BALTIMORE — Gov. Wes Moore will look to make a dent in the looming $3 billion state budget deficit through a new effort that aims to save $50 million by eliminating wasteful and inconsistent spending across government agencies.

Real estate owned by the state and technology contracts will be among the first areas investigated, the governor ...Read more

MIAMI — A woman convicted of domestic battery three years ago was denied in her attempt to disqualify an appeals court judge who, she argued in a court filing, is too close with the Miami-Dade State Attorney who prosecuted her.

Melissa Quintanilla, 28, was found guilty of battering her former boyfriend during a squabble at her West Kendall ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — A man caught “attempting to start a fire” Thursday in a West Hills neighborhood that was already burning from the Kenneth Fire is now under investigation for potentially igniting the near-1,000-acre blaze, according to law enforcement officials and a document reviewed by the Los Angeles Times.

Juan Sierra, 33, was arrested ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — As quickly as the Sunset fire started charring through Runyon Canyon in the Hollywood Hills on Wednesday evening, an AI-generated photo of the Hollywood sign ablaze was rapidly circulating on social media.

It was just one example of misinformation surrounding the Los Angeles-area fires spreading on social media, and experts warn...Read more

ATLANTA — A Fulton County judge this week dismissed Gwinnett County’s lawsuit against the state of Georgia challenging the creation of the city of Mulberry.

“The Mulberry City Council is thankful that we can now put these lawsuits behind us and begin working with Gwinnett County,” said Michael Coker, who took office on New Year’s Day ...Read more

ALLENTOWN, Pa. — Allentown police are investigating after what appeared to be a noose was found Friday morning on a City Hall employee’s desk.

The Police Department said in a news release that it was notified about 7:30 a.m. that a small item resembling a noose was discovered on the desk.

Investigators said the incident is being taken ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — To live in Los Angeles right now is to know someone who is suffering. If you're lucky, your home is intact and your evacuation bag is still waiting by the door. Maybe you even have electricity. But chances are there is someone in your life — a family member, a close friend, a co-worker — whose house has been destroyed by the ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — Before the fires they mostly tracked police pursuits and crimes in progress — maybe the occasional building fire.

But over the last week, since major fires began ravaging huge swaths of Los Angeles County, "scanners" on X — accounts who listen obsessively to police and fire radio chatter, then transcribe what they hear into ...Read more

WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court during oral arguments Friday appeared ready to allow a law that would ban social media giant TikTok unless it divests from its Chinese parent company ByteDance Ltd. by Jan. 19.

The justices occasionally questioned how the law would impact the free speech rights of the platform and its users. But they generally ...Read more

President-elect Donald Trump was sentenced Friday in relation to his Manhattan hush money case, cementing his legacy as America’s first convicted felon to assume the presidency.

The case involves Trump’s falsification of business records to pay porn star Stormy Daniels $130,000 to keep quiet about an alleged one-night stand between them in ...Read more

Rough seas caused Blue Origin to hold off a planned early Friday launch attempt with is debut of New Glenn, which is now targeting early Sunday instead. SpaceX, though, managed liftoff later Friday with a booster flying for a record 25th time.

A Falcon 9 rocket carrying 21 of the company’s Starlink satellites lifted off at 2:11 p.m. Eastern ...Read more

In states where both medical and recreational marijuana are legal, fewer patients are filling prescriptions for medications used to treat anxiety. That is the key finding of my recent study, published in the journal JAMA Network Open.

I am an applied policy researcher who studies the economics of risky behaviors and substance use ...Read more

Many people use the new year to reflect on their relationship with alcohol. Just-released government guidelines are giving Americans another reason to consider a “dry January.”

Over the past few decades, mounting scientific evidence has shown that as little as 1-2 alcoholic drinks per day can lead to increases in the likelihood of...Read more

From the time you get up in the morning until you go to bed at night, and even while you are asleep, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency affects your life. The air you breathe, the water you drink, the chemicals under your sink, the car you drive, products you buy, food you eat and a host of daily routines depend on actions of the agency...Read more

Walt Disney Co.'s KABC-TV Channel 7 station, which uses communications towers near Mt. Wilson, lost its over-the-air signal Friday morning as the Eaton fire continued its rampage through mountainous terrain.

Separately, radio station KLOS-FM 95.5, which also uses transmission facilities in the Angeles Crest Forest, also went off the air ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — A large reservoir in Pacific Palisades that is part of the Los Angeles water supply system was out of use when a ferocious wildfire destroyed thousands of homes and other structures nearby.

Officials told The Times that the Santa Ynez Reservoir had been closed for repairs to its cover, leaving a 117 million gallon water storage ...Read more

The U.S. government increased the rewards Friday for the capture of Venezuelan strongman Nicolas Maduro and his number two, Diosdado Cabello, to $25 million each, minutes after it said the dictator was “fraudulently” sworn in for a third presidential term.

The U.S. government also issued a $15 million reward for the capture of Defense ...Read more

NEW YORK — The city opening a massive new migrant shelter in the Bronx, the Daily News has learned — a sign that city is still wrestling with the tens of thousands of migrants in the city’s care despite dozens of shelter closures.

The administration is also planning to close 13 additional migrant shelters by June, according to the Mayor�...Read more

LOS ANGELES — An unprecedented four-day fire siege that damaged or destroyed 9,000 structures and killed at least 10 people showed signs of finally easing Friday as winds lessened and firefighters began to contain the infernos.

Los Angeles County Fire Chief Anthony Marrone said crews were in their best position yet — though still with a ...Read more

ATLANTA — Passengers on a Delta Air Lines plane evacuated via emergency slides after an engine problem, as the plane was preparing to take off from Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport amid the winter storm on Friday morning.

Hartsfield-Jackson said four passengers reported minor injuries, with one transported for medical treatment and ...Read more