April 24, 2026
April 24, 2026
Washington, D.C. – April 24, 2026 - House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.) and Rep. Eric Burlison (R-Mo.) have sent formal letters to the FBI, Department of Energy, NASA, and Department of Defense, demanding briefings on a string of deaths and disappearances involving at least 11 scientists, researchers, and officials with access to highly sensitive U.S. nuclear secrets, advanced rocket technology, and aerospace programs. The lawmakers warned that if the...
SANTA MONICA — The Santa Monica Police Department officially launched its new Santa Monica Analytical Real-Time Center (SMART Center) this week, marking a major upgrade in the city’s public safety infrastructure. The state-of-the-art facility integrates live data from cameras, drones, and other sources to provide real-time intelligence to officers in the field. Officials say the center will improve crime prevention, emergency response times, investigative capabilities,...
SANTA MONICA - While California public schools saw their largest enrollment decline since the return from the pandemic, the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District (SMMUSD) reported only a modest drop this school year, in contrast to steeper losses in the much larger Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD). Statewide, public school enrollment from transitional kindergarten through 12th grade fell by 74,961 students, or 1.3%, during the 2025-26 school year - the...
SANTA MONICA — Just days after the latest parking rate changes took effect in downtown Santa Monica, many small business owners are voicing deep concern that the new fees — including $1 for the first 90 minutes and a $20 daily maximum in most structures — could further harm foot traffic and hurt already struggling retailers, restaurants, and wellness businesses. The revised rates, which went into effect on April 13, 2026, followed months of debate and community...
Jeremy Ferguson, a longtime operations director for Downtown Santa Monica Inc., and his wife, Mandy Zelinka, were found dead inside their Venice home this week in an incident Los Angeles police are investigating as a possible murder‑suicide. Police and first responders were called Tuesday to the 600 block of Superba Avenue in Venice, where officers discovered both victims with fatal gunshot wounds, according to LAPD statements and a coroner’s report. The L.A. County...
Mexico City - For four months, caretakers at Mexico City's iconic Chapultepec Zoo have been locked in a losing battle against a tiny but audacious intruder: a 4kg orange domestic cat that has turned a Bengal tiger's enclosure into its personal all-you-can-eat buffet. The feline felon, which staff have informally nicknamed in internal records despite its unofficial status, sneaks into the tiger's habitat three or four times a week. Security cameras capture the moment it...
A Santa Monica singer is using her new song to highlight a loneliness epidemic in our city. Racquelle Vox, who was born and raised here, wrote "Lonely Hearts Aisle" while walking through the community and reflecting on the isolation she saw and felt. Loneliness is recognized as a significant issue in Santa Monica where busy lifestyles, high rents, a car-centric culture, and many individuals working remotely from home are cited as contributors to feelings of isolation even...
