Southern California

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Park Visitors on Ride Stuck in Midair for Two Hours

22 people had a frightening experience at Knott's Berry Farm

(Newser) - More than 20 riders were suspended in midair for hours after a Knott's Berry Farm ride malfunctioned Monday afternoon. Guests at the Southern California theme park were stuck on the Sol Spin ride after technical difficulties caused it to stop at about 2pm local time, a park spokesperson said,...

Amid Devastation of California's Mountain Fire, 'Fantastic' News

Firefighters gain ground on the blaze in Ventura County that has destroyed 130-plus homes

(Newser) - Southern California firefighters gained ground Friday against a wildfire that has destroyed at least 132 structures , mostly houses, as favorable conditions were expected to continue through the weekend after two days of dangerous gusty winds. Forecasters expect light winds over the weekend that will continue to aid firefighters. Meteorologists are...

Great White's Jack Russell Dies, a Month After Retiring

Singer, 63, who survived fatal '03 club fire, suffered from lewy body dementia, multiple system atrophy

(Newser) - He survived a massive blaze in 2003 while performing in a Rhode Island nightclub, in a tragedy that took the lives of 100 and injured hundreds more. Now, more than two decades later, Jack Russell, the frontman for the '80s group Great White, has died at 63, reports the...

'Doomsday' Fish Turned Up Before Quake

Oarfish lives up to its nickname with rare find in California

(Newser) - A rarely seen deep-sea creature known as the oarfish seems to have lived up to its nickname as the "doomsday fish" in California. A group of kayakers and snorkelers came across a dead oarfish floating in La Jolla Cove in Southern California on Saturday, reports Fox5 San Diego . Two...

Fault Likely Behind Monday's Quake Has Terrifying Potential

Puente Hills thrust fault system could cause up to 18K deaths if 7.5 magnitude quake hits in LA

(Newser) - The San Andreas Fault is probably the best known fault in California, but scientists say a different fault system was likely behind Monday's 4.4 magnitude quake in the Los Angeles area. Although seismologists note that multiple faults run through and near the City of Angels—including the Elysian...

NPS: Tourists Went on Paintball Spree at Joshua Tree

German trio is accused of shooting up the national park with yellow paintballs

(Newser) - Three German tourists are personae non gratae at Joshua Tree National Park after the National Park Service says they were caught red-handed (or, in this case, yellow-handed) following a paintball vandalism spree. Citing a release , KTLA reports that a ranger making the rounds in the Southern California park on Aug....

Nearly 50 Years Later, Man Charged in Deaths of 3 Women

Authorities say Mississippi's Warren Alexander strangled victims in 1977 in Southern California

(Newser) - A 73-year-old man has been charged in the strangulation deaths of three Southern California women in 1977 after cold case detectives obtained a DNA match, authorities said Thursday, adding they believe there could be more victims. Warren Luther Alexander of Diamondhead, Mississippi, made his first court appearance Thursday, but arraignment...

Cops Tried to Pull Him Over for DUI. He Hit the Gas

Car crash in Upland, California, leaves 4 dead, 2 injured

(Newser) - An early morning police chase in Southern California after an attempted DUI traffic stop ended violently on Friday, after the suspect crashed into another car, killing himself and three other people in his car and injuring two in another vehicle, reports the Los Angeles Times . A rep from the San...

Secret Service Agent Has Scary Night After Biden Gala

Agent robbed at gunpoint in LA suburb of Tustin, fired gun, police say

(Newser) - In Los Angeles on Friday, President Biden appeared at a reelection fundraiser for himself alongside such notables as former President Obama, George Clooney, and Julia Roberts. Meanwhile, just miles away in a nearby suburb, one of his Secret Service agents got caught up in a robbery. Police say they were...

They Ran Out of Water. He Shielded Her With His Body

Rescuers find couple huddled in Joshua Tree amid triple-digit temps last weekend

(Newser) - A couple hiking in the desert south of Joshua Tree National Park in Southern California was rescued after running out of water, authorities said. On Sunday, the man called 911 and reported that his girlfriend was dehydrated and weak, according to a statement from the Riverside County Sheriff's Office...

