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A wildfire known as the Summit Fire is raging near Llano in Los Angeles County, forcing evacuations and prompting officials to open the Antelope Valley Family YMCA as a safe haven — even allowing small pets. Separate shelter for small animals is available at the Los Angeles County Animal Care Center in Palmdale. The blaze is spreading north of Wrightwood into the Angeles National Forest, with Cal...

The Summit Fire erupted near the San Bernardino border on July 10, exploding into a fast-moving blaze that scorched 1,300 acres within hours. Flames raced south-southeast, threatening neighborhoods near East Avenue Z and Fort Tejon Road, prompting evacuations and warnings. With ten air tankers deployed and homes at risk, crews battled the fire as it crept into the Angeles National Forest. No injur...

Long Beach is launching a major $25M upgrade for Pacific Avenue North to slash crashes and boost safety for walkers, bikers, and drivers—after years of community input and deadly accidents. With federal and local funding, the city’s redesigning intersections, adding bike lanes, and tackling speeding to create a safer, more connected street for all ages. The southern stretch is also in the works, p...

Two convicted sex offenders, Cody Klemp and Charles Mix, both died within weeks of each other while incarcerated in California, reigniting national debate over whether violent sex offenders should be eligible for early parole. Klemp, 70, was serving over 32 years for raping his niece in 1990; his parole hearing sparked outrage, even after his release was revoked. Mix, 71, convicted in 2004 for kid...

Drug kingpin Guramrit Sidhu, known as “King,” just got a 20-year sentence for orchestrating a massive cross-border drug operation that moved nearly 2,000 pounds of meth and cocaine worth $15–$17 million. The 63-year-old Brampton native admitted to running a continuing criminal enterprise, buying drugs in bulk in the U.S. and shipping them via long-haul trucks into Canada using a coded driver ident...

A new game-changer just launched: Gateway Cities Hub, a unified platform connecting residents across 27 cities to over 30 free or low-cost job training programs. Designed to cut through the noise, it offers clear pathways to in-demand careers in green jobs, healthcare, logistics, and tech — plus GED prep, career coaching, and job placement support. Funded by California’s Jobs First Initiative, thi...

Two Long Beach street vendors suffered brutal attacks on July Fourth—one punched, leaving him with a fractured nose and too scared to return, the other’s ice cream tricycle crushed by a fleeing car. Both are deaf or non-verbal, making it harder to seek justice. But the community rose up: over $50,000 raised in just days to help them heal and rebuild. This is a story of resilience, injustice, and t...

A dog trainer in Irvine sentenced to over eleven years for the horrific deaths of eleven dogs in his care, with crematorium staff’s suspicions sparking the investigation. The dogs were allegedly kept in cramped, stacked cages without basic necessities, leading to agonizing deaths—while Sit claimed a power outage was to blame. Families described unbearable grief and called it an atrocity, and a for...

A deadly pile-up on Ontario’s 10 Freeway left three dead and several injured after a 21-year-old semi-truck driver, Jashanpreet Singh, failed to stop for slowing traffic. Singh, who entered the U.S. illegally in 2022, pleaded guilty to three counts of vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence — no alcohol or drugs were found. Victims included Clarence and Lisa Nelson, a retired basketball coach...

Back at Alamitos Beach for the AVP League, top beach volleyball stars are training on the same sand that’ll host the 2028 LA Olympics. Megan Kraft and Kelly Cheng—USC grads and new teammates since January—are smashing it together, with Kraft’s world title experience complementing Cheng’s fresh college energy. Meanwhile, local UCLA alum Miles Partain, recovering from a tough overseas stint, is reim...

Fifth graders get a creative crash course at the Port of Long Beach this summer — through art! The Port Art Program, a free, week-long initiative teaming up with the Arts Council, invites local students to explore the nation’s busiest port through an artist’s lens. Sessions run weekdays from 2–4 p.m. at Silverado Park (July 13–17) and Michelle Obama Neighborhood Library (July 27–31). Kids create o...

A new housing bill just passed — quiet on the surface, but packed with big moves. It’s not one sweeping reform, but a collection of smart, targeted tweaks designed to tackle affordability head-on. Think regulatory shifts, new loan programs, and incentives for cities that actually build. It’s rare bipartisan agreement these days — and that’s the real headline. Cities failing to keep up with housing...

