Category: Los Angeles

Author Harlan Coben on what inspired new book, “Think Twice” – CBS News Watch CBS News Harlan Coben is the author of over 30 suspense novels. He has over 80 million books in print worldwide. He is out with his next book called “Think Twice.” Coben joins “CBS Mornings” to talk about what inspired writing “Think Twice” and why he decided to bring back his very popular character, Myron Bolitar. Be the first to know Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. Not Now Turn On

Jennifer Hudson talks success and renewal of her talk show – CBS News Watch CBS News EGOT winner Jennifer Hudson joins “CBS Mornings” to discuss the renewal of “The Jennifer Hudson Show” for a third season and its four Daytime Emmy nominations. Be the first to know Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. Not Now Turn On

The average price of a gallon of self-serve regular gasoline in Riverside County rose six-tenths of a cent Monday to $5.17, ending a 13-day streak of drops. The average price has fallen 12 cents over the past 14 days, including seven-tenths of a cent Sunday and 1.6 cents Saturday, according to figures from the AAA and Oil Price Information Service. It is 7.1 cents less than one week ago and 13.1 cents less than one month ago, but 41.1 cents more than one year ago. The average price has dropped $1.203 since rising to a record $6.373 on Oct. 5, 2022. The national average price was unchanged at $3.619, a day after it dropped seven-tenths of a cent. It is 3.2 cents less than one week ago and 1.4 cents less than one month ago, but 8.2 cents higher than one year ago. It has dropped $1.397 since rising to a record $5.016 on June 14, 2022. “Tepid pre-Memorial Day domestic demand and oil costs below $80 a barrel are the likely reasons for the dropping prices nationally,” according to Andrew Gross, an AAA national

The Apple Pan, one of Sam Rubin’s favorite childhood hangouts, is opening its patio area Monday for KTLA viewers and friends to gather and pay tribute to the legendary entertainment anchor. The popular West Los Angeles burger and pie restaurant is closed on Mondays but will open its patio from 6 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. for people to gather and remember Sam. “We are inviting our KTLA family starting at 6 a.m. to come join us here at one of Sam’s favorite places in order to share some of your favorite Sam memories,” KTLA reporter Annie Rose Ramos said Monday morning. The Apple Pan restaurant opened in 1947 and is famous for its hickory hamburgers and apple pies served with vanilla ice cream. Pico Boulevard, West Los Angeles. (Education Images/Citizens of the Planet/Universal Images Group via Getty Images) Annie Rose will be at the restaurant all morning to talk about Sam with our Morning News viewers.  “Come out here, talk to me, we’ll reminisce, we’ll talk about the burgers and most importantly we’ll talk about Sam,” Annie Rose said. Sam Rubin (Getty Images) Sam Rubin

How to save money on buying products that other shoppers return – CBS News Watch CBS News The National Retail Federation estimates $743 billion worth of merchandise was returned last year. Buyers and sellers can’t wait to get their hands on the products at bin stores, where the rejected items of others get a second lease on life, for a fraction of the price. Be the first to know Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. Not Now Turn On

Updated on: May 13, 2024 / 9:04 AM EDT / CBS/AP How scorpions help kill cancer How scorpions help kill cancer 02:19 A curator at the American Museum of Natural History was detained in Istanbul on Monday while allegedly attempting to smuggle spider and scorpion samples, Turkish media reported. Lorenzo Prendini, an expert on arachnids at the New York-based museum, was held by police at Istanbul Airport while allegedly trying to take about 1,500 samples out of the country, news outlets reported. The state-run Anadolu news agency reported that Prendini was detained for allegedly attempting to smuggle species found in Turkey. The agency reported that 88 bottles containing liquids and roughly 1,500 scorpions, tarantulas and spiders endemic to Turkey were seized from his luggage. The outlet said that DNA from the species can be used to produce medication. A liter of scorpion venom can be worth about $10 million, an expert inTurkey told Reuters.   Video published by the Demiroren News Agency showed officers searching hand luggage and removing plastic bags that appeared to be packed with dead spiders and scorpions. The museum’s website lists

FDA says it never inspected lab that made controversial device intended to fix patients’ jaws – CBS News Watch CBS News Documents show a dental lab that made a device that was supposed to help patients with TMJ jaw disorder was never inspected by the FDA before a CBS News and KFF Health News investigation. Numerous patients have said the “anterior growth guidance appliance,” or AGGA, damaged their mouths. The device’s inventor, dentist Dr. Steve Galella, claimed it could cure TMJ jaw disorder and sleep apnea. The device and its inventor are under criminal investigation. They have denied wrongdoing. Anna Werner reports. Be the first to know Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. Not Now Turn On

