Category: Los Angeles

A Southern California bakery owner is warning other business owners after she was targeted in an elaborate counterfeit check scam. Loria Stern, the owner of Eat Your Flowers bakery in Highland Park, has been running her business for 12 years. Throughout that time, Stern said she’s seen her fair share of scams, but this latest scheme truly surprised her. It began in early August when she was contacted by email asking for an order of 1,000 cupcakes. The scammer, someone named “Zoe Madison,” said she didn’t want to pay with a credit card or through mobile payment apps, so she sent a check for $7,560 instead. When Sterns cashed the check at the bank, it initially cleared so she began working on the large cupcake order. “There were a lot of specific details in the emails going back and forth with her that really made me believe that this order was happening,” Stern said. The email sent by a scammer named “Zoe Madison” from the email handle “ZoeMadison98@gmail.com,” asking for an order of 1,000 cupcakes from Eat Your Flowers bakery in Highland Park. (Loria Stern)

TJ Lateef, Orange Lutheran’s talented senior quarterback who was slowed last season by a shoulder injury, apparently thought he was Superman on Friday night as he went airborne trying to hurdle Wesley Ace Jr. of Gardena Serra in the first half. Lateef made it but officials gave him a 15-yard penalty (you can’t try to hurdle defenders in high school football). Lateef, a Nebraska commit, was making a point that he wasn’t going to let anyone stand in his way. He later scored a touchdown on a two-yard run and picked up a key first down on a fourth-down run to help the Lancers to a 21-13 victory. “I was trying something new,” Lateef said. “I didn’t know it wasn’t allowed. I got to put that away.” Lateef completed 18 of 25 passes for 185 yards with one interception and had an 11-yard touchdown pass to Tyler Hennessy. The Lancers received big help off the bench after starting running back Steve Chavez was injured on his first carry of the game. Sophomore Jae Nembard, who played in the junior varsity game Thursday, rushed for 93

Rams starting left tackle Alaric Jackson was suspended without pay for the first two games of the NFL regular season for violating its personal conduct policy, the league announced Friday. It was not announced what prompted the suspension. As is team policy for a day before a game, coach Sean McVay was not made available to reporters Friday. McVay is expected to discuss Jackson’s suspension following Saturday’s preseason game in Houston. Jackson started 15 of last season’s 17 regular-season games and the Rams’ wild-card round loss to the Detroit Lions. Among tackles who played more than 500 regular-season snaps in 2023, he tied for first in fewest sacks allowed. Jackson signed with the Rams as an undrafted free agent in 2021 following a college career at Iowa. Jackson will be eligible for reinstatement on Sept. 16 following the Rams’ Week 2 game against the Arizona Cardinals.

An 80-year-old man was seriously injured in a fire at a one-story duplex in South Los Angeles Friday evening. Firefighters responded to the 9000 block of South Orchard Avenue, near Hoover and 90th streets, around 7:40 p.m. Friday to a report of a residential fire, according to Margaret Stewart of the Los Angeles Fire Department. The man was immediately located inside the building and taken to a hospital, Stewart said. The cause of the fire was unclear and under investigation.

Back in sprint training, during Shohei Ohtani’s early days with his new club, people around Dodgers camp couldn’t help but dream of what the two-way star’s debut season with the team could look like. Coming off his second most valuable player award and a record $700-million signing with the Dodgers in the offseason, Ohtani was already viewed as the best player in baseball. And after undergoing Tommy John surgery at the end of last year, he entered 2024 solely focused on being a designated hitter. At the time, the hope was that Ohtani’s offense would be unburdened by his elbow surgery and rehab as a pitcher. That his production could be enhanced by a season of only hitting. That he could somehow elevate his game further, and pursue a whole new set of historic targets that before had been beyond his reach. “I’m sure he’s going to miss not being able to go out there every fifth or sixth day to pitch,” manager Dave Roberts said in February. “But I just really feel good about the way he is right now, and how he looks.”

