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Tag: february

  • Warriors’ Jimmy Butler returns to Florida to take on Magic

    (Photo credit: Matthew Hinton-Imagn Images)

    The Jimmy Butler two-show Florida reunion tour kicks off Tuesday night when the former Miami Heat standout takes center stage as the Golden State Warriors visit the Orlando Magic.

    Dealt early last February from the Heat to the Warriors, Butler joined Golden State in time for both its visits to Florida last season, which came on separate Southeast excursions.

    The first of the two saw him play a complementary role in new teammate Stephen Curry’s 56-point explosion in a 121-115 win at Orlando in late February. Butler had only five points in the game but tied Brandin Podziemski for game-high assist honors with seven.

    Four of Butler’s assists came on Curry 3-pointers as the all-time distance-shooting king buried 12 in all, including four in a 22-point third-quarter flurry.

    Butler assisted on two of the third-quarter threes then a last one that extended Golden State’s lead to 111-104 lead with 2:37 to go.

    Butler himself inflicted pain upon the Magic many times during his days with the Heat, going for 20 or more points on five separate occasions, including 38 in a visit in March of 2023. He has 358 points, 93 assists and 43 steals in games at Orlando in his career.

    Golden State visits Miami on the second night of a back-to-back on Wednesday.

    Butler took time after his last visit to Orlando to describe Curry’s impact on the Warriors.

    ‘It makes everyone want to be great on the defensive side,’ he told reporters after the game, ‘so we can get him the ball back and watch him do something incredible. In a weird way, isn’t it kind of expected?’

    Curry had 46 and 49 points last week when the Warriors, after falling at Oklahoma City, rebounded with a pair of victories at San Antonio. They then won a third in a row Sunday at New Orleans, riding Moses Moody’s 32 points to a 124-106 win.

    The Orlando visit is a reunion of sorts for Moody as well. He played his final two prep seasons at Montverde Academy near Orlando, where he joined Scottie Barnes, Cade Cunningham and Day’Ron Sharpe on a 25-0 club in 2020.

    The Magic has won three of their last four, seeing a winning streak come to an end in a 117-113 overtime loss at Houston on Sunday night.

    The head-to-head with Golden State will be the first for Desmond Bane since he was acquired from the Memphis Grizzlies via trade in June. He’s averaged 22.3 points over the last four games, connecting on multiple 3-pointers in each of the last three.

    Bane faced the Warriors 22 times during his days with Memphis, including in the 2022 playoffs, when he outshot Curry 48.5% to 32.9% on 3-pointers in the Grizzlies’ 4-2 loss to the eventual champs in the Western semifinals.

    With star Paolo Banchero out for a second straight game with a groin injury, Bane found the ball in his hands with a chance to play hero at the end of regulation at Houston. However, he had his driving attempt blocked by Alperen Sengun with five seconds left and later wished he had it to do over again.

    ‘Something that we’ve talked about — getting the last shot of the game. I went a little bit too fast,’ he admitted to reporters. ‘We had our opportunities. Hopefully we learn from those moments and become better because of it.’

    –Field Level Media

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  • SoCal cop was among Hollywood producer’s rape victims. She died days before his sentencing

    It’s unknown whether self-proclaimed “entertainment professional” David Pearce knew the fate of the women he was prosecuted for drugging and raping over a 14-year period.

    What is certain, however, is that one of those women — who transformed her sexual assault trauma into a service career — wasn’t there to witness his sentencing.

    Pearce was handed a 146-year prison sentence Wednesday afternoon in Los Angeles Superior Court after being convicted of first-degree murder for the overdose deaths of model Christy Giles and architect Hilda Marcela Cabrales-Arzola, as well as the rape of seven other women from 2007 to 2021.

    Among Pearce’s victims was La Mesa Police Officer Lauren Craven, according to the L.A. County district attorney’s office. The 25-year-old officer was struck and killed by a vehicle on the 8 Freeway near San Diego on Oct. 20.

    The New York Post first reported her connection to the case.

    Craven was helping motorists involved in a traffic collision when she was fatally struck. One of those individuals also was killed by the same driver. A suspect has been arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence.

    Craven was honored with a funeral procession from San Diego’s Snapdragon Stadium to Skyline Church in Rancho San Diego on Tuesday.

