The Lake Fire is burning between Lakes Hughes and Castaic, about 65 miles north of Los Angeles. It had grown to about 17 square miles Thursday night.
Author: Elinor Aspegren, USA TODAY
California authorities recover 2,000 to 3,000 roosters in raid of alleged illegal cockfighting ring
Cockfighting is a sport in which two roosters specifically bred to fight are placed in a small ring and encouraged to fight to the death.
‘Complete failure’: ACT test website crashes when registration opens after canceled exams
The ACT opened registration Monday for September and October tests, but shut down its registration site shortly after opening it “due to high demand.”
Fire, explosion on USS Bonhomme Richard sends 21 people to hospitals, fills San Diego skies with dark smoke
An amphibious assault ship caught fire on Sunday at Naval Base San Diego, injuring 17 sailors and four civilians, officials said.
Tropical Storm Fay forms off North Carolina coast, likely to make landfall Friday
The sixth named tropical storm in the already busy hurricane season will bring heavy rain and flooding to the mid-Atlantic coast and the Northeast.
Transgender murders are ‘rampant’ in 2020: Human Rights Campaign counts 21 so far, nearly matching total of a year ago
At least four transgender people have been murdered in the past week, bringing the yearly count to 21 — nearly matching 2019’s total of 27.
University of California names first Black president in system’s 152-year-history: Michael V. Drake to succeed Janet Napolitano
Dr. Michael V. Drake was selected Tuesday as the first Black president in the 152-year history of the University of California system.
A US first? Massachusetts city votes to recognize polyamorous relationships in domestic partnership policy
Instead of defining domestic partnership as “entity formed by two persons,” Somerville’s ordinance defines the term as “entity formed by people.”
‘Shocked and angered’: Miami police director calls for investigation after video shows officer punching woman
The Miami police director ordered an investigation on Wednesday night after a video on social media showed an officer punching a woman at the airport.
Dallas woman, deadnamed by police, is at least 18th transgender person murdered in US this year
GLAAD President Sarah Kate Ellis told USA TODAY that “using the birth name implies that the trans person’s actual lived identity is somehow not real.”