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City of Orange nixes school crossing guards, annual ceremonies amid budget cuts 

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City of Orange nixes school crossing guards, annual ceremonies amid budget cuts 

In order to fix its budget deficit, the City of Orange has elected to slash funding for several sectors, including the school crossing guard program. 

The city is responsible for filling the positions, and there were 14 part–time crossing guards at schools across the city – but not all – before the program was cut. 

According to city officials, not having the crossing guards saves Orange around $425,000 a year. 

It’s not just patrols outside schools that have been nixed; Orange has also cut out some annual events to save money, including the city’s annual Christmas tree lighting ceremony.   

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Orange Mayor Dan Slater told KTLA’s Chip Yost that they also reduced funding for the library and essentially had a “hiring freeze” and were simply not filling open positions in an attempt to reduce spending. The cuts have saved the city about $5.5 million, which still doesn’t cover the entire $19 million deficit. 

“[The deficit] is not anything new – we’ve had budget deficits going back to about 2010 – but we are finally trying to address that,” Mayor Slater said. “Tough times call for tough measures, and we can’t spend money we don’t have.” 

Budget cuts aren’t the only tactic officials are using to minimize the deficit. City residents will be able to vote on a citywide sales tax increase on the November ballot to raise more revenue. 

Officials also said they are looking for sponsors for events such as the annual Christmas tree lighting so that they can keep community traditions alive. 

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Los Angeles, Ca

Long Beach man arrested for murder in deadly hit-and-run crash

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Long Beach man arrested for murder in deadly hit-and-run crash

A 23-year-old man from Long Beach is in custody following a deadly hit-and-run crash in Riverside County Saturday.

The crash happened around 8:09 a.m. near the intersection of Dinah Shore Drive and George Montgomery Way in the city of Rancho Mirage, according to the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department.

Deputies responded and found one of the involved drivers, 57-year-old Teresa Bowlin of Cathedral City, dead at the scene. The other driver, Tyler Conant of Long Beach, ran from the scene of the crash, according to the sheriff’s department.

23-year-old Tyler Conant of Long Beach was arrested for murder following a deadly hit-and-run in Riverside County on May 16, 2025. (Riverside County Sheriff’s Department)

“During the investigation, it was determined that Conant was under the influence of alcohol [at the time of the crash],” the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department said.

Conant was arrested and booked into the John Benoit Detention Center for murder and felony hit-and-run.

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The investigation is ongoing. Anyone with information about the crash is asked to contact Deputy Bret Meservey at (760) 836-1600.

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Los Angeles, Ca

Long Beach to hold new pride festival after previous one canceled

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Long Beach to hold new pride festival after previous one canceled

Long Beach will hold a pride festival this weekend after the one they originally had scheduled was canceled.

Long Beach city officials said the celebration was nixed after the nonprofit that organizes it, Long Beach Pride, failed to submit the required information for an event permit. 

It was supposed to start on Friday and last through Sunday.

“Despite continued collaboration and multiple deadline notices, the City did not receive the required documentation needed to complete safety reviews, inspect critical event infrastructure, such as the stage, electrical systems and tent, and emergency exiting plans to ensure compliance with public safety standards,” the city of Long Beach said in a statement. “With event programming scheduled to begin on May 15 at 5 p.m. with Teen Pride and essential information still outstanding, there is no longer sufficient time to safely permit the festival this year.” 

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Officials noted that they were working to see if a “shortened event” could be held this weekend, and indeed, an agreement was reached to stage a one-day gathering on Sunday. 

Billed as “Canceled? Never Heard of Her!” and emceed by comedian and drag queen Jewels, it will still bring the city’s LGBTQ community together after Sunday morning’s Long Beach Pride Parade, which was not canceled.

“Long Beach Pride weekend is a culmination of celebrations put on by our community, including our many vibrant restaurants, bars and businesses, and that will never change,” Long Beach Mayor Rex Richardson said in a press release issued late Saturday night. “Along with the Pride Parade, we are proud to join the party with this new event that reaffirms what this City has always stood for: that every person belongs here.”