    The L.A. County district attorney’s office did not confirm any details other than that Pearce was accused of sexually assaulting Craven in February 2020.

    “Somebody dropped something in her drink, and then when she was unconscious applied IV drugs and kept her for a day and a half,” her father, David Craven, told NBC 7 San Diego.

    Afterward, “she decided right then and there, ‘I’m going to become a police officer,’” he told the outlet.

    At the time, Craven was a student at Loyola Marymount University. She graduated in 2023, entered the police academy and joined the La Mesa Police Department in February 2024.

    Her father said his 115-pound daughter took close to a year off to build her strength for the rigors of training.

    “It was her dream,” her father said of graduating from the police academy.

    Andrew J. Campa

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  • I asked students why they go to school–this answer changed how I design campuses

    This story was originally published by Chalkbeat. Sign up for their newsletters at ckbe.at/newsletters.

    At first, the question seemed simple: “Why do we go to school?”

    I had asked it many times before, in many different districts. I’m a planner and designer specializing in K-12 school projects, and as part of a community-driven design process, we invite students to dream with us and help shape the spaces where they’ll learn, grow, and make sense of the world.

    In February of 2023, I was leading a visioning workshop with a group of middle schoolers in Southern California. Their energy was vibrant, their curiosity sharp. We began with a simple activity: Students answered a series of prompts, each one building on the last.

    “We go to school because …”

    “We need to learn because …”

    “We want to be successful because …”

    As the conversation deepened, so did their responses. One student wrote, “We want to get further in life.” Another added, “We need to help our families.” And then came the line that stopped me in my tracks: “We go to school because we want future generations to look up to us.”

    I’ve worked with a lot of middle schoolers. They’re funny, unfiltered, and often far more insightful than adults give them credit for. But this answer felt different. It wasn’t about homework, or college, or even a dream job. It was about legacy. At that moment, I realized I wasn’t just asking kids to talk about school. I was asking them to articulate their hopes for the world and their role in shaping it.

    As a designer, I came prepared to talk about flexible furniture, natural light, and outdoor learning spaces. The students approached the conversation through the lens of purpose, identity, and intergenerational impact. They reminded me that school isn’t just a place to pass through — it’s a place to imagine who you might become and how you might leave the world better than you found it.

    I’ve now led dozens of school visioning sessions, no two being alike. In most cases, adults are the ones at the table: district leaders, architects, engineers, and community members. Their perspectives are important, of course. But when we exclude students from shaping the environments they spend most days in, we send an implicit message that this place is not really theirs to shape.

    However, when we do invite them in, the difference is immediate. Students are not only willing participants, they’re often the most honest and imaginative contributors in the room. They see past the buzzwords like 21st-century learning, flexible furniture, student-centered design, and collaborative zones, and talk about what actually matters: where they feel safe, where they feel seen, where they can be themselves.

    During that workshop when the student spoke about legacy, other young participants asked for more flexible learning spaces, places to move around and collaborate, better food, outdoor classrooms, and quiet areas for mental health breaks. One asked for sign language classes to better communicate with her hard-of-hearing best friend. Another asked for furniture that can move from inside to outside. These aren’t requests that tend to show up on state-issued planning checklists, which are more likely to focus on square footage, capacity, and code compliance, but they reflect an extraordinary level of thought about access, well-being, and inclusion.

    The lesson: When we take students seriously, we get more than better design. We get better schools.

    There’s a popular saying in architecture: Form follows function. But in school design, I’d argue that form should follow voice. If we want to build learning environments that support joy, connection, and growth, we need to start by asking students what those things look and feel like to them — and then believe them.

    Listening isn’t a checkbox. It’s a practice. And it has to start early, not once construction drawings are finalized, but when goals and priorities are still being devised. That’s when student input can shift the direction of a plan, not just decorate it.

    It’s also not just about asking the right questions, but being open to answers we didn’t expect. When a student says, “Why do the adults always get the rooms with windows?” — as one did in another workshop I led — that’s not a complaint. That’s a lesson in power dynamics, spatial equity, and the unspoken messages our buildings send.

    Since that day, about a year and a half ago, when I heard, “We want future generations to look up to us,” I’ve carried that line with me into every planning session. It’s a reminder that students aren’t just users of school space. They’re stewards of something bigger than themselves.

