Wyomina Park Elementary will operate on new calendars for the next two school years. The school will be offering year-round classes with occasional breaks and no classes in June.The new calendars include 180 instructional days, intersession breaks, teacher workdays, early release days, and weather make-up days.To see the calendar draft, click here.
MARION COUNTY, Fla. —
Wyomina Park Elementary will operate on new calendars for the next two school years.
The school will be offering year-round classes with occasional breaks and no classes in June.
The new calendars include 180 instructional days, intersession breaks, teacher workdays, early release days, and weather make-up days.
A former Navy SEAL with neo-Nazi beliefs faces up to 10 years in prison after he was convicted of transporting fireworks across state lines with the intent to injure law enforcement at a “No Kings” protest in San Diego, authorities said.
FBI agents found messages on Gregory Vandenberg’s phone indicating he was upset with President Trump because he believed the U.S. government is controlled by Israel and the Jewish people, according to the Department of Justice.
Vandenberg, 49, was planning on traveling from El Paso to San Diego to unleash harmful fireworks at a June 14 protest, prosecutors said.
Inside his car agents found T-shirts with a neo-Nazi symbol printed on them, a flag for the militant group the Caucasian Front, an Al Qaeda flag and a Latin message saying “Judea must be destroyed,” among other paraphernalia displaying anti-Israel and extremist beliefs, prosecutors said.
FBI agents said they found clothing in Gregory Vandenberg’s vehicle with anti-Israel slogans and neo-Nazi symbols.
(Office of the United States Attorney for the District of New Mexico)
On June 12, Vandenberg stopped at a travel center near Lordsburg, N.M., and purchased six large mortar fireworks as well as 72 M-150 firecrackers, which are designed to sound like gunfire. He repeatedly expressed his desire to use the fireworks to harm law enforcement at upcoming protests in California and urged the store clerk to join him, prosecutors said.
Vandenberg, who had no stable employment and lived in his car, told the clerk he had significant knowledge of explosives and prior special operations forces experience. He said he was not interested in the color or display of the fireworks, only in their explosive impact and ability to harm others. He even talked about the possibility of increasing their explosive impact by taping fireworks together.
He wore a T-shirt with the word “Amalek” on the front, which he said he designed specifically to mean “destroyer of Jews.” In the Torah, Amalek refers to descendants of Esau who are known as the Israelites’ sworn enemy. His home screen on his phone displayed a picture of the Taliban flag, prosecutors said.
A hat with the calligraphy of the Al Qaeda flag was among evidence.
(Office of the United States Attorney for the District of New Mexico)
He declined to provide his ID and then became paranoid, asking whether the store intended to track him and falsely saying that he was not from America, authorities said. Employees, shaken by the encounter, wrote down his license plate and contacted the police.
Federal agents tracked Vandenberg to Tucson, Ariz., where he was arrested on June 13 while sleeping in his car at the Davis-Monthan Air Force Base. He told agents he was traveling for work and visiting friends in Phoenix, despite being unemployed, prosecutors said.
After a five-day jury trial and around three hours of deliberation, a jury convicted him of transportation of explosives with intent to kill, injure or intimidate and attempted transportation of prohibited fireworks into California. He remains in custody awaiting sentencing.
Acting U.S. Atty. Ryan Ellison said in a statement that the verdict sends a message that attempts to use violence to express one’s political beliefs will be met with federal consequences.
“People in this country are free to hold their own beliefs and to express them peacefully,” Ellison said. “What they are not free to do is use explosives to threaten or terrorize others. Vandenberg intended to turn explosives into a tool of intimidation.”
On June 12, Peggy Orenstein’s inbox flooded with booking requests for her Inglewood Airbnb.
The date seemed random, but after a quick search, the influx of interest became clear. It was exactly a year before one of the biggest events in American soccer history, when the U.S. will kick off its World Cup in a match against Paraguay at SoFi Stadium, and Orenstein had set up the system to only accept booking requests up to a year in advance.
Orenstein’s rental sits just across the street from the venue. Suddenly, her Airbnb became one of the hottest homes in the Southland.
She hadn’t adjusted the prices yet to reflect the rabid demand, so she declined the requests and tweaked the rates. Typically, a two-night stay at the house would cost around $1,000. For a two-night stay during the Americans’ opening match June 12, it’ll now cost more than $10,000.
