West
Growing chorus of parents demand Los Angeles put police back in schools: Violence has 'become the norm'
The Los Angeles Unified School District is facing growing pressure from parents to reinstate police officers in schools.
Two LAUSD parents spoke out on “Fox & Friends First” Wednesday on the increasing concerns about their children’s safety and exposure to violence and drugs while at school.
“High school, middle school students, they bring home videos that the kids have taken on campus of fights – very, very, intense fights – with groups of kids fighting and a kid on the ground, other kids jumping on top of them, for example,” L.A. mother Maria Luisa Palma explained.
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The school board voted unanimously in February 2021 to do away with officers stationed in schools, but a safety board is now asking that individual schools be allowed to make the decision for themselves.
However, the school board already rejected a similar resolution in September 2021.
“This has become the norm here,” Palma said. “The district is normalizing this type of violence, and we hear it from our kids. And now we have the data that was just released in mid-April that confirms what we’ve been hearing anecdotally from our children.”
LAUSD reported significant increases in reports of violence, illegal substances, threats and weapons brought onto campuses in the 2022-2023 school year.
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The Los Angeles United School District reported increases in incidents involving violence, threats, drugs and weapons in the 2022-2023 academic year.
The release of the latest data prompted parents to voice their concerns at a school board meeting Tuesday, again calling for additional safety measures.
“How many students have to die so that you are able to do something? We need to have the school police in all the schools,” one parent said.
“How long before you come down to our level from your ideological castles in the sky, and listen and act in the best interest of our community? The communities that put you in these positions. How much longer? What else is it that we have to do?” Palma said at the meeting.
Shiva Bagheri, another parent in the Los Angeles Unified School District, said the “defund police” movement is to blame for the “lawlessness” in both schools and the state as a whole.
“It’s just a bunch of crazy people that are ruining our streets,” she said. “My daughter saw two armed robberies in broad daylight. So, of course we need the police there. That’s the only way as parents are going to feel that our kids are safe at school.”
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Palma has launched an online petition demanding the return of police officers in schools.
“It’s heart-wrenching to feel that we take such pains, we make huge investments in our children to keep them safe at home. Everything we do for our kids, just to think that at school they’re going to be exposed to drugs in the bathrooms, which is what the kids tell us. That they’re going to be witnessing close up the violence and the fights that are out of control,” she said.
The key, Palma explained, is discipline and consequences.
“That’s what’s missing.”
“As [LAUSD] moved from a suspension discipline environment to what they call now a restorative justice and positive behavior support discipline policy, which we believe is not working. So there are no deterrents to keep the kids from acting out,” she said.
Palma believes students, including her own son, are suffering academically as a result.
“How can kids concentrate on developing their academic capabilities when the schools are not safe?”
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HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – A family-run Chinese restaurant in Honolulu’s Chinatown is gearing up for Lunar New Year festivities.
Hawaii Dim Sum & Seafood Restaurant owner Karen Tam and her son Kirave Liang joined HNN’s Sunrise to showcase their dim sum and Chinese specialties.
Lunar New Year specials include a special jai with 18 vegetarian ingredients and the sweet, sticky, steamed rice cake gau in brown sugar and coconut flavors, which symbolize good fortune and prosperity.
”We eat food with a lucky meaning to start the great year,” Tam said. “We have jin dui (sesame balls) every day.“
Feb. 17 marks the start of the year of the Fire Horse, when families gather to celebrate with big meals and auspicious dishes. Hawaii Dim Sum & Seafood will offer set party menus and special orders for foods not commonly found in Honolulu, such as whole stuffed duck, braised abalone in oyster sauce, and basin meal.
“It’s the biggest fest of the year. We celebrate Chinese New Year by eating with family in a round table,“ Tam said.
Hawaii Dim Sum & Seafood also has private rooms with karaoke systems and a banquet hall to accommodate small family gatherings to large parties.
Hawaii Dim Sum & Seafood is located on 111 N. King St. and is open from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily, There is street parking and paid parking behind the restaurant on Nimitz and Maunakea.
For more information, visit hawaiidimsumseafood.com or follow on Instagram @hawaiidimsumseafood.
Copyright 2026 Hawaii News Now. All rights reserved.
MOUNTAIN HOME, Idaho (KMVT/KSVT) — Interstate 84 near Mountain Home is back open after crews closed the freeway due to utility work.
Crews closed westbound and eastbound lanes on Saturday morning from milepost 90 to milepost 95 due to Idaho Power working on power lines in the area, according to the Elmore County Sheriff’s Office. All lanes are now back open in both directions.
The sheriff’s office and the Mountain Home Police Department apologized for the inconvenience, saying they were just informed of the closure on Saturday morning.
More information regarding road closures and traffic conditions can be found at the Idaho Transportation Department’s 511 map.
Copyright 2026 KMVT. All rights reserved.
The French owner of the Swiss bar where 40 people died in a fire during new year celebrations has told investigators a service door had been locked from the inside.
Jacques Moretti, co-owner of the Constellation bar in the Swiss resort of Crans-Montana, was taken into custody on Friday, as prosecutors investigated the tragedy.
Most of the 40 people who died were teenagers, and another 116 people were injured.
Moretti told the Valais public prosecutor’s office that he had found out about the locked door just after the deadly fire.
When he arrived at the scene, he forced open the door, according to excerpts from police reports published by several French and Swiss media outlets confirmed to AFP by a source close to the case.
Moretti said he had found several people lying behind the door after opening it.
Initial findings suggest the fire was caused by sparklers coming into contact with soundproofing foam installed on the ceiling of the establishment’s basement.
Questions are also being raised regarding the presence and accessibility of fire extinguishers, and whether the bar’s exits were in compliance with regulations.
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“We always add a sparkler candle when we serve a bottle of wine in the dining room,” said his wife and co-owner, Jessica, who was released after Friday’s hearing.
Moretti told investigators he had carried out tests and the candles were not powerful enough to ignite the acoustic foam.
He said he bought the foam in a DIY store and installed it himself during renovations carried out after buying the establishment in 2015.
Regarding the presence of numerous underage kids in the bar at the time of the tragedy, Moretti said the establishment prohibited anyone under the age of 16 and that customers aged 16 to 18 had to be accompanied by an adult.
He said he had given these “instructions” to the security staff, but acknowledged that “it is possible that there was a lapse in protocol”.
The couple is suspected of “negligent homicide, negligent bodily harm, and negligent arson”.
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