    So if you’re a school leader, a planner, a teacher, or a policymaker, invite students in early. Make space for their voices, not just as a formality but as a source of wisdom. Ask questions that go beyond what color the walls should be. And don’t be surprised when the answers you get are deeper than you imagined. Be willing to let their vision shift yours.

    Because when we design with students, not just for them, we create schools that don’t just house learning. We create schools that help define what learning is for. And if we do it right, maybe one day, future generations will look up to today’s students not just because of what they learned, but because of the spaces they helped shape.

    Chalkbeat is a nonprofit news site covering educational change in public schools.

    For more news on district and school management, visit eSN’s Educational Leadership hub.

    Latest posts by eSchool Media Contributors (see all)

    Enrico Giori, Chalkbeat

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  • A portion of Mulholland Drive, damaged by mudslides in winter storms, reopens

    A portion of Mulholland Drive, damaged by mudslides in winter storms, reopens

    A portion of Los Angeles’ Mulholland Drive has reopened after it was damaged during a monster storm that unleashed mud and debris flows nearly four months ago.

    The section of Mulholland between Skyline and Bowmont drives had been shut down since early February, when much of the state was drenched with epic rainfall and hundreds of debris flows were reported in Los Angeles alone.

    The city undertook an emergency project to install two new bulkheads to repair washouts from the storm, with construction costs totaling nearly $4.9 million, according to a report from the Los Angeles Bureau of Engineering. A contractor completed the work Friday afternoon, and the stretch was reopened, said Mary Nemick, the bureau’s director of communications.

    The twisting road that snakes through the Hollywood Hills is famous for its hairpin turns and sweeping views. It has appeared in many films, including the David Lynch mystery of the same name. Portions of the road are notoriously vulnerable to storms, with closures tending to follow heavy rains.

    Alex Wigglesworth

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  • President Biden To Unveil New Plan To Give Student Loan Relief To Many New Borrowers – KXL

    President Biden To Unveil New Plan To Give Student Loan Relief To Many New Borrowers – KXL

    President Joe Biden speaks about student loan debt forgiveness in the Roosevelt Room of the White House, Wednesday, Aug. 24, 2022, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

    WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden will announce a significant new plan next week to cancel federal student loan debt for new categories of borrowers.

    It comes nearly a year after the Supreme Court ended his administration’s first attempt to relieve debt for millions who attended college.

    Biden will talk about his new plan Monday in Madison, Wisconsin.

    Three people with knowledge of the plans confirmed this information.

    The new effort is making good on Biden’s promise after the Supreme Court struck down in June his initial $400 billion proposal.

    A majority of justices insisted it needed congressional approval.

    The president called that decision a “mistake” and “wrong.”

    More about:

    Grant McHill

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  • Another storm is coming to Southern California early next week. How big will it be?

    Another storm is coming to Southern California early next week. How big will it be?

    Southern Californians can brace for another round of wet weather, with a storm expected to hit the region early next week to cap off a month of historically wet weather.

    The slow-moving storm is expected to reach the Los Angeles area by Monday night or Tuesday morning before tapering off later Tuesday, according to the National Weather Service. It’s projected to drop between a quarter of an inch and half an inch of rain in coastal areas and valleys and up to an inch in the mountains.

    The storm isn’t expected to pack the same punch as the storms earlier this month.

    “It’s considerably weaker,” said Mike Wofford, a NWS meteorologist in Oxnard. “This would be a light storm even in a fairly quiet winter pattern.”

    But because the ground is still saturated from the back-to-back historic storms earlier this month that triggered debris and mud flows, damaged homes and killed several people across the state, there’s still the risk of landslides in areas adjacent to hills. That includes the Santa Monica Mountains, the San Gabriel Mountains, the Rancho Palos Verdes area and anywhere in the Hollywood Hills.

    “Landslides can happen at any time now that the grounds are so wet,” Wofford said. “Any additional rain would make it worse. That’s something people will have to live with for a while until things dry out.”

    Downtown Los Angeles has received 17.79 inches of rain since the water year began on Oct. 1 and 12.56 inches in February alone, making it the fourth-wettest February since the weather service started keeping records in 1877. This February is also the wettest month in 26 years and is tied for the seventh-wettest month ever.

    To put things into context, downtown L.A. usually gets about 10 inches by this time in the typical water year and about 15 inches over a 12-month period.