Roughly 6.5 million people are expected to travel to North America during the 2026 World Cup, and many of them will be heading to L.A., where SoFi Stadium is hosting eight games, including two U.S. matches during the group stage. Airbnb hosts are viewing the games as a gold mine, hoping soccer fans will shell out thousands to stay near the stadium.
The World Cup rental market will serve as a test case for the 2028 Olympics, when an estimated 15 million people are expected to visit Southern California.
For the night of the opening match June 12, more than 70% of short-term rentals in Inglewood have already been booked, according to data site Inside Airbnb. That’s a 58% increase compared to typical reservation rates on normal days.
Rates are rising as well. On June 1, the average booked rate for an Airbnb in L.A. is $245, according to data platform AirDNA. On June 12, when the U.S. plays Paraguay, it’s $382 — a 56% jump.
In Inglewood, prices are even wilder. Homes that normally rent for hundreds are listed for thousands. The nightly price for a one-bedroom apartment a block from SoFi is typically around $400. On June 11, the day before the game, it’s $713. On June 12, the day of the game, it’s $1,714.
“It’ll be interesting to see how much people will pay,” Orenstein said.
Some hosts use an algorithm to determine their nightly rates, but Orenstein sets the prices herself. She arrived at the $10,000 number by looking at nearby hotels, which are mostly sold out for the nights of the eight World Cup matches.
“The Lum Hotel had a suite available during the World Cup for $1,943. Meanwhile, our house can accommodate eight guests with four bedrooms, plus a kitchen and yard,” she said.
There are classic amenities such as a grill and hot tub, but the biggest amenity is proximity. Orenstein is banking on visitors ponying up for the convenience of parking at the property and walking to the stadium while everyone else navigates traffic jams and long rideshare waits.
“It gets crazy out there,” she said. “I’ve had people offer to pay me $40 to use the bathroom while walking by during a Taylor Swift concert. Our neighbor sold parking spots for $1,000 during the Super Bowl.”
David (pictured) and Peggy Orenstein, run an Airbnb across the street from SoFi Stadium.
(Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times)
Colin Johnson has been renting out his home near SoFi Stadium for two years. It’s his actual residence, meaning when someone stays there, he has to book a hotel or crash on a friend’s couch. But he said the payouts are worth it.
“There are so many events and venues around us, why wouldn’t we take advantage?” he said.
A typical two-night stay in the three-story townhouse runs about $600. For the U.S. opening match, it costs more than $3,000.
Johnson said demand is roughly 60% Americans and 40% foreigners, but he expects foreign interest to pick up as the games get closer.
Demand isn’t limited to Inglewood. Luxury rentals across Los Angeles are being booked for eye-popping numbers, according to Mokhtar Jabli, founder of luxury rental platform Nightfall Group.
He’s booked two so far. The first was rented by a Florida client coming to Los Angeles to see Iran play two matches at SoFi Stadium against New Zealand and Belgium. The modern home in Hollywood Hills, complete with an infinity pool overlooking the city, rented for $33,000 for seven nights from June 15 to 22.
The second was booked by a New York client coming to see the U.S. play Paraguay. The 7,000-square-foot mansion in Malibu comes with a movie theater, butler, security and full-time staff. For 10 days, it rented for $100,000.
Jamie Lane, chief economist for AirDNA, expects a surge across L.A. County — not just in demand, but in supply.
“There’s a lot of interest right now in what you can make as a host,” Lane said. “In most cities, there won’t be enough lodging, so that pushes rates higher.”
He added that since Airbnb is the official “Alternative Accommodations and Bookings Platform” of the World Cup, the company is urging people to host. AirDNA has hosted multiple bootcamps around the country for people interested in renting out their homes during the World Cup, teaching them how to furnish homes, how to set prices during the games and more.
Lane expects a boost in listings early next year, which would mirror Paris in the months leading up to the 2024 Olympics, when active listings soared by 40%.
It’s unclear how proactive Southern California cities will be in cracking down on illegal listings as homeowners look to make a quick buck by renting out their rooms. Many cities have strict short-term rental regulations, but haven’t taken the steps necessary to enforce them.
Last year, the L.A. Housing Department estimated that 7,500 short-term rentals were violating the city’s Home Sharing Ordinance, but the city only issued 300 citations.
Orenstein said it won’t be easy in Inglewood.
“You have to jump through hoops to have an Airbnb,” she said. “Apply for permits, do inspections, pay your taxes every month. It has to be done right.”
On an overcast morning in September, Hector Alessandro Negrete left his beloved Los Angeles — the city he was brought to at 3 months old — and headed down Interstate 5 to Mexico, the only country where he held a passport.
