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[
"Los Angeles Times",
"Eric Sondheimer"
]
| 2016-08-29T16:49:50 | null | 2016-08-29T00:00:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.latimes.com%2Fsports%2Fhighschool%2Fvarsity-times%2Fla-sp-vi-football-mater-dei-loses-linebacker-fa-avae-fa-avae-for-season-20160829-story.html.json | http://www.trbimg.com/img-56fd643a/turbine/la-l-a-times-logo-20160331/600 | en | null | Football: Mater Dei loses linebacker Fa'avae Fa'avae for season | null | null | www.latimes.com | No. 1-ranked Santa Ana Mater Dei has already suffered a major injury.
Standout linebacker Fa'avae Fa'avae was lost for the season with a torn ACL suffered in a scrimmage, OCVarsity.com reported.
Mater Dei does have some depth at the linebacker position.
For the latest on high school sports, follow @LATSondheimer on Twitter | http://www.latimes.com/sports/highschool/varsity-times/la-sp-vi-football-mater-dei-loses-linebacker-fa-avae-fa-avae-for-season-20160829-story.html | en | 2016-08-29T00:00:00 | www.latimes.com/1f28f91a6fc02b710af81b2d6a1b4cae6a317932968963912fc171bae6d7645b.json |
[
"Los Angeles Times",
"Associated Press"
]
| 2016-08-30T16:49:57 | null | 2016-08-30T00:00:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.latimes.com%2Fnation%2Fnationnow%2Fla-na-agriculture-offices-20160830-snap-story.html.json | http://www.trbimg.com/img-56fd643a/turbine/la-l-a-times-logo-20160331/600 | en | null | Agriculture Department closes offices in 5 states after anonymous threats | null | null | www.latimes.com | The Agriculture Department has closed offices in five states after receiving anonymous threats.
USDA spokesman Matthew Herrick said in a statement Tuesday that the department had received “several anonymous messages” that raised concerns about the safety of USDA personnel and facilities. He said six offices are closed until further notice.
Herrick said the department is working with the Federal Bureau of Investigation and federal and local law enforcement to determine whether the threats are credible.
The closed offices are in Colorado, Connecticut, Maryland, North Carolina and West Virginia.
ALSO
Aurora theater massacre survivors sued. How did their case collapse?
Caption 90 seconds: 4 stories you can't miss Huma Abedin leaves her husband, Anthony Weiner, Apple owes Ireland big, Brock Turner is released, and the 4 Aurora movie massacre survivors owe Cinemark lawyer fees. Huma Abedin leaves her husband, Anthony Weiner, Apple owes Ireland big, Brock Turner is released, and the 4 Aurora movie massacre survivors owe Cinemark lawyer fees. Caption Kim Jong Un executes using anti-aircraft gun South Korea’s JoongAng Ilbo newspaper reported Kim Jong Un had two North Korean officials executed with an anti-aircraft gun in early August. South Korea’s JoongAng Ilbo newspaper reported Kim Jong Un had two North Korean officials executed with an anti-aircraft gun in early August.
Inside the Hollywood past of Stephen K. Bannon, Donald Trump's campaign chief
Huma Abedin is Hillary Clinton's closest aide, and now she might be a liability | http://www.latimes.com/nation/nationnow/la-na-agriculture-offices-20160830-snap-story.html | en | 2016-08-30T00:00:00 | www.latimes.com/f3390504234bf241b968d9ddd046bfc95c8325f91832b876935037ebd726848e.json |
[
"Los Angeles Times",
"Eric Sondheimer"
]
| 2016-08-30T20:50:02 | null | 2016-08-30T00:00:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.latimes.com%2Fsports%2Fhighschool%2Fvarsity-times%2Fla-sp-vi-soccer-bell-is-looking-for-a-head-coach-20160830-story.html.json | http://www.trbimg.com/img-56fd643a/turbine/la-l-a-times-logo-20160331/600 | en | null | Soccer: Bell is looking for head coach | null | null | www.latimes.com | Bell always seems to have one of the top boys' soccer teams in the City Section. Now the school has an opening for head coach.
You can send resumes to: [email protected].
Soccer has been the school's most successful sport.
For the latest on high school sports, follow @LATSondheimer on Twitter | http://www.latimes.com/sports/highschool/varsity-times/la-sp-vi-soccer-bell-is-looking-for-a-head-coach-20160830-story.html | en | 2016-08-30T00:00:00 | www.latimes.com/99d4193cefb7da205d873714da22ecd59afe76e2cc0c801308041ee4f4689a97.json |
[
"Los Angeles Times",
"Michael Hiltzik"
]
| 2016-08-26T20:49:17 | null | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.latimes.com%2Fbusiness%2Fhiltzik%2Fla-fi-claremont-water-20160828-snap-story.html.json | http://www.trbimg.com/img-57bf6faa/turbine/la-fi-claremont-water-20160828-snap | en | null | Claremont wants to kick its private water company out of town. Good idea | null | null | www.latimes.com | The citizens of Claremont, fed up with the private company that provides their water, voted overwhelmingly in 2014 to seize its water system by eminent domain and convert it to a municipal utility. A Los Angeles state judge has just wrapped up a trial over whether that’s legal and is expected to issue a ruling sometime in the next three months.
Water users who still get their supply from private companies should be rooting for him to give Claremont a green light.
Buzzwords cannot justify the exercise of eminent domain. ... Much more than flowery prose ... must exist.” — Golden State Water Co.
Much of the evidence to be weighed by Judge Richard Fruin deals with abstruse issues of eminent domain law. But the fundamental question raised by the case is broader: whether private corporate ownership of a water system is at odds with the development of long-term policy on water use. Local residents in Claremont feel that as customers of a private monopoly, they’ve had almost no say over such policy in their city, so their only choice was to make the system a public one.
Fruin conducted a bench trial in the Claremont case, which is probably wise because the legal complexities probably would have driven your average jury up the wall.
In simple terms, if a city wants to condemn your house to widen a street, there’s almost nothing you can do about it except dicker over the price. When the target is a water system or other utility, however, the utility gets the chance to question in court whether the condemnation is for a “more necessary public use” than the way the property is being used, or whether the “public interest and necessity” requires the move.
The position of Golden State Water Co., which has been Claremont’s water company for nearly 90 years, is that the answer is no.
“In fact, the public interest is jeopardized if this takeover occurs,” George Soneff, Golden State’s lawyer, told me. If the city acquires the system and follows through on its plan to turn it over to the neighboring city of La Verne to run, “there will not be lower rates or a change in the water supply. There’s been no showing that there’s anything they can do differently” from Golden State, he says.
Yet residents of this community of 35,000 think there would be a sea change in how their water needs would be served, and there’s ample reason to think they’re right.
“We haven’t felt we’ve been treated fairly by Golden State on several levels,” says Helaine Goldwater, a 45-year resident of Claremont who chaired the committee that placed Measure W on the city ballot in 2014. The measure, which authorized the city to borrow up to $135 million if it decided to condemn Golden State’s property, garnered a 72% yes vote that November.
Among the residents’ complaints is that Golden State has consistently overcharged them, compared with what other Southern California communities with public systems pay.
Claremont also maintains that the company has tended to operate as a disdainful higher authority in dealing with the city, keeping city officials out of the loop when planning its own construction and maintenance programs, refusing to coordinate with city land-use plans, and showing a lack of interest in programs dear to the city’s generally well-educated and progressive-minded residents, including water recycling, conservation and other markers of “sustainability.”
Golden State dismisses those points. “Buzzwords cannot justify the exercise of eminent domain,” the company said in a brief filed in June. The grounds for taking an existing, functioning system amount to “much more than flowery prose.” The company made much at trial over lead and E. coli contamination suffered by the La Verne system in 2011 and 2012, suggesting that proved that La Verne was incapable of safely operating the Claremont system; Claremont responded that those issues had been resolved to the satisfaction of state health regulators.
It may be that private companies simply are not up to the task of developing and pursuing forward-looking water policies in an era of drought and climate change. Their economic incentives work against policies that lead to less water use and more recycling, says J.R. DeShazo, a public finance expert at UCLA’s Luskin Center for Innovation who testified on Claremont’s behalf at the trial.
Indeed, one of the issues that mobilized Claremont voters in favor of Measure W was a surcharge the Public Utilities Commission allowed the company to charge as water use declined. The result, as then-Mayor Joe Lyons told me at the time, was that “if we conserve, we don’t benefit.”
That’s because a private water company’s goal is to maximize revenue and profit, not to serve long-term water and land-use priorities. The Public Utilities Commission, which regulates private water utilities but not public agencies, mostly involves itself in financial and safety aspects of utility operations but has virtually no say on water policy.
“The PUC is a very large agency with complex responsibilities,” says Steven Weissman, a former PUC staff attorney and administrative law judge now teaching public policy at UC Berkeley, who also testified for the city. “Water service regulation has always been a low priority.”
Golden State Water, a subsidiary of San Dimas-based American States Water Co., has much at stake in this case: It recorded a $47.6-million profit last year on revenue of $364.6 million from its 39 water systems across California. The company has reason to fear that other communities might follow Claremont if the judge clears the takeover. Nor is Claremont the first: In 2013, residents of Ojai voted in favor of a plan for the Casitas Municipal Water District to take over Golden State’s system in their city. Golden State has refused to sell, so Casitas launched its own eminent domain proceeding in May.
In part because of the mismatch between the profit motive and long-term public interests, private water utilities like Golden State already are the exception in California, not the rule. About 80% of the state’s water deliveries are made by public agencies such as the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, which traces its lineage to 1902. (It’s true that the DWP is anything but a paragon of efficiency, but one reason we’ve learned about its problems is that it’s subject to public scrutiny.) | http://www.latimes.com/business/hiltzik/la-fi-claremont-water-20160828-snap-story.html | en | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | www.latimes.com/152380cdeced497fd02a668b9ecbef1a742afae97bea55091df16599578c50e1.json |
[
"Los Angeles Times",
"Associated Press"
]
| 2016-08-27T16:48:51 | null | 2016-08-27T00:00:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.latimes.com%2Fsports%2Fnfl%2Fla-sp-kaepernick-anthem-protest-20160827-snap-story.html.json | http://www.trbimg.com/img-57c1c338/turbine/la-sp-kaepernick-anthem-protest-20160827-snap | en | null | 49ers QB Colin Kaepernick refuses to stand for national anthem in protest of minorities' treatment | null | null | www.latimes.com | San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick is refusing to stand for the national anthem before games because he believes the United States oppresses African Americans and other minorities.
Kaepernick sat on the team's bench Friday night during the anthem before the 49ers played host to the Green Bay Packers in an exhibition game. He later explained his reasoning in an interview with NFL Media
“I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color,” Kaepernick said. “To me, this is bigger than football and it would be selfish on my part to look the other way. There are bodies in the street and people getting paid leave and getting away with murder.”
The 49ers issued a statement after Pro Football Talk initially reported on Kaepernick's stand, saying that Americans have the right to protest or support the anthem.
“The national anthem is and always will be a special part of the pregame ceremony,” the team said. “It is an opportunity to honor our country and reflect on the great liberties we are afforded as its citizens. In respecting such American principles as freedom of religion and freedom of expression, we recognize the right of an individual to choose to participate, or not, in our celebration of the national anthem.”
Kaepernick, who is biracial, was adopted and raised by white parents. He has been outspoken on his Twitter account on civil rights issues and in support of the Black Lives Matter movement.
Kaepernick is not the first U.S.-based athlete to use the anthem for protest. In 1996, NBA player Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf refused to stand for the anthem, saying the United States had a history of tyranny and doing so would conflict with his Islamist beliefs. The NBA initially suspended Abdul-Rauf for his stance before it was lifted when he said he would stand and pray silently during the song.
Kaepernick said he is not worried about any potential fallout from his protest.
“This is not something that I am going to run by anybody,” he told NFL Media. “I am not looking for approval. I have to stand up for people that are oppressed. If they take football away, my endorsements from me, I know that I stood up for what is right.”
The NFL and Kaepernick's agent did not immediately return a request for comment.
Kaepernick is in competition to win back the starting quarterback job in San Francisco that he lost to Blaine Gabbert last season. He made his first appearance of the preseason on Friday night after missing two games with a tired shoulder. He finished 2 for 6 for 14 yards and added 18 yards on four runs. | http://www.latimes.com/sports/nfl/la-sp-kaepernick-anthem-protest-20160827-snap-story.html | en | 2016-08-27T00:00:00 | www.latimes.com/cccaba0ff62a6ccac618ca955834a73820610841004be0c3afc1889bcc1a703c.json |
[
"Los Angeles Times"
]
| 2016-08-26T18:51:03 | null | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.latimes.com%2Fpolitics%2Fessential%2Fla-pol-sac-essential-politics-updates-california-women-could-soon-pick-up-a-1472233010-htmlstory.html.json | http://www.trbimg.com/img-57c081cd/turbine/la-pol-sac-essential-politics-updates-california-women-could-soon-pick-up-a-1472233010 | en | null | California women could soon pick up a year's worth of birth control pills at once | null | null | www.latimes.com | California women could receive a year’s worth of birth control pills at once under a bill sent to the governor Friday.
The state currently prevents pharmacists from dispensing more than three months' worth of oral contraceptives at one time. Most women pick up their birth control prescriptions every month or every three months.
The bill’s supporters say allowing women to pick up more pills at once will help prevent unintended pregnancy, especially in rural areas where women must travel long distances to visit a pharmacy. | http://www.latimes.com/politics/essential/la-pol-sac-essential-politics-updates-california-women-could-soon-pick-up-a-1472233010-htmlstory.html | en | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | www.latimes.com/159be42e7ba4bf0b33aa2a2444eb85611b46a3275112d4e7eea616acb523fe09.json |
[
"Los Angeles Times",
"Jenn Harris"
]
| 2016-08-26T14:50:51 | null | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.latimes.com%2Ffood%2Fdailydish%2Fla-dd-guerrilla-tacos-20160825-snap-story.html.json | http://www.trbimg.com/img-57bf5e43/turbine/la-dd-guerrilla-tacos-20160825-snap | en | null | 5 things you need to know about the Guerrilla Tacos restaurant coming to the Arts District | null | null | www.latimes.com | Guerrilla Tacos, Wes Avila’s farmers market-fueled taco truck that has become part of the downtown Arts District culinary landscape over the past couple of years, will transition into a brick-and-mortar location in the same neighborhood next year, Avila confirmed to The Times on Thursday.
Guerrilla Tacos, #13 on Jonathan Gold’s 101 Best Restaurants list, is known for being not-your-average-taco-truck. Think tacos full of sea urchin, wild boar, duck breast and a bounty of fresh produce. Avila — whose culinary training includes cooking in Paris under Alain Ducasse — started making tacos under makeshift tents in 2012 and eventually launched the food truck that people follow religiously today; he’s finally ready to open his first restaurant.
Here are five things you need to know about the new space:
1. Avila has secured an approximately 2,400 square-foot space near the corner of Hewitt Street and 1st Street in the Arts District, just a couple blocks from where he built a strong following on the truck in front of coffee shops in the area.
“It’s where we started,” said Avila of the location. “We’ve always had a really strong following and support there.”
2. The restaurant is scheduled to open next summer. Until then, you can get your taco fix on the truck. You can find the schedule at www.guerrillatacos.com.
3. There will be both indoor and outdoor seating at the new location. Will the wild boar tacos taste better on a sun-drenched patio than on a street curb? We’ll have to wait and see.
“It has a backyard with a tree,” said Avila of the new space. “That backyard-BBQ feel, that’s what we want to have.”
4. Once the brick-and-mortar location opens, don’t expect to find the Guerrilla Taco truck around town. Avila said he’ll be focusing solely on the brick and mortar, which was always his goal.
“As far as the truck goes, I’m tired of flat tires, accidents on the freeway, broken axles,” said Avila. “Its just a nightmare.”
5. Expect more of the same Guerrilla menu items, but a little extra. “We’re keeping it really focused on doing what we do now with burritos, tacos, tortas and tostadas,” said Avila. “But we’re definitely going to add some different things because we will have some space to play around with.”
Often heard saying “follow that taco!” Follow me on Twitter and Instagram @Jenn_Harris_
ALSO:
Where to find great raspados,the Mexican shaved-ice slushies
Food truck report: Pico House brings grain bowls made by a quartet of serious chefs
Four Seasons Beverly Hills to open new wine bar with plenty of montanara (fried pizza dough) | http://www.latimes.com/food/dailydish/la-dd-guerrilla-tacos-20160825-snap-story.html | en | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | www.latimes.com/7a4de5a37b59d8057928fcbf293c4d4893e3235e985aad48b3dfa39c5c00e41f.json |
[
"Daily Pilot",
"Alex Chan"
]
| 2016-08-27T02:51:29 | null | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.latimes.com%2Fsocal%2Fdaily-pilot%2Fnews%2Ftn-dpt-me-concordia-scarves-20160826-story.html.json | http://www.trbimg.com/img-57c0e6ca/turbine/tn-dpt-me-concordia-scarves-20160826 | en | null | Grab your books - and your scarf | null | null | www.latimes.com | Concordia University Irvine gave a warm welcome to its new freshmen and transfer students — literally.
At the university's opening convocation Monday, alumni welcomed each new student with a green and gold scarf, the school's colors.
The "scarving" ceremony is a new tradition for the school, which celebrated the opening of its 41st academic year this week.
For many British and Irish colleges and universities, the wearing of collegiate scarves is a traditional way for students to show their school pride on game day and at other events, according to a university release.
Concordia opened in 1976 with just 36 students, five faculty members and one building.
Martin Schramm, the last of Concordia University Irvine's five original faculty members to retire, calls the first students to step onto campus "pioneers."
"We had just that one building … students who wanted to play soccer outside would move these rocks and boulders around so they could play," Schramm said.
The Lutheran institution was first called Christ College Irvine until the school's Board of Regents changed the name to Concordia in 1994. It became the 10th campus in the national Concordia University System, which was formed by the Lutheran Church's Missouri Synod.
The system also has campuses in Chicago, Alabama, New York, Michigan, Texas, Oregon, Minnesota, Nebraska and Wisconsin.
Now, the Irvine university has more than 4,000 students, 155 full-time faculty members and 22 buildings.
The school celebrated its 40th anniversary in July with an on-campus event featuring 1940s-style band Wartime Radio Revue, a proclamation from Irvine Mayor Steven Choi, dancing and cake for the more- than 1,100 guests.
"Faithfulness and excellence — those are the two words I hope will describe Concordia for the next 40 years," Concordia President Kurt Krueger told the Daily Pilot in July. "We want to continue to grow and provide the kind of education we do for more and more students."
[email protected]
Twitter: @AlexandraChan10 | http://www.latimes.com/socal/daily-pilot/news/tn-dpt-me-concordia-scarves-20160826-story.html | en | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | www.latimes.com/71fdde6be941b96d928ad207b482c3262536f6f96186c834391f0d8b3100ff1c.json |
[
"Los Angeles Times"
]
| 2016-08-31T12:50:23 | null | 2016-08-31T00:00:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.latimes.com%2Fnation%2Fpolitics%2Ftrailguide%2Fla-na-trailguide-updates-1472644658-htmlstory.html.json | http://www.trbimg.com/img-57c6d0bd/turbine/la-na-trailguide-updates-1472644658 | en | null | Clinton's campaign downplays Trump's surprise trip to Mexico | null | null | www.latimes.com | Donald Trump travels to Mexico to meet with President Enrique Peña Nieto ahead of his immigration speech Wednesday.
Donald Trump glossed over immigration the day before his plans to meet with the Mexican president
glossed over immigration the day before his plans to meet with the Mexican president Will Trump's big immigration speech raise more questions than answers?
big immigration speech raise more questions than answers? New USC/L.A. Times poll: Trump can still win, but it could be tough
can still win, but it could be tough The FBI recovered about 30 of Hillary Clinton's emails related to Benghazi, the State Department says | http://www.latimes.com/nation/politics/trailguide/la-na-trailguide-updates-1472644658-htmlstory.html | en | 2016-08-31T00:00:00 | www.latimes.com/a4cbcdcba9c42cc0cc4862fe3a393cdccafbb612b2cafb2fde06fb3818b95ce7.json |
[
"Los Angeles Times",
"Eric Sondheimer"
]
| 2016-08-28T04:49:37 | null | 2016-08-27T00:00:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.latimes.com%2Fsports%2Fhighschool%2Fvarsity-times%2Fla-sp-vi-football-edison-improves-to-2-0-with-victory-over-tesoro-20160827-story.html.json | http://www.trbimg.com/img-56fd643a/turbine/la-l-a-times-logo-20160331/600 | en | null | Football: Edison improves to 2-0 with victory over Tesoro | null | null | www.latimes.com | The final season for Coach Dave White at Huntington Beach Edison is going pretty well. There was no Hawaii hangover on Saturday night.
Edison improved to 2-0 with a 31-14 win over Tesoro at Huntington Beach.
Quarterback Griffin O'Connor completed a pair of touchdown passes to Shaun Colamonico and also ran for a touchdown.
The Chargers were in Hawii last week, came back and went to work. They did fall behind, 14-10, after two Shane Coleman touchdown catches.
But they quickly responded to the challenge. They'll have an off week next week before playing Anaheim Canyon on Sept. 9.
For the latest on high school sports, follow @LATSondheimer on Twitter | http://www.latimes.com/sports/highschool/varsity-times/la-sp-vi-football-edison-improves-to-2-0-with-victory-over-tesoro-20160827-story.html | en | 2016-08-27T00:00:00 | www.latimes.com/c1c6646f5088f962d02a5090dc5c3caaa6e2fb90f9f4de1885b881f46d25aa64.json |
[
"Los Angeles Times",
"Eric Sondheimer"
]
| 2016-08-28T02:49:39 | null | 2016-08-27T00:00:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.latimes.com%2Fsports%2Fhighschool%2Fla-sp-high-school-football-20160827-snap-story.html.json | http://www.trbimg.com/img-57c20b83/turbine/la-sp-high-school-football-20160827-snap | en | null | La Mirada, Narbonne among public schools to topple parochial powers | null | null | www.latimes.com | Public schools don’t usually fare very well against private schools in prep football, so when there’s the occasional triumph, it’s worthy of a celebration.
There were three big ones on Friday night on the opening weekend of the season. La Mirada, overwhelmed in losses last season to Bellflower St. John Bosco, 76-8, and Santa Ana Mater Dei, 42-7, earned a 21-14 win over another Trinity League power, Orange Lutheran. Mission Viejo took down Santa Margarita, 48-21. And Harbor City Narbonne knocked off Gardena Serra, 34-12.
“It’s simple,” La Mirada Coach Mike Moschetti said. “These kids want to play in big games, and we really believe for something great to happen, you have to challenge yourself and play great teams. We’ve taken a lot of abuse, and our kids have been beaten up. You learn more about yourself getting beat than playing teams and beating them by 50.”
The Matadores were physical on offense and defense. R.J. Lan, a baseball standout headed to Texas Christian, starred as a running back and defensive back. Elijah Hicks, a cornerback, helped shut down Orange Lutheran standout receivers Brandon McKinley and Austin Liles and had a couple of big punt returns. And Colorado-bound linebacker Chase Newman was a physical presence.
St. John Bosco wins: Re-al Mitchell, a 16-year-old junior, made quite a debut as St. John Bosco’s starting quarterback on Saturday in Cincinnati. He ran 98 yards for a touchdown on the Braves’ second play from scrimmage en route to a 34-0 victory over Cincinnati St. Xavier.
He also had touchdown passes of 69 and 53 yards to Berkeley Holman. Mitchell is one of the fastest quarterbacks in California.
St. John Bosco showed off a dominant defensive line that featured Kyle Murray, Sal Spina and Jacob Callier.
They’re fast: Elijah Blades, a Pasadena Muir defensive back, had a 99-yard kickoff return and 80-yard interception return in a 49-12 win over Compton.
Tyler Asemota, a receiver at Sherman Oaks Notre Dame who was a member of the Knights’ state runner-up 400-meter relay team, returned a kickoff 99 yards for a touchdown in a 35-21 win over Santa Maria St. Joseph.
Near perfect: Sophomore quarterback J.T. Daniels of Santa Ana Mater Dei completed 19 of 22 passes for 373 yards and six touchdowns in a 63-14 win over La Puente Bishop Amat.
Junior quarterback Cameron Rising of Newbury Park passed for 358 yards and five touchdowns in a 65-44 win over Oxnard Pacifica. He has attempted 196 consecutive passes without an interception.
Running back Broc Mortensen of Ventura scored six touchdowns and rushed for 264 yards in a 58-14 win over Thousand Oaks.
He’s got game: Who knew that quarterback Brevin White of West Hills Chaminade could run? Certainly not Eagles Coach Ed Croson, who watched in stunned silence as White broke off an 83-yard touchdown run against Westlake Village Oaks Christian.
“I didn’t know he was that fast,” Croson said. “We’ll have to add a whole lot of plays in the next week.”
[email protected]
Twitter: @latsondheimer | http://www.latimes.com/sports/highschool/la-sp-high-school-football-20160827-snap-story.html | en | 2016-08-27T00:00:00 | www.latimes.com/adae59af2588b958de9a5b32efd4ffdde29125ede1ea40e85fd6b11d3d407823.json |
[
"Los Angeles Times"
]
| 2016-08-29T02:49:48 | null | 2016-08-28T00:00:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.latimes.com%2Fentertainment%2Fla-et-ms-mtv-vma-live-updates-hip-hop-video-winner-1472232855-htmlstory.html.json | http://www.trbimg.com/img-57c39579/turbine/la-et-ms-mtv-vma-live-updates-hip-hop-video-winner-1472232855 | en | null | Drake wins hip-hop video award for 'Hotline Bling' | null | null | www.latimes.com | MTV's VMAs are here! But we may as well call them the Beyonce awards with how many awards she's nominated for. That would be a whopping 11. Adele comes in next with seven nominations. Drake, Kanye West and Justin Bieber are also vying for the top prize. Rihanna will receive the Vanguard Award, the VMAs' most prestigious award, which has previously been given to Michael Jackson, Madonna, and David Bowie. And while we're talking about flashback artists: Britney Spears is performing! Stay with us as we report all of the play-by-plays. | http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/la-et-ms-mtv-vma-live-updates-hip-hop-video-winner-1472232855-htmlstory.html | en | 2016-08-28T00:00:00 | www.latimes.com/973a97858906f72698883d618a655facc2e0b4e0f09972c2f7b1fab8d455ad9f.json |
[
"Los Angeles Times",
"Howard Blume"
]
| 2016-08-28T10:49:16 | null | 2016-08-28T00:00:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.latimes.com%2Flocal%2Flanow%2Fla-me-edu-el-camino-charter-has-30-days-to-make-fixes-20160826-snap-story.html.json | http://www.trbimg.com/img-57c07bee/turbine/la-me-edu-el-camino-charter-has-30-days-to-make-fixes-20160826-snap | en | null | El Camino charter has a month to address alleged shortcomings | null | null | www.latimes.com | A casual observer could be excused for thinking there must be two El Camino high schools in Los Angeles.
One, a well-managed, long-running success story that delivers solid and sometimes spectacular academic results. The other, in need of appropriate oversight, with a free-spending principal and loose financial controls.
Last week, the L.A. Board of Education focused on the problems portion of the alleged split personality, unanimously approving a “notice of violations” that cites inappropriate spending, poor accounting and violations of public meeting rules.
The charter school has a month to address the allegations.
Although the school’s positives are widely expected to help it survive, L.A. Unified could act to revoke its charter to operate, forcing out the current management and bringing the campus back under district control.
The case is one more example of tensions between the nation’s second-largest school system and its charter schools, which manage their own public funding and are free from some rules that govern traditional campuses. El Camino Real Charter High School was run by the district until 2011.
At last week’s meeting, board member Scott Schmerelson said El Camino as a charter remains “an excellent school.”
But it “is not a private school,” said Schmerelson, who represents the west San Fernando Valley area where the school is located. “It is a public school. They have to go by the same rules we do.”
The El Camino case could test the limits of that assertion. El Camino, for example, has declined to tell the district whether it has taken disciplinary action against Executive Director Dave Fehte, who has come under internal and external scrutiny. Such action could be considered a confidential personnel matter, to be kept even from L.A. Unified.
A report from the district’s charter school division accuses El Camino of demonstrating "an inability to determine how public funds are being used," adding that "fatal flaws in judgment ... call into serious question the organization's ability to successfully implement the charter in accordance with applicable law and district requirements."
According to L.A. Unified, a sampling of 425 credit card expenses from five El Camino employees, including Fehte, revealed that "countless expenses were incurred without adherence to any uniform procedure, and without verification of the necessary details."
The school system also accused El Camino's board of improperly conducting public meetings by, for example, taking action on items that were not listed for voting on the agendas.
In a series of articles, the Los Angeles Daily News reported on Fehte's spending for such things as wine, first-class air travel and expensive hotel rooms.
Fehte has denied wrongdoing and said he inadvertently charged about $6,100 in personal expenses on his school credit card. He said he reimbursed the school as soon as these charges were pointed out to him.
As the school’s principal, Fehte led the effort to make El Camino a charter and he’s been the school’s most visible leader, but he took no part in last week’s presentation before the Board of Education.
It fell instead to a group of El Camino teachers and administrators to offer evidence that the school’s performance has improved and that its management practices are exemplary.
Unlike in some other cases, the district has not suggested El Camino is at any risk of financial collapse. And El Camino students annually shine in the academic decathlon competition, winning the national title as recently as 2014.
“We knew six years ago that converting to a charter would be a growing experience,” said veteran teacher Susan Freitag, an El Camino graduate who chairs the visual and performing arts department. “I believe we have surpassed our expectations. As a charter we have flourished.”
The school has hired an outside firm to investigate potential misconduct by Fehte and to review all credit card use. It’s supposed to deliver a confidential report to El Camino’s board of directors Sept. 21 — two days before the school’s deadline to respond to L.A. Unified.
El Camino also has collected credit cards from senior administrators and tightened policy for their use. Members of the El Camino team said they thought they were working out issues collaboratively with L.A. Unified and said they were blindsided by the notice of violations.
El Camino has had its share of issues with L.A. Unified — in part due to the district’s financial woes and its attempts to boost enrollment and win back students from charters.
In 2015 and early this year, L.A. Unified spurned plans to let El Camino expand by taking over closed district campuses. In April, the district blocked El Camino’s attempt to shift the retirement costs of about 10 teachers from El Camino to L.A. Unified.
El Camino supporters said their school is the victim of an anti-charter trend.
Still, the odds appear to be on their side.
In the last three years, the Board of Education approved six notices of violations, but only one led to a charter being revoked.
[email protected]
@howardblume | http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-edu-el-camino-charter-has-30-days-to-make-fixes-20160826-snap-story.html | en | 2016-08-28T00:00:00 | www.latimes.com/1b57d16ed3de2013ab3488e8e0cebb00368d28b095bbd3dc5137b53bf14477c0.json |
[
"Los Angeles Times"
]
| 2016-08-28T04:49:38 | null | 2016-08-27T00:00:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.latimes.com%2Fsports%2Fla-sp-live-updates-rams-broncos-terrance-magee-breaks-off-73-yard-run-1472356523-htmlstory.html.json | http://www.trbimg.com/img-56fd643a/turbine/la-l-a-times-logo-20160331/600 | en | null | Terrance Magee breaks off 73-yard run, but the Rams fail to capitalize | null | null | www.latimes.com | Running back Terrence Magee must've been watching Ronnie Hillman's run and got inspired.
The second-year pro ripped a 73-yard run to put the Rams in the red zone.
Quarterback Sean Mannion had two passes broken up before taking a sack from rookie Sadat Sulleyman out of Portland State.
Fourth-and-goal, from th 12-yard line, Mannion looked a pass in to rookie Temarrick Hemingway, but the ball bounced off the tight end and hit the dirt. Turnover on downs. | http://www.latimes.com/sports/la-sp-live-updates-rams-broncos-terrance-magee-breaks-off-73-yard-run-1472356523-htmlstory.html | en | 2016-08-27T00:00:00 | www.latimes.com/ad8d472f0136e0a96f01590f46bf807ac2a8e26986ce19e13057cc3349cff704.json |
[
"Los Angeles Times",
"William Yardley"
]
| 2016-08-27T22:49:11 | null | 2016-08-27T00:00:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.latimes.com%2Fnation%2Fla-na-sej-north-dakota-pipeline-20160827-story.html.json | http://www.trbimg.com/img-57c217a5/turbine/la-na-sej-north-dakota-pipeline-20160827 | en | null | With echoes of Wounded Knee, tribes mount prairie occupation to block North Dakota pipeline | null | null | www.latimes.com | Long before Lewis and Clark paddled by, Native Americans built homes here at the confluence of the Cannonball and Missouri rivers, using the thick earth to guard against brutal winters and hard summer heat. They were called the Mandan people.
Now, Native Americans are living here again. They sleep in teepees and nylon tents. They ride horses and drive quad cabs. They string banners between trees and, when they can get a signal, they post messages with hashtags such as #ReZpectOurWater, #NoDakotaAccess and #NODAPL. For weeks, they have been arriving from the scattered patches of the United States where the government put their ancestors to protest what they say is one indignity too many in a history that has included extermination and exploitation.
It is called the Dakota Access oil pipeline and it could carry more than 400,000 barrels of crude oil a day from the Bakken region of western North Dakota across South Dakota and Iowa to connect with an existing pipeline in Illinois.
Native Americans protest the Dakota Access oil pipeline near the Standing Rock Sioux reservation in southern North Dakota James MacPherson Native Americans protest the Dakota Access oil pipeline near the Standing Rock Sioux reservation in southern North Dakota Native Americans protest the Dakota Access oil pipeline near the Standing Rock Sioux reservation in southern North Dakota (James MacPherson)
The 1,100-mile pipeline, which is estimated to cost $3.7 billion, is nearly halfway complete. But construction on a section that would sink beneath the Missouri River, just north of the reservation of the Standing Rock Sioux, has been halted under orders from the sheriff of Morton County, Kyle Kirchmeier. He said protesters, nearly 30 of whom have been arrested in recent weeks, were creating safety issues.
Yet the protesters say they are creating something very different – new resistance against what they say is a seemingly endless number of pipelines, export terminals and rail lines that would transport fossil fuels across or near tribal reservations, risking pollution to air, water and land.
“Every time there’s a project of this magnitude, so the nation can benefit, there’s a cost,” Dave Archambault, the chairman of the Standing Rock Sioux, who was among those arrested, said in an interview. “That cost is born by tribal nations.”
Archambault and other native leaders have been caught off guard by the support they have received. What began with a handful of natives establishing a prayer camp along the river this spring has now drawn international environmental groups and prompted Hollywood celebrities, including Susan Sarandon and Shailene Woodley, to join them, whether here or in a protest last week in Washington, D.C., or on social media.
“Inspired by the Standing Rock Sioux’s efforts to halt the Dakota Access Pipeline,” Leonardo DiCaprio posted on Twitter this week.
Tech Big Crow, 18, cares for Blue, one of the horses he and others have brought to the protest site, at the confluence of the Cannonball and Missouri rivers. William Yardley/LA Times Tech Big Crow, 18, cares for Blue, one of the horses he and others have brought to the protest site, at the confluence of the Cannonball and Missouri rivers. Tech Big Crow, 18, cares for Blue, one of the horses he and others have brought to the protest site, at the confluence of the Cannonball and Missouri rivers. (William Yardley/LA Times)
Lawyers from Earthjustice are representing the Standing Rock Sioux in a legal effort to stop construction of the pipeline. They claim that the Army Corps of Engineers violated the National Historic Preservation Act when it approved the project and that a more stringent environmental review should be done. They say the pipeline and its construction would damage ancestral sites of the Standing Rock Sioux and put the tribe’s water supply at risk.
On Thursday, nearly three dozen environmental groups wrote to President Obama, who visited the Standing Rock Sioux reservation in 2014 with Michelle Obama, saying the Corps approved the project using a fast-track process, known as permit 12, that was inadequate given its size and the many sensitive areas it would cross.
The Corps of Engineers argued in court in Washington this week that the Standing Rock Sioux and other parties had ample time to express concerns during a review process and that the pipeline was properly approved. Energy Transfer Partners, the Texas company building it, says the pipeline will increase the nation’s energy independence and that it is a safer means of transport than rail.
The judge over seeing the case, James A. Boasberg of United States District Court, said this week that he will rule no later than Sept. 9 on a request by the Standing Rock Sioux to stop construction and reconsider permits the project has received.
The pipeline has met resistance elsewhere along its route, including from farmers in Iowa concerned about soil damage and property owners whose land is being taken by eminent domain. But nothing compares to what has taken hold here between the rivers.
Nantinki Young, who goes by Tink, is a member of the Rosebud Sioux tribe from South Dakota; she runs the cook shack here. Winona, who did not give her last name, is Penobscot. She left Maine on Monday and drove 2,100 miles to put together a recycling program for the hundreds of new residents of the protest camp.
And then there is Clyde Bellecourt. He is Ojibwe. He came from Minnesota, but may be better associated with Wounded Knee, S.D. Not the massacre in 1890, but the standoff in 1973, when the group he helped found, the American Indian Movement, suddenly became a household name, the image of Indian activism.
Clyde Bellecourt, 80, who helped found the American Indian Movement in the 1960s, said he sees “fresh energy” among younger Native Americans fighting to stop the Dakota Access pipeline. William Yardley/LA Times Clyde Bellecourt, 80, who helped found the American Indian Movement in the 1960s, said he sees “fresh energy” among younger Native Americans fighting to stop the Dakota Access pipeline. Clyde Bellecourt, 80, who helped found the American Indian Movement in the 1960s, said he sees “fresh energy” among younger Native Americans fighting to stop the Dakota Access pipeline. (William Yardley/LA Times)
He is 80 now. Sitting in a folding chair not far from the Buick where he keeps copies of a flyer promoting his new memoir, he likes what he sees.
“My life is almost over, but there’s fresh energy here,” he said. “Save the children – that’s what this is all about.”
Protesters have vowed to stay at least until Judge Boasberg rules and potentially much longer. Monitors from Amnesty International have arrived. An employee of the federal Indian Health Service established a first aid tent. Vans carpooled people to showers.
