latimes.com - Los Angeles Times http://www.latimes.com/rss2.0.xml The LA Times is a leading source of breaking news, entertainment, sports, politics, and more for Southern California and the world. en-US ©2018 Los Angeles Times Wed, 25 Apr 2018 06:40:58 -0700 Access to Yosemite's popular Glacier Point set to open for the season Mary Forgione http://www.latimes.com/la-tr-yosemite-glacier-point-road-to-open-saturday-20180424-story.html The road to scenic Glacier Point in Yosemite National Park is set to open for the season at 9 a.m. Saturday, according to a Tuesday park news release.

The popular vista point stands more than 3,000 feet above the Yosemite Valley and offers views of Half Dome, Yosemite Falls and the park’s high...

]]> Wed, 25 Apr 2018 06:30:00 PDT How many hot dogs can the pros eat in 10 minutes? Spectators welcome at Las Vegas contest Jay Jones http://www.latimes.com/la-tr-las-vegas-nathans-hot-dog-eating-qualifier-for-national-contest-20180424-story.html Professional food guzzlers will come to Las Vegas for a hot dog-eating contest at New York-New York casino-resort.

Spectators are invited to gather on the Brooklyn Bridge at the hotel Saturday afternoon as trained competitors see how many Nathan’s hot dogs with buns they can swallow in 10 minutes.

... ]]> Wed, 25 Apr 2018 06:15:00 PDT Meghan Markle has another big wedding day coming Alejandra Reyes-Velarde http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/tv/la-et-meghan-markle-marriage-20180420-story.html The frenzy over the fairy-tale royal wedding of L.A. girl Meghan Markle has been building since her engagement and will likely be incessant until May 19 when she finally walks down the aisle at Windsor Castle in the 15th century St. George’s Chapel.

But the soon-to-be duchess also has another upcoming...

]]> Wed, 25 Apr 2018 06:13:00 PDT All-inclusive resort on Mexico's Riviera Nayarit takes up to 40% off rooms and adds $500 credit Mary Forgione http://www.latimes.com/la-tr-deal-mexico-all-inclusive-resort-occidental-nuevo-vallarta-discounts-daily-rooms-20180418-story.html Occidental Nuevo Vallarta on Mexico’s Riviera Nayarit takes up to 40% off prices at the all-inclusive resort. With the discount, rooms for two guests start at $172, which includes meals, sports activities and a $500 resort credit.

The deal: The savings on this deal are good; prices at this Barcelo...

]]> Wed, 25 Apr 2018 06:00:00 PDT Music goes multimedia, but why? Three concerts point the way Mark Swed http://www.latimes.com/la-et-cm-new-music-and-media-notebook-20180425-htmlstory.html Wed, 25 Apr 2018 06:00:00 PDT L.A.'s Hear Now Music Festival founder: 'Everyone else is going global, we are going local' Jessica Gelt http://www.latimes.com/la-et-cm-hear-now-festival-20180425-story.html Hugh Levick founded the Hear Now Music Festival in 2011, he said, for one obvious reason: At that time you had a better chance hearing the work of Los Angeles-based composers in Berlin or in Paris than in L.A.

The annual festival, which runs Thursday through Sunday, uses a blind selection process...

]]> Wed, 25 Apr 2018 06:00:00 PDT Hockey legend Wayne Gretzky reunites with Thousand Oaks mansion in $13.5-million deal Jack Flemming http://www.latimes.com/la-fi-hotprop-wayne-gretzky-20180425-story.html NHL Hall of Famer Wayne Gretzky has reclaimed his former estate in Thousand Oaks, paying $13.5 million for the sprawling compound, The Times has confirmed.

The 6.5-acre property has had quite the journey since Gretzky sold it to ex-New York Mets star Lenny Dykstra in 2007 for $18.5 million. Dykstra,...

]]> Wed, 25 Apr 2018 06:00:00 PDT Public TV stations KCET and KOCE to merge in shifting market Meg James http://www.latimes.com/la-fi-ct-koce-kcet-merger-20180425-story.html After clawing for seven years over the same turf, Southern California’s two large public television stations — KCET and KOCE — are merging to become a stronger voice in local broadcasting.

