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Today’s Big Stories
1. DOJ alleges UCLA medical school used race in admissions process
The Trump administration said Wednesday it has uncovered evidence that UCLA’s David Geffen School of Medicine engaged in discrimination by intentionally selecting applicants for admission based on their race rather than academic qualifications.
In a seven-page letter, the U.S. Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division wrote that the medical school “continues to intentionally discriminate against applicants based on their race after the Supreme Court’s decision in Harvard by granting and denying admission on the basis of race.”
A UCLA medical school spokesperson disputed the DOJ’s allegations.
In its 17-page motion to intervene, the DOJ wrote that the use of racial preferences in admissions can cause “disastrous outcomes.”
2. Stretch of 110 Freeway remains shut down due to tunnel fire
A stretch of the Harbor (110) Freeway in Wilmington remained shut down Wednesday because of a rubbish fire that broke out in a tunnel below and created what authorities continued to call an unsafe situation.
The fire was reported at 7:50 p.m. Monday in what was described as an access portal beneath the freeway between Harry Bridges Boulevard and Channel Street, near San Pedro and the Port of Los Angeles.
The freeway was closed in both directions as a result, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department.
“This is a complex, prolonged-duration emergency that will have many phases prior to completion,” the LAFD, Caltrans and the California Highway Patrol said in a joint statement. “Public and responder safety remains a top priority.”
The fire is believed to have been started by people living in a homeless encampment.
3. Search warrant served at home connected to killer of California college student Kristin Smart
Authorities have served a search warrant at a home connected to the man convicted of killing 19-year-old college student Kristin Smart in 1996.
The San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement that the search Wednesday is related to the ongoing investigation into Smart’s disappearance. Her remains were never found. Paul Flores was convicted in her killing.
The “Your Own Backyard” podcast, which has followed the case closely, first reported the search and said the home belongs to Flores’ mother.
(Daniel Dreifuss/Monterey County Weekly via AP)
Around the Nation
1. FBI searches Virginia Senate leader’s office as part of corruption probe, source says
2. CNN founder Ted Turner, a brash and outspoken television pioneer, has died at age 87
3. House passes Farm Bill with pork producers long awaited ‘fix’ to Proposition 12
In Case You Missed It
(Spectrum News/Cody Taylor)
The Tinder Box is one of the few true tobacconist shops left in Orange County.
Manjit Bain opened the shop in Costa Mesa fifty years ago. He said over his decades of operation he has obtained a reliable customer base. Recently his shop has been getting confused with smoke or vape shops that have been popping up all throughout the county.
“People call me and ask about things that I sell. I am getting calls all the time. ‘Do you sell vapes?’ And some of the names I would not even recognize,” Bain said.
The city of Santa Ana is starting to strengthen regulations on smoke shops.
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