Members of the Standing Rock Sioux formed Spirit Resistance Radio, at 87.9 FM, to broadcast updates. An Art Market opened to sell handmade crafts. There was talk, lighthearted for now, about establishing a school that would teach children at the camp site in native languages.
The Morton County Sheriff’s office has blocked one of the main routes to the camp from Bismarck, the state capital, forcing some protesters to drive a lengthier route to the site. Law enforcement is planning to escort school buses that travel through the area, though protesters say they want nothing but peace and prayers.
People have been practicing nonviolent direct action tactics, preparing to try to stop construction should it start again. A lawyer from Colorado working pro bono asked protesters to fill out forms “if you think that you have a clean record and you want to be arrestable.”
Jasilyn Charger, 20, is among a group of young natives who ran together from North Dakota to Washington to protest the pipeline. She remembers the early days of the protest, when just a handful of people prayed by the river.
“When we started this, people thought we were crazy,” she said. “But look at where we are today.” | http://www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-sej-north-dakota-pipeline-20160827-story.html | en | 2016-08-27T00:00:00 | www.latimes.com/6caa5685d91aff91e674820cddac67a89be3c42b47e0776e70f057d883c45f7b.json |
[
"Los Angeles Times",
"Zach Helfand"
]
| 2016-08-27T00:48:56 | null | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.latimes.com%2Fsports%2Fusc%2Fla-sp-usc-alabama-tusk-20160826-snap-story.html.json | http://www.trbimg.com/img-57c0d093/turbine/la-sp-usc-alabama-tusk-20160826-snap | en | null | Before the game, USC and Alabama are tiffing over 'Tusk' | null | null | www.latimes.com | The attack was launched, as is often the case in modern college football disagreements, from an Internet comments section. A trolling Alabama fan calling himself James from Tuscaloosa crossed a line.
He went after “Tusk.”
“The song ‘Tusk’ is about the University of Alabama Football Team,” James from Tuscaloosa wrote on SongFacts.com. “The ‘He’ in the song refers to Paul ‘Bear’ Bryant and the fact that he was the winningest coach in College Football history and refused to concede his title as such to anyone else. The song is played on the University of Alabama campus daily, and is part of the rich heritage of the Alabama Crimson Tide.”
The post was wildly inaccurate, but it did portend a contentious subplot to USC’s opening game against Alabama: the schools and their marching bands are tiffing over “Tusk,” the top-10 Fleetwood Mac hit.
The USC Trojan Marching Band views the tune as “our unofficial fight song,” explained Emily Moneymaker, the band’s trumpet section leader. And USC’s band thinks it has a solid claim because it played on the original recording and music video with Fleetwood Mac in 1979.
Alabama is one of just two other schools that play the song as a staple. (Arkansas, with a mascot named Tusk, is the third.) Alabama’s Million Dollar Band usually performs the song as the football team takes the field. The Crimson Tide’s mascot, Big Al, an anthropomorphic and conspicuously tusk-less elephant, often dances along. It’s a crowd pleaser.
Both USC and Alabama will bring their bands to Arlington, Texas, for the Sept. 3 season opener. Both insist “Tusk” will be played.
“It’s kind of interesting,” Moneymaker said. “Because, like, that’s our song.”
USC’s affinity for the song spans decades. The possibly apocryphal origin tale is that Mick Fleetwood, Fleetwood Mac’s drummer and co-founder, was staying in Germany one day when a brass band spontaneously marched past his window.
“And he said ‘I love that sound,’ ” said Dr. Arthur C. Bartner, who is entering his 47th season as USC’s band director.
Fleetwood Mac invited Bartner, his music arranger and drum instructor to their studio in Santa Monica. There, Lindsey Buckingham, Fleetwood Mac’s lead guitarist and “Tusk’s” songwriter, belted out a riff.
“You know, ‘Buh-buh-buh-buhhh-buh,’ ” Bartner said, echoing the song’s opening vocals. “And that’s all they had was this riff.”
In the studio, a wandering, savage sound took shape, the latter half dominated by the Trojan Marching Band, which sweeps across the track like a thunderstorm. The marching band’s contribution was recorded at Dodger Stadium, where the music video, one of the first of its kind, was also filmed.
For Fleetwood Mac, “Tusk” became a hit and the title track of a platinum-selling album. For USC, it became a beloved addition to the marching band’s oeuvre.
The song is a constant presence on campus. The band practiced it during move-in day earlier this month, the first thing students heard upon arriving through the university’s northeastern gate.
At some point, USC students appended their own, unflattering lyrics directed at UCLA.
“Tusk” is played during orientation and for prospective students. The band has performed recently with both Fleetwood and Buckingham. New USC band members learn about “Tusk” before they even play a song. There’s a speech and a video about “Tusk” on the first night of band camp.
“I don’t think you can be in this band and ‘Tusk’ isn’t your favorite song. I don’t think that’s possible,” said Brianne Tabios, the band’s general manager and an alto saxophone player.
She added: “I know people who listen to ‘Tusk’ in headphones while they bike to exams, to get themselves pumped.”
Alabama’s “Tusk” ties are more recent, beginning in 2007 when Nick Saban became the head coach, said Heath Nails, the band’s director of operations. The band liked the title’s phonetic similarity to Tuscaloosa, where the school is located, and to Big Al. The band musters to form a giant elephant on the field during its performance.
The Million Dollar Band’s version is peppier, more of a marching-band sound, compared to USC’s, which hews more closely to the original. For the Crimson Tide, it is a favorite, but not the favorite: that’s either Green Day’s “Basket Case,” played before the fourth quarter, or a performance of the Rolling Stones’ “Paint It Black.”
Still, “Tusk” is popular enough to survive in a band repertoire that is shuffled about every other year. The band wouldn’t consider not playing it. And so gamesmanship has ensued.
The Million Dollar Band won’t play the song in its traditional pregame performance, Nails said, due to time constraints. Instead, he said, it’ll play “Tusk” throughout the game.
USC, which typically plays the song in its postgame performance, as a celebration, has moved the number into its pregame show. Bartner said USC wants to beat Alabama to the punch.
“We want to show them that it is ours, that this is how it should actually be played,” trumpeted Moneymaker, the trumpeter.
USC’s indignation is tongue-in-cheek — mostly. But Alabama is aware that the Trojans might be touchy. Nails insists that Alabama doesn’t view it as a competition.
“Band kids are different,” Nails said. "I’ve heard their arrangement, and it’s quite good.”
The Million Dollar Band did not make its directors or any band members available for comment for this story. Buckingham did not take sides. He declined comment, through a publicist.
For his part, Bartner has been gracious.
“It’s cool. I have no problem,” he said. “Because it’s our tune.”
He’s fine sharing the song. He just wouldn’t say that he loves it.
[email protected]
Twitter: @zhelfand | http://www.latimes.com/sports/usc/la-sp-usc-alabama-tusk-20160826-snap-story.html | en | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | www.latimes.com/5522ec41f4759c3cf2a1b815ee506413c8f6ddbce69f206ce968ef6b57c74c2f.json |
[
"Los Angeles Times",
"Robyn Dixon"
]
| 2016-08-28T10:49:17 | null | 2016-08-28T00:00:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.latimes.com%2Fworld%2Fafrica%2Fla-fg-south-sudan-cattle-20160726-snap-story.html.json | http://www.trbimg.com/img-57bcaec0/turbine/la-fg-south-sudan-cattle-20160726-snap | en | null | To understand life in rural South Sudan, talk to this man about his cattle | null | null | www.latimes.com | The possessions in Luko Loku’s thatched home convey his simple life. A bedside stool with a sliver of mirror. An old door hinge. A machete lying on the bed frame, as if sleeping.
His clothes dangle from a wire, his motorcycle leans against one wall. There’s a hammer, a scattering of plastic cups, a water barrel and little else. But he does have riches, and his wealth is outside, wandering on 2,000 legs — his 500 cattle, making him one of the big men in his neighborhood.
This herder from the Mundari tribe lives in the quiet South Sudan town of Terekeka on the Nile River, and his lifestyle has endured for centuries. To understand the ebb and flow of life here — the ancient traditions and the modern threats — talk to Loku and he will tell you of his cattle.
He has no idea of his age. He has no education, no radio and no television and never reads. He does not own a gun or a mobile phone.
Luko Loku, a South Sudanese cattle herder from the Mundari tribe, sits outside his one-room thatched home. Robyn Dixon / Los Angeles Times Luko Loku, a South Sudanese cattle herder from the Mundari tribe, sits outside his one-room thatched home. Luko Loku, a South Sudanese cattle herder from the Mundari tribe, sits outside his one-room thatched home. (Robyn Dixon / Los Angeles Times)
His fortunes revolve around his graceful long-horn cattle, and his two favorite bulls, Selimbe (meaning “welcome”) and Mamoro (meaning “united”).
The bravest of his herd is a pale grey cow, Lewa.
“She is the one in charge of the cattle,” Loku says. “She is the brave one who always goes in front.”
His big herd has brought him fame in his town. To Loku, every good thing that ever happened came from his herd, including his three wives and 21 children. His life’s mission is to increase his herd, with the obsessive hunger of a Wall Street trader chasing the next deal.
“I know all my cows, every one. I love them all, because they are all my cows. I have favorites, but I love them all,” Loku says. He demonstrates the kissing noise he makes to call his cows to follow him home in the evening.
Sometimes the bulls Selimbe and Mamoro fight. When that happens, he laughs like a fond father, and separates them.
His cattle, lumbering beasts with grey hides and towering horns, are the center of his life, not only because they bring a family food and wealth, but because they are at the heart of every important ceremony. To marry, men in South Sudan’s herding communities pay the girl’s father a bride price in dozens of cows.
“I use these cattle to feed my family and take care of them,” says Loku.
“We use the cows for marriage,” he adds. “That’s why they’re important. We slaughter a bull when a visitor comes. We drink the blood or cook with the blood. For weddings, we slaughter four bulls. We slaughter bulls when someone dies. If a man has many cattle, the family slaughters five or six or seven bulls when he dies.”
When Loku was a boy, his father didn’t allow him to go to school, but sent him to the cattle camp. As a boy, he and other herders speared a lion to death that was threatening their livestock.
“I’m glad there are no lions left now,” he says, approvingly.
The life of a cattle boy, even today, is extremely harsh. They spend their days walking naked with the cattle, often in broiling heat. They live at night in the cattle camp. They get no schooling. A small boy on the road to Terekeka conveys the hardship in his face: nursing a sickly lamb in his arms, he squints into the sun, as he walks along the road barefoot.
In return for Loku’s years of sacrifice, he was given 35 cattle from his father when his younger sisters were married off. He gradually built up his herd to 180 beasts. He was ready to marry a girl called Achan, after his father and her father agreed on a price after a long negotiation.
“I loved her. When you love a girl you tell her. She was very funny, always laughing. She was tall and very beautiful.”
Four days before Loku was due to send the cows to Achan’s father, gunfire rang out as he slept in the cattle camp with three other herders, guarding a 5,000-strong herd.
“They had guns and we only had spears,” he recalls. “We had to hide, just to survive. I never saw my enemy. I didn’t even know who they were. But they took all the cattle.”
With no cows to pay, the marriage fell through.
“That was the worst thing that happened in my life,” he says. “I went into my house and I cried for a week. I felt terrible. You just sit there and feel sorrowful. I was afraid I would never get married because they took all my cattle. As a man, if you don’t get married you really feel ashamed. You’re supposed to get married and have children.
“If you don’t have cattle, you can’t get married. People will say, ‘Why don’t you have cattle?’ People will say, ‘You are not a man.’”
For a time, Loku went into farming. Then he got 20 cows from the marriage of his fourth sister, and started again.
He married his first wife who is “hard-working and obedient” for 40 cows, his second for 40 cows and his third for 30 cows.
“Now I have 500 cattle,” he smiles proudly.
With sons off tending the cattle, he sits outside his home on a low wooden stool, in a narrow band of shade. He wears a worn leather bracelet with one faded shell and when he smiles, he flashes a silver tooth and gapped front teeth.
Terekeka consists of not much more than one main dirt road, with tracks snaking off into dusty neighborhoods, where people live in traditional houses of mud, sticks and thatch. Goats amble, chickens peck and children dash around with wire wheels they push along using sticks. A woman sits under a tree holding a plastic bottle of milk, with a mangy dog at her feet and a toddler in a frilly dress tottering around.
Most mornings Loku rises early and takes his cattle into the bush to graze. At dusk, he brings them back to camp by the Nile. Several tall poles, painted black and white, each topped with flapping rag flags and a set of bull horns, mark the camp’s location.
Each year, Loku takes the cattle far into the bush for three months, sleeping under a shelter with a cowhide roof.
The constants in a South Sudan herder’s life haven’t changed much in generations. Among those are the givens, that the man is boss in the family, and expects total obedience from his wives. “They always obey me. If one of my wives doesn’t want to obey me, she can go home.”
Loku is proud that his 12 sons won’t have the problem that he had marrying. He has so many cows he can easily pay for brides for all of them. | http://www.latimes.com/world/africa/la-fg-south-sudan-cattle-20160726-snap-story.html | en | 2016-08-28T00:00:00 | www.latimes.com/1f26754d2a9226fa0f7320160865c7701152a68f12f8c691e0dc2e534a219ec5.json |
[
"Daily Pilot",
"Daily Pilot Staff"
]
| 2016-08-26T13:16:34 | null | 2016-08-22T00:00:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.latimes.com%2Fsocal%2Fdaily-pilot%2Fnews%2Ftn-dpt-me-0821-local-olympians-20160822-story.html.json | http://www.trbimg.com/img-57bb8e1a/turbine/tn-dpt-me-0821-local-olympians-20160822 | en | null | Welcome home, local Olympians | null | null | www.latimes.com | The 2016 Summer Olympic Games closed Sunday in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, capping a successful run for the U.S. contingent, which includes many athletes and coaches with ties to the Newport Beach-Costa Mesa area.
Here are the local Olympians:
ATHLETES
• April Ross (Costa Mesa resident and Newport Harbor High School graduate): women's beach volleyball
• Maddie Musselman (Newport Beach resident and Corona del Mar High School grad): women's water polo
Kaleigh Gilchrist Christophe Simon / Getty Images Kaleigh Gilchrist, Newport Harbor High grad, women’s water polo. Kaleigh Gilchrist, Newport Harbor High grad, women’s water polo. (Christophe Simon / Getty Images)
• Kaleigh Gilchrist (Newport Beach resident and Newport Harbor High grad): women's water polo
• Maggie Steffens (Newport Beach resident): women's water polo
• Sam Mikulak (Newport Coast resident and Corona del Mar High grad): men's gymnastics
Sam Mikulak Dmitri Lovetsky / AP Sam Mikulak, a Corona del Mar High grad, men’s gymnastics. Sam Mikulak, a Corona del Mar High grad, men’s gymnastics. (Dmitri Lovetsky / AP)
• Charlie Buckingham (Newport Beach resident and Newport Harbor High grad): men's Laser class sailing
• Luca Cupido (Newport Beach resident and Newport Harbor High grad): men's water polo
• John Mann (Corona del Mar High grad): men's water polo
• Charles Jock (UC Irvine grad): men's track and field
• David Smith (UCI grad): men's volleyball
• Maggie Hogan (trains at Newport Aquatic Center): women's kayaking
Maggie Hogan Julian Finney / Getty Images Maggie Hogan, who trains at Newport Aquatic Center, competed in women’s kayaking. Maggie Hogan, who trains at Newport Aquatic Center, competed in women’s kayaking. (Julian Finney / Getty Images)
• Phillip Chew (UCI student): men's badminton
• Eva Lee (UCI grad): women's badminton
• Persis William-Mensah (Estancia High grad and UCI student-athlete): Ghana women's track and field
• Kevin Tillie (ex-UCI All-American): France men's volleyball
COACHES
• John Speraw (ex-UCI men's volleyball coach): coach for men's volleyball team
• Chris Oeding (Corona del Mar High grad): assistant coach for women's water polo team
• Dan Klatt (UCI women's water polo coach): assistant coach for women's water polo team
• Matt Fuerbringer (Estancia High School grad): assistant coach for men's volleyball team
• Jamie Morrison (ex-UCI women's volleyball assistant coach): assistant coach for women's volleyball team
• Dave Durden (UCI grad): assistant coach for men's swim team
• Adrian Delgado (Orange Coast College women's volleyball assistant coach): assistant coach for Mexico men's volleyball team | http://www.latimes.com/socal/daily-pilot/news/tn-dpt-me-0821-local-olympians-20160822-story.html | en | 2016-08-22T00:00:00 | www.latimes.com/dae2606b0dc5f30ee87ef4cacf1a41b662b1706db3078692415b92c17fcaad19.json |
[
"La Cañada",
"Sara Cardine"
]
| 2016-08-26T13:15:49 | null | 2016-08-17T00:00:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.latimes.com%2Fsocal%2Fla-canada-valley-sun%2Fnews%2Ftn-vsl-me-burglary-20160817-story.html.json | http://www.trbimg.com/img-57b4e432/turbine/tn-vsl-me-burglary-20160817 | en | null | La Cañada home ransacked during break-in | null | null | www.latimes.com | Los Angeles County Sheriff's deputies are investigating a residential burglary that occurred Tuesday afternoon on the 300 block of Baptiste Way, called in by a resident who came home to find windows and doors open and several rooms ransacked.
Lt. Randy Tuinstra, watch commander for the Crescenta Valley Station, said Wednesday the initial call came in at 1:06 p.m.
"The resident came home and heard noises inside the house," he said, attributing the information to the watch commander's call log from the day before. "Windows and doors were open. Several rooms had been ransacked."
Deputies in the vicinity arrived shortly after the call and contained the home's perimeters, but no suspect was located. At least one air unit was called in to search the immediate area for signs of a suspect. The homeowner did not see anyone during the incident and so was unable to provide a physical description.
The point of entry was determined to be an open window, and the suspect was thought to have exited the property through the front door. Due to the extensive nature of the ransacking, the homeowner was unable to determine what may have been stolen, Tuinstra said.
Anyone with information on the incident is asked to call the Crescenta Valley Station at (818) 248-3464.
--
Sara Cardine, [email protected]
Twitter: @SaraCardine | http://www.latimes.com/socal/la-canada-valley-sun/news/tn-vsl-me-burglary-20160817-story.html | en | 2016-08-17T00:00:00 | www.latimes.com/39bbfe8ebcbfd0fdd7dd484c81f888707caa296adcfa45c06d8e391c92b871ee.json |
[
"Los Angeles Times"
]
| 2016-08-28T00:49:15 | null | 2016-08-27T00:00:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.latimes.com%2Fsports%2Fla-sp-live-updates-rams-broncos-rams-vs-broncos-a-look-at-where-it-s-1472335849-htmlstory.html.json | http://www.trbimg.com/img-56fd643a/turbine/la-l-a-times-logo-20160331/600 | en | null | Rams vs. Broncos: A look at where it's gunna go down | null | null | www.latimes.com | The Rams will play the Broncos today in Denver at Sports Authority Field at 6 p.m. on CBS in their third exhibition game. Quarterback Case Keenum is expected to play at least three or for series against the Broncos with rookie Jared Goff taking over after that. | http://www.latimes.com/sports/la-sp-live-updates-rams-broncos-rams-vs-broncos-a-look-at-where-it-s-1472335849-htmlstory.html | en | 2016-08-27T00:00:00 | www.latimes.com/796570278128a5dd161d6ec1f84de1db4f0634054982396fb361266a562ad62a.json |
[
"Daily Pilot",
"Susan Hoffman"
]
| 2016-08-26T13:16:16 | null | 2016-08-25T00:00:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.latimes.com%2Fsocal%2Fdaily-pilot%2Fnews%2Ftn-dpt-me-mr-rock-n-roll-20160825-story.html.json | http://www.trbimg.com/img-57bfbc68/turbine/tn-dpt-me-mr-rock-n-roll-20160825 | en | null | 'Mr. Rock N' Roll' is in harmony with Newport Beach | null | null | www.latimes.com | Brian Beirne spent 29 years as a disc jockey (the longest continuous stint in FM radio history) playing oldies music for K-EARTH/101 in Los Angeles. You might know him by the moniker his listeners suggested because of his extensive knowledge of music and musicians — "Mr. Rock N' Roll."
You might also have seen his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
These days, Beirne loves taking his grandkids boating in Newport Beach, his home of the past 13 years, and enjoying all the city has to offer.
"Newport Beach is one of the most beautiful places — no graffiti, and the police do an excellent job keeping us safe," he said. "The city is always immaculate.
"It's far different from the Hollywood Hills [his former home] — gentler, peaceful. I wouldn't want to be anyplace else."
But after a total of 40 years of radio and TV work and receiving numerous honors, Beirne is still rolling. He stays busy doing voiceover spots, writing and hosting radio specials, presenting a cruise ship lecture and multimedia show and co-hosting a morning show on AZ TV in Arizona, where he has a home.
Brian and Cindee Beirne Susan Hoffman Brian Beirne and his wife, Cindee, of Newport Beach take a moment before Beirne hit the stage to introduce an act at a recent Balboa Bay Club concert. Beirne puts on 90 concerts a year featuring national artists and tribute bands through his company Legendary Shows. Brian Beirne and his wife, Cindee, of Newport Beach take a moment before Beirne hit the stage to introduce an act at a recent Balboa Bay Club concert. Beirne puts on 90 concerts a year featuring national artists and tribute bands through his company Legendary Shows. (Susan Hoffman) (Susan Hoffman)
He also manages and represents several national artists and tribute bands that he accompanies around the country and as far away as Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, through his company Legendary Shows. Among them are the Surfaris (of "Wipe Out" fame), the Kingsmen ("Louie Louie"), the Tokens ("The Lion Sleeps Tonight"), Surfin' — The Beach Boys Tribute, Jumping Jack Flash (Rolling Stones tribute) and Abbey Road (Beatles tribute).
"I brought the Kingsmen to my 50th high school reunion in Salem, Ore., as a gift to my class. The band was special to our class, as they were a local band and just hitting with 'Louie Louie' during our senior year. It was a few of my classmates who said, 'You lived out your dream of being on the radio and producing concerts.'"
Putting on 90 shows a year keeps him, "to quote Rod Stewart, 'Forever Young,'" Beirne said with a laugh.
"I'll never retire," he said. "Too much fun."
His wife, Cindee, who attends most of his concerts, said: "Brian has a compelling way of telling stories about the artists and their music, making them come alive. I never tire of hearing them."
This summer, Beirne's work has kept him closer to home, lining up acts that do tributes to icons such as Stewart, Queen and Fleetwood Mac for the Balboa Bay Club's Friday night summer concert series.
"Who doesn't want to be around Mr. Rock N' Roll?" said Aaron Trent, director of member relations and club events for the Balboa Bay Club. "It's cool to have him come out and do the announcing as part of the act."
Brian Beirne Susan Hoffman Former longtime K-EARTH 101 personality Brian Beirne works the crowd before introducing a Rod Stewart tribute band at the Balboa Bay Club in Newport Beach. Former longtime K-EARTH 101 personality Brian Beirne works the crowd before introducing a Rod Stewart tribute band at the Balboa Bay Club in Newport Beach. (Susan Hoffman) (Susan Hoffman)
Looking back, Beirne said: "I loved every day that I was on radio. I worked with hundreds of artists. It was a great run for a kid who grew up on a dirt and gravel road."
That road was in Salem, where he moved with his mother from Northern California at age 10.
He had become fascinated with radio when his father took him to a station. "This is what I want to do," the youngster proclaimed.
Beirne hung around the local station in Oregon and learned the ropes. When he was 13, he got his first break as he was helping out at a sock hop. The DJ suddenly got sick and Beirne had to finish the show.
Since then, in addition to his long run at K-EARTH that he ended in 2004, he has been a news director and a TV weatherman and entertainment reporter.
Among the rock 'n' roll greats Beirne has worked with are Ricky Nelson, Little Richard and Fats Domino.
"Besides my record collection [of more than 40,000], I also collect movie posters, and I had a poster of [Elvis Presley] inthe movie 'Love Me Tender,'" Beirne said.
"At the bottom of the poster, it said, 'Mr. Rock N' Roll in the story he was born to play.' It fit what I was doing on the radio, and since Elvis was never referred as that again, I registered the trademark [and] became known as Mr. Rock N' Roll." | http://www.latimes.com/socal/daily-pilot/news/tn-dpt-me-mr-rock-n-roll-20160825-story.html | en | 2016-08-25T00:00:00 | www.latimes.com/835bff03ab8cc215893a4fb18c2b04e835416fe30ce98963e54a013ac6b5d4d5.json |
[
"Los Angeles Times"
]
| 2016-08-28T02:49:27 | null | 2016-08-27T00:00:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.latimes.com%2Fsports%2Fla-sp-live-updates-rams-broncos-game-on-rams-return-opening-1472346649-htmlstory.html.json | http://www.trbimg.com/img-57c23a35/turbine/la-sp-live-updates-rams-broncos-game-on-rams-return-opening-1472346649 | en | null | Game on: Rams return opening kickoff...then punt | null | null | www.latimes.com | Rookie receiver Pharoh Cooper was the first Ram to touchd the ball, returning the opening kick to the 17-yard line.
Case Keenum hit Kenny Britt with a one-yard toss and then running back Benny Cunningham ran up the middle for a four yard game before the Broncos highly vaunted defense introduced itself to L.A.
Von Miller sacked Keenum for a nine-yard loss ending the drive. | http://www.latimes.com/sports/la-sp-live-updates-rams-broncos-game-on-rams-return-opening-1472346649-htmlstory.html | en | 2016-08-27T00:00:00 | www.latimes.com/053d0c13faa04ef5bd23ac1d002e4fb53a9ddb640af44478e05204d4c8291775.json |
[
"Los Angeles Times"
]
| 2016-08-30T12:50:05 | null | 2016-08-30T00:00:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.latimes.com%2Fnewsletters%2Fla-me-todays-headlines-20160830-snap-story.html.json | http://www.trbimg.com/img-56fd643a/turbine/la-l-a-times-logo-20160331/600 | en | null | Today: The Trials and Travails of Huma Abedin. ‘I Will Get You’: A Power Couple Seeks Revenge. | null | null | www.latimes.com | I'm Davan Maharaj, editor-in-chief of the Los Angeles Times. Here are some story lines I don't want you to miss today.
TOP STORIES
The Trials and Travails of Huma Abedin
Huma Abedin has carried Hillary Clinton’s cellphone in her purse and exchanged emails with her on everything from diplomatic efforts in Libya to how to operate a fax machine. Some call her Clinton’s “second daughter.” Though she almost never speaks publicly, her husband Anthony Weiner’s latest sexting scandal has awkwardly pushed her into the spotlight. But long before that, Abedin has been a favorite target of Republicans and sometimes conspiracy theories.
More Politics
-- Inside the Hollywood past of Stephen K. Bannon, Donald Trump's campaign chief.
-- What does Trump mean when he says he will deport “criminal” immigrants first?
‘I Will Get You’: A Power Couple Seeks Revenge
Kent and Jill Easter were experts in corporate and securities law. They had been educated at some of California’s most elite universities: Stanford and UCLA Law School for him, Berkeley Law for her. What caused them to campaign for the ouster of Kelli Peters from the Irvine school where she ran the after-school program? Read Chapter 2 of Christopher Goffard’s six-part series, “Framed.”
A Study in Panic at LAX
Two weeks. Two incidents of panic at major airports, caused by false reports of gunfire. The confusion and chaos that hit LAX on Sunday night and JFK in New York earlier this month are hard to control — sometimes more difficult than handling a real shooter, officials say. What can be done to prevent more false alarms?
An Actor of Pure Imagination
Gene Wilder didn’t want to be known as a comedian; he always considered himself an actor rather than a clown. It just so happened that he had a gift for comedy (see “The Producers,” “Blazing Saddles,” “Young Frankenstein” et al) and an eye for the unexpected. Wilder died Sunday at age 83, and Times film editor Marc Bernardin remembers five of his greatest performances, including as Willy Wonka in “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.”
He Was a Gay Icon in Macho Mexico
In a country known for its machismo, the late Juan Gabriel was an unlikely superstar: one who wore glittery capes and the occasional touch of eye makeup, a la Prince or David Bowie, and who became a gay icon in Mexico. “I think he made a deep cultural change not by talking about his sexuality but by living it out onstage,” says one professor. “Juan Gabriel taught us how to be feminine.”
The Queen of Aces
Serena Williams has won more singles, doubles and mixed doubles titles combined than any other pro. She has one of the longest careers in history compared with other No. 1 players. And she has that wickedly fast serve. Now, as Williams sets out to win a record 23rd major title at the U.S. Open, we break down the data on why she’s so great. Be sure to try our simulator to see if your reflexes are quick enough to return her serves.
CALIFORNIA
-- Representatives are calling for a congressional investigation into Purdue Pharma and other opioid makers.
-- A bill that would add mandatory prison sentences for certain sexual assaults is headed to Gov. Jerry Brown.
-- An L.A. teaching assistant has been charged with smuggling heroin and cellphones to a death row inmate in San Quentin.
-- Joe Hicks, a prominent black conservative activist in L.A., has died at age 75.
NATION-WORLD
-- These Aurora theater massacre survivors sued. How did their case collapse?
-- A Chicago insider gets 10 years in prison after taking $2 million in bribes for steering red-light camera contracts to an Arizona company.
-- At her trial, Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff says her impeachment threatens democracy.
-- Iran is desperate for U.S. passenger planes, but it can't have them.
-- More than 3 million years after her death, an autopsy reveals Lucy probably died after falling from a tree.
HOLLYWOOD AND THE ARTS
-- Forgive and forget? How we overlook the flaws in “The Night Of,” “Stranger Things” and other TV shows.
-- These composers have scored films and TV series such as “Foxcatcher,” “Straight Outta Compton,” “Looper” and “Billions.” Now you can hear them in concert. | http://www.latimes.com/newsletters/la-me-todays-headlines-20160830-snap-story.html | en | 2016-08-30T00:00:00 | www.latimes.com/27bf5bf4b289dba192ae182a8e36153bd2992aed690c4e46e58712cd60f9becb.json |
[
"Los Angeles Times"
]
| 2016-08-31T00:49:57 | null | 2016-08-30T00:00:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.latimes.com%2Fopinion%2Freadersreact%2Fla-ol-le-airport-20160830-snap-story.html.json | http://www.trbimg.com/img-57c5d145/turbine/la-ol-le-airport-20160830-snap | en | null | More turbulence over Santa Monica airport closure vote | null | null | www.latimes.com | To the editor: I am not a big fan of flying, but I believe the city of Santa Monica’s effort to close its airport is very shortsighted and wrong.
(“Santa Monica again seeks to close airport,” Aug. 25)
Residents living around the airport have complained about its existence for decades; however, they decided to live next door. The Santa Monica Municipal Airport has been in operation for nearly 100 years. Residents knew it was there before they moved in.
Nevertheless, the small facility was not built for jet traffic. I agree that curtailing private and corporate jet operations would be prudent. But this part of the county still needs an airport in case of a major disaster. And I wonder how long the land would remain for “recreational” use only. Developers always have an eye on any piece of land that’s in a good location.
Eliminate the jets, but keep the airport open.
Genie Saffren, Los Angeles
::
To the editor: It is long overdue for Santa Monica Airport to be closed.
All the bureaucratic fear mongering over what the federal government will do to us and the special interests that mislead us so they can keep this airport open must be stopped. Closing the airport is what the constituents voted to do, and it’s unconscionable that our will is continuing to be so cavalierly ignored.
Barbara G. Gustafson, Santa Monica
Follow the Opinion section on Twitter @latimesopinion and Facebook | http://www.latimes.com/opinion/readersreact/la-ol-le-airport-20160830-snap-story.html | en | 2016-08-30T00:00:00 | www.latimes.com/e5798efe0423df7cc7d904841566664acac61f14331e50ee366427cc4af32934.json |
[
"Los Angeles Times",
"Richard Winton",
"Hailey Branson-Potts"
]
| 2016-08-30T02:49:51 | null | 2016-08-29T00:00:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.latimes.com%2Flocal%2Flanow%2Fla-me-ln-echo-park-boy-dcfs-20160829-snap-story.html.json | http://www.trbimg.com/img-57c4bcbc/turbine/la-me-ln-echo-park-boy-dcfs-20160829-snap | en | null | Family of malnourished boy found dead in Echo Park closet had been reported to social workers six times | null | null | www.latimes.com | Days apart in 2012, two teachers contacted the Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services about a young boy named Yonatan Daniel Aguilar.
One reported that the boy was suffering from general neglect. Another said he had a black eye.
County social workers interviewed school employees, including a soccer coach and a special education teacher. And, because it involved an allegation of possible physical abuse, the black eye was cross-reported to Los Angeles police, who also looked into it.
County officials and police determined the boy to be living in a safe environment. Four years later, the child was found dead in a closet, appearing to suffer from physical abuse and malnutrition. Several law enforcement sources told The Times that Yonatan, 11, was severely underweight with festering wounds and healed injuries that showed signs of long-term abuse.
The boy’s family had been the subject of six prior reports to DCFS, the department’s director, Philip L. Browning, said Monday. Two reports in 2002 pre-dated Yonatan’s birth and involved at least one of his siblings, Browning said.
Browning shared details about prior reports after DCFS received a court order from Michael Levanas, presiding judge of the Los Angeles County Superior Court’s Juvenile Division, to release more information about the case.
On Aug. 22, Los Angeles police found Yonatan lying in a closet, wrapped in a blanket, in the family’s home in the 2100 block of Santa Ynez Street. The boy had been dead for at least several hours, authorities said.
His mother, Veronica Aguilar, 39, was charged Thursday with one count each of murder and child abuse resulting in death.
In addition to the two reports made about Yonatan in 2012, there was one report in 2011 and one in 2009. Yonatan was a special education student who saw a school psychologist and may have had behavioral issues, Browning said.
Browning said Monday that his department is conducting an internal investigation and that, so far, social workers in Yonatan’s cases appeared to have done good work interviewing numerous people who had contact with him and interviewing him apart from his parents.
The LAPD was aware of any report that involved possible physical abuse, Browning said.
In 2009, DCFS received a report of possible physical abuse that came from police, who had received the information from the child’s school, Browning said. Social workers interviewed a school nurse, the principal and the school psychologist before determining that no abuse occurred and a full investigation was not warranted.
The LAPD also investigated that report, he said.
“There was not just one set of eyes here,” Browning said.
In 2011, a hospital social worker reported the boy was suffering from general neglect — a term often used to signify an unclean home, Browning said. Doctors and a clinical therapist were interviewed before social workers ruled out opening a case.
The two separate reports to DCFS from teachers in 2012 came days apart. School employees, Kaiser Permanente staff, a soccer coach and a special education teacher were among those interviewed by social workers, and the black eye was cross-reported to police, Browning said.
The boy later denied the black eye had been the result of abuse, saying he fell on a rock pile while playing soccer, Browning said. Social workers talked to his coach, who could not confirm his account.
After 2012, the boy fell off the county’s radar, Browning said. There were no other reports about him to the department, and DCFS does not have the legal right to inquire about him without a report.
“We don’t have any authority to intercede or intrude on a family after we have determined there has been no abuse,” Browning said. “We cannot call and just check up on you and check for abuse.… We might have made a difference if we’d gotten a phone call.”
Browning said he is concerned about whether anyone else saw signs of abuse but did not report them.
Capt. Julian Melendez, commanding officer of the Los Angeles Police Department’s Juvenile Division, told The Times last week that Yonatan’s mother has at least three other children, ages 14, 16 and 18. They were not at the Echo Park home last week while investigators were looking into Yonatan’s death, but they were tracked down and contacted by police, he said. The minors were released to DCFS, he said.
Melendez said last week that he was aware of three reports to DCFS of possible abuse regarding Yonatan that had been cross-reported to police but did not trigger an investigation by Juvenile Division detectives.
The child had not attended classes in the Los Angeles Unified School District since 2012 and was thought to have been in Mexico for some time, according to the LAPD. It was unclear whether the boy attended school in another district.
LAPD authorities and county officials said the family seemed to have moved numerous times.
On Monday, Ed Winter, a spokesman for the L.A. County coroner’s office, said the boy’s autopsy had been put on a security hold by law enforcement and that no details regarding the cause of death or the condition of the child could be released.
Browning defended his social workers’ handling of Yonatan’s case. “This situation is not at all like the Gabriel Fernandez case,” he said, referring to the 2013 killing of an 8-year-old boy, who was allegedly beaten to death by his mother and her boyfriend even though DCFS social workers received several abuse reports. Four social workers have been charged with felony child abuse and falsifying records in connection with Gabriel’s killing.
Browning said that in inquiries about Yonatan, social workers were able to interview parents and children apart and talked to several people after each report.
[email protected]
Twitter: @lacrimes
[email protected]
Twitter: @haileybranson
ALSO
Panic, chaos at LAX, JFK show how even false reports of violence can upend airport operatons | http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-echo-park-boy-dcfs-20160829-snap-story.html | en | 2016-08-29T00:00:00 | www.latimes.com/7c570f8a9c446544ebf78ec45be57008dec19240d9166dea0e474c5da0a55652.json |
[
"Los Angeles Times",
"Associated Press"
]
| 2016-08-28T02:49:40 | null | 2016-08-27T00:00:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.latimes.com%2Fsports%2Fmlb%2Fla-sp-baseball-notes-20160827-snap-story.html.json | http://www.trbimg.com/img-57c23503/turbine/la-sp-baseball-notes-20160827-snap | en | null | Rangers reliever Jeremy Jeffress could face suspension after arrest | null | null | www.latimes.com | Texas Rangers reliever Jeremy Jeffress remained away from the team Saturday while Major League Baseball looked into his arrest on suspicion of drunken driving.
Jeffress was put on MLB’s restricted list Friday, hours after he was booked into the Dallas County jail.
Thad Levine, the team's assistant general manager, said the players' union was working with the commissioner's office, along with Jeffress and his agent, to “determine a best course of action.”
Levine said he didn't know the timeframe for a decision. Jeffress, 28, could possibly face a suspension.
Etc.
