Morning Buzz: Wednesday 4.29.09

• A Mexican child who died in Texas [fixed] is the first confirmed U.S. death from swine flu, and a Marine at Twentynine Palms may have swine flu and has been placed in quarantine. LAT, KTLA
• LA Times staff writer Kimi Yoshino writes about falling in love with and marrying an Iraqi reporter for the paper, only to have his application to live in the U.S. blocked. Column One
• California voters so far strongly oppose five of the special election measures on the May 19 ballot, while the LAT endorses 1D and 1E. Field Poll in Bee, LAT editorial
• Columnist Timm Herdt says "It is unsettling to hear the treasurer of the state of California say this: 'There will likely be an unprecedented budget crisis this summer, with a serious possibility that schools and public universities won’t open this fall.'" Ventura Star
• Local Hillary Clinton supporters Stewart A. Resnick and Marc Nathanson are being stroingly considered for ambassadorships, says Joe Scott. Body Politic
• Winners and losers at the California Democratic Party state convention last weekend. Calbuzz
• Kelly Candaele resigned from the City Employees' Retirement System Board after the Times asked about him sponsoring a Jack Weiss fundraiser in violation of the city's ethics laws. Weiss will return about $20,000. LAT
• City attorney antics du jour: Trutanich aide videotapes as speakers attack Weiss at City Council meeting, Weiss demands ad come down, Ace Smith quibbles with facts, Trutanich OKs a debate. LAT, DN
• Nearly 1,400 Los Angeles Unified teachers, counselors, and administrators have signed up for early retirement - a better-than-expected response that could save the district hundreds of jobs as it braces for massive layoffs. DN
• David Poland suggests some mutually beneficial Hollywood media mergers: Nikki Finke to Variety? The Hot Blog
• Maywood officials react to AG Jerry Brown's report on the city's police department. KPCC News
• College admissions and financial aid officers may be looking at the personal information students post on Facebook and MySpace. LAT
• The UCLA professor in charge of a lab where a worker was fatally burned last December complained in emails that he was being blamed for the accident. LAT
• The changes in direction at KNX and KFWB explained, plus KFWB's weekend infomercials. Steve Carney/LAT, Jim Rainey/LAT
• Rep. Linda Sanchez announced details of her recent marriage back east to Jim Sullivan. L.A. Now
• Tribune employees — who own the company, remember — have to pay Sam Zell's legal bills as a potential witness in the federal corruption investigation of former Gov. Rod Blagojevich. ChiTribune
• Edward Goldman wondered aloud for his Art Talk audience: to tweet or not to tweet? KCRW
• Steven Witser, principal trombonist of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, died of an apparent heart attack Monday night at age 48. LAT

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