The postcard image I had heading to the Netherlands was of gigantic windmills and grand canals. But the thought of them faded when I arrived at the Amsterdam City Centre. A wide waterway was lined on both sides by monumental 17th and 18th century buildings in a myriad of warm, earthy colors. Boats and brick bridges crossed the still, reflective water. As soon as I started wandering, I found myself delightfully lost in a maze…
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The head of President Donald Trump’s election fraud commission drafted a law as a Kansas official that led to 23 disabled people not having their votes counted in a recent local election. The disenfranchisement occurred in Sedgwick County and was a direct result of a law pushed by Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach, a member of Trump’s voter fraud commission, which requires disabled voters’ signatures on their ballot envelopes. Until Kobach’s Secure and Fair…
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It doesn’t have the gritty look you’d expect of a 20-year-old jail that has housed thousands of accused murderers, robbers, gang members and immigrants detained by federal authorities. Two-person dorm-style cells remain clean and tidy, with dark blue tables, mint green bunk beds and doors with glass windows rather than cage-like metal bars. There is clean, blue and beige carpet to muffle ambient noise and large areas where inmates can mingle, watch TV, play board games or…
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Santa Ana Police Chief Carlos Rojas has announced his resignation, saying he has agreed to take a job with another undisclosed agency. In a letter dated Wednesday, April 19, to Acting City Manager City Manager Gerardo Mouet and obtained Thursday by the Register, Rojas noted he had served the city for more than 27 years. He called for the appointment of an acting police chief to “allow for a seamless transition as I separate from…
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The allure of the Northern Lights led me to Iceland. Little did I know how elusive they are. Checking the weather one last time before departure on my WOW air flight, things weren’t looking promising. Precipitation appeared in the forecast for the entire week, and clear skies are required to see the aurora borealis. When my three travel buddies and I landed at Keflavik International Airport, we were greeted by rain, not snow. Turns out…
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Just minutes into the new year last year, a 22-year-old man was gunned down walking in the alley behind the Santa Ana apartment where he lived. Two days later, a 19-year-old was fatally wounded in a car-to-car shooting near the city’s Centennial Regional Park. Over the next 24 hours, two more men were killed in gun violence a mile apart in a gang-plagued area already targeted for special enforcement by police and prosecutors. The four…
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Visiting Cuba before it completely opens to U.S. travelers – and to McDonald’s – was a race against the clock, from what I had read. So, in the spring, when no one I knew could commit to a trip, I decided to go it alone. Pricey charter flights were the only direct option to the communist country seemingly stuck 50 years in the past – commercial flights from the U.S. will fly soon – so,…
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Detailing my interview in Spanish with Los Angeles Angels third baseman Yunel Escobar, for stories in English and Spanish.
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Yunel Escobar focused on home plate as he waited his next turn during batting practice before Friday’s game at Angel Stadium. It seemed nothing could break his concentration. Until a sea of blue jerseys swarmed him behind the batting cage. It was a bunch of his former teammates with the Tampa Bay Rays, the Angels’ opponent that night. The Angels third baseman smiled, hugged several players and posed for a picture. “Yunel was really good…
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To make ends meet, lifelong Lakers fan Lainey Mulligan has sold a basketball signed by Magic Johnson, a prized Kareem Abdul-Jabbar jersey and even her Kobe Bryant Nikes. But the breathtaking price of a ticket for Bryant’s final game today has her considering selling the basketball keepsake with the most sentimental value. It’s an official replica of the jersey Bryant wore when he played for Lower Merion High School in 1996. Mulligan, 25, bought it…
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Last winter, Kelly Breitenbach and her three kids, homeless for
Santa Ana Police Chief Carlos Rojas has announced his resignation,