Category: California

Extreme Heat Wave Coming for Southwest: Arizona, New Mexico, California

Forecasters warn of a long and intense heat wave coming for the Southwest United States that could rank among the most severe in recent history. The focal point of the blistering heat will fall mostly on Arizona, California, and New Mexico, with peak intensity expected later next week, according to regional offices of the National…


California AG Joins National Effort to Make Canceling Unwanted Subscriptions Easy

California Attorney General Rob Bonta announced support June 26 for proposed Federal Trade Commission (FTC) changes that will make canceling subscriptions, both digital and physical, as easy as signing up for them, according to his office. The so-called Negative Option Rule is a marketing method for companies to enroll consumers in services with recurring charges,…


6 People Dead After Plane Crashes and Catches Fire in Southern California, Officials Say

MURRIETA, Calif.—Six people died after a plane crashed over a Southern California field on Saturday morning before bursting into flames. The plane was engulfed in fire along with about one acre of vegetation when deputies arrived. The plane crashed near an airport in the city of Murrieta, California, in southwest Riverside County, located between Los…


6 Killed When Small Plane Crashes, Bursts Into Flames in Field Near Southern California Airport

MURRIETA, Calif.—Six people were killed when a small plane crashed and burst into flames in a field during the second of two landing attempts in fog at a Southern California airport before dawn Saturday, authorities said. The crash of the Cessna C550 business jet occurred around 4:15 a.m. in Murrieta, about 80 miles southeast of…


Laguna Beach Animal Shelter Receives $30,000 Donation From Deceased Animal Lover

The Laguna Beach Animal Shelter has received a nearly $30,000 donation from the now-finalized estate of a former resident, according to city officials. Edward Burkart, who was also an aerospace computer engineer before retiring, bequeathed the amount to the facility before his death in 2015 at the age of 86, officials said. The donation will…


Florida Judge to Murder Suspect on Run for 40 Years: ‘You Knew You Were Running From Something’

TAMPA, Fla.—A judge in Florida has ordered a 65-year-old California fugitive held without bond in connection with the death of a woman nearly 40 years ago. Donald Santini was arrested by U.S. marshals in California last month, and extradited to Florida. He had used at least 13 aliases over the years. Mr. Santini was the…


Leslie Van Houten, Follower of Cult Leader Charles Manson, Is One Big Step Closer to Freedom

LOS ANGELES—California’s governor announced Friday that he won’t ask the state Supreme Court to block parole for Charles Manson follower Leslie Van Houten, paving the way for her release after serving 53 years in prison for two infamous murders. In a brief statement, the governor’s office said it was unlikely that the state’s high court…


Woman Found Dead in SUV Near Mexican Border; Husband Suspected

SAN DIEGO—Authorities reached out to the public on July 6 for help in finding a fugitive suspected of killing his wife, a Santa Barbara County resident whose body was found just north of the U.S.-Mexico line in San Ysidro on the Fourth of July. German Luna Salazar, 44, allegedly bludgeoned 32-year-old Leyva Oregel Garcia to…


Hiker Missing in Yosemite After Being Swept Away by Fast-Flowing Creek

YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK, Calif.—A hiker has been missing in Yosemite National Park since the holiday weekend after being swept away by a cold and fast-flowing creek as California’s epic winter snowpack melts. Hayden T. Klemenok vanished while backpacking with a group at Upper Chilnualna Falls on Sunday, the National Park Service said in a statement….


2 Arrested in Countywide Crime Spree in San Diego

SAN DIEGO—A man and a woman were in custody July 7 after a violent crime spree that spanned from Coastal North County to the South Bay, the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department said. Around 7 p.m. on July 5, a man called 911 to report he was the victim of a carjacking in the 800…