The consolidation, announced Wednesday, will bring together two nonprofit organizations with separate strengths...

]]> Wed, 25 Apr 2018 06:00:00 PDT California voters: Get ready for an onslaught of television ads Seema Mehta http://www.latimes.com/la-pol-ca-essential-politics-updates-california-voters-get-ready-for-an-1524621374-htmlstory.html Wed, 25 Apr 2018 06:00:00 PDT Commission on College Basketball calls for sweeping reforms on one-and-dones, undrafted players Associated Press http://www.latimes.com/la-sp-ncaa-basketball-reform-20180425-story.html The Commission on College Basketball has sharply directed the NCAA to take control of the sport, calling for sweeping reforms to minimize one-and-done, permit players to return to school after going undrafted by the NBA, and ban cheating coaches for life.

The independent commission, led by former...

]]> Wed, 25 Apr 2018 05:55:00 PDT Essential California: Racism at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo Benjamin Oreskes , Shelby Grad http://www.latimes.com/la-me-ln-essential-california-20180425-story.html Good morning, and welcome to the Essential California newsletter. It’s Wednesday, April 25, and here’s what’s happening across California:

TOP STORIES

Being a black student was already a lonely affair at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. The university has the smallest percentage of minority students in...

]]> Wed, 25 Apr 2018 05:30:00 PDT Competition to build the Navy's MQ-25 flying tanker shows how drone fighters are taking on new roles Samantha Masunaga http://www.latimes.com/la-fi-mq-25-competition-20180425-story.html The U.S. military has come to rely on drones for surveillance, reconnaissance and attack. Soon, another job will be added to the list: refueling aircraft in midair.

Lockheed Martin Corp., Boeing Co. and General Atomics are all vying for a U.S. Navy contract to build the MQ-25 Stingray, an unmanned...

]]> Wed, 25 Apr 2018 05:00:00 PDT After blackface incident, minority students at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo say they don't feel welcome Hailey Branson-Potts http://www.latimes.com/la-me-ln-cal-poly-racism-20180425-story.html Aaliyah Ramos was walking through the Cal Poly San Luis Obispo campus last year when a prospective student approached her.

Ramos was the only black person, the young woman said, that she and her mother had seen that day. They asked about the quality of education and the diversity of the student...

]]> Wed, 25 Apr 2018 05:00:00 PDT Los Feliz traffic median's latest makeover might include planters in a bid to thwart homeless encampments Dakota Smith http://www.latimes.com/la-me-ln-traffic-median-los-feliz-20180425-story.html Nearly a decade ago, Los Angeles city officials, including then-City Councilman Eric Garcetti, cut the ribbon on a street beautification project in Los Feliz.

Landscapers added sycamore trees, honey-colored grass and seating areas at Vermont Triangle, a traffic median off Hollywood Boulevard. The...

]]> Wed, 25 Apr 2018 05:00:00 PDT 'Avengers: Infinity War': Everything you need to know about the Marvel universe Jevon Phillips http://www.latimes.com/la-et-mn-avengers-infinity-war-everything-to-know-20180425-story.html Ever since Sam Jackson’s Nick Fury walked into Tony Stark’s (Robert Downey Jr.) high-rise and presented him with info on creating the Avengers (all the way back in 2008’s “Iron Man”), the battle waged in “Avengers: Infinity War” has been the most anticipated event in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

... ]]> Wed, 25 Apr 2018 05:00:00 PDT Today: Weird Science at the EPA http://www.latimes.com/la-me-todays-headlines-20180425-story.html The head of the Environmental Protection Agency is targeting the science behind many of its rules for clean air and water.

TOP STORIES

Weird Science at the EPA

EPA chief Scott Pruitt says he’s for government “transparency.” Does that mean he’s addressing the soundproof telephone booth he spent...

