ORANGE COUNTY

Prosecutors say a Southern California judge accused of killing his wife had texted his court clerk and bailiff afterward to say he had shot her.

Heavy rain has spawned extreme flooding in New York’s Hudson Valley, killing at least one person and forcing road closures.

New York City has filed suit against dozens of counties over their refusal to take in new migrants, the latest escalation in an ongoing battle between the city and local leaders across the state.

An offshore pipeline involved in a 2021 oil spill that fouled Southern California beaches is being put back in service.

Michelle Hadley was a 29-year-old graduate student living in California when her ex-boyfriend falsely accused her of a lurid crime.

U.S. Census numbers show women make up 51% of the country’s population, but they make up only 12-14% of law enforcement, according to the latest data compiled by the U.S. Bureau of Justice Statistics.

New research shows climate misinformation has been flourishing on Twitter since Elon Musk bought the platform last year.

Federal prosecutors have charged the wife of a northwestern Iowa county supervisor with 52 counts of voter fraud to help her husband's ultimately unsuccessful race for a Republican nomination to run for Congress in 2020.

Ballot measures to build more affordable housing and protect tenants from soaring rent increases were plentiful and fared well in last week’s midterm elections.

One person died and two others were missing in a raging stream channel as a powerful storm pounded California with rain and snow on Election Day, while a tornado touched down in Sacramento County.

Cities and counties across the country are pushing measures aimed at stabilizing or controlling rents at a time when housing prices are skyrocketing.

President Joe Biden’s visit to California and Oregon this week comes close to Election Day and shows how Democrats are calling in reinforcements in states that are typically afterthoughts for the party.

A federal agency has given a Texas oil company approval to repair a pipeline that ruptured a year ago and spilled tens of thousands of gallons of crude off the Southern California coast.

A California woman has been charged with killing a man by ramming her car into him after accusing him of trying to run over a cat in the street.

Ballots haven’t even been printed yet, but already a group of landlords, apartment managers and real estate agents in Florida are trying to stop voters from deciding on a measure that would implement rent control for a year in the theme park hub that has been one of the fastest-growing metro areas in the U.S. The Florida Apartment Association and the Florida Association of Realtors last week sued Orange County, Florida in an attempt to halt a ballot initiative aimed at limiting how much...

New York state health officials have issued a more urgent call for unvaccinated children and adults to get inoculated against polio, citing new evidence of possible “community spread” of the virus.

A flight from southern California to Houston was diverted to Austin Friday, according to officials.

In its heyday the Hazel Wright pipe organ was heard by millions worldwide through the “Hour of Power” Christian TV program, broadcast from Southern California's iconic Crystal Cathedral.

Zillow Group says it will stop buying and selling homes, citing the unpredictability of forecasting housing prices.

An international group of scientists is arguing the average person doesn't need a COVID-19 booster yet — an opinion that highlights the intense scientific divide over the question.

Officials are offering new hope for the safety of U.S. schoolchildren threatened by COVID-19.

A Southern California man charged with the murder of a 6-year-old boy in a road rage incident has been ordered held without bail.

A Southern California man has been charged with murder and shooting at an occupied vehicle over a road rage attack that killed a 6-year-old boy on a freeway.

(AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)BEIJING — Sinovac said on Monday that its COVID-19 vaccine CoronaVac is safe and effective in children ages 3-17. State-owned Sinopharm, who has two COVID-19 vaccines, is also investigating the effectiveness of its vaccines in children. The House vote came just before the state health department reported that more than 1 million COVID-19 vaccine shots have been administered within the state. State officials say about 2.9 million vaccine doses have been given to about 1.1 million people so far in Arizona. ___LISBON, Portugal — Portugal resumed administering AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine, a week after temporarily halting its use.

Roberto Clemente was the first Latino to be inducted in the Baseball Hall of Fame. The legacy of Roberto Clemente is still treasured today, proven nearly 50 years after his death. In fact, the Orange County School Board unanimously voted to rename the facility Roberto Clemente Middle on Sept. 21, coincidentally during Hispanic Heritage Month. Becoming baseball’s most prominent Afro-LatinoRoberto Clemente started his Major League Baseball career with the Pittsburg Pirates. The son of a sugarcane worker, Clemente began his professional baseball career just after finishing high school.

California is revamping its vaccine delivery system to give the state more control over who gets the shots following intense criticism of a slow and scattered rollout by counties. Counties, which have been leading the vaccine effort along with hospital and health care systems, were cautious about what to expect and said they need more information. At the same time, confused residents are clamoring for more information and frustrated by eligibility rules that vary by county and by hospital system. She also asked what paperwork essential workers would need to present to get a vaccine from the state. Allowing the state to seek an equitable distribution of the vaccine will allow counties to focus on getting as many people inoculated as possible.

(AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)BEIJING — China says it is now treating more than 1,000 people for COVID-19 as numbers of cases continue to surge in the country’s north. ___AUSTIN, Texas — Texas has distributed more than 1 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine, Gov. State health officials say Texas had more than 14,000 COVID-19 patients in hospitals and its death toll has passed 30,000. ___COLUMBIA, S.C. — South Carolina will now allow medical students, retired nurses and other qualified professionals to administer the COVID-19 vaccine. ___MADRID — Spain reported 35,878 confirmed coronavirus cases and 201 new deaths from the coronavirus.

U.S. safety investigators say electric vehicle fires pose risks to first responders, and manufacturers have inadequate guidelines to keep them safe. (Orange County Sheriffs Department/National Transportation Safety Board via AP)DETROIT – Electric vehicle fires pose safety risks to first responders and guidelines from manufacturers about how to deal with them have been inadequate, according to U.S. investigators. There are also gaps in industry safety standards and research on high-voltage lithium-ion battery fires, especially in high-speed, severe crashes, the National Transportation Safety Board said Wednesday. And it's asking the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to include the availability of an emergency response guide when it calculates five-star vehicle safety scores. The NTSB started investigating battery fires after crashes and fires in Lake Forest and Mountain View, California, and in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, in 2017 and 2018.

But the decision perplexed some county officials who say they don’t even have enough doses right now to vaccinate those who were already eligible. California has received more than 2.4 million vaccine doses as of Monday, but only a third of them have been used. This is about life and death,” Santa Clara County Supervisor Cindy Chavez said. So can you send us 4 million doses?”About 375 miles (600 kilometers) to the north, Santa Clara County officials made their pitch to Gov. Santa Clara County wants at least 85% of its eligible residents vaccinated by Aug. 1.

(AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli)TOKYO — Japan’s daily coronavirus cases have exceeded 3,000 for the first time while the government delays stricter measures for fear of hurting the economy ahead of the holiday season. ___SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — The U.S. has reached a record 3,309 daily coronavirus deaths, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University. ___PHOENIX — Arizona reported 8,076 confirmed coronavirus cases, one of the state’s largest daily total. Italy has registered 1.8 million confirmed cases and more than 63,000 confirmed deaths, sixth highest in the world. He says the latest outbreak at Orange County jails had 74 confirmed cases, 75 tests pending and more inmates waiting to be tested.

(AP Photo/Patrick Semansky, File)LOS ANGELES – It had been over two decades since a Republican captured a Democratic-held congressional district in California. The stunning victories have California GOP leaders talking about a comeback after years of teetering on the brink of irrelevance in the heavily Democratic state. Still, California Republicans all too familiar with Election Day misery now see a template to make further inroads. Young Kim defeated Democratic Rep. Gil Cisneros in a rematch in the Democratic-leaning 39th District, anchored in Orange County. In Orange County “voters saw a different face to the Republican Party in Steel and Kim,” she said.

The fire grew to more than 11 square miles (29 square kilometers) and blanketed a wide area with smoke and ash. Scientists have said climate change has made California much drier, meaning trees and other plants are more flammable. A few miles to the north, a blaze near Corona Municipal Airport shut down State Route 71 and had residents getting ready to flee. More than 6,500 square miles (16,835 square kilometers) have been scorched, a total larger than the combined area of Connecticut and Rhode Island. Virtually all of Northern California is in severe or extreme drought while nearly all of Southern California is abnormally dry or worse.

LOS ANGELES – Republican Michelle Steel defeated first-term Rep. Harley Rouda on Tuesday in a Southern California district, only the second time in more than two decades that a GOP candidate in the state has defeated an incumbent Democrat. Rouda captured Orange County’s 48th District in 2018 from longtime Republican Rep. Dana Rohrabacher, part of a Democratic sweep of seven House seats in California that year. Steel, who heads the Orange County Board of Supervisors, benefited from the district’s Republican registration edge and also surmounted widespread distaste for Trump in the strongly Democratic state. In the 25th District north of Los Angeles, Republican Rep. Mike Garcia is narrowly trailing Democrat Christy Smith. Orange County this year is one of the crucial House battlegrounds in California and the U.S.

MAURICEVILLE, Texas – Residents in Orange County within a one-mile radius were asked to evacuate Thursday after a train derailment, according to deputies. The train derailed on the Kansas city Southern track in Mauriceville near the old 62 crossovers, according to Orange County Sheriff’s Department. Schools, businesses and residents within a mile radius were asked to evacuate and those a half-mile outside of the mile are asked the shelter in place as several agencies investigate the situation, deputies said. Hazmat crews were also called to investigate the scene.

(AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)LOS ANGELES – Facing extreme wildfire conditions this week that included hurricane-level winds, the main utility in Northern California cut power to nearly 1 million people while its counterpart in Southern California pulled the plug on just 30 customers to prevent power lines and other electrical equipment from sparking a blaze. Red flag warnings of extreme fire danger expired and easing winds allowed PG&E to begin restoring power after the largest of five safety shutoffs this year. At its peak, PG&E cut power to about 345,000 customers — nearly 1 million people — in 34 counties. As of Tuesday night, only about 2,000 of Edison's 5 million customers were without power, according to an outage website. “Obviously, you can say in retrospect that it would have been better if SCE cut power where the line was.

