf

At one point during the unveiling of the seminal Iraq Study Group report in Washington on Wednesday, James A. Baker III, the group’s co-chairman, jokes that he has presided over a “bunch of has-beens.”

It has been 14 years since Baker, now 76, served as secretary of State for the first President Bush. Now he’s back in town talking diplomacy and international affairs in the nation’s capital and seeking to help rescue the Mideast policy of a different President Bush. His hair is thinner, but his Texas twang remains familiar. Page A11

*

Change now a new Capitol theme

Now that the Iraq Study Group has unveiled its long-awaited report, the latest thing to sweep its way across Capitol Hill in the nation’s capital is the sense of change, change over Iraq policy.

“We need a change of course,” says Texas Sen. John Cornyn, a staunch administration ally.

The study group’s report is “clearly strongly supporting changing the course in a number of ways,” says Michigan’s Sen. Carl Levin, who will head the Armed Services Committee when Democrats take control of Congress next month. Page A11

*

Poisoning was murder, police say

British police now classify the mysterious poisoning death of dissident former Russian spy Alexander Litvinenko as a murder. Previously, it had been only a suspicious death.

The police investigation continues in Britain and Russia along a trail of radiation from the suspected poison, radioactive polonium-210. Page A5

*

An early and noisy wake-up call

After a long night and early morning of dancing and poker on that day back in 1941, Kenneth Taylor fell into his bed in Hawaii at 3 a.m. A few hours later he was awakened by the sound of bombs and machine-gun fire.

He donned his nearby tuxedo pants and ran for a fighter plane. Soon, Taylor became one of the first two U.S. pilots to fly a combat mission in World War II. He was credited with two Japanese kills during that fateful day over Pearl Harbor.

Taylor, a retired Air Force brigadier general and former head of the Alaska Air National Guard, dies in Tucson at age 86. Page B8

**

A tragic finding

Oregon State Police Lt. Gregg Hastings announces discovery of the body of James Kim. The Kim family from San Francisco was stranded on Oregon back roads nearly two weeks ago, and Kim left the car to seek help. His family was rescued. Page A15

**

LATIMES.COM

Maria’s not crazy about the job

In the Political Muscle blog, Robert Salladay reports on Maria Shriver’s continuing ambivalence about her role in the political life of her governor-husband, including a suggestion in a recent interview that the very title “first lady” should be retired.

latimes.com/politicalmuscle

*

So why is Clooney the fall guy?

Styles & Scenes blogger Elizabeth Snead corners reigning heartthrob George Clooney about accusations that it was a hard night of partying with him that led to Danny DeVito’s bleary-eyed tantrum on “The View.”

Snead writes: “ ‘Danny drew me into this,’ Clooney explained. Sure, they’d had dinner that night ... and yes, there was wine, vodka and an Italian liqueur called limoncello involved. ‘But I was in bed by 11:30 and when I woke up the next morning, I was The Devil. Where did that come from?’ “latimes.com/snead

*

It’s a matter of superdistribution

In his Bit Player blog, Jon Healy gives a bit of his experience with a new piece of listening technology. “I’m writing this from a jury assembly room in Los Angeles, listening to a Microsoft Zune, the only one in the room, I’m fairly sure.” What is the Zune? You can find out at latimes.com/bitplayer

**

BUSINESS

Zillow adds on

Zillow.com, which has won the hearts and eyeballs of homeowners with its sale price estimates, now aims to actually help sell the houses. The website will allow owners and agents to post virtual “for sale” signs on the site.

Zillow is also indulging sellers’ fantasies in another way, letting them post a price -- however far-fetched -- that would persuade them to sell. “What number would it take for you to call the movers and hand over your keys?” asks Zillow’s co-founder and president. Page C1

*

Hold the onions

Taco Bell removes green onions from 5,800 restaurants because of an E. coli outbreak, and the federal government and produce industry hear renewed calls for tougher safety regulations.

Fresh or raw produce accounts for more illness outbreaks than any other food product, says an official with the Center for Science in the Public Interest, which seeks new regulations. A Food and Drug Administration spokesman, though, says it would need much more funding to enforce such rules. Page C1

**

CALENDAR WEEKEND

Christmas Liszt got you stumped?

Times critics make a living telling you their opinions, and today they put their expertise to use by helping you find gifts for the people on your shopping list. The jazz critic suggests buying a percussion instrument; the classical music critic mentions an audio player; and, other critics suggest DVDs, CDs, games or gadgets. Page E26

*

Film board honors two by Eastwood

Clint Eastwood’s two views of the battle for Iwo Jima are among the 10 best films of the year, the National Board of Review of Motion Pictures says.

The board, composed of film professionals, educators, students and historians, calls the Japanese-language “Letters From Iwo Jima” the best film of 2006 and also honors its English-language predecessor, “Flags of Our Fathers.” Page E5

*

This drummer was a headliner

Sandy West was the drummer for the Runaways, an all-girl teen-rock band from the ‘70s that also included Joan Jett, Cherie Currie and Lita Ford. Although the Runaways had a cult hit with “Cherry Bomb” and influenced many female rock bands that followed, they never quite hit it big. “No one could take us seriously in the beginning, and by the time they did, it was too late,” Currie says.

Unfortunately, it’s also too late for a Runaways reunion; West died of cancer in October. But friends and followers are paying tribute to her Saturday at the Knitting Factory in West Hollywood. Among those on the bill are the Bangles, the Donnas, the Adolescents, and Michael Des Barres. Page E10

*

It’s hard to shake the guys who flake

Bad boyfriends are the crummy gift that keeps on giving, Samantha Bonar writes. What they deliver is “post-traumatic relationship disorder” -- a malady that causes women to act like loons toward the occasional good boyfriend who comes along.

According to Bonar, signs that you’re suffering from PTRD include flipping out when your new boyfriend innocently mentions an ex-girlfriend; flipping out when your new boyfriend makes a little joke about one of your idiosyncrasies; and even flipping out in a good way when he performs a small act of kindness. Page E16

**

HOME

It’s always decoration day

Eric Cortina turned his love for the trappings of Christmas into a rewarding career. He’s the creative director for a Newport Beach home and garden center, and his eclectic, even somber ornaments are winning acclaim. “Eric’s designs have a point of view, a mystery and drama to them that is rooted in the past when Father Christmas was feared,” says a New York buyer. Page F8

*

Gift rapping

Christmas altruism sometimes equals “a time when the greedy give a dime to the needy,” as songwriter Bob Dorough once scoffed. But doing good for the globe while putting good things under the tree isn’t so hard. Shoppers can buy products that support struggling workers, save vanishing craft traditions, or fund worthy causes. Page F4

*

Will reality show?

Back in John Henry Hopkins’ day it was easy enough to write lyrics such as “Gather around the Christmas tree! Evergreen have its branches been, It is king of all the woodland scene.” Today Hopkins might have to start out “Gather around the injection-molded polyethylene,” which lacks a certain reverence.

Advances in the art of artificial trees, though, are making it harder to tell the God-givens from the assembly-requireds. Take a look at the photos on Page F3 and see if you can spot the fakes.

*

Santa, baby

For columnist Chris Erskine, December brings his youngest son’s birthday and the arrival of his wife’s Santa complex: “the big boots, the faux fur, the profligate spending. She dashes all over town running up debt that our grandchildren will be paying off ... in the hopes that Christmas will be an epic event that will make everybody grateful and happy and full of love, if only till brunch on the 25th.” Page F7