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A newlywed couple in Southern California is devastated after losing everything they had to the Franklin wildfire in Malibu. Blake and Michelle Geffen were married in August and had moved into a rental home on Serra Road in Malibu a month ago. Affectionately known by the couple as the “Pink House” due to its unique color, the Geffens were excited to start married life in a new place. Both avid surfers, they loved their home’s proximity to the beach as well. When the Franklin Fire ignited on Dec. 9, the couple’s lives changed forever. They were awoken that night and forced to evacuate immediately, without much time to prepare as the growing wildfire loomed dangerously close. “I started hearing helicopters rumbling above us,” Michelle told KTLA’s Sandra Mitchell. “I heard screams, cars honking. Our neighbor called us and told us that there was a fire and we immediately looked at each other and grabbed our cat and very few belongings. We only have the clothes on our backs and we just left.” They sought shelter with loved ones in a safe location away from the

UCLA Police Chief John Thomas, who was blasted for serious security lapses and failing to protect students during a melee at a pro-Palestinian encampment last spring, has left his job at the university, the campus police department said Wednesday night. In a post on the social media platform X, the UCLA Police Department said that Thomas’ last day with UCLA was Tuesday. UCLA Police Capt. Scott Scheffler will serve as interim police chief until a permanent chief is selected, the post said. The post did not elaborate on whether Thomas voluntarily resigned or was fired. Rick Braziel, associate vice chancellor who heads the newly created Office of Campus Safety, informed Thomas after the melee that he would be reassigned while internal and external investigations examined campus security shortfalls. During the violence in early May, UCLA students and others involved in the protest encampment had to fend for themselves against attackers for three hours before law enforcement moved in to quell the disturbance. Braziel declined to respond to a question Wednesday about whether Thomas was terminated and said he had no statement. Thomas could not be

Trump’s Cabinet picks court Senate votes President-elect Trump’s Cabinet selections court Senate votes 02:26 Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, has donated $1 million to President-elect Donald Trump’s inaugural fund, a spokesperson for the social media giant confirmed to CBS News Wednesday night. The news was first reported by the Wall Street Journal. The move comes two weeks after Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg traveled to Florida and dined with Trump at his Mar-a-Lago estate. At the time, Trump adviser Stephen Miller told Fox News that Zuckerberg had “made clear that he wants to support the national renewal of America under Trump’s leadership.” Trump was  removed from Facebook  following the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol when it determined that his posts had potentially encouraged the violence that occurred that day. The company  restored his account  in early 2023, but with certain “guardrails.” In July,  those restrictions  were lifted by Meta.  Trump has a combined 65 million followers on Facebook and Instagram. In August, Zuckerberg submitted a letter to Congress claiming that the Biden administration in 2021 “repeatedly pressured our teams for

The husband of the woman killed in a robbery at Fashion Island told police he tried to warn the suspects they might run over his wife before they did just that as they fled, a police officer testified Wednesday in the preliminary hearing of the three defendants. Rookie Officer Daniel Soliz, who was just on the job for about a couple of months, was dispatched to the raucous scene of the robbery in Newport Beach July 2 along with his field training officer. The first call was about a white, older model Toyota Camry with no rear license plates about 3:35 p.m., Soliz testified in the preliminary hearing for LeRoy Ernest Joseph McCrary, 26, of Los Angeles, Malachi Eddward Darnell, 18, of Los Angeles, and Jaden Cunningham, 18, of Lancaster, who have been charged with murder with special circumstances of robbery during a killing. They are accused of killing 68-year-old Patricia McKay of New Zealand, who was in town with her husband, to visit relatives. A second call came in of a robbery near a Starbucks and then there was a call of shots fired