“The festival may have been canceled, but Long Beach drag artists don’t cancel joy,” added Jewels Long Beach.

The one-day “Canceled? Never Heard of Her!” festival will take place at Bixby Park from noon to 7 p.m. Sunday. A free event, it will include music by several performers and a drag show. 

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More information can be found here.  

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L.A. Jewish institution among targets of foiled terrorist attack, U.S. officials say

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L.A. Jewish institution among targets of foiled terrorist attack, U.S. officials say

A Jewish institution in Los Angeles was among the locations targeted in a recently foiled terrorism plot, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York Jay Clayton announced this week.

The thwarted terrorist attacks were the result of the recent arrest of Mohammad Baqer Saad Dawood Al-Saadi, an Iraqi national and senior member of Kata’ib Hizballah, U.S. officials said.

“Mohammad Baqer Saad Dawood Al-Saadi, a commander for the terrorist organization, Kata’ib Hizballah, faces serious charges for his role in numerous attacks against U.S. interests across the globe, including his efforts to kill on U.S. soil,” Clayton said. “As alleged, for years, Al-Saadi committed himself to furthering the terrorist goals of Kata’ib Hizballah and the IRGC, two terrorist organizations dedicated to harming the United States and its allies.”

Al-Saadi recently attempted to carry out attacks in the U.S., officials said, including attacks at Jewish cultural places of interest in New York, Los Angeles and Scottsdale, Ariz.

“Al-Saadi attempted to disrupt American society through intimidation and violence,” a press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office reads. “… Those who engage in or support terrorism against Americans and on U.S. soil should take note:  the whole of the federal government is committed to dismantling terrorist organizations and bringing their members to justice.”

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In a three-month period, Al-Saadi allegedly directed 18 terrorist attacks throughout Europe, including bombings, arson, and assaults targeting American citizens and points of interest. Prior to his arrest, national security officials say he was planning similar attacks on U.S. soil. Assistant Attorney General for National Security John A. Eisenberg said that  Al-Saadi “presented a serious threat to our national security.”

The European attacks included the bombing of the Bank of New York Mellon, an American bank, in Amsterdam on March 15. On April 29, two Jewish men, one of whom was a dual U.S.-British citizen, were stabbed and seriously injured in London.

In 2020, Al-Saadi took to social media, calling for others to attack and kill Americans in retribution for the deaths of Iranian military officer Qasem Soleimani and Iraqi military commander Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, U.S. officials said. In more recent months, Al-Saadi allegedly used social media to encourage the killing of Americans and Jews to further the terrorist goals of Kata’ib Hizballah and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

“In or about February 2026, for example, AL-SAADI posted on one of his social media accounts a message in Arabic, which read in part, ‘Do not abandon the blood of your Imam of the time, oh Shiites of Iraq. Kill everyone who supports America and Israel. Do not leave any of them remaining. Civil and military targets, as well as voices of discord, kill them everywhere.’” U.S. officials said.

NYPD Commissioner Jessica S. Tisch confirmed that one of the U.S. targets was a Manhattan synagogue. On April 3, Al-Saadi allegedly spoke to an undercover law enforcement officer whom Al-Saadi believed could carry out attacks in the U.S. That same day, Al-Saadi allegedly texted the undercover officers photographs and maps showing the exact location of a prominent Jewish synagogue in New York City. 

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Officials have not said what specific locations in L.A. and Arizona were targeted by the terrorist group.

Al-Saadi now faces numerous charges for these crimes in U.S. court. If convicted, he could be sentenced to life in prison.

The case is under investigation by the FBI’s New York Joint Terrorism Task Force, which is comprised of investigators and analysts from the FBI, the NYPD, the FBI Washington Field Office, Counterterrorism Division, and more than 50 other federal, state, and local agencies. Investigators also received help from the Department of Justice’s National Security Division, Counterterrorism Section, the Office of International Affairs of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, and U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

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