Free Republic

DIAMOND BAR, Calif. — A cluster of brush fires erupted along the fringes of suburban neighborhoods in eastern Los Angeles County on Tuesday. Helicopters and SuperScooper airplanes roared low over homes to drop loads of water on the flames in hilly terrain just outside back yards. Lines of widely separated flame moved across rolling grasslands. Weather appeared to be on firefighters' side, with little wind evident. County Fire Inspector Steve Zermeno said reports of five to eight separate fires near State Route 60 came in about 11:45. The area is about 25 miles east of downtown Los Angeles. About 150...

By the time heli-tankers arrived in force, the blaze had leaped Angeles Crest Highway. The last best chance to prevent a catastrophe had vanished.On a sizzling August morning, as flames burned unchecked down the road, fire crews milled about at an Angeles Crest Highway ranger station. Others were parked along the pavement -- a critical line of defense -- their engines quiet and hoses slack. It was more than an hour after first light, and some six hours after U.S. Forest Service commanders had determined that the fire required a more aggressive air attack. But the skies remained empty of...

Investigators are trying to determine why a U.S. Coast Guard C-130 airplane and a U.S. Marine Corps attack helicopter collided on Thursday night, likely killing nine crew members. Aircraft and ships are scouring the ocean off San Diego for any signs of survivors of the nighttime collision, but Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman said the crash likely killed both the plane's seven crew members and the two-person crew of the AH-1W Super Cobra helicopter.Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Ian Gregor said the crash occurred minutes after control of the C-130 was handed off from FAA controllers to military air controllers.

BreakingNews San Diego media: 9 missing after collision of Coast Guard C-130 and Marine Cobra helicopter off the SD coast. BNO News working to confirm.

A STRONG PACIFIC STORM MOVING THROUGH NORTHERN AND CENTRALCALIFORNIA LATE TUESDAY THROUGH EARLY WEDNESDAY WILL BRING SOMEIMPACTS TO EXTREME SOUTHWESTERN CALIFORNIA. THE STORM WILL GENERATE A LARGE WEST SWELL WHICH WILL MOVE THROUGHTHE COASTAL WATERS WEDNESDAY THROUGH FRIDAY BRINGING HIGH SURF TOEXPOSED WEST FACING BEACHES WITH SOME BREAKERS EXCEEDING 10 FEETPOSSIBLE. THIS SURF WILL CAUSE DANGEROUS RIP CURRENTS. OTHER IMPACTS MAY EXTEND INTO NORTHERN PORTIONS OF SOUTHERNCALIFORNIA WITH MODERATE TO HEAVY RAINFALL POSSIBLE AS FAR SOUTHAS THE SAN BERNARDINO MOUNTAINS AND STRONG...GUSTY WINDS POSSIBLEIN MOUNTAIN AND DESERT AREAS OF SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY. ANYMODERATE TO HEAVY RAINFALL COULD CAUSE MUD AND...

California Christians Worship In A Big Way The state has more megachurches than anywhere else in the country, with the majority in the suburbs between Los Angeles and San Diego. Their upbeat approach is luring thousands each weekend. A worshiper gets caught up in the music at Shepherd of the Hills in Porter Ranch, which attracts 8,000 people to its six weekend services. California has 193 megachurches, defined as those with at least 2,000 congregants. By Duke Helfand October 11, 2009 Once again, the Sunday faithful have packed the cavernous sanctuary at Shepherd of the Hills Church in the San...

CHICAGO (MarketWatch) -- Anheuser-Busch InBev said Wednesday that it will sell its entertainment business, including theme parks like Sea World and Busch Gardens, to the Blackstone Group for as much as $2.7 billion.The final purchase price will involve a cash payment of $2.3 billion on closing and the right to participate in Blackstone's returns that is capped at $400 million.

SAN FRANCISCO—A federal judge has tossed out the federal government's plans to open vast tracts of forests in Southern California to new road building. U.S. District Court Judge Marilyn Hall Patel ruled Wednesday that the U.S. Forest Service failed to adequately consider the effects the new plan would have on the landscape and wildlife in the Angeles, Los Padres, Cleveland and San Bernardino national forests. Los Padres is the principal home of the California condor.

EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. — Space shuttle Discovery and its seven astronauts took a cross-country detour and landed safely in California on Friday after stormy weather prevented them from returning home to Florida for the second day in a row.

