Avalanches killed two ski patrollers at Mammoth in a year. What’s going wrong? Were managers pushing too hard to open? Are young patrollers afraid to speak up? With two dead in deliberately triggered slides, questions are swirling.

www.latimes.com/california/s...

After climber survives gruesome injury in Sierras, it takes five helicopters to rescue her A solo female climber was nearing the remote summit of California’s second-tallest mountain last week when she fell, injuring her leg so badly the bone was sticking through her skin.

This could be a great movie: www.latimes.com/california/s...

Lion cub struck by vehicle nursed back to health, returned to wild It took nearly five months of careful rehabilitation to nurse the young male lion back to health without letting it get too dependent on, or comfortable around, people.

www.latimes.com/california/s...

We set a big chunk of California wilderness on fire. You're welcome California authorities say the sweeping DOGE staffing cuts at the U.S. Forest Service will mean fewer prescribed burns leading into this year's wildfire season. Here's why that scares them.

Almost every time I fly over CA, I look down and see big columns of smoke nobody seems too concerned about. Had no idea how intense, and carefully planned, a "prescribed burn" is until I joined a crew and picked up a drip torch. The story is ok, the Josh Edelson photos are amazing.

Southeast Asians in L.A. region are being detained, deported at routine ICE check-ins A growing number of Southeast Asian immigrants whose deportation orders have been on indefinite hold are being detained, and in some cases, deported after showing up for routine check-ins with immigra...

In recent months, a number of Cambodian, Laotian and Vietnamese immigrants have been told that deportation orders that had been stayed — in some cases for decades — are now being enforced as the Trump administration seeks to increase the number of deportations. By @melissagomez.bsky.social:

More immigrants opt to self-deport rather than risk being marched out like criminals Even in liberal-leaning California, undocumented immigrants who have worked here for decades are making plans to leave, choosing to depart on their own terms rather than risk being forced out with not...

“What comes up a lot in the sessions is, ‘Prefiero irme con algo, que irme sin nada,’” Luz Gallegos said. “I’d rather leave with something than leave with nothing.”
@rebeccaplevin.bsky.social reports on more immigrants who are opting to self-deport
www.latimes.com/california/s...

Beautiful, deadly: Wolves stalk rural California California wolves are on the comeback. And no matter how hard wildlife officials try to direct them toward their natural prey, the wolves seem to find the domesticated cattle wandering through open pa...

www.latimes.com/california/s...

Trump threats do the unthinkable: transform Canadians into flag-waving, U.S.-booing patriots Instead of cowing Canadians, President Trump’s threats to annex their country have unleashed a wave of patriotic fervor unmatched in living memory.

www.latimes.com/california/s...

Trump administration ordered to reinstate thousands of fired USDA workers The decision is a blow to the Trump administration’s effort to drastically and quickly shrink the federal bureaucracy.

The chair of a federal civil service board has ordered the Trump administration to temporarily reinstate thousands of fired Department of Agriculture employees, including U.S. Forest Service workers: www.politico.com/news/2025/03...

Trump's GOP Trifecta Revives Failed Land Grab. This Time It’s A Multi-Pronged Attack. Republicans are working to mainstream support for pawning off federal public lands — a wildly unpopular idea.

Been enjoying @chrisdangelo.bsky.social's new newsletter, Public Domain. Important story on the Republican Party's continued efforts to take public lands out of public lands, for the benefit of oil, gas and other extractive industries: www.publicdomain.media/p/trump-gop-...

National park visits hit record high last year, agency reports as it endures deep cuts Nearly 332 million people visited America's national parks last year, a record high. That popularity hasn't shielded the agency from the Elon Musk team's purge of the federal workforce.

News of the record was posted on the agency’s website, but with none of the usual celebratory fanfare. Instead, it was more of a cautious whisper, indicative of the general mood in the federal workforce these days. "Everybody's just scared."

Amid staff cuts and budget chaos, more than 700 national park employees take buyout The buyouts and the Feb. 14 firing of probationary employees has cost the National Park Service at least 1,700 permanent staff members this month, roughly 9% of its workforce.

Amid staff cuts and budget chaos, more than 700 national park employees have taken a buyout. That brings to at least 1,700 the number of year-round permanent staff members that the service has lost this month. The number equates to roughly 9% of the agency’s workforce.

