November 2, 2026
November 2, 2026
The wind off the Pacific still carried the faint, sweet-rot smell of ash. I parked in the PCH parking lot at Will Rogers State Beach, where the road narrowed and walked the last quarter-mile down the slope to what had been the Palisades Bowl. The mobile-home park featuring wide views of the blue Pacific, sat in a shallow bowl of eucalyptus and ice plant; now the bowl held only concrete pads, blackened trailer frames twisted into question marks, and the occasional scorched...
Updated story (as of evening of November 1, 2026) GREENACRES, Fla. — A Learjet 60 carrying nine people plunged from the sky in a steep, high-speed dive and exploded in a massive fireball on impact in a mobile home park near West Palm Beach on Sunday afternoon. The incident was captured in dramatic dashcam video, and air traffic control audio has circulated widely showing the crew’s final, panicked transmissions. The aircraft, registered N722BD, had departed...
On October 29, 2026, at approximately 1:00 p.m., Santa Monica Police Department officers responded to Parking Structure 5 near Broadway and 4th Street after receiving a report of an individual experiencing a mental health crisis. Officers made contact with the person at the scene. The individual was subsequently taken into police custody and transported for a medical evaluation, consistent with procedures for welfare checks and crisis interventions under California law....
SANTA MONICA, Calif. - A man accused of fatally shooting a 22-year-old during a vehicle confrontation in Santa Monica in late March was arrested in Mexico nearly seven months later and returned to the United States to face murder and attempted murder charges, the Santa Monica Police Department announced this week. Manuel Reyes, 26, of Adelanto, was taken into custody on Oct. 20 in the Mexican state of Nayarit, on the country's Pacific coast. The arrest followed a coordinated...
OCEANO, Calif. - A large great white shark swam within feet of surfers off the San Luis Obispo County coast Wednesday morning, splashing one with its tail before turning and swimming away, according to drone footage and the surfer involved. The encounter occurred around 10:30 a.m. near Pier Avenue. Drone pilot David Steiner captured the moment as the shark, estimated at 12 to 15 feet long, approached a group of surfers. It passed near the board of Oceano resident Joel...
HALF MOON BAY, Calif. - Sick and dead sea lions have continued to appear on beaches in Half Moon Bay and surrounding San Mateo County waters throughout October, even as response calls declined elsewhere along the California coast. The area has remained a primary hotspot for strandings linked to a record-setting outbreak of domoic acid poisoning. The Marine Mammal Center, which operates a roughly 600-mile response range, reported more than 300 cases of domoic acid poisoning in...
President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva was re-elected to a fourth non-consecutive term on October 25, 2026, defeating Senator Flávio Bolsonaro in Brazil's presidential runoff. With nearly all votes counted, Lula received 51.79% of valid votes (approximately 64.26 million) to Bolsonaro's 48.21% (approximately 59.83 million), a margin of about 4.43 million votes, according to Brazil's Superior Electoral Court (TSE). The result marked a historic comeback. In the first round on...
October 28, 2026 - A temporary localized ceasefire between Russian and Ukrainian forces took effect early Tuesday in the Russian-occupied city of Oleshky in Ukraine's Kherson region, brokered through the direct efforts of U.S. First Lady Melania Trump. The pause began at 4:00 a.m. Moscow time (3:00 a.m. Kyiv time) on October 27-accelerated by two days from an earlier announced start date-to protect civilians and enable the delivery of critical humanitarian aid. In a post on...
Ian Choudri, CEO of the California High-Speed Rail Authority since 2024, resigned late Wednesday, citing personal and family priorities. His departure comes amid ongoing scrutiny of the long-delayed project. An inspector general investigation recently found nearly $600,000 in questionable consultant travel expenses, including first-class flights and trips to a nightclub, cigar lounge, and other locations. Earlier this month, the board stripped Choudri of sole authority over...
I lived in Santa Monica for over 33 years. I raised five kids here, in rent-controlled buildings. My kids go/went to Samo public schools and SM college. I've worked with youth for the SM Boys and Girls Club at various school playgrounds and volunteer coached youth for many seasons in AYSO. Our kids swim at the beach, go to the libraries, play at the parks, skate at the Cove. At its heart, this is a great town, and it should be a great town for our kids to fully enjoy. But our...
