Category: Los Angeles

In a dramatic courtroom scene that one wrongly convicted woman called “a Christmas miracle,” a Los Angeles County judge on Friday vacated the murder sentences of two people — 17 years after they were locked up — and ordered their immediate release. “Those charges are dismissed,” said Superior Court Judge William Ryan, adding: “You have to understand how rare this is.” As weeping family members and friends of Lombardo Palacios, 33, and Charlotte Pleytez, 37, looked on, the courtroom exploded in applause. The pair were convicted in 2009 for the 2007 murder of Hector Flores, who was shot to death in his car in a strip mall off Sunset Boulevard. The two had come onto the radar of LAPD detectives after word hit the street that the killers were associated with the White Fence gang, a predominantly Latino group operating in the area, according to court records. The pair were identified by two witnesses who picked their faces out of a book of photographs of gang members. However, the shooting happened at night, and one witness had poor vision and wore trifocal lenses. Still, a

Kids inspired by Secret Santa give out total of $10,000 to strangers – CBS News Watch CBS News An Arizona elementary teacher uses Steve Hartman’s “On the Road” stories to teach kindness and character. One about a Secret Santa that gives out money to random strangers has inspired his students to do the same over the holidays — and this year was no different. Be the first to know Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. Not Now Turn On

Two lawmakers from California have asked the U.S. Department of Justice to investigate a violent incident at Men’s Central Jail in 2022, when a Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputy appeared to bash a handcuffed inmate’s head into a concrete wall, leaving a gaping, 3-inch wound. The incident first became public last summer when the American Civil Liberties Union obtained a 15-second clip of surveillance video and posted it online . The graphic footage showed two deputies chatting as a man emerged from his cell with his hands cuffed behind him. One deputy appeared to grab the inmate from behind and slam him headfirst into the wall, without a clear provocation. The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department opened an internal criminal investigation, but this year the district attorney’s office formally declined to prosecute either of the deputies involved. In a five-page May 17 memo explaining their reasoning, prosecutors said it was unclear whether the deputies intentionally harmed the inmate or whether his injuries were from him “swinging and lunging his own body toward the wall.” At the time, ACLU attorneys criticized that decision and said they

The now disgraced and disbarred attorney Tom Girardi must surrender to federal authorities early next year for a medical evaluation at a federal prison in North Carolina, a judge ruled Friday. The decision by U.S. District Judge Josephine Staton amounts to a procedural interlude after the 85-year-old Girardi was convicted of wire fraud in August. Girardi was to be sentenced Friday, with prosecutors seeking 14 years in prison — and one of his former clients had flown in from Indonesia to witness the proceeding. But his defense attorneys had argued that Girardi’s dementia and ongoing cognitive decline warranted keeping him out of prison and in the memory care ward of his Orange County nursing home. To resolve the dispute, Staton canceled the sentencing and held a hearing Friday where she ruled that Girardi must turn himself in to U.S. Marshals on Jan. 7 and be flown to the federal prison in Butner, N.C., an advanced medical facility for inmates. Girardi is supposed to remain there for up to 30 days as prison staff observe him and evaluate whether prison, or another suitable medical facility, is

Tyler Higbee is understandably excited. It’s been 11 long months since the Rams’ veteran tight end last played for the Rams. The ninth-year pro underwent major knee surgery after a NFC wild-card defeat by the Detroit Lions. Seven weeks after that, he had shoulder surgery. On Sunday, Higbee will be active for the first time this season when the Rams play the New York Jets at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J. So his energy level might be higher than normal. “These guys might have to throw some water on me to take the fire out of my hair,” he said Friday after practice, “but we’re excited.” Higbee was selected by the Rams in the fourth round of the 2016 draft and has been a mainstay for coach Sean McVay, who was hired after Higbee’s rookie season. Higbee has 353 career receptions, 22 for touchdowns. Higbee, who will turn 32 on Jan. 1, began practicing a few weeks ago and was activated from injured reserve this week. “It’s been a long journey,” he said. “Some days aren’t always the best, but I just kept showing

Toddler among 2 killed in German Christmas market attack, authorities say – CBS News Watch CBS News At least two people, including a toddler, were killed, and at least 60 more hurt, after a car crashed into a Christmas market in Magdeburg, Germany, in what authorities said appeared to be a deliberate attack. German police said a Saudi man has been arrested, but a motive has not yet been determined. CBS News reporter Anna Noryskiewicz has more. Be the first to know Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. Not Now Turn On