Next time you take in Southern California’s notoriously hazy skies and dirty air, remember that smog regulators still aren’t using their power to crack down on one of the region’s biggest polluters. Year after year the South Coast Air Quality Management District’s governing board has chosen to delay and waste time in fruitless talks rather than impose regulations to curb diesel emissions from cargo-moving trucks, ships, trains and equipment at the Los Angeles-Long Beach ports. Together, the publicly owned ports are the largest single source of smog-forming pollution in the nation’s smoggiest region. Last week, board members did it again. They held a retreat with one day devoted to port pollution at a Rancho Mirage resort — more than 100 miles from the harbor communities most harmed by the agency’s failure to act. And there’s still no guarantee the board will vote this year to enact long-delayed regulations to clean up the ports. AQMD Board Chair Vanessa Delgado defended the retreat at the Westin Rancho Mirage Golf Resort & Spa as a “learning session.” Air district officials argued it could help build support for rules.

Ordered to put his boat out of sight behind a 6-foot-tall fence, a Seaside resident and his artistic neighbor decided to paint a photorealistic mural of the vessel on the fence. The idea for the little jab at City Hall was sparked a year ago when Etienne Constable received a notice from the city of Seaside requesting that he comply with a municipal code regarding parking restrictions for non-passenger vehicles, such as boats. According to the municipal code, the boat needed to be behind a 6-foot-high fence, so it wouldn’t be visible from the street. Constable has been a resident of Seaside for 29 years and previously parked a sailboat on his property long before he put this vessel in the driveway. The 19-foot-long Arima 19 Sea Ranger, named Might as Well, has been on his property now for the last four years. He said he was surprised and unaware of the city code about non-passenger vehicles. “We’ve been here for a long time,” Constable said, “and nobody had ever said anything before.” Last year, the city hired a community enhancement staffer to identify code

SAN DIEGO —  The Dodgers believe. They believe that Walker Buehler will once again be the pitcher he used to be, that he can once again be the man unafraid to scale the mound when the games count the most. But how much will they stake on that belief? Buehler’s second start wasn’t any better than his first, the former All-Star removed from a 4-0 defeat to the San Diego Padres with just one out in the fourth inning. His final line on Sunday at Petco Park: Three runs, five hits, two walks, two strikeouts. “I think that we just can’t lose sight of the fact he hasn’t pitched in two years,” manager Dave Roberts said. Roberts was right, of course. Buehler had pitched only once in the last 23 months after undergoing Tommy John surgery for the second time. But the challenging circumstances don’t change the situation. As much as the Dodgers are viewed as automatic postseason entrants, they still have to win enough games to qualify to play in October. They can’t count on the second-place Padres to be a .500 team forever, not

In a couple of months, we will be saturated with Olympic feel-good stories. That’s a big part of why television networks pay enormous sums for the rights to telecast the Games. They call these vignettes “up close and personal.” In many cases, “overdone and gooey” might be a better description. Most likely, the Paris Olympics won’t create a yarn as good as the one about Olga Fikotova and Harold Connolly. There was nothing overdone and gooey about their story during the 1956 Games in Melbourne. It was the stuff of international headlines and worldwide emotion, and it is revisited here because Olga died April 12. She was 91 and was preceded in death 14 years ago by Harold. Both spent much of their lives in and around Los Angeles. She was 23 when she made the five-day, multi-airplane trip to Australia. She was 5-foot-11 and 180 pounds, not the usual girth for an Olympian, male or female, in a throwing event. She was not among the favorites in the discus and had been a better athlete in basketball than track and field. A track coach

Now that it’s confirmed that Kentucky Derby winner Mystik Dan is going to run in Saturday’s Preakness Stakes at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, the talk of a possible Triple Crown can start. Actually, it’s more of a whisper than talk. Mystik Dan barely held on by a nose while winning the Kentucky Derby. And, he had the perfect trip. Now he’ll be facing the horse that beat him in the Arkansas Derby. And, he’s running on only two weeks rest. Even with all those negatives, there is still a case to be made that a Triple Crown is within reach of Mystik Dan. First, the Preakness Stakes race is a sixteenth-of-a-mile shorter than the Kentucky Derby. As for the 1 1/2-mile Belmont Stakes, it’s neither 1 ½ miles or at Belmont. Because of the construction at Belmont, the signature race is being moved to Saratoga, Fla., and will be run at 1 ¼ miles. Race officials didn’t want to start the race on a turn so they shortened it. We know Mystik Dan can handle 1 ¼ miles, even if barely. There is already

