California

HAWTHORNE, Calif. (KESQ) – A Hawthorne man was arrested today on a federal charge of allegedly sending a bogus ransom demand to relatives of Nancy Guthrie, the missing mother of “Today” show co-anchor Savannah Guthrie.    Nancy Guthrie, 84, disappeared from her Tucson, Arizona, home on Jan. 31, the victim of an apparent kidnapping. She

HUNTINGTON BEACH, Calif. (KESQ) – Huntington Beach officials have voted to ask the U.S. Supreme Court to review a state appellate court ruling that blocked the city’s voter ID law, though a Chapman University law professor said today it has a negligible chance of succeeding. The city council voted Tuesday night to petition the nation’s

Adrik Vargas IMPERIAL COUNTY, Calif. (KYMA) – A new geothermal project at Controlled Thermal Resources’ Hell’s Kitchen site could provide reliable, round-the-clock power for data centers, factories, and other facilities in Imperial County. The project, called American Data Power, will generate electricity using geothermal heat from beneath the Salton Sea. The facility is designed as a

LOS ANGELES (KESQ) – Los Angeles County Supervisor Janice Hahn and other elected officials today called on LA 2028 Olympics committee chair Casey Wasserman to resign over a string of racy emails with Ghislaine Maxwell, who’s been convicted of sex trafficking for her role in a widespread sexual abuse scandal involving the late Jeffrey Epstein.

LANCASTER, Calif. (KESQ) – The parents of a 12-year-old boy and 13-year-old girl who were found decapitated at the family’s home in Lancaster were sentenced today to life in prison without the possibility of parole for the murders of the two children. Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Lisa M. Strassner ordered Maurice Jewel Taylor

SAN DIEGO (KESQ) – The cities of San Diego and San Jose are suing the U.S. Department of Justice for allegedly placing unconstitutional requirements on the cities in order for them to receive funding for the investigation of internet crimes against children. The lawsuit filed Friday in San Diego federal court states that grants for

LOS ANGELES (KESQ) – The owners of the Los Angeles home where Marilyn Monroe died are suing the city and Mayor Karen Bass, alleging in federal court that the residence was designated a historic cultural landmark after they purchased it, curtailing their plans to demolish the structure, according to a complaint obtained today.   Husband

LOS ANGELES (KESQ) – The first measles case in a Los Angeles County resident since August has been confirmed, the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health announced today.    The patient, who was not identified, had recently traveled internationally, according to the department. There are no identified public exposure locations in Los Angeles County

ANAHEIM, Calif. (KESQ) – Authorities today released details about the case of a 23-year-old woman who fled to Mexico after allegedly killing her 55-year-old boyfriend, who was found decapitated.    Alyssa Marie Lira of Anaheim was charged with murder on Monday with a sentencing enhancement for the personal use of a deadly weapon. She is

LOS ANGELES (KESQ) – A convicted bank robber was sentenced today to 44 months in federal prison for running a nearly $1 million fraud scheme that targeted Southern California surfers whose bank cards and phones were lifted from their cars while they were catching waves. Moundir Kamil, 56, of Orange County, was also ordered to

SANTA ANA, Calif. (KESQ) – Orange County supervisors today approved spending $33 million to settle a large batch of claims made in relation to the September 2024 Airport Fire. The supervisors voted 4-0, with Supervisor Vicente Sarmiento absent, in a closed-door meeting to settle 592 claims for 193 households represented by the Singleton Schreiber law

LOS ANGELES (KESQ) – On the eve of trial, TikTok has settled a lawsuit filed against it and three other social media platforms by a 19-year-old Northern California woman who alleges the online forums are addictive and harmful to teens and children, an attorney said today. The woman, identified in court documents only as K.G.M.,

SAN DIEGO, Calif. (KESQ) – A former Navy detective and El Cajon police officer recently sentenced for using excessive force on a detained sailor at Naval Base San Diego was sentenced today to 20 years in prison for conspiring to distribute child sex abuse material. Jonathan Christopher Laroche pleaded guilty to communicating with others over

SANTA ANA, Calif. (KESQ) – Accused drug lord Ryan Wedding, a former Canadian Olympic snowboarder, pleaded not guilty today to federal charges alleging he ran a narcotics trafficking organization and ordered the killing of a witness.    The 44-year-old Wedding — who was sixth on the FBI’s 10 Most Wanted List until his arrest late

SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY, Calif. (KESQ) – A former San Bernardino County business owner was arrested in Thailand in connection with the 1996 murder of an employee. Woravit Mektrakarn was arrested and charged with murder in connection with the disappearance and presumed death of one of his employees nearly three decades ago in Ontario. According to