California Dolphin

Warmer weather is rolling in, you know what that means: bugs. Pests like ants, rodents and cockroaches are the last things you want to cross paths with at home, but attracting some unwanted guests is par for the course once the weather gets nice. Pest control companies like Aptive Pest Control, which services households in more than 30 states nationwide, can help you fortify your house or yard against these and other critters. And if you’re wondering when the ideal time is to get started, it’s now. Dragging your feet when it comes to dealing with unwanted insects or rodents can lead to bigger problems down the line. The Environmental Protection Agency lists a number of public health issues that could come with unchecked pest infestations, such as vector-borne diseases (think Zika virus or Lyme disease), microbial infections, and heightened symptoms of asthma or allergies. But with so many pest control companies out there to choose from, how do you choose the best one for your home?  “First, check their experience and reputation through customer reviews and testimonials,” says Nicole Carpenter, CEO at Black Pest Prevention, which serves North

Four men were charged Wednesday in connection with a suspected gang-related shooting in Long Beach that killed an Army veteran and father who was struck with an apparently stray bullet while doing yard work at his home. Mario Morales-Moreno, 51, was shot around 6:45 p.m. April 4 in the 600 block of East 61st Street, according to the Long Beach Police Department. He died at the scene. Another man was found with gunshot wounds to his lower body, and he was taken to a hospital in stable condition. Neighbors said Moreno was gardening outside his home when he was shot. Police said they believe the shooting was gang-related, but the investigation was continuing. Police also indicated they do not believe Moreno was the intended target of the shooting. Long Beach police on Wednesday announced that four men were arrested in connection with the killing, with all being held in lieu of $2 million bail. — Taylor Byron Woods, 20, of Bellflower, was arrested on the night of the crime for allegedly possessing a firearm. He was booked Monday in connection with the killing. — Tyrell

An 84-year-old man was struck and killed when he walked in front of a sedan on a Thermal road, possibly while intoxicated, authorities said Wednesday. The fatality occurred at 9:35 p.m. Tuesday on Avenue 70, just west of Pierce Street, according to the California Highway Patrol. Officer David Torres said the victim, identified only as a Thermal resident, was walking on the north shoulder of the road when he “stepped into a traffic lane.” Torres said a 22-year-old man at the wheel of a 2022 Toyota Camry was headed eastbound on Avenue 70 and suddenly encountered the victim in his path, leaving him no time to stop or swerve. The Toyota impacted the senior at an undetermined speed. The motorist, who wasn’t hurt, immediately stopped and called 911. Riverside County Fire Department paramedics reached the location a short time later and pronounced the pedestrian dead at the scene. “Alcohol does appear to be a factor in this, on the side of the 84-year-old man,” Torres said. He said the motorist was questioned and found not to be under the influence. The man was not arrested.

By Kathryn Watson Updated on: April 10, 2024 / 6:46 PM EDT / CBS News Biden, Kishida meet, China in focus Biden, Japan’s Kishida hold press conference with focus on China 38:59 A spring-themed menu inspired by American and Japanese cuisine and decor evocative of a koi pond are all features of Wednesday night’s White House state dinner honoring Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and his wife. President Biden and first lady Jill Biden are recognizing the long alliance between the United States and Japan with the rare, time-honored tradition of a state dinner that draws from the traditions of both countries.  President Joe Biden, center right, and first lady Jill Biden, right, welcome Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, center left, and his wife Yuko Kishida for a State Dinner at the White House, Wednesday, April 10, 2024, in Washington. Susan Walsh / AP Singer-songwriter Paul Simon, who counts both the first lady and the prime minister as fans, will be performing. Former President Bill Clinton, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, actor Robert DeNiro, and billionaire Jeff Bezos are all on the guest list. 