State's Bong Auction, Meant to Bring In Millions, Netted $2K

California's auction went bust after trying to sell confiscated fixtures

(Newser) - When the state of California raided 10 cannabis businesses that collectively owed $14 million in back taxes, officials had high hopes for the goodies they seized, with plans to put them all up for auction to raise millions. The grand haul after a Feb. 16 sale of various glass bongs...

Jury Returns Conviction in Boys' Crosswalk Deaths

Prosecutors say Rebecca Grossman had been racing former MLB player after drinks

(Newser) - A Southern California woman has been found guilty in the deaths of two young brothers who were in a crosswalk when Rebecca Grossman's car struck them in 2020. A jury convicted her of two counts of murder, two counts of gross vehicular manslaughter, and one count of hit-and-run, the...

Fatal Gender Reveal Stunt Leads to Jail Time

California's Refugio Jimenez Jr. cops to involuntary manslaughter after firefighter died in El Dorado Fire

(Newser) - A man whose family's gender reveal photo shoot sparked a Southern California wildfire that killed a firefighter in 2020 has pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter. The El Dorado Fire erupted on Sept. 5, 2020, when Refugio Jimenez Jr., Angelina Jimenez, and their young children staged a photo shoot for...

The Rain in California Is Mind-Boggling
The Rain in California
Is Mind-Boggling
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
Feb 10, 2024 6:00 AM CST

The Rain in California Is Mind-Boggling

Southern California might get a year's worth in a single day

(Newser) - To say that it's pouring rain in California is a vast understatement. The state is dealing with a weather phenomenon known as an atmospheric river for the second straight day—on the heels of an earlier one last week. Which might explain why the National Weather Service in Los...

Historic California Rain Leaves a Muddy Disaster

Storms are receding, but cleanup from mudslides, flooding, fallen trees will take awhile

(Newser) - Rainfall from one of the wettest storms in Southern California history was to ease off Tuesday, but forecasters warned that floods were still possible and that soaked ground raised the threat of potentially deadly landslides, per the AP . The slow-moving storm that parked itself over the region on Monday, dumping...

'Pretty Lucky' Woman Rescued After Truck Falls 200 Feet

Driver rescued after 4 days after truck plummets off cliff in California's Angeles National Forest

(Newser) - A woman in Southern California has some hikers to thank for being alive after her vehicle veered off the road and off a mountain cliff in Angeles National Forest. Per the East Bay Times , a hiking group spotted a Ford Ranger pickup truck around 12:30pm local time on Sunday...

'Tremendous Wave Energy' Sends 8 to Hospital in California

Rogue wave crashes down on bystanders at Ventura's Pierpont Beach

(Newser) - "It's really exciting," one local said earlier this week of the giant waves that have been slamming into the California coastline of late, attracting gawkers who appear unfazed by the potential danger. A group of bystanders in the southern part of the state got more excitement on...

Doctor Who Claimed He Woke to Find Wife Dead Is Convicted

E. Scott Sills said he discovered Susann Sills at bottom of stairs in 2016

(Newser) - The Southern California fertility doctor who was arrested in 2019, three years after his wife was found dead at their home after he said she'd fallen down the stairs, was on Tuesday convicted of her murder. During the trial of E. Scott Sills, prosecutors pointed out the blood stains...

Hilary Weakens, Speeds Up
Evacuations Precede Hilary
Aug 19, 2023 4:29 PM CDT

Evacuations Precede Hilary

Hurricane weakens as it picks up speed before reaching California

(Newser) - Hurricane Hilary has not yet made landfall in the US, but California officials already are calling for evacuations. The storm has weakened but accelerated, forecasters said, and probably will be downgraded to a tropical storm by Sunday, the San Diego Union-Tribune reports. But they still warn of "catastrophic and...

Choppers Fighting a Blaze Crash in Midair

3 are dead after 2 firefighting helicopters collide in Southern California

(Newser) - Three people were killed after two firefighting helicopters collided in Southern California on Sunday while fighting a blaze in Riverside County, emergency officials said. One of the helicopters landed safely, per the AP . "Unfortunately, the second helicopter crashed, and tragically, all three members perished, which included one Cal Fire...

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