There are plenty of storylines for the 2024 WNBA season, from the arrival of Caitlin Clark to the two-time defending champion Las Vegas Aces’ bid for a three-peat. Here are five things to follow when regular-season play opens Tuesday. Fever pitch Clark, college basketball’s all-time leading scorer, decided to forgo her final season of eligibility to enter the WNBA draft and was selected by Indiana with the top pick, setting off a frenzy of ticket sales for Fever games, home and road. Plus, the Fever will have 36 of their 40 games broadcast on national television. Indiana finished last in the Eastern Conference last season and at 13-27 had the league’s third-worst record. Can Clark help the Fever become winners? They haven’t been to the playoffs since 2016 and won the franchise’s only title in 2012. Clark started her WNBA career with 21 points in a 79-76 preseason loss in Dallas. She scored 11 of the Fever’s first 19 points. Clark, who was slowed in the second half after picking up her third and fourth fouls in the third quarter, made five of 13 three-point

Updated on: May 13, 2024 / 7:06 AM EDT / CBS/AP Kristi Noem on criticisms over new book Gov. Kristi Noem on criticisms of new book: “I wanted people to know the truth” 09:15 South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem is now banned from entering nearly 20% of her state after two more tribes banished her this week over comments she made earlier this year about tribal leaders benefitting from drug cartels. The latest developments in the ongoing tribal dispute come on the heels of the backlash Noem faced for writing about killing a hunting dog that misbehaved in her latest book. It is not clear how these controversies will affect her chances to become Donald Trump’s running mate because it is hard to predict what the former president will do. The Yankton Sioux Tribe voted Friday to ban Noem from their land in southeastern South Dakota just a few days after the Sisseton-Wahpeton Ovate tribe took the same action. The Oglala, Rosebud, Cheyenne River and Standing Rock Sioux tribes had already taken action to keep her off their reservations. Three other tribes haven’t yet banned

Updated on: May 13, 2024 / 6:42 AM EDT / CBS/AFP Inside Mexican/American gunrunning networks Inside Mexican/American gunrunning networks 03:12 Eight people died in a weekend shooting in Mexico’s Morelos state, adjacent to Mexico City, authorities reported Sunday. The attack occurred Saturday in the municipality of Huitzilac, off a highway connecting the capital with the tourist town of Cuernavaca. Four people died on the scene while four others died after being taken to the hospital, the Morelos prosecutor’s office said. Seven of the victims ranged in age from 29 to 50 years old while the eighth victim was not immediately identified. All eight bodies were transferred to the forensic medical service facilities as the investigation into the shooting continues, officials said. The forested mountain township of Huitzilac has been plagued by illegal loggers, kidnappers and drug gangs, in part because it provides the closest rural hideout near Mexico’s capital. The town’s mayor, Rafael Vargas, called the attack “a terrible violent act.” “Right in the center of town, several people were attacked and killed,” Vargas said. Apparently aware of the town’s rough reputation, he added: “The

SACRAMENTO —  Here’s a novel idea: Don’t spend money until you’ve got it. What a concept! Gov. Gavin Newsom proposed that as a way to head off future crippling state budget deficits. They’ve become all too common as Sacramento politicians muddle through cycles of economic booms and busts. State budgeting in California is a constant roller coaster ride because of our volatile, outdated tax system. Politicians don’t have the guts to fix it because there’d be losers as well as winners. They balk at alienating any friendly interest group or voter. California, unlike the federal government, is too dependent on rich people’s capital gains to finance its generous programs. When the stock market soars, the state reaps a hefty chunk. When the market tumbles, so does state tax revenue. This again was made clear when Newsom on Friday sent the Legislature a revised and reduced $288-billion state budget proposal for the fiscal year that begins July 1. In 2022, capital gains comprised 13% of total personal income taxes owed, according to the state Department of Finance. Those taxes were primarily paid in 2023 and they’re currently