NASA's Terra satellite has captured a dramatic image of the Los Angeles "Station Fire" wildfire. It is one of at least seven conflagrations currently affecting California, which by yesterday had reportedly laid waste to over 133,000 acres and consumed 80 buildings. NASA explains: "The area covered by the image is 245 kilometers (152 miles) wide. Several pyrocumulus clouds, created by the Station Fire, are visible above the smoke plumes rising from the San Gabriel Mountains north of Los Angeles in the left-center of the image. "Smoke from the Station Fire is seen covering the interior valleys along the south side...

The so-called Station Fire, which now covers more than 120,000 Southern California acres and is burning largely uncontained, continues to threaten the century-old Mount Wilson Observatory, home to astronomer Edwin Hubble at the time he made his landmark observations of the universe's expansion. The observatory is currently unmanned due to the fire threat and the attending smoke, but a webcam atop Mount Wilson's 150-foot solar tower has provided observatory managers and concerned observers with a view from the scene. At 12:55 p.m. (Eastern Daylight Time) the camera showed a great deal of smoke but no flames. ...According to the Los...

If flames were to reach the top of Mt. Wilson, home to the region's TV and FM radio transmitters, what would happen? Severe damage could disrupt cellphone service, as well as television and radio programming for those who receive signals over the air. It also could interrupt some emergency law enforcement communications. ... Mt. Wilson is home to more than two dozen towers that occupy its peak just north of Sierra Madre. It supports antennas that beam signals for television and FM radio stations throughout the region. The fire also threatens the historic solar observatory atop the mountain, which houses...

Four major fires have consumed around 4,600 acres across the greater Los Angeles region this past week. Here's the latest, as of 9:30 a.m., according to fire information officers for each of the blazes. Palos Verdes Fire The fire that began around 8 p.m. last night has only consumed 100 acres in a residential area prompting the evacuation of around 1,200 to 1,500 people. It's 35 percent contained and despite earlier reports of lost homes, six structures have been damaged along with the complete destruction of one outbuilding and a gazebo, according to Inspector Steve Zermeno from the LA County...

Southern California Home Sales Surge to Highest Since 2006 La Jolla, CA---Southern California home sales rose in June to the highest level in 30 months as the number of deals above $500,000 continued to climb. June's sales gain, plus another rise in the region's median sale price, indicate buyers responded to price cuts on mid- to high-end homes and found it easier to secure financing for pricier abodes, a real estate information service reported. A total of 23,262 new and resale houses and condos closed escrow in San Diego, Orange, Los Angeles, Ventura, Riverside and San Bernardino counties last month....

The largest utility in southern California urged consumers on Monday to conserve power to help keep air conditioners running without interruption as hot weather sends demand soaring over the next few days. Temperatures in Los Angeles will reach the low 90s Fahrenheit (low 30s Celsius) Monday and Tuesday with the humidity making it feel more like the low 100s F (high 30s C), according to AccuWeather.com. Edison International's Southern California Edison utility said its transmission system was performing well but the continuing multi-day heat wave and lighting caused some isolated equipment failures and scattered outages. As the heat continues, the...

MARINA DEL REY -- A teenager from Thousand Oaks is expected to become the youngest person to circumnavigate the globe alone when he arrives in Los Angeles Thursday morning. Zac Sunderland, who left Marina del Rey June 14, 2008 at age 16 and has been headed west ever since, is expected to arrive in his homeport at 10 a.m. Thursday to a hero's reception at Fisherman's Village. Zac turned 17 off Africa's Cape of Good Hope and is expected to be certified upon his arrival as the youngest person to circumnavigate the Earth alone by sailboat and the first person...

Southern California's forest plan is in limbo following a recent court order declaring that it violates federal law, a finding that could impact measures being taken to manage the region's vast forestland and reduce the perennial danger of catastrophic fire. Last month, federal court Judge Marilyn Hall Patel in San Francisco said the plan governing operations and recreation on the San Bernardino, Cleveland, Angeles and Los Padres national forests lacks specifics about how activities such as off-road vehicle use and brush clearing might impact endangered plants and animals. The case remains open and the government is working to craft a...