    “If we didn’t get any rain between now and October, we’d be almost three inches above the normal for the entire year,” Wofford said. “That’s telling.”

    Following three years of severe drought, California is now experiencing one of its wettest years on record. Elsewhere in the state, the storms dropped enough snow on the Sierra Nevada to eradicate fears of a “snow drought” and build up the snowpack to 86% of normal for the date.

    California’s major reservoirs are also at 118% of their average levels for this time of year.

    “Some of the reservoirs had to do releases ahead of approaching storms so they can take in the water that falls,” Wofford said. “That’s not something we normally have to deal with in a typical winter.”

    Summer Lin

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  • Southern California sees astronomical rain totals, and more yet to come

    Southern California sees astronomical rain totals, and more yet to come


    The latest atmospheric river megastorm inundating Southern California with precipitation and high winds — prompting evacuations from mudslides and causing widespread road flooding — brought eye-popping rain totals by Monday morning.

    Rainfall topped 10 inches in some areas of Los Angeles County in two days, easily surpassing the average amount recorded for the entire month of February, according to the National Weather Service.

    “And February is our wettest month,” said Ryan Kittell, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Oxnard. He noted this storm is “significant.”

    As of 8 a.m. Monday, downtown Los Angeles had recorded 5.62 inches of rain over the previous 24 hours. The February average is 3.80 inches.

    Historical records won’t be confirmed until the storm passes, and there are still multiple days of rain forecast. But Kittell said that Sunday had already become the region’s 10th-wettest calendar day since record keeping began in 1877. The two-day rainfall tally is expected to break the top five in history, he said, pointing out that the heaviest rain fell late Sunday and early Monday.

    And there’s still more rain to come, with another 1.5 to 3 inches expected across the L.A. Basin. Higher elevations — which already had recorded the highest rain tallies — could see 3 to 6 more inches, Kittell said.

    “It’s pretty relentless; nothing of the intensity we saw last night, but the rains really are not letting up until, possibly, Thursday,” Kittelll said. “But it should be generally light in nature. The one caveat is we do have a chance of thunderstorms, so if we do get a thunderstorm, we could get a brief, heavy downpour.”

    Here are the highest rain tallies for select cities across Southern California as of 8 a.m. Monday. The totals include rain that began late Saturday, according to the National Weather Service.

    Los Angeles County

    • Santa Monica Mountains, at the Topanga fire station: 10.67 inches
    • Bel-Air: 10.46 inches
    • Sepulveda Pass, near the Skirball Cultural Center: 10.28 inches
    • Santa Monica Municipal Airport: 5.58 inches
    • Brentwood: 9.90 inches
    • Inglewood: 4.96 inches
    • Los Angeles International Airport: 3.27 inches
    • Downtown Los Angeles: 5.95 inches
    • Woodland Hills: 6.73 inches
    • Malibu Canyon: 8.06 inches
    • Van Nuys Airport: 6.04 inches
    • Eagle Rock Reservoir: 4.05 inches
    • Los Angeles Valley College: 7.41 inches
    • San Gabriel Dam: 6.26 inches
    • Harbor City: 4.83 inches
    • Pomona: 5.73 inches

    Areas with higher elevation saw greater totals, Kittell said, as the hills and mountains act as a ramp to push air up and squeeze out the storm’s moisture.

    Areas along the coast have recorded some of the lowest totals, with 2.78 inches reported at Long Beach’s airport, 2.55 inches in Manhattan Beach and 2.59 in Rancho Palos Verdes.

    Santa Barbara and Ventura counties:

    • Matilija Canyon near Ojai: 8.52 inches
    • Ojai: 4.38 inches
    • Oxnard: 1.85 inches
    • Thousand Oaks: 3.58 inches
    • Lake Casitas: 4.93 inches
    • Montecito: 5.04 inches
    • Carpinteria: 4.2 inches
    • Santa Barbara: 4.39 inches

    Across much of San Bernardino, Riverside and Orange counties, rain tallies remained generally below 3 inches Monday morning, but those regions are expecting the worst of the rainfall throughout the day Monday and into Tuesday. San Diego County is not forecast to see heavy rain until Monday evening into Tuesday, though predictions there have been more moderate.



