Hello, it's Friday, Aug. 11, and here are the stories you shouldn't miss today:
TOP STORIES
Fatalities are expected to multiply after Maui fires. At least 53 people have died, dozens have been injured and hundreds of structures have been destroyed as fires have torn through Maui this week, forcing thousands to flee their homes, reducing much of the historic town of Lahaina to ash and spurring President Biden to declare a national emergency for the state of Hawaii.
The Lahaina wildfire raced with such speed that some of those fleeing jumped into the ocean to escape the flames and later were rescued by the Coast Guard. Maui County officials said Thursday afternoon that the death toll was expected to increase in the coming days.
The picket line is their classroom: Inside UC's labor union boot camp for student activists. More than a hundred students are participating in the University of California's inaugural Labor Summer, an immersive paid fellowship, a boot camp of sorts, where picket lines have been their classrooms and learning how to yell from their stomachs was an assignment.
The fellows are experiencing a real-time look at labor unrest during a hot summer of activism like no other, with hotel workers, screen writers and actors all on strike and city workers staging a one-day walkout Tuesday.
Fires, landslides, rising seas: What drives Californians to stay in disaster-prone areas? Since settlers first started pouring in from the relative flatness of the East Coast and Midwest, they were captivated by California's vertiginous landscape. But it has always come at the risk of catastrophe.
While other regions may face only one main disaster threat — tornadoes in the Midwest, hurricanes on the Gulf and East coasts — California's extreme topography brings siege from all sides: the ocean, the trees and brush, the sky above and the ground below. And oftentimes, the most attractive areas are some of the most dangerous.
Ship Alaska's homeless population off to California? They say no way, 'Alaska's my home.' Anchorage Mayor Dave Bronson's unfunded plan to fly homeless people out has become a major flashpoint in Anchorage, which, like cities across the West, is grappling with a burgeoning homelessness crisis and a lack of both emergency shelters and affordable housing.
In May, the city closed a mass shelter at the Sullivan Arena, a sports venue that housed upward of 500 people during cold months. It had been operating on and off as an emergency shelter since 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic began. After the Sullivan closed, homeless camps in Anchorage's parks and greenbelts exploded in size.
- The public tends to blame L.A.'s high levels of homelessness on poverty, drug use, crime or even Southern California's warm weather. But poverty, drug use and crime are challenges for many American cities with far fewer homeless people than L.A.
PHOTO OF THE DAY
Second-grader Sarah Mojarro, 7, foreground right, hugs classmate Alexa Hernandez, also 7. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
Back to school for the Anaheim Elementary School District. As elementary students in Anaheim headed back to school, a Times photographer was on hand to record the morning.
CALIFORNIA
Boots. Bones. An ID with a familiar face. Hikers who found Julian Sands tell their story. The hikers who found the actor's remains in a remote canyon on Mt. Baldy in June are haunted by what was missing from his safety gear.
Athlete, honor student, murderer? How did a UC Davis student spiral into an accused killer? The testimony in Carlos Reales Dominguez's competency trial raised one enormous question: Why did no one intervene as the young man spiraled from high school honor student to accused murderer?
LGBTQ+ students have become a political target. Know your rights in California. LGBTQ+ students face growing challenges across many school districts. Here are students' rights and protections.
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NATION-WORLD
Supreme Court blocks OxyContin maker's bankruptcy deal that would shield Sackler family members. The justices agreed to a request from the Biden administration to put the brakes on an agreement reached last year with state and local governments.
Why California officials traveled to Kenya to find solutions to poverty. California officials representing some of the wealthiest cities in the world traveled to one of the poorest villages in Africa this week to study universal basic income, a poverty solution they hope to expand in the Golden State.
HOLLYWOOD AND THE ARTS
Hollywood strikes push Emmy Awards telecast to Jan. 15. The awards telecast celebrating the past television season was originally scheduled for Sept. 18 but has been disrupted by the labor disputes.
Will reality TV stars unionize? SAG-AFTRA throws support behind Bethenny Frankel. In a statement, SAG-AFTRA encouraged reality performers to contact the guild "to engage in a new path to Union coverage."
WGA to meet with AMPTP again Friday as writers' strike stretches on. This would be the second meeting since the start of the writers' strike that began in May.
