Category: Regional News

Mission Viejo Man Accused of Choking School Teacher Mom to Death to Be Retried

SANTA ANA, Calif.—A mistrial was declared this week in the case against a 38-year-old Mission Viejo man charged with killing his mother, with jurors deadlocking 11-1 on a verdict. Jurors began deliberating Monday morning and said they could not reach a verdict as of Tuesday afternoon because of the holdout. A hearing was scheduled for…


California to Consider Making Housing a ‘Fundamental Human Right’

After a failed attempt three years ago, the California Legislature will again consider an amendment to the state constitution to make housing a “fundamental human right.” Assemblyman Matt Haney (D-San Francisco) introduced Assembly Constitutional Amendment (ACA) 10 March 8. The measure would declare that everyone in the state has the right to adequate housing. “We…


Shapiro’s Pennsylvania Budget Projects Revenue From Sale of Still-Illegal Recreational Marijuana

Although he didn’t mention cannabis in his budget address, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro’s $45 billion spending plan (pdf) sets the stage for a bill to legalize recreational marijuana this legislative session. The legislature is now working on the 2023/2024 budget. The budget projects spending beyond the fiscal year, as common, so lawmakers can predict how…


Biden Grants California Emergency Assistance as New Storm Hits

President Joe Biden, who was scheduled to visit California next week, granted the storm-weary state an emergency declaration March 10, the second one this year. Gov. Gavin Newsom requested federal assistance as another series of atmospheric river storms began dumping rain and snow across the state. He also advised Californians to prepare emergency supplies as…


San Diego Police Seek to Install 500 ‘Smart Streetlights’

The San Diego Police Department is holding community meetings this week regarding the use of 500 so-called “smart streetlights,” which are equipped with video cameras and license plate readers. The city purchased smart streetlights in 2016 with a loan from San Diego Gas and Electric, San Diego police Cpt. Jeff Jordon said at a March…


Man Killed in Riverside County After Being Attacked by 4 Dogs

A man was killed by four dogs March 8 while he was working at a property in Jurupa Valley, California, according to Riverside County Sheriff’s Department. The deputies responded around 7:30 a.m. to the corner of Bellegrave Avenue to a 911 call reporting screaming and found an unresponsive man in a front yard with four…


‘A Light to All Who Knew Him’: Los Angeles Man Dies After Falling Off Oregon Cliff

A 25-year-old Los Angeles man died March 4 after falling 20 feet while hiking along a dangerous part of Oregon’s coast, according to Oregon State Police, marking the eighth fatality at the site since 2009. The hiker, identified as Henry Minh Hoang of West Covina—a suburb Los Angeles County—was hiking beyond a safety barrier in…


Kennel Owner Who Fled Ohio Train Derailment Says Business Destroyed

Champion dog breeder, trainer, and kennel owner Katie Schwarzwaelder was out of town celebrating her 30th birthday when alarming phone calls got her phone jumping. Friends and neighbors saw distant smoke in the direction of her 27-acre property in Darlington Township, Pennsylvania, and thought her kennel was on fire. Schwarzwaelder immediately called her kennel manager….


3 Injured in West Virginia Train Derailment That Sent Diesel Fuel, Oil Into River

Three people have been injured after an empty coal train operated by CSX Corp. derailed on March 8 after hitting a rock slide in a remote area of West Virginia. All four of the train’s locomotives and nine empty coal cars derailed in a remote area just south of Sandstone, Summers County, inside the New River National Park and…


3 LAPD Officers Shot in Lincoln Heights; Suspect Barricaded

LOS ANGELES—Three Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) officers were hospitalized in unknown condition March 8 evening after being shot and wounded in Lincoln Heights, and a suspect was barricaded in a residential garage, according to multiple reports. According to reports from the scene near Mission Avenue and North Broadway, police arrived around 4:30 p.m. regarding…