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LAX passenger arrives on international flight without passport, visa, ticket, report says

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:50:38 GMT

A Russian man flew from Europe to LAX without a passport, visa or plane ticket last month, and officials have no idea how he did it. Neither, it seems, does the man himself.Sergey Vladimirovich Ochigava faces a charge of being a stowaway on an aircraft related to a Nov. 4 flight, but according to a report by Jason Koebler published jointly by 404 Media and Court Watch, he "was not a stowaway in the traditional sense.""[Ochigava] seemingly interacted with flight crew, ate two meals on the plane, spoke to other passengers on the flight, and, at one point 'attempted to eat the chocolate that belonged to members of the cabin crew,' Koebler wrote. "The affidavit states that 'most' of the crew noticed him on the plane, and said he was sitting in a few different seats, but that nothing else seemed amiss."Despite being very visible to many on the plane, Ochigava, an economist, had apparently evaded security in Copenhagen, Denmark, from which his flight departed.Ochigava was not on the fligh...

Check out these useful and fun tech gifts ideas

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:50:38 GMT

I test gadgets for a living and I see a lot of them.Not all of them are worth a recommendation, but these gadgets make the nice list!They deliver on fun, usefulness or a combination of both.Follow Tech Reporter Rich DeMuro on Instagram for gadgets, tech tips and more!Cord Brick, $15Such a simple idea, but so useful. This weighted, silicone brick has 6 grooves to hold cables, wires and more. It will keep cables from falling off the back of your desk when you’re not using them.Time Porter, $30This is a tie rack with a twist: it's for Apple Watch Bands!Attach it to the wall using the included sticky strips and it can hold up to 6 bands so you can easily swap them out to match your outfit, mood or whatever.Persnickety Box, $20Posting photos to Instagram is great, but what if you want a more lasting memory?Persnickety Box will print your photos into a keepsake album! Just sign up and swipe 30 of your favorite photos into the app each month.Then, sit back and wait for the 4x4 prints to ar...

1 dead, 2 injured in wrong-way crash in Baldwin Hills

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:50:38 GMT

A wrong-way crash in Baldwin Hills killed one person and hospitalized two others late Sunday night.A vehicle was headed south in the northbound lanes of La Cienega Boulevard at about 11:20 p.m. when it collided with a northbound vehicle near the intersection with Obama Boulevard, according to the Los Angeles Police Department.A third vehicle then hit the already-crashed first two vehicles.Three people were taken to local hospitals. A person who had been riding in the wrong-way vehicle succumbed to their injuries at the hospital, while the other two's conditions are not yet known.An investigation is ongoing, and it remains to be seen if alcohol or a medical emergency played a role in the crash, police said. Nancy Fontan contributed to this report.

CAL FIRE arson arrests on pace for lowest since 2019

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:50:38 GMT

CAL FIRE's law enforcement officers are on pace to make the fewest number of arson arrests in four years. As of Nov. 30, 101 arson-related arrests had been made in 2023, according to a CAL FIRE Instagram post. If the pace continues through December, the department will have made around 110 arrests for the year.That number would be 10 fewer than were made in 2020.CAL FIRE arrests since 2016:2023* 1012022 1622021 1492020 1202019   702018   612017   862016   73*As of Nov. 30, 2023"This mission is crucial in bringing to justice those who endanger lives and/or property in our state," CAL FIRE stated.Anyone who sees suspicious fires or activities was urged to report them anonymously to the Arson Hotline at 800-468-4408. Information provided by the public could help avert future disasters. "Let’s unite in the fight against arson," CAL FIRE stated.

Meet Interdisciplinary Archivist Guadalupe Rosales

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:50:38 GMT

The term “archive” is both superlatively accurate and totally insufficient to describe the transformational, interdisciplinary appeal of art by Guadalupe Rosales, which is about as far from papers, folders, and filing cabinets as an archive can get. In her energetic and community-minded pursuit of cultural narrative and the preservation of often-excluded histories (like the fierce, joyful Latinas of the 90’s rave music lifestyle), has created a multiverse of archival manifestations. At her Instagram accounts @veteranas_and_rucas and @map_pointz, Rosales assembles publicly sourced images and videos to celebrate and preserve personal and collective histories. In her hybridized sculptural environments—such as the breathtaking contribution to the Hammer Museum Made in L.A. 2023: Acts of Living biennial—the contents and energies of these inventive legacies are given exuberant, immersive life as Rosales engineers immersive spaces brimming with symbols of queer, ancestral, interpreted, and...

