Ukraine: Russian-occupied Crimea declared itself independent today after an overwhelming vote to separate from Ukraine. The vote was 97 percent in favor of secession sparking a surge of Russian flag-waving nationalism both within Crimea and Russia itself. The Crimean parliament declared that all Ukrainian state property now belongs to Crimea.

  Russian troops are massed on the border of Eastern Ukraine and Ukrainian troops are beginning to dig in on their side of the line.

President Obama immediately signed an executive order freezing the assets and banning visas for seven Russians believed responsible for seizing Crimea and interfering with Ukrainian sovereignty. Among those targeted were members of President Vladimir Putin’s inner circle. Earlier in the day the European Union placed sanctions on 21 Russian and Crimean officials.

Ukraine has already shut down banking and credit card access in Crimea, putting an immediate financial squeeze on its citizens. Russian President Putin now has to decide whether to annex Crimea and risk further international condemnation and economic sanctions.

A White House statement after the vote said, “President Obama emphasized that the Crimean ‘referendum,’ which violates the Ukrainian constitution and occurred under the duress of Russian military intervention, would not be recognized by the United States and the international community.”

Putin defended the vote saying the Russian-speaking population of Crimea was being terrorized, even though they are the majority and there have been no threats or incidents.

The Medium One: A sharp earthquake struck Los Angeles just before dawn this morning. The USGS rates it as a 4.4 magnitude 5 miles beneath Encino west of downtown Los Angeles. There are no reports yet of damage or injury. A quake of that magnitude can be scary, but generally only knocks soup cans off the shelf.

World: Starting today, residents of Paris will be allowed to drive their cars only every other day in an effort to relieve the city of smog. In recent days a pea soup smog has obscured the Eiffel Tower and major city landmarks. After five consecutive days of unhealthy levels, the severity of smog has been compared to Beijing, one of the smoggiest cities in the world.

Nation: The Rev. Fred Phelps Sr., founder of the hateful Westboro Baptist Church in Topeka, is near death in a hospice, according to his estranged son. Phelps and his followers became notorious for picketing military funerals with signs that said “Thank God for 9/11,” “Thank God for Dead Soldiers,” and “God Hates Fags.” He believes war and death are God’s punishment for American tolerance of homosexuality. The church membership has fragmented and Nathan Phelps said his father was excommunicated from his own church last August for reasons the church did not reveal.

>Army Gen. Jeffrey Sinclair has agreed to plead guilty to reduced charges rather than continue with his trial on charges that he sexually assaulted his former Army mistress and threatened to kill her and her family. He’ll plead guilty to disobeying an order, abusing an Army credit card, and mistreating his mistress, an Army captain. Sinclair, 51, who once commanded the 82^nd Airborne, will be kicked out of the Army and could spend time in prison.

Common Sense: A British microbiologist has determined that the time-honored “five second rule” for food dropped on the floor is actually legitimate. But the study says, “The type of flooring food has been dropped on has an effect, with bacteria least likely to transfer from carpeted surfaces and most likely to transfer from laminate or tiled surfaces to most foods making contact for more than 5 seconds.” The rule doesn’t apply if the chip has guacamole on it.

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