California

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California Girl Missing Since 2020 Found at NC School

Girl missing since 2020 is discovered enrolled in local school under an alias

(Newser) - The trail of a 5-year-old California girl who vanished in 2020 just took a stunning turn in rural North Carolina. Authorities say the child, now 11, was found this week enrolled in a Washington County school under a fake name, some 2,650 miles from where she was last seen...

After Dissing GoFundMe, Mickey Rourke Booted From Home

Landlord given possession of actor's LA residence after dispute over alleged $59K in unpaid rent

(Newser) - Mickey Rourke's latest drama is playing out in a Los Angeles courtroom, not on a movie set. A judge has issued a default judgment ordering the 73-year-old actor officially evicted from his $7,000-a-month Beverly Grove rental after he allegedly ran up about $59,000 in unpaid rent and...

LA Marathon Winner Overtakes Leader With Very Last Step

US high school coach Nathan Martin wins after Kenyan runner mistakenly went off course

(Newser) - Exhausted and battling a lot of pain in the final stretch of the Los Angeles Marathon, Nathan Martin ended up needing "every foot of the 26.2-mile course," per the Los Angeles Times . The 36-year-old high school track and cross-country coach from the US captured Sunday's race...

In Death Valley, a Rare 'Superbloom'

Visitors flock to once-in-a-decade flower show, turning the landscape gold

(Newser) - Death Valley, known as the driest place in North America, is teeming with life with a once-in-a-decade blossoming of wildflowers known as a superbloom, transforming a normally brown desert landscape into carpets of gold, per the AP . Wildflowers bloom across parts of southern California and Nevada at different degrees usually...

California Cracks Down on 'Montana Loophole'

Authorities say residents dodge state taxes with fraudulent registration in Montana

(Newser) - Californians cruising around in high-end cars with Montana plates may be in for an unwanted surprise. The state is cracking down on what's known as the "Montana Loophole," reports the New York Times . Fourteen people have been charged so far in the investigation, which revolves around what...

Respiratory Virus That Lacks Vaccine Spreads in US

HMPV cases rise among children and older adults in several states

(Newser) - A little-known respiratory virus with no vaccine or specific treatment to combat it is surfacing in parts of the US, including California and New Jersey. Human metapneumovirus can infect both the upper and lower respiratory tract, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says, and care is limited to easing...

GOP Congressman Announces His 'New Chapter'

California Rep. Darrell Issa says he won't seek reelection after quarter century in House

(Newser) - Rep. Darrell Issa is stepping off the ballot again. The 72-year-old Republican said on Friday that he won't seek another term, setting up a wide-open race in his increasingly Democratic-leaning Southern California district, reports the New York Times . Issa, one of Congress' richest members and a 12-term lawmaker, cited...

DA: Dad Tweaked E-Motorcycle So Son, 12, Could Go 60mph

California boy crashed last year, suffering serious injuries, and now father is facing a felony charge

(Newser) - A California father is facing a felony charge after prosecutors say he turned his 12-year-old's electric motorcycle into something that could hit freeway speeds, then let the boy ride it in traffic. Orange County prosecutors this week charged 39-year-old Richard John Eyssallenne of Yorba Linda with child endangerment and...

Mom Convicted on 58 Felony Counts in Teen Party Case

Charges against 'Party Mom' Shannon O'Connor included child endangerment, sexual battery

(Newser) - A California mother whose home became the center of a series of alcohol-fueled teen gatherings is now facing decades behind bars. A jury in Santa Clara County has convicted 51-year-old Shannon O'Connor, widely labeled the "Party Mom," on 58 of 63 felony and misdemeanor counts, including child...

These High-Rise Eyesores in LA Just Got Sold

Venture hopes to revive graffiti-covered skyscraper trio in Oceanwide Plaza before 2028 Olympics

(Newser) - Downtown LA's trio of tagged-up skeleton towers may finally escape their graffiti-and-glass limbo. A joint venture between California-based KPC Group and builder Lendlease has agreed to rescue the long-stalled Oceanwide Plaza complex out of bankruptcy for $470 million, with plans to line up as much as $800 million more...

