California

Good morning, and welcome to the Essential California newsletter. It is Saturday, Dec. 14. Newsletter Get our Essential California newsletter Thank you to the readers who have already written in to tell us about how how this year’s California headlines have affected their lives. If you haven’t already, we’d love tohear about your experiences for a year-end feature we’re working on.Use this form to tell us about how a news event or issue affected you, and we’ll share some of the responses in the coming weeks. Advertisement Here’s a look at the top stories of the last week:Top storiesClaremont Nativity scene goes viral. A Methodist church in Claremont unveiled a Nativity scene that depicts Jesus, Mary and Joseph as refugees in cages, likening one of the most well-known images of the Christmas season and photos that have become synonymous with criticism of the Trump administration’s border separation policies.The scene makes people … [Read more...] about Newsletter: Essential California Week in Review: The Nativity reimagined with refugees

HESPERIA, Calif. (AP) — Deputies shot and killed a man who attacked two elderly people with a baseball bat after crashing his car in a Southern California neighborhood, authorities said Wednesday. The vehicle crashed in front of a home in Hesperia Tuesday evening and the man got out and chased a woman into her residence while wielding a bat, the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department said in a statement As the woman hid and called 911, the man attacked her 73-year-old mother, authorities said. Neighbors, who heard the vehicle crashing and the women’s calls for help, rushed to the house, the statement said. The attacker then assaulted 68-year-old male neighbor with the bat, officials said. Deputies arrived to find the man still carrying the bat and at least one deputy opened fire, fatally shooting him. The man, identified as 42-year-old Mauro Carrillo of Westminster,, died at the scene. He was not acquainted with anyone in the home and investigators believe the … [Read more...] about California police shoot man who attacked people with bat

SANTA PAULA, CALIFORNIA - It’s ironic, but momentarily forgetting some of my safety gear ended up saving my life. It happened as I drove late Thursday into the heart of a wildfire that had erupted near the city of Santa Paula, a two-hour drive west of Los Angeles. This was one of the dozens of blazes that have been springing up daily in Northern and Southern California the last couple weeks, an indication that we are now in the middle of wildfire season. Dressed in flame-resistant clothes, heavy boots and carrying my two cameras, I spent a few minutes walking around and surveying the scene before starting to shoot photos. To get the best shots, you first need to fully understand a situation, everything from where firefighters are working to the winds. After a few minutes, I realized I had forgotten my helmet and fire shelter, essentially a tarp that can be deployed to cover and protect your body if you can’t escape flames. So I began walking back to my car, and a few … [Read more...] about Flames, Gear and Risks of Photographing California Wildfires

California Governor Gavin Newsom says there are hopes that by later Monday the near historic winds that are driving a huge wildfire in the northern part of the state will "substantially settle down" as some 3,000 people work to put out the blaze. "We're not out of the woods, but we are leaning in the right direction," Newsom said at a late Sunday briefing. The western U.S. state is commonly hit by numerous wildfires at this time of year with the combination of low humidity and strong winds combining to create favorable conditions for fire growth. Firefighters had said the Kincade Fire, named for a local road where the flames are believed to have started in Sonoma County, was at 10% containment, but as of late Sunday that had dropped to 5% with the fire at about 22,000 hectares in size. Cal Fire said the blaze had already destroyed about 100 structures. California State Senator Mike McGuire said 4,600 people have gone to shelters in Sonoma County. Statewide, about 180,000 people have … [Read more...] about California Hopes Winds Driving Wildfires Subside as Crews Work on Containment

WINDSOR, CALIF. - Lynn Darst and her husband were camped out in their motor home on the edge of their seats for four days wondering if their house would survive yet another wildfire menacing Sonoma County. Flames had come close to their neighborhood of spacious homes surrounded by vineyards two years ago and danger was closing in again. “We were comfortable, but fearful of what the consequences could be,” Darst said Thursday, the day after finding her home had been spared once again. Darst was among the nearly 200,000 residents allowed to return home even as the fire burned along with several other blazes in the state. They were the lucky ones, at least 140 homes had been destroyed in the Sonoma fire. The blaze was the largest to burn over a three-week siege of vicious gusts that fanned fast-moving wildfires across California and led utility companies to cut power to millions to prevent winds from blowing branches into electric lines and igniting an inferno. Calm winds in … [Read more...] about Winds Die Down, Bring Relief After Weeks of California Wildfires