Category: Los Angeles

By Kerry Breen December 4, 2024 / 9:14 AM EST / CBS News Stolen Cars: America’s Unsolved Crime Stolen Cars: America’s Unsolved Crime 26:02 Two babies who were dumped from a stolen car are safe after an Indianapolis man spotted them while waiting for a package to be delivered.  Officers from the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department responded to a report of a kidnapping shortly before 11 a.m. on Dec. 2, according to CBS affiliate CBS4. A vehicle was reported stolen with a 4-month-old and 5-month-old in the backseat, the department said on social media.  The vehicle was located about an hour later, but the two children were not inside, CBS4 reported. The suspect was also not there.  Shortly after, police received a 911 call from a “Good Samaritan” who spotted the babies and brought them inside. The children had been left outside. The National Weather Service said temperatures in the state that day were “struggling to get out of the 20s.”  Below are photos of the two baby girls who are in the vehicle. The vehicle is a silver 2013 Hyundai Sonata. pic.twitter.com/2HJg4JlnVn — IMPD

By E.D. Cauchi Updated on: December 4, 2024 / 9:09 AM EST / CBS News Adair, Iowa, had a population of 794. So, it seemed suspicious when its three-person police department asked regulators to buy 90 machine guns, including an M134 Gatling-style minigun capable of shooting up to 6,000 rounds of ammunition every minute.  Federal agents later discovered Adair’s police chief, Bradley Wendt, was using his position to acquire weapons and sell them for personal profit. A jury convicted Wendt earlier this year of conspiracy to defraud the United States, lying to federal law enforcement and illegal possession of a machine gun. Wendt is unapologetic and has appealed his conviction.  “If I’m guilty of this, every cop in the nation’s going to jail,” Wendt told CBS News just days before a federal judge sentenced him to a 5-year prison term. Wendt’s crimes appear to be part of a nationwide pattern.   Court records show weapons documented during a federal search related to the case of a police chief who allegedly obtained weapons he intended to sell. U.S. District Court, Southern District of Iowa A CBS

Lifeguards are notifying swimmers about two sharks recently spotted by fishermen off Huntington Beach. The two juvenile sharks were briefly caught by the fishermen but freed themselves by biting through the lines and returning to the ocean, Huntington Beach Lifeguards posted on Instagram. “These sightings remind us that the sea is their home, and we share these waters with marine life of all kinds,” the post read. The Huntington Beach Fire Department Marine Safety Division has requested assistance from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife to conduct patrol checks. Officials have also collaborated with HB-1 Police helicopter to perform a flyover of the area. No sharks were observed during these checks but the area will continue to be monitored with increased patrols, HB Lifeguards stated. The Lifeguards offered the following shark safety tips to minimize risk: Swim, surf, or dive with other people, and don’t move too far away from assistance Stay out of the water at dawn, dusk, and night, when some sharks may move inshore to feed Do not enter the water if you have open wounds or are bleeding in any

(Photo Illustration by Diana Ramirez / De Los; photos by Sarahi Apaez / For De Los; Christina House / Los Angeles Times; Joseph Hood) As one of the biggest years in Latin music comes to a close, mús ica Mexicana holds the title of the most streamed Latin genre in the country, according to 2024 Spotify Wrapped data. Streaming plays for the expansive category (consisting of norteños, corridos tumbados, sierreños, cumbias and more) grew by 31% globally over the previous year and was the top Latin genre in 26 U.S. states. Out of Spotify’s Top 10 Global Latin Artists, four of them are classified as música Mexicana — Peso Pluma (No. 2), Junior H (No. 5), Natanael Cano (No. 7) and Fuerza Regida (No. 8). Continuing his reign as one of the genre’s biggest names, Peso Pluma was named the seventh most streamed artist globally, and both his 2024 release “Éxodo” (No. 2) and his 2023 album “Génesis” (No. 5) held spots in the top five Latin albums. Rising música Mexicana star Xavi, who holds the record as the only artist of Mexican descent to

As the Dodgers officially welcomed their latest gazillionaire pitcher to a remodeling Dodger Stadium on Tuesday, the churning of the bulldozers in the infield was momentarily drowned out by the whining around the baseball world. Boo-hoo! The Dodgers are buying another championship! For shame! The Dodgers have an unfair advantage! It’s not right! The Dodgers are ruining baseball! On and on the tears flowed, from Pittsburgh to Minnesota, from Northern California to South Florida, with many blubbering that signing two-time Cy Young Award-winning Blake Snell to a $182-million contract officially makes the defending World Series champions bad for the game. Stop it. Just stop it. Far from being a blight on the major-league landscape, right now the Dodgers’ front office is everything that is good about the game. They are smart, savvy and fearless. They base decisions not only on analytics but also attitude. They spend a lot of money, but only because they make a lot of money, and since when is reinvesting revenue into your fans a bad thing? Many think the Dodgers should be grateful to win the World Series this year