A 47-year-old registered sex offender pleaded guilty Wednesday and was sentenced to 29 years in prison for molesting his girlfriend’s 11-year-old daughter in Lake Forest. Alejandro Deleon Deleon pleaded guilty to five felony counts of lewd or lascivious acts with a minor younger than 14. He was given credit for 1,132 days behind bars and Orange County Superior Court Judge Lance Jensen ordered him to register as a sex offender. Deleon was charged in April 2022, about seven years after he was freed from jail in a plea bargain involving the molestation of another girl in Anaheim. Deleon pleaded guilty March 20, 2015, to sexually assaulting a victim in September 2012 and was sentenced to three years, or time already served, as part of the plea deal from an Orange County Superior Court judge, according to court records. According to testimony at his preliminary hearing in the case resolved Wednesday, the victim came forward to authorities when she was 16 years old, about five years after she said she was molested by the defendant. The girl said when her mother would go to work about

Loved ones are searching for a missing teenager from Los Angeles County. Mekhi Owens, 17, was reported missing by family members on Dec. 10, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department. The teen, who is considered critically missing, was last seen on the 500 block of East Avenue J-10 in Lancaster. Owens’ family said he has bipolar disorder and they are very concerned for his well-being.  Owens is described as a Black male standing 5 feet 9 inches tall and weighing around 170 pounds. He has black hair and brown eyes. He has a tattoo of the name “Kadija” on his left arm and tattoos of Chinese letters on his neck. He was last seen wearing a pink sweater, black pants and a backpack with the “Godfather” logo. Mekhi Owens, 17, was reported missing on Dec. 10, 2024, and was last seen in Lancaster. (Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department) A “critically missing person” is defined as: A person who has no pattern of running away or disappearing A person in critical need of medical attention The victim of a crime or foul play The

A family in San Bernardino County is absolutely devastated at the loss of their 21-year-old son, a father of two young children himself, after they say he was struck by not one, but two cars in a deadly hit-and-run accident.   The tragic Nov. 30 crash occurred just after 5:30 p.m. on 8th Street east of San Antonio Avenue in Upland, according to a social media post by the Upland Police Department.   The victim, Michael Yanez, was declared dead at the scene, police said.   The 21-year-old’s mother, Christina Yanez, spoke to KTLA’s Shelby Nelson, saying that in his final moments, a good Samaritan who lives nearby came and stayed with him in the street while first responders were on their way. Michael Yanez, 21, seen here with his young family in this undated photo. (viewer image) Michael Yanez, 21, seen here with his young family in this undated photo. (viewer image) Michael Yanez, 21, seen here with his young family in this undated photo. (viewer image) Michael Yanez, 21, seen here with his girlfriend in this undated photo. (viewer image) Michael Yanez, 21

Authorities discovered over $100 million worth of marijuana during a massive drug bust in Southern California. On Dec. 9, San Bernardino County sheriff’s deputies served a search warrant for illegal marijuana cultivation at a residence on the 5000 block of Honeyhill Road in Oak Hills.  Located on the five-acre property was a newly built 120’ x 40’ metal building, authorities said. Inside the metal building, investigators discovered over 3,000 trash bags filled with processed marijuana.  The piles were stacked over 12 feet high and lined the entire building. Each trash bag weighed between 30 to 50 pounds. Over a two-day period, officials from the Marijuana Enforcement Team, San Bernardino County Code Enforcement, and California Fish and Wildlife Department seized 51 truckloads of marijuana from the stash house, which weighed over 90,000 pounds.  Deputies discovered over $100 million worth of marijuana at an Oak Hills property during an investigation into illegal marijuana cultivation on Dec. 9, 2024. (San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department) The marijuana had a market value of over $100 million, authorities said. Details on who owns the building or any suspects involved in the

How the “Caitlin Clark effect” impacted the WNBA, women’s sports – CBS News Watch CBS News WNBA sensation Caitlin Clark was named Time’s 2024 Athlete of the Year. The Athletic women’s basketball staff writer Sabreena Merchant joins “The Daily Report” to discuss her impact on the game and women’s sports. Be the first to know Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. Not Now Turn On