August 24, 2024 / 12:02 AM EDT / CBS News 8/23: CBS Morning News 8/23: CBS Morning News 20:50 Pop star Justin Bieber and his wife Hailey Bieber announced the birth of their first child Friday. In an Instagram post, Justin wrote “welcome home Jack Blues Bieber,” along with a photo of Hailey holding her baby’s foot. The 30-year-old Justin and the 27-year-old Hailey first confirmed the pregnancy back in May, with a representative of Hailey telling “Entertainment Tonight” that she was about six months pregnant. Hailey told GQ in an interview last year that motherhood “is something that I look forward to. It’s also such a private, intimate thing. It’s something that’s going to come when it comes.” And she explained to W magazine in July that she waited to reveal the news in an effort to maintain her privacy. “I was honestly able to keep it quiet because I stayed small for a long time,” Hailey said. “I didn’t have a belly, really, until I was six months pregnant, which was when I announced it. I was able to wear big jackets and

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A vigil was held Friday night marking one year after a deadly mass shooting took place at Cook’s Corner bar in Trabuco Canyon. Three people were killed and six others were wounded when retired Ventura Police Sgt. John Snowling opened fire inside and outside the bar on Aug. 23, 2023. Snowling, who authorities said went to the bar to target his estranged wife, died in a gunbattle with Orange County sheriff’s deputies. His wife was wounded but survived. Body cam footage released by the Sheriff’s Department showed the moments leading up to the deadly shootout with Snowling, including emergency dispatch audio from 911 calls reporting the sounds of gunshots and the chaos of people fleeing the bar.  Security camera footage captured Snowling opening fire on a crowd of unsuspecting people, running after them and firing from two pistols he carried simultaneously. Following the shooting, a memorial to the victims, 53-year-old Glen Sprowl of Stanton, 49-year-old Tonya Clark of Scottsdale and 67-year-old John Leehee of Irvine, sat outside the bar. Former Ventura police Sgt. John Snowling is seen at the Pacific View Mall. (Getty Images) A

A family has filed a lawsuit against a hospital in the Sacramento area, claiming that the medical center failed to tell them about a family member’s death for over a year.  Jessie Peterson, 31, went to Mercy San Juan Medical Center in the community of Carmichael on April 6, 2023, for a diabetic emergency. The lawsuit filed at the Sacramento Superior Court claims that the hospital told the family that Peterson left the medical center two days later against medical advice. The family spent the next year searching for her, posting missing person flyers and filing missing person reports with local and state law enforcement. Loved ones desperately searching for missing Southern California father In April of 2024, the family learned from the East Lawn mortuary that Peterson’s body was in a storage facility administered by Mercy San Juan, the lawsuit said. “It’s been a tough road, first learning that she was gone. Then, you know, meeting with people at East Lawn and learning that none of her tattoos could be identified on her body because her body was so discolored and so decayed, was

With flu season approaching, the San Luis Obispo County Public Health Department is weighing in on whats expected this year and what the effectiveness of the flu shot is looking like. A public health spokesperson says it is too early to tell what flu cases may look like this year, but many people in the community are hoping to avoid the virus all together. I desperately do not want to get the flu at my age because Ive been really sick in bed for two weeks from not having the shot and having had the flu, said Richard Pride, who is visiting Morro Bay. Health officials suggest October as an ideal time to get the vaccine, adding that it usually takes about two weeks for protection to set in. Rich Buquet of Morro Bay says he prefers a combined shot. Ive always got my flu shot in the fall when it comes out but now I wait til the covid shots come out and I go and they give me both at the same time, Buquet said. For Mike Munger of Avila Beach, he takes

The First Lady and her family made a surprise visit to Los Olivos Friday. There were some chaotic moments in the unusually quiet community as the Bidens hit the town. My husband and I came today just hoping that we would see her. We literally pulled up five minutes before she came out of the shop across the street, said Melissa Burke of Santa Barbara. Dr. Jill Biden visited Los Olivos for a little shopping, accompanied by her son, Hunter Biden, and family, along with more than 10 secret service agents and local law enforcement. Bidens surprise visit drew a small crowd and was warmly received. She was super receptive to the audience and waved and acknowledged everybody here that was wanting to see her, said Traci Meissner, who was shopping at Carhartt Family Winery. Barista Cynthia Sixto says Hunter Biden stopped into Lettys Coffee Co. It was pretty cool. He came in with his family and he ordered lemonade and matcha and iced vanilla lattes and he came into Lefty’s!, Sixto told KSBY. During the family visit, the group stopped at several stores including

