Today’s Headlines: ‘Heat dome’ will hit Southern California with triple-digit highs, fire danger

Hello, it’s Thursday, July 13, and here are the stories you shouldn’t miss today:

TOP STORIES

‘Heat dome’ will hit Southern California

A “heat dome” settling over Southern California is expected to intensify through the weekend, bringing temperatures into the triple digits and elevating wildfire danger.

An excessive-heat warning for the Antelope Valley and foothills will be in effect from 10 a.m. Friday to 10 a.m. Monday, with temperatures from 103 to 113 degrees expected, according to the National Weather Service. Overnight lows could provide little relief, dipping only into the mid-70s to mid-80s.

Do aging Manson murderers still pose a risk to society?

For more than 50 years, relatives of Sharon Tate and Leno and Rosemary LaBianca vehemently pleaded to never free any member of Charles Manson’s so-called family. That changed Tuesday, when Leslie Van Houten was released from prison for her role in the notorious 1969 murders in Los Angeles.

While Tate and other family members of the victims decried the release, the move underscores how views of punishment and rehabilitation have changed in the criminal justice system, even when it comes to horrific cases such as the Manson murders.

California math overhaul focuses on equity amid low test scores

California education officials approved a long-studied overhaul of the state’s math teaching guide, with sweeping changes designed to make the subject more relevant and accessible, stirring debate over whether it will improve poor student achievement or harm learning for 5.8 million public school students.

Critics predict a decline in math achievement from what they see as watered-down curriculum and teaching approaches that they say rely more on ideology than research.

Mildred García is named CSU chancellor amid system crisis

Mildred García, a longtime higher education leader who previously served as president of Cal State Dominguez Hills and Cal State Fullerton, was named chancellor of the California State University, trustees announced, stepping into the top position at a fraught time for the nation’s largest public four-year university system.

García returns to a university system beleaguered by widespread sexual misconduct among top administrators, and intense criticism over its handling of such cases. García’s predecessor, Joseph I. Castro, was forced to resign last year after he came under fire for his handling of sexual misconduct cases during his time as president at Fresno State University.

A sea otter is terrorizing California surfers

Since mid-June, an otter has been attacking and terrorizing surfers off the Santa Cruz coastline — in at least one case, stealing a board. In recent days, the attacks have grown increasingly aggressive.

In the wake of mounting incidents — which were first viewed with amusement — federal and state wildlife officials have decided they need to remove the young otter from the wild, before it hurts someone — or itself.

PHOTO OF THE DAY

(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

CALIFORNIA

Rolling Hills Estates residents watch their world sink and hope to salvage memories after a landslide. Just the roof of Weber “Wei” Yen’s home is visible from his street in Rolling Hills Estates. He worries over the mementos he may never get back.

After jail deaths, L.A. County supervisors ask Sheriff’s Department to give more warm clothes to inmates. “We have to do better,” said Supervisor Hilda Solis, who spearheaded the motion to ensure inmates have warmer clothes.

Anger builds after a controlled burn badly damages California sequoias. A controlled burn in Calaveras Big Trees State Park has badly damaged a pair of giant sequoias named “the Orphans,” outraging community members.

NATION-WORLD

Fight over NATO membership for Ukraine overshadows Biden’s diplomatic triumph. Biden celebrated Finland’s addition to NATO — and Sweden’s impending membership — on Wednesday, but fierce arguments over when and how Ukraine should join the Western alliance overshadowed a moment the administration has hailed as a diplomatic triumph.

Iowa Republicans pass bill banning most abortions after about 6 weeks. The bill passed with exclusively Republican support in a rare, one-day legislative burst lasting more than 14 hours over the vocal — and sometimes tense — objections from Democratic lawmakers and abortion rights advocates protesting at the Capitol.

Oregon county pauses plan to distribute tin foil and straws for fentanyl users. On July 7, the health department confirmed plans to begin distributing smoking materials and “snorting kits” to those who inhale drugs. But high-ranking government leaders in Portland soon opposed the plans.

