Today’s Headlines: California faces snowmaker storm of epic proportions

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TOP STORIES

California faces snowmaker storm of epic proportions

It has the potential to be a snowmaker of epic proportions: A brutal winter storm moving through California is slated to drop rain, sleet and snow from the Oregon border down to the deserts near Mexico.

Forecasters say “all eyes” are on Thursday through Saturday, when even Southern California could see several feet of fresh powder in the mountains around Los Angeles.

• Why is SoCal’s winter storm so unusual? Southern California has only gotten a taste of the powerful winter storm system that forecasters say will bring an extended period of cold temperatures, high winds and snow, prompting the region’s first blizzard warning on record.

Nury Martinez is gone, but distrust remains high

Voters in Nury Martinez’s City Council district were among those outraged last year when leaked audio captured her ugly remarks.

Months later, anger over the audio has cooled somewhat. In the central and east San Fernando Valley, the focus is on the upcoming election to replace the former City Council president, who resigned in October.

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On eve of storms, California water authorities boost State Water Project allocation to 35%.

As California braced for yet another round of winter storms, state water officials announced that they were again boosting supplies for water agencies that serve 27 million residents.

The Department of Water Resources said it now expects to deliver 35% of requested water supplies — up from the 30% announced last month — via the State Water Project. The DWR said the modest increase was due to early gains in the Sierra Nevada snowpack and amounted to an additional 210,000 acre-feet of water.

Crips gang member sentenced to 60 years in prison in murder of Nipsey Hussle

A Crips gang member was sentenced to at least 60 years in prison Wednesday for killing beloved rapper Nipsey Hussle outside his Crenshaw clothing store in 2019.

Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge H. Clay Jacke sentenced Eric Holder Jr. to 25 years to life in state prison for murdering Hussle and an additional 25 years to life based on a sentencing enhancement because he used a gun in the slaying. Holder must serve an additional 10 years in prison on assault convictions for shooting two other men who were with Hussle on the day of the killing, Jacke said.

California man loses 14 relatives in Turkey quake.

Nearly two weeks ago, Bakersfield resident Sherry Jones got a text message from her ex-husband, Mervan Ergun, informing her that there had been a large earthquake in Turkey and Syria.

Jones, 49, immediately texted him back and asked if anyone had been injured. Ergun’s entire extended family lived in Turkey, specifically in Hatay province, one of the regions hit hardest by the magnitude 7.8 quake on Feb. 6 and its aftershocks.

A couple of hours later, Ergun, 41, replied, telling her that his mother, two sisters and a brother had been killed, along with their children and spouses.

PHOTO OF THE DAY

(Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times)

CALIFORNIA

Icy weather closes a stretch of Interstate 15 near the Nevada border for about 12 hours. Icy conditions closed a six-mile stretch of Interstate 15 near California’s border with Nevada for about 12 hours Wednesday as the beginning of a massive winter weather storm moved into the region.

SoCal braces for brutal heating bills as cold, snowy storms move in. With natural gas prices still high, California residents must choose between staying warm and paying up during an extended cold spell.

This Orange County coastal city banned balloons. Laguna Beach adopted an ordinance prohibiting the sale, public use and distribution of balloons with a second reading at Tuesday night’s City Council meeting. Here’s why.

NATION-WORLD

Massive storm spreads snow, strong winds and frigid temperatures across the northern U.S. A massive winter storm whipped the North while record-high temperatures were forecast in the South on a wild weather day across the U.S.

Ukraine has largely weathered Russia’s power-grid attacks, but is bracing for more. Attacks on infrastructure still pose a threat, but Ukraine has largely withstood Russia’s bid to plunge the country into the dark and cold of winter.

Biden says Putin suspending nuclear treaty is a ‘big mistake.’ Russian President Vladimir Putin’s decision to pull out of the country’s sole remaining nuclear arms control treaty with the U.S. was a “big mistake,” President Biden said Wednesday, the latest volley in a diplomatic showdown between Washington and Moscow as the president wraps up a four-day trip to the region.

How drag queen story hours became a battle over gender, sexuality and kids. Drag queens are more mainstream than ever, as are LGBTQ rights. Yet, story hours, where drag queens read to kids, have become a point of controversy and even violence.