The country artist known simply as Ernest is a couple of cocktails deep on a recent afternoon in the rooftop garden of West Hollywood’s Soho House, a diamond pendant the size of a AA battery nestled within the open neck of his blue western shirt. The pendant, which reads DANGEROUS, is one of three matching pieces he commissioned from a jeweler in Orange County — one for Ernest, one for Hardy, one for Morgan Wallen — as a memento of the trio’s time writing songs together for Wallen’s six-times-platinum “Dangerous: The Double Album.” The western shirt, meanwhile, reflects Ernest’s love of Ralph Lauren. The designer’s career in fashion, as depicted in the 2019 documentary “Very Ralph,” “changed my life,” Ernest says. “Seriously. I watched it three or four years ago and shortly after cleaned out my closet and started shopping Double RL.” Ernest’s mood board for the cover of his new album, “Nashville, Tennessee,” contained a picture of Lauren leaning against a barn with an American flag in the background. “We shot the cover in my barn,” he says of he and his wife, Delaney

When Dos Rios Ranch opens to visitors next month in the San Joaquin Valley, California will have 280 state parks — making it one of the nation’s largest systems, as well as one of its most popular, with about 70 million visitors a year. Who knew? The short answer is: hardly anyone. Over the past 20 years I’ve asked several thousand Californians to name five state parks. Fewer than 5% can do so. And most of these baffled respondents are outdoorsy folks — the kind of people I meet on the trail or at my talks about hiking. This lack of awareness is more than surprising right now. It’s dangerous. If Californians can’t name a handful of state parks, they won’t recognize the threat when Sacramento defers investment in the system or — as is inevitably happening again — attempts to cut funding. Gov. Gavin Newsom’s proposed $291.5 billion budget for the upcoming year would eliminate a $3 million line item for a well-used program that lets (primarily low-income) library card holders check out free passes to state parks. But how many lawmakers or voters

In a move widely hailed as a failure for the drug decriminalization movement, Oregon restored criminal penalties for low-level drug possession in April. Headlines chalked up this policy reversal to mounting overdoses , evoking a crisis in the state. In reality, Oregon’s overdose rate remains in the middle of the pack nationally, with more than half of U.S. states having a greater number of deaths per capita. But increasing homelessness and visible drug use have spurred panic over drugs, which overruled statistics and scientific recommendations — and offers a cautionary tale about the fight for sensible drug laws. In 2020, a majority of Oregon voters approved decriminalization via Measure 110 — a landmark ballot measure that made simple possession of a small quantity of drugs for personal use subject to citation instead of jail. It diverted tax revenue from cannabis, which the state legalized for recreational use in 2014; in its first round of grants alone, the measure infused $300 million into the state’s threadbare drug treatment system and funded harm reduction services. These were solid steps, backed by decades of science about addiction and

The first time I visited the J&G Fried Chicken restaurant in Hacienda Heights, I left without any chicken. It was around 2 p.m. on a Saturday and the line of customers spilled out the door and onto the walkway outside. I estimated about 50 people waiting, not counting the people inside. The restaurant is the first U.S. location of the popular Taiwanese fried chicken chain, opened in partnership with 85 Degrees Bakery Cafe. It started on Jiguang Street in Taichung in 1973 and has grown to include more than 400 stores worldwide. The April opening sparked a frenzy with nearly constant lines for the restaurant’s signature popcorn chicken, chicken sandwiches and chicken fillets. But when I saw the crowd from my car, I aborted the mission. Yet the lure of a flattened fried chicken thigh the size of a pancake is persistent and strong. I returned around 1 p.m. on a Tuesday determined to get my chicken. My hopes surged when I found only six people in line. How those six people managed to take about 5 minutes each to order from a menu that

By Caitlin Yilek May 13, 2024 / 6:00 AM EDT / CBS News Sen. Menendez won’t run in Democratic primary Sen. Bob Menendez won’t run in New Jersey Democratic primary 00:48 Washington — For the second time in his career, New Jersey Sen. Bob Menendez is heading to trial on corruption charges. This time, he’s fighting allegations that he traded his political influence for cash, gold bars and a new Mercedes-Benz convertible.  The allegations date back to 2018, around the time the Democratic senator began dating the woman who is now his wife, Nadine Menendez, who was also indicted in the corruption probe. Prosecutors say Menendez provided political favors to three New Jersey businessmen and secretly helped the governments of Egypt and Qatar.  Menendez, who stepped down from his powerful chairmanship of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee after he was charged, has pleaded not guilty and hasn’t ruled out testifying .  Recent court filings revealed Menendez’s potential defense strategies, including incriminating his wife and asserting that stockpiling cash was a ” coping mechanism ” after “two significant traumatic events” in his life.  Menendez will be