A record amount of California is burning, spurred by a nearly 20-year mega-drought. To the north, parts of Oregon that don’t usually catch fire are in flames. Meanwhile, the Atlantic’s 16th and 17th named tropical storms are swirling, a record number for this time of year. Powerful Typhoon Haishen lashed Japan and the Korean...
Walters: Legislature Fails on Police Reform Promises
When the California Legislature folded up its tent 10 days ago, it left an extraordinary number of high-profile bills still awaiting final votes, and the finger-pointing has been underway ever since. It’s not unusual for the last day of any legislative session to be a madhouse but the 2020 version was especially...
State Supreme Court Rules Against Immanuel, Clovis Christian Schools
The state Supreme Court denied a petition to keep schools open and overrule the state's emergency order closing them down during the COVID-19 pandemic. Two private Valley schools, Immanuel Schools of Reedley and Clovis Christian Schools, were among nine plaintiffs seeking to overturn the order. The court did not hold...
Massive Smoke Clouds, Thick Air Darken Western US Skies
SAN FRANCISCO — People from San Francisco to Seattle woke Wednesday to hazy clouds of smoke lingering in the air, darkening the sky to an eerie orange glow that kept street lights illuminated into midday, all thanks to dozens of wildfires throughout the West. “It's after 9 a.m. and there's still no sign of...
California Wildfire Ignited by Device To Reveal Baby’s Gender
LOS ANGELES — A couple’s plan to reveal their baby’s gender went up not in blue or pink smoke but in flames when the device they used sparked a wildfire that burned thousands of acres and forced people to flee from a city east of Los Angeles. The fire prompted...
Behind the ‘Wild West’ of School Reopenings
By Ricardo Cano and Ana B. Ibarra An academic year in which public education will intersect with public health has created back-to-school shopping lists unlike any other for California’s schools as they attempt to transition toward in-person instruction once they have the state’s blessing. Bakersfield’s Panama-Buena Vista Union School District...
Rescuers in Military Helicopters Fly 207 People to Safety in Creek Fire
Rescuers in military Black Hawk and Chinook helicopters airlifted at least 207 people to safety after an explosive wildfire trapped them at Mammoth Pool late Saturday night. The California Office of Emergency Services said Black Hawk and Chinook helicopters were used for the rescues, which continued overnight. Two campers refused...
Walters: Capitol’s Dominant Democrats Still Bickering
One might think that when Democrats captured overwhelming control of the California Legislature — roughly three-fourths of its 120 seats — harmony would prevail. Nope. As the Legislature’s just-concluded, pandemic-truncated 2020 session demonstrated, one-party dominance is no panacea. While Republican legislators may be largely irrelevant these days — although they...
Expect Severe Heat During Labor Day Weekend
LOS ANGELES — California will roast in dangerous heat through the Labor Day weekend, forecasters said Thursday, and options for cooling off may be limited by coronavirus concerns at beaches and calls for energy conservation that could limit use of air conditioning at home. The withering hot, dry air also...
Firefighter Killed in NorCal Wildfire Was 63 Year Old Texas Mom
SAN FRANCISCO — A firefighter from Texas killed battling a wildfire in the Northern California forest was working the fire lines when her truck rolled off a remote backcountry road as she tried to escape the flames, fire officials said. Diana Jones, 63, was an emergency medical technician with the...