16+ min ago (419+ words) After playing into November and winning a second consecutive World Series championship with the Dodgers, Shohei Ohtani announced on Instagram on Monday that he will play for Team Samurai in the World Baseball Classic next spring. "Dear fans, thank you for sharing this wonderful season with me. I will train hard and see you again next year," Ohtani posted in Japanese. "I am delighted to have the opportunity to play again representing Japan." Ohtani was named the MVP of the 2023 WBC, when he memorably struck out Mike Trout to end the gold-medal game against Team USA. As Japan's DH, Ohtani hit .435 with a home run, eight RBIs and a 1.345 OPS in seven games during the tournament. He was 2-0 with a 1.86 ERA in three appearances as a pitcher. Ohtani's post does not specify whether he will participate for Japan as a…...

16+ min ago (763+ words) Mayoral candidate Austin Beutner on Monday unveiled new campaign analysis that he says shows Los Angeles" 911 system is sending paramedics to too many non-medical calls " slowing response for Angelenos experiencing life-threatening emergencies. Speaking outside of Los Angeles Fire Department"s Station 63 in Venice, Beutner said L.A."s median response times have risen to almost eight minutes, roughly a minute and a half slower than a decade ago. "Today, there"s too much work for too few people " about five times as many calls as a generation ago for a department that"s about the same size," he said. Beutner attributed the delay not just to staffing or equipment shortages but to the way 911 calls are screened and dispatched. He said firefighters and paramedics are regularly dispatched to calls that are not medical emergencies"anything from leg cramps to someone asking for…...

34+ min ago (227+ words) The Lakers will sign 6-foot-10 center Drew Timme to a two-way contract from their South Bay G League affiliate, a source confirmed to the Southern California News Group on Monday. The Lakers will waive two-way big man Christian Koloko to make room for Timme's expected signing, ESPN's Shams Charania reported, with Timme joining Nick Smith Jr. and Chris Manon as the Lakers' three two-way players. Timme, a three-time consensus All-American selection at Gonzaga who is the Bulldogs' all-time leading scorer, played for the Brooklyn Nets to finish last season after going undrafted in 2023. He averaged 12.1 points, 7.2 rebounds and 2.2 assists in nine games (28.2 minutes) with the Nets in 2024-25. After joining the South Bay Lakers, Timme averaged 25.5 points, 7.5 rebounds, four assists and 1.2 steals in six games in the G League. Timme, 25, started his professional career by playing for the G League's Wisconsin…...

38+ min ago (648+ words) As the New Year gets closer, so does the annual Pasadena Rose Parade. And one of the most exciting things about the parade is seeing all of the floats made from florals and other plant materials. The 2026 Rose Parade theme is "The Magic in Teamwork," so each float tends to submit a design centered around that theme. What's fun to see is how each entry interprets the theme and pulls inspiration from their organization and history into the design as well. Each year, there are a few floats that stand out and become talkers online, so here are a few we think you should keep your eyes out for. The unique thing about this float is that each character was given a name as part of a fundraiser for building the float. For $100, members of the community were able to…...

1+ hour, 15+ min ago (979+ words) Six of the 13 LA Metro board members joined a motion that asks the transit agency to do a better job funding "open streets" events, including CicLAvias and others rejected by staff planned for the San Gabriel Valley and the Westside. Los Angeles County Supervisor Lindsey Horvath, who led the motion, was joined by fellow supervisors Janice Hahn and Hilda Solis, and Metro Board Chair and Whittier Councilmember Fernando Dutra, Pomona Mayor Tim Sandoval and L.A. City Councilmember Katy Yaroslavsky, during an LA Metro Planning and Programming Committee on Nov. 19. Besides the six, Horvath's amendment picked up votes from other committee members: Jacquelyn Dupont-Walker, Inglewood Mayor James Butts and Glendale Mayor Ara Najarian. The motion asks Metro to find a minimum of $1 million to help fund those "open streets" events placed on a wait list or rejected altogether by Metro staff. These…...

