Good evening, SoCal. We're wrapping up the day for you with the most important stories you need to know and your weather outlook.
Your Weather Planner
After seven straight days of above normal temperatures in our inland valleys, it looks like we have at least five more days of continued heat.
Overnight lows into Friday morning will only cool off into the low to mid-70s, which is about 10 degrees above normal.
Remember to stay hydrated and away from the midday sun as much as possible.
Even our coastal communities will feel the warmth with highs in the low 80s and plenty of sunshine. Mountain and desert storm chances remain slim Friday.
Tomorrow's Highs
Get your 7-day forecast: LA West | LA East | San Fernando Valley/Ventura County | Orange County
Today's Big Stories
1. Falling COVID hospital numbers help LA County escape 'high' virus-activity label
Los Angeles County officially escaped the federal government’s “high” COVID-19 activity category Thursday, advancing to the “medium” level thanks to the falling rate of new virus-related hospital admissions.
The county moved into the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s “high” category in mid-July when the average daily rate of people being admitted to hospitals for COVID reasons topped 10 per 100,000 residents. The county lingered in the “high” category for several weeks, raising the possibility of health officials re-imposing an indoor mask-wearing mandate. The county ultimately opted against the move, citing steady improvements in new case and hospitalization numbers.
Los Angeles County Public Health Director Dr. Barbara Ferrer originally anticipated that the county would move back into the “medium” virus-activity category last week, but the average daily hospitalization rate remained at 10.1 per 100,000 residents in last week’s CDC update.
2. Family plans vigil at site of deadly crash in Windsor Hills
The family of a woman who was killed and burned beyond recognition in last week’s horrific crash in Windsor Hills that also left five other people dead will hold a candlelight vigil at the site Thursday evening.
Relatives of Nathesia Lewis, 43, plan to gather at La Brea and Slauson avenues at 5 p.m. to mark the one-week anniversary of the horrific crash. Lewis has not been formally identified as a victim by the coroner’s office, but relatives said she was killed in the chain-reaction crash allegedly caused by a traveling nurse accused of speed into the intersection through a red light at nearly 100 mph.
A local news station reported that the other still-unidentified victim of the crash was 38-year-old Lynette Noble — who was a friend of Lewis and was in the same car with her when the crash occurred. The coroner’s office also has not officially identified her as a victim.
Lewis’ relatives told the local news station Wednesday they only discovered days after the crash that she had been killed.
The four other victims of the crash have been previously identified by the coroner’s office as 23-year-old Asherey Ryan of Los Angeles, who relatives said was 8 1/2 months pregnant. Her unborn child, Armani Lester, also died in the crash and is considered a victim, along with Ryan’s 11-month-old son Alonzo Quintero and 24-year-old boyfriend, Reynold Lester of Los Angeles.
3. Newsom: California must boost water recycling, desalination
California should invest tens of billions of dollars in water recycling, storage and desalination over the next two decades to shore up its supply as the state gets drier and hotter, Gov. Gavin Newsom said in a proposal released Thursday.
It comes as drought continues to grip the U.S. West and the state prepares to lose 10% of its water supply by 2040, according to projections by the Department of Water Resources. The Democratic governor was set to discuss the proposal at the construction site of a plant to remove salts from river water that should be fresh, the type of project he said the state needs more of in the coming years.
His proposed water recycling targets, which would make treated waste water safe for drinking, would cost $27 billion by 2040, his proposal said. That was the biggest price tag associated with the plan, which also relies on billions in money already approved in past state budgets. The plan envisions that money coming from both state and federal sources.
In total, he wants to boost the water annual supply by nearly 3 million acre feet each year; one acre foot can supply about two households.
4. Former LA Mayor Villaraigosa named infrastructure adviser for California
Former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa will serve as an infrastructure adviser for the state of California, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced Thursday.
Villaraigosa’s appointment comes amid $120 million in funding awarded by the Department of Transportation to California for eight projects.
He will be tasked with identifying priority projects in the state and helping to maximize access to federal funding.
“With this influx of federal dollars, we have an incredible opportunity to rebuild California while creating quality jobs, modernizing crucial infrastructure and accelerating our clean transportation progress, benefiting communities up and down the state,” Newsom said in a statement. “Antonio has the extensive experience and relationships to deliver on this promise and bring together the many partners who will be key to our success. I look forward to his collaboration with the administration as we build up communities across California.”
Villaraigosa served as mayor from 2005 to 2013. He ran against Newsom for governor in 2018.
5. Justice Department moves to unseal search warrant executed at Trump's Florida home
Attorney General Merrick Garland announced on Thursday that the Department of Justice would move to allow the public release of a search warrant executed at Donald Trump's Florida home, after FBI agents searched the former president’s residence for hours on Monday.
According to the motion, filed with the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida, the documents can be unsealed upon the judge's approval and "absent objection from the former president."
The motion also calls for the unsealing of the property receipt, which is a list of the items that FBI agents took from Mar-a-Lago.
Both the warrant and the property receipt were given to Trump lawyers on site on the day of the search, Garland said.
Now, Trump's legal team has until 3 p.m. EST on Friday to respond and say whether the former president objects to the motion to unseal the documents.
Your Notes for Tomorrow
- House takes up the Inflation Reduction Act
- Court hearing for police officer charged with conspiracy in Breonna Taylor death
- After 57 years, "Days of our Lives" moves from TV to Peacock
- 5th anniversary of clash between Charlottesville, VA, protesters and counter-protesters
In Case You Missed It
Green jobs blooming among 'opportunity youth'
Young people in Southern California are getting the opportunity to find careers in green industries.
When 20-year-old Oscar Rosa suits up to start brush removal, he knows how important it is to remove it all so it won’t fuel a wildfire.
“I’m really glad to make a difference," Rosa said. "Even if it’s not my home, to save somebody else’s home.”
Rosa has found purpose in working for Urban Corps of San Diego County, a conservation corps whose mission is to help young adults in underserved communities build a better life through green jobs. A “green job” is anything that benefits the environment, conserves natural resources or makes something more environmentally friendly.
San Diego Foundation has given $180,000 in grants to connect opportunity youth to green jobs with the goal of helping the entire region be more environmentally friendly in the future, while taking care of communities often overlooked.