VAN NUYS

Man Convicted for Killing His Mother

(CNS) - A 26-year-old man was convicted of first-degree murder Monday, March 26, for stabbing his mother to death nearly three years ago in the Reseda apartment where they lived. Bryan Garcia-Munguia faces 26 years to life behind bars when he is sentenced May 4.

Saida Munguia, 40, was killed on May 31, 2009.

Family members found her body the following day inside the apartment she shared with her son in the 7600 block of Reseda Boulevard. She had been stabbed several times. Garcia-Munguia was arrested later that day, after he met relatives at a Denny's restaurant. They subdued him until police arrived.

Family members and neighbors told police that the mother and son had a rocky relationship, in particular during the week before her death.

VAN NUYS

Valley Gunfire

(CNS) - A man will be booked for discharging a gun in city limits after police officers and sharpshooters coaxed him out of a residence in which he had barricaded himself Monday, March 26.

Police were called to the 14700 block of Erwin Street, one block east of Kester Avenue, in Van Nuys around 1:40 p.m., said Los Angeles Police Department Officer Karen Rayner.

He fired a weapon into the air and then sought to barricade himself, Rayner said.

He was eventually talked out of the home and arrested without incident, Rayner said.

His name was not immediately available. He was described as being in his 20s when the initial call was made. His motive was not immediately known, Rayner said.

LOS ANGELES

USC Dental School Announces $115M Fundraising Effort

(CNS) - The University of Southern California Ostrow School of Dentistry hopes to raise $115 million to provide student scholarships, recruit faculty and improve or expand facilities, in what was billed today as the largest-ever fundraising campaign by a U.S. dental school.

The dental school effort is part of a much larger university-wide goal announced last fall to raise $6 billion by 2018.

USC officials announced the dental school's fundraising goal at its 115th anniversary picnic. The fundraising goal amounts to $1 million for each year of the school's history.

"Since its founding in 1897, the Ostrow School of Dentistry of USC has produced the majority of dental professionals in Southern California, contributing greatly to the health and well-being of people throughout this region," USC President C. L. Max Nikias said.

The success of the dental school's fundraising will play a "vital role" in the success of the larger USC campaign, Nikias said.

The campaign got off to a good start, with a $10 million commitment announced by a group of the Ostrow School's Board of Councilors, including Ralph Allman, who earned his dental and orthodontics degrees in 1962 and 1964, respectively.

Ostrow School Dean Avishai Sadan said the USC dental school reached more than 650,000 patients in the last decade, published dozens of cutting-edge discoveries annually and trained more than 10,000 dental professionals.