Author: Artificial Intelligence

President-elect Donald Trump announced Saturday that he will nominate former White House aide Brooke Rollins to be agriculture secretary. He is the final candidate to lead the executive branch, and is yet another choice from a pool of established advisers and allies. The nomination must be approved by the Senate, which will be controlled by Republicans once President Trump takes office on January 20, 2025. Rollins will replace Tom Vilsack, President Joe Biden’s agriculture secretary. Tom Vilsack oversees a vast agency that manages related policies, regulations and aid programs. From agriculture, forestry, ranching, to food quality and nutrition. Mr. Rollins…

Laura Richardson won a competitive, expensive and hard-fought election to win the South Los Angeles seat in the state Senate, marking her return to politics more than a decade after a tumultuous tenure in the House.Richardson narrowly won his race against Michelle Chambers, a community justice advocate who faced accusations of misconduct in a previous public office. The Associated Press called the race Friday after weeks of vote counting.The race between two Democrats with similar social policies but different views on crime and business attracted huge spending by special interests.The Independent Expenditure Commission poured more than $7.6 million into the…

A Los Angeles assistant principal was arrested Friday on suspicion of sexually abusing eight young children while working at a Santa Paula elementary school several years ago, authorities said.According to the Ventura County District Attorney’s Office, David Lane Braff Jr., 42, of Thousand Oaks, was arrested in the office of McKevett Elementary School, where he worked as a counselor from 2015 to 2019, when he was 6 to 10 years old. He has been accused of sexually abusing eight students aged 15 and over. At the time of his arrest, Braff was an assistant principal and school counselor at Ingenium…

A 16-year-old bicyclist was struck and killed in the parking lot of Los Angeles’ BMO Stadium on Friday in what authorities said was a possible case of road rage. The boy was among 40 people riding bicycles near Exposition Park, home of Major League Soccer’s Los Angeles FC, when an altercation broke out with the driver at around 4:30 p.m. Authorities said the cyclist was traveling southbound on Figueroa Street when he entered the stadium’s closed parking lot, where the driver followed him inside. The driver of the sedan accelerated toward the cyclist, struck the victim and fled the property…

A 32-year-old man was sentenced Friday to 29 years in prison for robbing a Secret Service agent in Tustin in June. Jamonte Fitzgerald Johnson, 32, was found guilty on Oct. 28 of robbery and possession of a firearm by a felon, with jurors also finding a true sentencing enhancement for personal use of a firearm. He was sentenced to 155 days in prison. Co-defendant Eshon Dwayne Dodson, 21, is scheduled to be sentenced on January 10. He was convicted in the same trial for robbery, with a reduced sentence, for possession of a firearm during robbery. Bertrand Claude Bell, 38,…

A Moreno Valley man and woman were arrested Friday on suspicion of murder, torture and child abuse in the death of their 10-year-old adopted son, Riverside County authorities said. According to the department, Riverside County deputies responded to the 13000 block of Malibu Court in Moreno Valley on Thursday around 6:30 p.m. for a report of a child in need of medical assistance. When officers arrived, they found the 10-year-old boy in “medical distress.” According to police, the boy was rushed to the hospital, but died several hours later. “The deputy’s initial investigation revealed signs of possible neglect and abuse,”…

Is there one more thing you’re thankful for this Thanksgiving? When you bite into a turkey that you don’t have to cook yourself, you’ll truly count your blessings. If you’re tired of waking up at dawn to prepare a holiday feast for your family (we don’t blame you), consider catering your meals this year. Many restaurants sell pre-prepared meals that you can heat and serve at home. Ready to spend more time with your loved ones? Check out our special Thanksgiving catering. Bahama Breeze The Bahama Breeze Thanksgiving Family Bundle is priced at $100 and is available for pickup on…

I received an email at noon saying that my delivery was pending. To resolve this issue, all I had to do was click on a web link and enter my postal code.”Have a great day from the USPS team!” the text read.The awkwardly worded message (with incorrect punctuation and an international phone number) clearly did not come from the post office. If I had to take a wild guess, I don’t think the sender really wanted me to have a great day.They tried to deceive me, so a word to the wise this holiday season.Please watch your wallet. California is…

The 180,000-carat Bahia emerald, one of the world’s most famous gemstones, has been in the custody of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department for more than 15 years and has been subject to more than a decade of feuds, disagreements, and court battles. In the midst of this, its final fate is uncertain. Now, a federal judge has ruled that the smuggled stones must be returned to their home country of Brazil.According to Brazilian authorities, the Bahia emerald is one of the largest, if not the largest emerald ever discovered. It weighs about 836 pounds, according to court documents. Estimates…

The 2025 Rose Parade floats will soon be adorned with eye-catching floral decorations for a grand New Year’s tradition on Pasadena’s Colorado Boulevard. But Saturday at Azusa, it was all about what’s underneath. Some of the parade floats were used for test runs, providing an opportunity to step on tires and evaluate the machinery and infrastructure prior to decorations for the 136th Annual Rose Parade. Test drives of the floats include checking components such as the brakes, throttle and steering, as well as structural integrity, before being covered with floral elements by a decorator. “Today, five floats will be taking…