Updated on: December 4, 2024 / 6:23 AM EST / CBS/AFP A man accused of two “gruesome” unsolved killings in 1977 has been extradited from Italy and will appear in an Australian court Wednesday, police said. Perry Kouroumblis , 65, has been charged with killing two women in an almost 50-year-old cold case dubbed the “Easey Street” murders. The dual Australian-Greek citizen was arrested at Rome’s Leonardo da Vinci Airport in September after he was named in an Interpol red notice, and has been held in jail since. Victoria Police said he was sent back to Australia late Tuesday evening and would be interviewed by detectives before appearing in court Wednesday afternoon. “The man will formally be charged with two counts of murder and one count of rape during this court appearance,” they said in a statement. The house in Easey Street, Collingwood, where the bodies of two young women were found, January 13, 1977.  Fairfax Media via Getty Images/Fairfax Media via Getty Images The bodies of Suzanne Armstrong, 27, and Susan Bartlett, 28, were discovered at their house in Easey Street, Melbourne, on January

Newly elected Los Angeles school board members say they are united in a mission to protect the district’s most vulnerable — students and staff who are immigrants or LGBTQ+ — following wins that are generally a plus for Supt. Alberto Carvalho and the teachers union and a setback for privately managed charter schools. All three of the newly elected or reelected board members are focused with apprehension on President-elect Donald Trump, who has stated his intent to deport immigrants, end diversity programs, limit the teaching of history he deems “woke” and unpatriotic, curtail rights recently extended to transgender students and shut down the U.S. Department of Education. “I think that there’s going to be a lot of attacks on our most vulnerable students and our most vulnerable populations,” said Karla Griego, who was newly elected to replace retiring board member Jackie Goldberg. “And so we have to stand strong and lead as a district in defending our most vulnerable students, in defending all the things that we have made headway on and continue to fight for more.” The big picture is that the seven board

New legislation in Sacramento aims to address a rise in countertop cutters suffering an incurable and fatal disease by imposing new requirements on businesses, including safety training for workers. Senate Bill 20, introduced this week by state Sen. Caroline Menjivar (D-Panorama City), would set up a certification system for the fabrication shops where workers cut, grind and polish stone slabs to fashion them into countertops. That certification would require that businesses have their workers undergo training on safety practices and show inspectors they are adhering to state standards. Doctors have raised alarms as young workers have been afflicted with silicosis, a deadly illness caused by inhaling particles of crystalline silica. The lung-scarring mineral makes up more than 90% of some kinds of engineered stone, a popular product for kitchen and bathroom countertops. Workers in their 20s and 30s have ended up reliant on oxygen tanks and in need of lung transplants. Under the bill, businesses and workers could not do stonecutting without certification, and beginning in 2027, stone slab manufacturers would be banned from providing their products to any fabricators that lack such certification. SB

Mohammad Rasoulof made it to the Cannes premiere of his film “The Seed of the Sacred Fig,” but only after a perilous escape from Iran before an eight-year prison term was handed down by authorities. The auteur arrived in Europe 28 days after hitting the road with a backpack filled with nothing more than a few pieces of clothing. The experience was equivalent to being on a battlefield, he said, until he arrived in a city that offered the relative safety of a German consulate. “The process of leaving Iran was, in fact, quite harrowing, and it was very, very scary, especially the mountainous road that I had to take to leave and go to a neighboring country,” Rasoulof says. “Fig” is set during the 2022 protests over the death of Mahsa Amini, a young woman arrested for violating the regime’s compulsory-hijab law. Rasoulof was inspired to make the film while imprisoned for criticizing government repression of civilian protests. One of the guards took the auteur to a corner of the prison unseen by the security cameras. As Rasoulof recalls: “He asked me, ‘What do

(Tomas Ovalle / For The Times) After two limited recalls, all raw milk and cream from a Fresno-based dairy farm must be removed from store shelves. The cows at Raw Farm are infected with H5N1 bird flu, state officials say. The recall, which is voluntary, encompasses all milk and cream products not included in the recalls announced last month, officials said in a statement Tuesday night. State officials quarantined the Raw Farm dairy herds — which are in Fresno and outside Hanford — Thursday and suspended future sales. This new recall is meant to remove all products remaining on store shelves. Public health officials identified the H5N1 virus in retail raw milk samples on Nov. 21 and Nov. 27. Further testing of Raw Farm’s bulk milk storage and bottling facility showed more of the virus. The recall applies only to raw whole milk and cream. However, the state is urging consumers to avoid other raw milk products, including cheese and kefir, as well as raw milk pet food products, including “raw milk pet food topper” and “pet food kefir.” The state’s Department of Food and