The region had the nation's biggest percentage jump in 2008, and the number this year through April is up 75% despite a 2005 rule overhaul aimed at curbing filings by those who would benefit unfairly. Going legally broke has made a big comeback -- especially in the Los Angeles area -- despite a mid-decade revision to the U.S. Bankruptcy Code intended to curb filings. The number of Southern Californians seeking bankruptcy protection nearly doubled in 2008 from 2007 in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court's seven-county California Central District, by far the biggest increase in the nation. Bankruptcy is still booming. Personal...

Are we experiencing the worst economic downturn since the Depression? In most California cities, it looks that way. In most Texas cities, probably not. That's one story emerging from a new Brookings Institution analysis examining the performance of the nation's largest metropolitan areas over the course of the current recession. Notwithstanding the attention lavished on the national economic figures emanating from Washington each week, we're not undergoing one uniform recession nationwide. The effects on our 100 largest metropolitan areas -- the combined city/suburban labor and housing markets that collectively represent three-quarters of the U.S. economy -- have ranged from glancing...

A reporter for a small newspaper was forcibly removed from a press area near Air Force One shortly before President Barack Obama arrived at Los Angeles International Airport to depart California early Thursday. Airport security officers carried the woman away by the feet and arms as she protested her removal. She later identified herself as Brenda Lee, a writer for the Georgia Informer in Macon and said she has White House press credentials. The newspaper's Web site says it is monthly publication a Brenda Lee column is posted on it. Calls to the newspaper and the White House press office...

Los Angeles, Ventura and San Diego will become the first counties in California to begin checking the immigration status of all inmates booked into jail Law enforcement officials will begin running inmates' fingerprints through federal databases this month to see if they have had any contact with the immigration system. Once the inmates have finished serving their sentences, they will be transferred to immigration custody for possible deportation

Los Angeles, CA (AP) -- Law enforcement agencies in three Southern California counties will soon be able to check the immigration status of arrestees when their fingerprints are taken. The Immigration and Customs Enforcement said Wednesday the so-called "Secure Communities" program is scheduled to begin this month in Los Angeles, San Diego and Ventura counties.

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – Gusty winds have driven a wildfire into outlying neighborhoods of Santa Barbara, Calif., and residents of more homes have been told to leave. ... The fire lay dormant most of the day. But strong winds with gusts up to 50 mph arrived in the afternoon and stoked the fire. The sheriff's office says an evacuation order covering 1,200 homes has been expanded to 2,000 homes.

earthquake in so.cal. magnitude unknown

Another case of swine flu was reported Wednesday just as the Geneva-based World Health Organization Wednesday raised its alert level for the fast-spreading swine flu to its next-to-highest notch, signaling a global pandemic could be imminent. There are now eight cases of human infection with swine influenza A (H1N1) in San Diego County,” Health & Human Services Agency spokesman Tom Christensen said. More details were expected to emerge about the latest case at a 3:30 p.m. news conference at which San Diego County Public Health Officer Wilma Wooten will provide an update on developments around the county. Watch the news...

The Los Angeles County coroner's office is investigating two recent deaths for links to swine flu. Coroner's Capt. John Kades (KAY-dis) says tests are being run on two bodies to see if swine flu was a factor in their deaths, but there is no confirmation that the disease killed them. Kades offered no other details of the men. The Los Angeles Times reports on its Web site that both men's deaths were reported to the coroner's office on Monday. Coroner's spokesman Craig Harvey told the paper that a Bellflower hospital reported the death of a 33-year-old Long Beach man who...

Layoffs, tight credit and other fallout from the troubled economy have battered Southern California's office market, leading to vacancy rates as high as 30% in some areas. The pain is expected to continue for months, if not years, with vacancies rising even as the economy shows modest signs of recovery, according to industry observers tracking activity in the first quarter. We have a rough road ahead of us," said Joe Vargas, senior managing director of real estate brokerage Cushman & Wakefield. "It's going to be a very challenging market for the remainder of the year." Desperate landlords in the Inland...

Boisterous Ventura tax protestors are 'Tea'd Off' In Ventura, more than 1,000 people gathered under blue skies to vent wide-ranging concerns, from over-taxation and government spending to condemnation of a recent Homeland Security report tracking a rise in violence among right-wing groups. Holding signs such as "Abolish the Federal Reserve," and "We are Obummed Out, Stop Spending, No More Taxes," the crowd was in a celebratory mood, loudly applauding each speaker and cheering as a small plane droned overhead pulling a banner that said "I’m Tea’d Off!!"