HOLLYWOOD AND THE ARTS

Back on Instagram, Britney Spears has one request: ‘Do not call the cops.’ Britney Spears recently returned to Instagram after fans sent police to her house because she deleted her account.

Rebel Wilson and Ramona Agruma feel fans’ ‘overwhelming’ love amid engagement news. Actor Rebel Wilson and her “Disney Princess” Ramona Agruma are ready to tie the knot less than a year after making their relationship public.

Commentary: How the aesthetics of drag drive the bigots mad. Nine GOP-led state legislatures are considering restricting or even criminalizing drag shows. It’s Gay Pride versus the Proud Boys.

Maybe some people don’t know who Ralph Barbosa is, but the comedy world is about to learn. The Dallas-based comic made a splash after being dogged on a podcast by George Lopez, but it’s only helped his career. He returns to L.A. this week.

BUSINESS

Canceled job offers, once rare, are on the rise. As tech companies and others slash tens of thousands of jobs, firms are also rethinking new hires and rescinding job offers, upending lives.

Tips for bouncing back from a rescinded job offer. Getting a job offer rescinded can be devastating. Here are some tips from career experts and people who have had job offers revoked on how to get through this time.

Stocks hold relatively steady after worst rout in two months. Stocks are holding relatively steady on Wall Street on Wednesday, firming a bit a day after falling to their worst loss since December on worries about higher interest rates.

Microsoft brings Bing chatbot to phones after curbing quirks. Microsoft is ready to take its new Bing chatbot mainstream — less than a week after making major fixes to stop the artificially intelligent search engine from going off the rails.

SPORTS

The path to the postseason is short and difficult. When the Lakers return to play Thursday, they’ll begin what LeBron James called “23 of the most important games of my career.” Here’s a look at why they’re so crucial.

Atonio Mafi NFL draft diary: ‘Picking an agent was more stressful than I expected.’ UCLA offensive lineman Atonio Mafi is sharing his journey to the NFL draft through a weekly diary leading up to the event April 27.

Retired Albert Pujols joins Angels camp. Albert Pujols is back with the Angels at spring training in his role as special assistant to the team. It’s part of his 10-year personal services contract.

Inside Rajah Caruth’s transformation from gamer to rising NASCAR driver. Rajah Caruth learned how to handle a race car by playing video games and he says there are a lot of Generation Z drivers getting ready to follow him.

OPINION

Editorial: LAPD’s broken discipline system doesn’t hold officers accountable. Police accountability suffered when the L.A. City Council adopted a deceptive 2019 discipline “reform.” It’s time to undo the broken discipline process.

Column: He’s in hospice care now. But Jimmy Carter is still changing the world. At a transitional moment in U.S. history, President Carter opted to emphasize human rights in U.S. foreign policy, shaking up the establishment and altering the conversation ever since.

ONLY IN L.A.

The game hen, the surf and turf and Thai Caesar salad dishes are on the menu at Poltergeist, a restaurant within Button Mash in Echo Park.

(Dania Maxwell / Los Angeles Times)

Poltergeist opens inside Echo Park arcade Button Mash with weird and wild fusion flavors. The chef behind L.A.’s wild, irreverent, lines-around-the-block pasta pop-up Estrano Things is opening a new restaurant inside the beloved Echo Park arcade and bar Button Mash Diego Argoti ran a series of collaborative pop-ups in the space last fall. His latest — Poltergeist — is meant to be a departure from his popular pasta-focused alleyway appearances.

FROM THE ARCHIVES

Page B of the February 26, 1942, Los Angeles Times, showing the coverage of the so-called Battle of Los Angeles and its aftermath.

(Los Angeles Times)

The 1942 Battle of L.A. This week marks the 81st anniversary of the Battle of Los Angeles, one of the scarier and more absurd moments in the city’s World War II efforts.

Following the Dec. 7, 1941, attack on Pearl Harbor, war jitters swept the Southland. By February 1942, air-raid sirens, searchlights and anti-aircraft guns filled Los Angeles. Blackouts and drills were common.

Then on Feb. 23, 1942, a Japanese submarine surfaced and shelled oil installations at Ellwood, north of Santa Barbara.

In a Feb. 24, 1992, Los Angeles Times article, Jack Smith reported what happened next.

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