LOS ANGELES -- California is a place of magnificent tectonic forces that lift mountains only for them to be constantly eroded by glaciers, wind and rain, ground down to one of the most basic commodities on Earth: sand.

Sand covers our deserts, creates our foothills and fills our arroyos. It blankets the shores and piles into towering dunes. It�...Read more

Aru Shiney-Ajay’s awakening to the climate crisis began in her late teens. On visits to family in India, she watched in horror as loved ones endured one disaster after another: deadly floods in her parents’ home state of Kerala and record-shattering air pollution in Delhi among them.

“The climate crisis was not just something in the ...Read more

When Minneapolis, then Oregon, then other local and state governments began stripping away exclusive single-family-home zoning over the past five years to allow the construction of multifamily housing, many development advocates predicted the start of a pro-YIMBY revolution.

But the “yes-in-my-backyard” movement has stumbled even before it�...Read more

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Get ready, California voters. Ballots for the 2024 presidential election will be sent out soon.

Californians will be able to choose from candidates for president and vice president as well as U.S. senators and representatives. They can also make their voices heard by voting on a number of ballot propositions.

Every ...Read more

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The rate of people getting married has increased nationwide, according to a recent study by U.S. News, including in Missouri.

The United States’ marriage rate increased 12% in 2022: 16.7 women had been married within the last year per 1,000 women ages 15 years and older, compared with 14.9 per 1,000 in 2021, based on the ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — As the Bridge fire spread from the East Fork of the San Gabriel River to the beloved mountain communities of Mount Baldy and Wrightwood last week, questions arose about what would be left in its wake. And those included which beloved hiking trails in the region were affected.

Now that the fire is 25% contained, an accounting of ...Read more

The reputed Mexican drug lord known as El Mencho has spent more than a decade evading efforts by U.S. and Mexican officials to bring him to justice. His son, alleged heir to one of Mexico's biggest criminal empires, has not been so elusive.

Captured by Mexican law enforcement in 2015 — a month after henchmen allegedly operating under his ...Read more

Pennsylvania wants to remain a manufacturing powerhouse. But state leaders also want to reduce climate change-causing emissions from steel mills and other industrial facilities, while cutting back the toxic pollutants that cause health problems in nearby neighborhoods.

Thanks to a nearly $400 million investment from the federal government, the ...Read more

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Are you noticing more rattlesnakes? It’s baby rattlesnake season in California.

The Golden State is home to eight species of rattlesnakes. The reptiles can be seen on hiking trails, rural roads and in even your backyard, according to the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health.

The California Poison Control ...Read more

If you or someone you know may be experiencing a mental health crisis, contact the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline by dialing or texting “988.”

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When Pooja Mehta’s younger brother, Raj, died by suicide at 19 in March 2020, she felt “blindsided.”

Raj’s last text message was to his college lab partner about how to divide homework...Read more

Japan has a female candidate among the front-runners to become prime minister in a vote this month, raising the possibility that a nation known for lagging on diversity may appoint its first woman leader before the U.S.

While Kamala Harris battles with Donald Trump ahead of the November election that could make her the first female U.S. ...Read more

Rumors of the giant flying Joro spider, landing in New Jersey this summer never materialized in the Garden State. But they did land in Philly's backyard.

On Sept. 5, a Joro spider was found in Ivyland, Pa., a Bucks County borough nearly 30 miles north of Philadelphia, in the yard of someone's home. The sighting was confirmed by a site visit ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — A Los Angeles police officer is under investigation for allegedly recording the questions to a promotional exam on a pair of camera-equipped smart glasses, "Mission Impossible"-style, with the intention of passing the information to others taking the test.

Department officials have launched a probe into allegations that the ...Read more

NEW YORK — Lorna Beach-Mathura, who has accused Mayor Eric Adams of sexual assault in a civil lawsuit, missed a court-ordered deposition this month because she suffered an anxiety attack at the last minute that required her to seek medical attention, she wrote in a new court filing late Wednesday that pointed blame at the mayor’s team for ...Read more

WASHINGTON — Kamala Harris plans to meet with Ukrainian President Volodomyr Zelenskyy in Washington next week, according to a person familiar with the matter, as the Democratic nominee tries to broaden her foreign policy profile.

Harris has strongly supported President Joe Biden’s steadfast support of Ukraine in its defense against Russia�...Read more

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are lending their voice to the U.S. presidential election and urging voter registration, a week after Donald Trump and Kamala Harris faced off in their first televised debate.

In honor of National Voter Registration Day on Tuesday, the Sussexes released a statement via their Archewell Foundation, stressing the ...Read more

A resolution calling for the Boston City Council to condemn the Hamas terror attack on Israel ahead of the first anniversary of the event that sparked war in the region led to some unexpected fireworks to cap an otherwise uneventful meeting.

The drama began Wednesday when the body’s lone Jewish councilor, Benjamin Weber, objected to a docket ...Read more

NEW YORK — Disgraced film mogul Harvey Weinstein is facing sexual misconduct allegations from a new accuser, with the Manhattan district attorney on Wednesday unsealing an indictment accusing him of sexually assaulting a woman in the mid-2000s.

The new charge comes months after his previous conviction was thrown out and means Weinstein faces...Read more

NEW YORK — Disgraced film mogul Harvey Weinstein is facing sexual misconduct allegations from a new accuser, with the Manhattan district attorney on Wednesday unsealing an indictment accusing him of sexually assaulting a woman in the mid-2000s.

The new charge comes months after his previous conviction was thrown out and means Weinstein faces...Read more