Sara Campos remembers being inspired to start skateboarding after playing Tony Hawk videogames on the California family’s PlayStation 2. Campos, 23, who uses they/them pronouns, never dreamed they would be part of Tony Hawk’s charitable work. But last month, Campos was selected for the first class in The Skatepark Project’s...
Russia Rejoins Key Deal on Wartime Ukrainian Grain Exports
Diplomatic efforts salvaged a wartime agreement that allowed Ukrainian grain and other commodities to reach world markets, with Russia saying Wednesday it would stick to the deal after Ukraine pledged not to use a designated Black Sea corridor to attack Russian forces. But Russian President Vladimir Putin warned that Moscow reserves the...
CVS, Walgreens Announce Opioid Settlements Totaling $10B
Two of the largest U.S. pharmacy chains, CVS Health and Walgreen Co., announced agreements in principle Wednesday to pay about $5 billion each to settle lawsuits nationwide over the toll of opioids, and a lawyer said Walmart is in discussions for a deal. Together, the developments amount to what could be...
As Housing Prices Surge, Rent Control Is Back on the Ballot
Liberty McCoy was out Saturday urging voters to pass a Nov. 8 ballot measure to limit rent increases in Pasadena because she’s afraid she’ll be priced out of the city where she grew up and where her aging parents live. The librarian and her husband, a freelance consultant, received notice...
California Storm Closes Yosemite’s Tioga Road, Other Mountain Passes
A potent cold front from the Gulf of Alaska pushed into drought-stricken California on Tuesday, and forecasters predicted it would bring widespread rain, mountain snow, gusty winds, and unusually low temperatures in much of the state. With the calendar still saying autumn, winter storm warnings went into effect in much...
SoCal Man Sentenced for Murder of 13-Year Old Bakersfield Girl He Met Online
A man who admitted raping and killing a 13-year-old Bakersfield girl he met online, then setting her body on fire, was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole Tuesday. Armando Cruz, of Inglewood, accepted an agreement to plead guilty to murder, rape, kidnapping and other charges in...
Exit Polls Point to Netanyahu Win in Israel Election
Exit polls in Israel on Tuesday indicate that former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his allies may have won enough seats to return to power in a nationalist and religious government after three and a half years of political gridlock. The polls are preliminary, however, and final results could change...
BBC Tries to Understand Politics by Creating Fake Americans
Larry, a 71-year-old retired insurance broker and Donald Trump fan from Alabama, wouldn't be likely to run into the liberal Emma, a 25-year-old graphic designer from New York City, on social media — even if they were both real. Each is a figment of BBC reporter Marianna Spring's imagination. She created five...
Job Openings Hit 10.7M Despite Fed Attempts to Cool Economy
U.S. job openings rose unexpectedly in September, suggesting that the American labor market is not cooling as fast as the inflation fighters at the Federal Reserve hoped. Employers posted 10.7 million job vacancies in September, up from 10.3 million in August, the Labor Department said Tuesday. Economists had expected the...
Migos Rapper Takeoff Dead After Houston Shooting, Rep Says
The rapper Takeoff, best known for his work with the Grammy-nominated trio Migos, is dead after a shooting early Tuesday outside a bowling alley in Houston, a representative confirmed. He was 28. Kirsnick Khari Ball, known as Takeoff, was part of Migos along with Quavo and Offset. A representative for...