WASHINGTON —  Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro N. Mayorkas was expected to be testifying about his agency’s 2025 budget Wednesday just as House Republicans advanced impeachment articles against him to the Senate. Instead, Republicans held off, choosing to wait until next week while they attempt to make the case for a full Senate trial of the first U.S. Cabinet official impeached in nearly 150 years. It has been two months since Mayorkas, a California native and the highest-ranking Latino in the federal government, was narrowly impeached by a single-vote margin. House Republicans, eyeing chaos at the southern border as a path to regain control of the White House and Senate, have said his failure to prevent record arrivals of migrants meets the constitutional bar for impeachment of “high crimes and misdemeanors.” They’ve accused him of refusing to enforce existing immigration laws and breaching the public trust by lying to Congress and saying the border was secure. On Wednesday, Mayorkas carried on, testifying before the House and Senate appropriations subcommittees on homeland security. The at times tense back-and-forth of the hearings demonstrated the precarious position of

Independent presidential candidate Cornel West named Cal State Los Angeles professor Melina Abdullah as his running mate on Wednesday, saying that her commitment to social justice and to prioritizing the needs of poor Americans embodied the values of his candidacy. “I wanted to to run with someone who would put a smile on the face of [civil rights activist] Fannie Lou Hamer and Martin Luther King Jr. from the grave,” West said on Tavis Smiley’s Los Angeles radio program. Abdullah is well-known figure in local political circles: She co-founded the Los Angeles chapter of Black Lives Matter and has been a fixture in recent years at protests and acts of civil disobedience on issues including police funding and the war in the Gaza Strip. West’s choice means at least three women from California are running for vice president — Abdullah, Vice President Kamala Harris and Nicole Shanahan, selected by independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. (Former President Trump has not announced his choice for running mate.) The three candidates reflect the wide spectrum of backgrounds the state has to offer, with Harris coming up

Word got out that there was a whistleblower wanting to meet. The company was suspicious, but this was the first overt notice that our place of work was corrupt. Should we investigate and see what ethics were being breached, or play dumb and stay loyal to the firm? We were divided. I wanted to link with the informant — if something is amiss, we should know, even if it put our fast-rising career in jeopardy. But was that out of character for the avatar we had choosen? This is the Ladder from Hatch Escapes, an interactive experience near Koreatown that explores corporate corruption. It opened this month and has become one of the most buzzed-about escape rooms in the country. In 2018, Hatch Escapes debuted a highly regarded escape room in Lab Rat, a comedic horror show in which the roles of humans and test rodents are flipped. It’s a 60-minute game, with puzzles, an ending and, of course, a quest to break free. While it won praise for its mixing of digital and analog media, as well as its emphasis on storytelling, Lab Rat

Special counsel Jack Smith’s latest brief to the Supreme Court on Donald Trump’s immunity claim strives to ensure that the justices’ decision puts the Jan. 6 trial back on track, ending the detour the former president has extracted from a weak argument. The bulk of the brief Smith filed Monday is a methodical rejection of Trump’s far-fetched claims to immunity from prosecution for attempting to overturn the 2020 election. Smith and his Supreme Court specialist, Michael Dreeben, closely follow the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals’ persuasive, bipartisan opinion contradicting Trump on all points. In the last few pages, however, Smith argues for the particular exigency of this case, noting that “even if a former president has some immunity from federal criminal prosecution for official acts, this prosecution should proceed.” Smith contends that Trump’s attempt to thwart the peaceful transfer of power is a paradigmatic example of conduct that can’t be immunized. He describes what’s alleged against the former president as “a private scheme with private actors to achieve a private end” — namely, staying in power by fraud. In what may be the brief’s most

When authorities seize hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of bricks, they usually aren’t referring to Legos. But that’s exactly what the California Highway Patrol discovered when serving search warrants at four sites in Los Angeles and Orange counties on Tuesday, the agency said in a press release. Investigators discovered what they estimate to be $300,000 worth of Lego sets that had been stolen from stores like Target, Home Depot and Lowe’s, then given to fences to be sold to people and stores under the guise of being legitimately procured. Photos provided by the CHP show the April 9, 2024, seizure of a cache of allegedly stolen legos. Photos provided by the CHP show the April 9, 2024, seizure of a cache of allegedly stolen legos. Photos provided by the CHP show the April 9, 2024, seizure of a cache of allegedly stolen legos. Photos provided by the CHP show the April 9, 2024, seizure of a cache of allegedly stolen legos. Photos provided by the CHP show the April 9, 2024, seizure of a cache of allegedly stolen legos. Photos provided by the CHP