There you are, reaching on your tiptoes in the grocery store to grab the milk on the highest shelf marked with the latest date. It’s worth it, you think, to get milk that will stay fresher longer. You don’t finish the milk by that date, of course, so you dutifully pour the remainder down the drain the day after. But that “Sell by” label doesn’t indicate when your milk will go bad — it’s to help grocers rotate stock. Your milk was fine. Now you’re back in the store, paying for more. With the exception of infant formula, date labels on packaged food are not federally regulated or required, leaving it up to manufacturers and the state to determine what labels are necessary. An old state law suggested putting dated labels on foods to help consumers know when their food has gone bad, instead of confusing, grocer-focused “Sell by” labels. A new California law requires them in an effort to reduce the food waste that Californians produce — 6 million tons of it every year, according to the state Department of Food and Agriculture. The

By E.D. Cauchi December 4, 2024 / 6:00 AM EST / CBS News Adair, Iowa, had a population of 794. So, it seemed suspicious when its three-person police department asked regulators to buy 90 machine guns, including an M134 Gatling-style minigun capable of shooting up to 6,000 rounds of ammunition every minute.  Federal agents later discovered Adair’s police chief, Bradley Wendt, was using his position to acquire weapons and sell them for personal profit. A jury convicted Wendt earlier this year of conspiracy to defraud the United States, lying to federal law enforcement and illegal possession of a machine gun. Wendt is unapologetic and has appealed his conviction.  “If I’m guilty of this, every cop in the nation’s going to jail,” Wendt told CBS News just days before a federal judge sentenced him to a 5-year prison term. Wendt’s crimes appear to be part of a nationwide pattern.   Court records show weapons documented during a federal search related to the case of a police chief who allegedly obtained weapons he intended to sell. U.S. District Court, Southern District of Iowa A CBS News investigation

Seoul — South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol seemed to treat a declaration of martial law as if it were a light switch, flipping it on at 11 p.m. Tuesday night, only to be unanimously rebuked in an emergency session of the country’s parliament just two hours later. It took him about three hours from that point to accept defeat and announce that he was lifting the martial law order. The martial law declaration and revocation within six hours was the fiercest whiplash between military control and democracy that South Korea has endured since it became a democracy in 1987. It appears highly likely to bring a swift end to Yoon’s two-year tenure as the country’s elected leader. The president’s gamble seemed rooted primarily in his own domestic political isolation and, while short-lived, it was sure to have major ramifications both for Yoon as a politician, and for South Korea as a nation. Protesters calling for the resignation of South Korea President Yoon Suk Yeol sit on the steps of the National Assembly in Seoul, early on Dec. 4, 2024. ANTHONY WALLACE/AFP/Getty Below is a look

KOH SAMUI, Thailand —  Mike White, the creator of the HBO series “The White Lotus,” was in Thailand searching for the perfect place to film the show’s third season. His journey had led him to the island of Koh Samui and into the open-air lobby of the Four Seasons Resort, overlooking lush mountains, glimmering ocean and $9,000-a-night villas. The hotel‘s general manager, Jasjit Singh Assi, was ready with his pitch. But it didn’t take much to persuade White. Most of the third season of “The White Lotus” was filmed at the Four Seasons Resort Koh Samui, a 43-acre luxury beach resort that expects bookings to surge after the episodes air next year. (Four Seasons Resort Koh Samui) “He was quiet for a bit,” Assi recalled. “Then he says, ‘All right, this is it.’ It was as if he fell in love with it.” Nearly two years later, the entire country is preparing to reap the benefits when the new season is released next year. Set at a fictional resort called the White Lotus, the murder-mystery dramedy has garnered acclaim for its satirical portrayal of wealthy tourists

Want to eat at all the best restaurants in L.A.? Start here (Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times; Ron De Angelis / For The Times) Dec. 3, 2024 9:06 PM PT For 12 years, The Times has released an annual guide to the 101 most remarkable restaurants in Los Angeles. The ranked list provides a snapshot of the the most vital places in our city’s dining scene, from newcomers to stalwarts and every cuisine you can imagine at a variety of price points. Restaurant critic Bill Addison and columnist Jenn Harris co-authored this year’s list. They spent months zigzagging the region with the goal of creating a guide that tells the most compelling and complete story of what it means to dine in L.A. right now. As part of this tradition, Addison and Harris selected five local favorites to induct into the Hall of Fame, a growing list that transcends ranking and celebrates the institutions that define eating in L.A. The pair also spotlight seven of their favorite spots to grab a drink around town, from Middle Eastern coffee to a Hollywood haunt serving