@jackdolan.bsky.social

California officials push to cut energy credits to households with rooftop solar panels California officials want to reduce the financial credits that households with rooftop solar panels can earn for excess energy. "It's the utilities preserving their monopoly," says one homeowner.

California Public Utilities Commission staff proposing to reduce credits to longtime rooftop solar customers: www.latimes.com/environment/... via @latimes.com

As Trump cuts federal jobs, even national parks are on the chopping block As the Trump administration rushes to eliminate federal jobs, even the national parks — among the country’s most beloved and least politicized institutions — are in the crosshairs.

Latest sign that nothing is sacred: Trump's federal hiring freeze means the national parks could be badly understaffed this summer, leading to filthy bathrooms, overflowing garbage cans and medical emergencies. www.latimes.com/california/s... via @jackdolan.bsky.social

As Trump cuts federal jobs, even national parks are on the chopping block As the Trump administration rushes to eliminate federal jobs, even the national parks — among the country’s most beloved and least politicized institutions — are in the crosshairs.

www.latimes.com/california/s...

Many residents with disabilities can't flee fires on their own. Could a database help? L.A. County Fire Chief Anthony Marrone told county supervisors that the still-raging wildfires underscored the need for a “database to track people who have mobility challenges or health challenges.”

Disasters always drive calls for reform. Many ideas are wildly complicated or prohibitively expensive. This? This seems like a no brainer: Many residents with disabilities can't flee fires on their own. Could a database help? www.latimes.com/california/s...

No neighbors, no market, no town: For people whose homes survived, a painful road ahead The people whose houses were spared in the L.A. fires are grappling with a flood of mixed emotions: Their homes are still standing, but their communities look like war zones.

No neighbors, no market, no town: For people whose homes survived, a painful road ahead

@jackdolan.bsky.social

www.latimes.com/california/s...

Trump pledges to restore McKinley's name to tallest peak in North America The pledge to rename Denali was opposed by environmental groups and Alaskan politicians, including Republican U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski.

A culture war stunt by a portly old gent who probably couldn’t climb a long flight of stairs. Will anyone really call it Mt. McKinley? @lilaseidman.bsky.social

www.latimes.com/environment/...

Paradise lost along Pacific Coast Highway Everyone knows California is disaster-prone. But wildfires are supposed to be in the hills, not on the beach, and certainly not inside the borders of one of the biggest and best-prepared cities on the...

I handled the typing, but check out this jaw-dropping Wally Skalij photo. www.latimes.com/california/s...

As the worst disaster raged around them, hired hands kept working to pay the bills Even as fire turned Santa Monica an apocalyptic shade of orange, hired hands went about their business as if it were just another day on the job. “We gotta pay bills,” said one UPS driver. “It’s not l...

www.latimes.com/california/s...

Virginia Man Dies After Bear Falls on Him While Hunting One hunter shot the bear in a tree, which struck another hunter, Lester C Harvey.

A Virginia man died in a bizarre hunting accident when the bear his partner shot careened out of a tree and fell onto his head, state officials announced this week.

In the dust of the Coachella Valley, residents push for a park along the shrinking Salton Sea In this sweltering desert where residents have limited access to parks, community advocates are calling for the Salton Sea to once more become a vibrant destination where families can gather in nature...

The Salton Sea used to be a trendy vacation spot. Who knew? @rebeccaplevin.bsky.social www.latimes.com/california/s...

Their dusty ol' swap meet near Joshua Tree has closed. Residents are heartbroken The swap meet in Yucca Valley was a beloved place to find treasures at bargain prices. It closed after the family that owns the property was sued under the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Swap meet near Joshua Tree closed for failure to provide handicap parking. The plaintiff has filed 71 ADA lawsuits this year, his lawyer has filed 2,300.
@rebeccaplevin.bsky.social www.latimes.com/california/s...

Despite warnings from bird flu experts, it's business as usual in California dairy country New research and discussions with dairy farmers in the Central Valley suggests H5N1 bird flu is more widespread among people than the reported numbers indicate.

We spent time in dairy country. Not a whole lot of PPE going on. 436 infected CA herds so far and 28 CA dairy workers. @melissagomez.bsky.social #H5N1 www.latimes.com/environment/...