7 h. ago Evacuations in California as huge wildfire rages through 1,000 acres

Roads have been closed as crews battle the blaze

Events

24 h. ago Bloom or bust? Superbloom spectacle eludes California after dry winter

Riot of native wildflowers that enthralled visitors in the past several years have failed to sprout due to too little rainIt’s one of the best known rites of spring in California: extraordinary displays known as “superblooms” that coat the hillsides in an abundance of color. Some years the blooms are massive enough to draw tourists from around the world to revel in the fields, such as in 2023 when more than 100,000 people showed up on a weekend to gawk at the poppies in Lake Elsinore, a small city about an hour outside Los Angeles.But this year, not so much. Thanks to a brutally dry winter, the hills around the usual southern California superbloom hotspots have been conspicuously bare. Callista Turner, a state park ranger, could count the number of blooms on two hands as she surveyed the 8 miles of rolling hills at the Antelope Valley California Poppy Reserve in the final week of March, which is typically when superbloom season peaks. “We’re still waiting to see what kind of season ...

Politics

29 h. ago Our Beautiful Boys by Sameer Pandya review – teenage lives at the crossroads

A night of violence exposes the dynamics of race, masculinity and privilege at play in America’s schools The Marabar caves in A Passage to India represent the breakdown of order and communication as well as provoking the terrible accusation that drives EM Forster’s story. Sameer Pandya plays with a similar plot device in his compelling US-based novel, including an epigraph from Forster’s classic.It is set in southern California, where three teenage boys on the brink of adulthood – stars of their high school American football team with promising college careers ahead of them – attend a party at an abandoned house in the hills. Vikram is an Indian American, while Diego, who is Latino, lives with his academic mother. MJ is white with wealthy parents. Part of the pleasure of Pandya’s writing lies in his unravelling of identity politics – a theme explored in his debut, Members Only.Our Beautiful Boys by Sameer Pandya is published by Bloomsbury (£16.99). To support the Guardian and Observ...

Politics

66 h. ago Text messages reveal communication between LA mayor in Ghana and staffers in US as deadly wildfires ravaged Southern California

L.A. mayor Karen Bass was hit with technical issues in Ghana while trying to communicate with her staff in the U.S.

Events

3 d. ago California's water reservoirs on track as winter storms may boost snowpack

The water in California’s mountain snowpack is just shy of average as spring begins, but a winter storm set to hit the Sierra Nevada in the coming days will offer a boost

Events

4 d. ago As wildfire season approaches, budget woes and federal uncertainty have put states' plans at risk

Budget woes, cuts to the federal wildfire-fighting workforce and President Donald Trump’s threats against Canada have made it more difficult for state officials to plan for the upcoming wildfire season

Events

6 d. ago After LA fires destroyed places of worship, Methodist, Muslim and Jewish congregations form ‘an island of grace’

After disaster struck, all three faiths are worshiping under the same roof, forming a microcosm of peaceful coexistenceEntering a sacred space like the First United Methodist church in Pasadena can stir emotions. Curious visitors often wander through the church doors, attracted by its gothic exterior, and instinctively start to whisper.The space on Colorado Boulevard – a busy thoroughfare that doubles as part of the Rose Parade route every New Year’s Day – has always felt holy, said the Rev Amy Aitken, the pastor. Now she wants it to feel like a safe space for two other religious groups that are sharing the facilities for worship: the Islamic Center of Southern California and the Pasadena Jewish Temple and Center. Continue reading...

Events

6 d. ago USC looks to keep March Madness title hopes alive without generational talent JuJu Watkins in lineup

If Southern California wants to win its first women's national championship in 41 years, the Trojans will have to find a way to get it done without star guard JuJu Watkins

Politics

1 week ago Trump has turbocharged the attacks on free speech at US universities. I have seen it first

For speaking up for Palestine, I have been targeted – and have seen colleagues and students face arrest and sanctions Sandy Tolan is a professor at the University of Southern California in Los AngelesThe Trump administration’s attempted deportation of the Columbia University graduate Mahmoud Khalil, a permanent legal resident of the US, is sparking outrage and nationwide protests. But as shocking as his arrest may have seemed to the world, it was sadly unsurprising to those of us on the frontlines of the war at home over Gaza. Here in the US, a building fury of anti-Palestinian hatred, especially since the October 2023 Hamas attacks on Israel, is giving Donald Trump cover to cleanse the country of “undesirables” and undermine free speech and academic freedom.“If you love Hamas so much why not pack up and move to south Gaza,” an infuriated reader wrote to me last spring, after the LA Times published my opinion article criticising my own university, the University of Southern Californ...