LOS ANGELES (KTLA) – An oil drilling facility in West Los Angeles that has been the focus of neighborhood health concerns for decades will finally be coming down, City Councilmember Katy Yaroslavsky announced on Friday. Council members voted 12-0 on Wednesday to formally terminate the city’s agreement with operators of the West Pico pumping station, located in the 9000 block of West Pico Boulevard at Doheny Drive, which has been extracting crude oil since 1965. For years, neighbors have complained of foul smells and noise coming from the site, which is surrounded by walls and has a tower concealing equipment. Westside L.A. Oil Drilling Site Did Not Undergo Regular Reviews as Required “This closure agreement is a major victory for the Pico-Robertson community and a turning point in our efforts to phase out harmful oil drilling citywide,” Yaroslavsky said in a statement. “For too long, oil drilling sites like this one have jeopardized the health of residents and exposed families to unacceptable health and safety risks.” Under the agreement, city leadership will work with the facility’s operators, Pacific Coast Energy Company, to wind down oil

The House approved legislation to avert a government shutdown hours before the deadline Friday, sending the bill to the Senate for consideration after a whirlwind week on Capitol Hill. The chamber voted 366-34-1 in support of the legislation, clearing the two-thirds threshold needed for passage since GOP leadership brought the bill to the floor under the fast-track suspension of the rules process. All Democrats except one — Rep. Jasmine Crockett (Texas), who voted present — joined 170 Republicans in voting yes. Senate Minority Whip John Thune (R-S.D.) told reporters that the upper chamber could move on the continuing resolution Friday. Lawmakers are staring down a midnight deadline. Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.), after the vote, lauded the legislation as “‘America First’ legislation because it allows us to be set up to deliver for the American people.” “In January, we will make a sea change in Washington. President Trump will return to D.C. and to the White House, and we will have Republican control of the Senate and the House. Things are going to be very different around here. This was a necessary step to bridge the

The thing about the “Sonic the Hedgehog” movies is that they continue to surprise — with how humorous, self-referential and even insightful they can be. Since the first movie defied expectations in 2020 (the creative team redesigned the character after online backlash to a first look), a third film now cruises into theaters and the series shows no signs of stopping. Helmed at a breakneck pace by Jeff Fowler, “Sonic the Hedgehog 3” is loud, chaotic and often corny, with a visual style that can only be described as “retina-searing,” but the script by Pat Casey, Josh Miller and John Whittington is funny, punny and doesn’t take itself too seriously. It’s a clever genre exercise sanded down for kids (a “Mission: Impossible” riff this time) that gleefully breaks the fourth wall to bring us all in on the jokes. There are also references to “The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift” and “John Wick,” particularly with the vocal casting of Keanu Reeves as Shadow the Hedgehog, a sort of “dark Sonic” character, who here is a wounded warrior bent on vengeance. Ben Schwartz returns as

Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr hope you enjoyed the show. The surviving Beatles reunited onstage Thursday night at McCartney’s Got Back Tour finale in London to perform two of the band’s most iconic songs. As McCartney, 82, welcomed his surprise guest — “the mighty, the one and only, Ringo Starr” — thousands of fans filled the O2 arena with prolonged applause. Starr, 84, flashed his signature peace sign, then McCartney asked, “Should we rock?” “I only rock,” Starr quipped before assuming his position at the drum kit. The former bandmates joined McCartney’s band for a rendition of “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (Reprise),” then capped off their mini-set with “Helter Skelter.” (Starr joined McCartney for the same two songs when he appeared at the “Maybe I’m Amazed” singer’s sold-out show at Dodger Stadium in 2019.) “I’ve had a great night and I love you all,” Starr told the doting crowd as he made his exit Thursday. “Thanks to this man.” But that wasn’t the only surprise of the night. Earlier in the show, McCartney had introduced his audience to another old friend: his original

In the six weeks since Donald Trump won the presidential election, Europe has been bracing for a U.S. administration that could strain traditional transatlantic alliances. That sense of uncertainty has just been turbocharged by a disruptive new force: multibillionaire Elon Musk, who has made it clear he intends to leave his mark on politics and policy not only in Washington but in Europe as well. On Friday, as U.S. lawmakers were racing to avert a looming government shutdown, Musk used his social media platform X to tout his strong support for a far-right political party in Germany that is looking to increase its clout in the wake of this month’s meltdown of the three-party ruling coalition of Chancellor Olaf Scholz. “Only the AfD can save Germany,” Musk wrote, using the German initials for Alternative for Germany, the party best known for its stridently anti-immigrant stance, longtime ties to neo-Nazis and the “extremist” designation that Germany’s domestic intelligence service has given its youth wing. The world’s richest man had previously made provocative statements about German politics, but the timing of his latest remarks — coinciding with

