Today: November 25, 2024
Today: November 25, 2024

Latest From Rebekah Ludman

Environment

3 major wildfires engulf Southern California, forcing mass evacuations

Three major wildfires continue to burn through Southern California as of Monday. There’s the Bridge Fire, Airport Fire, and the Line Fire. Here’s the latest update for all three fires:  Bridge Fire The Bridge Fire in San Bernardino and Los Angeles counties is 71% contained as of Sunday as firefighters continue strengthening containment lines, according to Cal Fire.  The blaze has burned 54,877 acres and is threatening 4,409 structures. So far, the fire has destroyed 81 structures and damaged 17, according to officials.  “Crews on the west flank will focus on constructing indirect line from Rattlesnake Peak north and Mount

3 major wildfires engulf Southern California, forcing mass evacuations
Crime

Mystery surrounds fatal vehicle-pedestrian incident in Long Beach

A male pedestrian was fatally struck by a vehicle in Long Beach and an investigation is underway on Friday. According to a press release from the Long Beach Police Department, officers were called to Pacific Coast Highway and Pasadena Avenue at 11:51 p.m. on Thursday. The Long Beach Fire Department transported the man to a local hospital, where he died, according to police.  “The preliminary investigation revealed a Lexus sedan was driving west on Pacific Coast Highway and collided with a pedestrian crossing south across Pacific Coast Highway outside of a marked crosswalk,” police said.  The driver remained at the

Mystery surrounds fatal vehicle-pedestrian incident in Long Beach
Environment

Plastic bags outlawed again in California as hidden flaw in former ban exposed

California Governor Gavin Newsom signed a bill on Sunday to ban the distribution of plastic bags at grocery stores. Supporters of the bill said on Monday it will help reduce a major source of waste. Senate Bill 1053, the bill authored by Sen. Ben Allen, D-Santa Monica and Sen. Catherine Blakespear, D-Encinitas, goes further than SB 270, which was passed in 2014. SB 270 banned single-use plastic bags, but still allowed stores to distribute “reusable” plastic bags.  However, observers say the thicker plastic bags weren’t actually being reused or recycled. The amount of plastic bags disposed of by residents in

Plastic bags outlawed again in California as hidden flaw in former ban exposed
Environment

Need a greener lawn mower? This rebate program may give you up to $250

Do you live in Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, or San Bernardino, including the Coachella Valley, counties? You may be eligible to receive $250 to replace your gas-powered lawn mower and garden equipment in a newly expanded rebate program.  The South Coast Air Quality Management District’s Residential Electric Lawn & Garden Equipment Rebate Program is now expanded to give residents the opportunity to replace gas-powered tools with electric models. Before this expansion, the rebate program only covered lawn mowers.  AQMD officials announced the rebate program now includes leaf blowers, trimmers, and chainsaws for residents in the South Coast Air Basin. Trimmers

Need a greener lawn mower? This rebate program may give you up to $250
Crime

School counselor charged in alleged sex assault; LAPD searches for more victims

The Los Angeles Police Department urged people on Tuesday to contact detectives if they have any information on a former high school guidance counselor, who allegedly sexually assaulted a 16-year-old boy in West Los Angeles. Investigators arrested 37-year-old Julie Tichon, of Los Angeles, on Aug. 29 for a series of sexual assaults of the teen boy between February and March of 2024, according to police. She was booked at the Metropolitan Detention Center on suspicion of unlawful sexual intercourse with a minor and was subsequently released on her own recognizance, LAPD said in a statement.  “On September 19th, 2024, the

School counselor charged in alleged sex assault; LAPD searches for more victims
Crime

1 person fatally shot, 1 person arrested after Metro bus hijacked in L.A.

One person suspected of hijacking a Metro bus and taking the driver hostage was arrested Wednesday morning and one passenger was fatally shot, the Los Angeles Police Department said. According to LAPD, police began receiving radio calls at 12:45 a.m. related to an incident that happened on a Metro bus in the area of Manchester Avenue and South Figueroa Street. Police said they located the bus stopped at West 117th Street and South Figueroa Street. Police attempted to communicate with the driver upon arrival, but the bus pulled away, according to LAPD. The suspect then allegedly led police on a