    Grace Toohey

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  • LAPD Chief Michel Moore to step down at end of February

    LAPD Chief Michel Moore to step down at end of February

    Los Angeles Police Chief Michel Moore announced Friday that he will step down as head of the LAPD at the end of February, after which time the city and department officials will begin the process of finding a new leader to take over one of the most unique and challenging jobs in law enforcement.

    At a news conference with Mayor Karen Bass, Moore said he was proud of his career at the department and choked back tears.

    “During my tenure, I know I’ve made mistakes and missteps,” Moore said. “But I’m also confident that my work has seen success across a broad spectrum of topics unmatched by any other law enforcement agency in this country.”

    Bass praised Moore and thanked him for his work, saying he made the decision to leave recently.

    “Chief Moore let me know that his timeline was moving up to spend more time with his family,” Bass said. “This means, of course, that the police commission will have to appoint an interim chief and a nationwide search will be conducted now because his timeline was moved up and that was unexpected.”

    Bass said she had asked Moore to “serve in a consulting capacity to assist an interim chief,” and that he had agreed to the offer.

    Moore has endured a series of department controversies in recent months, including a string of officer misconduct incidents and a whistleblower complaint that alleged that two detectives were ordered to investigate Bass shortly after her election. Moore vehemently denied the allegations.

    Before his reappointment in January 2023 to a second five-year term as the city’s top cop, Moore said he would serve for two or three years before turning the department over to a new chief ahead of the 2028 Olympic Games.

    Moore said at the time he wanted more time to finish the job he started when he took over the department in 2018. Moore said he wanted to continue reforms on use of force and diversity and avoid a “haphazard” transition before the Olympics, which are set to start soon after his full second term would have expired. He said he would spend the next few years laying the groundwork for a succession plan.

    Bass reappointed Moore to a second five-year term over the concern of critics who argued that the scope of scandals that have plagued the department during his tenure reflected a poor track record for any leader.

    Moore’s backers say the department has embraced reforms in the wake of the 2020 murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis and other flash points from 2020, including expanding community outreach efforts and placing new limits on pretextual traffic stops that Moore said “undermined public trust and confidence but also added little merit from a law enforcement standpoint.”

    The LAPD has gotten more diverse under his watch, Moore said. He has also defended his record of promoting female officers, pointing out a series of recent appointments of female officials, including one to deputy chief.

    The latest LAPD data indicate that crime is trending downward, and Moore had enjoyed the public support of Bass and the Police Commission. In recent months, though, the department has been roiled by allegations that one of Moore’s assistant chiefs surreptitiously tracked an officer with whom he’d been romantically involved, and a scandal involving gang unit officers suspected of thefts and illegal stops.

    The episodes renewed questions about management and oversight of the nation’s third-largest police department.

    Then last month, two detectives in the LAPD’s Internal Affairs Division filed complaints alleging they were ordered to investigate Bass, possibly at Moore’s behest. The claims are being investigated by the inspector general’s office.

    Moore denied the allegations, telling The Times: “I have no such knowledge of any alleged investigation nor would I initiate any such investigation.”

    The 63-year-old Moore secured the police chief’s job in 2018 after nearly four decades with the LAPD, rising through the ranks and becoming known for his statistics-driven policing approach. He was at the helm at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, which saw a marked rise in violent crimes and homicides in L.A., as elsewhere. Last year, however, there was a drop in violent crimes and homicides, a decline that has continued through most of 2023.

    Moore pledged a more compassionate approach to policing following his appointment by Mayor Eric Garcetti. Early in his tenure, he weathered severe criticism for his handling of mass demonstrations in Los Angeles over the deaths of Floyd and other Black Americans killed in police custody. Officers were repeatedly accused of using heavy-handed tactics against protesters who took to the streets.

    Moore has also faced the challenge of running a department that is several hundred officers short of its allotted strength of 9,500 officers, a gap that made it harder to keep police on the streets.

    Bass, who took office in December 2022 after campaigning on the promise of bringing more police accountability and transparency, said previously she believed Moore shared her desire to see the department improve its recruitment of “reform-minded” officers and change how it responds to calls involving the mentally ill.

    But Moore’s leadership has come into question as several of his top commanders and closest confidantes have become caught up in scandals. One assistant chief retired under a cloud of suspicion, after being caught having sex with a subordinate in a government car.

    Another LAPD captain was found to have leaked confidential details of a sex crime victim and her police report to the alleged perpetrator, then CBS head Les Moonves.