In a report to the state Public Utilities Commission, Southern California Edison said it was investigating whether its electrical equipment caused the blaze. However, the utility had reduced that to under 16,500 as winds eased temporarily Monday night. Fire officials said PG&E transmission lines sparked that fire, which destroyed hundreds of homes and caused nearly 100,000 people to flee. While the biggest fires in California have been fully or significantly contained, more than 5,000 firefighters remain committed to 20 blazes, state fire officials said. Associated Press writer Amy Taxin in Orange County, California contributed to this report.

(AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes, File)LOS ANGELES – California's chief elections official on Monday ordered Republicans to remove unofficial ballot drop boxes from churches, gun shops and other locations and Attorney General Xavier Becerra warned those behind the “vote tampering" could face prosecution. Republicans have set up their drop boxes at churches, gas stations and gun shops in at least three California counties. He said these unofficial drop boxes lack those protections, making them vulnerable to tampering. Officials in Ventura County also said Monday that they had received reports of groups promoting unofficial ballot drop boxes. ___Taxin reported from Orange County, California.

And GOP candidates need to win back suburbanites who recoiled from the Trump agenda in 2018 and helped return the House to Democratic control. But Issa’s once strongly Republican district became increasingly friendly for Democrats and he nearly lost his seat in 2016 before deciding not to run in 2018. Democratic Rep. Harley Rouda captured the district in an upset of longtime Rep. Dana Rohrabacher in 2018, as suburban voters nationally rejected the Trump label. First-term Democratic Rep. Gil Cisneros is looking to hold off Young Kim, the Republican he narrowly defeated two years ago to snatch the seat long held by Republican Rep. Ed Royce. Kim, a former legislator who was born in South Korea and grew up in Guam, has depicted the congressman as subservient to House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi.

(AP Photo/Sait Serkan Gurbuz, File)LOS ANGELES Republican candidates eager for a turnaround in heavily Democratic California are spotlighting what they see as a dire threat to families and communities their own states policies. If Joe Biden says hes fighting for the soul of America, Republican candidates say they are fighting for the soul of California. Yet, in an election year that could produce a record Democratic turnout in California, Republican chances of gaining ground are uncertain at best. The California Republican Party was once a national powerhouse, and Orange County was a foundation block in the conservative revolution that sent the former California Gov. The numbers are witnessed at the ballot box: The GOP hasnt won a statewide election since 2006 and George H.W.

Deputies said the shooting happened Saturday around 7:30 p.m. at the Burger King on the 7000 block of E. Colonial Drive. According to investigators, Joshua had just started working at the Burger King a few days earlier. Deputies said Monday that the woman Rodriguez-Tormes was with has not been arrested at this time. Burger King released a statement Monday about the shooting. We are deeply saddened to hear of the tragic incident that took place at the Burger King on 7643 E. Colonial Drive and passing of team member Desmond Joshua, Burger King North America President Chris Finazzo said.

Nearly 40,000 people were fined about $1.30 each in the past two weeks for not wearing face masks. As is true of many places, Tokyo's nightlife bars, clubs, cabarets and karaoke parlors has been seen as a weak link in efforts to contain the virus. Officials have struggled over the trade-off between curbing the spread of the virus and protecting the ailing economy. The Democrat's order came as the state reported a record number of new confirmed cases. Few other countries have shown the will to impose such stringent measures to keep the virus at bay.

The magical world of Disney has implemented quite a few changes as the Magic Kingdom Park reopened to visitors in Florida this weekend. In addition to wearing mouse ears, all guests ages two and older will be required to wear face coverings in the park. In Orange County, where Disney is located, 553 patients were hospitalized Sunday, according to the state's health website county break down. Guests will not receive their ride photos if they were not wearing a mask on the ride. The public relations director at Walt Disney World confirmed with CNN that the company has an existing policy of suppressing photos if someone is doing something unsafe on the ride.

But one man in California went a step further and was lucky enough to get a birds-eye view of Disneyland Resort without pixie dust, a magic carpet or a lucky feather. Disneyland has a temporary flight restriction that restricts pilots from flying anywhere near the park, within 3,000 feet. During his flight, Muzio visited much of Orange County, which included stops at Angel Stadium, El Dorado Park and Long Beach Airport, to name a few. However, our favorite sight was that of a closed Disneyland park without a single person to be seen. While the view from above is great, anyone who’s been there would likely agree: nothing beats the view from the ground.

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. – A 42-year-old Orlando woman is accused of zipping her boyfriend inside a suitcase and leaving him to die inside, according to an Orange County arrest affidavit. Boone said they discussed it would be funny if Torres got into the suitcase, according to the affidavit. According to court records, Boone told deputies she zipped Torres into the suitcase. She told deputies they drank alcohol during the night and she passed out in her bed, according to court records. Investigators said she told deputies she woke up later and realized her boyfriend was still in the suitcase.