Search Los Angeles local results

10+ min ago (752+ words) The sudden closure of the Howard's Appliance chain is another sign of the new reality of how Californians buy big-ticket items that fill their homes. Most shoppers no longer seek out these goods at modest specialty merchants like Howard's in Southern California or anywhere else. Rather, consumers primarily go to three big-box merchants: Lowe's, Home Depot or Best Buy. In the wake of this evolution in shoppers' preferences " not to mention the turmoil of the pandemic era " Howard's, with a legacy dating back 79 years, joins California's long list of appliance/electronics shops to reach the retail graveyard. Remember last year's collapse of the Pirch chain from San Diego? Or the demise of the seemingly ubiquitous Fry's? Or the end of Western Appliances from San Jose or Asien Appliance in Santa Rosa? And it's not just California: multistate retailers such as…...

18+ min ago (500+ words) Q: My California Department of Motor Vehicles registration has the Smog Abatement Fee on it " but my parents don't have it on theirs. Do you know why? " Gina N. Dangelo, Saugus Gina, do you happen to have a newer ride than your parents? Generally, the California Legislature does not require gas-powered cars and trucks that are eight years old or younger, are purchased here in the Golden State, with its restrictive requirements on manufacturers, and have remained with the original owner to get smog checks every other year. Of course, newer gas vehicles aren't likely to be excessive polluters. Most smog checks cost nearly $60. So you save cash there. But those with the younger gas vehicles don't get cut much slack. That Smog Abatement Fee they must pay is typically $20 or $25 annually, depending on the vehicle's age. The revenue is used to…...

28+ min ago (131+ words) NEW YORK -- Police arrested a woman for allegedly stabbing a tourist inside the Macy's in Herald Square on Thursday afternoon. Kerri Aherne, 43, of Massachusetts, was charged with attempted murder, assault and criminal possession of a weapon, police said. A 38-year-old woman from California was stabbed multiple times inside of the Macy's just before 3 p.m. in the back and arm. She was at the store shopping with her husband. The victim was taken to Bellevue Hospital in stable condition. A Macy's spokesperson released a statement saying, "We are deeply saddened about the incident that took place today as the safety of our customers and colleagues is our top priority. We kindly defer any further questions to the local authorities." Police say the attack appeared to be unprovoked....

49+ min ago (31+ words) Friday will start off with some patchy dense fog, but it will clear out by the afternoon which will be warm heading into the weekend. Alex Biston's NEXT Weather forecast...

54+ min ago (252+ words) LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- The Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office announced it filed charges against five people accused of being unlicensed contractors in the Eaton Fire burn zone. Thursday afternoon, District Attorney Nathan Hochman and Supervisor Kathryn Barger stood on one of the properties destroyed in Altadena and issued a warning about the possible risks when hiring an unlicensed contractor. They stressed the risks range from paying a large sum up front, liability that falls on the property owner when the contractor is not uninsured, and the challenges to recover losses if work is not up to code. Barger said the county is working on compiling a list of licensed contractors currently working in the Eaton Fire burn area as a resource for survivors. Hochman said the individuals being prosecuted face felony charges based state law on unlicensed contracting in…...

1+ hour, 2+ min ago (475+ words) By COLLIN BINKLEY, Associated Press Education Writer The Trump administration's list of professional programs includes medicine, law and theology but leaves out nursing and some other fields that industry groups had asked to be included. The "professional" label would allow students to borrow larger amounts of federal loans to pursue graduate degrees in those fields. Under new rules proposed by the Trump administration, students in graduate programs deemed professional could borrow up to $200,000 for their degrees in total, and up to $50,000 a year. Loans for other graduate programs would be capped at $100,000 in total and $20,500 per year. In the past, graduate students had been able to borrow federal loans up to the full cost of their programs. In a Friday letter, lawmakers argue that a $100,000 cap on nursing graduate programs would make it harder for students to pay for expensive…...

1+ hour, 15+ min ago (326+ words) By SOPHIA TAREEN, Associated Press The 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals heard arguments last week about the 2022 agreement governing how U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement can arrest immigrants besides those being specifically targeted in an operation. The consent decree has been in the spotlight amid the Trump administration's Chicago-area immigration crackdown that's led to more than 4,000 arrests. Last month, U.S. District Judge Jeffrey Cummings, who found the government violated the agreement, ordered the release of more than 600 immigrants on bond, which the appeals court paused. Roughly 450 remain in custody, attorneys say. Plaintiffs' attorneys said they were disheartened by the ruling but glad the court upheld the extension of the agreement, which among other things requires ICE to show documentation for each arrest it makes. Federal judges elsewhere including in Colorado have also ruled to limit warrantless arrests. Attorneys pushed for a quick decision,…...

1+ hour, 32+ min ago (911+ words) Abrego Garcia became a flashpoint of the Trump administration's immigration crackdown earlier this year when he was wrongly deported to a notorious prison in El Salvador. He was last taken into custody in August during a similar check-in. Abrego Garcia, who was scheduled to appear at the Baltimore Immigration and Customs Enforcement field office, first stopped at a news conference outside the building, escorted by a group of supporters chanting "We are all Kilmar!" "I stand before you a free man and I want you to remember me this way, with my head held up high," Abrego Garcia said through a translator. "I come here today with so much hope and I thank God who has been with me since the start with my family." He urged people to keep fighting. "I stand here today with my head held high…...

1+ hour, 44+ min ago (103+ words) SANTA MONICA, Calif. (KABC) -- An investigation is underway in Santa Monica after a driver in a BMW violently smashed into a building overnight, leaving the car crumpled in the middle of the street. It happened on the corner of Santa Monica Boulevard and Princeton Street. Details are limited, but video obtained by Eyewitness News shows the mangled BMW in the street and heavy damage to the building, which appears to be a printing shop. At least one person has been hospitalized, but their condition is unknown. It's unclear what caused the crash. ABC7 has contacted the Santa Monica Police Department for more information....

1+ hour, 44+ min ago (844+ words) By LEAH WILLINGHAM and LAURA BARGFELD, Associated Press Supporters of the displays say the Bible is on their side, but critics call the scenes sacrilegious and politically divisive, accusing the churches of abusing sacred imagery and some arguing they should lose their tax-exempt status. The archdiocese in Massachusetts ordered that the manger must be "restored to its proper sacred purpose." The debate comes as immigration enforcement intensifies in states and cities whose leaders object to the immigration crackdown. In September alone, a combined total of at least 2,000 people were arrested in Illinois and Massachusetts, according to federal arrest figures released by immigration authorities. For churches, Christmas is a time "when we have public art out on the lawn and we get an opportunity to say something," said Rev. Michael Woolf, senior minister at Lake Street. Another Nativity scene created by…...