    In 2022, a jury awarded a female Los Angeles police commander $4 million in damages for a sexual harassment lawsuit against the city over a nude photograph that was doctored to look like her and shared around the department.

    In 2021, a botched fireworks explosion by the department’s bomb squad leveled a South L.A. neighborhood. Moore faced withering criticism over the incident. Last July, he issued a statement promising to improve the department.

    “This neighborhood is resilient, and we will continue the work of repairing our relationship with this community we have sworn to protect and serve,” Moore said.

    Times legal affairs reporter Kevin Rector contributed to this report.

    Libor Jany, Richard Winton

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  • Record deals and tax-avoidance maneuvers: Southern California’s priciest sales of 2023

    Record deals and tax-avoidance maneuvers: Southern California’s priciest sales of 2023

    Southern California’s luxury real estate market never sleeps. But this past year, it collectively caught its breath.

    Luxury sales slowed down in 2023 — a combination of soaring interest rates, a newly introduced “mansion tax” and an inevitable drop-off from a pandemic market when megamansions flipped like hotcakes.

    In 2022, there were 17 home sales above $50 million and 48 over $30 million in L.A. County, according to the Multiple Listing Service. In 2023, there were only five sales over $50 million and 23 over $30 million.

    But even in a down year, there were still plenty of headlines. Jay-Z and Beyoncé set the all-time price record in the state of California, while other celebrities sold homes and left L.A. just in time to avoid paying taxes under Measure ULA.

    Here are the top sales of the year.

    $200 million

    Bought for $200 million, the 40,000-square-foot mansion overlooks the ocean in the affluent enclave of Paradise Cove.

    (Google Earth)

    History was made in May when Jay-Z and Beyoncé shattered California’s price record, paying $200 million for a concrete compound in Malibu.

    The L-shaped house, which topped the previous record of $177 million, looks more like an airplane hangar or supervillain’s lair than a home. It was built by Tadao Ando, a decorated Japanese architect who also designed a home for Kanye West a few miles down the coast. Ando brought in 7,645 cubic yards of concrete to erect the 40,000-square-foot home.

    It never officially hit the market, so photos are scarce. The property is perched above Malibu’s Paradise Cove and features concrete hallways and walls of glass that open to a swimming pool and lawn overlooking the ocean.

    $60.85 million

    Another power couple — Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck — claimed the second-highest home purchase of the year when they shelled out $60.85 million for a five-acre spread in Beverly Crest. High interest rates weren’t a problem; they didn’t need a 30-year-fixed. The pair paid in cash.

    The deal marked the end of a year-long house hunt for Lopez and Affleck, and the house boasts an array of amenities that few other mega-mansions can match. Across 38,000 square feet are 12 bedrooms, 24 bathrooms, 15 fireplaces, a movie theater, wine cellar, nail salon and sauna, as well as a 5,000-square-foot sports facility with a boxing ring and pickleball court.

    The $60.85-million sale actually came at a discount; the home originally hit the market with a gargantuan price tag of $135 million.

    $55 million

    A mansion surrounded by an expansive lawn.

    Built in 2014, the European-inspired mansion comes with 12 bedrooms, 20 bathrooms, a skate park, movie theater and grotto.

    (Anthony Barcelo)

    Some scratched their heads when Mark Wahlberg unloaded his Beverly Park mega-mansion for $55 million in February. The movie star spent years designing the French-inspired palace, and he originally asked $87.5 million when he first listed it in 2022.

    But Wahlberg was a motivated seller. He moved to Nevada last year, and by selling the home in February, he avoided Measure ULA, a transfer tax that took effect April 1 and would’ve charged a 5.5% tax on the sale. At $55 million, Wahlberg’s tax bill would’ve been more than $3 million.

    The European-inspired showplace is truly one of a kind, featuring amenities such as a five-hole golf course, driving range, grotto-style swimming pool and skate park. Wahlberg, a native of Massachusetts, also added a Boston Celtics-themed basketball court during his stay.

    $52.056 million

    Malibu’s second entry on this list comes via attorney Stuart Liner and his wife, Stephanie Hershey Liner, who sold their beach house on Point Dume for just over $52 million.

    The Liners have made a fortune flipping houses over the years, including doubling their money on a house they bought from actor Danny DeVito. They scored a hefty profit here as well; records show they paid $21.758 million for the oceanfront home in 2020 before extensively remodeling the place.