Los Angeles General Medical Center is asking for the public’s help to identify a man who has been hospitalized for several days after he was found unconscious and unresponsive in downtown L.A. The man was found by bystanders on Saturday, officials said, and the Boyle Heights hospital has yet to determine who he is. Los Angeles General Medical Center is asking for the public’s help to identify a man who has been hospitalized since April 6, 2024. (Los Angeles County Department of Health Services) He’s described as Black man around 60 years of age with a thin build, standing 5 feet 7 inches and weighing around 133 pounds. He has brown eyes and black hair with with some grays, L.A. County Department of Health Services officials said. The man has no scars or tattoos and nothing on his person that could assist in identifying him or any potential family members. Due to patient confidentiality laws, the hospital was unable to provide details about his medical condition. Anyone who might recognize the man is urged to contact Cesar Robles, a clinical social worker at  L.A. General’s

A Lyft driver has been arrested after he allegedly sexually assaulted a passenger on a trip from West Hollywood to Santa Monica last year. The victim, whose identity has not been released, told the Santa Monica Police Department that 34-year-old Fernando Macias Morales of Los Angeles drove her home from a restaurant in West Hollywood on Sept. 7, 2023, police said in a release. The woman, a Santa Monica resident, fell asleep in the Lyft and “woke up to inappropriate touching,” police said. “The suspect then offered to walk her to her door, which she refused,” police said, adding that the woman then realized that “several hours had passed since she was picked up.” Morales was arrested in the San Fernando Valley on Friday and faces three felony counts: Kidnapping to commit a sexual act Sexual penetration of a person intoxicated or under sedation Oral copulation of a person intoxicated person or under sedation Morales was in custody on $500,000 bail, though jail records indicate he has since been released since posting bond. No court date information was avialable Anyone with information is asked to

April 10, 2024 / 5:03 PM EDT / CBS/AP Korean war veteran receives Medal of Honor Korean war veteran receives Medal of Honor 01:51 Ralph Puckett Jr., a retired Army colonel awarded the Medal of Honor seven decades after he was wounded leading a company of outnumbered Army Rangers in battle during the Korean War, has died at age 97. Puckett died peacefully Monday at his home in Columbus, Georgia, according to the Striffler-Hamby Mortuary, which is handling funeral arrangements. President Biden in May 2021 awarded the first  Medal of Honor  of his presidency to Puckett for his “conspicuous gallantry” during the war. Mr. Biden presented the medal, which is the nation’s highest military honor, alongside then South Korean President Moon Jae-in. “President Moon, it’s a real honor to have you here participating in this ceremony today,” Mr. Biden said at the ceremony. “The strength of the alliance between the United States and the Republic of Korea was born out of the courage, determination and sacrifice of the Korean troops fighting shoulder to shoulder with American troops. And having you here today is an important

After seriously considering another trip to the transfer portal, USC standout defensive tackle Bear Alexander now says he’s staying at USC. “I’m not crystal clear on all of the noise or what any of this portal mess is about,” Alexander said in a Wednesday post on X. “I’m here to finish what I started and that’s chasing a natty here at USC with my teammates #FightOn.” That didn’t appear to be the plan Tuesday, as word spread of Alexander’s intentions to enter the portal a second time, after one season at USC. Schools like Texas were already circling. But by the next morning, Alexander’s plans had changed. The effort to change his mind, according to a source familiar with the situation not authorized to speak publicly, included an apparently convincing call from Lincoln Riley to Alexander and his family. Not long after, Alexander confirmed he was staying in a social media post. His return is a major relief for USC, which doesn’t currently have many proven disruptors behind him on its defensive front. As the anchor of USC’s defensive line during his sophomore season, Alexander