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Tales of Rescues and Losses: Classic Cars in L.A.'s Wildfires

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As wildfires bore down on Altadena, California, Hunt Turner and his wife rushed out of their home, their phones blaring evacuation alerts. With danger looming, Turner reached into his pocket and pulled out a familiar metal key. Hunt Turner holding his daughter in his Porsche “Let’s get the Porsche,” he said, referring to the cherished 1964 Porsche 356 in their detached garage. The cherry-red classic had been in his family for generations, a treasured heirloom that he had once used to teach his daughters how to drive—stick shift and all. But there was a problem. The power was out, and the garage door wouldn’t budge. “We have to go,” he said. With no other choice, they climbed into their pickup truck and left the Porsche behind. The wildfires that tore through Altadena, Pacific Palisades, and other parts of Los Angeles from January 7 claimed at least 29 lives and destroyed more than 10,000 homes and buildings. Among the devastation were countless irreplaceable belongings—photographs, art...
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From Mewing to Gigachads: Parents Struggle to Decode the Latest Slang

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Cecilia Hermawan relies on text chains with fellow parents to stay updated on the latest words her kids are using. But even that didn’t prepare her for the moment her 9-year-old casually mentioned “mewing.” “I had no idea what it meant,” said Hermawan, 41. “I had to Google it and even double-check with my friend Emily.” To her relief, the term referred to a facial exercise meant to improve jawline definition—nothing inappropriate. “You look in the mirror and mew,” she explained. Each generation invents its own slang, but thanks to social media, today’s kids are constantly churning through new phrases at lightning speed. Words spread and fade so quickly that even the most engaged parents struggle to keep up. Older siblings pass down vocabulary, leaving even 4-year-olds calling things “sus” (short for suspicious). Middle school teacher Philip Lindsay has taken to documenting the ever-growing lexicon of his students. In a recent video, he rattled off 31 slang terms he heard in just on...
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The Musk Deputy Running DOGE’s Huge Cost-Cutting Drive

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WASHINGTON—When Elon Musk took over Twitter in 2022, one of his key executives was so intent on reducing costs that a former employee recalled him questioning janitorial expenses at an Atlanta data center. That executive was Steve Davis, a leader at Musk’s Boring Co., who aggressively slashed expenditures, pressured vendors, and swiftly restructured Twitter’s workforce, former employees reported. His rapid and disruptive approach led to confusion and turmoil within the company. Now, the cost-cutting strategies that reshaped Twitter are being applied to the federal government, where Davis is overseeing Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). Federal agencies across Washington are experiencing anxiety as Musk follows through on President Trump’s campaign promise to reduce government spending. Trump-appointed U.S. Attorney for Washington, D.C., Ed Martin, expressed support for Musk and Davis in a letter posted on X, stating, “If people have broken the law or acted unethicall...
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A Sore Spot in L.A.’s Housing Crisis: Foreign-Owned Homes Sitting Empty

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San Marino, California—an affluent suburb of Los Angeles—immaculately maintained million-dollar homes sit vacant, their owners residing thousands of miles away in China. This phenomenon has persisted for years as international buyers, particularly from China, invested in U.S. real estate. However, since Beijing imposed stricter currency controls in 2018, foreign purchases have waned. Now, with thousands displaced by the Palisades and Eaton fires searching for housing, the issue of vacant properties—once considered a minor aspect of the real estate market—has come under scrutiny. "Why are there so many vacant homes when people are struggling to find housing?" asks Ashleigh Rader, a Pasadena real estate agent with Compass. She is currently assisting multiple clients who lost their homes in the fires and sees unoccupied properties as a lost opportunity to provide much-needed shelter. Many vacant homes in Los Angeles County are owned domestically, often by individuals who inhe...
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