Jill On Money: Year-end money 2023

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:50:38 GMT

Like overeating and watching your favorite holiday movie/show (mine is A Charlie Brown Christmas), it’s time for everyone’s favorite seasonal activity: year-end tax and financial planning!Related ArticlesBusiness | These Airbnb horror stories can teach you what to watch for Business | 5 steps to creating financial boundaries during the holidays Business | Shopping online? How to avoid delivery thefts, ID fraud, sale panic and other seasonal scams Business | How companies’ online ‘dark patterns’ cost you, and how to resist Business | 2024 housing trends: Lower rates, lower rents, more affordability Sure, focusing on money is a tough sell at this time of year, but a little bit of energy now could help you save or make some money in the future. At the very least, it will help you get better organized for tax season.IRS changesOne benefit to inflation is that the IRS must increase some of the basic threshold...

Photos: SantaCon fills San Francisco’s Union Square for 28th annual event

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:50:38 GMT

Related ArticlesThings To Do | The Italian town where Santa Claus is buried Things To Do | Los Gatos, Portola Valley and La Honda wineries offering cabernets for the holidays Things To Do | Let it snow: Free, one-day winter wonderland planned for East Bay park Things To Do | Tips on preserving your poinsettias, Christmas cacti and other holiday greenery Things To Do | No Christmas crab: California’s commercial Dungeness season delayed again An event started in 1994 by a few dozen revelers from the Cacaphony Society and eventually becoming a  global phenomenon, SantaCon returned Saturday to the city of its birth for the annual crush of red velvet and grinch green attendees filling San Francisco’s Union Square.After the economic slowdown of the pandemic, the city’s premier shopping district (well, at least its bars) appreciated the energetic jolt brought by thousands of attendees dressed ...

Getting car insurance gets harder: California drivers face delays, higher rates

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:50:38 GMT

BY LEVI SUMAGAYSAY | CalMattersIf you’re having trouble finding affordable car insurance, you’re not alone. Drivers across California say they’re having to wait longer than usual to get coverage — and when they finally find an insurer and a plan, they’re having to pay their premiums up front.“Something is definitely not right,” said Willis Lai, a 36-year-old driver from the Bay Area who said it took him three weeks to find insurance for his new Honda Accord hybrid after he contacted all the major insurance providers whose jingles he could remember.He’s not the only one. For the past year, drivers have been complaining in online forums such as Reddit and Facebook about higher premiums, delayed quotes, questionable insurer behavior and more. The California Department of Insurance is looking into similar complaints. Meanwhile, insurers have complained that their costs are rising, and that the state has been slow to approve their requests to raise their rates partly because of what they...

Supreme Court lets stand Washington state law barring conversion therapy for LGBTQ+ minors

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:50:38 GMT

By Devan Cole | CNNThe Supreme Court on Monday let stand a Washington state law prohibiting licensed health care professionals from practicing “conversion therapy” – a scientifically discredited practice intended to change a person’s sexual orientation or gender identity – as it applies to minors.Critics say the practice – which attempts to convert people who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer or questioning – into straight or cisgender people, causes serious emotional harm and can have deadly results.The practice ranges from psychotherapy to medical and faith-based methods that can include talk therapy, hormone or steroid treatment or faith-based consultation.The vote was 6-3, with Justices Brett Kavanaugh, Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas publicly saying they would have taken up the case.Thomas wrote in a five-page dissent that he would have taken up the case to consider a First Amendment challenge to the law.Under the state law, Thomas wrote, “licensed counsel...

2 California tickets win Mega Millions jackpot — and both were sold at the same store

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:50:38 GMT

Two California tickets split the $394 million Mega Millions jackpot — and both were sold at the same gas station.Friday’s drawing yielded the first jackpot win since Oct. 6, with the numbers 21, 26, 53, 66, 70 and Mega Ball 13.The winning tickets were sold at a Chevron station at 18081 Ventura Blvd. in Encino.The lump sum payout for each winner would be $94.3 million before federal taxes.The jackpot for Tuesday’s drawing resets to $20 million. The jackpot for Monday’s Powerball drawing is $477 million.