It was a place that, to him, had “always felt like both a wound and a possibility.”
Negrete, 43, sat in the passenger seat as a friend steered the car south and two more friends in another car followed. He had condensed his life to three full suitcases and his dachshund mix, Lorca.
They pulled over at the beach in San Clemente. Angel Martinez, his soon-to-be former roommate, is deeply spiritual, and his favorite prayer spot is the ocean, so he prayed that Negrete would be blessed and protected — and Lorca too — as they began a new stage in their lives.
On the near-empty beach, the friends embraced and wiped away tears. Martinez handed Negrete a small watermelon.
As instructed, Negrete walked to the edge of the water, said his own prayer and, as a gift of thanks to the cosmos, plopped it into a crashing wave.
Negrete, holding a drink, embraces his friend Angel Martinez as they visit a drag club in Tijuana after leaving Los Angeles a day earlier.
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
Negrete doesn’t call it self-deportation.
“Self-repatriation,” he said. “I refuse to use this administration’s language.”
President Trump had been in office just over a month when Negrete decided he would return to Mexico. Methodical by nature, he approached the decision like any other — by researching, organizing and planning.
He registered Lorca as an emotional support animal, paid for a vaccine card and a certificate of good health, and crate-trained her in a TSA-approved carrier.
He announced his decision to leave in June on his Substack newsletter: “If you’re thinking, ‘Alessandro’s giving up,’ look deeper. I am choosing freedom. For the first time, I feel unshackled from the expectations of waiting.”
Negrete walks the streets of Boyle Heights while shopping for moving supplies after deciding he would leave the U.S. on his own terms.
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
Negrete had grown tired of wishing for immigration reform. He had built his career advocating for immigrants such as himself, including stints as statewide coordinator for the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund, or MALDEF, and as executive director for the California Immigrant Youth Justice Alliance.
He said his work had helped legalize street vending in Los Angeles and he assisted the office of then-California Atty. Gen. Kamala Harris in securing the release of a young woman from immigration detention. He was the first openly undocumented and LGBTQ+ person on the Boyle Heights Neighborhood Council.
Under previous administrations, Negrete’s political work had felt like a shield against deportation. Even during Trump’s first term, Negrete had marched at rallies denouncing his immigration policies.
But that was before the new Immigration and Customs Enforcement patrols that tore into Southern California during Trump’s second term. On June 6, as anti-ICE protesters took to the streets, Negrete rushed to downtown Los Angeles when fellow activists told him street medics were needed.
“One of my homies said, ‘Hey fool, what are you doing here?’” he recalled. Seeing Los Angeles police officers advancing on the crowd, he realized that no amount of public support could protect him.
He fled. “Thank God I left.”
Negrete, in red, with his friends and colleagues at a farewell party and yard sale in August.
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
In mid-August, Negrete hosted a yard sale and going away party. The flier was tongue-in-cheek: “Everything must go! Including me!”
His red T-shirt stated plainly, “I AM UNDOCUMENTED,” and his aviator sunglasses hid the occasional tears. Tattoos dotted his extremities, including an anchor on his right leg with the words “I refuse to sink.”
“I think it hit me when I started packing my stuff today,” he told a former colleague, Shruti Garg, who had arrived early.
“But the way you’ve invited everyone to join you is so beautiful,” she replied.
One table held American pop-culture knickknacks — sippy cups with Ghostface from the movie “Scream,” collectible Mickey Mouse ears, a Detective Batman purse shaped like a comic book, another purse shaped like the locker from the ‘90s cartoon “Daria.”
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Negrete said the items reminded him of his youth and represented the gothic, quirky aspects of his personality.
“I was born in Mexico, but I don’t know Mexico,” he said. “So I’m leaving the American parts of me that are no longer going to serve me.”
The back yard slowly filled with loved ones from Negrete’s various social circles. There was his mostly queer softball team — the Peacocks — his running group, his chosen family and his blood family.
Negrete’s close friend Joel Menjivar looked solemn.
“I’m scared it’s going to start a movement,” he said. “Undocumented or DACA friends who are talented and integral to the fabric of L.A. might get ideas to leave.”
Another friend, Mario Mariscal, said he took Negrete’s decision the hardest, though at first he didn’t believe Negrete was serious. More than once he asked, “You really want to give up everything you’ve built here for a new start in Mexico?”