Party City, the party and costume supply chain with more than 70 locations in California including several in Los Angeles , is shutting down operations immediately and laying off its employees. In an online meeting Friday viewed by Bloomberg News, Party City Chief Executive Barry Litwin told corporate employees that it would be their last day of work. CNN reported that employees would not receive severance pay. “That is without question the most difficult message that I’ve ever had to deliver,” Litwin said in the video. The company will be “winding down” immediately, he said. The chain, which has been in business for nearly 40 years and has around 700 locations according to its website, could not handle a decrease in consumer spending triggered by everyday high prices, Litwin told employees. Going-out-of-business sales began Friday, just 14 months after the company emerged from bankruptcy and four months after Litwin began as chief executive. The company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2023 with around $1.8 billion in debt and emerged from the restructuring process under a plan meant to ensure its viability. The company, however

Baristas at a handful of Starbucks around Los Angeles as well as in Chicago and Seattle went on strike Friday, kicking off a work stoppage that union officials said would include hundreds of the coffee giant’s stores by Christmas Eve. The union, Starbucks Workers United, said the strike was necessary after they failed to reach a deal in negotiations with the company over what would be a first contract for Starbucks workers. By walking out from five locations in the Los Angeles area and other key markets, workers are hoping to pressure Starbucks during the busy holiday season, when its frappuccinos and themed drinks are in high demand. The union said it plans to spread the work stoppages to potentially hundreds of stores over the course of the five-day action that will conclude on Christmas Eve. It is looking to extract from Starbucks a more robust wage proposal and an agreement to quickly resolve outstanding unfair labor practice charges filed by workers in recent years. A Starbucks tucked into a strip mall on Alameda Street in Burbank that typically opens at 4:30 a.m. stayed closed

A federal judge in downtown Los Angeles Friday ordered that convicted former attorney Tom Girardi undergo a mental evaluation at a medical facility to determine whether the 85-year-old cognitively impaired defendant should be sentenced to prison or hospitalized for the rest of his life. U.S. District Judge Josephine L. Staton said she would issue her order immediately so that Girardi can be flown to FMC Butner, a federal prison in North Carolina for male inmates who have special health needs, by Jan. 7 to begin what is likely to be a 30-day evaluation. After the psychological assessment is complete, the judge said she will schedule a hearing in Los Angeles federal court to discuss the results and determine if Girardi should be placed in a care facility rather than a prison cell. Girardi’s attorney, Sam Cross, a federal public defender, contended that his client should be evaluated at the secure memory care unit of the Orange County nursing home where the disgraced ex-lawyer has lived since June 2022. However, the judge ruled otherwise, saying the North Carolina facility is more suitable. Staton said Girardi will

A much-debated oil drill site in West Los Angeles will begin the process of shutting down its operations after an agreement was reached between the operator and the city, officials announced Friday. The Pacific Coast Energy Company has agreed to work with City Councilwoman Katy Yaroslavsky’s office on a conditional use permit to bring necessary equipment to plug oil wells. City officials said the process would be done over three phases within five years following the approval of the permit. During the process, the city and company will gather input from residents on potential future uses for the property, such as housing, parks or other community-focused amenities. “This closure agreement is a major victory for the Pico-Robertson community and a turning point in our efforts to phase out harmful oil drilling citywide,” Yaroslavsky said in a statement. “For too long, oil drilling sites like this one have jeopardized the health of residents and exposed families to unacceptable health and safety risks,” she added. “This agreement shows that we can prioritize public health and safety while charting a path toward a healthier, more sustainable future for