Amid High Water Warning, Rescuers' 'Worst Fears' Realized

Young mother, 33, swept away on popular California trail

(Newser) - Rescuers stationed at a Southern California trailhead to warn hikers of dangerous water levels watched as their "worst fears became reality." Members of the San Dimas Mountain Rescue Team were set up Sunday morning at the Bridge to Nowhere trailhead in Angeles National Forest, advising hikers about swollen...

He Went From First-Round Pick to Murderer Jailed for Life

Dan Serafini gets life with no chance of parole in 2021 shooting of in-laws

(Newser) - Ex-MLB pitcher Dan Serafini has been sentenced to life in prison without the chance of parole in the 2021 murder and attempted murder of his wealthy in-laws. Serafini was found to have hidden inside the Lake Tahoe home of Robert Gary Spohr and Wendy Wood before firing a weapon, killing...

Court Freezes California Rules on Transgender Students

Ruling lets lower court decision favoring parents who argued religious rights take effect

(Newser) - The Supreme Court on Monday temporarily halted California's limits on when schools can tell parents that a student has identified as transgender. In a 6-3 decision along ideological lines, the court allowed a lower-court ruling favoring parents who say the state policy conflicts with their religious beliefs to take...

More Repercussions for LA Schools Chief After FBI Raid

Superintendent Alberto Carvalho has been put on paid leave as mystery investigation continues

(Newser) - Alberto Carvalho, the superintendent of Los Angeles public schools in the nation's second-largest district, was put on paid leave on Friday, two days after the FBI served search warrants at his home and the district's headquarters. Authorities haven't provided details of the nature of the investigation involving the...

Is California's 'Holy Weed' Just a Myth?
Is California's
'Holy Weed'
Just a Myth?
longform
Feb 28, 2026 8:30 AM CST

Is California's 'Holy Weed' Just a Myth?

Legend collides with legalization and vanishing small farms

(Newser) - California's most talked-about pot might be more ghost story than strain. Writing for SFGate , Lester Black details how he spent a year chasing Big Sur Holy Weed, a strain reportedly bred on Big Sur's cliffs in the 1960s by a reclusive monk named Perry, using seeds brought by...

Paramount's Deal Isn't Guaranteed, California Says

Industry voices, including an actor, warn of the effects of such acquisitions

(Newser) - California may turn out to be the toughest studio boss on Paramount's planned takeover of Warner Bros. Discovery . State Attorney General Rob Bonta said California has already opened an investigation into the $110 billion deal and pledged a "vigorous" review, Reuters reports, putting Sacramento on a potential collision...

FBI Raids Los Angeles School District HQ, Leader's Home

School district says it's cooperating, has no further information

(Newser) - The FBI served search warrants Wednesday at the Los Angeles Unified School District's headquarters and the home of its leader, a former Superintendent of the Year who was knighted by Spain for his work. Federal officials would not give details of the nature of the investigation involving the nation'...

Deadly Bird Flu Hits California Elephant Seal Colony

Seal deaths at Año Nuevo spark concern over wider H5N1 spread

(Newser) - A virus that's been slamming elephant seals in the Southern Hemisphere has now turned up on a California beach. Scientists on Wednesday confirmed the first known cases of the H5N1 bird flu virus in northern elephant seals, after seven pups at Año Nuevo State Park tested positive. They'...

Famed Caltech Astrophysicist Fatally Shot at Home

Freddy Snyder, 29, charged with shooting death of Carl Grillmair

(Newser) - A California astrophysicist known for mapping the Milky Way's structure and spotting water on a distant world was shot to death on the porch of his desert home. Authorities say 67-year-old Carl Grillmair, a longtime Caltech researcher, was found with a gunshot wound to the torso outside his house...

Video of Alcohol-Sipping Hawk Earns Man Jail Time

Judge also imposes ban on firearms and caring for animals, counseling on Cesar Gustavo Diaz, 25

(Newser) - Handing a boozy drink to a young hawk just landed a Los Angeles man behind bars. A judge sentenced Cesar Gustavo Diaz, 25, to 45 days in jail and a year of probation after footage showed him offering alcohol to a juvenile Cooper's hawk at a park in the...

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