In brief: L.A.-area shoreline closes due to oily goo

LONG BEACH, Calif. – A 4-mile stretch of beach in south Los Angeles County was closed Thursday after tar balls washed ashore – the latest Southern California coastline to shut down due to oily goo, authorities said.

The Long Beach Fire Department ordered the closure Wednesday over concerns the material could cause skin irritation or other adverse health effects.

The closure was continued after authorities assessed the beach Thursday afternoon and determined tar balls were still washing up on shore.

“We ask that people stay off the beach and out of the water for now,” agency spokesman Jake Heflin said.

By Thursday morning, crews scooped up about 55 gallons of the sticky substance from the shoreline about 25 miles south of downtown Los Angeles, Heflin said. Tar was not readily apparent on the sand at midmorning, between low tide and high tides.

“Various amounts of ‘tar balls’ continue to wash up on shore and create a public and environmental health concern,” the Long Beach Fire Department said in a statement.

The U.S. Coast Guard will test samples to try to determine the source of the tar balls. The material did not appear related to oil and gas extraction operations in the area, Heflin said.

Tar balls also led to recent beach closures in nearby Manhattan Beach and farther northwest in Ventura County.

Judge grants new trial in death of intern

WASHINGTON, D.C. – A judge on Thursday formally granted a retrial for the man convicted of killing Chandra Levy, the Washington, D.C., intern whose case became a national sensation after she was romantically linked to a married congressman.

D.C. Superior Court Judge Gerald Fisher granted a motion for a new trial in the case of Ingmar Guandique, who was convicted in 2010 of killing Levy. The move was largely expected after prosecutors dropped their opposition to a retrial last month.

Guandique’s attorneys had been pushing for a new trial because they said a key witness in the case gave false or misleading testimony.

Prosecutors last month told a judge they believe the jury’s verdict was correct but that they would no longer oppose the new-trial request. Prosecutors said at the time that the “passage of time and the unique circumstances of this case” had made opposing a new trial more difficult.

Prosecutors and lawyers for Guandique are scheduled to return to court next week and are expected to set a new trial date then.

Levy’s 2001 disappearance created a national sensation after the 24-year-old California native was romantically linked with then-U.S. Rep. Gary Condit, a California Democrat, who was ruled out as a suspect.

In late 2013, Guandique’s lawyers requested a new trial after prosecutors brought to the judge issues with one of their key witnesses, Guandique’s one-time cellmate, Armando Morales.

Library’s missing art found – in the library

BOSTON – Boston Public Library officials said Thursday that two rare and valuable artworks that vanished last month have been found, and they never left the library.

Library President Amy Ryan announced in a statement that the 1634 Rembrandt etching and 1504 Durer engraving were found Thursday in the library’s print stacks by a library conservation officer, who had been searching for eight weeks.

“We’re thrilled to have found these treasures right here at home,” Ryan said. “They were found safe and sound, simply misfiled.”

The disappearance of the art pieces led to Ryan’s announcement Wednesday that she would be resigning July 3, saying it would end a “distraction.”

The Durer engraving is worth an estimated $600,000 and the Rembrandt etching has an estimated value of $20,000 to $30,000.