Because they represent competitive districts, Min and Tran are “acting cautiously about the middle,” said one political analyst.

Originally Published: February 4, 2025 at 1:41 PM PST

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First to break the tape were Antoine Puglisi of Los Angeles for the men and Stefanie Cullingford for the women.

Originally Published: February 2, 2025 at 3:34 PM PST

A red flag warning for critical fire weather in parts of Los Angeles and Ventura counties, issued by the National Weather Service, has been extended through 10 a.m. on Friday, Jan. 24. Forecasters warn that these weather conditions, which include wind gusts and low humidity, create conditions where fire can spread extremely fast.

The warning is for places including the San Fernando and Santa Clarita Valleys, the Malibu coast, Calabasas and Agoura Hills and some areas in Ventura County, including the Southeastern and Central Ventura County Valleys, the inland coast and beaches.

The red flag warning had previously been in place through Thursday, Jan. 23, before the NWS extended the warning, stating that this critical fire weather will persist for another day.

“The primary driver for that (extension) is the very low relative humidity. Now, the winds are going to be weakening, but they’re still going to be gusting until Friday,” Philip Gonsalves, a meteorologist with the NWS said.

“We expect the strongest winds will be later on Thursday and that is going to be coupled with the lowest relative humidity. So that is when the threat will be the strongest, on Thursday afternoon.”

“Peak wind gusts of 35 to 50 mph will be common over much of Los Angeles and Ventura Counties,” an NWS statement said.

On Wednesday, Jan. 22, the Hughes fire broke out in Castaic amidst the red flag warning, spreading to over 9,000 acres by Wednesday evening as dry and windy weather affected the area.

Elsewhere in Southern California, a high wind warning is in place. Parts of Los Angeles, Orange, San Bernardino and Riverside counties are under the high wind warning, which is less severe than a red flag warning.

Originally Published: January 22, 2025 at 5:52 PM PST

The former legislator is also gearing up for another run at an open state Senate seat in 2026.

Originally Published: January 16, 2025 at 12:57 PM PST

Shop locally and seasonally – words we hear much these days from those trying to reduce their carbon footprint.

We’re so spoiled by the globalization of produce – cantaloupe in December! – as well as modern methods of preservation, such as freezing, that shopping locally and seasonally takes a bit of effort.

Actually, freezing food dates back to 3000 B.C., when the Chinese preserved food in ice cellars and the Romans used compressed snow. In 1917, Clarence Birdseye observed the Inuits “flash”-freezing the fish they caught in the extremely cold Arctic and noted its quality and freshness when thawed.

After much experimentation, it took until the 1950s for the first frozen foods to become available in the U.S.

While chefs and cookbook authors continue to recommend fresh over frozen, consumers are noticing that flash-frozen food is often fresher than the fresh food you buy in the market, which might be days or more from harvest.

My daughter-in-law, Shelly Kancigor, has found that to be true with the frozen peaches she uses to make these luscious Peach Cobbler Cookies.

“I started making these peach cookies in the summertime when peaches were plentiful, but found it’s a lot quicker to use frozen fruit,” she said. “Otherwise, you have to peel them, and sometimes fresh peaches are woody and maybe not sweet. It saves you an hour if you don’t have to peel the peaches.

“The frozen ones come peeled and sliced – I chop them up a bit further – and they’re consistently perfect every time,” she added. “And I did not have to adjust this recipe at all when I switched to frozen. You want to eat fresh peaches in season if they’re sweet and juicy, but peeling them is an unnecessary waste of time.”

Shelly takes her recipe from the Blue Bowl blog by Stephanie Simmons, find it at bluebowlrecipes.com/peach-cobbler-cookies.

Shelly works in retail sales at Alo Yoga, the upscale athleisure clothing store, in Phoenix, where her family moved from Minnesota almost…

It’s the last thing that wildfire-ravaged southern California needs, but a red flag warning will span several days, through Wednesday, Jan. 15 at 6 p.m., with strong winds and continuing critical fire weather in the forecast, the National Weather Service announced on Saturday.

The warning indicates that existing fires could spread and new ones could start, meteorologists said. It begins at 6 p.m. Saturday, as fire crews continue to battle the devastating Palisades and Eaton fires, which are still threatening lives and property in Los Angeles County.

The latest red flag warning also includes the Inland Empire and Orange County, and residents throughout Southern California should be prepared for pre-emptive power outages to lessen the likelihood of wildfires being sparked by Southern California Edison or other equipment, officials said.

Winds are forecast to be around 15 to 30 mph, with gusts between 30 to 50 mph, or even higher.

“It does include areas of the Palisades fire and portions of the northern part of the Eaton fire, as well, so these areas are still going to be highly, highly concerning fire weather-wise,“ NWS meteorologist Rose Schoenfeld said of the forecast on Saturday afternoon.

“The periods of greatest concern are going to be tonight into Sunday morning, and then again late Monday into Tuesday,” she said.

The Palisades fire flared up Friday night and Saturday, even before the winds began to pick up speed. The winds are now raising already heightened concerns as flames continue to edge toward the San Fernando Valley and Brentwood, where at least one home was consumed by the blaze as of Saturday afternoon.

Originally Published: January 11, 2025 at 2:50 PM PST

A man armed with a knife and accused of restraining his mother died after a police officer shot him Wednesday night, Jan. 1, in Santa Ana, authorities said.

Officers responded at 8:42 p.m. to the 1100 block of West Sharon Road, east of Bristol Street and south of Memory Lane, after a report that a man was restraining a woman in the driveway of a home, according to the Santa Ana Police Department.

Police arrived using emergency lights and sirens when they found the 55-year-old Anaheim man holding his 79-year-old mother from behind and refusing to let her go. The man had a knife, police said.

An officer shot the man once. He was taken to a hospital and died hours later, said Officer Natalie Garcia, a spokesperson for the police department. Authorities have not yet released the man’s name.

The Police Department’s Internal Affairs Division, homicide detectives and investigators from the Orange County District Attorney’s Office are investigating the police shooting.

Police ask anyone with information to call homicide detectives at 714-245-8390 or leave an anonymous tip at 1-855-TIP-OCCS.

Originally Published: January 5, 2025 at 6:49 PM PST