    The 6,000-square-foot house comes with a swimming pool and tennis court. It sold to Tom van Loben Sels, a partner at Bay Area tax firm Apercen Partners.

    $52 million

    A mansion fronted by a circular drive with a fountain.

    Built in 1998, Villa Firenze combines three lots across nearly 10 acres and centers on an Italian-inspired mansion.

    (Hilton & Hyland)

    For years, Villa Firenze was a cautionary tale, an extravagant reminder that while fortunes can be won in Southern California’s lucrative real estate market, you have to be strategic in how you sell to truly cash in.

    Hungarian billionaire Steven Udvar-Hazy was not. The airplane mogul built the Italian-inspired mansion in 1998 and listed it for $165 million in 2017, which at the time was one of the most ambitious asking prices in California history.

    Clearly overpriced, the house sat on the market for years until it was auctioned off for $51 million in 2021 to biotech entrepreneur Roy Eddleman, who, for some reason, tried the same thing as Udvar-Hazy.

    Eddleman quickly attempted to flip the house for a massive profit, putting it back onto the market for $120 million just a year after he bought it. Unsurprisingly, there were no takers, and he died before it sold.

    His estate slashed the price on the luxurious villa, which features 40-foot palm trees, 20-foot ceilings and a two-story library complete with a secret passageway that leads to a bedroom and bar.

    After a year of price cuts, it finally sold in February for $52 million, just $1 million more than Eddleman paid for it at auction two years prior.

    Jack Flemming

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  • Is El Niño's reputation as a legendary rainmaker overblown?

    Is El Niño's reputation as a legendary rainmaker overblown?

    NOAA has warned of a ‘historically strong’ El Niño through January, but so far, California’s wet season has been notably dry.

    Hayley Smith

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  • Chocolate Lovers’ Special at Texas State Railroad Kicks Off the 2018 Season

    Chocolate Lovers’ Special at Texas State Railroad Kicks Off the 2018 Season

    Press Release
    –


    updated: Jan 2, 2018


    PALESTINE & RUSK, Texas, January 2, 2018 (Newswire.com)
    –
     In the company of Cupid, hearts, roses, doves and lovebirds, chocolate is probably the most iconic symbol of Valentine’s Day. Everyone knows that “everything is better in Texas” and that includes the romance of chocolate Texas rail-style. Riding in a vintage railcar while savoring the rich flavors of mouthwatering desserts is a sweet way to inaugurate the season aboard the Texas State Railroad. The first Chocolate Lovers’ Special rolls out of the Rusk station on Saturday, Feb. 10, with another excursion following on Sunday, Feb. 11.

    Passengers will be indulged with a decadent array of Texas-style desserts while riding the rails through the historic hill county of the Piney Woods. One of the inspiring chocolate delicacies on the menu is the Railroad’s very own version of the popular “Texas Sheet Cake,” described by noted New York-based travel, fashion and active lifestyle writer Jillian Downer as “the little black dress of sheet cakes.”

    It is hard to imagine another food that evokes a craving equal to that of chocolate. The gooey, dark, rich sweet has been branded with many names including xocoatl, jocolatte and chockelet, but despite its title, from ancient civilization to the cyber-powered 21st-century society, one common thread remains: chocolate is a heavenly treat that is in a category all by itself. When words are inadequate to express one’s feelings for another, chocolate will say it all.

    The four-hour, round-trip excursion between Palestine and Rusk includes a short layover at the beautifully renovated historic Palestine depot. On the return trip, snuggling with a sweetie in a luxurious Presidential car is bound to inspire sweet talk in rhythm to the wheels on the rails. Just as universal as chocolate is to romance, so is classic rail travel. Texas State Railroad is a master at blending the two romances into one classic adventure.

    This quintessential day trip, only a few hours from the metropolitan communities of Dallas and Houston, is designated “The Official Railroad of Texas.”  

    Visit www.TexasStateRailroad.net or call 855-632-7729 to book.

    Come enjoy a sweet Valentine journey with us!

    Contact: Teresa Propeck 
    Reservations: 855-632-7729 
    Phone: 623-374-3185
    www.TexasStateRailroad.net
    teresa@texasstaterailroad.net

    Source: Texas State Railroad

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