After a Southern California store was targeted by a shoplifter, the owner decided to feature the thief as the star of his latest clothing collection. On Dec. 28, 2023, surveillance cameras captured the male shoplifter entering Vardagen, located on Abbot Kinney Boulevard in Venice, in broad daylight. He quickly snatches a sweatshirt and another item from a display rack near the store’s entrance before calmly walking away. Jared Ingold, the shop’s owner, decided to use the crime to his advantage by creating a new clothing collection called “Wanted,” featuring a caricature of the suspect front and center. “Being a small business owner, we have the theme of entrepreneurship kind of woven throughout the brand, and so it’s just ups and downs and things you deal with,” Ingold said. Since opening seven years ago, Ingold said his shop has been constantly targeted by shoplifters and smash-and-grab robbers.  The male suspect is seen stealing a hoodie off a display rack at a clothing boutique in Venice, California on Dec. 28, 2023. (Vardagen) A t-shirt from Vardagen’s new “Wanted” collection featuring a caricature of a male shoplifting suspect

A pedestrian died after being hit by a car Tuesday night in Santa Maria. It happened just after 5:30 p.m. at the intersection of Orchard Street and Broadway. Police say officers arrived to find the pedestrian down in the southbound lanes of Broadway. He was taken to the hospital but was pronounced dead shortly thereafter. Police say the driver remained at the scene and was cooperative. Anyone with information about the collision is urged to contact Officer Medrano at (805) 928-3781, extension 1139.

People’s Self-Help Housing officially started accepting applications for its affordable housing self-build project in San Miguel on Monday, Dec. 2. Applications close on Dec. 16, at 5 p.m. The organization already has over 40 family applications. The 14-home project is located off of N Street at the south end of 11th Street. It’s estimated to take 18 months to complete the build. Each house is estimated to cost $500,000. Each single-story home will have 3 or 4 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms and a two-car garage. Applicants must meet certain eligibility requirements. Once confirmed that families have met those requirements, a lottery draft will take place and families will be notified starting Dec. 23. We have an in-house housing specialist who will go through all the applications and see who qualifies or who does it for the program, and then we’ll, shortly thereafter, we’ll have a computerized lottery that will select for the 14 homes,” explained Jimmy Summer, People’s Self-Help Housing Director of Home Ownership. The organization has helped build more than 1,200 homes since the 1970s throughout the counties of San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Monterey

Mack Attack. The Return of the Mack. The Mack Strikes Back. Every nickname fit Sebastian Mack on Tuesday night, when the UCLA guard came off the bench to spark his team every time it needed a lift in its first-ever Big Ten Conference game. It wasn’t just Mack’s usual array of drives toward the basket that helped the Bruins hold off Washington for a 69-58 victory at Pauley Pavilion. The sophomore also was a steadying force with his rebounding and defense. He finished with 16 points, five rebounds, three assists and one steal as the Bruins (7-1) won their sixth consecutive game heading into a road showdown against unbeaten Oregon on Sunday. “It’s really just, you know, just seeing what we need,” Mack said of how he impacts a game. “If that means steals, rebounding or anything.” Mack’s three-pointer with 4 minutes 13 seconds left lifted UCLA to an 11-point lead, energizing the liveliest home crowd of the season. The volume rose again when Mack fed teammate Dylan Andrews for another three-pointer that extended the advantage back to double figures with a little more than

Two-time Cy Young Award winner Blake Snell said Tuesday it was a “really easy” decision to sign with the Dodgers. “Me and Haeley wanted to live here. We’ve been talking about it for a while,” Snell said Tuesday at his introductory news conference at Dodger Stadium, referring to his partner, Haeley Mar. “Then you look at the team, you look at what they’ve built, what they’re doing, it’s just something you want to be a part of.” Andrew Friedman, the Dodgers’ president of baseball operations, said in organizational meetings to discuss how the team “could put ourselves in the best position to win a World Series in 2025, all conversations kept coming back to Blake.” “With Blake, one thing that’s really exciting for us is as much success as he’s had, we feel like there’s more in there and a lot of upside that beyond what he’s done to this point, and the impact that can have on us and our quest to win a World Series this year and as many years as we can see out,” said Friedman, who was the Tampa Bay

Anaheim police Tuesday sought additional witnesses to the fatal shooting of a 49-year-old man. Officers responded to the 200 block of East Wakefield Avenue, near Gene Autry Way, on Jan. 24 shortly after 3:15 a.m. to reports regarding a shooting where a man collapsed on the porch of an apartment building and was suffering from a gunshot wound, according to the Anaheim Police Department. The victim, later identified as Marcy Aguilar, was taken to a hospital for treatment, where he died. It was unclear what motivated the shooting, and there was no description of a suspect. “Due to the ongoing nature of the investigation, specific details cannot be released at this time,” police said in a statement. Detectives believe there are additional witnesses with critical information that could assist with the investigation. Anyone with details regarding the fatal attack was urged to call the Anaheim Police Department at 714-321-3669. Tipsters who prefer to remain anonymous can provide information using the same number.