Hello, it's Monday, March 27, and here are the stories you shouldn't miss today:
TOP STORIES
Inside the collapse of the Skid Row Housing Trust
The Skid Row Housing Trust set out to serve "the poorest and most vulnerable people." But in recent years, lawsuits filed by tenants and creditors began to allege uninhabitable living conditions and hundreds of thousands of dollars in unpaid bills.
The suits marked the early signs of management and financial disarray, which festered for years before culminating in the meltdown of an institution that had long stood as a model for housing homeless people.
By then, Skid Row Housing Trust had left a trail of disillusioned former employees who found that its business practices did not match its lofty mission.
Top Democrats urge Biden: Don't restart family detentions
Top Democrats are warning President Biden against restarting the controversial practice of detaining migrant families who cross the U.S. southern border without authorization. As he prepares for an expected 2024 presidential campaign, Biden has tried to distance himself from the left, showing more willingness to crack down on illegal immigration.
Sen. Richard J. Durbin (D-Ill.), the second-ranking Democrat in the Senate, Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) and 17 other senators sent a letter, shared exclusively with The Times, to the White House on Sunday. Family detention, the senators argued, is "ineffective and impractical as an immigration management tool."
18 people died in Riverside County jails last year. A family is suing, and others may too
Just hours after a seemingly normal conversation with his mother, the 29-year-old Richard Matus, Jr., was found unresponsive in a Riverside County jail cell. At first, his family struggled to get answers. Eventually a coroner's report showed that he died of an overdose before jail staff could intervene to save him.
Amid a surge of inmate deaths, Riverside County has come under increasing scrutiny from state investigators and is facing new legal action in federal court. Not only has Matus' family filed suit, but their lawyer told The Times on Saturday that there are at least five other families planning to do the same after their loved ones died in lockups.
LAUSD and union workers who led massive strike reach tentative settlement
A tentative agreement reached Friday between the Los Angeles Unified School District and the union representing support staff won raises of about 30% or more for the lowest-wage workers, one day after the end of a strike that shut down schools for three days.
If approved by union members, the agreement — achieved after mediation with Mayor Karen Bass — could prevent campuses from being closed again to 420,000 students and spare workers from job actions that would have been difficult to bear.
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.
OUR MUST-READS FROM THE WEEKEND
Los Angeles Department of Water and Power worker Ben Butler shows repairs on a drain Wednesday in Bishop, Calif. (Gary Coronado/Los Angeles Times)
'We've lost the aqueduct': How severe flooding threatens a Los Angeles water lifeline. Earlier this month, record storms accomplished the unthinkable when floodwaters undermined a 120-foot-long section of aqueduct in Owens Valley, causing its concrete walls to crumble. It was the first time in history that the 200-mile aqueduct had been breached by extreme weather, threatening water deliveries to 4 million ratepayers in Los Angeles.
For some, TikTok is a path to riches and the American dream. With a ban, it could all disappear. An outright ban of the app would be a devastating blow to many of the small businesses that have turned to TikTok to reach potential customers instead of shelling out for more traditional and pricey forms of marketing.
CALIFORNIA
More rain is rolling into L.A. County Tuesday after high winds die down Monday. Rain is expected to roll in again late Tuesday evening and continue until Thursday. The storm won't be as bad as last week's, but the precipitation will be cold, though, with snow at higher elevations such as the Grapevine pass.
With murals and parks, San Diegans are restoring communities that were split by freeways. Community groups and state agencies are working together in search of opportunities to reconnect neighborhoods torn apart decades ago to make way for freeways.
Two gray wolves captured and collared in Northern California. Two members of California's small but rebounding gray wolf population have been located and given tracking collars, bolstering the state's conservation efforts, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife announced.
Support our journalism
Subscribe to the Los Angeles Times.
NATION-WORLD
At least 26 killed and dozens injured in Deep South tornadoes. A powerful tornado cut a devastating path through Mississippi, killing at least 25 people, injuring dozens, and flattening entire blocks as it carved a path of destruction for more than an hour. President Biden early Sunday issued an emergency declaration for the state, making federal funding available.
