FIRST OFF . . .

KTLA reporter/anchor Minerva Perez was in the right place at the right time this week. In Puerto Rico to attend a Latino media conference, she sprang into action after an explosion occurred in a gun turret on the U.S. battleship Iowa, killing at least 47 sailors. The dead and injured were ferried to hospitals in Puerto Rico. Her reports on a press conference concerning the tragedy were to air Thursday night not only on KTLA’s 10 p.m. news here but also worldwide on Cable News Network.