Robbie Robertson, the driving force behind roots-rock group the Band, has died at 80. In a statement, Robertson's longtime manager said he died in Los Angeles after a long illness.
BUSINESS
Column: Workers are keeling over from extreme heat while Big Business battles safety regulations. Figures for this summer and last haven't yet been published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, but its reckoning for 2021 and the prior 10 years is horrifying enough: 436 workplace deaths over that 11-year period, including 36 in 2021.
Disney to hike Disney+ prices again in a quest for streaming profits. Disney is raising the price of its ad-free version of Disney+ from $10.99 a month to $13.99 a month later this year, the company said Wednesday. Its ad-supported tier will remain $7.99 a month.
SPORTS
The Dodgers are retiring Fernando Valenzuela's number. Does he have a path to Cooperstown? The Dodgers will finally bend their rule for Valenzuela and retire his number. The portly left-hander from Sonora will join Jim Gilliam as the only people to have their numbers retired without induction into the Hall of Fame.
Column: U.S. Soccer will keep losing if it keeps ignoring Latina stars who can't pay to play. If there's one lesson from this summer's World Cup embarrassment, it's that women's soccer in America needs to be more inclusive, as the pipeline of young stars has been equaled or surpassed by the rest of the world.
Sergio Pérez is the driving force behind Formula One's growing Latino fan base. In the thrilling world of Formula One racing, one man's journey to the pinnacle of motorsport has sparked passion among communities.
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OPINION
One thing President Biden could learn about Latin America from Donald Trump and Ron DeSantis. If the White House changes hands in 2025, brace for a reset that shifts the focus of our foreign policy from the Atlantic to the Americas.
I helped write the surprise Netflix sensation 'Suits.' My reward? $259.71. "Yes, it's gratifying that the show has found a new and bigger audience this summer on Netflix," Ethan Drogin writes. "But $259.71 for writing a show with an audience so massive? This is why writers and actors are on strike."
YOUR WEEKEND
(Los Angeles Times photo illustration; Photos by Deborah Netburn / Los Angeles Times, USC)
10 inspiring L.A. libraries for when you want free AC and a quiet place to work. Your local library might be the most convenient place to spend the day soaking up that specific library hush — not to mention the free air conditioning — but if you don't mind a little extra driving, you can find some truly extraordinary libraries that you are equally welcome to utilize.
12 SoCal spots to see the Perseids meteor shower — which will be spectacular this year. When the sun goes down over the next several days, you'll want to look up. Based on the American Meteor Society's forecast, our planet will see the densest display of the meteor shower on Saturday and Sunday.
From coffee to cocktail bars: Where to get a drink near SoFi Stadium. Whether you're looking for a place to pre-game before you sing your heart out at the "Eras" or "Renaissance" tour, need a spot to cheer a win or drown a loss, or just want to grab a coffee, tea or juice to recharge, here's a list of our favorite breweries, wineries, bars and cantinas near SoFi Stadium.
WHAT OUR EDITORS ARE READING
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The Busiest Travel Days for Labor Day Weekend — and Where Travelers Are Headed. Friday, Sept. 1, and Monday, Sept. 4, will be the busiest days for airport traffic as fliers jet to and from their destinations around the world. Travel + Leisure
7 years walking the world: What the ultimate slow travel trip taught me about life. "If you travel slowly, you realize how enjoyable it is to exist out in the world. It's the same benefit of the public square: You're in the world, you're bumping into it, you're having chance encounters, the wind feels nice, the birds are singing. You're going to have time in your day that you can burn," Thomas Turcich writes. Lonely Planet
How to Find Wedding Vendors That Celebrate Inclusion. Vendor directories on websites such as Equally Wed, Offbeat Wed and Black Gay Weddings may be a convenient place to find inclusive vendors. Using search terms like "gay wedding planner," "Black florist" or "queer florist or ally" can also be helpful. New York Times
FROM THE ARCHIVES
(Los Angeles Times)
On Aug. 11, 1965, a series of violent confrontations between Los Angeles police and residents of Watts and its surrounding areas began, lasting for six days.
The immediate cause of the disturbances was the arrest of an African American man by a white California Highway Patrol officer on suspicion of driving while intoxicated.
The riots resulted in the deaths of 34 people; more than 1,000 were injured and more than $40 million worth of property was destroyed.
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