Politics

1 week ago White House sparks uncertainty over fate of two major California national monuments

New White House fact sheet has removed references to Chuckwalla and Sáttítla national monumentsNever miss global breaking news. Download our free app to keep up with key stories in real time.The White House is fueling speculation over plans to eliminate two large national monuments in California established by former president Joe Biden.Less than a week before leaving office, Biden designated the 624,000-acre Chuckwalla national monument in southern California and the 224,000-acre Sáttítla Highlands national monument in northern California. Native American tribes consider these lands sacred and had urged Biden to protect them from drilling, mining, clean-energy development and other industrial activity. Continue reading...

Events

2 w. ago Longevity professor shares exact amount of daily walking you should to 'stay young'

Dr Valter Longo heads up the Longevity Institute at the University of Southern California, pioneering research on the challenges of ageing

Politics

2 w. ago Unhoused San Diego woman towed in van found dead inside a month later

Family of Monica Cameroni De Adams, 65, files $50m damages claim as lawyer accuses city of ‘burying her alive’An unhoused woman living out of her van in San Diego was towed away by authorities, who did not realize she was inside the car until she was discovered dead in the vehicle a month later, according to a legal claim and autopsy records made public this week.Monica Cameroni De Adams, 65, was inside her parked Honda minivan at about 1am on 5 November 2023 when a driver crashed into her vehicle and another parked car, lawyers for her children outlined in a wrongful death claim against the southern California city. Continue reading...

Events

2 w. ago Prosecutor's office says case of a California judge charged in wife's death has ended in a mistrial

A prosecutor's office says the case of a Southern California judge charged with murder in his wife's fatal shooting has ended in a mistrial

Events

2 w. ago A new storm could spawn tornadoes in the South and whip up a blizzard in northern states

A potent storm system is expected to pour heavy rain on western states later this week before rumbling into the central United States

Events

3 w. ago 8 injured when driver plowed vehicle into southern California car dealership

Eight people were injured Saturday when a driver plowed a vehicle into a CarMax location in the Los Angeles area

Economics

3 w. ago Six dead as severe winter storms and wildfires wreak havoc across US

Fires broke out in southern Appalachia this week as a storm from California took casualties in Mississippi and NebraskaExtreme weather conditions continue to threaten parts of the southern plains and midwest on Thursday, after six people were killed earlier this week in a powerful storm that wreaked havoc across multiple states.As damage assessments continued in the south, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (Noaa) warned of critical fire conditions for parts of south-east New Mexico and western Texas on Thursday. Continue reading...

Events

3 w. ago Steve Carell surprises Southern California high school students with free prom tickets

Actor Steve Carell is sending Southern California high school students affected by the devasting wildfires in Los Angeles to the prom for free

Politics

3 w. ago Los Angeles sues power utility, alleging equipment sparked deadly wildfire

Southern California Edison accused over Eaton fire, which killed 17 people and destroyed nearly 10,000 structuresLos Angeles county is suing Southern California Edison, alleging the utility’s equipment sparked January’s deadly Eaton fire.The fire was one of several major blazes that tore through the region starting on 7 January. It killed at list 17 people in the Altadena area of Los Angeles, and destroyed more than 9,400 structures. Continue reading...

Events

3 w. ago Los Angeles County claims Southern California utility’s equipment started deadly Eaton Fire in new lawsuit

The cities of Pasadena and Sierra Madre are also filing similar suits against Southern California Edison

Events

3 w. ago Los Angeles County sues Southern California Edison, alleging utility's equipment sparked wildfire

Los Angeles County says it is suing Southern California Edison, alleging the utility’s equipment sparked January’s Eaton Fire, which destroyed more than 9,400 structures and killed 17 people in the Altadena area

Events