California Fire Damage Shatters Records
The Palisades fire started on Tuesday around 10:30 a.m. as a brush fire in the Pacific Palisades area of Los Angeles. It was initially described as a “very small fire in a backyard” that then spread up a ridge, caught by high winds, leading to an ember cast that caused the fire to spread throughout the area.
It was followed by the Eaton fire north of L.A., as well as a few smaller fires. As the fires tore through neighborhoods, cars were abandoned along the road. A bulldozer had to push them out of the way to make room for emergency response vehicles.
At the time of writing, over 38,000 acres have been burned, leaving more than 12,000 structures destroyed, nearly 50,000 people without homes and almost 150,000 more displaced by evacuation.
The Pacific Palisades are home to some the country’s most elite. Paris Hilton watched her home burn live on TV. Risk experts believe the insured losses from the L.A. wildfires will easily top $20 billion.
Read more about Santa Ana winds and the part they have played in the fires here.
The L.A. Times reported that a large reservoir in Pacific Palisades that is part of the Los Angeles water supply system was out of commission at the time of the fires. Officials said that the Santa Ynez Reservoir had been closed since about February for repairs to its cover, leaving a 117-million-gallon water storage complex empty in the heart of the Palisades for nearly a year. The revelation comes amid growing questions about why firefighters ran out of water while battling the blaze. Numerous fire hydrants in higher-elevation streets of the Palisades went dry, leaving crews struggling with low water pressure as they combated the flames.
California leadership is facing intense scrutiny for their handling of and preparation for the disaster. L.A. mayor Karen Bass cut the fire department’s funding by nearly $18 million this year while allocating more money to other initiatives like “Cannabis Regulation.” She reportedly wanted the decrease to be even greater. LAFD chief Kristin Crowley is the first woman and LGBT person in the job, and has made diversifying the overwhelmingly male department a priority.
As the fires have raged and people have been ordered to evacuate, roving gangs of looters have been reported around the city helping themselves to the possessions of evacuees.
More News
2024 Election Certified: On January 6, irony prevailed. In the sitting VP’s role of President of the United States Senate, Kamala Harris certified her own election loss to Donald Trump, officially clearing him to be sworn in on January 20. This comes four years after the J6 protests that made the Trump political brand radioactive. Fox News’ Britt Hume called Trump’s comeback a “political resurrection.”
Meta ends fact-checking program as Zuckerberg vows to restore free expression on Facebook, Instagram: Four years nearly to the day after CEO Mark Zuckerberg infamously banned President Trump on Facebook and Instagram following the J6 capital protest, Zuckerberg announced that Meta (FB & IG’s parent company) is ending fact-checking and removing restrictions on speech across Facebook and Instagram, claiming to restore free expression on its platforms. Read more about Facebook’s “make-up-with-MAGA” formula here.
Trudeau resigns: Justin Trudeau resigned as the leader of Canada’s Liberal Party, and plans to step down as prime minister once his party finds a new leader. Canada is set to hold a national election before October. Polls show the Conservative Party with a double-digit lead. Trudeau first assumed his office in 2015 and was once thought to personify the future of Western politics. But things have not gone according to plan. Major initiatives like authoritarian COVID mandates, euthanasia, gun bans, and a carbon tax have led to the prime minister’s approval rating slipping into the twenties, considerably lower than even Joe Biden’s.
Trump sentenced in hush money case: Judge Juan Merchan sentenced President-elect Donald Trump to an unconditional discharge on Friday. The result is no jail time for the President, while upholding the jury’s guilty verdict, confirming Trump’s infamy as the first felon to become president. Republicans called the move a stunt to provide Democrats with the “felon” talking point. Democrats rejoiced, seeming to prove Republicans’ point.
Clinton and Soros get Presidential Medal Of Freedom: President Biden has awarded Hillary Clinton and liberal billionaire philanthropist George Soros the Nation's highest civilian honor, along with 17 others.
Can’t Read? New Jersey May Still Hire You as a Teacher:
A New Jersey law barring the state’s board of education from requiring teachers to pass a basic reading, writing, and mathematics test before teaching in public schools has taken effect.
According to the law, “[T]he State Board of Education shall not require a candidate seeking a certificate of eligibility, a certificate of eligibility with advanced standing, a provisional certificate, or a standard instructional certificate to complete a Commissioner of Education-approved test of basic reading, writing, and mathematics skills including, but not limited to, the Praxis Core Academic Skills for Educators test, in order to obtain a certificate of eligibility, a certificate of eligibility with advanced standing, a provisional certificate, or a standard instructional certificate.”
The exams referenced in the law, the Praxis Core Academic Skills for Educators tests, “measure reading, writing, and mathematics skills as well as the content knowledge of those entering teacher preparation programs.”
So if you live in New Jersey, don’t assume that your kids’ teachers can read! Despite having the world’s largest GDP, the U.S. consistently ranks outside of the top ten in global education rankings. Implementing standards such as these likely won’t improve the standing.
