Hello, it's Wednesday, April 19, and here are the stories you shouldn't miss today:
TOP STORIES
Fox News reaches a $787-million settlement in Dominion suit
Fox News avoided one of the highest-profile defamation trials in history by reaching a $787.5 million settlement with Dominion Voting Systems, the company that accused the conservative channel of smearing its reputation in the weeks after the 2020 election.
In addition to the monetary damages — one of the biggest defamation case settlements in history — the network in a statement also acknowledged that it aired falsehoods.
Many Californians with dry wells face a long wait for fixes
In the San Joaquin Valley, 1,800 families rely on state-funded water deliveries to fill household tanks. The list of those waiting for fixes has been growing.
The increasing numbers of dry wells and homeowners waiting for solutions show that the effects of overpumping by large farms will persist for years to come, even as the state goes through wet times.
Financial impact from sexual abuse claims
Los Angeles County officials revealed their $43-billion recommended budget for the upcoming fiscal year this week — a spending blueprint they promised would keep the region's social safety net intact even as the county prepares to pay a steep price for how poorly officials have historically handled the jails and juvenile halls.
At a Tuesday Board of Supervisors meeting, Chief Executive Fesia Davenport warned that the county may have to spend as much as $3 billion resolving claims of sexual abuse at its facilities.
L.A. teachers win a 21% wage increase
The Los Angeles school district and the teachers union have reached a tentative agreement that provides a 21% wage increase over about three years, averting the potential of a second strike this school year.
The package also calls for additional pay increases in areas in which it has been hard to recruit staff. These include an added $20,000 salary bump for nurses and $3,000 ongoing for school psychologists, psychiatric social workers, attendance counselors and other special services providers.
Our daily news podcast
If you're a fan of this newsletter, you'll love our daily podcast "The Times," hosted every weekday by columnist Gustavo Arellano, along with reporters from across our newsroom. Go beyond the headlines. Download and listen on our App, subscribe on Apple Podcasts and follow on Spotify.
PHOTO OF THE DAY
Carolina Ledesma García washes asparagus in her house, where she relies on nonpotable water delivered to a 2,500-gallon tank. Her family's well in the Tombstone neighborhood of Fresno County went dry about three years ago. (Gary Coronado / Los Angeles Times)
CALIFORNIA
Republicans object to replacing Dianne Feinstein on the Senate Judiciary panel. Democrats are left with few options for advancing some of President Biden's stalled judicial nominees.
The last overnight train between L.A. and S.F. ran in 1968. A startup wants to bring it back. A luxury overnight train between Los Angeles and San Francisco would be a railway red-eye, but with private accommodations for people to sleep through the night.
Former 1-800 GET-THIN doctor gets 7-year sentence for a multimillion-dollar fraud scheme. Julian Omidi promised patients weight loss, but it was a fraud scheme. He will now serve seven years in prison.
Jean Koch, a fixture on The Times' letters page for 55 years, dies at 100. Koch published at least 65 letters to the editor in the Los Angeles Times over 55 years, putting her among the opinion page's most frequent contributors.
Support our journalism
Subscribe to the Los Angeles Times.
NATION-WORLD
Technology issues delay more than 1,700 Southwest Airlines flights nationwide. The delays come after the airline experienced a historic meltdown in December, forcing Southwest to cancel more than half of its flights over a week.
Oklahoma officials were caught on tape talking of killing reporters and making racist remarks. In the recording, one of the county officials appears to complain about not being able to hang Black people, saying: "They got more rights than we got."
Japan's plummeting university enrollment forecasts what could be ahead for the U.S. After a three-decade decline in population, Japanese universities are running out of 18-year-olds. A similar trend could happen in the United States.
HOLLYWOOD AND THE ARTS
I ate the best food at Coachella. Here's what to eat if you're going to weekend 2. If you're heading to Coachella next weekend, the Times' Danielle Dorsey recommends starting with a burger. It will serve as a good base if you plan on drinking and help power you through the relentless afternoon sun.
Kathy Griffin opens up about PTSD and anxiety sparked by backlash to bloody Trump pic. In a TikTok video, Griffin said that her PTSD symptoms show up most frequently in the morning and that she "wakes up every morning to see whether I'm going to be OK or not."