1 person fatally shot, 1 person arrested after Metro bus hijacked in L.A.
Local

City Council approves $50K for Safe Parking L.A. program

The Los Angeles City Council approved $50,000 in funding Wednesday to support an RV parking program for unhoused people in the West San Fernando Valley. The funding request made by Councilman Bob Blumenfield, who represents the areas of Woodland Hills, Tarzana, Canoga Park, and Reseda, was unanimously backed by city council members.  The city developed a Safe Parking Pilot Program in 2016 as part of its strategy to address homelessness across L.A. This later became an approach for interim housing. Safe Parking L.A. operates in the San Fernando Valley, Hollywood, downtown L.A., and West L.A. It connects unhoused residents with

City Council approves $50K for Safe Parking L.A. program
Crime

Murder suspect arrested after 9-hour standoff with police in Compton

A 24-year-old man suspected of murder was arrested in Compton Thursday after a nine-hour standoff with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department deputies, according to police. L.A. County deputies were called to the 1400 block of 131st Street at 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday in response to reports of an armed murder suspect, who had barricaded himself inside a home, according to the sheriff’s department. The armed man was allegedly identified by LASD homicide investigators as a suspect in the fatal shooting of a man on Jan. 7, 2024. According to LASD, the shooting happened at the 12800 block of San

Murder suspect arrested after 9-hour standoff with police in Compton
Crime

LAPD searches for suspects involved in shooting that left 6 injured

Los Angeles Police Department detectives are searching for suspects Thursday involved in a South Los Angeles shooting that wounded five women and one man. Officers from LAPD’s 77th Street Community Police Station responded to reports of assault with a deadly weapon around 3:10 p.m. on Wednesday, according to a press release from the department. They responded to the call at the intersection of 74th and Figueroa streets, according to police.  Officers found the six victims suffering from gunshot wounds, primarily in the lower extremities, when they arrived at the scene, according to the press release. “At this early stage of

LAPD searches for suspects involved in shooting that left 6 injured
Celebrity

Maggie Smith, beloved actress, dies at 89

Maggie Smith, who won an Academy Award for her role in “The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie” in 1969, died on Friday. She was 89-year-old.

Maggie Smith, beloved actress, dies at 89
News

Ports of L.A., Long Beach see disruptions after lithium battery fire on roadway

Parts of the Port of Los Angeles continue to be inaccessible on Friday after a big rig hauling large lithium batteries overturned and caught fire.

Ports of L.A., Long Beach see disruptions after lithium battery fire on roadway
News

Newsom signs bill to add speed cameras on PCH, nearly 1 year after fatal crash

Governor Gavin Newsom signed legislation on Friday to authorize speed cameras to be installed at five locations along Pacific Coast Highway. The signing of this bill comes as the one-year anniversary of the fatal crash involving four Pepperdine University students nears.  Senate Bill 1297, authored by Sen. Ben Allen, D-Santa Monica, and co-authored by Assemblywoman Jacqui Irwin, D-Thousand Oaks, is intended to place speed feedback signs, in addition to automated speed cameras on the 21-mile stretch of PCH that will result in speeding drivers being fined.  “SB 1297 is just one additional piece of the puzzle to help save lives

Newsom signs bill to add speed cameras on PCH, nearly 1 year after fatal crash
Crime

Westlake carjacking, burglary ends in arrests of six suspects after police chase

A pharmacy burglary and carjacking led to a police chase on Monday morning that ended at the Long Beach International Gateway Bridge.

Westlake carjacking, burglary ends in arrests of six suspects after police chase
Local

L.A. to open cooling centers, resources to escape the heat

The city of Los Angeles will open and operate cooling centers due to an excessive heat warning for the region, L.A. Mayor Karen Bass’ office announced.

L.A. to open cooling centers, resources to escape the heat
Environment

Metrolink to offer free rides on California Clean Air Day

Metrolink is joining other transit agencies to offer free rides on Wednesday, Oct. 2 to commemorate California Clean Air Day and help Southern Californians reduce their carbon footprint.  The state’s Clean Air Day encourages residents and organizations across the region to do their part in addressing air pollution. Metrolink hopes commuters will take advantage of the free rides and explore alternative modes of transportation other than their vehicles.  “We are proud to participate in this statewide initiative and offer free rides to encourage others to join us in taking steps that improve our region’s air quality,” Metrolink Board Chair, South