Seattle placed right-handed reliever Tom Wilhelmsen on the 15-day disabled list with lower back spasms. . . . Detroit activated shortstop Jose Iglesias, who had been on the 15-day disabled list since Aug. 12 because of a left hamstring strain. | http://www.latimes.com/sports/mlb/la-sp-baseball-notes-20160827-snap-story.html | en | 2016-08-27T00:00:00 | www.latimes.com/632c3d7c8de6d6bb2968d6930a5b940b99260fb157b1cfbf946ed0a79505b214.json |
[
"Los Angeles Times",
"Patt Morrison"
]
| 2016-08-31T12:50:20 | null | 2016-08-31T00:00:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.latimes.com%2Fopinion%2Fop-ed%2Fla-oe-patt-morrison-asks-edward-finegan-20160830-snap-story.html.json | http://www.trbimg.com/img-57c6244a/turbine/la-oe-patt-morrison-asks-edward-finegan-20160830-snap | en | null | Patt Morrison asks: USC linguist Edward Finegan on L.A.'s contribution to the English language | null | null | www.latimes.com | Happy 235th birthday, Los Angeles [Sept. 4 — definitely a Virgo]! Instead of getting gifts, we’re giving them. L.A. has bestowed all kinds of new words on the world — not just movie-business terms like “hot set” and the red-carpet posing practice known as “step and repeat,” but “surface street” and “Orange Curtain.” The Los Angeles Library Foundation’s project “Hollywood Is a Verb” looked at the venerable Oxford English Dictionary through polycarbonate wraparound shades and asked Angelenos to suggest distinctly SoCal words — even beyond the 400 or so traced to California newspapers and already enshrined in the OED. USC linguist Edward Finegan talks us through how we are what we say, dude.
CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO THIS INTERVIEW ON THE 'PATT MORRISON ASKS' PODCAST »
Were there any that came up that you thought, “Wow, that’s a great word, that’s singularly Southern California”?
Well, of course the ones that I think are most striking are the ones that really do have to do with Hollywood, with what we’re famous for, namely besides the Industry, which is one of the terms. But traffic is also another arena in which a lot of terms were suggested: Carmageddon, based on Armageddon. And of course the way that we refer to highways, which are numbered, where we put the definite article “the” before them. So we say, “Did you come in on the 10 into the studio this morning?” Or, “Did you take the 405 up to the Valley?” So those terms are peculiarly Angeleno terms.
Do people elsewhere refer to freeways without the article “the”?
Typically they would say, for example, “Take Route 70 from Columbus to Indianapolis,” rather than say, “Take the 70.”
There are some other non-Hollywood terms that come up, and not even freeway terms. Going avocado was a new one on me.
Yeah, it was a new one on me too. It’s a great one. It captures the notion of becoming the Californian.
From this list that the Library Foundation accumulated of singularly Southern California words, do you have any favorites?
I love bummer-to-bummer, which of course is different from bumper-to-bumper. But the freeways have become so slow these days at all times of these days and nights that it really does become a bummer to get on the freeway when you need to get somewhere, and it has affected us tremendously. We choose where we’re going to go to eat and which friends we’re going to spend time with based on what day of the week it is, and what hour of the day it is, and how far away it is, and which freeways we need to take. So I’m very fond of bummer-to-bummer.
You wonder whether anyone outside Southern California would understand a sentence like, “Wow, I hope you don’t run into a SigAlert on your way to the table read in the Valley.”
That’s a good example. We have table read, we have the Valley, we have SigAlert. When I first came to California, when I started hearing the word SigAlert, I took it to mean a signal alert and the meaning of it was clear — that there has been an important or significant traffic snarl somewhere and we’re being signaled against it. It turns out that’s the wrong etymology altogether. It’s —
A man’s name. Sigmon Loyd, is that right? Loyd Sigmon.
And a similar kind of thing for Cobb salad. I never stopped to think about Cobb salad — you can get it anywhere now, throughout the United States, but of course it’s named after a man named Cobb who invented it in a restaurant in Hollywood.
There’s no way to know whether any of these new Southern California words will ever make their way into the OED, but there is one Southern California word or compound that’s already in there. What is that?
Well, there are lots of them, but one that struck me as I was thinking about this is car bomb, the word car bomb. We don’t know where it was first used because what dictionaries rely on of course are published records for the most part. But the first citation to the word car bomb in the Oxford English Dictionary is to its use in the Los Angeles Times, in 1923, on the 25th of June.
It was in a headline and it said, Wealthy Scion Nabbed as Car Bomb Death Suspect. There are actually 192 first citations attributed to the Los Angeles Times in the Oxford English Dictionary.
I’m so proud! Any others pop up?
Of course some of them are well known and not surprising, like motel — which is of course a word that was invented in San Luis Obispo —
Motor hotel?
Motor hotel.
Because they couldn’t afford all the neon!
But there are others that originate in citations from the Los Angeles Times. That means the very first use that the OED has found for these words was in the Los Angeles Times, words like pesticide and supermarket and, perhaps not surprisingly, aerospace. Also words like Chicana and even must-see. Think tank was one which really did surprise me. So there are lots of them.
There are almost 400 words that the OED cites from California, whose first citation is in a California newspaper, papers from Fresno and Long Beach as well of course as the L.A. Times — an extraordinary number from a single state.
I also checked words which I think we think of as California words, words like gnarly, for example, and totally.
Pronounced toooootally.
Totally, totally, totally. Even in its current use, it turns out not to have, as first citations in the OED, California sources. So the word dude, much to my surprise —
The duuude pronunciation, with five Us in it —
— doesn’t actually have an initial California citation. I didn’t check to see whether there were any from Patt Morrison, but we can do that and see what comes up.
Oh, if only — my little claim to immortality!
A couple of words on this list that the Library Foundation accumulated are words I don’t hear Angelenos using about themselves. I’ve never heard an Angeleno say LaLa Land. That seems to be something tabloids and East Coast publications use. Or Cali for California. Cali to me is a drug cartel. | http://www.latimes.com/opinion/op-ed/la-oe-patt-morrison-asks-edward-finegan-20160830-snap-story.html | en | 2016-08-31T00:00:00 | www.latimes.com/2ddd3c44a4999a58c24a944d09c46c6a25bee20be096bba454b4c670aab52b45.json |
[
"Los Angeles Times",
"Brittny Mejia"
]
| 2016-08-30T14:50:01 | null | 2016-08-30T00:00:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.latimes.com%2Flocal%2Flanow%2Fla-me-ln-reseda-homicide-20160830-snap-story.html.json | http://www.trbimg.com/img-57c5880d/turbine/la-me-ln-reseda-homicide-20160830-snap | en | null | Homicide investigation underway in Reseda after body found | null | null | www.latimes.com | A homicide investigation is underway in Reseda after a man was found dead, police said.
A radio call came in around 1 a.m. for a possible shooting near Etiwanda Avenue and Valerio Street, said Los Angeles Police Department Officer Liliana Preciado.
Officers found a victim and contacted the Los Angeles Fire Department, who pronounced the man dead at the scene, Preciado said.
It is unclear if the man was a victim of a shooting. The investigation is ongoing.
For more California news, follow @brittny_mejia | http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-reseda-homicide-20160830-snap-story.html | en | 2016-08-30T00:00:00 | www.latimes.com/2ed7f73b86ebf62ba09d5d9eceaaef7538fbad9038275eb396e432c53111dc8c.json |
[
"La Cañada",
"Sara Cardine"
]
| 2016-08-26T13:15:20 | null | 2016-08-11T00:00:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.latimes.com%2Fsocal%2Fla-canada-valley-sun%2Fcommunity%2Ftn-vsl-me-art-20160810-story.html.json | http://www.trbimg.com/img-57acb6ca/turbine/tn-vsl-me-art-20160810 | en | null | Through sheer word of mouth, Art Johnson has become the go-to handyman for locals | null | null | www.latimes.com | If ever a hard-to-reach light bulb goes dim, a drain backs up or a door hinge rusts shut, La Cañadans in the know can rest easy in the knowledge Art Johnson is just a phone call away.
For the past few decades, the Glendale resident — who grew up in Burbank and taught Industrial Arts classes at John Burroughs High School before working machinist jobs in the aerospace industry — has carved out a nice little life for himself working as a handyman.
You'll not find his name in a phone book, nor will you learn his cellphone number by searching the Internet; most of the clients Johnson takes on come referred to him by the countless area residents who, themselves, were referred by others some five, 10 or 20 years ago.
"He is our handyman, has been for years and years," said La Crescenta resident Mary Gant. "I think of him as family."
Many know the handyman from his years of involvement with the La Cañada Flintridge Tournament of Roses Assn., for which he tends bar at monthly happy hour fundraisers and takes up the mantle of "troll" each Dec. 26, working under the Foothill (210) Freeway bridge on the many physical aspects of the temporary village that houses the city's annual Rose Parade float entry.
"I don't do posies," he clarifies.
At 78, Johnson admits some parts of the job are simply getting harder to do as years progress and joints, like hinges, start to rust. He knows he won't be able to do the work forever, so to keep his mind sharp, he plays bridge on Thursdays at the Community Center of La Cañada Flintridge.
There, he's made friends with a number of people, particularly ladies who live alone and regularly need some help around the house. So, if they need a ride to a doctor's appointment, a trip to the grocery store or just someone to check in on them, Johnson happily obliges.
All it takes is a simple phone call and, somehow, in between all his other commitments, he finds the time.
"It's just about helping somebody," he says of the good deeds that have augmented the handyman work over the years. "And it gets your mind off yourself — that's what half of life is about."
Those who know him, like La Cañada resident Bob Wallace, joke about his unofficial "harem."
"Art's done handyman work for us here at home, and the last couple of times he can't come here because he's got to take a lady to the doctor," Wallace says. "He does a lot of services for a lot of people."
Maureen Bond, executive director of the community center, counts herself among those people and can easily list the number of projects Johnson has done on the site, from paper towel racks to plumbing, for not much compensation at all.
"He helps a million people and wants nothing for it," Bond says. "He's like a guardian angel for us."
Johnson takes a slightly different view.
"I'm not a guardian angel, no way," he says gruffly, blowing a raspberry. "I'm just an old fart who expresses his opinions now and then."
But as much as he likes sharing sometimes controversial viewpoints about politics, the educational system, his 16-year-old cat, Putz, who's on steroids, or raising children, he's a pretty good listener, too. At the Gants' house, morning visits over cups of cappuccinos are just as important as bathroom molding or drip irrigation.
"He's an all around good guy, and he's somebody you want in your life because he's just a nice person," Gant said.
Bond agreed.
"We all need a little Art in our lives," she said. "The people who do have Art in their lives are lucky."
--
Sara Cardine, [email protected]
Twitter: @SaraCardine | http://www.latimes.com/socal/la-canada-valley-sun/community/tn-vsl-me-art-20160810-story.html | en | 2016-08-11T00:00:00 | www.latimes.com/f8aa04acaa0aa39f111aff97c83bd2083870bd12b9099f37f3c39069a6b61f2a.json |
[
"Los Angeles Times",
"Andy Mccullough"
]
| 2016-08-31T04:49:47 | null | 2016-08-30T00:00:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.latimes.com%2Fsports%2Fdodgers%2Fla-sp-dodgers-rockies-20160830-snap-story.html.json | http://www.trbimg.com/img-57c653e4/turbine/la-sp-dodgers-rockies-20160830-snap | en | null | Julio Urias will start Friday, but after that his role with Dodgers is unclear | null | null | www.latimes.com | In the last two weeks, Julio Urias has become a critical component of the Dodgers rotation, delivering 12 innings of one-run baseball against Cincinnati and the Chicago Cubs. He will start again Friday night against San Diego. But after logging 108 innings already this season, he is pushing up against his innings restriction, and is unlikely to start for the team in October.
“It would be really difficult for him to start every fifth day through October,” Andrew Friedman, the Dodgers’ president of baseball operations, said before Tuesday’s rainout at Coors Field. “It’s something that we’re assessing. We have a good feel for that range, and a lot of it will have to do with how well he’s maintaining his stuff.”
The Dodgers have not revealed an official limit for Urias (5-2, 3.71 earned-run average), but the number is believed to be between 120 and 130 innings. Urias could shift to the bullpen after Friday’s outing. Friedman indicated he could contribute as a reliever in the playoffs.
Urias, a 20-year-old left-hander, could throw about 150 innings or more next season, when he figures to have a more consistent role on the big league staff.
“It was important to get him to a certain threshold, just to build off of for next year,” Friedman said. “But because of the injuries [in the starting rotation], we’re going to probably get there sooner than we would ideally like.”
No decision on Puig
The Dodgers have not decided if Yasiel Puig, who hit .361 in his first 18 games after being demoted to triple-A Oklahoma City, will be called up when rosters expand in September, Friedman said.
Friedman declined to comment on a report from FanRag Sports that Puig was claimed off waivers by an unknown team. The Dodgers are more likely to trade Puig in the off-season, when they can deal with all 29 clubs.
“For the most part, it’s a formality, where virtually all guys go through [waivers], most guys get claimed, and very few deals come as a result of it,” Friedman said.
Rainout reshuffle
Ross Stripling will start the day game on Wednesday against Colorado. Rich Hill will pitch the nightcap.
Fien up, Baez down
The Dodgers recalled reliever Casey Fien and sent reliever Pedro Baez to double-A Tulsa. The two-level demotion for Baez involves a scheduling quirk. He will be eligible to return on Sept. 6, when the double-A season ends. Baez had a 7.50 ERA in 13 outings in August.
[email protected]
Twitter: @McCulloughTimes | http://www.latimes.com/sports/dodgers/la-sp-dodgers-rockies-20160830-snap-story.html | en | 2016-08-30T00:00:00 | www.latimes.com/7c586fc633393a1871b45c41c457068971e94ef6797ddef5ec20b0955e7c8a21.json |
[
"Daily Pilot",
"Hannah Fry"
]
| 2016-08-30T02:52:05 | null | 2016-08-30T00:00:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.latimes.com%2Fsocal%2Fdaily-pilot%2Fnews%2Ftn-dpt-me-wake-up-20160830-story.html.json | http://www.trbimg.com/img-565ccc20/turbine/tn-dpt-me-fb-logos-20151117-002/600 | en | null | Newport Beach forum to focus on Costa Mesa ballot measures | null | null | www.latimes.com | Costa Mesa ballot measures will be the focus of discussion during Thursday's Wake Up Newport forum.
During the Newport Beach Chamber of Commerce-hosted event, Costa Mesa Mayor Pro Tem Jim Righeimer will speak about eight ballot measures that Costa Mesa voters will consider in November, with topics including the future of Fairview Park, marijuana dispensaries, citywide development and moving the city to voting districts.
Chamber of Commerce President Steve Rosansky said some of the issues Costa Mesa is facing in November's election are similar to ones that Newport Beach might tackle in the future.
"I thought these were interesting things our residents should be aware of since it's right on our border," Rosansky said.
Wake Up Newport begins at 7:15 a.m., with a free continental breakfast followed by the program from 7:45 to 8:30 a.m. at the Newport Beach Public Library, 1000 Avocado Ave.
[email protected]
Twitter: @HannahFryTCN | http://www.latimes.com/socal/daily-pilot/news/tn-dpt-me-wake-up-20160830-story.html | en | 2016-08-30T00:00:00 | www.latimes.com/cc35f87a67d0fe9a3aa575980981adaeb6db2dcd7ad96be0821ef9556121468e.json |
[
"Los Angeles Times",
"Melissa Batchelor Warnke"
]
| 2016-08-29T22:49:55 | null | 2016-08-29T00:00:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.latimes.com%2Fopinion%2Fop-ed%2Fla-oe-warnke-weiner-sexting-huma-abedin-20160829-snap-story.html.json | http://www.trbimg.com/img-57c4ac50/turbine/la-oe-warnke-weiner-sexting-huma-abedin-20160829-snap | en | null | Huma Abedin finally left Anthony Weiner. Hold the party streamers. Heartbreak is lonesome, even for the powerful. | null | null | www.latimes.com | This morning I was bombarded by the same news as everyone else: Huma Abedin’s husband, Anthony Weiner, cannot stop sexting. Abedin is Hillary Clinton’s closest advisor and the vice chairwoman of her 2016 campaign. Weiner is a former Democratic U.S. representative and a current stay-at-home dad.
This is Weiner’s third sexting scandal. In 2011, Weiner accidentally tweeted a lewd photo he’d intended to send privately to a college student. He initially claimed that his account had been hacked, but in the end admitted to having inappropriate exchanges with at least six women. Abedin was five months pregnant.
In 2013, new pictures were leaked to the press. Weiner admitted to sexting at least three women under the alias Carlos Danger.
Last night, a third round of sexts emerged. In one of the photos, Abedin and Weiner’s 4-year-old son is resting on Weiner’s stomach, inches away from Weiner’s erect, yet thankfully garmented, penis.
Many feminists rejoiced online today as Abedin issued a short, terse statement explaining that she had finally decided to separate from Weiner. That was my first reaction as well. I was all, “Get it girl! He never deserved you to begin with! Go find someone who will appreciate your brilliant brain and perfect hair and deep well of devotion. This dude is not qualified!” And then I sat with it for a couple of hours. My reaction did not feel true.
Craving fiction last night, I’d picked up Lucia Berlin’s short-story collection “A Manual for Cleaning Women.” In the first story, a man named Tony passes out drunk on the floor of a laundromat. Its owner leans down to tell him:
“Brother, believe me… I’ve been there… right down there in the gutter. I know just how you feel.”
Tony thinks: “Anybody says he knows just how someone else feels is a fool.”
“Anthony Weiner is a jackass, and Abedin did not deserve this treatment” is a sentence that reflects the reality of the situation.
“Anybody says he knows just how someone else feels is a fool” is a sentence that reflects the truth of the situation.
As onlookers to someone else’s relationship, we have the benefit of limited information and hindsight. Three times! Fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me, the saying goes. Is there shame left to even dole out in the third round?
It’s easy to argue that Weiner’s first indiscretion was so prolonged and multifaceted that a woman of Abedin’s intellect should have recognized his actions as a mark of character, rather than an aberration, that her decision to stay with Weiner after his second public indiscretion showed a self-abnegating stubbornness that resembled her mentor’s response to her own husband’s affairs, that Abedin only decided to finally leave Weiner because his actions left her no other option from a public relations standpoint.
I can’t disagree with those points, because the truth is that I don’t know the truth. Abedin’s the only one who knows. But here’s what I am sure of, upon deeper reflection: This isn’t a win for feminists. It’s a deep loss for a strong woman. Glee is an understandable reaction; compassion is a better one. Stripped to its bones, the situation — person wants marriage to work, marriage can’t work because the other person can’t or won’t control his or her compulsive behaviors — sounds terrifically painful. Why dance on the grave of another person’s marriage, even as we judge it to have been a bad one?
Abedin hasn’t issued a statement of strength. She just threw out the “we tried to work it out” and the “please respect our privacy” and the “we both care about our kid” stuff that everybody in the public eye does when this happens. It wasn’t Beyonce’s “Lemonade,” folks.
Heartbreak, new or renewed, is quiet and lonesome, even for the powerful. Huma Abedin is a woman with a young child and a philandering husband who has lied to her for at least five of their six years of marriage. Two seemingly contradictory ideas can coexist. She does deserve better, and there’s nothing in this moment to celebrate.
Melissa Batchelor Warnke is a contributing writer to Opinion. Follow her on Twitter @velvetmelvis.
Follow the Opinion section on Twitter @latimesopinion or Facebook | http://www.latimes.com/opinion/op-ed/la-oe-warnke-weiner-sexting-huma-abedin-20160829-snap-story.html | en | 2016-08-29T00:00:00 | www.latimes.com/ad03d8d91f324c63b37b15771eb780d0a662d1c4e276f2e55d88a37300777acd.json |
[
"Los Angeles Times",
"Chris Barton"
]
| 2016-08-26T14:50:40 | null | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.latimes.com%2Fentertainment%2Ftv%2Fla-et-st-overrated-underrated-20160819-snap-story.html.json | http://www.trbimg.com/img-57bc84f7/turbine/la-et-st-overrated-underrated-20160819-snap | en | null | Overrated/Underrated: Do we still need Britney Spears? | null | null | www.latimes.com | UNDERRATED
The Tragically Hip: If you’ve heard of this band, chances are it was from a Canadian friend who asked — probably rather politely — that you give one of their albums a listen. On the heels of leader Gord Downie’s terminal brain cancer diagnosis, the Tragically Hip embarked on one last tour of Canada that last weekend culminated with a Toronto concert/national catharsis of grief and support whose magnitude helped partially explain what the U.S. has been missing all these years. Whatever album you decide to try (and it’s worth it — the dark, R.E.M.-adjacent “Day for Night” is a strong choice), the band deserves a new front half to its name: Triumphant.
See the most-read stories in Entertainment this hour »
Winona Ryder in Netflix's "Stranger Things." Curtis Baker/Netflix Winona Ryder in Netflix's "Stranger Things." Winona Ryder in Netflix's "Stranger Things." (Curtis Baker/Netflix)
‘Slow TV’: Leave it to Norway — scenic, quality-of-life-survey-topping Norway — to find the transfixing beauty in the everyday. Inspiring a ratings phenomenon in Europe, Norwegian TV turned cameras on for hours upon hours of real time broadcasts of exquisite coastal cruises, rail trips and fishing excursions to discover something that in moderated doses acts as an oddly soothing mental vacation. Now edited down for American audiences, the shows may not fire up the same buzz offered by the binge-worthy “House of Cards” or “Stranger Things,” but they deliver a vital reminder to sometimes take it easy, even in our entertainment.
OVERRATED
Our unmoderated selves: Back in the early, chuck wagon days of the Internet, interactivity was king, and everything that could be created or said deserved — nay, demanded -- our immediate feedback. Years later, we’ve learned that most open forums and message boards (see YouTube, or any given news story about immigration) inevitably wind up providing platforms for trolling hate speech and the worst that anonymous humanity has to offer. Recently NPR spurred a mini-backlash as it joined a mini-trend of rolling back reader comments, and as much as it feels like a surrender it also speaks to how sadly difficult it is for us to have nice things.
The next Britney Spears comeback: When we last saw Britney Spears, she was tidily ensconced in a Las Vegas residency and delivering the hits while living under a court-ordered conservatorship after a public meltdown in the late ’00s. With a new album on the way along with an appearance at this weekend’s VMAs, Spears and her camp are clearly targeting a return to the well of pop stardom one more time. While it’s promising to hear Spears is doing much better in her personal life, it’s hard to decide which is more troubling: that she still needs more fame or that we still need her? With apologies to an old profanity-filled meme, why can’t we leave Britney alone?
[email protected]
Follow me over here @chrisbarton. | http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/tv/la-et-st-overrated-underrated-20160819-snap-story.html | en | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | www.latimes.com/5989a1370eac056d0366fb4c1bf2919d6fd6d1bd37b8d478d7c5aa546bf4853f.json |
[
"Los Angeles Times",
"W.J. Hennigan"
]
| 2016-08-26T13:16:44 | null | 2016-08-24T00:00:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.latimes.com%2Flocal%2Flanow%2Fla-na-soldier-killed-irvine-20160824-snap-story.html.json | http://www.trbimg.com/img-57be0620/turbine/la-na-soldier-killed-irvine-20160824-snap | en | null | Green Beret from Irvine identified as soldier killed by roadside bomb in Afghanistan | null | null | www.latimes.com | U.S. military officials on Wednesday identified the American serviceman killed in a roadside bomb attack as an Army Green Beret from Orange County.
Staff Sgt. Matthew V. Thompson, 28, of Irvine, died Tuesday while advising Afghan forces on patrol in southern Afghanistan. Six Afghan soldiers and an American were also wounded when their vehicle struck the roadside bomb while on patrol near the provincial capital of Lashkar Gah.
Thompson was assigned to Company A, 3rd Battalion, 1st Special Forces Group at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash. It was his first deployment to Afghanistan, but he had previously deployed to Iraq in support of the current battle against Islamic State.
"He was an exceptional Green Beret, a cherished teammate, and devoted husband,” Lt. Col. Kevin M. Trujillo, commander of special operations task force in Afghanistan, said in a statement. “His service in Afghanistan and Iraq speak to his level of dedication, courage, and commitment to something greater than himself.”
The Army said Thompson enlisted in March 2011 as a special forces candidate and reported to 1st Special Forces Group as a medical sergeant in August 2014.
In addition to more than a dozen awards Thompson earned throughout his military career, he was posthumously awarded the Purple Heart.
Gen. Joseph L. Votel, commander of U.S. Central Command, which oversees military operations in the Middle East, expressed gratitude for Thompson’s “selfless and honorable service” and extended condolences to his family.
There are currently about 9,800 U.S. troops deployed in Afghanistan to help local forces in their fight against the Taliban. The U.S. has maintained an advisory and backup role, delivering airstrikes, training and financial support to proxy ground forces.
Thompson’s was the second U.S. combat death in Afghanistan this year, as a resurgent Taliban mounts offensives in southern Helmand province and elsewhere in Afghanistan. In January, Army Special Forces Staff Sgt. Matthew Q. McClintock was killed in a battle alongside Afghan commandos in Helmand’s Marjah district.
[email protected]
Twitter: @wjhenn
ALSO
At least one dead, 26 hurt as gunmen attack American University in Kabul
Illegal drugs are flowing into California's most guarded prisons — and killing death row inmates
Death toll reaches 120 in powerful earthquake that rattled central Italy | http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-na-soldier-killed-irvine-20160824-snap-story.html | en | 2016-08-24T00:00:00 | www.latimes.com/562e3e8fa2399f10c7b67fbdd1f292adadec6a68a7dd6c32598ce5ff75ee8427.json |
[
"Los Angeles Times"
]
| 2016-08-29T04:49:59 | null | 2016-08-28T00:00:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.latimes.com%2Fentertainment%2Fla-et-ms-mtv-vma-live-updates-rihanna-explores-her-discography-with-1472443212-htmlstory.html.json | http://www.trbimg.com/img-57c3b69e/turbine/la-et-ms-mtv-vma-live-updates-rihanna-explores-her-discography-with-1472443212 | en | null | Rihanna explores her discography with ambitious Vanguard performance at 2016 MTV VMAs | null | null | www.latimes.com | Rihanna performs onstage during the 2016 MTV Video Music Awards at Madison Square Garden on August 28, 2016 in New York City.
Rihanna turned the 2016 MTV Video Music Awards into her own personal showcase.
To accept the night’s biggest honor, the Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award, the pop singer didn’t showcase her hits in a 15-minute retrospective the way previous winners Justin Timberlake and Beyoncé have.
Instead, Rihanna appeared throughout the show, dedicated five-minute segments to the many different personas that define her chameleon approach to pop hitmaking.
There was dance-pop Rihanna, opening the show with a set that focused on her biggest dance hits.
Clad in a bubblegum-colored cutout pants. a Hood by Air T-shirt, pink boots, rose-colored shades and her hair up in ponytail — she effortless channeled her most uptempo cuts in a dizzying, dance-heavy medley.
Club smash “Don’t Stop the Music” gave way to “Only Girl (In the World).” The dance-hall rhythms of her debut single “Pon De Replay” flourished before she tore through rave anthems “We Found Love” and “Where Have You Been.”
The Barbadian singer paid tribute to her island roots with a set pulled from her infectious reggae and dance-hall-inspired jams.
She dusted off “Rude Boy” and the sultry “What’s My Name?” and ripped her smash “Work,” while flanked by dozens of dancers that grinded on her.
Next, she explored the woody trap records she’s cut on her most recent work. “Needed Me,” “Pour It Up” and “Bitch Better Have My Money,” all got tackled as the singer was dressed in a black leotard, knee-high boots, chain necklaces and even a purple boa flung across her shoulder.
For her finale — her fourth set of the night — Rihanna belted her biggest ballads in an elegant closer befitting pop’s reigning hitmaker.
Wearing a ruffled silver gown and backed by a full orchestra she sang “Stay,” her ethereal smash “Diamonds” and the doo-wop-inspired “Love on the Brain,” the latest single from her most recent album “Anti.”
“This is such an amazing moment in my career,” she told the audience after being presented with the award by collaborator Drake. “My success started as my dream. And now it's not my own, its my family’s, my fans, women, black women … so many people.” | http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/la-et-ms-mtv-vma-live-updates-rihanna-explores-her-discography-with-1472443212-htmlstory.html | en | 2016-08-28T00:00:00 | www.latimes.com/b30b41dc326abae5757dea9e8715319829f763e50a9ab7d7fa7619744a3b7008.json |
[
"Los Angeles Times",
"Dave Lewis"
]
| 2016-08-27T14:48:51 | null | 2016-08-27T00:00:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.latimes.com%2Fentertainment%2Fmusic%2Fla-et-ms-rihanna-highlights-20160824-snap-story.html.json | http://www.trbimg.com/img-57bdf3cc/turbine/la-et-ms-rihanna-highlights-20160824-snap | en | null | Rihanna's career highlights include huge hits, big collaborations and a gaggle of Grammys | null | null | www.latimes.com | With over 200 million records sold worldwide and eight Grammy Awards, Rihanna has become one of the biggest pop stars of the 21st century. On the eve of the 2016 MTV Video Music Awards, where she’ll receive the prestigious Video Vanguard Award, we take a look back at her career.
Early stardom
Rihanna was discovered in Barbados by U.S. record producer Evan Rogers.
After impressing Jay Z with her musical skill, she signed a six-album deal with Def Jam Recordings in 2004. Jay Z would become one of her most successful collaborators.
Rihanna’s debut single "Pon de Replay" was an international hit and reached No. 2 on the Hot 100 chart in 2005.
"SOS,” from her second studio album, “A Girl like Me,” became her first single to top the Hot 100 chart.
Rihanna and Drake Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times Rihanna and Drake Rihanna and Drake (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
Career highs and lows
Her career surged in 2007 with “Umbrella,” her hit duet with Jay Z. It won a Grammy for best rap/sung collaboration.
Since then, she’s given us such hits as "Rude Boy," "Only Girl (In the World),” “S & M,” “We Found Love,” “Diamonds” and “Stay.”
Rihanna’s troubled romance with singer Chris Brown thrust her personal life into the public eye in 2009, when Brown was charged with physically assaulting Rihanna. Brown accepted a plea deal and was sentenced to community labor, domestic violence counseling, and five years of probation. The much-publicized incident threatened to overshadow Rihanna’s career. The two have since worked together on several songs and remixes, and Rihanna has addressed the incident in songs and interviews.
Collaborations
Rihanna frequently works with some of the biggest names in music. "Run This Town," her song with Jay Z and Kanye West, won best rap song and best rap/sung collaboration at the 2010 Grammys.She also joined U2’s Bono and the Edge in performing the song “Stranded (Haiti Mon Amour)” to benefit victims of the 2010 Haiti earthquake.
Rihanna and Kanye West perform at the Grammys on Feb. 8, 2015. Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times Rihanna and Kanye West perform at the Grammys on Feb. 8, 2015. Rihanna and Kanye West perform at the Grammys on Feb. 8, 2015. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
She also appeared on Kanye West’s "All of the Lights" alongside Fergie and Kid Cudi, which earned two Grammys in 2012.
2015 saw the release of her single "FourFiveSeconds," which featured Kanye West and former Beatle Paul McCartney.
She teamed with rapper Drake for two of her biggest recent hits, “What’s My Name?” and “Work.”
One of Rihanna’s most successful ongoing collaborations has been with rapper Eminem. They’ve paired for the hits “Monster” and “Love the Way You Lie,” toured together, and performed at the 2014 Grammy Awards.
Beyond the hits
Outside of music, Rihanna has appeared in several movies and TV shows. She made her feature film debut in the 2012 action movie “Battleship,” which earned her a Teen Choice Award. She’ll soon be seen in the TV series “Bates Motel.”
Rihanna at the Met Gala on May 4, 2015 in New York City. Larry Busacca / Getty Images Rihanna at the Met Gala on May 4, 2015 in New York City. Rihanna at the Met Gala on May 4, 2015 in New York City. (Larry Busacca / Getty Images)
Rihanna is also a fashion icon, often making a splash on the red carpet with revealing looks and striking designer gowns. She also serves as the creative director of the designer sock company Stance.
The 2016 MTV Video Music Awards honored Rihanna with the Video Vanguard Award, a trophy previously given to such innovators as David Bowie, Michael Jackson, Madonna and Kanye West.
ALSO:
What time are the VMAs? Everything you need to know about MTV's biggest night
Beatles at Hollywood Bowl, Dodger Stadium get spotlight in August
Prince’s Paisley Park compound to open as a museum this fall | http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/music/la-et-ms-rihanna-highlights-20160824-snap-story.html | en | 2016-08-27T00:00:00 | www.latimes.com/d8b15e4f80f8eff49361198c0ecad3eee86c05f1a5305658351d3b4d6c9d532d.json |
[
"Los Angeles Times"
]
| 2016-08-29T02:49:38 | null | 2016-08-28T00:00:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.latimes.com%2Fentertainment%2Fla-et-ms-mtv-vma-live-updates-olympians-want-their-1472436560-htmlstory.html.json | http://www.trbimg.com/img-57c39f8f/turbine/la-et-ms-mtv-vma-live-updates-olympians-want-their-1472436560 | en | null | Olympians want their MTV | null | null | www.latimes.com | Fresh off their gold medal victories, members of the U.S. Olympic team reveled in the trappings of their celebrity by attending the MTV VMAs on Sunday.
Record-breaking swimmer Michael Phelps walked the red carpet with fiancee Nicole Johnson and presented rapper Future's set during the show. Phelps introduced the rapper by riffing off his own viral #PhelpsFace meme, explaining that it was a Future track that inspired it.
"Remember in Rio when I made that face that ended up all over the Internet?" he said. "I was in the zone with Future's track, 'Stick Talk,' blaring in my headphones." | http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/la-et-ms-mtv-vma-live-updates-olympians-want-their-1472436560-htmlstory.html | en | 2016-08-28T00:00:00 | www.latimes.com/6f8da2e6a7efa9d6d229939eaea9915aafb19f91d2fb927867c585e065a1274c.json |
[
"Los Angeles Times",
"Eric Sondheimer"
]
| 2016-08-29T22:49:51 | null | 2016-08-29T00:00:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.latimes.com%2Fsports%2Fhighschool%2Fvarsity-times%2Fla-sp-vi-riverside-is-new-site-for-southern-section-cross-country-finals-20160829-story.html.json | http://www.trbimg.com/img-56fd643a/turbine/la-l-a-times-logo-20160331/600 | en | null | Riverside is new site for Southern Section cross country finals | null | null | www.latimes.com | The Southern Section has announced that Riverside City Cross Country Course, formerly the Riverside Golf Club, will be the site for its prelims and championships this season.
Mt. SAC, which has hosted many of the Southern Section finals, is expected to be undergoing renovations.
The prelims are Nov. 11-12 and the finals are on Nov. 19.
Dana Hills is ranked No. 1 in the preseason Division 1 boys' rankings. Great Oak is ranked No. 1 in girls.
Here's the link to preseason rankings.
For the latest on high school sports, follow @LATSondheimer on Twitter | http://www.latimes.com/sports/highschool/varsity-times/la-sp-vi-riverside-is-new-site-for-southern-section-cross-country-finals-20160829-story.html | en | 2016-08-29T00:00:00 | www.latimes.com/de9b23b5dafc5660ce2c1005fd05913a4021fb0e4026a416aa27032689a5a37d.json |
[
"La Cañada",
"Valley Sun Staff"
]
| 2016-08-30T22:52:37 | null | 2016-08-31T00:00:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.latimes.com%2Fsocal%2Fla-canada-valley-sun%2Fcommunity%2Ftn-vsl-me-org-lcjrwomen-20160831-story.html.json | http://www.trbimg.com/img-57c5f144/turbine/tn-vsl-me-org-lcjrwomen-20160831 | en | null | La Cañada Junior Women's Club plans events | null | null | www.latimes.com | Two events intended to bring in new members are being planned by the La Cañada Junior Women's Club. The group is seeking women "who would like to develop friendships with others while providing financial and service-based support to those in need," according to the organization's news release.
The first event will be an evening cocktail gathering, from 7 to 9 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 6; the second will be a coffee meet-and-greet and is set for 9 a.m. to noon on Friday, Sept. 9. Both will be held at the home of Provisional Membership Co-Chair Maria Strong.
The group helps support the Pasadena Ronald McDonald House and Five Acres in Altadena. Club members also assemble sack lunches once a month for Union Station Homeless Services and provides eye screening for local preschool students.
Applications to join the club will be available at both gatherings for women interested in joining LCJWC. To learn more, visit www.lcjwc.org or call Maria Strong at (818) 271-6570 or Tracey Nelson at (323) 627-7750. | http://www.latimes.com/socal/la-canada-valley-sun/community/tn-vsl-me-org-lcjrwomen-20160831-story.html | en | 2016-08-31T00:00:00 | www.latimes.com/1c0c3640d60ff5bb42fb44c242c28dfdd5cd58733adda9557cf33e185d39065e.json |
[
"Los Angeles Times",
"Steven Zeitchik"
]
| 2016-08-26T22:48:41 | null | 2016-07-26T00:00:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.latimes.com%2Fentertainment%2Fmovies%2Fla-et-mn-toronto-film-festival-lineup-lupita-obama-snowden-premieres-20160726-snap-story.html.json | http://www.trbimg.com/img-5797870a/turbine/la-et-mn-toronto-film-festival-lineup-lupita-obama-snowden-premieres-20160726-snap | en | null | Toronto International Film Festival will spotlight female directors and people of color at this year's gathering | null | null | www.latimes.com | A movie awards season that's shaping up to be about diversity will get a fitting kickoff at this year's Toronto International Film Festival.
The early Oscar bellwether will feature a number of stories by and about underrepresented voices. Most notably that means women, with seven of its 19 galas directed by female filmmakers, a festival record.
Beginning Sept. 8, TIFF will also feature films by and about people of color, according to organizers, who announced the first round of films Tuesday. This includes the world premieres of “The Magnificent Seven,” Antoine’s Fuqua’s remake of the John Sturges classic that now stars Denzel Washington and Ethan Hawke (and opens the festival); Mira Nair's Ugandan chess tale "Queen of Katwe" starring Lupita Nyong'o and David Oyelowo; George Nolfi's "Birth of the Dragon," about the origins of Bruce Lee, and "Barry," Vikram Gandhi's look at the formative Columbia University years of President Obama.
