February 19, 2026
February 19, 2026
A juvenile humpback whale carcass washed ashore in Newport Beach, California, on Wednesday, February 18, 2026, drawing attention from local residents, lifeguards, and marine mammal experts. The approximately 30-foot-long sub-adult whale, estimated to weigh around 10 tons (20,000 pounds), grounded on the beach near 10th to 11th Street on the Balboa Peninsula, between the Newport and Balboa piers and close to Newport Elementary School. It was first spotted floating offshore...
Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD), the nation's second-largest school system, faces mounting pressure as it grapples with a severe budget crisis driven by years of declining student enrollment. On February 17, 2026, the LAUSD Board of Education narrowly voted 4-3 to authorize the issuance of approximately 3,200 preliminary layoff notices, a move expected to result in the elimination of about 657 positions, primarily in central office and centrally funded classified...
More than 40 grieving parents and family members from across the United States and the United Kingdom gathered outside Snap Inc.'s headquarters in Santa Monica on Thursday, February 12, 2026, in a powerful demonstration organized by the child safety advocacy group Heat Initiative. Clutching large photos of their lost children, the protesters stood in front of the company's offices near the Santa Monica Airport, holding banners that read "Snapchat: Protect Kids, Not...
A series of intense back-to-back winter storms battered Southern California this week, unleashing powerful rushing waters through the Santa Monica Channel and dislodging dozens of large concrete slabs from its aging walls. The massive blocks—part of a sacrificial concrete overlay installed in the 1970s—peeled away and were carried downstream, piling up dramatically in sections near Pacific Palisades and the confluence with Rustic Canyon. Residents living adjacent to the...
OAKLAND, Calif. - A city-owned SUV assigned for use by Oakland Mayor Barbara Lee was stolen this week following a break-in at her office in City Hall, authorities confirmed on February 18, 2026. The incident occurred on Monday, February 16, 2026 - Presidents' Day, when city offices were closed for the holiday. According to preliminary reports from the Oakland Police Department (OPD) and sources familiar with the investigation, an unidentified individual tampered with the...
Truckee, California - 2/18/26: Eight backcountry skiers have been confirmed dead following a massive avalanche in the Castle Peak area northwest of Lake Tahoe, with one individual from the group still unaccounted for and presumed deceased, Nevada County Sheriff Shannan Moon announced at a press conference on Wednesday, February 18, 2026. The incident involved a guided party of 15 people-four professional guides from Blackbird Mountain Guides (a Truckee-based company) and 11...
A 42-year-old woman was arrested following a shooting that wounded a man of similar age during a roadside argument at Seventh Avenue and Broadway in Venice on Saturday afternoon, February 15, 2026. According to LAPD reports, the victim was sitting inside a vehicle when the suspect drove up, exited her car, engaged in a dispute, shot him, and fled the scene. The man was transported by ambulance to a hospital in stable condition. Officers located and took the woman into custody...
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