Author: admin

NEW YORK — Major League Baseball has banned two fans who interfered with Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Mookie Betts during a World Series game at Yankee Stadium from attending any games at big league ballparks.MLB sent a letter to Austin Capobianco and John P. Hansen this week informing them of the decision.“On Oct. 29, 2024, during Game 4 of the World Series at Yankee Stadium, you interfered with play by intentionally and forcefully grabbing a player. Your conduct posed a serious risk to the health and safety of the player and went far over the line of acceptable fan behavior,”…

Americans are watching the TV news with horror and sadness as tales unfold of the wildfires that are sweeping across Southern California. The latest reports point to 10 deaths, thousands of destroyed buildings and perhaps $135 billion in total damages. Then there’s the incomparable toll on residents who continue to endure this tragedy.In a gentler era, Americans would be united in their expression of grief for the disaster victims, but these aren’t such times. Many politicians and pundits have started finger-pointing, often trading in half-truths and rumors. As the fires burn, we should all avoid ad hominem political attacks, but…

By LISA MASCARO, Associated PressWASHINGTON (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump is preparing more than 100 executive orders starting Day One of the new White House, in what amounts to a shock-and-awe campaign on border security, deportations and a rush of other policy priorities.Trump told Republican senators about the onslaught ahead during a private meeting on Capitol Hill. Many of the actions are expected to launch on Inauguration Day, Jan. 20, when he takes office. Trump top adviser Stephen Miller outlined for the GOP senators the border security and immigration enforcement measures that are likely to launch soonest. Axios first reported…

Santa Anita plans to resume racing Saturday barring a sudden return of smoky conditions caused by the nearby wildfire, executives of the Arcadia track said Friday.Friday’s races had been postponed until next Thursday (Jan. 16), track management citing the unhealthy air from the Eaton fire burning in neighboring cities as well as the desire to give horsemen and women and others working at Santa Anita time to deal with the effects of the calamity in Los Angeles County communities.But by Friday afternoon, air quality had improved to well within the California Horse Racing Board’s standards. The air quality index for Arcadia…

“Download Watch Duty” has become a common refrain across online discussions centered around the recent wind-fueled firestorms in Los Angeles.Watch Duty is a free wildfire alert app and it’s mission of “getting clear, concise, actionable information when seconds count,” has been invaluable for many during fires such as the Palisades and Eaton fire, Nick Russell, Watch Duty’s vice president of operations said.And its growth during recent wildfires speaks to that value. Two million users have downloaded the app in the past three days, bringing the total number of users to 4.8 million, Russell said. About 98% of the new users…

Silicon Valley Congressman Ro Khanna took aim at his own party this week, accusing Democrats in the U.S. Senate of a bumbling failure to secure a majority on the federal board that safeguards workers’ rights to form unions and negotiate collectively for contracts with employers.A procedural “unforced error by Democrats” has cost them a majority on the five-member National Labor Relations Board that would have lasted the first two years of President-elect Donald Trump’s term, Khanna charged.“This is a huge setback for the hundreds of thousands of workers across this country organizing for a better contract,” he said in an…

LOS ANGELES — A day after stunning news the NFL’s Los Angeles Rams’ playoff tilt with the Arizona Cardinals would be moved from SoFi Stadium to Arizona, the wildfires decimating Los Angeles caused another significant schedule shift in LA-area sports on Friday.In a statement, the Big Ten announced that Northwestern women’s basketball had elected not to travel to Los Angeles this upcoming week, for games scheduled against No. 1 UCLA (16-0, 5-0 Big Ten) and No. 4 USC (15-1, 5-0 Big Ten). In a subsequent statement shared with the Southern California News Group, Northwestern clarified the decision to forgo travel…

Another surf industry wipeout is hitting Orange County as Liberated Brands – which held the distribution license for big brands like Billabong, RVCA, Honolua and Volcom – shutters its Costa Mesa corporate offices and lays off nearly 400 employees.Details of the closure and layoffs came from a California Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification, dated Jan. 8, required by the state when a company issues large-scale layoffs.“As part of a company-wide restructuring, Liberated Brands is closing its corporate offices and laying off all employees who work at those locations.The terminations, which include the company’s chief executive, are anticipated to be permanent,…

If you take Gov. Gavin Newsom at his word, California will have a budget surplus for the first time in several years, and his fellow Democrats who control the legislature won’t need to cut more programs as they try to make the state more livable.In reality, the state’s financial future is murkier.Newsom’s proposal for the 2025-2026 budget, unveiled Friday, has plans to pull $7.1 billion from the state’s rainy day reserve fund. That’s on the heels of a $5.1 billion draw from the fund that the governor agreed to last year, along with sizable cuts to government agencies and programs.…

LOS ANGELES — It was eerily similar to 2018, when the Woolsey fire ripped through Los Angeles and Ventura counties. Rams right tackle Rob Havenstein heard a teammate point out a new cloud of smoke on the horizon, and his heart dropped at the thought of another blaze in the community.Then, as he stared to the west, a new, horrible thought crossed his mind.“You’re like, wait a second, I live over there,” Havenstein said.Such was the state of things at the Rams facility in Woodland Hills Thursday as the Kenneth fire broke out. Head coach Sean McVay called the team…