A new wildfire was reported today at 8:48 p.m. in Los Angeles County. Coarse Fire has been burning on private land. At this time, the containment status is unknown and the cause of the fire remains undetermined.

The gem, known as the Bahia Emerald, was discovered in a Brazilian mine and later smuggled into the U.S., where it eventually landed in the custody of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, reports my colleague Clara Harter, who looked at the gem’s history and its contentious ownership battle.

Franklin Fire initially started 10:50 p.m. Dec. 9 in Los Angeles County. Since its discovery five days ago, it has burned 4,037 acres. As of Saturday morning, a crew of 1,716 firefighters effectively contained 35% of the fire. However, the cause is still under investigation.

The nation’s most prolific county for business, by GDP math, was Los Angeles. The LA economy – filled with everything from a massive service industry to manufacturing, shipping, and Hollywood – created $962 billion worth of goods and services in 2023.

Dr. Monica Lomeli, with the LA County Commission on Human Relations, said one of the reasons hate crimes have increased is because of an increase in reporting of hate crimes. She said political rhetoric also has added to an increase in hate crime numbers.

A record number of hate crimes in LA County were reported in 2023, according to a report released Wednesday by the county’s Commission, the highest count since t

More than 1,300 hate crimes were reported in Los Angeles County in 2023, the highest total since the county started tracking.