WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump plans to sign an executive order Thursday calling for the shutdown of the U.S. Education Department, according to a White House official, advancing a campaign promise to eliminate an agency that's been a longtime target of conservatives. The official spoke on the condition of anonymity...
Feds Search for Longtime LA Gang Leader Suspected of Murder and Human Trafficking
LOS ANGELES — U.S. authorities are searching for a longtime leader of a Los Angeles street gang who investigators say ran a "mafia-like" criminal enterprise that included murder, human trafficking and extortion while he also worked as an entertainment entrepreneur, federal prosecutors said Wednesday. Eugene Henley Jr., known as "Big...
Jury Finds Greenpeace Liable for Hundreds of Millions in Damages
MANDAN, N.D. — A North Dakota jury awarded hundreds of millions of dollars in damages Wednesday to Texas-based pipeline company Energy Transfer, which had sued Greenpeace over its role in protests nearly a decade ago against its Dakota Access Pipeline. The verdict was a major blow to the storied environmental...
California’s Wine Industry Leery of Tariffs, but Some Growers Hope They Help
LODI — Escalating trade tensions between the U.S. and Europe are being closely watched in California's iconic wine industry, which is already struggling due to declining global wine consumption, rising costs and swings in weather. Many fear tariffs will hike the costs of wine-making materials and dampen U.S. importers of...
Butler Does It All as Warriors Don’t Need Curry to Clip Bucks
SAN FRANCISCO — Jimmy Butler had 24 points, eight rebounds, and 10 assists and the Golden State Warriors, playing without Stephen Curry, beat the Milwaukee Bucks 104-93 on Tuesday night. Curry, who recently became the first player in NBA history to make 4,000 3-pointers, was given the night off for a...
What Is This Continued Carnage in Gaza Achieving?
For now, at least, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel has returned to war in the Gaza Strip. Massive Israeli airstrikes across Gaza have claimed more than 400 lives, including those of children, according to Gaza's health authorities, and it seems more clear than ever that Netanyahu doesn't have a...
Brothers of Laken Riley’s Killer to Be Deported After Pleading Guilty to Fake Green Cards
ATHENS, Ga. — Two brothers of the Venezuelan man who killed Georgia nursing student Laken Riley will be deported along with their former roommate after they pleaded guilty to possessing fake green cards, federal authorities say. Jose Ibarra, 27, was convicted in November of murder and other crimes in Riley’s...
Bank Seeks $105 Million, Foreclosure on Some of John Vidovich’s Ag Properties
A bank is suing large San Joaquin Valley grower John Vidovich for more than $105 million in allegedly defaulted loans and is demanding the foreclosure and sale of large swaths of farmland, solar sites, a nut-hulling facility and the SunnyGem almond processing plant in Wasco. Affected lands could span Fresno,...
Newsom’s New CA Homelessness Plan Leaves Out Some Important Details
This commentary was originally published by CalMatters. Sign up for their newsletters. Let's assume that there's a theoretical problem that needs to be addressed with a plan of action. Logically, such a plan would define the problem, declare what goals must be reached, list actions to reach the goals and,...
Westlands’ New Science Adviser Brings Deep Knowledge of Fish
The country's largest public water district hired a new science adviser to guide the organization and help balance water availability with environmental needs. Brad Cavallo comes to Westlands Water District by way of Cramer Fish Sciences, where he was vice president and principal scientist at the research institute, according to...