Eventually, Negrete had to tell Mariscal that his questions weren’t helpful. During a deeper conversation about his decision, Negrete shared that he was tired of living with the constant fear of getting picked up, herded into an unmarked van and taken away.
“I just kept telling him, ‘That’s not going to happen to you,’” Mariscal said. “But the more this administration keeps doing it, the more it’s in our face, the more we’re seeing every horror story about that, it became clear that, you know what, you do have a point. You do have to do what’s right for you.”
Negrete continues packing for his move to Mexico as roommate Martinez works at their Boyle Heights home.
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
Negrete is cognizant of the privilege that makes his departure different from that of many other immigrants. He is white-passing, fluent in Spanish and English, and moved with $10,000 in savings.
In June, he was hired as executive director of a U.S.-based nonprofit, Old School Hub, that works to combat ageism around the world. The role allowed him to live wherever he wanted.
He decided to settle in Guadalajara, a growing technology hub, with historic buildings featuring Gothic architecture that he found beautiful. It also helped that Guadalajara has one of the country’s most vibrant LGBTQ+ scenes and is a four-hour drive from Puerto Vallarta, a renowned queer resort destination.
As Negrete began his new job while still in L.A., he picked a moving date — Sept. 4 — and booked a two-week Airbnb near the baseball stadium.
That Guadalajara’s team, the Charros de Jalisco, wore Dodger blue felt like a good omen.
On the day he left the United States, Negrete and Martinez hold a prayer at the beach in San Clemente in which Negrete offers thanks to the universe with an offering of a watermelon.
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
On the drive toward the border, messages poured into Negrete’s phone.
“I’m sending you all my love Alessandro,” one read. “Cuídate. [Take care.] Know that even though you’re far away from home, you carry us with you.”
“Todo te va a salir bien,” read another. Everything will go well for you, it said. “Spread your wings and flyyyyy.”
Afraid of being stopped and detained at the airport, as has happened to other immigrants attempting to leave the country, Negrete preferred to drive to Tijuana and then fly to Guadalajara.
Negrete’s driver, his friend Jorge Leonardo, turned into a parking lot at the sign reading “LAST USA EXIT.”
Negrete put on his black felt tejana hat and called Iris Rodriguez, who was in the companion car. He asked her to cross on foot with him.
Negrete walks his last few steps on American soil as he enters Mexico en route to Guadalajara, his new home.
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
“I don’t want to go alone,” he said.
“We’re still on American soil,” Leonardo said. “You can still change your mind.”
Negrete ignored him.
“See y’all on the other side,” he said as he hopped out of the car.
He and Rodriguez stopped for photos in front of a sign with an arrow pointing “To Mexico.” Around a corner, the border came into full view — a metal turnstile with layers of concertina wire above it.
The line for Mexicanos was unceremoniously quick. The immigration agent barely glanced at Negrete’s passport before waving him through.
On the other side, a busker sang “Piano Man” by Billy Joel in perfect English.
“Welcome to the motherland,” Rodriguez told him. Negrete let out a deep breath.
Negrete tours downtown Guadalajara, where he now lives.
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
Negrete’s immediate family members, and almost all of his extended family, live in the U.S.
He was born in Manzanillo, Colima, in 1982. Three months later, the family relocated to Los Angeles, where his parents had two more children.
At 17, Negrete was one of two students in his graduating class at Roosevelt High School to get into UC Berkeley. That’s when he found out he didn’t have papers.
His parents had divorced and his father married a U.S. citizen, obtaining a green card when Negrete was at Roosevelt. They began the legalization process for Negrete in 1999, he said, but two years later he came out to his family as gay.
His father was unsupportive and refused to continue seeking to adjust his immigration status. By the time they mended their relationship, it was too late. Negrete had aged out of the pathway at 21.
In 2008, Negrete said, he was arrested for driving while under the influence of alcohol. Four years later, President Obama established the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA, program to protect immigrants who were brought to the U.S. as children. Negrete failed to qualify because of the DUI.
He said he got his record expunged in 2016, but — again — it was too late.
Negrete waited until his last night in the U.S. to tell his mother, who now lives in Colorado, that he was leaving. He had grown tired of friends and other family members begging him to change his mind.
He had partially hinged his decision on the fact that his mom was in remission from her third bout with cancer and had just obtained legal residency. With life more stable for her, he could finally seek stability for himself.
“You taught me to dream,” Negrete recalled telling her. “This is me dreaming. I want to see the world.”
She cried and scolded him, promising to visit and repeating what she had said when he came out to her all those years before: “I wish you told me sooner.”