"The whole industry is talking about inclusion in a way it hasn't in a long time," Toronto artistic programmer Cameron Bailey said in an interview. "We never want to say '[diversity] is the goal' because I don't think that's the right way to do it. But we do want to make sure we're paying attention and maybe looking more deeply for stories that will help continue that conversation."
Toronto is one of North America's largest festivals and, with key post-Labor Day positioning, one of its most influential. The arrival of the festival marks the end of the summer tent-pole season and begins Hollywood's all-important fall moviegoing period.
Caption The Comedy Comedy Festival in Little Tokyo The comedy festival running Thursday through Sunday in Los Angeles' Little Tokyo neighborhood is an Asian American comedy fest with a bill of more than 100 comics of Asian descent. You probably wouldn't know that from the name of the event: the Comedy Comedy Festival. The comedy festival running Thursday through Sunday in Los Angeles' Little Tokyo neighborhood is an Asian American comedy fest with a bill of more than 100 comics of Asian descent. You probably wouldn't know that from the name of the event: the Comedy Comedy Festival. Caption Director Andrew Ahn on his new film, 'Spa Night' Actor Joe Seo and director Andrew Ahn discuss what inspired the new film "Spa Night." Actor Joe Seo and director Andrew Ahn discuss what inspired the new film "Spa Night."
This year, in addition to "Katwe," the female-directed films in the high-profile galas section include the French director Rebecca Zlotowski's "Planetarium," a supernatural picture starring Natalie Portman and Lily-Rose Depp set in 1930s France; Bronwen Hughes' "The Journey Is the Destination," about slain photojournalist Dan Eldon; “The Edge of Seventeen,” Kelly Fremon Craig’s teen dramedy that will close the fest; and Lone Scherfig’s "Their Finest," aptly about a World War II-era female screenwriter (Gemma Arterton) trying to get a movie made.
In the special-presentations category, Susan Johnson's teen-prodigy dramedy "Carrie Pilby" will make its world premiere; the film stars Bel Powley as a character who’s very much the opposite of her libertine heroine in breakout "The Diary of a Teenage Girl" and could earn comparisons to a past coming-of-age Toronto breakout, “The Perks of Being a Wallflower.”
Race will also make its presence felt in a host of period pictures, including a world premiere for Rob Reiner's "LBJ," which focuses in part on the 36th president's effort to pass the Civil Rights Act.
And Toronto will bring the reprise of two fact-based race-themed dramas likely to dominate the conversation this coming season: Nate Parker's "The Birth of a Nation," which premiered at Sundance, and Jeff Nichols' "Loving," which debuted at Cannes.
The presence of so many movies about and starring people of color will likely give the festival and the season that follows a different feel than last year, when the 20 acting Oscar nominees did not include any ethnic minorities.
Films about charged modern news events along the lines of last year's Toronto breakout "Spotlight" are also on the docket this year.
They include world premieres of Oliver Stone's much-anticipated "Snowden," starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt as the controversial National Security Agency contractor; "Denial," Mick Jackson's look at the fight between historian Deborah Lipstadt and Holocaust denier David Irving; and Pete Berg's "Deepwater Horizon," about the corporate intrigue behind the 2010 oil-spill disaster.
As usual at Toronto, splashy celeb-centric pictures will be in play. Among them are "Arrival," "Sicario" director Denis Villeneuve's foray into sci-fi with the help of Amy Adams (it is expected to be at Telluride); Ben Younger's boxing drama "Bleed for This" starring Miles Teller as the embattled former champion Vinny Pazienza (ditto); Tom Ford's sophomore film effort "Nocturnal Animals" starring Adams and Jake Gyllenhaal (a world premiere); and Venice opener "La La Land," in which Damien Chazelle directs a Los Angeles-set musical with Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone.
And celebrities of a different sort will reunite when Fred Willard, Parker Posey, Bob Balaban and the rest of Christopher Guest’s crew appear in the filmmaker’s “Mascots,” a world premiere about competition among a group of sports mascots. (They compete for the Gold Fluffy.)
Thanks to its place on the calendar, Toronto strongly sets the Oscar agenda to follow. A number of films with awards hopes could see their fates determined by their receptions north of the border.
“Queen of Katwe,” from Disney, will be a title to watch given its presence of past award-season favorites, “Magnificent Seven” will quickly establish whether its big names and well-known title position it for awards. And whether “La La Land” — directed by “Whiplash” filmmaker Chazelle — could be as much a darling of voters as it is Gos-heads will be determined when the film completes its likely Venice-Telluride-Toronto trifecta.
Though he downplayed the idea that Toronto measures its success by how many films it springboards to Oscars, Bailey said the festival does take its mission for prestige fare seriously.
“We have a great spot on the calendar,” he said. “We’re lucky to be placed in the fall, at a point when audiences want substantial, high-quality films after the summer popcorn season.” That this summer’s popcorn has tasted stale to some viewers will up the anticipation for, and pressure on, the 2016 Toronto slate.
Tastemaker eyes will be particularly trained on the Hollywood companies Participant Media and Open Road, which last year rode an exceedingly strong “Spotlight” screening — it was the first in which the real-life journalists appeared — all the way to the best-picture podium.
This year, Participant brings “Denial,” “Deepwater” and Spanish genre master J.A. Bayona’s English-language “A Monster Calls” to Toronto; Open Road has “Snowden” and “Bleed for This,” as well as the world premiere of a Marc Forster thriller, “All I See Is You,” which involves Bangkok, blindness and Blake Lively. | http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/la-et-mn-toronto-film-festival-lineup-lupita-obama-snowden-premieres-20160726-snap-story.html | en | 2016-07-26T00:00:00 | www.latimes.com/eb3c909f4b7a894b7eba05d9b87acbba2fe8928add5d8ef9d826f325d336f233.json |
[
"Los Angeles Times"
]
| 2016-08-27T02:48:52 | null | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.latimes.com%2Flocal%2Flanow%2Fla-me-updates-wildfire-season-california-2016-htmlstory.html.json | http://www.trbimg.com/img-57b4b420/turbine/la-me-updates-wildfire-season-california-2016 | en | null | California wildfire updates: New fire breaks out in Kern County; evacuations ordered | null | null | www.latimes.com | Kevin Holladay had a lot of time to think about whether he would risk the drive on the 15 Freeway.
He was on the road from Illinois to Anaheim to reload his tanker truck with chemicals. But there was a problem: The Blue Cut fire had closed the freeway.
Holladay, a thin man with blue eyes, long gray hair and a thick horseshoe mustache, said he listened to the news on the radio to keep tabs on the fire.
"I just kept driving," he said, as he stood at the truck stop just off Highway 138 on Friday morning.
The Outpost Cafe sat nearby, a slogan hanging from its wooden roof: "The Place for meeting, eatin’ and getting gas.”
Holladay said he was praying the flames would calm down -- not because of the drive, but because of the destruction. He said his thoughts drifted to residents whose homes and animals were threatened by the wildfire.
He said that as he crossed into Nevada, he saw road signs that said the southbound 15 Freeway was still closed. At Las Vegas, another sign: still closed.
"I followed my instinct," said Holladay, 53.
At the California-Nevada border, he saw another sign: The freeway was open. As he drove through the area, he saw some of the damage left behind.
"I was shocked," he said. "Stuff you've seen for years is gone." | http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-updates-wildfire-season-california-2016-htmlstory.html | en | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | www.latimes.com/86301681221666d78954c4d9c26d8db2497cdf2044499755f1cb1c4575cec390.json |
[
"Los Angeles Times"
]
| 2016-08-27T02:48:57 | null | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.latimes.com%2Flocal%2Fcalifornia%2Fla-me-updates-wildfire-season-new-wildfire-threatening-homes-in-kern-1472259744-htmlstory.html.json | http://www.trbimg.com/img-56fd643a/turbine/la-l-a-times-logo-20160331/600 | en | null | New wildfire threatening homes in Kern County | null | null | www.latimes.com | A new fire broke out Friday in Kern County, prompting officials to ask some residents to evacuate.
The Range fire was burning in the Bear Valley Springs area. More than 600 acres have burned. According to the Kern County Fire Department, more than 400 firefighters were on scene and some were doing structure protection.
The fire is 0% contained. It was burning east of the town of Arvin off Highway 223. | http://www.latimes.com/local/california/la-me-updates-wildfire-season-new-wildfire-threatening-homes-in-kern-1472259744-htmlstory.html | en | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | www.latimes.com/6708573ff7cd48d7313e92d9a8096aba3799e7b1d32d8247462ad3a3e4a1c8a2.json |
[
"Los Angeles Times"
]
| 2016-08-30T20:50:08 | null | 2016-08-30T00:00:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.latimes.com%2Fpolitics%2Fessential%2Fla-pol-sac-essential-politics-updates-governor-to-consider-bill-allowing-1472584440-htmlstory.html.json | http://www.trbimg.com/img-57c5ded7/turbine/la-pol-sac-essential-politics-updates-governor-to-consider-bill-allowing-1472584440 | en | null | Police agencies could soon charge more for concealed-weapon permits under bill headed to governor | null | null | www.latimes.com | The state Assembly on Tuesday sent the governor a bill that would allow local police and sheriff agencies to increase the fee for issuing concealed weapon permits, removing the current $100 cap and allowing charges that fully recover costs for enforcement.
Assemblyman Kevin McCarty (D-Sacramento) introduced the measure, saying the cap has resulted in Sacramento County facing a budget shortfall of about $250,000.
“Unfortunately, the current fee structure is rigid, leaving a strain on some local budgets,” McCarty said.
McCarty said the bill does not change the requirements for Californians to get a license to carry a concealed weapon.
But Republican Assemblywoman Melissa Melendez of Lake Elsinore said the bill will not prevent gun violence but could result in “pricing people out of their constitutional right” to carry guns.
“It is not going to increase anybody’s safety,” she added.
McCarty countered that the bill will provide cities and counties with “ample resources to do proper vetting to keep [concealed-weapon permits] out of the hands of people who should not have them.” | http://www.latimes.com/politics/essential/la-pol-sac-essential-politics-updates-governor-to-consider-bill-allowing-1472584440-htmlstory.html | en | 2016-08-30T00:00:00 | www.latimes.com/799201815b97779f2f1f225e742bb5ad739772728b7e1cc666f1b460d579b583.json |
[
"Los Angeles Times",
"Hugo Martin"
]
| 2016-08-27T14:48:54 | null | 2016-08-27T00:00:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.latimes.com%2Fbusiness%2Fla-fi-travel-briefcase-labor-day-20160827-snap-story.html.json | http://www.trbimg.com/img-57be3787/turbine/la-fi-travel-briefcase-labor-day-20160827-snap | en | null | Labor Day weekend airfares expected to drop from recent years | null | null | www.latimes.com | Airfares typically soar for travel around Labor Day weekend.
This year is no exception.
From Aug. 16 until the start of the Labor Day weekend, domestic airfares will shoot up nearly 30%, according to an analysis by the travel site CheapOAir. After all, everybody wants to get away for the last holiday weekend of the summer.
Despite the price jump, airline tickets for Labor Day weekend travel will either be on par with or cheaper than the Labor Day fares over the past few years. Industry experts attribute the lower fares to cheaper jet fuel.
Based on the CheapOAir study, the average cost for tickets sold in August for Labor Day weekend flights are only $3 higher this year than in the same period last year.
But this year’s average ticket price is more than $50 cheaper than in the same period in 2014 and 2013 and about $15 cheaper than in 2012, according to the website.
Airlines for America, an airline trade group, has projected a 4% increase in total passengers flying on U.S.-based airlines this holiday weekend. That means vacationers can expect longer lines at the airports and at vacation spots.
Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, Los Angeles International Airport and Chicago O’Hare International Airport are expected to the busiest airports during the holiday weekend.
[email protected]
To read more about the travel and tourism industries, follow @hugomartin on Twitter. | http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-travel-briefcase-labor-day-20160827-snap-story.html | en | 2016-08-27T00:00:00 | www.latimes.com/eabee76eca9c69b432bafd3b873f6842e2c5774c2fee1ee3215eebda8644f328.json |
[
"Los Angeles Times",
"Gary Klein"
]
| 2016-08-30T04:49:38 | null | 2016-08-29T00:00:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.latimes.com%2Fsports%2Frams%2Fla-sp-rams-cuts-20160829-snap-story.html.json | http://www.trbimg.com/img-57c4ff06/turbine/la-sp-rams-cuts-20160829-snap | en | null | Defensive lineman Quinton Coples is among 13 players cut by the Rams | null | null | www.latimes.com | Tuesday afternoon is the deadline to trim NFL rosters from 90 to 75 players.
Rams Coach Jeff Fisher and his staff got most of their work done Monday, waiving 13 players and terminating the contract of defensive lineman Quinton Coples.
“We’re about 90% there,” Fisher said after Monday’s workout at UC Irvine.
The Rams released quarterback Dylan Thompson, receivers Marquez North and David Richards, tight ends Benson Browne and Jake Stoneburner, running back Zach Laskey, center Brian Folkerts, offensive lineman Jordan Swindle, defensive lineman Zach Colvin, linebacker Darreon Herring, safety Michael Caputo, kicker Taylor Bertolet and long snapper Jeff Overbaugh.
The Rams will make another cut to 53 players after Thursday night’s final exhibition against the Minnesota Vikings at Minneapolis. Few, if any, starters are expected to play, but the game will serve as the final proving ground for players on the bubble.
Coples was the most high-profile player among Monday’s cuts.
A first-round draft pick by the New York Jets in 2012, he has 16½ career sacks and was signed as a free agent during the off-season to provide depth.
Coples, 26, was initially brought in to play defensive end. He was moved to tackle a few weeks ago and forced two fumbles and had a sack in an exhibition against the Kansas City Chiefs.
Coples played against the Denver Broncos on Saturday but did not have a tackle.
Fisher said the 6-foot-6, 290-pound Coples did a “good job” and that he appreciated his attitude and willingness to change positions.
“Out of fairness to a player like ‘Q,’ I didn’t see him making the team and that’s exactly what I told him,’’ Fisher said. “I wanted to give him a chance and give him an opportunity to get out there early to see if he could find work. If not, we’re going to keep the door open for him.”
The defensive line includes starting ends Robert Quinn and William Hayes, tackles Aaron Donald and Michael Brockers, ends Eugene Sims and Matt Longacre, tackles Cam Smith and Dominique Easley, end/tackle Ethan Westbrooks and undrafted free-agent end Ian Seau.
“We still have some tough decisions to make up on the defensive line,” Fisher said, adding, “the final roster comes down to . . . what’s going on, sometimes, at other positions, as well.
“Do you have the luxury to carry 10 or nine defensive linemen and then fewer at another position? Those are things that we’re kind of massaging right now.”
Havenstein returns
Rob Havenstein, who started 13 games at right tackle as a rookie last season, practiced for the first time during training camp.
Havenstein has been rehabilitating a foot injury.
“It gets pretty lonely over there watching,” Havenstein said, nodding toward the sideline.
Havenstein said he remained active in meetings and worked diligently in the weight room.
Fisher said he had not ruled out Havenstein playing on Thursday, but that seems unlikely with the Sept. 12 season opener looming.
Havenstein said he felt rusty Monday.
“There are some technique things I need to clean up, having not played since a long time ago,” Havenstein said. “Especially taking pass sets, I was thinking to myself, ‘This is a bad position to be in.’ But it just kind of comes with shaking off the rust.”
Kaepernick reaction
Receiver Tavon Austin declined to comment about San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick’s decision not to stand for the national anthem.
In 2014, before a game against the Oakland Raiders, Austin was among five Rams players who did a “hands up, don’t shoot” pose in support of demonstrators in Ferguson, Mo.
Asked if that type of action was something he would do again, Austin said there was “a time and place for everything.”
“At the time I wasn’t looking at it as a negative thing — just trying to be a positive,” he said. “Just trying to bring everybody up.
“But that was in the past. . . . I definitely won’t do it again, just because [of] time and place.”
Quick hits | http://www.latimes.com/sports/rams/la-sp-rams-cuts-20160829-snap-story.html | en | 2016-08-29T00:00:00 | www.latimes.com/88b95da54ce68626b55f641e87e3b9efb22d95b3ebe124fd0672fd69855cdd6f.json |
[
"Los Angeles Times",
"Noel Murray"
]
| 2016-08-27T14:48:52 | null | 2016-08-27T00:00:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.latimes.com%2Fentertainment%2Fmovies%2Fla-ca-mn-new-video-jungle-book-20160818-snap-story.html.json | http://www.trbimg.com/img-56fd643a/turbine/la-l-a-times-logo-20160331/600 | en | null | New on video: Disney's entertaining 'Jungle Book' remake | null | null | www.latimes.com | New on Blu-ray
“The Jungle Book” (Disney/Buena Vista DVD/Blu-ray combo, $39.99; also available on VOD)
This year’s slate of Hollywood remakes and sequels has mostly drawn mixed responses from critics and audiences, yet just about everybody has liked Disney’s live-action version of “The Jungle Book.” The studio and director Jon Favreau invested heavily in special effects to make Rudyard Kipling’s cast of talking animals look real, and their gamble has paid off in a nearly billion-dollar worldwide box office — as well as an entertaining, well-reviewed movie that could supplant Disney’s 1967 animated feature as definitive. A stellar voice-cast that includes Ben Kingsley, Scarlett Johansson, Bill Murray and Idris Elba all help bring personality to the creatures who either guide or bedevil the lost “man-cub” Mowgli on his journey through the jungle; and the film makes good use of Kipling’s episodic story to keep the action and spectacle coming. The result is one of the 2016’s best blockbusters.
[Special features: A lively Favreau commentary and a pair of in-depth featurettes]
VOD
“Klown Forever” (available Sept. 2)
Fans of the hilariously inappropriate 2010 Danish comedy “Klown” will be happy to know that co-creators/stars Casper Christensen and Frank Hvam are back playing the worst versions of themselves in the sequel “Klown Forever.” This time out, Casper and Frank head to Hollywood to capitalize on their fame from the first film, and soon end up irritating minor celebrities and misconstruing American culture in ways that get them into trouble. Though it’s a bit of a retread of the earlier movie, “Klown Forever” may actually appeal more to newcomers, because the U.S.-rooted references should make more sense than its predecessor’s highly European ones. Either way, viewers should brace themselves for some sick, taboo-busting jokes.
Caption The Comedy Comedy Festival in Little Tokyo The comedy festival running Thursday through Sunday in Los Angeles' Little Tokyo neighborhood is an Asian American comedy fest with a bill of more than 100 comics of Asian descent. You probably wouldn't know that from the name of the event: the Comedy Comedy Festival. The comedy festival running Thursday through Sunday in Los Angeles' Little Tokyo neighborhood is an Asian American comedy fest with a bill of more than 100 comics of Asian descent. You probably wouldn't know that from the name of the event: the Comedy Comedy Festival. Caption Director Andrew Ahn on his new film, 'Spa Night' Actor Joe Seo and director Andrew Ahn discuss what inspired the new film "Spa Night." Actor Joe Seo and director Andrew Ahn discuss what inspired the new film "Spa Night."
TV set of the week
“The Night Manager: Uncensored Edition” (Sony DVD, $30.99; Blu-ray, $40.99)
Tom Hiddleston and Hugh Laurie give outstanding performances in “The Night Manager,” a six-hour BBC/AMC TV miniseries based on a John le Carré novel. Hiddleston plays an emotionally scarred Iraq war veteran who gets recruited by a covert agency to go undercover with an international weapons dealer (played by Laurie). The story builds slowly, and relies more on characters cautiously lying to each other than on actual action. But the cast looks glamorous and the upscale locations provide an eye-catching backdrop to all the intrigue and espionage. Fans of classy spy adventures will find a lot to enjoy here.
[Special features: The set contains the original unedited BBC episodes, without the cuts for language and content made by AMC]
From the archives
“Chimes at Midnight” (Criterion DVD, $29.95; Blu-ray, $39.95)
“The Immortal Story” (Criterion DVD, $29.95; Blu-ray, $39.95)
Director Orson Welles’ career is often defined by the two masterpieces at the start — “Citizen Kane” and the butchered-but-brilliant “The Magnificent Ambersons” — and the long string of flawed films that followed. But toward the end of his life, Welles began to figure out how to make magic from tiny budgets and piecemeal shooting schedules. Thanks to the power of restoration, Welles fans can now fully appreciate the eccentric genius of 1965’s “Chimes at Midnight” (an adaptation of the Falstaff scenes from multiple Shakespeare plays) and 1968’s “The Immortal Story” (an hourlong film about a rich man manipulating young lovers for his own amusement). Both movies feature Welles’ striking compositions and offbeat editing, as well as his lifelong fascination with larger-than-life personalities. They ought to be considered great works no matter whose name is above the title.
[Special features: Scholarly commentary tracks on both, as well as new and vintage interviews]
Three more to see
“The Commitments: 25th Anniversary Edition” (Image DVD, $14.98; Blu-ray, $29.98); “Me Before You” (Sony DVD, $18.99; Blu-ray, $24.99; also available on VOD); “The Phenom” (Amazon DVD, $29.96; Blu-ray, $29.97) | http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/la-ca-mn-new-video-jungle-book-20160818-snap-story.html | en | 2016-08-27T00:00:00 | www.latimes.com/f1f361bebcb43ea397d04c264aa771dfd139ac5358ae7d472224f17830cfef6b.json |
[
"Los Angeles Times",
"Harold Meyerson"
]
| 2016-08-26T13:14:31 | null | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.latimes.com%2Fopinion%2Fop-ed%2Fla-oe-meyerson-charter-school-democrats-20160826-snap-story.html.json | http://www.trbimg.com/img-57bf973e/turbine/la-oe-meyerson-charter-school-democrats-20160826-snap | en | null | How the charter school lobby is changing the Democratic Party | null | null | www.latimes.com | At a time when Democrats and their party are, by virtually every index, moving left, a powerful center-right pressure group within the liberal universe has nonetheless sprung up. Funded by billionaires and arrayed against unions, it is increasingly contesting for power in city halls and statehouses where Democrats already govern.
That’s not how the charter school lobby is customarily described, I’ll allow, but it’s most certainly what it’s become.
Next year, the progressive mayors of America’s two largest and overwhelmingly Democratic cities – New York’s Bill de Blasio and Los Angeles’ Eric Garcetti – will each stand for reelection. So far, the only visible challenger to Garcetti’s bid is Steve Barr, founder of the Green Dot charter schools. In New York, de Blasio’s critics have suggested that Success Academy Charter Chief Executive Eva Moskowitz would be the candidate most likely to depose the mayor, though Moskowitz has denied any interest in running.
This abrupt elevation (or self-elevation) of today’s charter school entrepreneurs into tomorrow’s civic leaders may seem surprising, but it’s part of a larger pattern.
In California, political action committees funded by charter school backers have become among the largest donors to centrist Democratic state legislators who not only favor expanding charters at the expense of school districts, but also have blocked some of Gov. Jerry Brown’s more liberal initiatives.
In New York’s upcoming primary, such longtime charter supporters as Wal-Mart heiress Alice Walton have given hundreds of thousands of dollars to a PAC seeking to unseat several Democratic legislators who’ve defended the role and budget of traditional public schools.
In future decades, historians will have to grapple with how charter schools became the cause celebre of centrist billionaires – from Walton to Bloomberg to Broad – in an age of plutocracy. The historians shouldn’t dismiss the good intentions behind the billionaires’ impulse: the desire to provide students growing up in poverty with the best education possible. But neither should they dismiss their self-exculpation in singling out the deficiencies, both real and exaggerated, of public education as the central reason for the evisceration of the middle class.
In their mix of good intentions and self-serving blindness, the billionaire education reformers have much in common with ... their Gilded Age predecessors.
If Wal-Mart, the corporation from which Walton derives her wealth, hadn’t compelled its suppliers to make their products abroad to reduce the price of their goods, more public school students’ parents might have the kind of stable employment and adequate incomes that foster learning-friendly upbringings. Despite the fact that our traditional ladders of mobility – decent blue-collar and service sector jobs, unions, cross-class marriages – have largely collapsed, seemingly sentient billionaires insist that teachers and their unions are the main obstacles blocking young people’s escape from poverty.
The poor, or their tribunes, don’t necessarily agree. In the past couple of weeks, both the Movement for Black Lives (50 organizations active in the Black Lives Matter movement) and the NAACP passed resolutions declaring that charter schools increase segregation and leave school districts with both fewer resources and a more challenging student body. While many in minority communities dispute these views, there’s clearly some real skepticism about the merits of charterizing education among the very people it purports to help.
That’s one reason the Steve Barrs and Eva Moskowitzes aren’t likely to be supplanting their mayors next year. But the charter advocates don’t need to win the high-visibility offices to prevail. By spending sufficiently to shift the composition of Democratic caucuses in legislatures, city councils or school boards to the right, they can undermine public education. Whether they mean to or not, by backing more conservative Democrats, they can also impede unrelated progressive initiatives for greater environmental protections and worker rights. And by making Democratic elected officials even more dependent on the mega-donations of the 1%, they make campaign finance reform all the harder to win.
In their mix of good intentions and self-serving blindness, the billionaire education reformers have much in common with some of the upper-class progressives of a century ago, another time of great wealth and pervasive poverty. Some of those progressives, in the tradition of Jane Addams, genuinely sought to diminish the economy’s structural inequities, but others focused more on the presumed moral deficiencies and lack of discipline of the poor. Whatever the merits of charters, the very rich who see them as the great equalizer are no closer to the mark than their Gilded Age predecessors who preached temperance as the answer to squalor.
Harold Meyerson is executive editor of the American Prospect. He is a contributing writer to Opinion.
Follow the Opinion section on Twitter @latimesopinion and Facebook | http://www.latimes.com/opinion/op-ed/la-oe-meyerson-charter-school-democrats-20160826-snap-story.html | en | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | www.latimes.com/ad8cac64ef03e11c73fd3d4132c58fa1b0d9fe80a82007fb7be77f91ef131117.json |
[
"Los Angeles Times",
"Dylan Hernandez"
]
| 2016-08-31T04:49:48 | null | 2016-08-30T00:00:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.latimes.com%2Fsports%2Fmlb%2Fla-sp-tebow-tryout-hernandez-20160830-snap-story.html.json | http://www.trbimg.com/img-57c6464e/turbine/la-sp-tebow-tryout-hernandez-20160830-snap | en | null | It's a story because, well, it's Tim Tebow working out | null | null | www.latimes.com | Around the corner from the baseball stadium on USC’s campus Tuesday morning, I ran into an old friend. The instant we made eye contact, we started to laugh.
What else were we supposed to do? Complain that our newspapers had sent us there to cover something that didn’t feel like news?
Except this was news. Big news, actually.
Tim Tebow was about to work out in front of baseball scouts.
Sorry, but why was this important?
Tebow is 29. He started training in May with former major league catcher Chad Moeller. The last time he played organized baseball was more than a decade ago, when he was a high school junior. In other words, he has virtually no chance of ever playing in the major leagues.
And it’s not as if he retired as the best player in another sport to pursue baseball, as was the case with Michael Jordan.
If there was ever a media-driven story, this was it. Tebow became a story because we said he was.
He is part of a group of bizarre modern celebrity athletes that includes devil child Yasiel Puig and train wreck Johnny Manziel, for whom on-the-field performance is secondary to the ideas they represent.
Tim Tebow shows off baseball skills Tim Tebow showcased his baseball skills Tuesday before a bevy of scouts on the USC campus. Tim Tebow showcased his baseball skills Tuesday before a bevy of scouts on the USC campus. See more videos
In the case of Tebow, fans either loved or hated his in-your-face evangelism and overly earnest demeanor, which made him one of the most divisive athletes of the last decade. Tebow guaranteed ratings and page views.
The problem now is that Dr. Frankenstein has lost control of the monster he created. The demand for Tebow is never-ending. Or at least we think it is.
So there I was, along with 40 or 50 other journalists. The amount of attention directed at this glorified workout made it necessary for major league teams to be there, too, which is why there were also 46 scouts from 28 organizations. The Dodgers sent their scouting director, Billy Gasparino.
One American League scout said he thought most teams sent a representative to the showcase as a sign of good faith toward powerful Creative Artists Agency, which represents Tebow. That scout didn’t sound particularly enthusiastic about being there, recalling that when his scouting director asked him if he wanted to watch Tebow, he responded by asking, “What’s my bonus?”
First up was the 60-yard dash, with Tebow sprinting from one set of cones in the outfield to the other. A couple of scouts clocked him at 6.76 seconds.
Though a National League scout called Tebow’s time “average,” he was taken by his chiseled physique. On a fact sheet distributed by CAA, Tebow was listed at 6 feet 3 and 255 pounds, with 7.3% body fat.
“If I had that body,” he said, “I wouldn’t own any shirts.”
Tebow then went to the outfield and threw to bases.
“The arm action is not great,” said the same scout, who spoke under the condition of anonymity because his organization forbids him to share his observations.
I assumed he knew what he was talking about, considering that in an earlier conversation, he made the astute observation that Dodgers fans are “unsophisticated” and “simple-minded.”
“Angels fans are awful too,” he said.
Tebow moved to center field to run down balls hit off a fungo. When he was finished, he picked up the cones that were used earlier for the 60-yard sprint rather than have an assistant do it.
That shows something, no?
“I think that’s why he did it,” one scout said.
“Work ethic,” another added sarcastically.
Tim Tebow showcased his baseball skills Tuesday before a bevy of scouts on the USC campus.
The last phase of the showcase consisted of batting practice. In regular batting practice, the left-handed-hitting Tebow showed some legitimate power, clearing the scoreboard in right-center field.
If that exercise displayed his virtues, the live batting practice session that followed exposed how far he is from playing in the major leagues.
Tebow was carved up by former major league reliever Chad Smith, who posted an 8.32 earned-run average in 12 career games. He didn’t fare any better against David Aardsma.
Nonetheless, several scouts still figured Tebow would find a taker, if only because his presence could positively influence an organization’s prospects.
You could understand why if you heard Tebow speak. He talked about how he was taking this seriously, how this wasn’t a publicity stunt. He spoke enthusiastically of his love for baseball, how quitting the sport to enroll early at the University of Florida was one of the toughest decisions of his life.
“This is something I love and I’m passionate about it, but it’s not my identity,” he said. “It’s not my foundation. I have that in so many bigger things in faith, family and all my relationships. I think when you have that mind-set, it lets you be free to go out and compete, it lets you be free to do something a lot of people think you can’t do, to go after what you believe in rather than you having the fear of failure or the fear of what other people say about you.”
He showed a sense of humor too. When I asked him what he thought of Colin Kaepernick’s refusal to stand for the national anthem, he smiled, looked at another reporter and playfully said, “What’s your question?”
The audience laughed. Tebow had a similar response when I asked if he thought he could help Puig become a better person.
I didn’t think it was a bad idea. What if the Dodgers sign Tebow, hold on to Puig and send them both to the same minor league affiliate with a documentary crew?
Who knows? Maybe the addition of “The Tebow & Puig Show” to the SportsNet LA lineup would convince DirecTV to finally pick up the channel.
Silly, I know. But then again, everything about this was.
[email protected]
Twitter: @dylanohernandez | http://www.latimes.com/sports/mlb/la-sp-tebow-tryout-hernandez-20160830-snap-story.html | en | 2016-08-30T00:00:00 | www.latimes.com/3ad4dab6768a6d16c59d95e13681ba966d45463fee582beafee780e3621c52cf.json |
[
"Los Angeles Times",
"Michael Finnegan",
"Matt Pearce",
"Joseph Serna"
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| 2016-08-27T00:49:00 | null | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.latimes.com%2Fpolitics%2Fla-na-pol-bannon-abuse-allegations-20160826-snap-story.html.json | http://www.trbimg.com/img-57c0bf45/turbine/la-na-pol-bannon-abuse-allegations-20160826-snap | en | null | Domestic violence allegations from 1996 surface against head of Donald Trump's campaign | null | null | www.latimes.com | Donald Trump’s effort to overcome his deep unpopularity among female voters was dealt a setback Friday as decades-old domestic violence allegations surfaced against Stephen Bannon, the controversial new chief executive of his campaign.
In January 1996, according to a police report, Bannon grabbed his wife’s wrist and neck, then smashed a phone when she tried to call 911 from their Santa Monica home. Police photographed “red marks on her left wrist and the right side of her neck,” the report said.
Years earlier, three or four other arguments also “became physical,” Bannon’s wife, Mary Louise Piccard, told police. The couple divorced soon after the 1996 altercation.
Police charged Bannon with misdemeanor domestic violence, battery and dissuading a witness. Bannon pleaded not guilty, records show. The charges were ultimately dropped when Piccard did not show up in court, according to Politico and the New York Post, which first reported the case.
Details of the case emerged just hours after Trump’s Democratic rival, Hillary Clinton, faulted him for hiring Bannon last week in the latest shakeup of his campaign’s high command.
Caption Protest outside Hillary Clinton's Hollywood fundraiser Protest outside Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton's Hollywood fundraiser at the Beverly Hills estate of controversial billionaire Haim Saban. Protest outside Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton's Hollywood fundraiser at the Beverly Hills estate of controversial billionaire Haim Saban. Caption Gov. Jerry Brown criticizes Donald Trump and his 'acolytes' on climate change In an Aug. 24, 2016 news conference at the state Capitol to praise state lawmakers for enacting sweeping new climate change legislation, Gov. Jerry Brown called out GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump and his "acolytes" who have doubts on the existence of climate change. More political coverage at latimes.com/politics In an Aug. 24, 2016 news conference at the state Capitol to praise state lawmakers for enacting sweeping new climate change legislation, Gov. Jerry Brown called out GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump and his "acolytes" who have doubts on the existence of climate change. More political coverage at latimes.com/politics
Clinton portrayed Bannon as a right-wing extremist who promoted racist, “anti-Muslim, anti-immigrant, anti-women” ideas as chairman of the Breitbart News Network website.
Bannon, 62, took a leave from Breitbart last week to serve as CEO of the Republican presidential nominee’s campaign. The Trump campaign did not respond to inquiries about the police report.
Alexandra Preate, Bannon’s spokeswoman at Breitbart, declined to comment on the specific allegations, apart from pointing out that the charges were dismissed.
“He has a great relationship with his ex-wife,” she said.
The abuse allegations against Bannon surfaced as Clinton and her allies have been highlighting Trump’s history of making derogatory remarks about women. Clinton led Trump among female voters 58-35% in a Washington Post/ABC News poll at the beginning of August, and 60% of those polled overall said they saw Trump as biased against both women and minorities,
In March, police filed a battery charge against a previous Trump campaign manager, Corey Lewandowski, after he yanked and bruised the arm of Breitbart reporter Michelle Fields at a Trump event in Florida. Prosecutors declined to prosecute the case.
If Trump had vetted Bannon before hiring him, his ex-wife’s accusations should have been disqualifying, said Katie Packer, who was deputy campaign manager for Mitt Romney’s 2012 campaign for president and led an effort to block Trump from getting the GOP nomination.
“Given the questions that women already have about how Trump views women and how he has treated women historically, elevating someone like this to such a high position only reinforces the idea that Trump doesn’t respect and value women,” Packer said.
Charlie Black, a Republican strategist who has informally advised the Trump campaign, said the allegations against Bannon fell into a “gray area” because the charges were dropped. But “of course it’s an issue,” he added, “because he’s in a position of CEO of the campaign.”
Piccard, who was Bannon’s second wife, did not respond to a phone message seeking comment.
She and Bannon, a former investment banker, were married in April 1995, three days before their twin daughters were born. Shortly before 9 a.m. on New Year’s Day 1996, police received a 911 call from their home in Santa Monica, but the line went dead. The police report gave this account:
An officer went to the front door and was greeted by Piccard, who appeared “very upset.” She burst into tears and took several minutes to calm down.
Bannon had slept on the living-room couch the night before, and he “got upset” in the morning when Piccard made noise while feeding the twin babies. When Bannon started to leave, she asked for a credit card for groceries, but he refused and went to his car, Piccard told police.
She followed him outside, told him she wanted a divorce and said he should move out. He laughed at her and told him he would never leave, according to Piccard. She said she spat at him when he was sitting in the driver’s seat of his car.
“He pulled her down, as if he was trying to pull [her] into the car, over the door,” the report said. Bannon grabbed her neck, pulling her toward the car again, and she struck him in the face and ran back into the house. She told Bannon she was dialing 911, and he “jumped over her and the twins to grab the phone.”
“Once he got the phone, he threw it across the room,” the report said. “After this, Mr. Bannon left the house.”
Piccard, whose name was blacked out in the police report, “found the phone in several pieces and could not use it.”
“She complained of soreness to her neck,” the officer wrote in the police report. “I saw red marks on her left wrist and the right side of her neck.”
Court papers in the divorce and child custody proceedings show Bannon was living primarily in Tucson at the time, to work on Biosphere 2, a desert refuge enclosed in a glass dome for research.
Piccard won custody of the twins in the divorce. During Bannon’s visit with the babies about nine months after the incident, in September 1996, he spanked one of them, Piccard wrote in child custody court papers. The twins were 17 months old at the time.
“I restrained him and told him that it was not acceptable to hit our daughter (he believes in corporal punishment),” Piccard wrote. Bannon “screamed at me” and “stormed out of the house.”
In March 1997, Piccard wrote that she only wanted to restrict Bannon’s visits with the children to neutral sites because he “has been verbally abusive to me in front of the girls and I do not feel safe meeting him” elsewhere.
[email protected]
Twitter: @finneganLAT
Hillary Clinton is exploring the outer limits of fundraising like no presidential nominee ever has
Donald Trump's shifting talk on immigration shows his struggle to reach beyond his core supporters | http://www.latimes.com/politics/la-na-pol-bannon-abuse-allegations-20160826-snap-story.html | en | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | www.latimes.com/3cb04829b726e1b339947aa82abb8263d1c42c1f149c99e03316fc8b6e200ee2.json |
[
"Los Angeles Times",
"Sophia Bollag"
]
| 2016-08-31T02:50:16 | null | 2016-08-30T00:00:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.latimes.com%2Fpolitics%2Fla-pol-sac-rape-california-statute-of-limitations-cosby-accusers-20160830-snap-story.html.json | http://www.trbimg.com/img-57c60c56/turbine/la-pol-sac-rape-california-statute-of-limitations-cosby-accusers-20160830-snap | en | null | Inspired by accusations against Bill Cosby, California lawmakers move to lift time limits on rape cases | null | null | www.latimes.com | In the wake of sexual assault accusations against comedian Bill Cosby, California may soon end the statute of limitations for prosecuting rape and other felony sex crimes.
