California

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These High-Rise Eyesores in LA Just Got Sold

Venture hopes to revive graffiti-covered skyscraper trio in Oceanwide Plaza before 2028 Olympics

(Newser) - Downtown LA's trio of tagged-up skeleton towers may finally escape their graffiti-and-glass limbo. A joint venture between California-based KPC Group and builder Lendlease has agreed to rescue the long-stalled Oceanwide Plaza complex out of bankruptcy for $470 million, with plans to line up as much as $800 million more...

Amid High Water Warning, Rescuers' 'Worst Fears' Realized

Young mother, 33, swept away on popular California trail

(Newser) - Rescuers stationed at a Southern California trailhead to warn hikers of dangerous water levels watched as their "worst fears became reality." Members of the San Dimas Mountain Rescue Team were set up Sunday morning at the Bridge to Nowhere trailhead in Angeles National Forest, advising hikers about swollen...

He Went From First-Round Pick to Murderer Jailed for Life

Dan Serafini gets life with no chance of parole in 2021 shooting of in-laws

(Newser) - Ex-MLB pitcher Dan Serafini has been sentenced to life in prison without the chance of parole in the 2021 murder and attempted murder of his wealthy in-laws. Serafini was found to have hidden inside the Lake Tahoe home of Robert Gary Spohr and Wendy Wood before firing a weapon, killing...

Court Freezes California Rules on Transgender Students

Ruling lets lower court decision favoring parents who argued religious rights take effect

(Newser) - The Supreme Court on Monday temporarily halted California's limits on when schools can tell parents that a student has identified as transgender. In a 6-3 decision along ideological lines, the court allowed a lower-court ruling favoring parents who say the state policy conflicts with their religious beliefs to take...

More Repercussions for LA Schools Chief After FBI Raid

Superintendent Alberto Carvalho has been put on paid leave as mystery investigation continues

(Newser) - Alberto Carvalho, the superintendent of Los Angeles public schools in the nation's second-largest district, was put on paid leave on Friday, two days after the FBI served search warrants at his home and the district's headquarters. Authorities haven't provided details of the nature of the investigation involving the...

Is California's 'Holy Weed' Just a Myth?
Is California's
'Holy Weed'
Just a Myth?
longform
Feb 28, 2026 8:30 AM CST

Is California's 'Holy Weed' Just a Myth?

Legend collides with legalization and vanishing small farms

(Newser) - California's most talked-about pot might be more ghost story than strain. Writing for SFGate , Lester Black details how he spent a year chasing Big Sur Holy Weed, a strain reportedly bred on Big Sur's cliffs in the 1960s by a reclusive monk named Perry, using seeds brought by...

Paramount's Deal Isn't Guaranteed, California Says

Industry voices, including an actor, warn of the effects of such acquisitions

(Newser) - California may turn out to be the toughest studio boss on Paramount's planned takeover of Warner Bros. Discovery . State Attorney General Rob Bonta said California has already opened an investigation into the $110 billion deal and pledged a "vigorous" review, Reuters reports, putting Sacramento on a potential collision...

FBI Raids Los Angeles School District HQ, Leader's Home

School district says it's cooperating, has no further information

(Newser) - The FBI served search warrants Wednesday at the Los Angeles Unified School District's headquarters and the home of its leader, a former Superintendent of the Year who was knighted by Spain for his work. Federal officials would not give details of the nature of the investigation involving the nation'...

Deadly Bird Flu Hits California Elephant Seal Colony

Seal deaths at Año Nuevo spark concern over wider H5N1 spread

(Newser) - A virus that's been slamming elephant seals in the Southern Hemisphere has now turned up on a California beach. Scientists on Wednesday confirmed the first known cases of the H5N1 bird flu virus in northern elephant seals, after seven pups at Año Nuevo State Park tested positive. They'...

Famed Caltech Astrophysicist Fatally Shot at Home

Freddy Snyder, 29, charged with shooting death of Carl Grillmair

(Newser) - A California astrophysicist known for mapping the Milky Way's structure and spotting water on a distant world was shot to death on the porch of his desert home. Authorities say 67-year-old Carl Grillmair, a longtime Caltech researcher, was found with a gunshot wound to the torso outside his house...

Video of Alcohol-Sipping Hawk Earns Man Jail Time

Judge also imposes ban on firearms and caring for animals, counseling on Cesar Gustavo Diaz, 25

(Newser) - Handing a boozy drink to a young hawk just landed a Los Angeles man behind bars. A judge sentenced Cesar Gustavo Diaz, 25, to 45 days in jail and a year of probation after footage showed him offering alcohol to a juvenile Cooper's hawk at a park in the...

