A former CSUN student was sentenced Monday to 17-years to life in a state mental hospital for the 2009 murder of his mother. A judge ruled in October that CSUN math graduate John Soria, 26, had committed the second-degree murder of Carmen Soria, 47, but found him not guilty by reason of insanity. Carmen Soria died in her home from multiple stab wounds, according to the coroner’s reports. John Soria, then 23, beat, strangled, and stabbed his mother with a… Read more

The 45th annual CMA Awards at the Bridestone Arena in Nashville exploded within the first five seconds of the broadcast – literally. A much-hyped performance of “Footloose” by Blake Shelton and Kenny Loggins featured heavy and explosive pyrotechnics and a swarm of dancers, shimmying along to the countrified version of the cult classic song. Shelton and his wife, Miranda Lambert, won male and female Vocalist of the Year. The couple has now won the coveted award for two consecutive years…. Read more

The cost of living in Los Angeles County has increased more than 18 percent in the last three years, and 46 percent in the last eight years, according to a new study. “We take deep looks into the costs between counties,” said Jenny Chung Mejia, attorney and program manager for Insight Center for Community Economic Development, the entity that published the study. “Our figures are based on measures that fully encompass all aspects to the cost of living.” Data is… Read more

A new bill passed by Calif. Gov. Jerry Brown permits girls age 12 to 18 to receive the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine without parental consent. The vaccine is administered in three shots over the course of six months and wards against certain strains of HPV and cervical cancer. California minors currently can seek confidential care, diagnosis, and treatment for STDs, contraception, pregnancy, mental health problems, and drug abuse, but they cannot get vaccinated without parental approval. In 2007, Texas Governor… Read more

During the recent CSUN production of “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee,” more than just award-winning spellers were in attendance at the production’s six sold out shows, a rare but not an unheard of occurrence. “Days don’t come much better,” said Bill Taylor, theatre manager in an email. “It was a giant day for our students … learning we’d sold out the entire run, then last evening (Sept. 29) two stars from the original Broadway production showed up in… Read more

The Office of the Provost presented the Third Annual Research Fellows Colloquium, an exhibition of six distinguished faculty and their research, Wednesday. “The important thing about research is that it helps solve relevant problems,” said Mark Stover, dean of the Oviatt Library. “We often get dozens of applicants.” Six faculty members were selected as the 2010/2011 Fellows: Curt Dommeyer (marketing), Ramón Garcia (Chicana/o studies), Sembiam R. Rengarajan (computer and electrical engineering), Nathan Durdella (education), Dr. Kristy Michaud, (political science), and… Read more