A gunman opened fire at California food festival Sunday night; killing three and injuring at least 15 before being shot dead by police.
“It took less than a minute for police officers to respond after gunfire erupted at a Northern California food festival Sunday night, with cops quickly engaging and fatally shooting the gunman — but not before the assailant’s brief barrage left three dead and 15 others injured,” reports Fox News.
“The shooting rampage began at 5:41 p.m. on the north side of the Gilroy Garlic Festival, Chief of Police Scot Smithee said at a press conference late Sunday. Cops were set to give another update at 1 p.m. ET Monday,” adds Fox.
“We had many, many officers in the park at the time that this occurred as we do any day during a festival, which accounts for the very, very quick response time,” Smithee told reporters
A six-year-old boy was among those killed.
“He had his whole life to live,” Alberto Romero, the boy’s father, said. “He was only six.”
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
‘LIKE DANTE’S HELL’: Los Angeles Airport Named ‘WORST AIRPORT IN THE WORLD’
Travel guidebook Fodor’s issued their ‘Travel Awards’ this week; officially labeling Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) the “worst airport in the world.”
“When you fly to a city like New York or D.C., you choose an airport based on location, quality and the amount of added time airport shenanigans add to your travel plans,” said the managing editor for Fodor’s. “In Los Angeles, you also have a choice: between the behemoth time-suck that is Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) or the straightforward, shenanigan-free experience that is Burbank airport.”
“For the poor souls who aren’t merely killing time in a layover, those who woefully call this their point of dis- or embarkation, they are forced to endure the purgatorial nightmare of traffic that leads to and from each of LAX’s nine terminals (as many terminals as Dante’s hell has circles),” she added.
Making matters worse for LA residents, the city continues to struggle with its rapidly escalating homeless crisis.
Los Angeles officials claimed they were “stunned” last week when new data showed a whopping 16% increase in the city’s homeless population in just one year; saying residents are now facing an “unprecedented” level of poverty.
“Despite an increase in spending on initiatives meant to get people off the streets, homelessness is up dramatically in Los Angeles and Los Angeles County, officials said Tuesday,” reports The Week.
“The annual count of the homeless found there are nearly 59,000 people living on the streets, in shelters, or in cars in Los Angeles County, up 12 percent from last year. More than 36,000 are in the city of Los Angeles, a 16 percent increase,” adds the website.
“At this point of unprecedented wealth in the county of Los Angeles, we are equally confronted with unprecedented poverty manifesting itself in the form of homelessness,” Los Angeles County Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas told the Los Angeles Times.
“Overall, the service portion of the effort on mental health, substance use, the issue of housing, rent subsidies, those are important and we should stay the course,” he said. “Where we have to work much harder is in the area of affordable housing.”
Read the full story at USA Today.
‘UNPRECEDENTED POVERTY’: Los Angeles Officials ‘STUNNED’ by 16% JUMP in Homeless Population
Los Angeles officials claimed they were “stunned” this week when new data showed a whopping 16% increase in the city’s homeless population in just one year; saying residents are now facing an “unprecedented” level of poverty.
“Despite an increase in spending on initiatives meant to get people off the streets, homelessness is up dramatically in Los Angeles and Los Angeles County, officials said Tuesday,” reports The Week.
“The annual count of the homeless found there are nearly 59,000 people living on the streets, in shelters, or in cars in Los Angeles County, up 12 percent from last year. More than 36,000 are in the city of Los Angeles, a 16 percent increase,” adds the website.
“At this point of unprecedented wealth in the county of Los Angeles, we are equally confronted with unprecedented poverty manifesting itself in the form of homelessness,” Los Angeles County Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas told the Los Angeles Times.
“Overall, the service portion of the effort on mental health, substance use, the issue of housing, rent subsidies, those are important and we should stay the course,” he said. “Where we have to work much harder is in the area of affordable housing.”
The current rat invasion sweeping across Los Angeles extended into an unlikely place this week: City Hall. Experts are now blaming the infestation on “homeless camps” circling the public property.
“When faced with complaints earlier this year from city workers about rats infesting L.A. City Hall, most city officials said little about whether the problem was connected to several homeless camps right outside,” reports the Los Angeles Times.
“But a newly uncovered report from a pest control company hired by the city has raised fresh questions about whether officials wrongly downplayed that possibility during discussions at City Council meetings,” adds the newspaper.
According to the pest control company hired to clear city hall, workers found “poor sanitary conditions” including human waste, food, and needles throughout the property.
“The homeless are using the grated areas above the pits as their bathroom and relieving themselves,” wrote David Costa, building construction and maintenance superintendent. “This is also attracting the rats. Custodial will need to do some hazmat cleaning of the grates and the pits. There are even hypodermic needles being tossed in the pits along with human waste and other garbage.”
The invasion comes after two LAPD officers were diagnosed with Typhus and other serious diseases related to the city’s rat population.