Cienna Rydman, 18, just won the YMCA’s top gymnastics award—after 10 years with the Lakewood team—and is headed to Manhattan University to compete in Division 1 acrobatics and tumbling, earning a $2K scholarship. She’s balancing elite training with a political science major, all while honoring the YMCA’s values of community and health. With her mom as coach and sister on the team, Cienna’s journey...

Long Beach’s beloved after-school program WRAP is in limbo as the city pulls out—ending decades of city-run support and leaving 80+ staff blindsided. With state funding now requiring competitive bids, the school district is rushing to find a new operator, while city workers, many with 20+ years of service, face uncertain futures. Families are assured services won’t stop, but staff are still scramb...

Got your ride registration price skyrocketing? One cat paid $254 last year, then $317 this year—thanks to a sneaky third-party site charging $50 processing and $7.99 postage. Always verify the URL ends in “gov” to dodge those fees. Meanwhile, Grapevine rest stops on the 5 Freeway are closed since May 13 for major water/wastewater upgrades—Caltrans says aging infrastructure and tight budgets are fo...

FBI and hazmat teams return to an Irvine teen’s home for a second investigation this year after neighbors spotted suspicious drums—this time, materials allegedly left behind by the FBI last year. The 18-year-old, a UC Irvine grad with a biology degree and a focus on cancer treatments, insists his research is legitimate. No public danger is reported, and no charges were filed during the first probe...

A woman from Walnut, Lijuan Chen, just received a two-and-a-half-year prison sentence for orchestrating a massive fraud that cost the U.S. Postal Service over $150 million. Over nearly three years, she ran a scheme where she acted as a middleman for Chinese e-commerce sellers, slapping fake postage labels on millions of packages—nearly nine million—to make them appear legitimate. She admitted to c...

Huntington Beach is sounding the alarm over a planned “Beach Bash” event, warning that organizers and participants could face arrest for any criminal activity — echoing the chaos of last year’s “Adrian’s Kickback” and the Fourth of July riots in Newport Beach. Police have identified suspects behind the event’s promotion and are preparing for swift legal action, with charges ranging from inciting r...

In Long Beach, California, a bold movement is reshaping education by empowering Black educators. With only 7% of teachers Black in a district where 14% of students are, Professor Jolan Smith at Cal State Long Beach has launched the Future Black Educators network to close that gap. Since 2019, she’s helped over 30 aspiring Black teachers earn credentials through scholarships, tackling a national sh...

A 29-year-old Long Beach man is facing 26.5 years in prison for a violent crime spree that ended in tragedy: he robbed multiple stores with a rifle, stole a Range Rover, and led a deadly chase that killed a 34-year-old father and left others injured. His guilty plea and prior record seal his fate, while accomplices face sentences from 4 to 10 years — a chilling reminder of the human cost behind th...

Long Beach is turning July into “Parks Make Life Better” month, spotlighting how its sprawling network of 166 parks, 81 playgrounds, 9 skate parks, 5 golf courses, 3 pools, 70 tennis courts, 24 pickleball courts, and 300 acres of nature preserves fuels community health and connection. With seven beaches, 6+ miles of shoreline, and the nation’s largest municipal marina system (3,350+ boat slips), t...

California’s disability access debate heats up as Senator Roger Niello’s “Right to Cure” bill—designed to give small businesses a chance to fix ADA violations before lawsuits—passes the Senate but stalls in the Assembly after its Judiciary Chair refuses to hold hearings, citing unyielding amendments and concerns it weakens disability rights. While business groups cheer the bill as a lifeline, disa...

Long Beach’s tap water is top-notch—every one of 60,000 tested samples met or exceeded state and federal standards. The city’s shifting to 71% groundwater, cutting imports and paving the way for recycled water use, all while keeping costs down and boosting local resilience. While water quality is solid, officials remain vigilant against potential threats like nearby gas stations and dry cleaners,...

When a health crisis sidelined her from high school and seemed to crush her dream of studying science at a top university, Elise Hastie didn’t quit. Instead, she enrolled at community college, where chemistry sparked her passion—and her professor became her champion. Now a Barry Goldwater Scholar at Cal State LA, she’s pioneering nanosponge research with big implications for medicine and the envir...

Shark Lab at Cal State Long Beach is on the brink—its 60-year legacy of tracking great whites and saving lives could vanish without urgent funding. With a key grant gone and a private donation expiring in September, the lab risks shutting down, jeopardizing public safety, lifeguard training, and vital education programs. Their real-time shark data powers beach closures and keeps coastal communitie...