Los Angeles - The engineer in the worst train wreck in California history sent a text message from his cellphone seconds before he slammed into an oncoming freight train in an accident that killed 25 people and injured 135 others last month, federal authorities said Wednesday.

A spokesman for the National Transportation Safety Board said engineer Robert M. Sanchez sent the message at 4:22 p.m., 22 seconds before he hit A freight train near Los Angeles on September 12, a spokesman for the agency said in a written statement.

In all, Sanchez sent 29 text messages while he was on duty the day of the crash, the NTSB said.

Los Angeles - Hollywood royalty turned out in force to back Democratic Presidential candidate Barack Obama in two glittering events Monday night that raised a record 9 million dollars.

In the midst of the worst US financial crisis in decades, Obama kept television cameras away from the star-studded parties in a bid to minimize criticism that he was celebrating as the country suffered.

Los Angeles  - A specially trained dog saved his owner's life by dialing the emergency number 911 after the owner suffered a seizure, according to Phoenix TV station KPHO.

Buddy, an 18-month-old German shepherd, was trained to recognize the signs of a seizure and use a special phone which is wired to call 911 whenever any button is pressed for more than three seconds.

That's what he did when his owner, Joe Stalnaker, suffered a severe seizure last Wednesday, responding with a series of barks and whimpers when he heard the operator answer.

Los Angeles  - Investigators Monday continued their investigation into the worst train crash in southern California history, focusing on whether the driver of the passenger train was sending text messages when he allegedly ran a red light just prior to the collision.

The probe also focused on whether the red light signal was functioning properly.

At least 25 people died in the Friday afternoon crash that left another 138 injured.

Los Angeles  - The world of literature Monday was mourning American novelist David Foster Wallace, who was found dead in his California home Friday after apparently committing suicide.

Wallace, 46, was an English professor at Pomona College in southern California and was most famous for his sprawling and sardonic novel Infinite Jest published in 1996.

Los Angeles - The death toll from the worst train crash in southern California history mounted late Saturday to at least 25 people, with 135 injured.

Officials blamed the driver of the passenger train for running though a red light and ploughing around a bend, head on into an oncoming freight train.