• Sat. Jun 20th, 2026

The Pulse of Southern California

Gas line explosion in Castaic prompts 5 Freeway closure

Los Angeles County firefighters were responding to a gas line explosion in Castaic on Saturday, which prompted the California Highway Patrol to close a portion of the 5 Freeway and…

Santa Monica News Recap: Fire Recovery, School Updates

February School board stumped by low grades and high test scores SMMUSD officials expressed concern regarding over 800 secondary students receiving D or F grades in math during the fall…

‘Like hitting a lotto ticket.’ Why memorabilia collectors pursue chase cards

Trading sports cards is a game of negotiation for Greg Petikyan. Within seconds, he talked to multiple vendors at Frank and Son Collectible Show last month offering the same card:…

For the first time in two decades, the Rose Parade is likely to be a wet one

Southern Californians mopping up from record-breaking rains over the Christmas holiday may be in for more wet weather to usher in the new year — including a high likelihood of…

U.S. Space Force awards $1.6 billion in contracts to South Bay satellite builders

The U.S. Space Force announced Friday it has awarded satellite contracts with a combined value of about $1.6 billion to Rocket Lab in Long Beach and to the Redondo Beach…

A new view of two critical days that set the stage for Palisades fire

An hour after midnight Jan. 1, as a small brush fire blazed across Topanga State Park, a California State Parks employee texted the Los Angeles Fire Department’s heavy equipment supervisor…

Arizona could limit groundwater pumping where Saudi company farms hay

VICKSBURG, Ariz. — Lush green fields of alfalfa spread across thousands of acres in a desert valley in western Arizona, where a dairy company from Saudi Arabia grows the thirsty…

Newsletter: Dec 27, 2025

Devastating Palisades Fire Marks Catastrophic Start to 2025 How did the 2025 Palisades Fire impact Santa Monica? The wildfire destroyed 6,800+ structures, killed at least 12 people, and led to…

Is empathy saving America — or tearing it apart?

Growing up, my house backed up to a park with a teeter-totter, the kind that was little more than a steel pipe with two wooden boards as seats. Yeah, I’m…

SMPD prevent downtown suicide

The Santa Monica Police Department prevented a suicide in the Downtown area on Saturday when they pulled a man off a ledge after a brief standoff. While Santa Monica officers…