Month: October 2019

1/21 President Ronald Reagan’s Air Force One sits on display at the Reagan Library as the Easy fire burns in the neighboring hills in Simi Valley.  (Wally Skalij/Los Angeles Times) 2/21 Inmate crews set backfires to heavy brush along Madera Rd. as firefighters try to keep the Easy fire from crossing the road into Thousand…

Good morning, and welcome to the Essential California newsletter. It’s Thursday, Oct. 31, and I’m writing from Los Angeles. Newsletter Get our Essential California newsletter California is still burning. But even as more fires ignited Wednesday, some areas saw a small measure of relief. Firefighters finally began to get a handle on the massive Kincade…

The wind-driven Hillside fire broke out about 1:40 a.m. near Highway 18 and Lower Waterman Canyon in San Bernardino. The fire quickly charred 200 acres and burned homes in the North Park neighborhood. EVACUATIONS About 490 homes north of 50th Street, west of Highway 18 and east of Mayfield Street have been placed under mandatory…

Set against the backdrop of 2007’s NBA betting scandal, “Inside Game” ups the ante with an engaging ensemble headed by Will Sasso, Scott Wolf and Eric Mabius. Buddies since childhood, bookie James “Baba” Battista (Sasso), NBA referee Tim Donaghy (Mabius) and charismatic, drug-dealing Tommy Martino (Wolf) find themselves living the dream in Philadelphia when they…

Recent scandals exposing celebrities who paid their children’s way into prestigious universities serve as a timely point of departure for Adam and Jaye Fenderson’s conventionally informative documentary “Unlikely.” Narrated by Jaye Fenderson, a former admissions officer at Columbia University, the film dissects how higher education obstructs equal opportunity by obscenely favoring wealthy applicants with legacy…

“I am a man who paints. Nothing more, nothing less,” repeats L.S. Lowry (Timothy Spall), a suffering artist thwarted by his elderly mother Elizabeth (Vanessa Redgrave), throughout the gripping, gorgeously acted biopic “Mrs. Lowry & Son.” It’s a haunting mantra that speaks volumes about a self-effacing talent who became one of England’s most famous contemporary…

SERIES Superstore Amy (America Ferrera) amps up the store’s Halloween spirit to impress the new district manager, but her haunted house terrifies Glenn (Mark McKinney) in this new episode of the workplace comedy. 8 p.m. NBC Grey’s Anatomy In a new Halloween episode, Alex (Justin Chambers) is feeling optimistic that he can impress investors at…

Get into your jammies and hop aboard the Polar Express for a train ride to the North Pole and back — without leaving Southern California. For the first time, the theatrical ride based on the holiday children’s book and movie is coming to the L.A. area. Tickets are on sale now for rides starting Nov.…

Stocks on Wall Street rose broadly Wednesday, sending the Standard & Poor’s 500 index to a new record high for the second time this week, as investors welcomed the Federal Reserve’s decision to cut interest rates again. The nation’s central bank also indicated that it won’t lower rates further in the coming months unless the…

The United Auto Workers union says it has reached a tentative contract agreement with Ford after three days of intense bargaining. The union said the deal was reached Wednesday night but didn’t give details. It said the deal still needs approval from committees of national union leaders and local officials who will meet Friday in…