All posts tagged: SoCal

Arrest made in SoCal stabbing that killed teacher, injured daughter

Arrest made in SoCal stabbing that killed teacher, injured daughter

Published by Sam Flores

Police have made an arrest in a fatal stabbing in Burbank that left a mother dead and her adult daughter wounded. About 10 p.m. Monday, a SWAT team descended on the 500 block of East Palm Avenue in Burbank and took 30-year-old Sergio Fraire into custody on suspicion of murder and attempted murder. Earlier that morning, at about 6 a.m., police had rushed to a home on North Brighton Street in response to a reported stabbing. Once they arrived, they found 59-year-old Arti Varma and her 25-year-old daughter both injured. Varma was taken to a hospital, where she died. Her daughter, who was identified by neighbors as Meera Varma, remained in critical condition, the Burbank Police Department confirmed with The Times on Tuesday afternoon. Sergio Fraire, 30, was taken into custody Monday night. (Burbank Police Department) Arti Varma was a teacher at Bret Harte Elementary School for more than 15 years, according to the school’s staff page. She taught kindergarten, first and third grades during her tenure. After school on Tuesday, Susana Gomez and her …

SoCal father arrested after putting up stop signs near children’s park

SoCal father arrested after putting up stop signs near children’s park

Published by Sam Flores

A longtime El Segundo resident was arrested earlier this month after installing unauthorized stop signs at a neighborhood intersection he says has become increasingly dangerous for children. Joseph Brandlin, 44, who has lived in El Segundo for more than four decades, said he took matters into his own hands after months of unsuccessful attempts to get city officials to address safety concerns about the intersection of Loma Vista Street and Acacia Avenue. The intersection is currently a two-way stop and is near Acacia Park, a children’s park that reopened after renovation in 2021. “I care deeply about the safety of our neighborhood and the families that live here,” Brandlin said. Brandlin raised concerns about the intersection last year. He and other residents submitted a petition with roughly 50 signatures requesting additional stop signs. The city later said it conducted a traffic evaluation, but residents were not notified when it took place and saw no visible evidence of it, according to Brandlin. El Segundo resident Joseph Brandlin was arrested earlier this month after installing unauthorized stop …

SoCal suburb enraged after beloved mama bear is killed: ‘Blondie didn’t deserve to die!’

SoCal suburb enraged after beloved mama bear is killed: ‘Blondie didn’t deserve to die!’

Published by Sam Flores

“Blondie” the mama bear was a large and furry fixture in Monrovia known for her love of cooling off with a backyard-pool dip on a toasty day. But earlier this month, the local celebrity was euthanized by the state, over the objections of local elected leaders, following two incidents where she swiped at residents. Now her two cubs, believed to be 2 to 3 months old, will spend the rest of their childhood in captivity in the hopes that they can one day be released back into the wild. Thousands of community members signed a petition to try to prevent her euthanasia, and over the weekend, more than 100 residents gathered for a memorial walk through Monrovia. They traveled two miles — one for each of her orphaned cubs — in the shape of a B for Blondie. Blondie’s two cubs, believed to be around 2 to 3 months old, will remain in captivity with the hope of releasing them when they’re older. (San Diego Humane Society) They carried photos of Blondie’s face and signs …

19 SoCal garden tours to inspire your L.A.-area yard

19 SoCal garden tours to inspire your L.A.-area yard

Published by Sam Flores

Scattered orange California poppies, California Lilac with bright blue blooms, and hummingbird sage with dark rose-lilac-colored flowers spontaneously tell us what we already know: Spring has arrived. Southern California, especially Los Angeles, has many breathtaking botanical gardens and wildflower-lined hiking trails. But it’s also exciting to visit private home gardens that are rarely open to the public and find inspiration even if you don’t have space for a garden at home. This year’s spring garden tours include a visit to a historic Midcentury Modern home designed by Buff, Straub and Hensman, complete with a river running through the property as part of the Garden Conservancy’s Open Days Tour. You can also check out a native garden at a Long Beach elementary school that is usually closed to visitors, or see how a young couple used a $5,000 turf rebate from the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power to transform their Inglewood yard during the Theodore Payne Foundation’s two-day Native Plant Garden Tour. Whether you love gardening or simply enjoy beautiful landscapes and meeting other …

A SoCal beetle that poses as an ant may have answered a key question about evolution

A SoCal beetle that poses as an ant may have answered a key question about evolution

Published by Sam Flores

The showrunner of the Angeles National Forest isn’t a 500-pound black bear or a stealthy mountain lion. It’s a small ant. The velvety tree ant forms a millions-strong “social insect carpet that spans the mountains,” said Joseph Parker, a biology professor and director of the Center for Evolutionary Science at Caltech. Its massive colonies influence how fast plants grow and the size of other species’ populations. That much, scientists have known. Now Parker, whose lab has spent 8 years studying the red-and-black ants, believes they’ve uncovered something that helps answer a key question about evolution. In a paper published in the journal “Cell,” they break down the remarkable ability of one species of rove beetle to live among the typically combative ants. The beetle, Sceptobius lativentris, even smaller than the ant, turns off its own pheromones to go stealth. Then the beetle seeks out an ant — climbing on top of it, clasping its antennae in its jaws and scooping up its pheromones with brush-like legs. It smears the ants’ pheromones, or cuticular hydrocarbons, on …

SoCal man once stole billionaire’s identity, then he targeted surfers, prosecutors say

SoCal man once stole billionaire’s identity, then he targeted surfers, prosecutors say

Published by Sam Flores

A convicted bank robber — who also once stole the identity of one of the world’s richest men in order to pocket his $1.4-million tax refund — now awaits sentencing for a different kind of fraud scheme, one that targeted Southern California surfers. Moundir Kamil, 56, was the mastermind behind a nearly $1-million scheme that targeted surfers while they were catching waves, according to federal prosecutors. Orange County resident Kamil, along with accomplices Jordan Adams and Jennifer Pruneda, pleaded guilty in September to conspiracy to commit bank fraud, attempted bank fraud and aggravated identity theft. Sentencing for Kamil is expected to take place Wednesday in downtown Los Angeles. According to court documents and media reports, Kamil and his co-conspirators burglarized vehicles to steal credit cards, debit cards, phones and other forms of identification to later make fraudulent purchases, including luxury items and expensive electronics, totaling at least $850,000. The larceny took place across various Southern California beaches including Pacific Palisades, Malibu and Manhattan Beach, as well as beaches in San Diego County and other popular …

Wheee! Here are 15 SoCal hiking trails with hidden tree swings

Wheee! Here are 15 SoCal hiking trails with hidden tree swings

Published by Sam Flores

Jes Grosky and her boyfriend, Keith Shelter, were out for a hike near their home in Downey one weekend when they walked by a tree with a swing hanging from its branches near the trail. The tree was on private property so they didn’t use it, but the sight of it hit a nostalgic chord that stuck with them. “I just really wanted to get on and swing,” Grosky remembers. This sparked a simple idea. Why not build some rope swings and start adding them to their favorite trails? The couple, who on most weekends can be found with their hiking boots laced up, wondered if people would feel the same they did. “We wanted it to be a little surprise moment for people. Something for them to discover on the trails,” Grosky says. Their hope was that it would inspire people to get out more and reconnect with nature. In the last year, they’ve put up 19 swings and are hoping to keep expanding. To help spread the word, drop location hints and share …