Metrolink to offer free rides on California Clean Air Day
News

Motorcycle passenger killed in wrong-way crash in Long Beach

A woman was killed on Wednesday when a motorcycle she was the passenger on collided with a car in Long Beach, authorities said.  Police were called to the scene of the crash at 10:30 p.m. on Tuesday on East Ocean Boulevard and Kennebec Avenue, according to a press release from the Long Beach Police Department. Police said upon arrival, they found two adults in the roadway and immediately began to render aid.  “Long Beach Fire Department personnel arrived and transported one male motorcyclist and one female motorcycle passenger to a local hospital, where the female passenger succumbed to her injuries,”

Motorcycle passenger killed in wrong-way crash in Long Beach
News

Homeowners impacted by Rancho Palos Verdes landslide can get up to $10K

Homeowners impacted by the ongoing landslides in Rancho Palos Verdes may be eligible to receive up to $10,000 after an emergency financial assistance program was approved by the city council Tuesday night.  The approved program allocated $5 million in landslide relief funding from the office of County Supervisor Janice Hahn to give immediate aid to residents impacted by the land movement and utility shutoffs. This includes $2.8 million for up to 280 eligible homeowners impacted by the landslides, and the remaining $2.2 million will be allocated for the city’s ongoing response and stabilization efforts.  “These emergency grants will deliver long-overdue

Homeowners impacted by Rancho Palos Verdes landslide can get up to $10K
Education

UCLA College Division of Humanities receives $31M donation

Tadashi Yanai, a billionaire Japanese executive and philanthropist, has committed to donate $31 million to the University of California, Los Angeles College Division of Humanities. This is the largest gift in the division’s history, according to the university.  The gift is to the Yanai Initiative for Globalizing Japanese Humanities, which was established in 2014 by UCLA in partnership with Tokyo’s Waseda University thanks to a $2.5 million donation from Yanai. He also donated $25 million in 2020 to the initiative. Yanai is the founder and CEO of Fast Retailing, the parent company of the Uniqlo clothing brand.  “Adding to his

UCLA College Division of Humanities receives $31M donation
Education

Loyola Marymount University receives $5M grant for Engineering Innovation Complex

Loyola Marymount University has received a $5 million grant from the W.M. Keck Foundation for its new Engineering Innovation Complex (EIC), which is a planned expansion of its Frank R. Seaver College of Science and Engineering, the university announced. This grant is the first in the match of the Thomas and Dorothy Leavey Foundation’s $25 million lead gift for the complex. The Leavey Foundation’s lead gift matches new commitments from donors on a dollar-for-dollar basis up to $25 million through Dec. 31, 2026 for the new complex.  “The Leavey Foundation issued a galvanizing challenge, and I am heartened that the

Loyola Marymount University receives $5M grant for Engineering Innovation Complex
News

Metro board approves 11.8-acre mixed-use housing projection in NoHo

A proposed 11.8-acre mixed-use development project on Metro’s North Hollywood Station will move forward, officials announced Thursday. The development is expected to bring more than 1,500 new housing units and bolster access to transit in the area. The Metro’s Board of Directors instructed staff during its September meeting to enter a joint development agreement with developer NOHO Development Associates, which is an affiliate of Trammell Crow Company and High Street Residential. The entities will build the project, which is called “District NoHo.” “We have to get creative if we’re going to build the housing we need in L.A. County, and

Metro board approves 11.8-acre mixed-use housing projection in NoHo
News

Bass announces new LAPD Chief

On Friday, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass officially named former LAPD Assistant Chief Jim McDonnell as the next chief of the LAPD.

Bass announces new LAPD Chief
News

Newsom declares Norwalk in violation of state housing laws

Gov. Gavin Newsom officially declared Norwalk to be in violation of the state housing requirements on Friday.

Newsom declares Norwalk in violation of state housing laws
Crime

6 people arrested in ‘flash-mob’ style robbery in Canoga Park

Four adults and two juveniles were arrested in connection with a flash-mob style robbery at the Westfield Topanga Mall on Friday, according to the LAPD.

6 people arrested in ‘flash-mob’ style robbery in Canoga Park
Crime

UCLA police investigate 2 reports of students drugged at parties

Police are investigating reports of two UCLA students who said they were drugged while attending several parties near the Westwood campus.

UCLA police investigate 2 reports of students drugged at parties
Local|News

5 people killed in Catalina Island airplane crash

Recovery efforts are continuing Wednesday at a plane crash site on Santa Catalina Island that killed all five people who were aboard.

5 people killed in Catalina Island airplane crash

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