The state Senate on Tuesday sent the governor a bill to end time limits for prosecuting crimes including rape and child sexual abuse.
Under existing law, such crimes generally must be prosecuted within 10 years unless DNA evidence emerges later. Sex crimes against minors must be prosecuted before the victim’s 40th birthday.
If the governor signs the bill, those crimes could be prosecuted at any time.
SB 813 would not apply retroactively to crimes in which the statute of limitations will have expired by Jan. 1, 2017.
Sen. Connie Leyva (D-Chino) introduced the bill after news that dozens of women have alleged Cosby raped them. Most of their cases cannot be prosecuted because the statutes of limitations for those alleged crimes have expired.
"It’s called the Justice for Victims Act for one clear and specific reason: Victims should always have the opportunity to seek justice in a court of law after such a violent act," Leyva said Tuesday just before the California state Senate voted unanimously to send the bill to the governor.
Comparing rape and sexual assault laws by state can be difficult because definitions for those offenses can vary. But if the bill becomes law, California will join at least 16 other states that generally do not have time limits for prosecuting rape and sexual assault cases, according to data from Rainn, a sexual assault survivor advocacy organization that tracks sexual assault policies.
Three women who accused Cosby of sexual assault testified in support of the bill in April.
Lili Bernard, a Los Angeles actress, testified during a hearing in April that Cosby had drugged and raped her in the early 1990s, before New Jersey, where she alleges the crime occurred, lifted its statute of limitations on sexual assault cases. When she tried to press charges, she said she was told she missed the deadline.
“War criminals, no matter how many decades have passed, cannot evade prosecution,” Bernard told Senate committee members at the hearing. “I am asking you to do the same thing for us, rape survivors, who survived the war upon our body.”
When the bill passed the state Assembly earlier this month, Assemblyman Mike Gipson (D-Carson) called the bill "long overdue” and one that would “ensure that criminals be placed in jail."
The American Civil Liberties Union opposed the bill, arguing that the time limits protect innocent people from wrongful conviction.
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“The statute of limitations is there for a reason,” said Natasha Minsker, director of the ACLU of California Center for Advocacy and Policy. “When a case is prosecuted literally decades after the event, it becomes much more ... difficult to prove that you are wrongfully accused."
Cosby is being tried in Pennsylvania after he was charged with several counts of felony sexual assault. The woman who is pressing charges filed them nine years after the alleged assault. Pennsylvania has a 12-year statute of limitations for rape cases.
Cosby has said his relationships with his accusers were consensual.
SB 813 is one of several bills passed by the Legislature prompted by high-profile assault cases. When Brock Turner, a Stanford University student, was convicted of sexual assault and sentenced to six months in jail, many said he should have received a heavier punishment. In response, lawmakers sent the governor bills that would expand the definition of rape to include all forms of non-consensual sexual assault and impose new mandatory minimum punishments for rapists.
[email protected]
Follow @SophiaBollag on Twitter.
ALSO
After Cosby's accusers testify, Legislature weighs eliminating statute of limitations for sex crimes
Bill Cosby: A 50-year chronicle of accusations and accomplishments
UPDATES:
6:39 p.m.: This article was updated with a quote from the bill’s author, state Sen. Connie Leyva (D-Chino).
This article was originally published at 6:20 p.m. | http://www.latimes.com/politics/la-pol-sac-rape-california-statute-of-limitations-cosby-accusers-20160830-snap-story.html | en | 2016-08-30T00:00:00 | www.latimes.com/89cfce7c49a9a0df7a9bff21d047c753aabf4230241256d5eaeab05a550d7e97.json |
[
"La Cañada",
"Sara Cardine"
]
| 2016-08-26T13:16:00 | null | 2016-08-24T00:00:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.latimes.com%2Fsocal%2Fla-canada-valley-sun%2Fnews%2Ftsn-vsl-me-body-angeles-20160824-story.html.json | http://www.trbimg.com/img-57608a9f/turbine/tn-vsl-social-icon/ | en | null | Homicide detectives investigating possible human remains found in Angeles National Forest | null | null | www.latimes.com | On Wednesday morning, homicide detectives with the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department responded to a call about the discovery of possible human remains discovered in the Angeles National Forest.
According to an advisory alert released just before 11 a.m., the remains were found near Angeles Crest Highway's mile marker 41.69, between Upper Big Tujunga Road and Badger Gap, about 16 miles north of La Cañada Flintridge. No further information about the victim was available at press time.
Lt. Randy Tuinstra, watch commander for the Crescenta Valley Sheriff's Station, said a Caltrans employee working in the vicinity on Tuesday afternoon reported seeing tire marks and called his employers to report it.
"[The worker] saw skid marks that looked like they were going off the side," Tuinstra said, adding that Montrose Search and Rescue responded to Tuesday's call.
Rescuers located a vehicle, but it was empty, Tuinstra added. It's still unclear whether the separate discoveries of the vehicle and the possible remains are related.
The incident is currently being investigated by the sheriff's Homicide Department, which also handles potential missing persons cases throughout Los Angeles County, as well as the Coroner's Office, the watch commander reported.
--
Sara Cardine, [email protected]
Twitter: @SaraCardine | http://www.latimes.com/socal/la-canada-valley-sun/news/tsn-vsl-me-body-angeles-20160824-story.html | en | 2016-08-24T00:00:00 | www.latimes.com/a723e3e861ca117687274b53301160e39bb3cd3496e2130f3dee9075959f9592.json |
[
"Los Angeles Times"
]
| 2016-08-30T14:50:07 | null | 2016-08-30T00:00:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.latimes.com%2Fnation%2Fpolitics%2Ftrailguide%2Fla-na-trailguide-updates-donald-trump-says-maybe-colin-1472562284-htmlstory.html.json | http://www.trbimg.com/img-56fd643a/turbine/la-l-a-times-logo-20160331/600 | en | null | Donald Trump says maybe Colin Kaepernick should find another country | null | null | www.latimes.com | Donald Trump tours on the West Coast Tuesday, with a stop in Washington State. Tim Kaine campaigns for Hillary Clinton in Pennsylvania.
Marco Rubio, John McCain face pro-Trump challengers in Tuesday's primaries
face pro-Trump challengers in Hillary Clinton aide Huma Abedin splits from husband Anthony Weiner after latest sexting scandal
aide splits from husband after latest sexting scandal Clinton wonders which of Donald Trump's personalities will appear in the September debates
wonders which of personalities will appear in the September debates Trump's latest ad borrows phrase from Democrat John Edwards | http://www.latimes.com/nation/politics/trailguide/la-na-trailguide-updates-donald-trump-says-maybe-colin-1472562284-htmlstory.html | en | 2016-08-30T00:00:00 | www.latimes.com/d2c81f6b1f3248066d74e0d3c9583dfbd8316c1c8e53d99e367b9d1b5219bab6.json |
[
"Los Angeles Times"
]
| 2016-08-28T04:49:35 | null | 2016-08-27T00:00:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.latimes.com%2Fsports%2Fla-sp-live-updates-rams-broncos-paxton-lynch-can-t-get-things-going-for-1472355590-htmlstory.html.json | http://www.trbimg.com/img-56fd643a/turbine/la-l-a-times-logo-20160331/600 | en | null | Paxton Lynch can't get things going for Broncos | null | null | www.latimes.com | Memphis to Memphis.
Paxton Lynch floated a pass to receiver rookie Mose Frazier -- who attended Memphis with the quarterback -- which looked like a catch but was ruled out of bounds. Had the wideout stayed in, he would have had an open lane to the end zone.
Ronnie Hillman ran the ball four yards and then the Broncos called a timeout. The Rams then violated the nuetral zone, giving the Broncos a free five-yard gain.
Lynch throw a pass for rookie Durron Neal out of Oklahoma, but the ball went through his hands and ended the drive. | http://www.latimes.com/sports/la-sp-live-updates-rams-broncos-paxton-lynch-can-t-get-things-going-for-1472355590-htmlstory.html | en | 2016-08-27T00:00:00 | www.latimes.com/34f73084d5d724d4d63a368f57671d2a577a77f47742644545b695add26af7ed.json |
[
"Los Angeles Times",
"Ryan Faughnder"
]
| 2016-08-26T20:48:58 | null | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.latimes.com%2Fentertainment%2Fenvelope%2Fcotown%2Fla-et-ct-viacom-brad-grey-20160826-snap-story.html.json | http://www.trbimg.com/img-57c09af0/turbine/la-et-ct-viacom-brad-grey-20160826-snap | en | null | Viacom's Tom Dooley and Shari Redstone voice confidence in Paramount CEO Brad Grey | null | null | www.latimes.com | Paramount Pictures Chairman and Chief Executive Brad Grey has been widely criticized for his stewardship of the storied but struggling movie studio.
But the leadership at Paramount’s parent company, Viacom Inc., including new interim CEO Tom Dooley and board member Shari Redstone, are voicing their confidence in the 58-year-old talent manager-turned-studio chief who has run the Los Angeles film company since 2005.
"Shari, Tom and the board remain fully supportive of Brad and his leadership of the studio,” the company said in a statement Friday. “Under Brad’s leadership, Paramount has taken significant, successful steps to broaden and strengthen its business, and we are confident that Brad and his team have the skills, relationships and resources necessary to return Paramount to success in its movie business and continue its rapid growth in television."
The vote of support comes at a critical time for Paramount and for Viacom as a whole.
Viacom is under pressure to overhaul its struggling cable TV networks, transform the corporate culture into one that encourages creativity, and revive Paramount Pictures, which has suffered a number of box office misfires this year including “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows” and “Zoolander 2.”
Caption Why Frank Gehry never showed up to work for Richard Neutra Los Angeles Times Ideas Exchange: The Time’s Christopher Hawthorne in conversation with Frank Gehry at the Walt Disney Concert Hall. In this clip, Gehry talks about why he didn’t end up working for Richard Neutra. Los Angeles Times Ideas Exchange: The Time’s Christopher Hawthorne in conversation with Frank Gehry at the Walt Disney Concert Hall. In this clip, Gehry talks about why he didn’t end up working for Richard Neutra. Caption With the L.A. River, Frank Gehry thinks L.A. won’t need to import as much water, saving a lot of money Los Angeles Times Ideas Exchange: The Time’s Christopher Hawthorne in conversation with Frank Gehry at the Walt Disney Concert Hall. In this clip, Gehry talks about the L.A. River Revitalization project and cost of imported water. Los Angeles Times Ideas Exchange: The Time’s Christopher Hawthorne in conversation with Frank Gehry at the Walt Disney Concert Hall. In this clip, Gehry talks about the L.A. River Revitalization project and cost of imported water.
See the most-read stories in Entertainment this hour »
Last weekend, Paramount released another dud: “Ben-Hur,” which opened to a weak $11.2 million in ticket sales in the U.S. and Canada against a $100-million production budget (co-produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer).
Much of the blame for the struggles at Paramount has been laid at the feet of Grey and his leadership team.
In a blog post last week, media analyst Michael Nathanson of MoffettNathanson Research described Paramount's financial performance as “truly shocking.”
“Short of firing the entire Paramount leadership team, there is little a new CEO could do quickly to improve its film pipeline,” he wrote.
As part of a legal settlement last week to end a messy boardroom fight with Sumner Redstone and his family, Viacom’s board elevated Dooley, the company’s second-in-command, to interim chief executive, replacing ousted CEO Philippe Dauman. Dooley’s new appointment lasts until Sept. 30.
Shari Redstone is the daughter of Sumner Redstone, Viacom’s ailing, 93-year-old, controlling shareholder. The Redstones successfully agitated for Dauman’s removal and a shake-up of the board.
Under the settlement, Dauman will have an opportunity to deliver on his plan to sell a stake in Paramount before he steps down from the board on Sept. 13. However, any sale requires a unanimous vote.
Paramount, and its business relationships, will be under greater scrutiny from Viacom’s new board. The studio could lose as much as $350 million this fiscal year, according to analysts.
The settlement requires the studio to provide regular updates and information about Paramount’s revenue sources and its business prospects, according to a regulatory filing.
[email protected]
Follow Ryan Faughnder on Twitter for more entertainment business coverage: @rfaughnder | http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/envelope/cotown/la-et-ct-viacom-brad-grey-20160826-snap-story.html | en | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | www.latimes.com/f7ab74ddc5b8b60bf90cf81268631e1c163b72979feb97f9b40d105c1be2cf45.json |
[
"Los Angeles Times"
]
| 2016-08-29T04:49:57 | null | 2016-08-28T00:00:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.latimes.com%2Fentertainment%2Fla-et-ms-mtv-vma-live-updates-britney-spears-returns-to-the-vmas-and-1472440754-htmlstory.html.json | http://www.trbimg.com/img-57c3ab01/turbine/la-et-ms-mtv-vma-live-updates-britney-spears-returns-to-the-vmas-and-1472440754 | en | null | Britney Spears returns to the VMAs, and no one cared | null | null | www.latimes.com | After much anticipation, Britney Spears returned to the VMAs stage. In her first performance on the telecast since 2007, the Las Vegas headliner performed her single "Make Me" along with rapper G-Eazy,
After being introduced by Kim Kardashian West, the song began with Spears in silhouette behind a screen as shadow fingers awkwardly touched her body. When the screen rose, she wore a lime green-highlighter yellow, glittered leotard -- with matching boots, the color reminiscent of singer Cassie's new hair displayed on the red carpet earlier in the night. Flanked by two dancers, she two-stepped her way through an obviously lip-synched rendition of the song. | http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/la-et-ms-mtv-vma-live-updates-britney-spears-returns-to-the-vmas-and-1472440754-htmlstory.html | en | 2016-08-28T00:00:00 | www.latimes.com/c410c8ddeb81e20e0b602b1652f46209fca61e654121fed49e886666a4371fd1.json |
[
"Los Angeles Times",
"Ryan Faughnder"
]
| 2016-08-31T00:50:08 | null | 2016-08-30T00:00:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.latimes.com%2Fentertainment%2Fenvelope%2Fcotown%2Fla-et-ct-movie-projector-20160829-snap-story.html.json | http://www.trbimg.com/img-57c4ba14/turbine/la-et-ct-movie-projector-20160829-snap | en | null | 'Don't Breathe' likely to beat 'Light Between Oceans' and 'Morgan' in Labor Day box office | null | null | www.latimes.com | A pair of new movies shows little promise of unseating last weekend’s surprise horror hit “Don’t Breathe” from the top of the domestic box-office charts, as Hollywood’s rocky summer blockbuster season limps to its quiet close.
“Don't Breathe,” the $10-million home invasion thriller from Sony Pictures’ Screen Gems and Stage 6 Films, debuted with an impressive $26 million in U.S.-Canada ticket sales and is likely to extend its reign with about $13 million in additional grosses Friday through Monday.
That leaves Australian-set romantic drama “The Light Between Oceans” and science-fiction thriller “Morgan” to inject some last-minute life into the summer box office during Labor Day weekend. But neither is expected to generate big numbers at the multiplex — less than $10 million apiece — according to people who have reviewed pre-release audience surveys.
Industrywide summer ticket sales are expected to hit $4.5 billion May 6 through Labor Day in the U.S. and Canada, virtually tied with last year, according to ComScore. Although studios have enjoyed some massive hits like “Captain America: Civil War” and “The Secret Life of Pets,” they’ve also been bruised by pricey flops, including Paramount’s “Ben-Hur,” Disney’s “The BFG” and Fox’s “Independence Day: Resurgence.”
“This definitely is the last gasp,” said Paul Dergarabedian, a box-office analyst at ComScore. “This is traditionally one of the quietest weekends at the summer box office. You're typically not breaking records over Labor Day weekend.”
Caption 'Jurassic World: The Exhibition' at the Franklin Institute “Jurassic World: The Exhibition” at the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia opens Nov. 25. “Jurassic World: The Exhibition” at the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia opens Nov. 25. Caption Juan Gabriel fans at mortuary As news of Juan Gabriel’s death spread, fans gathered Monday at the Malinow and Silverman Mortuary in Los Angeles to pay tribute to the singer. As news of Juan Gabriel’s death spread, fans gathered Monday at the Malinow and Silverman Mortuary in Los Angeles to pay tribute to the singer.
Of the new wide releases, the likely victor appears to be “The Light Between Oceans,” based on the novel by M.L. Stedman and starring real-life couple Michael Fassbender and Alicia Vikander. The two play a husband and wife living on a remote island of Australia’s coast in the years after World War I. There they adopt a baby who mysteriously washes ashore, and things get even more complicated when a grieving mother (Rachel Weisz) enters their lives.
The $20-million film, distributed by Disney under its Touchstone Pictures label, is expected to gross a modest $6 million to $9 million, despite its highly respected cast and popular source material.
“The Light Between Oceans” represents the final DreamWorks Pictures movie to get a release from the Walt Disney Co. under their expiring distribution pact. Movies produced by Steven Spielberg’s DreamWorks will now be released by Universal Pictures under an agreement signed last year by Amblin Partners, a consortium of companies that includes DreamWorks, Participant Media, Reliance Entertainment and Entertainment One. DreamWorks’ mid-budget adult dramas had become less of a focus for Disney as the Burbank entertainment giant turned its attention to franchise-based juggernauts including Marvel Studios, Pixar Animation Studios and LucasFilm.
Meanwhile, low-budget sci-fi thriller “Morgan,” distributed by 20th Century Fox, is expected to gross about $6 million in its opening. In the directorial debut of Ridley Scott's son Luke Scott, Kate Mara (known for Netflix’s “House of Cards”) plays a risk-management professional forced to make the decision whether to destroy an artificially created being, played by Anya Taylor-Joy of this year's indie horror hit “The Witch.” Luckily, “Morgan” cost just $8 million to make.
Elsewhere in cinemas, the neo-western hit “Hell or High Water” from CBS Films and Lionsgate will expand to 1,200 theaters in an attempt to build on its box-office momentum. Bolstered by positive reviews, the R-rated crime drama starring Chris Pine and Jeff Bridges has taken in $8.4 million so far in its limited run. “Southside With You,” the indie film about Barack and Michelle Obama’s first date, is also expected to expand slightly after grossing a solid $2.9 million last weekend from 813 theaters.
See the most-read stories in Entertainment this hour »
[email protected]
Follow Ryan Faughnder on Twitter for more entertainment business coverage: @rfaughnder | http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/envelope/cotown/la-et-ct-movie-projector-20160829-snap-story.html | en | 2016-08-30T00:00:00 | www.latimes.com/3c9bbb7f50d79604ff05eabb0df62b1dca5e10800238bd6f43093aa7e3902839.json |
[
"Los Angeles Times"
]
| 2016-08-31T02:50:19 | null | 2016-08-30T00:00:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.latimes.com%2Fnation%2Fpolitics%2Ftrailguide%2Fla-na-trailguide-updates-donald-trump-headed-to-mexico-possibly-1472608107-htmlstory.html.json | http://www.trbimg.com/img-56fd643a/turbine/la-l-a-times-logo-20160331/600 | en | null | Donald Trump headed to Mexico? Possibly | null | null | www.latimes.com | Tuesday's primary elections will show the effects of Trump and Clinton's candidacies in down-ballot races.
Marco Rubio, John McCain face pro-Trump challengers in Tuesday's primaries
face pro-Trump challengers in Clinton continues to outpace Trump on ad spending
continues to outpace Trump on ad spending What does Barry Goldwater's Trump's chances with black voters? presidential campaign say about
Meg Whitman, a Republican, who ran for California governor in 2010, stumps for Clinton in Colorado | http://www.latimes.com/nation/politics/trailguide/la-na-trailguide-updates-donald-trump-headed-to-mexico-possibly-1472608107-htmlstory.html | en | 2016-08-30T00:00:00 | www.latimes.com/3c73de268c9b452e51e93f02898900c0ecde630e30bd2ea1a5bbb4c3f7cf5b87.json |
[
"Los Angeles Times"
]
| 2016-08-31T02:50:05 | null | 2016-08-30T00:00:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.latimes.com%2Fpolitics%2Fessential%2Fla-pol-sac-essential-politics-updates-an-effort-to-fix-california-s-outdated-1472611199-htmlstory.html.json | http://www.trbimg.com/img-57c64391/turbine/la-pol-sac-essential-politics-updates-an-effort-to-fix-california-s-outdated-1472611199 | en | null | An effort to fix California's outdated campaign cash database approved by the Legislature | null | null | www.latimes.com | California election officials would have until 2019 to repair or replace the state's antiquated campaign finance database under a bill sent to Gov. Jerry Brown on Tuesday.
Senate Bill 1349 would require the changes to Cal-Access, the online campaign contribution and lobbying database first created in the late 1990's.
"The last time the Cal-Access program was redone your mobile phone weighed 10 pounds," said state Sen. Bob Hertzberg (D-Van Nuys), the author of SB 1349.
The bill does not, however, provide funding for the system overhaul. That cost is estimated at $11.6 million for the actual project, with ongoing costs of some $2.8 million a year to maintain a new system. | http://www.latimes.com/politics/essential/la-pol-sac-essential-politics-updates-an-effort-to-fix-california-s-outdated-1472611199-htmlstory.html | en | 2016-08-30T00:00:00 | www.latimes.com/b3e061d17702a524b7f45bd785abdc7e08a951a1fdef6803701d34bcf85de256.json |
[
"Los Angeles Times",
"John Verive"
]
| 2016-08-29T16:49:56 | null | 2016-08-29T00:00:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.latimes.com%2Ffood%2Fdailydish%2Fla-dd-fall-beer-20160824-snap-story.html.json | http://www.trbimg.com/img-57c3adc8/turbine/la-dd-fall-beer-20160824-snap | en | null | The 6 beers you should be drinking this fall | null | null | www.latimes.com | Ready or not, a wave of next season’s beer is already hitting shelves. But fall doesn’t just mean a selection of spice-fueled pumpkin brews. You’ll also find clean and balanced classic German-inspired Oktoberfest beers at stores now.
Here are a few suggestions for each family of autumnal beer:
PUMPKIN BREWS
The popularity of pumpkin beer is undeniable, and each year there's a race among the larger craft breweries to be the first to market a pumpkin brew. The first pumpkin ales began arriving at stores as early as the end of July this year, and the pie-inspired styles are a love-it or hate-it brew for beer fans.
Buffalo Bill’s Pumpkin Ale and Black Pumpkin
Buffalo Bill’s Brewery, a nearly 35 year old brewpub in Hayward, Calif., has been supplying California with pumpkin pie-flavored beer for longer than just about anyone. Its flagship Pumpkin Ale is a widely available seasonal favorite, and the amber brew is relatively balanced — as pumpkin beers go. The brewery also offers a stronger and darker pumpkin stout called Black Pumpkin that ups the roasted malt flavor to help subdue the sweetness. Pumpkin Ale is available in six packs and Black Pumpkin is available in 22-ounce bottles at major retailers such as BevMo! and Trader Joe’s.
Caption Jonathan Gold on the secret, super spicy Jazz burger at Jitlada Jonathan Gold dishes on the Jazz burger, an off-menu item at Jitlada in Thai town, a site of pilgrimage for spicy food lovers. Jonathan Gold dishes on the Jazz burger, an off-menu item at Jitlada in Thai town, a site of pilgrimage for spicy food lovers. Caption The Walker Inn: Malibu cocktail Lead bartender, Katie Emmerson, at The Walker Inn located at the back of the Normandie Club talks about the Malibu cocktail. Lead bartender, Katie Emmerson, at The Walker Inn located at the back of the Normandie Club talks about the Malibu cocktail.
Elysian Brewing Punkuccino
The acquisition of Elysian Brewing by Anheuser Busch InBev in 2015 hasn’t slowed the Washington brewery’s pumpkin beer output. Elysian has several varieties of pumpkin-flavored styles on offer this year, including its core pumpkin ale Night Owl, the boozy Great Pumpkin Ale, Dark O’ the Moon pumpkin stout, and the pumpkin spice latte-inspired Punkuccino. The latter brew is flavored with Stumptown coffee, cinnamon and nutmeg; if you enjoy a cup of Joe with your pumpkin pie, this is the pumpkin brew to reach for.
Boulevard Brewing Funky Pumpkin
Even more polarizing than the typical pumpkin ale, Funky Pumpkin from Kansas City’s Boulevard Brewing backs up the spice flavors with a distinctive tartness and subtle funk. At first sip it’s a strange combo, but the acidity helps balance the clove and nutmeg flavors that are often overwhelming in pumpkin beer. You’ll find Funky Pumpkin in six packs, but if you want even more funk in your pumpkin ale, look for the 750-ml cork-and-cage bottles of Boulevard’s Smokestack Series Funkier Pumpkin. This spiced wild ale showcases the earthy, “forest floor” aromas of brettanomyces (a type of yeast) alongside the allspice and cinnamon.
OKTOBERFEST LAGERS
While pumpkin ales are all about squashing big flavors of spices and sweet malts into a brew, the traditional German Oktoberfest style — a.k.a. Märzen — is beloved for the restrained flavors of toasted malts and floral European hops.
Sierra Nevada Oktoberfest
The Chico, Calif. brewery collaborated with Bamberg’s Mahr’s Brau, a traditional German brewery, to create this year’s Oktoberfest beer. It’s the second annual Oktoberfest collaboration for the brewery. The 6% alcohol amber lager showcases the complex flavors of toasted European malt and an heirloom hop variety rarely seen in America. It’s rich and complex but remains easy to drink, stein after stein. It’s also versatile when it comes to food pairings — try it with sausages, hard cheeses or as the brewery suggests, hot apple strudel.
Firestone Walker Oaktoberfest
Making a wide return after a year of a very limited draft-only release, Oaktoberfest is available now in four-packs of 16-ounce cans. The name is a nod to Firestone Walker’s hometown of Paso Robles (“pass of the oaks”), rather than any oak flavor in the beer. Oaktoberfest is light, with a more pronounced hop flavor than many craft Oktoberfest brews, making it a good choice for sipping through these last warm days of summer.
Ballast Point Dead Ringer
On the other end of the Märzen style spectrum, Dead Ringer is darker and slightly sweeter with a depth of caramel and toffee flavors and a restrained bitterness. This is a good option if you’re looking for something rich and bold enough to stand up to grilled or roasted meats.
ALSO:
How to make a great coffeecake, plus some useful oven tips
Where to find great raspados, the Mexican shaved-ice slushies
Four Seasons Beverly Hills to open new wine bar with plenty of montanara (fried pizza dough) | http://www.latimes.com/food/dailydish/la-dd-fall-beer-20160824-snap-story.html | en | 2016-08-29T00:00:00 | www.latimes.com/4adda3d6373c63b8f667ab8aa57d2aa08a76bd008f8005c0a4b99f81f289651a.json |
[
"Los Angeles Times",
"Eric Sondheimer"
]
| 2016-08-26T18:50:59 | null | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.latimes.com%2Fsports%2Fhighschool%2Fvarsity-times%2Fla-sp-vi-football-three-assistants-to-run-locke-after-head-coach-resigns-20160826-story.html.json | http://www.trbimg.com/img-56fd643a/turbine/la-l-a-times-logo-20160331/600 | en | null | Football: Three assistants to run Locke after head coach resigns | null | null | www.latimes.com | On the eve of its season opener, Locke first-year football Coach Prince Hall submitted his resignation on Thursday. Three assistant coaches will run the team for its game on Friday against St. Monica, Athletic Director Nicholas Davidson said.
In his letter, Hall called the administration an "obstacle." He said there was a lack of support in hiring coaches in a timely manner, issues with lack of equipment and getting a budget in a timely manner.
"There's a lof of things they're slow to act on, and it puts kids at a disadvantage," Hall said.
Davidson insisted the reason for Hall's resignation was the decision by the school not to hire his brother as a coach.
Locke was 2-8 last season.
For the latest on high school sports, follow @LATSondheimer on Twitter | http://www.latimes.com/sports/highschool/varsity-times/la-sp-vi-football-three-assistants-to-run-locke-after-head-coach-resigns-20160826-story.html | en | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | www.latimes.com/153900047f4c81ad9de7d402a583ae6bd5036caf73abec8483b98ed4b0110e19.json |
[
"Los Angeles Times",
"Matt Cooper"
]
| 2016-08-26T16:49:32 | null | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.latimes.com%2Fentertainment%2Ftv%2Fshowtracker%2Fla-ca-st-0828-tvhighlights-20160828-snap-story.html.json | http://www.trbimg.com/img-57b5f81b/turbine/la-ca-st-0828-tvhighlights-20160828-snap | en | null | TV This Week, Aug. 28-Sept. 3: 'You're the Worst' and more | null | null | www.latimes.com | SUNDAY
Empowering young people is what it’s all about on a new edition of the star-studded special “WE Day.” With Paula Abdul, Zooey Deschanel, Selena Gomez, Jennifer Hudson, Joe Jonas, Demi Lovato, Natalie Portman, Seth Rogen, Charlize Theron, et al. 7 p.m. ABC
“I Miss Downton Abbey!” — perhaps you do too. This new special revisits memorable moments from the dearly departed British drama. 8 p.m. KOCE
Beyonce rules with 11 noms, Rihanna collects career kudos and Brit’s slated to perform at the “2016 MTV Video Music Awards.” 9 p.m. MTV; also BET, CMT, Comedy Central, Logo, Spike, TV Land and VH1
Family members join forces as a seventh season of “The Great Food Truck Race” gets rolling right here in L.A. Tyler Florence returns as host. 9 p.m. Food Network
Whodunit? Find out on the finale of the eight-part mystery drama “The Night Of.” John Turturro and Riz Ahmed star. 9 p.m. HBO
Two unsuspecting women buy the contents of the wrong storage locker in the new thriller “The Last Bid.” With Casper Van Dien, Cassi Thomson and Samantha Cope. 9 p.m. Lifetime
Will horrors never cease? The creepy supernatural drama “The Strain” is back for a third season. With Corey Stoll. 10 p.m. FX
MONDAY
The top five perform as “So You Think You Can Dance” hits the 250-episode mark. Cat Deeley hosts. 8 p.m. Fox
Melissa Rivers and company dish on styles seen at the VMAs on a new “Fashion Police.” With Giuliana Rancic, Brad Goreski, Margaret Cho and NeNe Leakes. 8 p.m. E!
The blended-family drama “The Fosters” offers its midseason finale. 8 p.m. Freeform
Former Laker Shaquille O’Neal straps on his size 22s and goes “Running Wild With Bear Grylls” on a new episode of the celebrity outdoor-adventure series. 10 p.m. NBC
Warsaw and Ho Chi Minh City, a.k.a. Saigon, are the next stops in back-to-back new episodes of “Secret Eats With Adam Richman.” 10 and 10:30 p.m. Travel Channel
TUESDAY
Expect plot twists and/or cliffhangers as “Pretty Little Liars” presents its midseason finale. 8 p.m. Freeform
The summer camp-set horror drama “Dead of Summer” ends its freshman season. With Elizabeth Mitchell and Elizabeth Lail. 9 p.m. Freeform
Your hungry host finds himself in Medellín, Colombia, on a new “Andrew Zimmern’s Driven by Food.” 9 p.m. Travel Channel
The guys are headed to Hong Kong on a new episode of the travelogue “Better Late Than Never.” With Henry Winkler, William Shatner, Terry Bradshaw and George Foreman. 10 p.m. NBC
WEDNESDAY
Corey Feldman, Rachel Hunter and Evelyn Lozada play along on a new “Hollywood Medium With Tyler Henry.” 8 and 10 p.m. E!
The San Antonio-set medical drama “The Night Shift” ends its third season. 10 p.m. NBC
Back for a third season, “You’re the Worst” is still the best — if you like your sitcoms more salty than sweet, which we do. With Aya Cash, Chris Geere, Desmin Borges and Kether Donohue. 10 p.m. FXX
“Greenleaf,” the soapy drama about a family-run Memphis megachurch, ends its freshman season. With Merle Dandridge, Keith David and Lynn Whitfield. 10 p.m. OWN
THURSDAY
Using footage shot by his younger, more-impressionable self, filmmaker Will Allen recalls the “Holy Hell” that was his time in a local cult in this new documentary. 6 and 8 p.m. CNN
The new special “Ground Zero Rising: Freedom vs. Fear” looks at the rebirth of the World Trade Center site in New York City. 7 p.m. CNBC
Whichever robot hasn’t yet been reduced to a bucket of bolts shall be proclaimed victor on the season finale of “BattleBots.” NASA astronaut Leland Melvin serves as a guest judge. 8 p.m. ABC
Tony Braxton and former NFL star Charles “Peanut” Tillman are among the honorees at “McDonald’s 365 Black Awards 2016.” 9 p.m. BET
Rap music’s Jim Jones and his fiancé Chrissy Lampkin request the honor of your presence for their new reality series “Jim & Chrissy: Vow or Never.” 10 p.m. WE
They can name that tune in however many notes in the new musical quiz show “Tracks.” Shad Moss, formerly known as Lil Bow Wow, is the emcee. 10:30 and 11 p.m. Spike
FRIDAY
The culinary series “Chef’s Table” heads to France in its third season. And one of the original celebrity chefs goes global — bam! — in the new series “Eat the World with Emeril Lagasse.” Any time, Netflix; any time, Amazon
Where in the world is Pablo Escobar? Last seen on the lam, the Colombian drug lord (Wagner Moura) returns in a second season of the docudrama “Narcos.” With Boyd Holbrook and Pedro Pascal. Any time, Netflix
Capt. “Sully” Sullenberger has turned on the “fasten seatbelt” sign as the 2009 tale of the “Miracle Landing on the Hudson” is retold in this new special. 9 p.m. National Geographic Channel
Can this “Cheer Squad” three-peat at an international competition? Find out in the docu-series’ season finale. 10 p.m. Freeform
SATURDAY
With a new season of “College Football” in full swing, the UCLA Bruins battle Texas A&M and the USC Trojans take on the Crimson Tide of Alabama. 12:30 p.m. CBS; 5 p.m. ABC
Go long! Former quarterback Brett Favre is profiled on a special broadcast edition of the NFL Network series “A Football Life.” 8 p.m. CBS
A woman scorned: Karrueche Tran and “Scandal’s” Brian White costar in the 2016 thriller “Only for One Night.” 8 and 10:30 p.m. BET | http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/tv/showtracker/la-ca-st-0828-tvhighlights-20160828-snap-story.html | en | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | www.latimes.com/7ff0274df5d3140aef2cd6c9f224f6e3306741f63f6cf6af7e575e4ea5782193.json |
[
"Los Angeles Times",
"Lance Pugmire"
]
| 2016-08-28T02:49:35 | null | 2016-08-27T00:00:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.latimes.com%2Fsports%2Fboxing%2Fla-sp-sn-boxing-kovalev-ward-las-vegas-20160827-snap-story.html.json | http://www.trbimg.com/img-57c24539/turbine/la-sp-sn-boxing-kovalev-ward-las-vegas-20160827-snap | en | null | Sergey Kovalev-Andre Ward fight finally set for T-Mobile Arena | null | null | www.latimes.com | The long, painful process of getting rapper Jay Z’s Roc Nation Sports to formally commit to staging unbeaten Andre Ward’s fight against three-belt light-heavyweight champion Sergey Kovalev at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas is over.
Roc Nation and Kovalev’s promoter, Main Events, officially announced Saturday that the anticipated Nov. 19 HBO pay-per-view bout is a go at the 20,000-seat arena, which staged the Canelo Alvarez-Amir Khan boxing match in May and the major UFC 200 and UFC 202 events.
Tickets, starting at $55, go on sale Friday at axs.com and the T-Mobile Center box office.
The promoters had haggled over finalizing the deal based on a long-ago verbal agreement after Ward defeated Alexander Brand on HBO earlier this month.
Roc Nation, headed by Michael Yormark, continued its difficult-to-deal-with reputation by declining to announce where the fight would be as Ward and Kovalev met in the ring in Oakland to announce the fight after the Brand fight.
Jay Z’s company also rejected the idea of sending Ward (30-0, 15 knockouts) to a Kovalev appearance in Los Angeles the next week, briefly fueling concerns MGM would opt to place another fight or event at the venue on Nov. 19.
Yormark said in a prepared statement Saturday, “On boxing’s most legendary stage, we will find out who the best boxer in the world truly is."
Kovalev (30-0-1, 26 KOs) has ached for a massive fight after dominating the likes of Bernard Hopkins and Jean Pascal.
“The winner of this fight could possibly be pound-for-pound No. 1," Oakland’s Ward said.
[email protected]
Twitter: @LATimespugmire | http://www.latimes.com/sports/boxing/la-sp-sn-boxing-kovalev-ward-las-vegas-20160827-snap-story.html | en | 2016-08-27T00:00:00 | www.latimes.com/ec34c7391661b7961811a4938f29e470c47f7ca1e62c4429f2912519e2e2ba6e.json |
[
"Los Angeles Times",
"Steven Zeitchik"
]
| 2016-08-26T22:48:55 | null | 2016-08-09T00:00:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.latimes.com%2Fentertainment%2Fmovies%2Fla-et-mn-movies-toronto-film-festival-documentaries-amanda-knox-leonardo-dicaprio-20160809-snap-story.html.json | http://www.trbimg.com/img-57a99438/turbine/la-et-mn-movies-toronto-film-festival-documentaries-amanda-knox-leonardo-dicaprio-20160809-snap | en | null | Toronto Film Festival will showcase Amanda Knox documentary and Leonardo DiCaprio the environmentalist | null | null | www.latimes.com | Leonardo DiCaprio interviewing President Obama about the environment.
Revisiting the Amanda Knox case from the perspectives of both the prosecution and famous defendant.
A look at the so-called 6th Beatle.
Documentaries on these subjects — as well as new work from Errol Morris, Steve James and Werner Herzog — will be among the movies playing the Toronto International Film Festival when the gathering kicks off next month.
Toronto's doc section is one of the best-regarded on the global festival circuit. The 2016 edition will focus on a mix of social topics and boldfaced personalities, with many movies seeking to offer a measure of timely clarity.
