California's Condors; Spring Training in L.A., March 14, 1949

A California condor soars over Ventura County.

Couple found shot in parked car. Times reporter Ken Nevins and photographer Art Rogers take a backcountry trek with game warden Leslie Edgerton to visit what Nevin called "Condor Cave." Sixty years ago, there were about 25 left, Nevins said.  View Larger Map The 5400 Block of East Jillson Street via Google maps' street view.

King of the sky "Brenda Starr," "Li'l Abner" and "Dick Tracy."

Back when Southern California was a spring training stop for big league teams, a collection of major league stars played the Hollywood Stars before a packed crowd at Gilmore Field. More than 11,000 fans watched the all-stars shut out Hollywood, 5-0, in the 10th Kiwanis Club benefit. One of the hitting stars was Jack Paepke, the all-star's first baseman who homered. "Paepke became a 'major league all-star' for the day because the winners found themselves without a first sacker when they gathered at Gilmore Field," wrote The Times' Braven Dyer. Paepke was a pitcher for St. Paul the previous season, many years before the Twins gave Minnesota a major-league franchise. "Although the cast was considerably shy of top big league talent ... there were no reports of anyone asking for their money back," Dryer wrote. "But in the future Kiwanis leaders and baseball officials will be smarter if they give this most worthy game more support than most of the major league clubs did yesterday." --Keith Thursby