Below are the different San Diego area post office locations participating in the Nationwide Tax Day Tea Party on April 15, 2009SAN DIEGO - COUNTY REGIONAL POST OFFICE2535 Midway Dr.San Diego, CA 921106:00-12:00pmSAN DIEGO - CARMEL MTN POST OFFICE11251 Rancho Carmel Dr.San Diego CA 921285:00 - 8:00pmEL CAJON - POST OFFICE401 W. Lexington Ave.El Cajon, CA 920205:00 - 6:30pmOCEANSIDE - OCEANSIDE CITY HALL300 N. Coast HighwayOceanside, CA 920546:00 - 7:00pmESCONDIDO403 N. Escondido Blvd.Escondido, CA 920255:00 - 7:oopmThis information is correct to the best of my knowledge. If anyone has any information to add, please feel free to do so.

Magnitude-4.8 Quake Near Salton Sea in S. Calif. By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Published: March 24, 2009 BOMBAY BEACH, Calif. (AP) -- A moderate earthquake struck Tuesday on the edge of the Salton Sea in Southern California's Imperial County, but there were no reports of injuries or damage. The magnitude-4.8 quake struck at 4:55 a.m. at a depth of about 3.5 miles, said seismologist Amy Vaughn of the U.S. Geological Survey. It was centered two miles south of the small town of Bombay Beach on the eastern shore of the Salton Sea, about 90 miles east of San Diego. The main...

A PACIFIC STORM WILL MOVE RAPIDLY SOUTHEAST INTO SOUTHERN CALIFORNIALATE SATURDAY THROUGH SUNDAY...BRINGING SHOWERS...WITH SNOW TO THEMOUNTAINS...ALONG WITH GUSTY WINDS AND AFTERNOON HIGH TEMPERATURESWELL BELOW NORMAL. THUNDERSTORMS WILL ALSO BE POSSIBLE. MODERATE TO HEAVY SHOWERS AND STRONG GUSTY WINDS ARE EXPECTEDWITH THE COLD FRONTAL RAIN BAND LATE SATURDAY NIGHT INTO SUNDAY.AROUND 1/4 TO 1/2 AN INCH OF RAIN IS POSSIBLE IN THE COASTAL ANDVALLEY AREAS...UP TO ABOUT 3/4 OF AN INCH OF RAIN IN THEMOUNTAINS...AND UP TO 1/10 OF AN INCH OF RAIN IN THE DESERTS. SNOWABOVE 6000 FEET SATURDAY NIGHT...LOWERING TO 4500 FEET SUNDAY. UP TO6 INCHES OF SNOW...

We hate the media in general, but we love afternoon talk show hosts John & Ken of KFI radio in Los Angeles. And if the media ignores their popular tax revolt movement, we’ll give them a hand.

Counselor suspended after teens hear Christian music Accused of 'exposing children to unapproved religious activities' A Southern California counselor with nearly two decades of experience with foster children is challenging a decision that she be punished after four teens she took on an approved day-long outing encountered a beach festival – and heard Christian music. The 18-year employee, according to the lawsuit, took four teen girls from the Orangewood Children's Home, which was launched as a private facility but now is owned and run by Orange County. "What happened to this counselor was insane and unjust," said Brad Dacus, president...

LOS ANGELES, (AP) -- Traffic has backed up for miles on routes into the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach as a new automated container fee system has turned away hundreds of trucks not equipped with required electronic passes. The ports began on Wednesday to collect fees to help finance the Clean Trucks Program, which aims to reduce pollution from cargo-hauling trucks. The trucks must carry an electronic pass to get through terminal gates. The system charges fees up to $70 to cargo owners who use older trucks servicing the ports. The money will help pay for newer, cleaner-running...

Los Angeles nears water rationing By Steve Gorman – LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – With a recent flurry of winter storms doing little to dampen California's latest drought, the nation's biggest public utility voted on Tuesday to impose water rationing in Los Angeles for the first time in nearly two decades. Under the plan adopted in principle by the governing board of the L.A. Department of Water and Power, homes and businesses would pay a penalty rate -- nearly double normal prices -- for any water they use in excess of a reduced monthly allowance. The five-member board plans to formally...