HOLLYWOOD AND THE ARTS

Emmy Awards 2023: ‘Succession,’ ‘Last of Us’ and ‘Ted Lasso’ among top nominees. This year’s Emmy nominations arrive amid the labor dispute between the major Hollywood studios and the creatives who make our favorite TV shows.

• Here’s the list of 2023 Emmy nominees.

Aretha Franklin jury selects a valid will: It’s the one found in the late singer’s couch. The soul music legend had left behind two wills, scrawled in notebooks and on pieces of paper, that were found inside her Detroit home after her death from pancreatic cancer at age 76.

AI is Hollywood’s ‘Napster 2001 moment,’ entertainment lawyers warn. From 1999 to 2002, file-sharing service Napster faced off against a slew of record labels and big-name artists like Metallica, who accused Napster of illegally distributing copyrighted material. Snowballing legal costs and mass resignations led Napster to file for bankruptcy in June 2002. Now, with AI in the equation, the concept of ownership has become convoluted.

BUSINESS

Farmers, California’s second-largest insurer, limits new home insurance policies. After seeing a surge in demand last month, Farmers said it has capped the number of new policies it will write in the state each month.

This app shows California gig workers when they can make the most money — and guarantees their income. The app uses $2 billion in earnings data collected from more than 150,000 workers across the country to generate hourly predictions of how much a worker would make at each job, whether it’s driving for Uber or doing package deliveries for Amazon.

Who pulled off the massive Brink’s heist? And where are the jewels? It’s still a mystery. The stolen merchandise — worth either $8.7 million or about $100 million, depending on whom you ask — is nowhere to be found.

SPORTS

Can the Clippers afford to give Kawhi Leonard and Paul George two more max contracts? What other teams are watching closely is whether a franchise that has gone out of its way to accommodate its superstars since their arrival in 2019 still is willing to invest the full amount in either, given their history of injuries, or whether the Clippers will instead seek shorter deals.

How did the Rangers’ sudden rise begin? It starts with Corey Seager. The 29-year-old cornerstone was already regarded as an elite hitter in his seven years with the Dodgers. But this season is, so far, the best statistical campaign of his career.

Alex Morgan’s legend extends beyond her quest for an unprecedented World Cup title. Alex Morgan is more than just a soccer icon. The two-time World Cup winner has played a leading role on and off the field in helping women flourish.

OPINION

Opinion: Disasters like the Rolling Hills Estates landslide are foreseeable. The warnings are all around us. Regardless of whether warning signs were missed in the years and days leading up to the Rolling Hills Estates landslide, one thing is certain: There are other alarms flashing all around us, warning of other disasters in the making.

Column: How the ripple effect of the Supreme Court’s 303 Creative decision could swamp civil rights. “It is too soon to see exactly what ripple effects this unfortunate decision will have. But you can be sure it will be construed in many corners as a license to discriminate based purely on personal beliefs,” Robin Abcarian writes.

ONLY IN L.A.

Julia and Reanna tag the wall of their studio.

(Yuri Hasegawa / For The Times)

L.A.’s Renaissance Club sends members on mystery experiences that include art classes, culinary workshops, live shows, sports and spiritual endeavors. There’s even a “thrill seeker” option for those looking for more daring adventures like bungee jumping.

Here’s what happened when The Times’ Julia Carmel signed up last month.

FROM THE ARCHIVES

Actor Harrison Ford is photographed at the London Hotel in West Hollywood on June 14, 2023.

(Christina House / Los Angeles Times)

On July 13, 1942, Harrison Ford was born.

Many of Ford’s octogenarian peers — Jane Fonda, Judi Dench, Al Pacino — are still working, but none of them, with the exception of President Biden, are working as hard as Ford.

Never mind the “Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny” scenes on horseback, the fist fights, the inter-vehicle jumping and the cliff/cave clambering that any Indiana Jones film requires.

There’s no movie star like Harrison Ford, The Times’ Mary McNamara writes. And there never will be again.

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