Rapper Luci4 Found Dead in LA
Rapper Luci4 Found Dead in LA
Feb 24, 2026 7:11 AM CST

Rapper Luci4 Found Dead in LA

Family say 23-year-old died at friend's house; his wallet was reportedly found empty

(Newser) - Rapper Luci4, whose track " BodyPartz " became a TikTok staple, has died in Los Angeles at age 23. The LA County Medical Examiner confirmed the death of the artist, born James Dear, though a cause has not been determined. His grandparents told TMZ he died on Sunday at a...

3 More Skiers Die Near Lake Tahoe
3 More Skiers Die
Near Lake Tahoe
Feb 23, 2026 8:42 AM CST

3 More Skiers Die Near Lake Tahoe

Days after deadly Castle Peak avalanche, skier dies at one resort, and 2 at a second

(Newser) - A deadly winter around Lake Tahoe has grown even grimmer. Two people died Friday in separate incidents at Heavenly Mountain Resort's Boulder Lodge area, authorities in Douglas County, Nevada, have confirmed. Ski patrol and paramedics attempted life-saving measures in both cases, but each man was declared dead at the...

Families Identify 6 Mothers Killed in Tahoe Avalanche
Crews Recover Bodies
of All 9 Avalanche Victims
updated
Feb 21, 2026 4:34 PM CST

Crews Recover Bodies of All 9 Avalanche Victims

Heavy snow had suspended the recovery operation near Lake Tahoe

(Newser) - Crews in California recovered the bodies of nine backcountry skiers who were killed in an avalanche this week, authorities said Saturday, concluding a harrowing operation hindered by intense snowfall. The recovery efforts had been put on hold for several days because of the heavy snow and the possibility of more...

Conan O'Brien Breaks Silence on Reiner Killings

Late-night star last saw couple at his holiday party the evening before tragedy

(Newser) - Conan O'Brien says he's still reeling from the fact that he said goodnight to Rob and Michele Reiner at his holiday party, then learned the next day they were dead . Speaking with the New Yorker , O'Brien described the filmmaker and his photographer-producer wife as "lovely people"...

Multiple Skiers Missing in Avalanche Near Tahoe
10 Skiers Missing
in Avalanche Near Tahoe
UPDATED
Feb 17, 2026 7:43 PM CST

10 Skiers Missing in Avalanche Near Tahoe

Sheriff's office says 6 others are awaiting rescue

(Newser) - Six backcountry skiers are safe but another 10 are missing after an avalanche near Lake Tahoe late Tuesday morning. In a Facebook post , the Nevada County Sheriff's Office said it received a report of the avalanche in the Castle Peak area, north of Truckee, California, around 11:30am and...

Celebrity Chef, Town Spar Over Affordable Housing Project

French Laundry's Thomas Keller urges California town of Yountville to slow initiative over cost, design

(Newser) - In one of Napa Valley's priciest ZIP codes, a fight is brewing over where, and how, its workers should live. Chef Thomas Keller, whose French Laundry tasting menu can top $1,000 a head, has joined other business owners in Yountville, California, in urging the town to hit pause...

Surrogate Mom Gave Baby Away, Then Unearthed the Truth

New Yorker deep dive looks at an affluent couple who amassed 20+ young children in their LA mansion

(Newser) - In a story that starts like a fairy tale and veers into a legal and ethical maze, the New Yorker digs into how one Los Angeles couple quietly amassed more than 20 babies through American surrogates—only to have those children swept into foster care. Reporter Ava Kofman follows Kayla...

Judge Blocks Trump's 'Arbitrary' Health Grant Cuts

He says Democratic-led states showed Trump cuts were possibly unconstitutional

(Newser) - A federal judge has hit pause on the Trump administration's bid to yank hundreds of millions in health dollars from four Democratic-led states. In a brief order Thursday, US District Judge Manish Shah in Illinois blocked an attempt to reclaim about $600 million in previously approved federal public health...

Surfers Rush to the Rescue After Boat Carrying 6 Capsizes

'Man it feels good to have a surfing community go into action together as one team'

(Newser) - Surfers in Santa Cruz are being lauded as heroes after they swam toward a capsized boat and pulled six injured people onto their boards until emergency crews arrived. Droves of surfers were catching large waves last Friday at Steamer Lane, a famous point along California's Central Coast, when a...

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