California Dolphin

Calling it the “tastiest comeback story ever,” a Los Angeles-based restaurant chain that went bust more than a decade ago is getting ready to make its return. Koo Koo Roo, a fast-casual chicken restaurant founded in L.A in the late 1980s, will be coming back from the dead for the this year’s ChainFest — a “gourmet” food festival that celebrates chain restaurants. Koo Koo Roo will join Chili’s, Red Robin and Panda Express, among other participating restaurant groups, for the Oct. 5 food festival in downtown L.A. Los Angeles-based fast casual restaurant Koo Koo Roo has announced it will return after closing its last location in 2014. (Koo Koo Roo on Instagram) “Fans of the brand will be able to indulge in revered OG classics, such as the signature flame-kissed Koo Koo Roo chicken recipe, sandwiches, salads + famed sides –– from the infamous Mac & Cheese to Roasted Garlic Potatoes –– as well as a crop of new innovations,” the company announced in a news release. But the revived restaurant chain confirms it won’t be a one-off appearance. It plans to open a brick-and-mortar

With the 2024-25 school year underway, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass Wednesday highlighted new safety measures aimed at bolstering road safety around LAUSD campuses. During a news conference at Van Nuys Elementary School in the San Fernando Valley, Bass touted the success the city has had in adding hundreds of speed humps and hiring more crossing guards than in previous years. Los Angeles City Council President Paul Krekorian, LAUSD Board of Education member Scott Schmerelson and Superintendent Alberto Carvalho joined the mayor to commend the safety measures. “Today, we are highlighting urgent action the city has taken in collaboration with LAUSD, including the installation of more than 250 speed humps near schools to slow down car traffic, and more than 500 crossing guards to make it safer for children and families to get to and from school,” Bass said in a statement. “This is all part of a comprehensive public safety strategy to make all of Los Angeles safer.” According to the mayor’s office, city departments completed projects to make areas around some schools safer prior to the first day of school on Aug. 12

The cause of fitness guru Richard Simmons’s death has been deemed to be accidental, primarily due to “recent falls,” his family announced Wednesday. Simmons was found dead July 13 in his Hollywood Hills home, one day after celebrating his 76th birthday. His official cause of death still has not been publicly released by the Los Angeles Office of Medical Examiner, but a spokesman for the family issued a statement Wednesday saying the office provided details to Simmons’ brother. “This morning, Richard Simmons’ brother Lenny, received a call from the LA Coroner’s office,” spokesman Tom Estey said in the statement, initially provided to People magazine. “The coroner informed Lenny that Richard’s death was accidental due to complications from recent falls and heart disease as a contributing factor. The toxicology report was negative other than medication Richard had been prescribed. The family wishes to thank everyone for their outpouring of love and support during this time of great loss.” Shortly after Simmons’ death, TMZ reported that the well-known fitness icon had fallen in his bathroom the night of his birthday but refused to go to a hospital.

5 bodies recovered from Italy coast after yacht sinks – CBS News Watch CBS News Divers appeared to be pulling bodies out of the water into a small boat off the coast of Italy near the location where a yacht is believed to have sunk. Bethany Bell with BBC News, a CBS News partner, reports. Be the first to know Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. Not Now Turn On

Talk about delicious ironies. In 2016, Donald Trump was propelled into office partly by a racial and cultural backlash to the election of the first Black president, as numerous analyses have noted . But eight years later, he could help elect the second Black president and first woman, thanks to an opposite backlash against his manifest misogyny and racism. That prospect, amid the enthusiasm for Vice President Kamala Harris that has reshaped the presidential race to Democrats’ advantage, transformed this week’s Democratic convention from a potential wake to a wingding. Thursday night Harris’ caps the celebration with her address accepting the nomination to take on Trump. Beneath the hoopla, however, there’s plenty of anxiety about November. Opinion Columnist Jackie Calmes Jackie Calmes brings a critical eye to the national political scene. She has decades of experience covering the White House and Congress. Democrats are self-professed bed wetters, suspicious of irrational exuberance. Rightly so. They’re scarred by the outcome in 2016, when they went to bed certain that Hillary Clinton would become the first woman elected president and woke to a nightmare. Now Democrats are asking

BERLIN —  With Kamala Harris’ formal anointing as the Democratic nominee for president, European allies are relieved by what they see as a diminishing threat of another Donald Trump presidency — but an undercurrent of anxiety remains. A scant six weeks ago, when the former president was riding high in the polls after a triumphal Republican convention, the nonstop topic at high-level European gatherings was how to go about “Trump-proofing” institutions that he had often blasted as ineffectual or branded as outright adversaries — including NATO and the European Union. With Democrats’ rapid consolidation behind Harris after President Biden’s withdrawal from the race, the near-frantic tone of such discussions has largely abated, and the conversation has turned to what to expect from a U.S. administration led by her. Analysts say European leaders and policymakers generally believe that if Harris prevails in November, there would be crucial continuity in relationships with the continent’s major blocs — the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and the EU — as well as a continuation of cordial bilateral bonds cemented by Biden. And the assessment on this side of the Atlantic is

Four train cars recently arrived at Los Angeles International Airport from Pittsburgh, completing the upcoming Automated People Mover’s total set of 44 and shifting the focus of the long-awaited project to testing, officials announced on Wednesday. The 2.25-mile elevated train is expected to open in January 2026. Although it’s been nearly complete, disputes between the contractor and the airport over production, compensation and timeline led to lengthy delays that pushed back the goal of a 2023 launch. This summer, Los Angeles World Airports’ board of commissioners allocated $400 million more to settle past claims and reignite progress. The decision was recently approved by the Los Angeles City Council, bringing the project’s total to $550 million. “Receiving the final train cars for the APM signifies a major milestone for this project and our airport’s transformation,” John Ackerman, CEO of Los Angeles World Airports, said in a statement. “The APM will enhance the travel experience at LAX and set a new standard for sustainable transportation. As we move this project forward, we remain dedicated to delivering a state-of-the-art solution that reflects our commitment to our passengers, community