Caption The Comedy Comedy Festival in Little Tokyo The comedy festival running Thursday through Sunday in Los Angeles' Little Tokyo neighborhood is an Asian American comedy fest with a bill of more than 100 comics of Asian descent. You probably wouldn't know that from the name of the event: the Comedy Comedy Festival. The comedy festival running Thursday through Sunday in Los Angeles' Little Tokyo neighborhood is an Asian American comedy fest with a bill of more than 100 comics of Asian descent. You probably wouldn't know that from the name of the event: the Comedy Comedy Festival. Caption Director Andrew Ahn on his new film, 'Spa Night' Actor Joe Seo and director Andrew Ahn discuss what inspired the new film "Spa Night." Actor Joe Seo and director Andrew Ahn discuss what inspired the new film "Spa Night."
"For people tired of the circular nature of American electoral politics," Thom Powers, who heads up the festival’s doc section, told The Times, "a lot of these films take the longer view."
Among the most intriguing is "The Turning Point." The film has DiCaprio and actor-director Fisher Stevens offering a kind of "Inconvenient Truth" for a new age, with DiCaprio touring the world interviewing global leaders and other well-known figures on the subject of the environment. .
The film is notable both for its celebrity interviewer — DiCaprio is not often seen on camera outside his acting roles — and its potential to engage viewers on more wonky matters of policy. The star has been working on the film for years and reportedly can be seen in the film conducting some of the interviews while still wearing his "The Revenant" beard.
National Geographic, a longtime doc player that recently returned to the space, is expected to air the film across its global platforms in the fall.
A different hot-button issue comes to the fore with "Abacus: Small Enough to Jail," James' look at the 2008 financial crisis through the prosecution of a bank in New York's Chinatown. The director, who has an eclectic career with films as diverse as "Hoop Dreams" and "Life Itself," focuses on the roiling waters of urban enclaves, as he did in his 2011 Chicago-set "The Interrupters."
Meanwhile, global politics takes center stage with "The War Show," Andreas Dalsgaard and Obaidah Zytoon's exploration of the Syrian civil war from a more intimate perspective, while "Karl Marx City" has doc veterans Petra Epperlein and Michael Tucker examining the current state of U.S. surveillance via the GDR native Epperlein's inquiry into her supposedly Stasi-affiliated father.
And because the only subject perhaps more potent than politics is politics and sports, TIFF will offer a rare hat trick of films that combine both elements: Maya Zinshtein's "Forever Pure," about the controversial fans of Israeli soccer club Beitar Jerusalem; Erin Heidenreich's "Girl Unbound," which focuses on a talented female Pakistani squash player defying the Taliban's edicts in her hometown; and "Gaza Surf Club," in which Philip Gnadt and Mickey Yamine look at the wave-riders of the embattled region
Nor are foreign issue-based films always strictly about people. In "The Ivory Game," from Kief Davidson and Richard Ladkani, the filmmakers use a dense narrative and thriller conventions to go undercover and tell of the ivory cartels that traffic in African elephants.
The directors are bringing the movie north of the border after a likely Telluride run in the hope of maximizing its impact.
"Elephants stand in for so many animals who are in danger of becoming extinct if we don't do something," Davidson, who directed the Oscar-nominated doc "The Open Heart," told The Times. "Getting it out as quickly as possible is what's most critical, when bans can still be enacted and the elephants can be saved." (Netflix will release the movie later in the fall.)
Meanwhile, Morris — while known in recent years for charged government-themed investigations like "The Fog of War" and "Standard Operating Procedure" — takes a break from politics to chronicle the portrait photographer Elsa Dorfman in "The B-Side." Dorfman is known for her innovation, and ongoing practice, in using uncommonly large-sized Polaroids. Longtime friend Morris walks viewers through her career and deep archive in the movie whose details had until now been kept under wraps.
Documentaries currently occupy an unusual place in pop culture, surging in interest thanks to longform crime-themed pieces such as "The Jinx," "Making a Murderer" and, most recently and broadly,"O.J.: Made in America."
While TIFF this go-round will stick to standard-length features, crime is nonetheless on its mind.
With "Amanda Knox," Brian McGinn and Rod Blackhurst examine the incidents that led to both the Italian conviction and ultimate acquittal for an alleged murder by the title subject. The film is likely to engender passions, and possibly even competing viewpoints, on both sides of the Atlantic.
In "I Called Him Morgan," Kasper Collin looks at a notorious 1970s incident in which jazz musician Lee Morgan was shot by his wife at a New York club.
"I don't think it's a reactive trend. But with the crop of these films it's clear that crime has recently been of great interest to filmmakers," Powers said.
Other documentary subgenres will also be represented at Toronto
The Haitian director and activist Raoul Peck seeks to use film to complete a literary work from the African American author and thinker James Baldwin in "I Am Not Your Negro," a movie that is expected to tap into the modern currents of the Black Lives Matter movement.
Fans of the urbanist Jane Jacobs — who would have turned 100 this year — will get a glimpse of both Jacobs’ philosophy and modern and future urban living via Matt Tyrnauer's "Citizen Jane." Jacobs is a key figure in the history of Toronto, moving there in midlife and helping to fight the suburbanization of the city much as she did previously in New York.
Because he's, well, Werner Herzog, the director is following up his tech-themed Sundance movie "Lo & Behold" with "Into the Inferno," in which he and Clive Oppenheimer ruminate on the nature of global volcanoes. ("Indonesia, Ethiopia, Iceland and North Korea" all figure in the film, a news release about the program promises, in a movie that "blends reportage, history, and philosophy."
And in keeping with a music focus at Toronto in recent years, Tony Guma and John Rose take on "The 6th Beatle," focusing on the working-class Liverpool native Sam Leach, who touted the Beatles before being replaced by upscale manager Bran Epstein, while John Scheinfeld looks at the life of John Coltrane in "Chasing Trane." | http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/la-et-mn-movies-toronto-film-festival-documentaries-amanda-knox-leonardo-dicaprio-20160809-snap-story.html | en | 2016-08-09T00:00:00 | www.latimes.com/e98316aee8a213e04198b54b33b91899a566f526d56326847ff06c6e37c958bf.json |
[
"Los Angeles Times"
]
| 2016-08-31T00:50:16 | null | 2016-08-30T00:00:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.latimes.com%2Fpolitics%2Fessential%2Fla-pol-sac-essential-politics-updates-students-at-cal-state-schools-could-get-1472597291-htmlstory.html.json | http://www.trbimg.com/img-57c61f77/turbine/la-pol-sac-essential-politics-updates-students-at-cal-state-schools-could-get-1472597291 | en | null | Cal State students could get help graduating on time under bill sent to governor | null | null | www.latimes.com | California lawmakers on Tuesday sent the governor a bill that could help students graduate in four years from California State University schools.
Only 19% of students at Cal State campuses graduate in four years, state Sen. Steve Glazer (D-Orinda) said, citing statistics from 2011. Glazer's bill would create programs at Cal State campuses to help students graduate on time. Students in the programs would receive extra support from academic advisors and priority registration in classes. They would be required to take a minimum number of credits and maintain a qualifying GPA.
Low-income and first-generation students, as well as community college graduates and students from communities with low college attendance rates, would be given priority to participate in the programs. They would also have to be eligible for in-state tuition.
State Sen. Ed Hernandez (D-West Covina) lauded the bill and said it would have helped him when he was in college. He said it took him six years to graduate with a bachelor’s degree from a California State University.
"If I had something like this when I was in college, it would have given me the tools to perhaps graduate in four years,” he said.
State Sens. Robert Huff (R-Diamond Bar) and Pat Bates (R-Laguna Niguel) both praised the legislation, but questioned whether it should be made available to more students. Huff said he wished the program were available to every Cal State student, not just a “limited subset."
Glazer defended the legislation, saying better graduation rates for a subset of students would save the state money and open spots for other students.
"I’m convinced that everyone will benefit from a more efficient university system,” Glazer said. “This legislation will open up more pathways to student success and four-year degrees." | http://www.latimes.com/politics/essential/la-pol-sac-essential-politics-updates-students-at-cal-state-schools-could-get-1472597291-htmlstory.html | en | 2016-08-30T00:00:00 | www.latimes.com/6f86c436dba62d6066ae50405b68effeeda1a29809cb423bf0f90353031b2400.json |
[
"Los Angeles Times",
"Mark Struthers"
]
| 2016-08-26T14:50:57 | null | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.latimes.com%2Fbusiness%2Fla-fi-college-savings-20160825-snap-story.html.json | http://www.trbimg.com/img-57bf85b6/turbine/la-fi-college-savings-20160825-snap | en | null | How to calculate the 'magic number' for college savings | null | null | www.latimes.com | Many new parents want to pay for their child’s college education, but it’s hard to know how much money they’ll need 18 or 19 years in the future.
With some thoughtful planning, you can come up with a reasonable estimate of your “magic number” for college savings. Following are some important considerations as you start planning:
Type of school: The cost of attendance varies greatly depending on whether it’s a two- or four-year public or private school. Costs ranged from around $11,000 to about $44,000 (including room and board) per year in 2015, according to a recent survey from the College Board.
Room and board: Room and board, which accounts for a large portion of the cost of attendance, is one area where you can save money by having your child live at home for the first year or two.
Inflation: According to the College Board’s recent study, prices increased by about 3% from the 2014-15 school year to the 2015-16 school year. It’s best to err on the side of caution and choose a relatively high rate of inflation — say, 5% — as you calculate how much money you’ll need to save.
Price actually paid: Many students don’t pay full price because of institutional and federal grants and tax benefits. Planning on a 20% to 25% discount is often reasonable.
Your child’s contribution: Many parents believe that their children should help pay for school through work or student loans. If you decide to have your child contribute, make sure he or she is aware of the risk and burden involved in taking on debt.
Family contributions: Talk to your family to find out whether this is something they are interested in or able to do.
Magic number example
To see how all these factors affect college planning, consider this example. The Johnstons want to plan for college for their new baby, and they already have a school in mind. The estimated in-state cost of attendance for 2016-17 at the University of Minnesota is about $26,482 in total per year. They decide to cover tuition for four years, but plan for a 25% discount to the listed price and to have the child be responsible for room and board, plus books and other personal expenses (around $12,200 of the $26,482).
Here’s how the Johnstons arrive at their magic number:
They determine the portion they’ll cover per year, or $26,482 – $12,200 = $14,282.
Plan on a 25% discount to the list price, or $14,282 x 0.75 = $10,711.50.
For four years, that’s $10,711.50 x 4 = $42,850 (rounded up).
Then they adjust today’s cost for possible inflation at 5% over 19 years, or $42,850 x (1+0.05)19 = $108,280.
With a 7% rate of return on their college savings (a reasonable assumption based on historic Standard & Poor’s 500 index returns and a 70% to 80% equity portfolio), it will require saving $228 per month to reach their goal of $108,280 in 19 years. For a middle-class family like the Johnstons, it is difficult, but doable.
If the Johnstons waited to start saving, they would have to save significantly more each month. For instance, assume that they have only 10 years to save for college. Instead of $228 per month, they would need to save $625 per month, assuming the same costs and returns.
Be flexible
Of course, if baby Johnston wants to go to the top engineering school in the country, it will most likely cost more, and living at home won’t be an option.
Unless you have unlimited resources for college, you should set up a reasonable plan for savings, make periodic adjustments and make the most of what you have.
Mark Struthers, CFA, CFP, is a fee-only planner with Sona Financial in Chanhassen, Minn. He is an advisor at Nerdwallet, a personal finance website. | http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-college-savings-20160825-snap-story.html | en | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | www.latimes.com/17991d310c7ac541a110c627fadaa57ab326c324cfb593df081edeebc7b652d8.json |
[
"Glendale News Press",
"Mark Kellam"
]
| 2016-08-26T13:15:35 | null | 2016-08-19T00:00:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.latimes.com%2Fsocal%2Fglendale-news-press%2Fnews%2Ftn-gnp-unemployment-rises-slightly-local-and-in-the-state-20160819-story.html.json | http://www.trbimg.com/img-576087f6/turbine/tn-gnp-social-icon/ | en | null | Unemployment rises slightly locally | null | null | www.latimes.com | Unemployment rates rose slightly last month in Glendale and Burbank with job declines in leisure and hospitality as well as public educational institutions due to summer recess driving up the numbers across Los Angeles County, according to the latest labor report.
The jobless rates in both cities increased by 0.3%, coming in at 4.5% in Burbank and 5.3% in Glendale, according to statistics released Friday by the California Employment Development Department.
The state’s unemployment rate was 5.5% last month, an uptick from 5.4% in June, but a significant improvement from 6.1% in July 2015.
In La Cañada Flintridge, the jobless rate edged up to 2.9%, a 0.2% rise, while the La Crescenta-Montrose area also reported a 0.2% increase, up to 3%. | http://www.latimes.com/socal/glendale-news-press/news/tn-gnp-unemployment-rises-slightly-local-and-in-the-state-20160819-story.html | en | 2016-08-19T00:00:00 | www.latimes.com/4663269540ae41fff14b0b8dffef346a5ac645e23df80f3b614722bb7676f99d.json |
[
"Los Angeles Times",
"Associated Press"
]
| 2016-08-27T10:48:47 | null | 2016-08-27T00:00:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.latimes.com%2Fworld%2Fla-fg-moscow-warehouse-20160827-snap-story.html.json | http://www.trbimg.com/img-56fd643a/turbine/la-l-a-times-logo-20160331/600 | en | null | 17 workers killed as fire sweeps through Moscow warehouse | null | null | www.latimes.com | Russian emergency services say a fire swept through a printing plant's warehouse in Moscow on Saturday, killing 17 migrant workers from Kyrgyzstan.
The fire was caused by a faulty lamp on the first floor of the warehouse, where many flammable liquids and paper products were stored, and it spread quickly through an elevator shaft to the room where those who died were working, said Ilya Denisov, who heads the Moscow branch of the emergency services.
He said firefighters found the bodies of 16 workers and sent four injured workers to the hospital, where one later died.
Denisov, whose statements were carried by Russian news agencies, said the dead were all from Kyrgyzstan, a former Soviet republic in Central Asia, and were believed to be working legally in Russia.
ALSO
U.S. intelligence sees Islamic State as weakened after series of defeats
93,000 people voluntarily left Japan for North Korea after World War II. Or did they?
From Vietnam to Los Angeles: Photographer who captured iconic image on one road sees end of another | http://www.latimes.com/world/la-fg-moscow-warehouse-20160827-snap-story.html | en | 2016-08-27T00:00:00 | www.latimes.com/5c453d4f570b35908b9f4fdc8313cbc8c9481c35e43ab05cbb2ccf97a86f36c2.json |
[
"Los Angeles Times",
"Neal J. Leitereg"
]
| 2016-08-26T16:49:00 | null | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.latimes.com%2Fbusiness%2Frealestate%2Fhot-property%2Fla-fi-hotprop-mel-gibson-sherman-oaks-house-20160826-snap-story.html.json | http://www.trbimg.com/img-57c05c5b/turbine/la-fi-hotprop-mel-gibson-sherman-oaks-house-20160826-snap | en | null | Mel Gibson lists the Sherman Oaks home he bought for Oksana Grigorieva | null | null | www.latimes.com | A Sherman Oaks home that actor Mel Gibson bought for former romantic partner Oksana Grigorieva has hit the market for $2.575 million.
Gibson, who has a child with Grigorieva, bought the house for the Russian songwriter and pianist seven years ago for about $2.4 million. As part of a 2011 custody settlement, Grigorieva and their daughter were allowed to live in the home until the daughter turned 18, according to a report in The Times.
However, that arrangement may have changed. Earlier this month, the California Court of Appeals reportedly ruled that Gibson no longer owes Grigorieva the remaining settlement amount. The ruling was a result of Grigorieva’s 2013 appearance on “The Howard Stern Show,” when she spoke out about Gibson’s alleged domestic abuse.
The Prairie modern-style home, built in 2006, has four bedrooms and 3.5 bathrooms in about 3,500 square feet of space. (Realtor.com) (Realtor.com)
As for the home, it’s a modern spin on the Prairie School style. Built in 2006, the roughly 3,500-square-foot house features decorative and stained glass windows and skylights, mahogany built-ins and stone accents throughout.
An open living room with fireplace, an oversized center-island kitchen, a formal dining room, a library, four bedrooms and 3.5 bathrooms are among the living areas. The master suite has a fireplace, a walk-in closet and a custom dressing room.
French doors open to a courtyard with a contemporary fountain feature. A covered patio with a stacked-stone fireplace, lawns and tropical landscaping complete the setting.
Joyce Blackburn of Realty Executives holds the listing.
Gibson, 60, has credits that include the “Mad Max” and “Lethal Weapon” films, as well as “The Expendables 3.” He won a pair of Oscars for the 1995 epic “Braveheart.”
Grigorieva, 46, is known for writing the song "Un día llegará" on Josh Groban’s 2006 album “Awake.” She released her first and only studio album, “Beautiful Heartache,” in 2009.
[email protected]
Twitter: @NJLeitereg
MORE HOT PROPERTIES:
'Elvira' producer Eric Gardner is ready to part with his estate in Santa Rosa
James Perse's latest design in Malibu sells for the nearly $13-million asking price
Former Angels slugger Garret Anderson seeks $11 million for Irvine mansion
James Spader gets $4 million for his Mediterranean Revival in Windsor Square | http://www.latimes.com/business/realestate/hot-property/la-fi-hotprop-mel-gibson-sherman-oaks-house-20160826-snap-story.html | en | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | www.latimes.com/02f171dc19ce2e510817f3e709ab755bbc293c77d949dd9953d2a69ecc7b6a20.json |
[
"Los Angeles Times",
"Dan Weikel"
]
| 2016-08-29T06:49:22 | null | 2016-08-28T00:00:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.latimes.com%2Flocal%2Flanow%2Fla-me-ln-airport-shooter-20160828-snap-story.html.json | http://www.trbimg.com/img-57c3d286/turbine/la-me-ln-airport-shooter-20160828-snap | en | null | False reports of shots fired at LAX prompt evacuation of some passengers | null | null | www.latimes.com | Police have confirmed that reports of an active shooter that panicked passengers Sunday night inside several terminals at Los Angeles International Airport were false, authorities said.
Reports of gunfire in Terminals 6, 7 and 8 were made about 8:45 p.m., prompting airport police to set up a command post and shut down the central terminal area to incoming traffic.
As a further precaution, flight operations were stopped from 9 to 9:30 p.m. on the airport’s two southern runways because passengers, who self-evacuated from the terminals, ran onto the restricted airfield.
Later in the evening, authorities prepared to allow passengers who fled from the terminals to re-enter baggage claim areas and gather the luggage they had left behind.
Actress Anne Dudek of Santa Monica was one of the travelers who fled from Terminal 7 after her United Airlines flight arrived about 8:30 p.m.
She said that she went down the escalator to baggage claim about 8:45 p.m and a man who appeared to be panicked ran by, warning everyone to run because he said people were being shot.
"People started dropping bags and running out of the terminal," she said. "Panic spread."
Dudek said she did not hear any shots, but decided to leave Terminal 7. She ran across the street, headed through the parking structure and made her way to the area near Southwest Airlines. She eventually reached her parked car and left the airport.
Authorities said all terminals, including the Tom Bradley International Terminal, had been cleared by Los Angeles Airport Police by 10:45 p.m. and passengers were allowed to return.
All roads on the arrival and departure levels in the central terminal area also were reopened to traffic late Sunday night.
ALSO
'No, that can't be true': Angelenos react to the death of Mexican crooner Juan Gabriel
Framed, Chapter 1: She was the PTA mom everyone knew. Who would want to harm her?
'Viva Trump!' Small but vocal group of Latinos rally for Trump in Orange County | http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-airport-shooter-20160828-snap-story.html | en | 2016-08-28T00:00:00 | www.latimes.com/eff4e3bf80a5dd678fdcca94bcb59042cfa8332cc5849b001e29dad42876467f.json |
[
"Los Angeles Times",
"David Perry",
"Elizabeth Picciuto"
]
| 2016-08-29T12:50:11 | null | 2016-08-29T00:00:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.latimes.com%2Fopinion%2Fop-ed%2Fla-oe-perry-picciuto-disability-rights-abortion-zika-20160829-snap-story.html.json | http://www.trbimg.com/img-57c0f40c/turbine/la-oe-perry-picciuto-disability-rights-abortion-zika-20160829-snap | en | null | Disability rights and reproductive rights don't have to be in conflict | null | null | www.latimes.com | Earlier this month, Florida Sen. Marco Rubio stated that women infected with the Zika virus, which can cause congenital disabilities such as microcephaly, should not be permitted to have legal abortions. In March, Indiana Gov. Mike Pence, now the Republican nominee for vice president, signed a bill banning abortions following a prenatal diagnosis of Down syndrome or related conditions. Similar bills have passed or are pending in other states.
Underlying these anti-abortion measures is the widespread assumption that pregnant women will rush to abort if they discover that their children will be born with a disability. This leads, in turn, to the assumption that reproductive rights and disability rights are in conflict.
Mass media and our politicians repeatedly send out the false message that disability equals suffering.
It doesn’t have to be that way. We are abortion rightsparents of children with disabilities who are also pro-reproductive rights. David Perry’s 9-year-old son has Down syndrome. Elizabeth Picciuto’s 6-year-old son has Cri du Chat syndrome and microcephaly. Rather than limit women’s rights, we believe we must build a more understanding, accessible society that supports people with disabilities and provides services to parents. That’s how we can safeguard access to abortion while ensuring that it isn’t the only feasible option following a prenatal diagnosis.
The first step is to educate the public. Mass media and our politicians repeatedly send out the false message that disability equals suffering. Disabled people do suffer and struggle. But much of that suffering is caused by correctable injustices: lack of resources, lack of accessibility or lack of knowledge.
Amy Sequenzia, an autistic adult, advises parents not to try to “fix” their children so they are no longer disabled, but to “improve how the world will see and treat the children so that they can have accessibility and supports, and also be safe to live disabled.” Following that advice could take us a long way toward a world in which the reception of a prenatal diagnosis of disability is met not with fear, but with hope.
Step two: Recognize that all disabled lives have meaning. Some might say such acceptance is all well and good for mild disabilities, but not severe disabilities like microcephaly. This distinction is unwarranted. Many “mildly” disabled people still need a lot of support, while many who are “severely” disabled can lead fuller lives than may be readily apparent.
When Picciuto’s son Edmund was born, she was told based on brain MRIs that he would never walk, talk or recognize anyone or anything in his environment. Like many initial prognoses, that turned out to be far too pessimistic. While most would still count him severely disabled, he has loving relationships with family and friends, plays games, laughs at silly jokes and wants screentime far too often. Perry's son is mostly non-speaking, but his teachers call him “The Mayor” because of the way he moves through the building, greeting each student and adult as he walks.
People who are severely disabled, given the right environment, can still thrive, love, achieve their goals, and in turn make the world a better place.
The final step is to recognize the stakes.
Many people who reprove the notion of abortions based on sex (or if prenatal testing technology were more advanced, sexual orientation, or eye color) make an exception for abortions due to disability. They seem to believe that disabled people will be so unhappy, or make their parents so unhappy, that it would be better if they were not born. Such a distinction points to the inherent ableism within American society. We must do better; we must find a way to fairly and consistently handle the ethical complexities of widely accessible, and ever more precise, prenatal diagnostic technology.
We don’t mean to minimize the challenges facing disabled people and their families. We know all too well that the world is still far from being an ideal place to raise a disabled child.
But the answer isn’t to force pregnant women to give birth. The best way to open up new possibilities for women after a prenatal diagnosis is to guarantee that disabled children are well-supported with the services they need, that they have adequate medical care, and access to great schools. If the Rubios and Pences of the world really want to make a difference, they could work to ensure that communities are empowered to welcome and include disabled people, not to shut them out.
David Perry is a disability rights journalist and history professor at Dominican University. Elizabeth Picciuto is a contributing writer at the Daily Beast and philosophy lecturer at University of Maryland, Baltimore County.
Follow the Opinion section on Twitter @latimesopinion and Facebook | http://www.latimes.com/opinion/op-ed/la-oe-perry-picciuto-disability-rights-abortion-zika-20160829-snap-story.html | en | 2016-08-29T00:00:00 | www.latimes.com/9e98c2fbf16c7a7d218d4a4d173aaefef593e6a442a918c4d482b5372bdd1b17.json |
[
"Los Angeles Times",
"Gary Klein"
]
| 2016-08-27T00:49:16 | null | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.latimes.com%2Fsports%2Frams%2Fla-sp-rams-keenum-broncos-20160826-snap-story.html.json | http://www.trbimg.com/img-57c0daf0/turbine/la-sp-rams-keenum-broncos-20160826-snap | en | null | Rams quarterback Case Keenum focuses on the job at hand, not the jersey numbers in the stands | null | null | www.latimes.com | Rams fans attending training camp and two home exhibitions proudly donned replica jerseys and T-shirts of their favorite players.
Rookie Jared Goff’s No. 16 was omnipresent, Todd Gurley’s No. 30 stood out and Aaron Donald’s No. 99 also appeared popular.
The jerseys of Eric Dickerson, Jack Youngblood, Roman Gabriel and other former Rams also were part of the new-and-nostalgic apparel mosaic at UC Irvine and the Coliseum.
Few, if any, Case Keenum No. 17 jerseys were sighted.
Keenum is the Rams’ starting quarterback and appears on track to keep the job going into the Sept. 12 season opener against the San Francisco 49ers. But judging from the jerseys in the crowds, one would never know it.
“I haven’t seen any,” Keenum said, laughing, when asked if he had spied any No. 17s. “Have you?”
Such is the plight — or perhaps another motivating force — for Keenum, a career backup trying to hold off the inevitable ascent of Goff, the No. 1 pick in the NFL draft.
Keenum supplanted Nick Foles as the starter last season and Foles was released in July.
What to watch for when the Rams play the Broncos in an exhibition game Gary Klein and Lindsey Thiry tell you what to watch for when the Rams play the Denver Broncos in an exhibition game Saturday. Gary Klein and Lindsey Thiry tell you what to watch for when the Rams play the Denver Broncos in an exhibition game Saturday. See more videos
But Keenum’s jersey is pictured below Foles’ now-obsolete No. 5 on the Rams page on NFLshop.com. Keenum’s jersey was not among those for sale in two merchandise trailers at Irvine.
Meanwhile, Goff sales have been brisk.
Keenum, who will start Saturday night’s exhibition game against the Broncos at Denver, takes it all in stride.
“First-round draft pick, first pick overall, there’s some excitement there, and it’s fine with me,” he said. “Just put blinders on and do my job.”
Several Rams fans said they support Keenum and his bid to remain the starter. But they made purchasing decisions based on other criteria.
Gilbert Sanchez of Lakewood attended practice with his three sons, the four of them outfitted in Rams gear. Dad wore a Kurt Warner jersey. Gilbert, 11, and Grady, 6, wore the No. 55 of former Rams linebacker James Laurinaitis. Gavin, 9, wore linebacker Alec Ogletree’s No. 52.
Sanchez bought his sons jerseys after the NFL announced in January that the Rams were moving from St. Louis to Los Angeles. The gear was purchased so they could be outfitted for a Super Bowl party.
Sanchez chose Warner because he is the only quarterback to lead the Rams to a Super Bowl title.
“This is my all-time favorite,” he said.
With the Rams choosing Goff No. 1, Sanchez does not anticipate a run on Keenum jerseys anytime soon.
“I give the guy credit, he’s winning the starting job,” Sanchez said. “But I don’t foresee many Keenum jerseys out there because we all know it’s a short stint, I would think.
“We didn’t give up all those picks for Goff to sit too long.”
PODCAST: Rams Overtime: Let's get real about 'Hard Knocks' »
Rob Artle of Huntington Beach and sons Gage, 7, and Jaxon, 9, all wore Goff jerseys.
“I know Keenum is doing a great job right now, so I think Goff’s got his work ahead of him to get the starting spot,” Artle said. “But I know he’ll work hard and I want them to see that. . . . He’ll be around, hopefully, for the next 10-plus years and they can follow him for that decade.”
Daniel Martinez, 23, wore a No. 94 Robert Quinn jersey to practice and said he owns several Rams jerseys, including those of Goff, Gurley, Donald and receiver Tavon Austin.
“I just go for people that I know, for at least four years, are going to be on the team,” he said.
Martinez, from Moreno Valley, said he would be open to adding Keenum to his collection.
“If they had it, I probably would have got it,” he said. “He’s the starting quarterback, show him some support.
“I’m pretty sure he knows [Goff] is the No. 1 pick and he’s going to play eventually. But he’s the starter until [Goff is] ready.”
A Rams spokesperson said manufacturers produce jerseys and other products based on demand. Fans also can customize jerseys online. Moving forward, should Keenum earn the starting job and play well, the team will work with its partners to update its inventory and make Keenum merchandise available, the spokesperson said.
In the meantime, Keenum will keep working. The Rams will be back at the Coliseum for the Sept. 18 home opener against the Seattle Seahawks.
If fans want to purchase his jersey, that’s fine with Keenum.
If not . . .
“I don’t think that affects anything that really matters,” he said.
[email protected]
Follow Gary Klein on Twitter @LATimesklein | http://www.latimes.com/sports/rams/la-sp-rams-keenum-broncos-20160826-snap-story.html | en | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | www.latimes.com/f852f9037ab60d2e8e49f841f5a0e0acfc322af36a74643f8606e150a9f01354.json |
[
"Los Angeles Times",
"Ben Bolch"
]
| 2016-08-31T00:49:58 | null | 2016-08-30T00:00:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.latimes.com%2Fsports%2Fucla%2Fla-sp-ucla-football-20160830-snap-story.html.json | http://www.trbimg.com/img-57c61d98/turbine/la-sp-ucla-football-20160830-snap | en | null | UCLA preparing for a noisy game in College Station | null | null | www.latimes.com | UCLA doesn’t play Axl Rose and Snoop Dogg songs at earsplitting levels in practice to better familiarize itself with the lyrics.
The Bruins are girding themselves for the noise they will hear at various stadiums throughout the season. Nowhere on their schedule figures to be as loud as Texas A&M’s Kyle Field, where a crowd of more than 100,000 is expected for the Aggies’ season opener against UCLA on Saturday.
Bruins Coach Jim Mora has favored using music at volumes suited for MTV’s “Headbangers Ball” instead of the simulated crowd noise preferred by some of his counterparts.
Ignoring the racket is only part of the team’s preparations. Communication between quarterback Josh Rosen and his fellow offensive players will be essential to avoid wayward snaps and false-start penalties.
“It’s always important to have a silent count and a couple of changeups when you get in an environment that is pretty extreme so that you can still function,” Mora said Tuesday on a conference call of Pac-12 Conference coaches. “We like to have different ways that we can manipulate the count.”
UCLA has not played in front of a crowd that reached six figures since a road game against Texas in 2010. But Mora said playing at Oregon’s Autzen Stadium, Utah’s Rice-Eccles Stadium and Washington’s Husky Stadium in recent seasons was good preparation for what awaits his team.
“Those crowds are as noisy as you get,” Mora said.
Rosen noted that scoring on the first drive on the road against Utah last season helped minimize the impact of the crowd during UCLA’s 17-9 victory.
There are only so many degrees of loud, according to Rosen.
“I mean, after like 50,000 [fans] it all sounds the same,” Rosen said. “You really don’t hear anything.”
Weathering it
The forecast for College Station on Saturday calls for a high of 89 degrees with a 40% chance of afternoon thunderstorms. The humidity level is expected to be 68%.
UCLA should be well prepared for everything except the humidity.
Asked about the hottest temperatures he had endured in a game, defensive tackle Eli Ankou said, “Actually, it wasn’t a game. It was San Bernardino.”
The sound bite probably would have pleased Mora. Discomfort was exactly the point of the Bruins’ week in the desert for training camp.
Remembering Nick
Not all of the Bruins rested during the team’s weekend free from practices.
Quarterback Mike Fafaul participated in a 5K run/walk Sunday in San Clemente to raise money for the Nick Pasquale Foundation in honor of the UCLA walk-on receiver who was killed in September 2013 when he was struck by a car while walking home from a friend’s house.
Offensive tackle Conor McDermott, who showed up late after receiving treatment on campus, said he arrived shortly after Fafaul and former Bruins teammates Colby Cyburt, Taylor Lagace and Carl Hulick finished the race.
“They were all on the ground passed out, drenched in sweat,” McDermott said.
McDermott said a group of UCLA players visits Pasquale’s family in San Clemente throughout the year, including a summer pig roast.
“Nick had a tremendous impact on this program and he continues to have an impact to this day,” Mora said, noting that the Bruins end every special teams meeting by referencing his nickname with the saying, “Live like Paq.”
[email protected]
Twitter: @latbbolch | http://www.latimes.com/sports/ucla/la-sp-ucla-football-20160830-snap-story.html | en | 2016-08-30T00:00:00 | www.latimes.com/2594a560ebff8d153dfeab6c1d639708cb236bce27445abb6761e308a0284149.json |
[
"Los Angeles Times"
]
| 2016-08-29T02:49:41 | null | 2016-08-28T00:00:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.latimes.com%2Fentertainment%2Fla-et-ms-mtv-vma-live-updates-calvin-harris-didn-t-thank-taylor-swift-1472436030-htmlstory.html.json | http://www.trbimg.com/img-57c398cc/turbine/la-et-ms-mtv-vma-live-updates-calvin-harris-didn-t-thank-taylor-swift-1472436030 | en | null | Calvin Harris didn't thank Taylor Swift for song she wrote | null | null | www.latimes.com | When accepting an award there are a few people you're required to thank: God, your mother, the fans, and maybe even the writer. That is, unless you're Calvin Harris.
The "This Is What You Came For" singer was honored with the VMA for best male video for the same song featuring Rihanna. Though he thanked a number of folks, left off the list was the song's co-writer Nils Sjoberg. But that's probably because Sjoberg is actually the pseudonym for his ex-boo, Taylor Swift.
The two experienced a very public breakup back in June. While he once appeared to be "shaking it off," the omission might say otherwise. | http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/la-et-ms-mtv-vma-live-updates-calvin-harris-didn-t-thank-taylor-swift-1472436030-htmlstory.html | en | 2016-08-28T00:00:00 | www.latimes.com/dd61054a9d667c4e5e0860198110acb2a789803c651dcf2346b970c4217f6694.json |
[
"Los Angeles Times"
]
| 2016-08-29T12:50:02 | null | 2016-08-29T00:00:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.latimes.com%2Fnation%2Fpolitics%2Ftrailguide%2Fla-na-trailguide-updates-08292016-htmlstory.html.json | http://www.trbimg.com/img-57c4290b/turbine/la-na-trailguide-updates-08292016 | en | null | Campaign 2016 updates: Trump's immigration plan starts to look status quo | null | null | www.latimes.com | Remember Donald Trump's call for a "softer" approach on immigration?
It appears to be already hardening. The trial balloon Trump floated to allow some immigrants who are in the U.S. illegally to remain appears to be in question.
But also apparently gone is his once promised "deportation force" to oust the estimated 11 million immigrants illegally in this country.
Trump's advisors -- even as they insist there has been no significant change -- say even they are not certain exactly how the new policy will take shape.
Trump is expected to unveil his immigration plan Wednesday in Phoenix.
Trump has said he would start by deporting immigrants with criminal records, but it remains unclear whether he would move to deport others.
"That's the part of it he'll have to define and decide," said Rudolph Giluliani, the former New York mayor, on "Fox and Friends" on Monday. "That's the debate."
"No amnesty," "no legalization," campaign manager Kellyanne Conway said Sunday.
The upshot? Trump appears to be offering nothing new for the nation's troubled immigration system beyond enforcing existing laws.
But that didn't stop Twitter from giving Trump a new nickname on Monday, with "AmnestyDon" trending. | http://www.latimes.com/nation/politics/trailguide/la-na-trailguide-updates-08292016-htmlstory.html | en | 2016-08-29T00:00:00 | www.latimes.com/79695bd803fe1f3cc5924e7c7e09f38ef026e9e2178e8676ac68cb16553c6ada.json |
[
"Daily Pilot",
"Luke Money"
]
| 2016-08-26T13:16:07 | null | 2016-08-25T00:00:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.latimes.com%2Fsocal%2Fdaily-pilot%2Fnews%2Ftn-dpt-me-egan-petition-ruling-20160825-story.html.json | http://www.trbimg.com/img-565ccc20/turbine/tn-dpt-me-fb-logos-20151117-002/600 | en | null | Judge rules to eliminate 'misleading' language in ballot argument | null | null | www.latimes.com | An Orange County Superior Court judge has struck down much of the language within a ballot argument against a proposed Costa Mesa growth-control initiative after a resident claimed the argument's wording was misleading and inaccurate.
Eleanor Egan, a former planning commissioner, had asked the court in July to throw out all or part of the rebuttal challenging Costa Mesa First's initiative, saying it was riddled with errors that would confuse or deceive voters on Nov. 8.
During a court hearing Wednesday, Judge Kim Dunning completely removed 14 of the rebuttal's 21 contentions, which were written by opponents including Mayor Pro Jim Righeimer, council candidate Lee Ramos and Chris Bunyan, who unsuccessfully ran for council in 2014.
Dunning wrote that there was "clear and convincing evidence" that some of the opponents' statements "were false or misleading, or both."
Among the eliminated sections are:
"Likely unconstitutional — you pay for lawyers to get rich"
"Projects as small as new drive thru Starbucks will require a citywide vote"
"Forget new restaurants anywhere in town — they will require a citywide vote"
"The seediest part of town along Newport Blvd. can't be improved under Measure [Y], keeping the motels specializing in pimps, prostitutes and perverts in business"
Costa Mesa First's initiative, dubbed Measure Y on the ballot, would require voter approval of some larger development projects in the city, namely those that require a general plan amendment or zoning change and would also add 40 or more additional dwelling units or 10,000 or more additional square feet of commercial space on top of what already exists.
Egan said she was "really delighted" by the judge's decision.
"I don't like to see falsehoods in a ballot pamphlet that are going to mislead voters," she said.
Dunning did permit the argument's language that deals with traffic, including wording that Measure Y "makes traffic worse" and that residents should "keep Costa Mesa moving forward" by rejecting it.
Also left in the rebuttal was the contention that Measure Y is "overly restrictive," that its authors "want to set us back to the days of Goat Hill" — an early nickname for the Costa Mesa area — and that the measure "is crazy!"