]]> Wed, 25 Apr 2018 05:00:00 PDT Team-by-team draft needs: NFC West and AFC West Sam Farmer http://www.latimes.com/la-sp-nfl-nfc-afc-west-draft-needs-20180424-story.html The NFL draft will be held Thursday, Friday and Saturday in Arlington, Texas. Times NFL writer Sam Farmer examines team needs by division. Today, in the fourth of four parts, the West divisions:

NFC West

Carson Palmer retired and Sam Bradford is a stopgap, so don’t be surprised if the Cardinals...

]]> Wed, 25 Apr 2018 05:00:00 PDT South O.C.'s solution to homelessness is class warfare at its NIMBYest Gustavo Arellano http://www.latimes.com/la-oe-arellano-oc-homeless-20180425-story.html Last week, the mayors of 12 cities in South Orange County had the opportunity to cut the Gordian knot that is homelessness. They met at the behest of U.S. District Court Judge David O. Carter, who’d issued them a warning: Step up and help solve this problem, or I’m striking down the HOA-approved...

]]> Wed, 25 Apr 2018 04:15:00 PDT Scott Pruitt offers up another gift to polluters. You know, the people he's supposed to monitor The Times Editorial Board http://www.latimes.com/la-ed-pruitt-epa-science-regulations-trump-20180425-story.html Environmental Protection Agency director Scott Pruitt proposed a new rule Tuesday that he insisted would enhance “transparency,” but which critics described as a thinly veiled attack on the use of science and scientific studies to craft regulations aimed at protecting the environment.

Under the...

]]> Wed, 25 Apr 2018 04:10:00 PDT The new congressional authorization to fight terrorism still gives the president too much power Daniel DePetris http://www.latimes.com/la-oe-depetris-military-authorization-20180425-story.html This week, three Republicans and three Democrats on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee introduced a new authorization for the use of U.S. military force in what has become a never-ending war on terrorism. It aims to provide lawmakers with the ability to rein in the president’s power to deploy...

]]> Wed, 25 Apr 2018 04:05:00 PDT Corporations don't deserve a free pass on human rights lawsuits The Times Editorial Board http://www.latimes.com/la-ed-scotus-alien-20180425-story.html The Supreme Court on Tuesday made it harder — again —for victims of human rights violations to seek justice in American courts. Five conservative justices held that an 18th century law that allows foreigners to bring lawsuits for violations of the “law of nations” can’t be used against foreign...

]]> Wed, 25 Apr 2018 04:05:00 PDT If a treatment is effective and relatively inexpensive, why shouldn't an insurance company cover it? http://www.latimes.com/la-ol-le-knee-arthritis-injections-20180425-story.html To the editor: Thanks to David Lazarus for highlighting the real pain and suffering caused by insurance companies’ refusal to cover certain effective treatments. (“The insanity of covering a $50,000 knee operation but not a relatively cheap injection,” April 20)

Like the man who was the focus of...

]]> Wed, 25 Apr 2018 04:00:00 PDT Regime change in Tehran was never the goal of the Iran nuclear agreement http://www.latimes.com/la-ol-le-iran-nuclear-agreement-trump-20180425-story.html To the editor: Hopefully, French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel can talk some sense to President Trump. (“French, German leaders will bring Trump the same message: Save the Iran nuclear deal,” April 23)

The arguments against the Iran nuclear agreement continue to...

]]> Wed, 25 Apr 2018 04:00:00 PDT Don't break up California in the middle of its fight with the Trump administration http://www.latimes.com/la-ol-le-three-californias-tim-draper-20180425-story.html To the editor: Californians are overwhelmed from without and within. As President Trump tries to divide and conquer, even sending National Guard troops to our border with Mexico, Silicon Valley venture capitalist Tim Draper aids and abets him by seeking to destroy the most powerful state in the...

]]> Wed, 25 Apr 2018 04:00:00 PDT If you're troubled by food waste, you should support GMOs http://www.latimes.com/la-ol-le-food-waste-gmo-20180425-story.html To the editor: Reading the article, “The food that goes bad in your fridge amounts to trillions of gallons of wasted water,” I was disheartened about the sheer amount of wasted food and resources when so many are without any food at all. I was equally disappointed with the lack of solutions mentioned...

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