An allegedly armed suspect eluded law enforcement Friday on freeways and surface streets in the South Bay area before police terminated the pursuit for safety reasons. Although details leading up to the chase and where it began were limited, ABC7 reported that the pursuit at one point was on the southbound Harbor (110) Freeway, with multiple Los Angeles Police Department units trailing the vehicle. After exiting the 110 Freeway in Carson, the suspect drove in a circular pattern on local streets before briefly traveling on the Artesia (91) Freeway and exiting at Central Avenue. The suspect then continued on surface streets near East Victoria Street and Cedarbluff Way, traveling at a moderate speed. According to police, officers terminated the ground pursuit around 6:05 p.m. as a safety precaution. No additional information was available.

A 32-year-old man who was accused of tagging a Burbank synagogue and various businesses in Burbank and Glendale with antisemitic graffiti pleaded no contest to a pair of felonies Friday. Klinton Allister Dion pleaded no contest to vandalism of a place of worship and vandalizing private property. Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Darrell Mavis immediately sentenced Dion to two years and eight months in prison, but Dion was given credit for 510 days for time already served and good time/work time credit. Ten other charges were dismissed as part of the plea deal. A restitution hearing was scheduled for Oct. 9. Dion could have faced up to 20 years in prison if convicted as originally charged, prosecutors said when the case was filed last year. Burbank police said Dion sprayed antisemitic graffiti at Temple Emanu El in the 1300 block of North Glenoaks Boulevard, and in the subterranean garage of an apartment complex in the 400 block of East Cypress Avenue, and to a nearby Burbank utility box. Police said the graffiti consisted of swastikas, an iron cross and the “SS” Nazi symbol.

8/23: CBS Morning News 8/23: CBS Morning News 20:50 Two Arizona women were killed when gunmen opened fire on their vehicle in the northern Mexican state of Sonora Friday morning, Mexican authorities said. The victims, ages 72 and 82 and originally from the Sonora city of Caborca, were found dead in an overturned, bullet-ridden white Nissan Pathfinder at about 10:30 a.m. on the Sonoyta-Caborca highway, the Sonora attorney general’s office said in a news release. Mexican authorities found an F-150 truck believed to be connected to the killing of two Arizona women in the Mexican state of Sonora on Aug. 23. Weapons and ammunition were found inside the vehicle, the authorities said.  Sonora attorney general’s office Mexican authorities conducted a search and located a vehicle believed to be linked to the suspects and described as a stolen Ford F150; it was found abandoned in the Sonora town of Quitovac. In the vehicle, the authorities found four firearms, dozens of cartridges of ammunition and bulletproof vests, the attorney general’s office said. Officials did not immediately provide a motive for the attack, although Sonora has seen several

Dave Roberts has had dozens, if not hundreds of conversations like the one he had with Jason Heyward on Wednesday night, when the Dodgers manager has to inform a player there is no longer room on the roster and he’s being designated for assignment. But this one cut much deeper because it was with one of the most respected and well-liked players on the team, the best friend of first baseman Freddie Freeman and the winner of the 2023 Roy Campanella Award, which is given annually to the Dodgers player who best exemplifies the spirit and leadership of the Hall-of-Fame catcher. “It was very challenging, probably one of the tougher things I’ve had to do,” Roberts said before Friday night’s series opener against the Tampa Bay Rays. “What Jason did for the Dodgers in a year and a half was pretty remarkable, on the field, in the clubhouse, in the community, and his fingerprint will be everlasting. “It was a very difficult decision, but we had a roster crunch. Guys finally came back to health, and we only have so much room.” The decision was

The driver of a sport utility vehicle authorities say was carrying more than 80 pounds of cocaine may have gotten away with it if it weren’t for that meddling dog. Around 10:30 a.m. Tuesday, the SUV was traveling on the 15 Freeway through Temecula when it was stopped by agents with the San Diego sector of U.S. Customs and Border Protection. During a subsequent sniff test of the vehicle, a dog alerted agents of the possible presence of drugs. Authorities said a follow-up search uncovered a series of cellophane-wrapped packages stashed inside a false dashboard. Agents arrested the driver and an accompanying passenger, and impounded the SUV for further inspection. In all, authorities said they found 31 bundles in the false dashboard, containing a total of 81 pounds of cocaine. San Diego sector Border Patrol agents have seized 2,437 pounds of cocaine since the beginning of the fiscal year, according to the department. The sector has also seized 3,627 pounds of methamphetamine, 31 pounds of heroin and 475 pounds of fentanyl. That includes 3.65 combined pounds of fentanyl and heroin found from Aug. 11 to

