Jorge L. Ortiz

1 month ago | usatoday.com | Jorge L. Ortiz

Southern California's latest weather deluge may be on its way – a hot spell that could drive temperatures into the low 90s before plummeting as the region reels from wildfires and toxic runoff. And then there are lingering concerns the Santa Ana winds might kick up and turn a new brush fire into an inferno. Downtown Los Angeles figures to reach a near-record 86 degrees Wednesday – nearly 20 above the average for the date – said senior meteorologist Dave Houk of Accuweather.

1 month ago | usatoday.com | Jorge L. Ortiz

On the heels of the devastating fires in Los Angeles County last month, California is unveiling a new digital town hall that will initially address recovery efforts before expanding into other major issues. The platform, known as Engaged California, is meant to give residents a forum to interact with each other about policy priorities and to directly reach government officials to pursue action on them. Gov.

2 months ago | usatoday.com | Jorge L. Ortiz |John Bacon

A federal judge on Friday said he would delay New York Mayor Eric Adams' corruption trial indefinitely before making a decision on a controversial U.S. Justice Department motion to dismiss the charges. U.S. District Judge Dale Ho said in his ruling he would select an independent lawyer, Paul Clement, to present arguments against the prosecutors' bid to dismiss to help him decide.

2 months ago | usatoday.com | Jorge L. Ortiz

The Trump administration’s attempt at stopping New York City’s congestion pricing in Manhattan has set off a battle with state officials, who wasted no time in filing a lawsuit to keep the program going. “This is an attack on our sovereign identity, our independence from Washington,’’ Gov. Kathy Hochul said at a Wednesday news conference.

2 months ago | usatoday.com | Jorge L. Ortiz

Manuel Oliver won’t commemorate Friday's seventh anniversary of the Parkland school shooting. Instead, he and his family keep that tragedy alive every day. Oliver’s 17-year-old son, Joaquin – known to friends as “Guac’’ – was one of the 17 people killed Feb. 14, 2018, at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High in Parkland, Florida, the country’s deadliest high school shooting to this day. The bloodshed at the hands of a teenager with a semiautomatic rifle spurred unusual activism from surviving students.