Ray Romano reveals 'widowmaker' health scare: 'I had 90% blockage' The "Everybody Loves Raymond" star said that although he doesn't feel 65 in his mind, his body has given him a few notices.
BUSINESS
Free cash coming to Facebook users. Here's how to claim your share. Facebook earned more than $110 billion last year by selling advertisements targeted at its users, powered by the data Facebook collected from them. Now, Facebook users have the chance to collect something back.
Netflix to end DVD-by-mail business. Paid password-sharing hits the U.S. soon. The company has announced that it is saying goodbye to its original business — mailing out DVDs in its signature red envelopes — after 25 years.
Striking Medieval Times workers were struck by a car on the picket line. For more than two months, newly unionized workers at the Medieval Times in Buena Park have been on strike, picketing at the popular themed dinner theater. Last week, customers, apparently frustrated with protesting workers blocking the parking lot entrance, lashed out.
These are the EV models that will get you the full $7,500 tax credit. Although President Biden is eager to accelerate the nation's rapid transition to electric vehicles, he'll subsidize your EV purchase only if you buy American. And the options right now are slim.
SPORTS
How an idea to draw Mike Trout every day went viral — and caught the star's attention. The drawings of Trout portrayed him in different situations, often borrowing from pop culture — one of the most popular drawings was of the slugger portrayed in a "Die Hard" scene — and sometimes even portraying him as an actual trout.
Commentary: Soccer leagues leading the way in supporting Muslim athletes during Ramadan. This season MLS joined the English Premier League and Germany's Bundesliga in allowing officials to pause games to permit players to break their daily Ramadan fasts. It's a gesture the league approved before the start of the monthlong observation of Ramadan.
Free online games
Get our free daily crossword puzzle, sudoku, word search and arcade games in our new game center at latimes.com/games.
OPINION
Opinion: Why the Trump indictment isn't as legally dubious as many claimed. Even before the unprecedented indictment of former President Trump, Manhattan Dist. Atty. Alvin Bragg was widely accused of relying on a dubious legal theory. Many observers said the idea that a New York grand jury could charge Trump with covering up a federal crime was untested. They were wrong.
Opinion: How B.B. King and Los Angeles helped me embrace my multiethnic Romani identity. Like Black Americans, European Romani people have fought for basic freedoms for centuries. B.B. King's success as a Black American and musician resonated with Oksana Marafioti's father who, as a professional musician and a Roma, yearned for that same autonomy for all Romani people.
ONLY IN L.A.
Vidiots, the beloved Los Angeles video store and nonprofit film organization, has completed renovations on its new home, the historic Eagle Theatre in L.A.'s Eagle Rock neighborhood, and will open June 1. Sneak preview events for Vidiots' "Founding Members" and supporters will be held in May. (Scottie Images / Vidiots Foundation)
The long-awaited reopening of local cultural institution Vidiots will finally happen on June 1, with sneak preview events for members and supporters in May.
The revived Vidiots space in Eagle Rock will include a 271-seat movie theater, capable of 35mm, 16mm and digital projection; a beer and wine bar; and a micro-cinema and community space along with the reopened video store.
With the nearly 11,000-square-foot venue, Vidiots is looking to become a vibrant cultural hub for the communities of Northeast Los Angeles, with screenings, special events, workshops and other gatherings.
FROM THE ARCHIVES
"The Simpsons" (20th Century Fox Film Corp. 1993 / Handout)
On this day 36 years ago, "The Simpsons" premiered as shorts in "The Tracey Ullman Show." In 1989, a team of production companies adapted it into the popular half-hour series as we know it today.
With 750 episodes aired over 34 seasons, the show has become the longest-running cartoon, the longest-running situation comedy and the longest-running scripted prime-time series in the history of American television.
When the series hit its 500th episode in 2012, the Times' Robert Lloyd caught up with creator Matt Groening, who discussed what it was like to hit such a milestone in television.
We appreciate that you took the time to read Today's Headlines! Comments or ideas? Feel free to drop us a note at headlines@latimes.com.
Comments
Post a Comment