2+ hour, 4+ min ago (487+ words) Rice split two defenders at the top of the key to get into the paint for a runner while being fouled with 14.8 seconds left in the game. He made the basket and free throw to give USC the lead at 68-65. After the teams traded free throws, Boise State inbounded it with 4.2 seconds left and quickly got down the court for Javan Buchanan's good look from 3-point range that bounced off the front of the rim at the buzzer. Chad Baker-Mazara had 11 points and a game-high eight rebounds for USC (5-0), which next faces Seton Hall in a semifinal on Tuesday at 2 p.m. PT. The Pirates upset No. 23 North Carolina State, 85-74, earlier Monday. Rice made four of USC's 11 3-pointers. Buchanan had 18 points to lead Boise State (4-2), which trailed for 25-plus minutes, with its last lead at 59-58 with 2:57 left. Pearson Carmichael added 14 points and…...

3+ hour, 43+ min ago (459+ words) By JOSH DUBOW AP Pro Football Writer SANTA CLARA " Christian McCaffrey gained 142 yards from scrimmage and scored a touchdown in his first game against Carolina since he was traded away three years ago, leading the San Francisco 49ers to a 20-9 victory over the Panthers on Monday night. McCaffrey's big night helped the 49ers (8-4) overcome three interceptions in the first half by Brock Purdy to remain in playoff position headed into the stretch run of the season. Bryce Young and the Panthers (6-6) struggled to take advantage of their opportunities a week after he threw for a'franchise-record 448 yards'in a win at Atlanta. Young threw for just 169 yards with one touchdown and one interception as Carolina missed a chance to move into sole possession of first place in the NFC South. The 49ers went conservative in the second half after Purdy's rough start to the game,…...

3+ hour, 43+ min ago (459+ words) By JOSH DUBOW AP Pro Football Writer SANTA CLARA " Christian McCaffrey gained 142 yards from scrimmage and scored a touchdown in his first game against Carolina since he was traded away three years ago, leading the San Francisco 49ers to a 20-9 victory over the Panthers on Monday night. McCaffrey's big night helped the 49ers (8-4) overcome three interceptions in the first half by Brock Purdy to remain in playoff position headed into the stretch run of the season. Bryce Young and the Panthers (6-6) struggled to take advantage of their opportunities a week after he threw for a'franchise-record 448 yards'in a win at Atlanta. Young threw for just 169 yards with one touchdown and one interception as Carolina missed a chance to move into sole possession of first place in the NFC South. The 49ers went conservative in the second half after Purdy's rough start to the game,…...

4+ hour, 4+ min ago (228+ words) A 10-year-old girl allegedly shot by her stepfather in a Baldwin Park home has died at a hospital, a sheriff's investigator confirmed on Monday, Nov. 24. Mia Jiang, who died on Thursday, Nov. 20, became the third victim to die in the shooting. Her paternal grandparents, Yulan Wang and Qiufu Jiang, were fatally shot in the house on the 12700 block of Royston Street the morning of Nov. 17. The couple, both 61, each died from a gunshot wound to the head, according to the medical examiner's office. The suspect, 35-year-old Qihao Jin, and his wife had separated and were undergoing a divorce, sheriff's Lt. Steven De Jong said. After the shootings, Jin fled. Detectives found his body in a car in Anaheim that night, having died from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound. Public records show a Rowland Heights address for Jin, but at the…...

4+ hour, 17+ min ago (428+ words) An El Monte man was charged with two counts of murder and other felonies for allegedly fleeing police in a stolen vehicle, leading to a crash that killed one of his passengers and an Alhambra police officer last week, according to court records. Steven Ara Zapata, 27, also faces two counts of fleeing a pursuing peace officer's motor vehicle causing death and one count of reckless driving with injuries in connection with the Nov. 20 crash, court records show. His initial appearance in Alhambra Superior Court was tentatively rescheduled for Tuesday as he was still in the hospital, a courtroom clerk said Monday afternoon. The Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office said it could be next week before he appears in court. Zapata allegedly was driving a stolen Hyundai SUV with two passengers inside northbound on Edgewood Drive when he collided with…...