The Obamas officiated a new Democratic motto Tuesday evening during the Democratic National Convention in Chicago: “When they go low, we hit back. Hard.” Former First Lady Michelle Obama, her husband Barack, and dozens of DNC speakers took her 2016 aphorism — “When they go low, we go high” — and tweaked it for meaner, leaner times. In his keynote speech, former President Obama called former President Trump a “78-year-old billionaire who has not stopped whining about his problems since he rode down his golden escalator nine years ago.” He listed off the Republican candidate’s “constant stream of gripes and grievances” that have only grown worse now that he’s “afraid of losing to Kamala.” Former First Lady Michelle Obama speaks during the Democratic National Convention on Tuesday in Chicago. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times) “There’s the childish nicknames, the crazy conspiracy theories, this weird obsession with crowd sizes…” said Obama, who paused and moved his hands close together, connoting something small in measure. The crowd erupted in laughter. MAGA clutched its pearls. Political pundits and satirists pounced with memes and posts such as “Stormy

Choosing the right watermelon can be tricky. Sometimes they’re not ripe, or maybe they have too many seeds. Then there’s the possibility the “melons” are actually $5 million worth of methamphetamine painted to look like fruit so they can be smuggled across the border. That was the sight U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers encountered Friday, when a 29-year-old man drove a commercial tractor-trailer to the Otay Mesa commercial facility and tried to enter San Diego County. His manifest said he was shipping watermelons, and officers directed him to a secondary screening spot for further inspection, the agency said in a statement. Officers discovered 1,220 packages of methamphetamine, wrapped in paper and painted two shades of green to mimic a watermelon, according to authorities. (U.S. Customs and Border Protection) The shipment was taken off the truck and, upon a closer look, officers discovered a seedy situation: 1,220 packages of methamphetamine, wrapped in paper and painted two shades of green to mimic a watermelon. The packages weighed 4,587 pounds in total, with an estimated street value of $5 million, according to authorities. Officers seized the meth

We may receive commissions from some links to products on this page. Promotions are subject to availability and retailer terms. With the potential for gold’s high price to rise even higher, investors should make some strategic moves now. Getty Images/iStockphoto The price of gold is on the rise yet again.  Following some recent cooling, gold hit a new price record this week , surpassing $2,500 per ounce. That follows months of record-breaking price movement after the precious metal started the year priced at $2,063.73 per ounce on January 1 . That’s a 21% increase in just over seven months, emphasizing the benefit of investing in gold now. But with the prospect of additional gold price increases likely (some experts predict a $3,000 price point ), an evolving interest rate climate and a cooling inflation rate, the price could change again soon.  Both beginners and those already invested in the metal, then, should take a strategic approach to this unique asset right now. Below, we’ll break down three smart gold investing moves to make before the price rises once again.  Start by seeing which gold investment

The brother of Richard Simmons has revealed the cause of death of the legendary fitness figure. Simmons’ death was “accidental due to complications from recent falls and heart disease as a contributing factor,” Lenny Simmons, Richard’s brother, told People through his attorney. Lenny Simmons said he was informed on a call from the County of Los Angeles Department of Medical Examiner Wednesday morning. Richard Simmons, a fitness guru who mixed laughs and sweat, dies at 76 There also were no illicit drugs in Simmons’ system, the statement added. “The toxicology report was negative other than medication Richard had been prescribed,” the statement said. “The Family wishes to thank everyone for their outpouring of love and support during this time of great loss.” Simmons died last month at the age of 76.

Bob Iger, CEO of Walt Disney Co., recently joined actress and TV host Kelly Ripa on an episode of her podcast “Let’s Talk Off Camera with Kelly Ripa.” In the episode, he discussed the ongoing search for Disney’s next CEO, a potential presidential bid and some of his regrets. During the nearly hour-long episode, Iger said that finding Disney’s next CEO is “constantly on his mind.” “I think it would be safe to assume that I think about [CEO succession] all the time. I could say that I’m obsessed with it would be probably an understatement and actually, the board and I established when I returned that that would be among our biggest [priorities], if not our biggest priority,” Iger said. ‘Boy, did I miss this’: Disney CEO Bob Iger returns to D23 for first time in 5 years “It’s actually something that I’m obviously very focused on, not just because of the past, but because I’d like to retire again and I’d like to leave the company in great hands, and that is my intention and I’m now confident that not only will we

From a live performance from rapper Lil Jon to Bruce Springsteen’s “Born in the USA,” Democratic delegates got their groove on during Tuesday’s ceremonial roll call at the party’s convention. As each state delegation was called on to officially nominate Vice President Kamala Harris and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D) to the Democratic presidential ticket, a song — many of them with state connections — was playing, prompting a boisterous dance party. DJ Cassidy, whose real name is Cassidy Podell, spun the songs for each state from on stage, while wearing a bright blue suit. Celebrities Lil Jon and Eva Longoria popped into their native states for surprise appearances. Cassidy told The New York Times that the playlist process took around a month and involved working with each state delegation to pick a song with themes of “unity and celebration” that meant something to the state. “I had a personal goal here, which was to turn the entire convention into a party,” he told The Times. What to watch for on Day 3 of the Democratic National Convention Here’s what each state delegation used as