Heavy rain and mountain snows will shift southward over California Monday as a strong winter storm drifts toward shore. The focus for drenching rain Monday will be in Southern California, from greater Los Angeles to San Diego. Amounts through Monday here will be a widespread 1-2 inches, with rainfall to 4 inches inundating the mountains and foothills, particularly the southward-facing slopes. Flooding is likely with this event, and mudslides possible, especially in recent burn areas. Some roads may become blocked with debris or completely washed out, and drivers should exercise caution. Gusty winds will further complicate matters, downing trees...

The latest storm to hit California with heavy rain and mountain snow this weekend will have far-reaching effects across the country next week. This storm has the potential to spark another round of severe storms in the southern Plains and Deep South and spread a swath of heavy snow from the Midwest to the Northeast.

Image will change as time progresses:***************EXCERPT ******************* The latest system riding the train of Pacific storms will press over the Southwest through tonight, delivering more welcome rain and mountain snow. A period of rain will spread from north to south across California, reaching Los Angeles by the afternoon. Rain will not fall heavily enough to cause flash flooding in most areas. However, the areas burned by wildfires last year could be the exception. The northern and central Sierra will bear the brunt of the storm's snowfall. Over a foot of snow will make travel through the passes extremely treacherous. Ski...

Following is an EXCERPT******************************A SERIES OF COLD FRONTS WILL MOVE ACROSS SOUTHWEST CALIFORNIA...BEGINNING THIS AFTERNOON AND CONTINUING INTO TUESDAY. THESE WILLBRING MUCH COLDER TEMPERATURES WITH PERIODS OF HEAVY RAIN ANDPOSSIBLY THUNDERSTORMS. THERE WILL ALSO BE SNOW AT THE HIGHERELEVATIONS...ESPECIALLY THIS WEEKEND. THE FIRST COLD FRONT IS FORECAST TO MOVE ACROSS SOUTHWEST CALIFORNIATHIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING. GUSTY SOUTH WINDS ARE ALREADY OCCURRINGAHEAD OF IT OVER THE MOUNTAINS AND DESERTS OF SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY. RAINFALL AMOUNTS THIS AFTERNOON THROUGH TONIGHT ARE FORECAST TORANGE FROM A QUARTER TO A HALF INCH OVER THE COASTS AND VALLEYS TOAN INCH ON THE COASTAL MOUNTAIN SLOPES....

Don Callender, credited with turning his mother's modest home-based bakery business into a restaurant and pie dynasty in Southern California, has died.

A 4.5 magnitude earthquake shook Los Angeles and surrounding areas at 7:50pm local time Thursday. The quake was centered about a mile south of San Bernardino, and was felt across Los Angeles, San Pedro and Orange County. There were no reports of damage or injuries. Experts claim that Los Angeles is due for a large quake after a long stretch of relative quietness. A 5.4 quake shook Los Angeles is July 2008, the largest quake in 14 years. More if we have it.

Just now

URGENT - WEATHER MESSAGENATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN DIEGO CA1006 AM PST THU JAN 8 2009 CAZ042-050-056-058-082200-/O.EXA.KSGX.HW.A.0001.090109T2000Z-090112T0200Z/ORANGE COUNTY COASTAL AREAS-SAN DIEGO COUNTY VALLEYS-RIVERSIDE COUNTY MOUNTAINS-SAN DIEGO COUNTY MOUNTAINS-1006 AM PST THU JAN 8 2009 ...HIGH WIND WATCH IN EFFECT FROM FRIDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH SUNDAYAFTERNOON... THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN SAN DIEGO HAS ISSUED A HIGH WINDWATCH...WHICH IS IN EFFECT FROM FRIDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH SUNDAYAFTERNOON. GUSTY OFFSHORE WINDS WILL DEVELOP FRIDAY AFTERNOON AS HIGHPRESSURE BUILDS OVER THE GREAT BASIN. THE SANTA ANA WINDS WILLCONTINUE THROUGH THE WEEKEND WITH THE STRONGEST WINDS THROUGH ANDBELOW MOUNTAIN CANYONS AND PASSES WHERE WIND GUSTS IN EXCESS...

SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA - January 4, 2009 (SocalWeather.Org) Strong Santa Ana Winds are Becoming Likely by End Week into The Weekend. ES1 released to the public on January 1, 2009. The outcome of the forecast was much different than December 2008. In fact the pattern indicated a Santa Ana Wind pattern. The Southern California Weather Authority has released a forecast for Santa Ana Winds to return to the Southern California area as early as Friday. These winds could last into the weekend with gusts over hurricane force in some spots. "We are starting to see the signs of the pattern coming...

... On a financial landscape littered with wreckage, WaMu, a Seattle-based bank that opened branches at a clip worthy of a fast-food chain, stands out as a singularly brazen case of lax lending. By the first half of this year, the value of its bad loans had reached $11.5 billion, nearly tripling from $4.2 billion a year earlier. ... WaMu’s boiler room culture flourished in Southern California, where housing prices rose so rapidly during the bubble that creative financing was needed to attract buyers. To that end, WaMu embraced so-called option ARMs, adjustable rate mortgages that enticed borrowers with a...

A week before winter officially begins, and Southern California is having its first cold spell. Mid-day temperatures on this sunny Sunday are down in the mid-50s, with a breeze making it seem even colder here in Venice. Still, this being a SoCal beach community, young men and women are out riding bikes on 3rd Avenue, while teens glide down the gentle incline on skateboards. The street is a gentrification potpourri of two-story stucco apartments and spacious Spanish-style homes with tile roofs. At the top of the hill, however, is a brown brick three-story rectangular building that seems somewhat out of...

..UNSETTLED WEATHER THIS WEEK... A COUPLE OF PACIFIC STORMS WILL AFFECT SOUTHWEST CALIFORNIA NEXTWEEK. THIS WILL BRING UNSETTLED WEATHER WITH PERIODS OF RAIN ANDMOUNTAIN SNOW. THE FIRST SYSTEM APPROACHING FROM THE NORTHWEST WILL MOVE THROUGHMONDAY WITH RAIN AND MOUNTAIN SNOW. SHOWERS WILL LINGER INTOTUESDAY. MOST OF THE COLD AIR WILL INITIALLY REMAIN TO THE NORTHEASTWITH THE LOCAL SNOW LEVELS 5500 TO 6500 FT MONDAY THEN LOWERING TOBETWEEN 4000 AND 4500 FT TUESDAY. RAINFALL TOTALS SHOULD RANGE FROM ABOUT HALF NEAR THE COAST TO ABOUTAN INCH ON THE LOWER COASTAL MOUNTAIN SLOPES. UP TO ABOUT A THIRD OFAN INCH IS EXPECTED...

ORANGE COUNTY COASTAL AREAS-SAN DIEGO COUNTY COASTAL AREAS-SAN BERNARDINO AND RIVERSIDE COUNTY VALLEYS-THE INLAND EMPIRE-SAN DIEGO COUNTY VALLEYS-SANTA ANA MOUNTAINS AND FOOTHILLS-SAN DIEGO COUNTY MOUNTAINS-SAN DIEGO COUNTY DESERTS-816 AM PST WED DEC 17 2008 ...FLASH FLOOD WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT THROUGH THIS EVENING... THE FLASH FLOOD WATCH CONTINUES FOR * A PORTION OF SOUTHWEST CALIFORNIA...INCLUDING THE FOLLOWING AREAS...ORANGE COUNTY COASTAL AREAS...SAN BERNARDINO AND RIVERSIDE COUNTY VALLEYS-THE INLAND EMPIRE...SAN DIEGO COUNTY COASTAL AREAS...SAN DIEGO COUNTY DESERTS...SAN DIEGO COUNTY MOUNTAINS...SAN DIEGO COUNTY VALLEYS AND SANTA ANA MOUNTAINS AND FOOTHILLS. * THROUGH THIS EVENING * HEAVY RAINFALL COULD PRODUCE FLASH FLOODING. * A...

The Financial Times reports, in a story with no named sources, that the owners of the Los Angeles Times are talking to the owners of the Orange County Register about merging operations.

Lowering air pollution in Southern California and the San Joaquin Valley would save more lives annually than ending all motor vehicle fatalities in the two regions, according to a new study. The study, which examined the costs of air pollution in two areas with the worst levels in the country, also said meeting federal ozone and fine particulate standards could save $28 billion annually in health care costs, school absences, missed work and lost income potential from premature deaths. The price tag amounts to $1,600 annually per person in the San Joaquin Valley and $1,250 in the South Coast Air...