8/23: CBS News Weekender – CBS News Watch CBS News Lana Zak reports on Robert F. Kennedy Jr. suspending his presidential campaign, the Justice Department suing a real estate software platform for allegedly violating antitrust laws, and why some studies are linking eating meat to a higher risk for Type 2 diabetes. Be the first to know Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. Not Now Turn On

A family is fighting to stop the possible release of a Riverside man who was sentenced to prison for molesting and kidnapping a 5-year-old girl. Charles William Mix, 69, was sentenced to 350 years in prison for the 2003 kidnapping. The victim, who is now 27 years old, still isn’t ready to speak on the incident, but her sister, Claira Stansbury, said the events changed her family’s life forever. “She has to deal with this for the rest of her life and she has to learn to cope with what happened to her for the rest of her life,” Stansbury said. On the morning of June 2, 2003, the girl’s father reported to Riverside Police that his roommate, Mix, had kidnapped his daughter, prompting an AMBER Alert. Mix and the girl’s father were friends and had been living together in Riverside at the time. The next day, the pair was located hundreds of miles away in Richfield, Utah after a passerby reported seeing him and the girl. Mix had transported the girl across state lines in a stolen vehicle. During the investigation, authorities discovered sexually

A family is fighting to stop the possible release of a Riverside man who was sentenced to prison for molesting and kidnapping a 5-year-old girl. Charles William Mix, 69, was sentenced to 350 years in prison for the 2003 kidnapping. The victim, who is now 27 years old, still isn’t ready to speak on the incident, but her sister, Claira Stansbury, said the events changed her family’s life forever. “She has to deal with this for the rest of her life and she has to learn to cope with what happened to her for the rest of her life,” Stansbury said. On the morning of June 2, 2003, the girl’s father reported to Riverside Police that his roommate, Mix, had kidnapped his daughter, prompting an AMBER Alert. Mix and the girl’s father were friends and had been living together in Riverside at the time. The next day, the pair was located hundreds of miles away in Richfield, Utah after a passerby reported seeing him and the girl. Mix had transported the girl across state lines in a stolen vehicle. During the investigation, authorities discovered sexually

A Los Angeles County jail in Castaic in 2015. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times) A Los Angeles County jail inmate in Castaic this month was grazed by a bullet from a nearby shooting range used by the FBI, law enforcement officials said Friday. The incident happened Aug. 9, when the inmate — who has not been identified — was on a porch outside the inmate housing barracks at Pitchess Detention Center South Facility, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department. The inmate reported the incident to jail staff, who discovered that several vehicles had also been struck by bullets. It’s not clear how seriously the inmate was hurt, but officials said an “injury report was completed.” The county’s northern-most jail complex has long housed outdoor shooting ranges, including one typically used by the FBI, which Sheriff’s Department investigators identified as the source of the errant bullet. After the incident, the department closed the range, although an official said other ranges at the Castaic facility are still in use. Last year, the Sheriff’s Department also shut down its network of mobile range trailers after

“The Dudleys never say die” — and neither do the fans of “My Lady Jane.” Fans of the Prime Video series have rallied behind an online campaign petitioning to save the historical dramedy from cancellation. Prime Video announced on Aug. 16 that it would not renew “My Lady Jane” for a second season after the show failed to attract a wide audience or make Nielsen’s Top 10 weekly streaming rankings for originals, according to Deadline. Representatives for Amazon Studios didn’t reply immediately Friday to The Times’ request for comment. After the announcement, fans of the show expressed their disappointment on social media. “I’m so upset about this. Jane and Guildford deserved their s2. The cast deserved their s2. We had a tv show that had everything : comedy, romance, period drama, a talented cast. And it has its audience, they just don’t want to renew quality things.. #SaveMyLadyJane #MyLadyJane,” a fan wrote on X, formerly Twitter. “I say this with a broken heart but #myladyjane you have been one of the best hyperfixations, i ever had and its so f— aggravating and horrendous that those