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Firefighters struggle to contain fast-moving Malibu wildfire, prompting evacuation orders

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Firefighters struggle to contain fast-moving Malibu wildfire, prompting evacuation orders

A raging wildfire in Malibu, California, is 0% contained as of Tuesday evening after destroying at least seven structures and prompting mandatory evacuation orders for tens of thousands, according to officials in Los Angeles County.

Known as the Franklin Fire, the flames have torched more than 3,000 acres in about 24 hours and placed nearly 20,000 people under evacuation orders and warnings.

Seven zones within city limits from the Pacific coastline to the outskirts of the fire’s inception in Malibu Canyon are under an evacuation order, which is a lawful order to leave immediately due to life-threatening conditions.

“Over 1,000 first responders from multiple agencies remain on scene battling the fire on the ground and in the air. Please heed evacuation orders and warnings,” the Los Angeles County Fire Department wrote on social media.

MALIBU WILDFIRE SURROUNDS DICK VAN DYKE’S HOME; 98-YEAR-OLD STAR ‘SAFELY EVACUATED’

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Firefighters in Malibu, California, work to contain the fast-moving Franklin Fire, which has burned more than 3,000 acres in about 24 hours. (LA County Fire Department photographer Doug Morrison)

At least seven structures have been destroyed in Malibu and at least eight have been damaged, according to the city on X. No injuries have been reported at this time.

“Our thoughts are with all those affected by this devastating event,” the city said in its post.

The fire has prompted road closures along Pacific Coast Highway between Topanga Canyon Boulevard and Kanan Dume Road, according to the California Highway Patrol. The road is only open to residents evacuating the area and first responders.

There is also a hard closure at Los Virgenes Road at Mulholland Highway, CHP said.

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In addition to fire personnel, Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said over 150 deputies have been dispatched to assist with the road closures, evacuations and security patrols.

Fire engine on closed road in Malibu

There are hard closures in effect for several major roadways in Malibu as firefighters work to contain the Franklin Fire. (LA County Fire Department photographer Doug Morrison)

EXPLOSIVE MALIBU FIRE FORCES THOUSANDS OF EVACUATIONS AMID ‘HIGHEST’ THREAT 

Firefighters were alerted to the wildfire in Malibu Canyon near South Malibu Canyon Road and Francisco Ranch Road at around 11 p.m. Monday.

FOX Weather reported that the fire became dangerous quickly due to powerful Santa Ana winds, which prompted a Red Flag Warning that remains in effect into Wednesday afternoon.

“The entire fire area remains under threat as long as the current red flag conditions persist,” LA County Fire Chief Anthony Marrone said. “Strong winds and low humidity continue to challenge firefighters on the line and in the air as they struggle to contain this fire.”

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Firefighter spraying water on house in flames

At least seven structures have been destroyed in Malibu and at least eight have been damaged as of Tuesday evening, according to the city on X. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

The fire also caused Pepperdine University to issue a shelter-in-place order into Wednesday morning, which is when school officials will reevaluate conditions in the community and discuss when it can be lifted.

“Fire activity around Pepperdine’s Malibu campus has greatly diminished as the Franklin Fire has burned through most of the fuel immediately surrounding campus, but some flames are still visible in small pockets of campus. 

“Firefighters continue to respond to and put out lingering hot spots and protect structures. Early analysis indicates there has been little to no damage to structures around campus, and no injuries have been reported,” Pepperdine said on X late Tuesday night.

Gov. Gavin Newsom announced a Fire Management Assistance Grant has been secured through FEMA to “help ensure the availability of vital resources to suppress the fire burning in Malibu.”

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The grant will help local, state and tribal agencies responding to the fire apply for 75% reimbursement of their eligible fire suppression costs.

“Fire officials and first responders are working relentlessly to protect lives and property from the Franklin Fire,” Newsom said. “California is grateful for this federal support, which bolsters these efforts.”

FOX Weather contributed to this report.

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Washington

Mayor's message about Washington Ave safety overshadowed by comment on 'barely clad ladies'

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Mayor's message about Washington Ave safety overshadowed by comment on 'barely clad ladies'


HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) — Houston Mayor John Whitmire’s Friday announcement was meant to be a show of collaboration, of law enforcement and the city coming together to improve public safety. But some comments from the mayor overshadowed that collaboration.

Early parts of the press conference focused on talking points the mayor has been making for over a year now.

“Public safety is our highest priority. If we don’t make people be safe, feel safe, hold bad actors accountable, nothing else matters,” Whitmire said.

But some of the comments made were out of left field.

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“I will do it, encourage the owners of the club to get their barely clad young ladies off the street on Washington,” Whitmire said.

Eyewitness News visited the restaurants, bars, and clubs in the area. Off camera, bouncers and managers said the dress of their patrons and employees shouldn’t concern anyone.

The mayor said that as part of the crackdown on Washington Ave, he’d be riding along with police on Friday and Saturday nights to witness and crack down on concerning and illegal behavior. Partnered law enforcement agencies said as more people are celebrating around the holidays, they want everyone to be safe.

