Not quite six years ago, wildfire expert Jack Cohen, who lives in Missoula, Mont., visited Pacific Palisades to instruct firefighters and property owners on how to protect homes against wildfires.

Three days of training, including a tour of the community, left Cohen hopeful, but the feeling faded when it became clear that his lessons were not ...Read more

Crime is down in Baltimore, but concerns about it still pervade the congregation of Southern Baptist Church in Broadway East, the sanctuary’s pastor says.

“People are talking about crime and the ethos of the lack of safety,” Bishop Donte L. Hickman Sr. said. “For people that come out, whether it’s in the day or in the night, (they) ...Read more

It’s that time of new year, when I consult my crystal glass to glimpse where the wine world is going next. Some powerful, important trends are still ongoing, some wacky ones are thankfully disappearing, and others are brand-new.

Let’s start with one thing that will stick around for the foreseeable future: climate change.

The past 10 years ...Read more

On the heels of a scuttled hospital merger between rivals in Terre Haute, Indiana, a state senator introduced a bill that would forbid similar mergers in the future.

Last year, nonprofit Union Health tried to acquire the only other acute care hospital in Vigo County by leveraging a state law it helped create that allows hospital monopolies. Now...Read more

LOS ANGELES — Calmer winds and higher humidity helped firefighters make progress Saturday battling an unprecedented fire siege that has devastated the foothill community of Altadena and coastal enclave of Pacific Palisades — but officials warned that Santa Ana gusts will pick up again next week and cautioned the public to stay on alert.

“...Read more

LOS ANGELES — An epic aerial assault was underway Saturday as a fleet of aircraft worked to prevent the Palisades fire from hitting homes in Brentwood and Encino.

A shift in winds late Friday sent the fire north and east through the Santa Monica Mountains, forcing evacuations of Brentwood and the hills of Encino and Tarzana — keeping Los ...Read more

House Republicans from New York, California and New Jersey unhappy with a cap on state and local tax deductions cast talks on the issue with Donald Trump Saturday night as “positive” but described no firm commitments from the president-elect.

“He really communicated that he feels for how unaffordable the taxes are for our constituents,”...Read more

LOS ANGELES — An epic aerial assault was underway Saturday as a fleet of aircraft worked to prevent the Palisades fire from hitting homes in Brentwood and Encino.

A shift in winds late Friday sent the fire north and east through the Santa Monica Mountains, forcing evacuations of Brentwood and the hills of Encino and Tarzana — keeping Los ...Read more

A now-former Florida police officer watching pornography on his cellphone slammed into another vehicle that had stopped for a school bus flashing its light.

According to an internal investigation report obtained by the Smoking Gun on Friday, 28-year-old Lake County Deputy Sheriff Tristan Macomber rear-ended a 63-year-old woman’s Toyota ...Read more

WASHINGTON — Vice President-elect JD Vance tempered his boss’s promise to pardon all the protesters involved in the U.S. Capitol riot on Jan. 6, 2021, saying those who behaved violently should “obviously” not receive pardons.

President-elect Donald Trump repeatedly vowed during his campaign that on his first day in office he would ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — President-elect Donald Trump has not responded to Gov. Gavin Newsom’s invitation to tour California’s fire damage, Newsom said Saturday afternoon.

Newsom sent a letter on Friday inviting the incoming president to California to meet with fire victims, survey the devastation in Los Angeles County and join him in thanking first...Read more

LOS ANGELES — Authorities detected more than 30 drones in the restricted airspace around the Palisades fire between Friday and Saturday, Los Angeles County Fire Department spokesperson Sheila Kelliher said Saturday.

“When a drone is detected near manned firefighting aircraft, operations must be suspended,“ she said. “This disruption ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — In any given year, up to 30% of the state's wildfire-fighting force earns as little as $26.90 for a 24-hour shift. That's because they're prisoners in the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, and more than 900 of them have helped battle the wildfires ravaging Southern California this week.

Behind bars, ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — An epic aerial assault was underway Saturday as a fleet of aircraft worked to prevent the Palisades fire from hitting homes in Brentwood and Encino.

A shift in winds late Friday sent the fire north and east through the Santa Monica Mountains, forcing evacuations of Brentwood and the hills of Encino and Tarzana — keeping Los ...Read more

Thousands of families were displaced on Tuesday when fires torched homes throughout Pacific Palisades and Altadena, kicking off a regionwide house hunt as victims scoured a tight market looking for homes to rent — or even buy.

People are desperate, local agents said. Their homes are in ashes, and they’re looking for stability — somewhere ...Read more

The devastating Palisades Fire pushed to the northeast, prompting new evacuations in the ultra-affluent Southern California neighborhoods of Brentwood and Bel Air as the threat of more dry winds raised risks after a brief respite.

The spreading flames brought “another night of unimaginable terror and heartbreak,” Los Angeles County ...Read more

When Brigitte Tran arrived Wednesday morning at the Rodeo Drive boutique where she works as a sales associate, she was on edge.

Smoke from multiple wildfires raging across Los Angeles County billowed overhead. The luxury shopping corridor usually bustling with tourists appeared a ghost town.

Tran's co-worker texted their boss to let her know ...Read more

HARTFORD, Conn. — The Rev. Darrell Goodwin is seeking those who have been estranged from hope.

The leader of nearly 600 New England churches has recently launched a campaign to reach those in need of hope, Find Hope Now. It’s a new take on the gospel, offering radical love, inclusion and what he calls “an extravagant welcome.”

Goodwin,...Read more

Jack Smith has resigned as the special counsel overseeing federal criminal investigations into President-elect Donald Trump and has “separated” from the U.S. Justice Department, according to a Saturday court filing from the government.

The confirmation of Smith’s departure as of Friday came as the department is fighting an effort by two ...Read more