California is making an effort to get more people to recycle cans and bottles by providing millions in grants across the state to add more recycling sites and provide new methods.

The state agency CalRecycle recently awarded nearly $70 million for 37 projects in more than half of the state’s counties.

The state has long had its California Refund Value program, commonly known and printed on recyclable products as CRV, which refunds between 5 and 25 cents per container, depending on the type and size.

According to CalRecycle, the statewide beverage container recycling rate was 71% in 2023.

A CalRecycle document states that the program has resulted in a 68% recycling rate.

The new grants fund projects that include things like reverse vending machines, which scan containers that are fed into it and provide the CRV. Other ways include mobile recycling teams that can pop up at different places, and bag-drop sites.

In the announcement of the funds, CalRecycle said that grocery store chains Save Mart and Smart & Final will have reverse vending machines in 19 counties, and that “modernized recycling sites” will come to underserved communities in Butte, Imperial, Lassen, Mendocino and Merced counties.

“Innovative ways to recycle will help more Californians cash in their beverage containers and provide recycled materials for in-state remanufacturers,” CalRecycle Director Zoe Heller said in a statement. “These new sites will make redemption as simple as feeding containers into a machine or dropping off a bag of empty containers.” 

CalRecycle said it expects in the coming year to provide more than $200 million in grant funds to collect, reuse and recycle containers.

California recently expanded its CRV program, with wine and liquor in a box, carton or pouch having a 25-cent value, and wine, liquor and juices packaged in glass, plastic, aluminum or bimetal having a 5-cent value if under 24 ounces, and a 10-cent value if 24 ounces or over.

Crews battled a fire at a commercial building near the 10 Freeway in Downtown Los Angeles on Tuesday morning.

The flames were burning through the roof when firefighters arrived around 7 a.m. at the one-story vacant building on East Violet Street, the Los Angeles Fire Department stated in a news alert.

The fire was intense enough that crews were forced to take a defensive position while battling the blaze.

Sky5 was over the scene at 7:30 a.m. as crews appeared to be getting a handle on the fire.

The LAFD declared the incident a “knockdown” roughly 10 minutes later.

About 28 firefighters took just under 40 minutes to extinguish the flames, the Fire Department said.

No one was injured in the incident, and the cause of the fire is under investigation.

A growing memorial can be seen outside of a medical clinic in Woodland Hills where a 61-year-old doctor was gunned down in what some believe may have been a targeted killing.  

The victim was identified as Hamid Mirshojae, a doctor who worked at the Warner Plaza Medical Center located at Topanga Canyon Boulevard and Oxnard Street. 

He was walking to his car on Aug. 23 when an unknown suspect approached him and shot him multiple times at around 5:34 p.m., according to the Los Angeles Police Department. 

Witnesses heard gunshots and saw a body on the ground in the parking lot. Mirshojae was pronounced dead at the scene by paramedics. 

“He’s been full of love. He’s been full of care,” Khedhar Quintero, a former patient, told KTLA’s Chris Wolfe. “He doesn’t care that you’re just another number in his lobby, he cares about your future as well.”  

Many of his patients referred to him simply as Dr. Hamid. 

“He’s been my doctor for 15 years, he made me feel better,” Gloria Sera told KTLA. “He was from Iran, and I don’t know if he was telling me the truth, but last time I came, he said he had just gotten married.”  

Close friends tell KTLA that the doctor’s wife and 6-month-old baby were in Turkey with family at the time of the deadly shooting. Mirshojae also reportedly has three children from a previous marriage.  

According to an online biography, the doctor had more than two decades of experience providing urgent and emergency care and more than 10 years in addiction medicine.  

“His patients include celebrities, movie stars, athletes and many people from different walks of life,” the bio noted.  

“He helped a lot of people with detox,” Quintero said. “Who knows what they could’ve been going through. He could’ve changed something in their life. He could’ve done something different that they didn’t like, and someone wanted him removed from this world unfortunately.”

Speculation around the killing is that Mirshojae was gunned down in a targeted fashion and authorities appear to be following that theory in their investigation.  

Anyone with information on the incident is asked to call LAPD’s Valley Bureau homicide detectives at 818-374-9550. 

During non-business hours or on weekends, calls can be directed to the LAPD at 877-527-3247. Anyone wishing to remain anonymous can call Crime Stoppers at 800-222-8477 or go directly to lacrimestoppers.org.