December 20, 2024 / 5:52 PM EST / AP France’s anti-terrorism court on Friday convicted eight people of involvement in the beheading of teacher Samuel Paty outside his school near Paris four years ago, a horrific death that shocked the country. Paty, 47, was killed by an Islamic extremist outside his school on Oct. 16, 2020, days after showing his class cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad during a debate on free expression. The assailant, an 18-year-old Russian of Chechen origin, was shot to death by police. Those who have been on trial on terrorism charges at a special court in Paris since the end of November were accused, in some cases, of providing assistance to the perpetrator and, in others, of organizing a hate campaign online before the murder took place. Francis Szpiner, a French lawyer representing Samuel Paty’ son, speaks to the press on Dec. 20, 2024, at the Paris Special Assize Court after the verdict in the case against eight people charged in connection with the beheading of teacher Samuel Paty in 2020.  STEPHANE DE SAKUTIN/AFP via Getty Images The 540-seat courtroom was

What we know about the suspect in deadly car crash at German Christmas market – CBS News Watch CBS News More than 60 people were injured and at least two killed Friday after a driver rammed into a crowded Christmas market in Magdeburg, Germany. The driver is in custody and local government officials say they suspect the crash was deliberate. CBS News reporter Haley Ott has the latest details. Be the first to know Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. Not Now Turn On

(KTLA) —  California may not transform into a winter wonderland during the holiday season, but it’s still a great place for winter activities, like ice skating, according to a recent report from Yelp. The global review website named the Irvine Spectrum Center (8th), Winter Lodge (15th), and Snoopy’s Home Ice (17th) among the best places to go ice skating in North America. 4 California eateries named on Yelp’s 2024 Best New Restaurants The Irvine Spectrum Center is located in Irvine, the Winter Lodge is in Palo Alto, and Snoopy’s Home Ice is in Santa Rosa. A total of 25 ice skating rinks were named on the list. Yelp reviewers said each California location on the list was a festive holiday activity. However, reviewers determined that Bryant Park in New York was home to North America’s best ice skating rink. The complete list can be viewed here.

The Mega Millions jackpot has reached $862 million, the highest ever offered in December, and no California Lottery player has ever won a jackpot of its size, officials said. The Friday drawing, taking place at 8 p.m., will determine who, if anyone, wins the seventh-largest prize in the game’s history. If it goes another week without a winner, the jackpot will roll over to another record-setting figure of $944 million on Christmas Eve. The Mega Millions jackpot was last won in September by a player in Texas. Since then, there have been 29 drawings without a winner. Lottery winner claims he bought both winning tickets. Does he have a case? As it’s continued to rise, the Mega Millions has raised an estimated $58.5 million for California public schools, which officials say is the sole mission of the California Lottery. “We get particularly excited for jackpots to approach a billion dollars,” said California Lottery spokesperson Carolyn Becker. “Because when they do, more people are enticed to play, our sales are stronger, and we raise even more supplemental funding for public education.” For every $2 ticket sold

Following Donald Trump’s electoral victory, and the inevitable blame game among blue voters, it was Latinos, more than any other group, that emerged as the face of the turncoats who had thrown the Democratic Party under the bus. “Democrats should spend exactly zero political capital stopping any Trump deportation efforts,” Jonathan V. Last, editor of the Bulwark, a conservative Never Trump website, wrote on Bluesky earlier this month. “It is madness to spend capital trying to help people who are no longer a major part of your electoral coalition.” Last’s sentiment summarizes well the conventional wisdom that’s dominated political thought on both sides of the aisle for some time now: Latinos care deeply about immigration, and will support whichever party touts the more liberal policies on the border. It also conveys the palpable indignance that many of Trump’s detractors have felt toward Latinos since November. The vibe is very much, “we tried to help you, now get lost.” But these reactions are all rooted in a sense of entitlement over Latino voters that itself is based on a host of assumptions in dire need of

Psychologist Lilly Jay is taking ownership of “the sudden public downfall” of her marriage to actor Ethan Slater, a year after their divorce and his romance with “Wicked” co-star Ariana Grande became tabloid fodder. “This, I tell myself, is nothing to be ashamed of and nothing to hide,” Jay writes in an essay published Thursday in the Cut. “Slowly but surely, I have come to believe that in the absence of the life I planned with my high-school sweetheart, a lifetime of sweetness is waiting for me and my child.” In her essay, Jay gets candid about having “a window into her life pried open” for the public — and her therapy patients — to see. In summer 2023, pop diva Grande and Slater sparked dating rumors shortly after news broke that the “Yes, And?” singer was divorcing real estate broker Dalton Gomez after two years of marriage. Grande and Slater, a Tony-nominated Broadway star known for the “SpongeBob SquarePants” musical, began filming the first half of Jon M. Chu’s “Wicked” in the United Kingdom in early 2023. The film stars Grande as Glinda and