Righeimer said he doesn't plan to contest the judge's decision.
"I absolutely agree with what the judge left in, that Measure Y is going to cause us traffic problems in the city of Costa Mesa," he said Thursday.
Costa Mesa residents Julie Fowler and Chuck Perry also contributed to the rebuttal.
Costa Mesa First's measure will compete against another sponsored by the city that would essentially maintain its existing zoning and land-use standards, including the recently approved update to the general plan.
It also would create a fee applying to new development north of the 405 Freeway and west of Fairview Road, with those funds being used to improve recreational, open space and public park facilities.
Should both measures pass, the one that receives the most votes would become law.
--
Luke Money, [email protected]
Twitter: @LukeMMoney | http://www.latimes.com/socal/daily-pilot/news/tn-dpt-me-egan-petition-ruling-20160825-story.html | en | 2016-08-25T00:00:00 | www.latimes.com/aabb97d2c4f4bb3bbb2677ce269b97185b0e2a37b84d2a202c43de691ec45410.json |
[
"Los Angeles Times",
"Pedro Moura"
]
| 2016-08-28T02:49:22 | null | 2016-08-27T00:00:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.latimes.com%2Fsports%2Fangels%2Fla-sp-angels-report-20160827-snap-story.html.json | http://www.trbimg.com/img-57c245e9/turbine/la-sp-angels-report-20160827-snap | en | null | Mike Scioscia is considering expanding Angels' rotation | null | null | www.latimes.com | Mike Scioscia said Saturday in Detroit he is considering expanding his starting rotation to six men in September. It would be an unprecedented move for the Angels’ manager, in his 17th season on the job. He has never used six starters for multiple successive turns through the schedule.
Of course, this season is ripe for experimentation, what with the Angels more than 20 games out of the divisional lead and likely to be officially eliminated from playoff contention come mid-September.
Scioscia declined to handicap the likelihood he would act upon his considerations, and he has declined to directly connect specific names to his decision.
“I think there are some guys we definitely want to see in our rotation, some guys throwing the ball we want to keep in there,” he said. “We’ll make a determination next week as to what direction it goes and what guys are gonna come up and pitch. You’re gonna bring up a young pitcher who you feel is ready for the challenge and there’s a role for him.”
The players are fairly obvious. Left-hander Nate Smith, 25 on Sunday, will get a chance to pitch at some point in September, in the bullpen if not as a starter. He was the Angels’ All-Star Futures Game representative and is generally understood to have back-end potential.
“He’s really been pretty consistent the whole year from the reports we’re getting,” Scioscia said. “We’re definitely excited about his progress and the year he’s putting together down there at triple A. He’s having a good season, so that’s all you can ask for.”
Scioscia has also said he’d like to start right-hander Alex Meyer, the veteran of one major league start with Minnesota, in September. He started Saturday for Class-A Inland Empire, building up stamina after being out much of the season because of shoulder fatigue. The plan is for him to next throw in triple A, and he could join the Angels soon after that.
The Angels plan to call up “a few” players for Friday’s series opener in Seattle, their first game after rosters officially expand Sept. 1, and then more men Sept. 6, after triple-A Salt Lake’s season ends. Catcher Juan Graterol probably will be one of the early choices for customary insurance.
Short hops
Third baseman Yunel Escobar is eligible to return from the seven-day concussion disabled list, but will not be activated when the Angels return home to host Cincinnati on Monday. Escobar fouled a ball off his nose. “His nose is obviously very sore, still,” Scioscia said. … Kaleb Cowart started his first game at second base Saturday. Drafted and developed as a third baseman, the 24-year-old began playing the position this season with Salt Lake. “He can handle all the primary plays,” Scioscia said. “The only thing that he’s lacking right now is experience, and understanding some of the angles that as you play more, you start to absorb.”
[email protected]
Twitter: @pedromoura | http://www.latimes.com/sports/angels/la-sp-angels-report-20160827-snap-story.html | en | 2016-08-27T00:00:00 | www.latimes.com/a2d3504aa4c8215fb6efee0394181fbd4ca503b275b54f4c196190543d81fda7.json |
[
"Los Angeles Times",
"James F. Peltz"
]
| 2016-08-29T18:49:42 | null | 2016-08-29T00:00:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.latimes.com%2Fbusiness%2Fla-fi-tn-fitbit-challenges-20160829-snap-story.html.json | http://www.trbimg.com/img-57c456d3/turbine/la-fi-tn-fitbit-challenges-20160829-snap | en | null | Fitbit's new Adventures feature virtually transports users to Yosemite | null | null | www.latimes.com | Fitbit Inc. unveiled a series of virtual “adventures” to pair with its fitness-tracking wristbands Monday as the company tries to maintain its sales momentum.
Fitbit Adventures, a new feature on the San Francisco company’s mobile app, allows users to virtually experience such “challenges” as hiking trails at Yosemite National Park or tracing the route of the New York City Marathon with each step they log on their Fitbit device.
Photos, maps and other images that show the user’s progress on the adventures can be viewed on a smartphone or other device that syncs with the trackers. Future updates will add other global destinations and experiences, Fitbit said.
The adventures “are the perfect motivation for anyone who may not want to compete in a traditional Fitbit group challenge with friends or family,” Tim Roberts, executive vice president for interactive at Fitbit, said in a statement.
Fitbit’s sales continued to surge in the first half of this year, but its profit has plunged as it invests in new products, marketing and acquisitions.
In response, the company’s stock has dropped well below the prices it enjoyed soon after its June 2015 initial public offering. The stock’s IPO price was $20 a share, and it briefly soared above $50 a share.
But the stock then suffered a steady decline and it’s dropped by more than 50% over the last 12 months. On Monday morning, Fitbit stood at $14.84 a share, up 17 cents on the day.
Fitbit’s current market value is $3.3 billion.
The company also has been diversifying to develop mobile-payment technology that could be integrated into its future wearable devices. In May, it acquired the wearable-payments platform of Coin, a Silicon Valley financial tech company.
Fitbit’s products now are sold at 54,000 retail stores in 64 countries. Fitbit, founded in 2007, sold 10.5 million devices in the first half of this year, up from 8.3 million in the same period last year, despite competition from such rivals as Jawbone, Misfit and Garmin.
Fitbit’s revenue soared in the first six months of this year to $1.09 billion, up 48% from $737 million in the first half of 2015. The gains were led by sales of Fitbit’s newer Blaze and Alta devices. But its profit for that period tumbled to $17.4 million, down from $65.7 million a year earlier.
[email protected]
Twitter: @PeltzLATimes
ALSO
New rules on small drones kick in today: What you need to know
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Energy storage is taking on a greater role in the power grid. But how big can it get? | http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-tn-fitbit-challenges-20160829-snap-story.html | en | 2016-08-29T00:00:00 | www.latimes.com/c5c585c21ef470301c7ff9c165c76dae0595ecd721e4865512b994d6209b6262.json |
[
"Los Angeles Times"
]
| 2016-08-30T20:50:03 | null | 2016-08-30T00:00:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.latimes.com%2Fpolitics%2Fessential%2Fla-pol-sac-essential-politics-updates-companies-boycotting-israel-would-lose-1472587986-htmlstory.html.json | http://www.trbimg.com/img-57c5ea54/turbine/la-pol-sac-essential-politics-updates-companies-boycotting-israel-would-lose-1472587986 | en | null | California lawmakers approve bill to deny state contracts to companies that boycott Israel | null | null | www.latimes.com | Lawmakers took action Tuesday to prevent California state government agencies from awarding contracts to companies that participate in a boycott of Israel.
AB 2844 requires any company that accepts a state government contract of $100,000 or more to certify that it's not in violation of California civil rights law -- which, said the Assembly members who wrote the bill, would include companies involved in an international Israeli boycott.
That global campaign -- the Boycott, Divestments and Sanctions movement -- is intended to put pressure on Israel to change its policies until the country ends its occupation of "all Arab lands" and recognizes an independent Palestine.
Other states have taken similar action, and the bill was the subject of eight separate amendments during the 2016 legislative session in Sacramento.
"The bottom line is that the state should not subsidize discrimination in any form," said the bill's author, Assemblyman Richard Bloom (D-Santa Monica).
AB 2844 now heads to Gov. Jerry Brown for a signature or veto by the end of September. | http://www.latimes.com/politics/essential/la-pol-sac-essential-politics-updates-companies-boycotting-israel-would-lose-1472587986-htmlstory.html | en | 2016-08-30T00:00:00 | www.latimes.com/f4e775f6e3298090bffa7dd559cf8a6709a27061deeb5f6324c284a400261b09.json |
[
"Los Angeles Times",
"Eric Maddy"
]
| 2016-08-28T06:49:09 | null | 2016-08-27T00:00:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.latimes.com%2Fsports%2Fhighschool%2Fvarsity-times%2Fla-sp-vi-football-saturday-s-scores-20160827-story.html.json | http://www.trbimg.com/img-56fd643a/turbine/la-l-a-times-logo-20160331/600 | en | null | Football: Saturday's scores | null | null | www.latimes.com | null | http://www.latimes.com/sports/highschool/varsity-times/la-sp-vi-football-saturday-s-scores-20160827-story.html | en | 2016-08-27T00:00:00 | www.latimes.com/9fd099df67c6dce2a026ebb7d88b81427286d440473a1010408b124f6d6fc9c5.json |
[
"Los Angeles Times",
"James Rufus Koren"
]
| 2016-08-26T22:49:02 | null | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.latimes.com%2Fbusiness%2Fla-fi-herbalife-carl-icahn-20160826-snap-story.html.json | http://www.trbimg.com/img-57c0afbc/turbine/la-fi-herbalife-carl-icahn-20160826-snap | en | null | Carl Icahn buys more Herbalife shares, flouting Bill Ackman | null | null | www.latimes.com | A long-running feud over Herbalife Ltd. between billionaire hedge fund managers Carl Icahn and Bill Ackman heated up Friday, with Ackman saying that Icahn was looking to sell his stake in the Los Angeles maker of nutritional supplements and Icahn saying that's not the case.
Ackman, confirming an earlier report from the Wall Street Journal, told CNBC on Friday that investment bank Jefferies had approached him asking if he would buy out part of Icahn’s holdings in Herbalife.
But on Friday afternoon, Icahn said not only that he’s not looking to sell, but also that he had just bought 2.3 million additional Herbalife shares. Even before Friday’s purchase, Icahn was by far the company’s biggest shareholder.
Icanh said in a statement on his website that Ackman, who has called Herbalife a pyramid scheme and made a $1-billion bet that the company would be shut down, has become obsessed with the company.
“Obsessions concerning the value of stocks are the undoing of many investors because they often blind you to the facts,” Icahn said. “I have never given Jefferies an order to sell any of our Herbalife shares. … I continue to believe in Herbalife: It’s a great model that creates a great number of jobs for people.”
A month ago, the U.S. Federal Trade Commission closed its investigation of Herbalife and said it needs to rework the way in which it pays its salespeople. The FTC ruled that salespeople have to be paid for selling Herbalife products. Typically, Herbalife salespeople bought products and tried to get others to do the same.
The FTC did not label Herbalife a pyramid scheme, a victory for the company, but its description of its business model was essentially how a pyramid scheme operates. It ordered the company to put into place changes in its business model by May.
Ackman and Icahn have a history of publicly arguing about the company.
Three years ago, both called into CNBC, and Ackman called Icahn a bully; Icahn countered that Ackman reminded him of a little boy crying in a schoolyard.
On Friday, before Icahn released his statement, Ackman said on CNBC that a sale by Icahn could shake confidence in Herbalife. He said he believed Icahn wanted to sell his stake before the mandated changes take place in eight months.
“I think he knows that this thing is toast,” Ackman said.
Herbalife shares, which are up about 10% this year, fell 2.3% in Friday trading. They rose about 4% in after-hours trading after Icahn issued his statement.
The Associated Press was used in compiling this report.
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UPDATES:
2:35 p.m.: This article was updated with additional details.
This article was originally published at 2:10 p.m. | http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-herbalife-carl-icahn-20160826-snap-story.html | en | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | www.latimes.com/de8800da3430b640879816a56bea6eb813897ed994015c18ba9e831bb6ac4613.json |
[
"Los Angeles Times",
"Zach Helfand"
]
| 2016-08-28T18:49:10 | null | 2016-08-28T00:00:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.latimes.com%2Fsports%2Fusc%2Fla-sp-usc-generation-skip-20160828-snap-story.html.json | http://www.trbimg.com/img-57c313a3/turbine/la-sp-usc-generation-skip-20160828-snap | en | null | A decade after dynasty, USC confronts a generation that asks: Reggie who? | null | null | www.latimes.com | Sam Darnold’s earliest sports memory was USC’s 2004 game against Notre Dame. He recalled that USC was good — very good, in fact. The game was where he first learned about the Trojans and where he picked up on traditions.
“My dad taught me to hate Notre Dame and all that,” said Darnold. “I thought it was kind of interesting because we sat next to Notre Dame fans, and they were letting us use their binoculars.”
The Trojans cruised to a 41-10 win that day. USC went on to capture the national championship — its most recent title.
Darnold, now a redshirt freshman quarterback, was 7 years old.
College football can sometimes seem to warp time. Most players’ memories can’t extend much beyond a decade. And so at USC, Darnold and some teammates worry that the Trojans’ success in the early 2000s, and the starpower of players like Reggie Bush, may soon be lost on a generation of recruits.
Many current players cite seasons like 2004, or games like the 2005 national championship game against Texas at the Rose Bowl on Jan. 1, 2006, as reasons why they were interested in attending USC. But most seniors in high school were 5 the last time USC won a championship. They were 4 when Bush left. Any memories of those years are fuzzy.
“There’s definitely that sense of, you know, we’ve got to bring us back,” Darnold said.
USC’s game against Alabama on Saturday offers a view of the program that has eclipsed USC’s status as this era’s defining team. USC’s run under Pete Carroll, infused with star players, celebrity fans and a coach who courted the media, attracted outsized attention.
[Recruits] see people like Mark Ingram, talk about them, how they won national championships, so everyone wants to go there. — Adoree' Jackson, USC's star two-way player, regarding Alabama
Coach Nick Saban and Alabama are now synonymous with playing for national championships. Jim Rassol / Sun-Sentinel Coach Nick Saban and Alabama are now synonymous with playing for national championships. Coach Nick Saban and Alabama are now synonymous with playing for national championships. (Jim Rassol / Sun-Sentinel)
But the Crimson Tide’s dominance has lasted for longer. Alabama’s four national championships under Coach Nick Saban, in 2009, 2011, 2012 and 2015, have surpassed USC’s two with Carroll.
Many USC players said, as children, they wanted to be like Bush, so they gravitated to USC.
Players today, said USC cornerback Adoree’ Jackson, “see people like [former Alabama Heisman Trophy winner] Mark Ingram, talk about them, how they won national championships, so everyone wants to go there.”
USC has always been able to recruit, and the Trojans still attract players from across the country. USC players this season, on average, came from 714 miles away from campus, according to data compiled by Rukkus, an online ticket marketplace. That’s a wider radius than even the Crimson Tide, whose players came from an average of 380 miles away.
“Both are kind of the pinnacles of college football,” USC Coach Clay Helton said. “Both teams can recruit nationally.”
But the exposure that comes from multiple championship teams can make a small yet significant difference. During the height of USC’s success, from 2003 to 2006, USC finished either first or second in 247sports.com's composite recruiting ranking, which combines the major recruiting services.
USC hasn't finished ahead of Alabama since 2010 — the Crimson Tide have claimed the top spot each season since.
The effects of such success tend to extend for years. Allegiances often form in early childhood.
“I can remember thinking about colleges and hearing about colleges for the first time growing up because they were in the basketball tournament, or they were playing in the Rose Bowl,” said David Carter, the executive director of the Sports Business Institute at USC's Marshall School of Business. “And these were schools I didn’t know much about.”
For many USC players, their earliest sports memories involved Bush. Most named him explicitly as a reason they were attracted to USC.
Sophomore receiver Deontay Burnett was 8, just old enough to start playing football himself, he said, when his parents rushed him home one January day in 2006. They were late for the Rose Bowl. The memory of that game stuck, despite USC’s loss.
“I always wanted to be like Reggie,” Burnett said.
Sophomore cornerback Iman Marshall said he recalled those seasons as “the glory days.”
“The Reggie Bushes, Lendale Whites, Matt Leinarts, you have Carson Palmer,” he said. “You’ve got to appreciate that.”
A childhood affinity, Carter said, is just one factor in the recruitment process. Most recruits evaluate a school holistically. And, he said, college football fame is less ephemeral than in past eras.
“It’s very different because of the way media is distributed now,” he said.
Kids play with older players in video games or gain exposure to them through schools’ ever-growing marketing budgets, he said.
“We have ‘30 for 30s’ and stuff like that,” said Marshall of ESPN’s documentary series and other round-the-clock sports coverage.
Still, it can be hard to replicate the emotional attachment of star players and championships. A player like Ronald Jones III, USC’s sophomore running back from McKinney, Texas, might not have ended up at USC had he been born a few years later.
“You know, I was a Texas fan,” Jones said.
He cheered for the Longhorns when they beat USC in the national championship game, but that game stuck with him for another reason.
“They had Reggie,” Jones said. “He caught my eye. And that’s why I’m here.”
Jones recalled that the day after that game, he couldn’t make it to school. The game finished late, and Jones, after all, was just 8 years old. He had missed his bedtime.
[email protected]
Twitter: @zhelfand | http://www.latimes.com/sports/usc/la-sp-usc-generation-skip-20160828-snap-story.html | en | 2016-08-28T00:00:00 | www.latimes.com/4c6d3d44cb0b0605beefee49cbfe63e51fd47f4e46b7f14a60cf00255a324a1c.json |
[
"Los Angeles Times"
]
| 2016-08-28T22:49:38 | null | 2016-08-28T00:00:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.latimes.com%2Flocal%2Flanow%2Fla-me-earthquakesa-earthquake-42-quake-strikes-near-hayfork-calif-smcq-story.html.json | http://www.trbimg.com/img-56fd643a/turbine/la-l-a-times-logo-20160331/600 | en | null | Earthquake: 4.2 quake strikes near Hayfork, Calif. | null | null | www.latimes.com | A shallow magnitude 4.2 earthquake was reported Sunday afternoon 14 miles from Hayfork in Northern California, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. The temblor occurred at 2:20 p.m. Pacific time at a depth of 21.7 miles.
According to the USGS, the epicenter was 40 miles from Fortuna, 44 miles from Bayside and 45 miles from Arcata.
In the last 10 days, there has been one earthquake of magnitude 3.0 or greater centered nearby.
This information comes from the USGS Earthquake Notification Service and this post was created by an algorithm written by the author.
Read more about Southern California earthquakes. | http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-earthquakesa-earthquake-42-quake-strikes-near-hayfork-calif-smcq-story.html | en | 2016-08-28T00:00:00 | www.latimes.com/0f4ae2a8db864cfa64818961097427a640c2a4dd24ff57ca406022f111d324d2.json |
[
"Los Angeles Times",
"Associated Press"
]
| 2016-08-26T16:49:35 | null | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.latimes.com%2Fbusiness%2Fla-fi-itt-tech-aid-20160826-snap-story.html.json | http://www.trbimg.com/img-57c05669/turbine/la-fi-itt-tech-aid-20160826-snap | en | null | ITT Tech banned from taking new students with federal aid | null | null | www.latimes.com | The U.S. Department of Education has banned the for-profit college chain ITT Educational Services from enrolling new students who use federal financial aid.
Department officials announced the action on Thursday amid a series of measures that could threaten the survival of the chain, which has been the subject of state and federal investigations focusing on its recruiting and accounting practices. Company officials did not immediately comment.
Among the measures, ITT has been ordered to pay $152 million to the department within 30 days to cover student refunds and other liabilities in case the company closes. The chain, based in Indiana, is still paying an additional $44 million demanded by the department in June for the same reason.
The Education Department also has prohibited ITT from awarding its executives any pay raises or bonuses, and it must develop “teach-out” plans that would help current students finish their programs at other colleges if the chain shuts down.
Under the new measures, current students can continue receiving federal grants and loans.
Education Secretary John King said the government is taking action to protect students and taxpayers following “troubling” findings about the company. This month, a group that accredits ITT found that the chain failed to meet several basic standards and was unlikely to comply in the future.
“It simply would not be responsible or in the best interest of students to allow ITT to continue enrolling new students who rely on federal financial aid,” King said during a telephone conference with reporters.
If it fails to follow the government's demands, ITT could be cut off entirely from federal aid, the top source of revenue for most for-profit colleges.
ITT operates vocational schools at more than 130 campuses in 38 states, often under the ITT Technical Institute name. Last year, it enrolled 45,000 students and reported $850 million in revenue.
One of the biggest for-profit chains in the nation, ITT has been under increasing scrutiny from the Education Department following allegations of misconduct.
The Massachusetts attorney general sued the company in April, alleging that it misled students about the quality of its programs. The federal government had previously sued the chain, saying that it pushed students into high-cost private student loans knowing they would likely end in default.
Department officials have been closely monitoring ITT's operations since 2014, when the chain was late to submit an annual report of its finances to the government.
Under President Obama, the Education Department has led a crackdown on for-profit colleges that have misled students or failed to deliver the results they promised. In 2014, the department cut off federal aid to the Corinthian Colleges chain amid allegations of fraud, leading it to close or sell all of its schools.
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Apple boosts iPhone security after powerful spyware targets an activist | http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-itt-tech-aid-20160826-snap-story.html | en | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | www.latimes.com/19c2211bebf7b799019caecc5c75d6c2407d9ba938608102e3730e7158656e8e.json |
[
"Los Angeles Times",
"Ingrid Schmidt"
]
| 2016-08-29T20:50:02 | null | 2016-08-29T00:00:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.latimes.com%2Ffashion%2Fla-ig-skingraft-turns-10-20160829-snap-story.html.json | http://www.trbimg.com/img-57c4770d/turbine/la-ig-skingraft-turns-10-20160829-snap | en | null | Skingraft marks a decade with a hometown runway show and shift to see-now/buy now format | null | null | www.latimes.com | Commemorating its 10th anniversary this month, L.A.-based leather-centric streetwear brand Skingraft came full circle Friday night, presenting pieces from its Fall/Winter 2016 Primal collection at RVCC (Reserve Vault City Club) in downtown Los Angeles, after showing at New York Fashion Week since 2013. Other marked shifts: The label’s forthcoming expansion into home scents and wares and its movement to a direct-to-consumer-only model. The 13 men’s and women’s looks shown on the runway, for example, were available for purchase the same evening at a pop-up shop within the club, and will be available starting Thursday at Skingraft’s flagship store at 758 South Spring Street downtown and October 1 at skingraftdesigns.com.
“I’m so sick of doing fashion shows with people loving [the styles] but having to wait six months to buy them,” said creative director Jonny Cota, co-founder and co-owner of the company with his brother Christopher Cota, who serves as chief financial officer. (While the Cotas received backing from investment holding company Innov8 in 2015, they bought back the company in full earlier this year.)
“We finally got to invite our top clients to this show,” the 33-year-old designer said. “In New York, we would have a huge 400-person capacity space but were told we could only invite 30 people because of press, celebrities [and] bloggers, and there was lots of pressure to be commercial, which was kind of suffocating. We own our own factory [in Bali] and know every person sewing our garments. We own our own brick-and-mortar, with our offices right behind one wall, so we meet our customers and really curate their experience. You lose that with wholesale.”
Cota said the shift to a see-now/buy-now format wasn’t a one-season experiment; the label is permanently shifting to showing in-season collections, a move that goes hand-in-hand with the move from a wholesale model to a direct-to-consumer one — and the decision to forgo the traditional fashion week calendar on both coasts. (Cota said future collections will likely be presented at events similar to Friday’s — both in L.A. and elsewhere, including New York.)
Friday’s eclectic crowd — bearded hipsters, ladies with pink hair, indie artists, towering drag queens (including Squeaky Blonde, who crooned “Wild Is the Wind” later in the evening), and musician Mayer Hawthorne — looked on as models donning the Fall/Winter 2016 Skingraft designs performed a modern dance routine in ring-shaped formation to tunes by transgender musician Anohni.
In the Primal collection line-up were layered pieces integral to the brand DNA: second-skin leather motocross jackets and leggings, jogging-style trousers, cropped drop-crotch pants, hoodie jackets, and oversize tunics (some crisscrossed with bondage-inspired grosgrain detailing) in a palette of black, white and burgundy, paired with combat boots or high-top sneakers. A knit poncho with banded stripes was the night’s top seller.
Looks from Skingraft's Fall/Winter 2016 Primal collection which will be available in its DTLA flagship store Thursday. Michael Mendoza Looks from Skingraft's Fall/Winter 2016 Primal collection which will be available in its DTLA flagship store Thursday. Looks from Skingraft's Fall/Winter 2016 Primal collection which will be available in its DTLA flagship store Thursday. (Michael Mendoza)
Describing his inspiration as “animal magic,” Cota pointed to “bionic impressions of animal skeletons in the molded leather details” and the nonsynthetic fabrications.
“I’ll admit that we strayed from our [brand] manifesto for the past few seasons, but this collection really circles back to our root inspirations — the energy, the aesthetic, the presentation, the audience,” said Cota, referring to a description of Skingraft as “grounded in performance art-inspired fashion.”
Once a stilt walker in San Francisco vaudeville circus troupe El Circo, Cota initially learned the craft of garment construction from fellow performers as they sewed their costumes on the road. His first designs were made from vintage leather garments, deconstructed into small leather pieces and patched back together into jackets, generating the name Skingraft. Each hand-sewn jacket took over a week to make, according to Cota, and the edgy toppers soon caught the attention of musicians Marilyn Manson and Pink. More recently, Justin Bieber, Adam Lambert, Trent Reznor, Jay-Z and Will.i.Am have worn Skingraft, while Grace Jones and Bjork are Cota’s dream clients.
“I got a pair of fingerless leather gloves last season that I love,” said Mayer Hawthorne. “The craftsmanship and quality are just incredible.”
Overall, Skingraft’s top sellers are leather holster bags and mixed-fabrication apparel pieces that combine leather with wool, silk or linen. A new snap-back cap bearing the phrase “Make America Goth Again” has sold out three times.
Skingraft is owned by creative director Jonny Cota, left, and his brother and chief financial officer Chris Cota. Michael Mendoza Skingraft is owned by creative director Jonny Cota, left, and his brother and chief financial officer Chris Cota. Skingraft is owned by creative director Jonny Cota, left, and his brother and chief financial officer Chris Cota. (Michael Mendoza)
In December, Skingraft will officially debut the Eskaen line, being tested in the store, including incense, volcanic ash soap, soy wax candles and essential oil room sprays in scents like Cedarwood + Sage and Oud + Bergamot developed by Cota, as well as hand-burned aluminum-lined wooden bowls, hand-carved wooden vases, and horn bowls. Mesh bracelets and horn cuffs may eventually be added to the mix as well.
“When I started Skingraft, I had a blue mohawk and a hideous eyebrow ring and now I want scents in my house and ornate bowls for my kitchen,” said Cota.
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L.A. Fashion Week Spring/Summer 2013: Skingraft serves up stage-worth leathers | http://www.latimes.com/fashion/la-ig-skingraft-turns-10-20160829-snap-story.html | en | 2016-08-29T00:00:00 | www.latimes.com/942c575a5eacdfebad925ccc3e4f0e955efec333438236e96cdab12c13d23643.json |
[
"Los Angeles Times"
]
| 2016-08-29T02:49:56 | null | 2016-08-28T00:00:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.latimes.com%2Fentertainment%2Fla-et-ms-mtv-vma-live-updates-fashion-flashback-lone-of-the-vma-s-1472426450-htmlstory.html.json | http://www.trbimg.com/img-57c386b9/turbine/la-et-ms-mtv-vma-live-updates-fashion-flashback-lone-of-the-vma-s-1472426450 | en | null | Fashion Flashback: In 1999 Lil' Kim wears one of the most memorable VMA looks of all time | null | null | www.latimes.com | As the VMA white carpet wraps up, the looks from years past have been all but forgotten. But there are a couple that we will never forget -- no matter how hard we try.
One of the most unforgettable looks of all time has to be Lil' Kim's atrocious lavender car-wreck of an outfit -- essentially a nipple-pasties-as-formal-wear look.
And we weren't the only ones who noticed. During the show, presenter Diana Ross greeted Kim onstage by giving her exposed breast a little jiggle.
One for the ages, indeed. | http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/la-et-ms-mtv-vma-live-updates-fashion-flashback-lone-of-the-vma-s-1472426450-htmlstory.html | en | 2016-08-28T00:00:00 | www.latimes.com/1efa38eb244c7beb02bf2163d87aac4dce18bd07557ad6f8930d4f6e10ac1a6b.json |
[
"Los Angeles Times",
"Dan Weikel"
]
| 2016-08-26T20:48:59 | null | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.latimes.com%2Flocal%2Fcalifornia%2Fla-me-ln-seawall-lawsuit-20160825-snap-story.html.json | http://www.trbimg.com/img-57c08730/turbine/la-me-ln-seawall-lawsuit-20160825-snap | en | null | Orange County judge rules that Coastal Commission cannot prevent repairs to sea wall at mobile home park | null | null | www.latimes.com | An Orange County judge has ruled that the California Coastal Commission cannot prevent the repair and maintenance of a sea wall that protects mobile homes in San Clemente.
If allowed to stand, the decision could affect hundreds of oceanfront property owners and a commission policy that limits the use of sea walls and other shoreline protection that researchers say can increase beach erosion far from where the walls are built, keep people from getting to the ocean and make California’s shoreline uglier.
Superior Court Judge Theodore R. Howard ruled Monday that the Coastal Commission overstepped its authority when it denied the Wills family the right to repair, maintain or replace a sea wall in front of a new mobile home they wanted to install at the Capistrano Shores Mobile Home Park.
The park, with about 90 mobile homes, was built in the early 1960s on a narrow, sandy beach that is under steady assault by waves and tides.
Deputy Atty. Gen. Hayley Peterson, representing the commission, had contended in court that when Wills applied for a permit in 2015, he had assured the commission that he would not need to change the rock revetment to protect his property.
The restrictions the commission imposed with the permit, she argued, held Wills to his assurances.
“The condition is reasonable and necessary to ensure that future shoreline protection applications do not avoid review and will conform to the Coastal Act,” Peterson stated in her court papers.
The judge disagreed.
“It appears to be overreaching to have the property owners give up any rights to possible repair or maintenance” of the rock sea wall that protects their home, Howard wrote in his decision.
Howard also stated that the restrictions “seems unreasonably broad and contrary” to U.S. Supreme Court decisions related to the protection of property rights.
This “is exactly what we wanted,” said Eric Wills, whose family has two mobile homes in the Capistrano Shores park. ‘We felt that the Coastal Commission had definitely overreached its authority.”
Larry Salzman, a Pacific Legal Foundation lawyer and Wills’ attorney, contended that the U.S. Supreme Court and other courts have ruled that government cannot demand that people give up their property rights in exchange for construction permits, except to reduce the public impact of a proposed development.
Salzman said the commission has issued more than 100 development permits in the past four years with restrictive sea wall conditions, including two others in Capistrano Shores.
“The result of this case could protect the rights of coastal property owners,” Salzman said. “We hope this decision will cause the commission to reconsider its policy of imposing these types of conditions” on shoreline protection.
Noaki Schwartz, a commission spokesperson, said agency officials are reviewing the decision and evaluating options.
She added that the lawsuit “illustrates how challenging it can be planning for new development along the coastline in an age of sea-level rise.”
The powerful land-use agency that oversees development, environmental protection, public access and use of marine resources, has established a program to cope with the impacts of sea-level rise along 1,100 miles of California shoreline. A budget increase of $3 million this year will be used primarily for the effort.
Last summer, the commission issued a 300-page document with detailed guidelines for addressing sea-level rise in the issuance of development permits and updating local coastal programs — the planning documents drafted by county and city governments as required by the California Coastal Act.
In his decision, Judge Howard noted that commission officials are concerned that the rock pile protecting the Capistrano Shores park is going to require expansion in the future because of sea-level rise. If the expansion is seaward, he stated, it could reduce the sand available for the public beach.
Anticipating that event, “the commission is essentially trying to have the individual mobile home owners and space lessees give up any rights to shoreline protection when they are updating their mobile homes entirely inside the park,” Howard wrote.
He went on to note, however: “This may be a recurring issue as the mobile homes are replaced.”
UPDATES:
Aug. 26, 1 p.m.: This article was updated with additional details.
This article was originally published at 6:50 p.m. on Aug. 25. | http://www.latimes.com/local/california/la-me-ln-seawall-lawsuit-20160825-snap-story.html | en | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | www.latimes.com/316c5744d65198ddb96e31a9a7738e69708c3f6c640cc5b9c622a08a48f575f1.json |
[
"Los Angeles Times"
]
| 2016-08-29T02:49:53 | null | 2016-08-28T00:00:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.latimes.com%2Fentertainment%2Fla-et-ms-mtv-vma-live-updates-red-carpet-livestream-1472431328-htmlstory.html.json | http://www.trbimg.com/img-57c38f8d/turbine/la-et-ms-mtv-vma-live-updates-red-carpet-livestream-1472431328 | en | null | Watch live: The MTV VMAs are streaming here | null | null | www.latimes.com | MTV's VMAs are here! But we may as well call them the Beyonce awards with how many awards she's nominated for. That would be a whopping 11. Adele comes in next with seven nominations. Drake, Kanye West and Justin Bieber are also vying for the top prize. Rihanna will receive the Vanguard Award, the VMAs' most prestigious award, which has previously been given to Michael Jackson, Madonna, and David Bowie. And while we're talking about flashback artists: Britney Spears is performing! Stay with us as we report all of the play-by-plays. | http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/la-et-ms-mtv-vma-live-updates-red-carpet-livestream-1472431328-htmlstory.html | en | 2016-08-28T00:00:00 | www.latimes.com/a496920b31c2e303891f52bcc8dc51d226b82e0b19feb560b26f2e9d99704153.json |
[
"La Cañada",
"Sara Cardine"
]
| 2016-08-26T13:15:38 | null | 2016-08-10T00:00:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.latimes.com%2Fsocal%2Fla-canada-valley-sun%2Fnews%2Ftn-vsl-me-aware-20160810-story.html.json | http://www.trbimg.com/img-57abaa7b/turbine/tn-vsl-me-aware-20160810 | en | null | Wildlife officials offer tips, try to dispels bear myths | null | null | www.latimes.com | Even as a female bear trekked through a Foothills neighborhood Monday evening, area homeowners convened in La Crescenta to learn more about what state wildlife officials insist is not a bear problem, but a people problem.
"If you live north of the 210 Freeway, you live in bear habitat," said California Department of Fish and Wildlife spokesman Andrew Hughan, who came from Sacramento to talk to homeowners living near the wildland-urban interface.
The key to keeping bears alive and out of the human realm, he said, is educating residents about measures that will make properties less inviting than the wilderness that surrounds them.
Hughan was joined Monday by Department of Fish and Wildlife Patrol Lt. Marty Wall at St. Luke's of the Mountains Episcopal Church on Foothill Boulevard to lead the informal discussion. There, participants learned about the agency's response to bear sightings and tips for preventing potentially dangerous encounters.
"We're here to dispel myths," Wall said, clarifying that his department's chief aim is not to kill animals, but to help them return to the wild.
One common misconception is that Southern California's black bears are looking to harm people.
"They're not predators, they're opportunists just looking for their next meal," Wall said. "They're very attracted to people food and the things that we do."
Untethered trash cans, unpicked fruit trees and swimming pools can look awfully inviting to the ursine sort on a hot summer day, Wall shared. Bears accustomed to dwelling among humans — such as "Red 2," a lone female bear that's been spotted in backyards from Pasadena to Burbank since June — may be emboldened to go a step further.
"Red 2 has just learned a new trick — hummingbird feeders," Wall said. "They knock them to the ground and then eat the dirt that the sugar water went into."
Such antics and videos shot of Red 2 cooling off in a La Cañada Flintridge pool may seem cute to many, but not to Mike and Carolyn Baldwin. Their Whiting Woods home has been a popular hangout for bears, most recently Red 2, who pried open a fence to access a side patio and was last seen Friday.
"We think [she's] getting a little too territorial," Carolyn Baldwin said.
The couple came out Monday to ask why the Department of Fish and Wildlife hasn't done more to prevent such visits.
"What can we do to help you capture the bear and get it out of the area? Because someone's going to get hurt," Mike Baldwin pressed Hughan.
Hughan explained a bear's presence doesn't necessarily warrant a visit, as the agency's first method of response is to wait for the creatures to retreat back to the woods. Tranquilizer guns may not work in time, and relocated bears often make their way back to a favorite trash can or pool, so encouraging them toward non-lethal traps and educating residents are the best bets for preventing future house calls.
Wall said he gets an alert on his phone every time the Glendale Police Department receives a report of a bear sighting, so he can track them. During the meeting, he got notice of a female bear near Glendale's El Lado Drive.
Residents can make their homes unattractive to bears by harvesting fruit from trees, securing trash cans or waiting until morning to bring them out and not leaving out water or food for pets. Repellents, like household ammonia sprinkled on the ground or trash is an immediate turnoff because it signifies decay.
La Crescenta resident Kim Mattersteig has become a bit of an advocate on the matter since her Jack Russell terrier, Bridgette, was killed by a mountain lion in 2013. She said she organized Monday's meeting to help keep neighbors informed so they'll protect their homes and take warnings about wildlife seriously.
"You think it will never happen to you — until it does," Mattersteig said. | http://www.latimes.com/socal/la-canada-valley-sun/news/tn-vsl-me-aware-20160810-story.html | en | 2016-08-10T00:00:00 | www.latimes.com/d52d169161244fdb3d3c3cad5b0d46b4b9f9de3906eec91eb14ae9ee86b95f83.json |
[
"Los Angeles Times",
"Dan Weikel"
]
| 2016-08-30T22:50:06 | null | 2016-08-30T00:00:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.latimes.com%2Flocal%2Flanow%2Fla-me-ln-exparte-measure-20160830-snap-story.html.json | http://www.trbimg.com/img-57c5ff33/turbine/la-me-ln-exparte-measure-20160830-snap | en | null | Bill to ban behind-the-scenes communications by coastal commissioners heads to the full Assembly for a vote | null | null | www.latimes.com | With this year’s legislative session about to end, a bill to ban behind-the-scenes communications by members of the California Coastal Commission has survived opposition from business and labor interests and is headed to the full Assembly on Tuesday for consideration.
