Good evening! We’re wrapping up the day for you with the most important stories you need to know and your weather outlook.
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We can expect another round of morning low clouds with afternoon sun on Friday.
The marine-layer clouds will clear back to the coast around midmorning, making for a mostly sunny afternoon.
Warmer weather with above-average temperatures is on tap for the weekend.
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Today’s Big Stories
1. Inside ‘Scientology speedruns,’ the viral trend prompting the church to bolster security
A social media trend has people “speedrunning” through Church of Scientology buildings. Participants film themselves entering properties and trying to gather information quickly. The trend has been popular on TikTok for about a month.
The Los Angeles Police Department confirmed responding to multiple incidents, including one investigated as a potential hate crime. The church removed external door handles on its Hollywood Boulevard properties.
A Scientology spokesperson condemned the actions as trespassing and harassment. The motives of the trend are unclear, but some participants say it’s just for fun.
The incidents mostly involve young people.
2. Average LA, Orange County gas prices rise to highest amounts since 2023
The average price of a gallon of self-serve regular gasoline in Los Angeles County rose Thursday to its highest amount since Oct. 5, 2023, increasing 2 cents to $6.104.
The average price has risen eight consecutive days, increasing 18.4 cents, including 2.5 cents Wednesday, according to figures from the AAA and Oil Price Information Service. The streak of increases follows a 14-day streak of decreases totaling 12.8 cents.
The average price is 15.5 cents more than a week ago, 11 cents higher than one month ago and $1.328 above what it was one year ago. It has risen $1.41 since the joint U.S./Israel attack on Iran Feb. 28, moving within 39 cents of the record $6.494 set on Oct. 5, 2022.
The Orange County average price rose to its highest amount since Oct. 4, 2023, increasing 2.3 cents to $6.069. It has increased nine consecutive days, rising 22.2 cents, including 2.6 cents Wednesday.
3. Lucas Museum previews 20 inaugural exhibitions ahead of September opening
The Lucas Museum of Narrative Art will not open until September, but officials unveiled plans for about 20 inaugural exhibitions, including installations curated by George Lucas.
The approximately 300,000-square-foot complex in Exposition Park features a sweeping, modern design. The project also includes about 11 acres of landscaped green space extending onto the building’s roof.
Founded by Lucas and his wife, Mellody Hobson, the institution will showcase a rotating selection from the filmmaker’s extensive collection of narrative art, including works such as comic art, manga and imagery tied to children’s storytelling that are not typically emphasized in conventional museums.
Museum representatives said the opening presentations will feature more than 1,200 artworks displayed across about 100,000 square feet of gallery space.
“George Lucas and Mellody Hobson co-founded the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art to honor the universal tradition of telling stories through images,” museum officials said in a statement.
Aerial view of the Lucas Museum in Exposition Park. (Spectrum News/Francisco ‘Paco’ Ramos-Moreno)
Around the Nation
1. Man accused of trying to kill Trump at correspondents’ gala agrees to remain jailed for now
2. House approves bill to fund the Department of Homeland Security and end the record shutdown
3. Trump pulls nomination for stalled surgeon general pick Means and says he’ll put forth Saphier
In Case You Missed It
(Spectrum News/Tara Lynn Wagner)
From paper napkins to bars of soap, countless headlines blamed millennials for the demise of all sorts of things, and Nico Juber read them all.
“We’ve been told our entire lives that we’re killing everything, and everything’s our fault,” she said.
Juber took all of that blame and created a brand-new musical aptly called “Millennials Are Killing Musicals.”
The show centers around three women — millennials, of course — who are navigating life in 2019, bombarded by social media and a daily onslaught of unsolicited advice.
“We’re constantly being sold to and told that we’re less than and comparing ourselves to other people,” Juber said. “And I think especially moms.”
The LA native, who grew up in a family of musicians and storytellers, wrote the book, music and lyrics for the show, which she has been developing for eight years.
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