» Heavy Rain To Hit Southern California, Again More rain in the forecast for Southern California this week, as the Southland braces for its 12 atmospheric river, which showered the region for a nice Spring clean as we passed the vernal equinox Monday. The precipitation is expected to gain strength into Tuesday and linger through Wednesday with more power outages and flooding likely. Unlike the previous warm atmospheric river storms, which pulled moisture from the Pacific, the latest is part of a cold weather system moving over from the northwest. High temperatures will be 10 to 15 degrees below normal in some areas. [L.A. Times]
» Can’t Go to School Over LAUSD Strike? The L.A. Zoo Welcomes You for Free As more than half a million families across Los Angeles brace for school closures in the face of a possibly three-day LAUSD union workers strike, the Los Angeles Zoo is offering a place for students to spend the day, free of charge. The L.A. Zoo and Botanical Gardens will offer free admission for currently enrolled K-12 students in the event that schools close this week. Accompanying chaperones will pay $5. Students in kindergarten through 5th grade can also participate in the Community Safari Day, during which zoo staff will supervise arts and crafts. [NBC]
» Judge Blocks California Law Requiring Safety Features For Handguns A federal judge has blocked California from enforcing a state law known as the Unsafe Handgun Act, which requires new semiautomatic handguns to have certain safety features—such as an indicator showing when there is a round in the chamber and a mechanism to prevent firing when the magazine is not fully inserted. U.S. District Judge Cormac Carney from Santa Anna, California found that the law violates the Second Amendment. The ruling is the latest in a line of decisions striking down state gun laws following a U.S. Supreme Court ruling last year expanding gun rights. [Reuters]
» Classical Music Used As New Crime Deterrence In L.A. Metro Station The L.A. Metro has invoked the eternal powers of Beethoven, Mozart and Bach as part of a new initiative to reduce rampant crime at its stations. According to Dave Sotero, a spokesperson for L.A. County MTA, certain studies have shown that playing music in a public space can discourage people from gathering for extended periods of time. At the Westlake MacArthur Park Station, where there is a history of violent crimes, officials hope that Metro patrons will be pacified by the monumental overtures of Beethoven’s fifth. [ABC]
» Jordan Peele’s Fourth Movie in the Works, Set for Christmas 2024 Release According to Variety, Universal Pictures, which released all of Peele’s previous features—Get Out, Us and Nope, has added an “Untitled Fourth Film Directed by Jordan Peele” to its release calendar. It’s set to open in theaters nationwide on Wednesday, Dec. 25, 2024. That places Peele’s latest film one week after James Cameron’s Avatar 3 which will debut on Dec. 20, 2024. As per the allusive filmmaker’s modus operandi, no other information about the film has been released. [Variety]