“This is a very dense area; there are a lot of folks that are traversing back and forth from different clubs, for parking areas and things like that; it’s nighttime; drive safely,” Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez said.

A partner at Rain HTX, a soon-to-open restaurant on Washington, said he understood he was entering a mixed social and residential area when he picked this spot, and he’s tried to be accommodating to his neighbors.

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“We soundproofed the walls. We put foam in the walls. We set our amps at a certain volume, and no matter who comes into DJ or turns the music on, they can’t go past a certain volume,” Rain HTX partner Sean Foskey said.

However, he also feels concerns can be addressed by meeting face-to-face.

“Every business here is trying to do the same thing, survive, pay their bills, pay their staff, and take care of their families, and I just think a conversation is a good compromise besides just trying to shut things down,” Foskey said.

The mayor noted that he rode the emancipation and downtown area a few weeks ago.

For more news updates, follow Lileana Pearson on Facebook, X and Instagram.

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Wyoming

Superintendent Degenfelder defends parents' lawsuit against Cheyenne school closures

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Superintendent Degenfelder defends parents' lawsuit against Cheyenne school closures


Wyoming Superintendent of Public Instruction Megan Degenfelder testified for a subcommittee of the U.S. House Committee on Education & the Workforce on Oct. 19, 2023. (Screenshot courtesy of U.S. House subcommittee stream)

CHEYENNE, Wyo. — Two Cheyenne parents recently filed a petition against the Wyoming School Facilities Commission for approving a controversial recommendation to close eight historic neighborhood schools. Members of the commission jeered at the lawsuit at a meeting Tuesday, but the state’s chief education official doesn’t think it’s a laughing matter.

On Friday, Wyoming Superintendent of Public Instruction Megan Degenfelder released a statement backing up the lawsuit filed in Laramie County District Court.

“I ran for State Superintendent because I was tired of the rights of parents being stifled,” Degenfelder said in the news release. “Parents have a fundamental and constitutional right to direct their child’s education and we must stop treating the concerns of parents as a laughing matter.”

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Degenfelder added that the commissioners’ response to the court filing showed a lack of empathy to the plights of local parents.

“These Cheyenne parents are concerned because their neighborhood schools are being taken from them,” the superintendent said. “They have every right to seek legal redress in court and should be taken seriously by state leaders. I am disappointed in the lack of professionalism and empathy displayed at the School Facilities Commission.”

The lawsuit was filed by Cheyenne parents Katie Dijkstal and Franz Fuchs, who are also members of the Cheyenne Parent Alliance, a community organization that’s opposed the state’s recommendation to close eight Cheyenne schools. This past fall, CPA collected more than 1,000 signatures from residents standing against the LCSD1 most-cost-effective study, or MCER, which proposes closing a third of Cheyenne elementary schools. Members of the organization presented these signatures to the commission at its Nov. 6 meeting.

The Wyoming School Facilities Commission is an independent entity from the Department of Education. Degenfelder has no influence on the SFC.

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San Francisco, CA

San Francisco police tipped FBI that Luigi Mangione could be UnitedHealthcare CEO shooter

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San Francisco police tipped FBI that Luigi Mangione could be UnitedHealthcare CEO shooter


More details surface about UHC CEO shooting suspect Luigi Mangione

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More details surface about UHC CEO shooting suspect Luigi Mangione

03:13

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The New York Field Office of the FBI on Friday confirmed that San Francisco police provided a tip regarding the possible identity of the suspect in the shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in New York City last week. 

The tip from the San Francisco Police Department regarding 26-year-old Luigi Mangione was the latest Bay Area connection to surface since the Dec. 4 slaying of Thompson outside of a New York City Hilton hotel.

Mangione had already been identified as a person of interest in the case when he was arrested Monday on firearms and other charges in Pennsylvania. Authorities were tipped off after he was seen at a McDonald’s in Altoona. He has been charged with murder in connection with the shooting.

Police in San Francisco had already seen photos of suspect Luigi Mangione days before the shooting after Mangione’s mother filed a missing person report with the SFPD, a person close to the investigation told CBS News.   

In a statement provided to CBS New York reporter Ali Bauman on Friday, an FBI New York Field Office spokesperson confirmed that “a tip was received from the San Francisco Police Department regarding the possible identity of the suspect.” 

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The FBI subsequently referred that tip and other leads to NYPD as the agency assisted in the investigation.

“Extensive sharing of the photos by law enforcement led to the identification by a citizen and subsequent arrest by the Altoona Police Department,” the statement added.

In addition to the missing person report filed with the San Francisco Police Department by Mangione’s mother, the suspect had previously spent time in the Bay Area in 2019 when he worked as an artificial intelligence teaching assistant at a Stanford summer program, according to his LinkedIn profile.

Stanford officials confirmed that “a person by the name of Luigi Mangione was employed as a head counselor under the Stanford pre-collegiate studies program between May and September of 2019.”

He is currently being held under maximum security at a State Correctional Institution (SCI) Huntingdon, in Huntingdon, Pennsylvania.  

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