Ukraine demands emergency U.N. meeting over Putin nuclear plan. Ukraine's government on Sunday called for an emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council after Russian President Vladimir Putin revealed plans to station tactical atomic weapons in Belarus.
Honduras establishes ties with China after Taiwan break. The diplomatic victory for China comes as tensions rise between Beijing and the United States, including over China's increasing assertiveness toward self-ruled Taiwan, and signals growing Chinese influence in Latin America.
HOLLYWOOD AND THE ARTS
'John Wick 4' hunts down massive, franchise-best opening. Lionsgate's "John Wick: Chapter 4" dominated the domestic box office this weekend with $73.5 million, according to studio estimates — a record debut for the action franchise starring Keanu Reeves.
'Yellowjackets' left many open questions. Will Season 2 provide answers? Teenage drama. Kidnappings. Supernatural occurrences. Cannibalism. The Emmy-nominated Showtime series that is equal parts coming-of-age, survival and horror story is back for a second season.
Lana Del Rey's most personal album yet may just be her best. Her sprawling and obsessive new LP — "the ninth studio album," as its cover describes it in a flourish of self-mythologizing graphic design — is the one where this great American collage artist begins cut-and-pasting herself.
BUSINESS
Learn the ins and outs of building ADUs in California. Maybe you feel like you've outgrown your home. Maybe you need an extra bed and bathroom. Or maybe you just need some extra income. An ADU might be for you — but it isn't a quick backyard project like putting up a swing set or a tool shed. Our new newsletter will guide you through it.
Biden says U.S. banks are in good shape, turmoil will ease. President Biden said he was confident U.S. regional banks were in good shape and didn't foresee any major crises on the horizon, downplaying Wall Street angst and lingering fears of broader financial turmoil.
SPORTS
Lakers fall to Bulls, and below .500 again, in LeBron James' return to play. The Lakers' three-game winning streak was stopped Sunday by Chicago, the Bulls beating them 118-108.
Will the Angels make the playoffs? Don't expect guarantees from GM Perry Minasian. Minasian earned respect throughout the sport for a second consecutive winter of guiding owner Arte Moreno away from the brightest stars in the free-agent constellation and focusing instead on desperately needed depth. No team in the major leagues has a longer playoff drought. This is the time to guarantee October, writes columnist Bill Shaikin.
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
Who's more dangerous behind the wheel — drivers 70 and older, or 30 and younger? When a reader complained that since Jan. 1, California drivers 70 and older have had to take a written test and an eye exam at a Department of Motor Vehicles office to get their licenses renewed, it got columnist Steve Lopez's attention.
Relax, candy lovers. No one is trying to ban Skittles. Well, not exactly. Scratch the surface of a Skittles and, wow, you will find so much more than a chewy fruit-flavored sugar bomb. The shiny candy is a bit like a Rorschach test, writes columnist Robin Abcarian.
ONLY IN L.A.
(Ariana Pacino / For The Times)
How to have the best Sunday in L.A., according to 'Bel-Air' princess Coco Jones. The 25-year-old singer and actor stars as Hilary, the fabulous eldest daughter of the Banks family, on Peacock's modern-day reinterpretation of the Will Smith comedy "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air." But a busy career means her rare Sundays off should be approached with intention: breakfast burritos, quality time with friends and a bar with a good DJ. Here's what else she would do on a perfect Sunday.
FROM THE ARCHIVES
March 26, 1973: Children sit next to a discarded Christmas tree they decorated with beach trash in Marina del Rey, Calif. (Boris Yaro / Los Angeles Times Archive / UCLA)
Fifty years ago, Times photographer Boris Yaro captured this unusual image while out testing a new camera lens. The children were hanging out at Marina del Rey beach when they found a discarded Christmas tree and decided to decorate it, they told Yaro. December having long passed, they settled for cans, cartons and other litter they found on the beach.
Maybe it's a heartwarming symbol of the enduring holiday spirit. Maybe it's a thought-provoking story about trash on our beaches. Or maybe it was just kids being kids. Yaro had a much less philosophical take on the photo: it was a chance to highlight L.A.'s superior weather and "rub in the noses of the folks back East," he said.
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