2 CHILDREN WERE AIRLIFTED TO PALO ALTO AFTER THEIR DRIVER 38-YEAR-OLD ANTONIO B. ALVAREZ WAS FORCED INTO AN ACCIDENT. 28-YEAR-OLD LEARA DONATTA SAMPSON WAS EXITING THE PARKING LOT OF WAL-MART, AND PULLED DIRECTLY INTO THE PATH OF THE ALVAREZ VEHICLE LAST NIGHT. SAMPSON COMPLAINED OF PAIN AND WAS TAKEN TO THE HOSPITAL, WHILE HER FEMALE PASSENGER WAS UNINJURED IN THE 7:15 P.M. ACCIDENT. THE OTHER PASSENGERS IN ALVAREZ'S VEHICLE, A 5-MONTH-OLD INFANT AND HER MOTHER, AS WELL AS THE DRIVER, WERE TRANSPORTED TO A LOCAL HOSPITAL FOR OBSERVATION. THE ACCIDENT OCCURRED DURING THE POWER OUTAGE IN NORTH SALINAS, BUT ACCORDING TO THE POLICE INVESTIGATION, DIDN'T APPEAR TO HAVE BEEN A DIRECT RESULT OF THE OUTAGE.

RESEARCHERS AT THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SANTA CRUZ, HAVE SHOWN THAT RIFAMPICIN, AN ANTIBIOTIC USED TO TREAT LEPROSY AND TUBERCULOSIS, COULD HELP THOSE WITH PARKINSON'S DISEASE. THEY HAVE FOUND THE DRUG CAN PREVENT THE FORMATION OF PROTEIN FIBRILS ASSOCIATED WITH THE DEATH OF BRAIN CELLS IN PEOPLE WITH PARKINSON'S . THE DRUG ALSO DISSOLVED EXISTING FIBRILS IN LABORATORY TESTS. THE RESEARCHERS STUDIED THE EFFECTS OF RIFAMPICIN IN TEST TUBE EXPERIMENTS, AND ARE CURRENTLY DOING STUDIES WITH CELL CULTURES AND MICE, TO SEE IF THE SAME EFFECTS OCCUR IN LIVING CELLS.

SEVERAL MONTEREY COUNTY LAW ENFORCEMENT PROMOTIONS WERE ANNOUNCED YESTERDAY, INCLUDING THAT OF THE COUNTY'S 1ST WOMAN UNDERSHERIFF. 49-YEAR-OLD NANCY CUFFNEY IS NOW THE HIGHEST-RANKING FEMALE LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICER IN THE COUNTY, AFTER 27-YEARS IN THE DEPARTMENT. SHERIFF MIKE KANALAKIS CALLED IT A NEW PAGE IN THEIR HISTORY, AS HE REVEALED CUFFNEY'S, AND 8 OTHER PROMOTIONS. THEY INCLUDE STEVE DEERING WHO WAS PROMOTED TO ADMINISTRATIVE BUREAU CHIEF DEPUTY; MICHAEL BRASSFIELD WILL TAKE OVER THE ENFORCEMENT OPERATIONS BUREAU; NORBERT LIEBERSBACH WILL BECOME THE NEW CHIEF DEPUTY OF THE CUSTODY OPERATIONS BUREAU; CHUCK MONARQUE BECOMES CAPTAIN OF THE ENFORCEMENT OPERATIONS BUREAU; RAY MCLAUGHLIN BECOMES A CAPTAIN ; AND ED LORENZANA, GREG CLARK, AND FABIAN BARRERA WERE ALL PROMOTED TO COMMANDER.

THE FAIR AND ACCURATE CREDIT TRANSACTIONS ACT GOES INTO EFFECT TODAY AND REQUIRES THE THREE NATIONAL AGENCIES THAT COMPILE CREDIT REPORTS - EQUIFAX, EXPERIAN AND TRANS UNION - TO PROVIDE CONSUMERS, UPON REQUEST, ONE FREE COPY OF THEIR INDIVIDUAL REPORTS ANNUALLY. EACH COMPANY MUST PROVIDE ONE FREE COPY TO EVERY CONSUMER WHO REQUESTS ONE. CONSUMERS CAN PLACE ORDERS ONLINE AT WWW.ANNUALCREDITREPORT.COM, BY PHONE AT 877-322-8228, OR BY MAIL. THE MANDATE WILL TAKE EFFECT IN PHASES, STARTING IN THE WEST AND MOVING EAST. UNDER THE FACT ACT, CONSUMERS MAY ORDER FREE REPORTS FROM THE THREE COMPANIES SEPARATELY OR AT THE SAME TIME.