The measure by Sen. Hannah-Beth Jackson (D-Santa Barbara) calls for a ban on so-called ex-parte contacts that occur outside official public meetings between coastal commissioners and developers, lobbyists, environmentalists and other parties with a stake in commission business.
These meetings can involve telephone calls, face-to-face meetings, e-mails or other written material. Commissioners must publicly disclose such contacts within a week of their occurrence, either in writing or orally at a public hearing.
Coastal commissioners in recent months have been subjected to scrutiny by courts and the media for failing to report these meetings or reporting them late or with little detail.
Jackson has said the ban is necessary to promote open government, remove the possibility of backroom deal-making and help restore confidence in the commission since Executive Director Charles Lester was fired in February with little public explanation.
Critics of ex-partes say they are predominately used by developers seeking approval for projects along California’s 1,100 miles of coast and can undermine the fairness of the court-like proceedings the commission uses for decision-making.
Public hearings, they say, provide an equitable forum at which all interested parties can openly provide information that might influence commissioners’ decisions.
Jackson’s bill survived in the Appropriations Committee despite opposition from groups often aligned with development interests, including the California Chamber of Commerce, the Western States Petroleum Assn., and the State Building and Construction Trades Council of California.
The California League of United Latin American Citizens also weighed in against the bill.
The bill’s critics argue that ex-parte communications are a good way to inform commissioners about matters coming before them and make the appointed officials accessible to the public.
The bill’s supporters became concerned earlier this month that amendments added by the Appropriations Committee would continue to allow private communications between commissioners and developers at the expense of the other parties. But Jackson and supporters of the bill said that subsequent refinements of the amendments have left the ban basically intact.
The legislation also would prevent commissioners from trying to influence the agency’s staff in the preparation of reports and recommendations related to commission business. This provision is designed to protect the independence of the staff, which is supposed to objectively evaluate projects and proposals free of political influence.
The measure is scheduled for a vote on Wednesday, the last day of the legislative session for the year. If assembly members defeat the bill or take no action, Jackson or another legislator would have to reintroduce a new bill next year.
[email protected]
Twitter: @ladeadline16 | http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-exparte-measure-20160830-snap-story.html | en | 2016-08-30T00:00:00 | www.latimes.com/0bbe227f072607991cf82d6318d1515e2f982ddaf8c8107b18c708409a05ce0a.json |
[
"Los Angeles Times",
"Associated Press"
]
| 2016-08-29T18:49:45 | null | 2016-08-29T00:00:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.latimes.com%2Fbusiness%2Fautos%2Fla-fi-takata-explosion-20160829-snap-story.html.json | http://www.trbimg.com/img-57c468d0/turbine/la-fi-takata-explosion-20160829-snap | en | null | Takata troubles worsen: Truck explodes in Texas, killing 1 and injuring 4 | null | null | www.latimes.com | Air bag maker Takata Corp.’s troubles worsened Monday as the company confirmed that a truck carrying its inflators and a volatile chemical exploded last week in a Texas border town, killing a woman and injuring four others.
The truck, operated by a subcontractor, crashed, caught fire and exploded Aug. 22 in the small town of Quemado, about 140 miles from San Antonio, leveling the woman's house. The company says it sent people to the site and is helping authorities investigate the crash.
Takata has a warehouse in nearby Eagle Pass, Texas, and it has an air bag inflator factory across the border in Monclova, Mexico.
The News Gram of Eagle Pass identified the victim as Lucila Robles.
Takata says it has strict procedures covering transportation of its products that meet all government regulations. The explosion left debris up to two miles from the explosion site, the News Gram reported.
Takata sent employees to the Quemado Public Library last week to advise residents to report any suspicious material on their property so it could be disposed of properly, the newspaper said. Authorities searched the area with metal detectors in an effort to find any inflator canisters.
Maverick County Sheriff Tom Schmerber told the paper that to his knowledge, the county cleanup has been completed.
Robles’ charred vehicle was one of the only items remaining at the scene of her home. It was later taken away.
Takata uses ammonium nitrate to create a small explosion that fills air bags in a crash. But the chemical can deteriorate when exposed to prolonged heat and humidity and burn too fast. That can blow apart a metal canister and hurl shrapnel into drivers and passengers. At least 11 people, and probably 14, have died worldwide due to Takata inflator explosions. The deaths have occurred in the United States and Malaysia, where three remain under investigation.
The Takata factory in Monclova made the faulty inflators that were blamed in several of the deaths.
The deaths and more than 100 injuries sparked a massive global recall of more than 100 million inflators, including 69 million in the U.S. in what has become the largest automotive recall in U.S. history.
Earlier this month, Takata stuck to its forecast of a $129-million profit for the fiscal year through March. It reported a quarterly profit of $19.8 million from April through June. But analysts note that recall costs that are now being shouldered by automakers eventually will be billed to the Tokyo-based Takata, which has had two straight years of losses over the recalls.
Takata also faces multiple class-action lawsuits over its defective air bag inflators.
ALSO
New rules on small drones kick in today: What you need to know
Consumer spending rises for fourth straight month as incomes post strong gains
Energy storage is taking on a greater role in the power grid. But how big can it get? | http://www.latimes.com/business/autos/la-fi-takata-explosion-20160829-snap-story.html | en | 2016-08-29T00:00:00 | www.latimes.com/49823918032915218fa09dad6ea14df56dabf693fcfe8aa4b74b689d584bf1b6.json |
[
"Los Angeles Times"
]
| 2016-08-26T20:49:17 | null | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.latimes.com%2Fnation%2Fpolitics%2Ftrailguide%2Fla-na-trailguide-updates-george-w-bush-s-iraq-war-architect-1472236048-htmlstory.html.json | http://www.trbimg.com/img-57c0a576/turbine/la-na-trailguide-updates-george-w-bush-s-iraq-war-architect-1472236048 | en | null | George W. Bush's Iraq war architect says he will likely vote for Clinton | null | null | www.latimes.com | Paul Wolfowitz, a top official in the George W. Bush administration referred to as the architect of the Iraq war, said he will likely vote for Hillary Clinton in November.
Wolfowitz is part of a growing list of GOP national security and foreign policy officials who have announced their intention to support the Democratic presidential nominee. But though Clinton has proudly announced the backing of other Republicans, it’s less likely she will roll out a news release touting the support from Wolfowitz.
As deputy secretary of Defense under Bush, Wolfowitz was among the earliest and biggest cheerleaders for invading Iraq and deposing Saddam Hussein. Clinton, as a senator representing New York, voted in 2002 to go to war in Iraq.
Clinton’s support of the invasion has dogged her since, creating problems with members of the Democratic base who view her as a hawk. GOP nominee Donald Trump has also criticized her vote to go to war, and Clinton has labeled her vote a “mistake.”
Wolfowitz, who also told The Times in July that he would probably vote for Clinton, made his comments in an interview published Friday in the German magazine Der Spiegel. Though he noted that he had “serious reservations” about Clinton, he said Trump was “unacceptable” because of what Wolfowitz viewed as dangerous positions on Russia and China. | http://www.latimes.com/nation/politics/trailguide/la-na-trailguide-updates-george-w-bush-s-iraq-war-architect-1472236048-htmlstory.html | en | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | www.latimes.com/e258681234bcf1b5ede8a868bdf402d905912728ab6e126a3c11a1605bf72b8e.json |
[
"Los Angeles Times"
]
| 2016-08-26T13:14:44 | null | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.latimes.com%2Fopinion%2Freadersreact%2Fla-ol-le-college-debt-dropouts-20160825-snap-story.html.json | http://www.trbimg.com/img-57bf6815/turbine/la-ol-le-college-debt-dropouts-20160825-snap | en | null | We've saddled college students with debt. Surprise: They're dropping out. | null | null | www.latimes.com | To the editor: Peter McPherson’s article on college student debt was an exercise in blaming the victim. His educational background should have taught him better than to effectively blame students for dropping out with high debt loads. (“How to measure success in higher ed? Not just how many students attend, but how many graduate,” Opinion, Aug. 22)
McPherson received his bachelor’s degree from the college he would eventually lead, Michigan State University. Did McPherson fail to remember that his education at MSU was virtually free? Even if he had failed to graduate, he would not have been saddled with debt.
Land-grant universities began in 1862 as a cooperative venture financed by both the state and federal governments to fund major public universities that would educate qualified students in every new generation for the benefit of all Americans. Over the last few decades, public funding of these schools has dried up. Students now cover this shortfall with crippling tuition and fees.
McPherson seems not to appreciate the financial burdens currently imposed on public college students.
Terrence R. Dunn, Bakersfield
..
To the editor: McPherson claims that college-educated workers are more productive. But there is no evidence that finishing a degree makes one more productive. Employers give the more productive jobs to graduates simply because that is the easiest way of selecting applicants. And smarter people are more likely to finish their degrees.
The education system is thus acting simply as a very expensive filter. And it is a process that is continually escalating, as people seek more and more degrees not to change themselves, but to keep one step ahead of the competition.
The waste of our national resources is staggering.
Rory Johnston, Hollywood
..
To the editor: Most public and nonprofit universities experience fairly high graduation rates because they are selective in whom they admit and offer remedial services to those students who may be deficient in an area or two but otherwise have a reasonably good chance of success.
Because of their different mission, community colleges typically have an open admission policy and unfortunately will experience a higher dropout rate. They also offer associate degree and certificate programs leading to good careers that don’t require a bachelor’s degree. Students who complete a two-year program shouldn’t be considered unsuccessful.
The real problem is with for-profit schools that prey on those who don’t possess the necessary qualifications for admission to a regionally accredited institution or who cannot get into a community college certificate program. These students are set up for failure from Day One. They’ll flounder about until they drop out or graduate with a worthless degree.
They probably make up a significant portion of those who began a course of study but didn’t finish it.
Frank King, Coronado
Follow the Opinion section on Twitter @latimesopinion and Facebook | http://www.latimes.com/opinion/readersreact/la-ol-le-college-debt-dropouts-20160825-snap-story.html | en | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | www.latimes.com/7a575a36f604f515008d12101117417c15db547132fec7174ca41f415b174419.json |
[
"Los Angeles Times"
]
| 2016-08-30T00:50:05 | null | 2016-08-29T00:00:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.latimes.com%2Fnation%2Fpolitics%2Ftrailguide%2Fla-na-trailguide-updates-clinton-overheard-talking-debate-1472510496-htmlstory.html.json | http://www.trbimg.com/img-57c4c84b/turbine/la-na-trailguide-updates-clinton-overheard-talking-debate-1472510496 | en | null | Clinton on debating Trump: 'I'm running against someone who will say or do anything' | null | null | www.latimes.com | As she prepares for the first presidential debate next month, Hillary Clinton told donors on Monday that the face-off will be a crucial moment in the fall campaign and that Donald Trump is an unpredictable adversary.
“I'm running against someone who will say or do anything. And who knows what that might be?" Clinton said. "I do not know which Donald Trump will show up. Maybe he'll try to be presidential.... Or maybe he'll try to come in and try to ... score some points."
Clinton was speaking at a fundraiser in New York state, at the Hamptons home of Charles Phillips, chief executive of the software company Infor, and wife Karen.
Clinton does not allow reporters into her campaign fundraisers, unlike recent presidential nominees in both parties who let the press in for parts of the events. But reporters traveling with Clinton were able to hear her from the basement room they were stationed in for the fundraiser.
Clinton said someone had told her that 100 million people would watch the first debate Sept. 26. Of that figure, more than half will be tuning into the election for the first time, "so don't assume they have followed everything," Clinton said.
She asked the audience for advice on how to debate Trump.
“We have 71 days left in the campaign and I'm not taking anything or anyone any place for granted," Clinton said. "This is the most unpredictable election season that I certainly can remember.” | http://www.latimes.com/nation/politics/trailguide/la-na-trailguide-updates-clinton-overheard-talking-debate-1472510496-htmlstory.html | en | 2016-08-29T00:00:00 | www.latimes.com/0213be79a9bb555781570987c90a2fa4bfd1a0a1000140056817e4180e6777c9.json |
[
"Los Angeles Times"
]
| 2016-08-29T12:49:50 | null | 2016-08-29T00:00:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.latimes.com%2Fnation%2Fpolitics%2Ftrailguide%2Fla-na-trailguide-updates-obama-s-former-campaign-strategist-1472470168-htmlstory.html.json | http://www.trbimg.com/img-56fd643a/turbine/la-l-a-times-logo-20160331/600 | en | null | Obama's former campaign strategist calls Donald Trump a 'psychopath' | null | null | www.latimes.com | Donald Trump tried to again double down on his hard line immigration plan over the weekend, but the details of the deportation plan remain fuzzy.
Donald Trump continues to toggle on immigration positions
continues to toggle on immigration positions Trump draws scorn for tweet about Dwyane Wade's cousin who was killed in Chicago by gun violence | http://www.latimes.com/nation/politics/trailguide/la-na-trailguide-updates-obama-s-former-campaign-strategist-1472470168-htmlstory.html | en | 2016-08-29T00:00:00 | www.latimes.com/c438ce587f851413ebddccbdbd20aae6067f09f1bcf8b1d8710a669d3710043c.json |
[
"Los Angeles Times",
"Chuck Collins"
]
| 2016-08-30T12:49:50 | null | 2016-08-30T00:00:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.latimes.com%2Fopinion%2Fop-ed%2Fla-oe-collins-estate-tax-defense-20160830-snap-story.html.json | http://www.trbimg.com/img-57c4d0f1/turbine/la-oe-collins-estate-tax-defense-20160830-snap | en | null | Maybe Donald Trump wants to repeal the estate tax just because he’s rich | null | null | www.latimes.com | There’s a saying that applies to the most vociferous political opponents of the estate tax: Some people are born on third base and go through life thinking they hit a triple.
Every four years, Republican presidential candidates engage in a symbolic ritual of estate tax batting practice. Like George W. Bush and Mitt Romney of years past, Donald Trump is no different.
“No family will have to pay the death tax,” Trump said in Detroit. “We will repeal it.”
It's telling that the candidates who campaign on a platform of repealing the estate tax grew up in wealthy families.
In fact, we shouldn't repeal a tax that President Theodore Roosevelt advocated as a brake on the dangerous concentration of wealth and power. The estate tax is the only levy that America's richest citizens will pay as they pass on great wealth to their heirs. Over the next decade, it will raise an estimated $270 billion, funds that can be invested in education and infrastructure to expand the wealth-building opportunities for the well-to-do and everyone else.
The tax on inheritances is limited — fewer than 2 in 1,000 estates is large enough to be subject to it. It isn't a death tax: It targets a transfer of wealth, income or property, just as most federal taxes do. Nor is it a double tax: The bulk of the wealth subject to estate taxes is in appreciated capital assets and has never been subject to any tax.
It's telling that the candidates who campaign on a platform of repealing the estate tax grew up in wealthy families where just such appreciated assets have made the tax a personal issue. Yet they cast themselves as examples of individual deservedness and success, everyday people who worked hard, paid their taxes and want to pass their already-taxed wealth on to their children.
In 2000, George W. Bush campaigned for elimination of the estate tax in his first 100 days in office. His family's millions and political networks put him in a position to find investors for forays in the Texas oil fields and major league baseball. Bush credits his family name and connections but mostly ascribes his wealth and success to personal “results and performance.”
In 2012, Mitt Romney, son of George Romney, the former chief executive of American Motors and former governor of Michigan, also pressed for estate tax repeal. On the campaign trail, Mitt Romney told donors in Florida that he had “inherited nothing.” “Everything that Ann and I have we earned the old-fashioned way, and that’s by hard work.”
Yet Ann Romney once inadvertently revealed how important family wealth was to the couple. She described their college years together as financially difficult: “Neither one of us had a job, because Mitt had enough of an investment from stock that we could sell off a little at a time.” She elaborated, “The stock came from Mitt’s father.”
In recent years, Romney has used an elaborate estate tax dodge called an Intentionally Defective Grantor Trust to make gifts of an estimated $100 million to his heirs, tax free.
Trump frequently tells his business success story but omits his gilded path to gold. Thanks to his real estate developer father, Trump not only inherited an empire valued at $40 million to $200 million, he also received valuable business training, connections and a starter loan.
I was also born on third base — I'm the great-grandson of Oscar Mayer. I understand the temptation to emphasize merit over inheritance. No one wants to go through life confessing to getting a free ride or a massive head start.
Neither I nor Bush, nor Romney nor Trump can alter the circumstances of our birth or the families we are born into. And no apologies are required from third basers either. However, it's disingenuous when candidates omit a privileged start from their personal biographies. Growing up in a privileged family is a tremendous advantage, and if we don’t admit it, it leads to a false judgment: “Why can’t you be like me and gain wealth by working hard?”
Voters shouldn't be taken in by these everyman stories anymore than by the fictions that are spun about the estate tax.
No one who depends on a paycheck for survival will pay an estate tax. The average inheritance in the U.S. is $177,000; the estate tax kicks in for a couple at $10.9 million. And the estate tax captures a portion of the appreciated value of investments, businesses, land and housing as they pass to heirs. These increased capital gains have never been taxed, like a $1,000 share of Berkshire Hathaway stock purchased in 1983 that is now worth millions.
Of course, individual effort contributed to the wealth of Trump, Romney and Bush, which is what allows them to put a self-made spin on their personal narratives. But as Seagrams heir Edgar Bronfman has humbly admitted, “To turn $100 into $110 is work. To turn $100 million into $110 million is inevitable.”
Bronfman may have influenced Libertarian Party vice presidential candidate William Weld. When asked about his inherited advantages, Weld puckishly responded, “The Welds don’t make money; they have money.” One has to admire honesty like that.
Chuck Collins is a senior scholar at the Institute for Policy Studies, where he co-edits the website Inequality.org. He is author of the forthcoming book “Born on Third Base: A One Percenter Makes the Case for Tackling Inequality, Bringing Wealth Home, and Committing to the Common Good.”
Follow the Opinion section on Twitter @latimesopinion and Facebook | http://www.latimes.com/opinion/op-ed/la-oe-collins-estate-tax-defense-20160830-snap-story.html | en | 2016-08-30T00:00:00 | www.latimes.com/fc0a8a859a0305e0194fe7b5d445b7e304575aa337b1d14c510b4445c9b48150.json |
[
"Daily Pilot",
"Luke Money"
]
| 2016-08-27T00:51:22 | null | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.latimes.com%2Fsocal%2Fdaily-pilot%2Fnews%2Ftn-dpt-me-talbert-pipeline-canceled-20160826-story.html.json | http://www.trbimg.com/img-57c0df70/turbine/tn-dpt-me-talbert-pipeline-canceled-20160826 | en | null | County scraps pipeline project at Talbert Regional Park | null | null | www.latimes.com | The Orange County Sanitation District has officially scrapped a proposal to install a large sewage pipeline through Talbert Regional Park in Costa Mesa, deciding the project is no longer in the best interest of the district or ratepayers.
District board members voted Wednesday to nix the project, which had been effectively tabled since May because of escalating costs and uncertainties about boring under the Santa Ana River.
The latest estimate pegged the cost of the project at $30 million, up from $15 million, district spokeswoman Jennifer Cabral said Friday.
The Sanitation District also determined that the pipeline, called the Southwest Costa Mesa Trunk, is no longer needed because the district's current system has enough sewer capacity.
Additionally, Cabral said, the pipeline would have been problematic because it was expected to divert about 2 million gallons of wastewater per day, which would have reduced the amount of recycled water produced through the county's groundwater replenishment system.
"With these new factors, this project is no longer necessary," Cabral said.
County and local officials previously said the pipeline — a joint effort of the Orange County Sanitation District, the Costa Mesa Sanitary District and the city of Newport Beach — would ensure a more reliable system by moving untreated sewage using gravity, as opposed to pressure applied from pump stations.
"We still believe it's a good project, but if they're not going to support it, there's really no reason for us to push ahead," said Costa Mesa Sanitary District General Manager Scott Carroll. "We need their cooperation to bring that project to fruition."
As proposed, the 4,800-foot-long pipeline would have started near the west end of West 19th Street and traveled through the southern portion of Talbert Regional Park — about 180 acres of largely open space owned by the county and located inside Costa Mesa city limits.
The pipeline then would have gone under the Santa Ana River before ending at a county wastewater treatment facility near the riverbed in Huntington Beach.
Kevin Nelson, a longtime project opponent who heads an advocacy group called the Nature Commission, applauded the county district's decision.
"I commend the agency for doing the responsible thing — and it is responsible because Talbert is so very important as a piece of relatively untouched wildland," Nelson said Friday. "That is the kind of place that we, as a society, need to leave exactly as it is."
Local residents and environmentalists who protested the pipeline said it would be disruptive to local wildlife and require construction that would effectively close half the park for years.
Nelson, who grew up in Costa Mesa but now lives in San Clemente, said he'd like to see Talbert Park eventually combined with land eyed for the Banning Ranch project in Newport Beach to create a larger nature preserve or state park.
Perhaps the biggest benefit of canceling the pipeline project, he said, "is that Talbert has a little bit more chance to be left alone."
County Sanitation District board members also voted Wednesday to pay the Costa Mesa Sanitary District $192,000 "to offset their costs to support the alignment and the environmental studies associated with this project," Cabral said.
Board members in the Costa Mesa district directed Carroll earlier this year to seek some kind of reimbursement from the county, given how much money had already been spent in anticipation of the project.
That included 3,252 feet of 12-inch pipe and 116 feet of 15-inch pipe installed in 1991.
The cost of the project back then was $250,000. Adjusted for inflation, it would be about $666,000 today, according to Carroll.
"We just wanted to get some reimbursement to help make us whole," Carroll said. "We are greatly appreciative that they approved the $192,000."
Originally, the Costa Mesa district had planned to decommission five of its pump stations on the Westside that would no longer be needed if the Southwest Costa Mesa Trunk were built.
With that option now off the table, the agency will focus instead on refurbishing those stations. The $192,000 from the county district, Carroll said, will go toward covering some of the costs associated with that.
[email protected]
Twitter: @LukeMMoney | http://www.latimes.com/socal/daily-pilot/news/tn-dpt-me-talbert-pipeline-canceled-20160826-story.html | en | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | www.latimes.com/ea190b90c23b25205d9868c4328a231d273fbf8964be7cacd3682fbf3fe2fb67.json |
[
"Los Angeles Times",
"Tim Greiving"
]
| 2016-08-29T16:49:54 | null | 2016-08-29T00:00:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.latimes.com%2Fentertainment%2Farts%2Fla-et-cm-echo-society-20160821-snap-story.html.json | http://www.trbimg.com/img-57c455cc/turbine/la-et-cm-echo-society-20160821-snap | en | null | Behind the scenes on 'Compton' and 'Foxcatcher,' now these composers step into the spotlight | null | null | www.latimes.com | A cadre of young and rising Hollywood talent responsible for scoring such films and TV series as “Foxcatcher,” “Straight Outta Compton,” “Looper” and “Billions” has had its work heard by millions around the globe. Yet, here at home, these composers felt like they weren’t being heard.
“We had gone to some shows — one was an L.A. Phil show celebrating Brooklyn, and previously they had done all these Nordic concerts,” said “Straight Outta Compton” composer Joseph Trapanese. “We just got frustrated with how there aren’t many concerts in L.A. celebrating local music by local composers.”
So, these seven L.A. composers, all in their 30s and 40s, teamed up to create the Echo Society — the name inspired by the way sound bounces off structures and restrictions. Their first show in 2013 at Mack Sennett Studios set the template: a one-night program of new pieces by each member (and sometimes guest artists), each five to 10 minutes in length, blending orchestra and electronics and synched to a visual display.
Their fifth show, simply titled “V,” will take place Wednesday at the 1,600-seat Theatre at Ace Hotel, the group’s largest venue yet.
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Caption The Comedy Comedy Festival in Little Tokyo The comedy festival running Thursday through Sunday in Los Angeles' Little Tokyo neighborhood is an Asian American comedy fest with a bill of more than 100 comics of Asian descent. You probably wouldn't know that from the name of the event: the Comedy Comedy Festival. The comedy festival running Thursday through Sunday in Los Angeles' Little Tokyo neighborhood is an Asian American comedy fest with a bill of more than 100 comics of Asian descent. You probably wouldn't know that from the name of the event: the Comedy Comedy Festival. Caption Best Kanye West moments at the 2016 MTV Video Music Awards Kanye West did not dissapoint at this years Video Music Awards! From giving Amber Rose a shout-out in the audience to a rambling speech about his own greatness, here are some of his finest moments from the 2016 MTV VMAs. Kanye West did not dissapoint at this years Video Music Awards! From giving Amber Rose a shout-out in the audience to a rambling speech about his own greatness, here are some of his finest moments from the 2016 MTV VMAs.
“We thought there was this niche we could fill,” member Benjamin Wynn said, “somewhere in between pure concert music and electronic music, and we could present it in such a way that it was a bit more casual than going to a symphony hall, and it could be a fun hang.”
Wynn is an Emmy-winning sound editor and recording artist (working under the name Deru) , and Trapanese is a busy film composer (“Allegiant”) and orchestrator (“Tron: Legacy”). The group also includes: Nathan Johnson (composer of “Looper”), Rob Simonsen (composer on “Foxcatcher”), arranger and musician Judson Crane, Jeremy Zuckerman (“Avatar: The Last Airbender”), and Brendan Angelides (“Billions” composer and recording artist under the name Eskmo).
For the Echo Society’s inaugural concert, the instrumental palette was a 10-piece chamber ensemble; for the ambitious “V,” it will be an orchestra of 40. This year the group abandoned the quest to have a theme in hopes of spawning more diversity among works, yet a theme emerged anyway: “the idea of spirit into matter,” Wynn said.
Echo Society concerts are, by design, an ephemeral experience: one-night only, no recordings.
“If you could be there, great. If you can’t, then you weren’t there,” Trapanese said. “After our show, the music just doesn’t exist. It only exists as a memory.”
The visual element, which has included light shows and projection mapping (projecting images onto 3-D surfaces for dimension or illusion), emerged organically.
“I would die if that ever felt gimmicky,” Simonsen said. “A lot of us are film composers, so I think there’s an inherent connection between visuals and music. I’ve experienced arguably stronger reactions to something when those two things are together and synchronized. You’re just incorporating more senses.”
Added Trapanese: “There’s a big difference between seeing a concert that has something visually arresting, versus spending 30 bucks and sitting up in the nosebleeds and looking at people in tuxes in a bright room.”
The collective has become as much about bringing hybrid, experimental new music to L.A. as it is offering a playground and support group for its members. In previous years, Echo Society members wouldn’t hear one another’s pieces until rehearsal, but this year they’ve been holding salons for critiquing works in progress and offering encouragement.
“In many ways, we’re peers and a lot of us are scoring movies, so we might be up for the same project,” Simonsen said. “Something [Wynn] has said a lot is how much more powerful it is to build something together instead of being in competition.”
Although they are guns-for-hire going after some of the same jobs, members of the Echo Society recall an earlier generation, when the likes of young John Williams and Jerry Goldsmith were on staff in studio music departments.
“They were these little communities,” Simonsen said, “the equivalent of us, but we’d all be employed, and we’d all go have lunch in the commissary. ... We’d go to the SmokeHouse [in Burbank] and have drinks after work and talk.”
The collective serves as an escape and an incubator.
“It’s very easy for us to get frustrated with the life of a film composer, how difficult it is to get work, and how bands are scoring movies,” said Trapanese, who himself has orchestrated the scores for the bands Daft Punk and M83.
“People go, ‘Why are they getting artists to score movies?’ I’ll respond and say, ‘Why aren’t you an artist?’ When I get hired to do a film, I want to be hired for my artistic value. The Echo Society provides a safe venue for me to develop my voice as an artist that then I can take back to a project and be a better artist.”
------------
The Echo Society
Where: The Theatre at Ace Hotel, 929 S. Broadway, Los Angeles
When: 8 p.m. Wednesday
Tickets: $35-$150
Info: (213) 623-3233 or www.theechosociety.com
Follow The Times’ arts team @culturemonster. | http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/arts/la-et-cm-echo-society-20160821-snap-story.html | en | 2016-08-29T00:00:00 | www.latimes.com/b257406d0d1d9b864a61bd66ff47a1d944813385dd14810b3c0d4e7c8fa83f20.json |
[
"Los Angeles Times"
]
| 2016-08-28T04:49:25 | null | 2016-08-27T00:00:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.latimes.com%2Fsports%2Fla-sp-live-updates-rams-broncos-sean-mannion-fumbles-the-rams-chances-1472357223-htmlstory.html.json | http://www.trbimg.com/img-56fd643a/turbine/la-l-a-times-logo-20160331/600 | en | null | Sean Mannion fumbles the Rams' chances late in the fourth quarter | null | null | www.latimes.com | Sean Mannion completed a three-yard pass to tight end Temarrick Hemingway to open the drive, but held on to the ball too long on the next play.
But Mannion managed get to the outside for an eight-yard gain and to stop the clock only to see his next pass batted down before getting sacked and fumbling the ball away with 1 minute and 40 seconds left on the clock.
Just enough time for Paxton Lynch to take a few knees and end the game. | http://www.latimes.com/sports/la-sp-live-updates-rams-broncos-sean-mannion-fumbles-the-rams-chances-1472357223-htmlstory.html | en | 2016-08-27T00:00:00 | www.latimes.com/5441158d258b1f992b45a875f5b3fc9ecbbf38fabc7d1e29508489cf7738a159.json |
[
"Los Angeles Times",
"Kate Linthicum"
]
| 2016-08-30T02:50:02 | null | 2016-08-29T00:00:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.latimes.com%2Fworld%2Fmexico-americas%2Fla-fg-mexico-juan-gabriel-gay-icon-20160829-snap-story.html.json | http://www.trbimg.com/img-57c4de52/turbine/la-fg-mexico-juan-gabriel-gay-icon-20160829-snap | en | null | Juan Gabriel was Mexico's gay icon - but he never spoke of his sexuality | null | null | www.latimes.com | With his glittery capes, slinky dance moves and ultra-romantic lyrics, Mexican superstar Juan Gabriel was an unlikely king in a country known for its machismo. He never spoke about his sexuality, yet was widely assumed to be gay.
It’s no surprise that the singer was an icon in Mexico’s gay subculture. But how was it that he came to be celebrated by the country’s Catholic, conservative and often homophobic mainstream?
Juan Gabriel, whose sudden death Sunday at age 66 cast Mexico into a state of mourning, navigated both worlds by saying nothing at all.
“It’s his life,” said Ricardo Monroy Martinez, who came to pay his respects Monday at a statue of the performer in Mexico City's Plaza Garibaldi, where fans were gathered, singing.
Juan Gabriel’s sexuality wasn’t important, Monroy said, and he never felt the singer needed to articulate it. What mattered were the songs. “They reached my heart,” said the 63-year-old.
Juan Gabriel, the stage name he preferred to his given name, Alberto Aguilera Valdez, remained coy about his private life from the 1960s, when he started his career singing on the streets of Juarez. He maintained that posture into his later years despite a shift in public opinion on gay and transgender rights.
He never married, conceived four children via artificial insemination with a female friend and repeatedly refused to answer questions about his sexuality, even after a male former personal secretary wrote a book alleging they had a romantic relationship.
In 2002, a few years years before Mexico City legalized gay marriage, the famously effeminate singer shut down a journalist who asked if he was gay.
“You don’t ask about what can be seen,” he said.
Like the flamboyant singer Liberace, who some say maintained that he was straight out of fear that the truth would hurt his appeal to mainstream America, Juan Gabriel’s stance could in part be viewed as a business decision.
“It would have been a career killer to come out,” said Hector Carillo, who grew up in Mexico and is now a professor of sociology at Northwestern University. “That was part of the calculation for people who had a very public persona.... They would never name it. They would never say it. It was a strategy of silence.”
“Don't ask, don't tell” had long been the policy in Mexico when it came to the sexuality of those in the limelight. Famed Mexican singer Chavela Vargas waited until 2002, when she was 81, to publicly come out as a lesbian.
Although Gabriel never publicly claimed the gay community, that community certainly claimed him, with his romantic Spanish-language ballads belted late into the night in drag bars on both sides of the border. Many gay fans saw coded messages in the lyrics of Juan Gabriel’s songs, such as “Es Mi Vida” (“It’s My Life.”)
It’s my life, very much my life, and I don’t have to give any explanations.
I have my reasons, which no one will care to know.
Many have credited Juan Gabriel with opening the door to greater expression of gender and sexuality, even if he never explicitly called for it. Like Prince, or David Bowie, Juan Gabriel was known for his gender-bending clothing and occasional touch of eye makeup.
“I think he made a deep cultural change not by talking about his sexuality but by living it out on stage,” said Alejandro Madrazo, a law professor in Mexico who is an expert on the legal battle for same-sex marriage in the country. “Juan Gabriel taught us how to be feminine.”
Madrazo recalled seeing Juan Gabriel perform before a large crowd at at cockfight, a sport that exemplifies Mexico’s machismo culture.
“He would dance in a way that was sexy and provocative in front of all these stereotypes of a Mexican man,” Madrazo said. “He would literally shake ... in their faces, and they would go crazy.”
Madrazo said he thinks Juan Gabriel never opened up about his sexuality because there may have not been just one label that fit him. “I think his sexuality was probably far more complex,” he said.
In an homage to Juan Gabriel published on the website of Mexico’s Millenio newspaper Monday, journalist Alvaro Cueva recalled friends making fun of Juan Gabriel for his effeminate stage presence. At some schools, his name was used as an anti-gay slur.
Cueva called Juan Gabriel subversive. “You ... became an idol in a country of macho men,” he wrote. “You made homophobic people sing and dance.”
Mexico has changed considerably from the days Juan Gabriel was beginning his career.
In 2005, the federal government instituted an anti-homophobia campaign. Gay and lesbian characters now appear on Mexican sitcoms and soap operas. And public opinion polls show Mexican people are warming toward gay marriage, which is legal in several states and Mexico City.
“Mexico got ahead of him,” said Carillo. “Homosexuality kind of came out of the closet, but Juan Gabriel never did.”
While Juan Gabriel himself shied away from political causes, some in Mexico are using his death as an opportunity to push for the legalization of same-sex marriage nationwide.
Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto has championed that cause and is seeking congressional approval to amend the country’s constitution. But his plan has been met with fierce resistance from church leaders and even officials in his own party.
“Mexicans are crying for Juan Gabriel,” newspaper columnist Yuriria Sierra wrote on Twitter. “But they would continue to deny the legal right to love.”
Cecilia Sanchez in The Times’ Mexico City bureau contributed to this report.
ALSO
'No, that can't be true': Angelenos react to the death of Mexican crooner Juan Gabriel
From the archives: The ballad of Juan Gabriel
Mexico mourns Juan Gabriel, the singer known as 'El Divo de Juarez' | http://www.latimes.com/world/mexico-americas/la-fg-mexico-juan-gabriel-gay-icon-20160829-snap-story.html | en | 2016-08-29T00:00:00 | www.latimes.com/4892c2c604d9d539c290253be88fd08aec470634390e7e743eaab160ad229f7c.json |
[
"Los Angeles Times",
"Hailey Branson-Potts"
]
| 2016-08-26T16:49:27 | null | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.latimes.com%2Flocal%2Flanow%2Fla-me-ln-huntington-beach-cajon-pass-crash-20160826-snap-story.html.json | http://www.trbimg.com/img-57c06df5/turbine/la-me-ln-huntington-beach-cajon-pass-crash-20160826-snap | en | null | Police badge deflects bullet in shootout, gunman dies in fiery crash | null | null | www.latimes.com | A man who shot at Huntington Beach police officers, hitting one officer in the badge, led police on a high-speed chase through three counties before dying in a fiery crash in the Cajon Pass, authorities said.
Just after midnight Friday, Huntington Beach police responded to a domestic violence call at a home near Bushard Street and Yorktown Avenue. As two officers in two separate cars were pulling up, a man was getting into his vehicle to leave the residence, said Officer Jennifer Marlatt, a spokeswoman for the Huntington Beach Police Department.
The officers followed the man, who made a U-turn, drove toward the officers and started firing at them from his vehicle, Marlatt said.
A bullet ricocheted off the police badge worn by one of the officers, who was treated at a hospital and released Friday morning. He was in good condition, Marlatt said.
The other officer returned fire, and the man, whose name has not been released, kept driving, initiating the pursuit.
He drove through Costa Mesa and Santa Ana, then got onto the freeways, leading California Highway Patrol officers through Orange, Riverside and San Bernardino counties.
For “reasons that are still under investigation,” the man drove off the Cleghorn Road offramp on the northbound 15 Freeway, said CHP Officer Steve Carapia.
The driver veered to the right and went down into an embankment, where his white Nissan Altima burst into flames, Carapia said. The car was consumed by the fire, and the man died. He was the car’s only occupant, authorities said.
The crash happened in an area affected by the Blue Cut wildfire, and there were burned spots all around, Carapia said. Firefighters responded quickly to keep the fire from spreading and extinguished the fire.
The Cleghorn offramp on the northbound 15 Freeway was closed Friday morning, as was one lane of the freeway, Carapia said. The offramp would likely be closed for several hours, he said.
“This investigation is complex,” he said. “There are many agencies involved, so it’s going to be a while. It’s going to last through the afternoon.”
The Huntington Beach Police Department declined to release details about the gunman or the domestic violence call.
The investigation into the officer-involved shooting, as well as the pursuit and the domestic violence incident, would be handled by the Orange County Sheriff’s Department, Marlatt said.
[email protected]
Twitter: @haileybranson
ALSO
Man fatally shot by L.A. County sheriff's deputies in Compton
Judge in Stanford rape case asks for move to civil cases
'The cheapest buzz you can get on skid row': Officials try to stop homeless from smoking spice after dozens sickened | http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-huntington-beach-cajon-pass-crash-20160826-snap-story.html | en | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | www.latimes.com/160a35acb19bbe24795a30c6c005a76e2be84e27f692bdfa50810f2c800157b8.json |
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