At a hotel in Tijuana, Negrete’s emotions finally caught up with him.
The day after Negrete and his three friends left L.A., three more friends surprised him by arriving in Tijuana for a final Friday night out together. One of them presented a gift he had put together with help from Negrete’s entire social circle — a video with loved ones sharing messages of encouragement.
In Negrete’s hotel room, as he and his friends watched, the mood grew sentimental.
“You’re basically the one that formed the family friend tree,” one friend said in her clip. “Friendships do not die out in distance.”
Negrete sobbed. “Yes! Friendships don’t have borders,” he said.
“Every single one of you has said this hasn’t hit y’all, like it’s a mini vacation,” he said. “I want to think of it as an extended vacation.”
“This isn’t goodbye, this is we’ll see each other soon,” he continued.
Off his soapbox, Negrete then chided his friends for making him cry before heading to a drag show.
Negrete had a habit of leaving social gatherings abruptly. His friends joked that they would refer to him as “catch me on the 101” because every time he disappeared during a night out, they would open Apple’s Find My app and see him on the freeway heading home.
“We’re not gonna catch him on the 101 no more,” Martinez said.
The last few flights of stairs lead Iris Rodriguez and Negrete to his Airbnb apartment in Guadalajara.
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
On the flight to Guadalajara, Negrete’s heart raced and he began to hyperventilate. The anxiety attack caught him off guard.
Negrete had worked hard to show his friends and family that he was happy, because he didn’t want them to think he had doubts — and he had none. But he began to worry about the unknown and to mourn his former dreams of gaining legal status and running for public office.
“It hit me all at once,” he recounted. “I am three hours away from a whole new life that I don’t know. I left everything and I don’t know what’s next.”
Many deep breaths by Negrete later, the plane descended through the clouds, revealing vibrant green fields and a cantaloupe-hued sunset.
Negrete tests the bed at his temporary home in Guadalajara.
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
Inside the Airbnb, he was surprised to find a clothesline instead of a dryer. Noticing the blue 5-gallon jug of water in the kitchen, he remarked that he would have to remember tap water wasn’t safe to cook with. But alongside the new was something familiar: The view from his 11–story apartment showed off a sprawling metropolis dotted with trees, some of them palms.
The next day started off like any Sunday, with a trip to Walmart and drag brunch.
Negrete marveled at the cost of a large carton of egg whites ($1) and was shocked to see eggs stored at room temperature, liquid laundry detergent in bags and only single-ply toilet paper. He treated himself to a Darth Vader coffee mug and a teapot featuring characters from “The Nightmare Before Christmas.”
After brunch, it was time to play tourist. Negrete was accompanied by Rodriguez, who stayed with him for the first two weeks, and a new friend, Alejandro Preciado, whom he had met at Coachella in April and happened to be a Guadajalara local.
Negrete tours downtown Guadalajara. He was drawn to the city, in part, by its Gothic architecture.
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
Their first stop was the city’s Spanish Renaissance cathedral, where Negrete said a quick prayer to the Virgin Mary at his mother’s request. Negrete treated his friends to an electric carriage ride around the historic buildings, where he excitedly pointed out the Gothic architecture, then they bought aguas frescas and walked through an open-air market, chatting in an English-heavy Spanglish.
“I’m trying to look at how people dress,” Negrete said, suddenly self-conscious about his short shorts. “I’m pretty sure I stand out.”
After dinner, Negrete was booking an Uber back to his Airbnb when a message popped up: “We’ve detected unusual activity.”
The app didn’t know he had moved.
Before he arrived in Guadalajara, Negrete had already joined an intramural baseball team and a running club. Practices began days after his arrival.
Negrete enjoys a view of the sprawling hills of Guadalajara.
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
Within a month, he moved into an apartment, visited Mexico City and reconnected with aunts in Mexico City and Guadalajara he hadn’t seen in decades.
He reflected on the small joys of greeting neighborhood señoras on morning dog walks, discovering the depths of Mexican cuisine and the peace of mind that came with no longer feeling like a target — though he’ll still freeze at the sight of police lights.
Still, Negrete remained glued to U.S. politics. In late September, the federal government detailed plans to begin processing initial DACA applications for the first time in four years. Had Negrete stayed in the U.S., he would have finally qualified for a reprieve.
He isn’t regretful.
Lorca greets Negrete as he arrives home after touring Guadalajara.
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
His new dreams are wide-ranging. He wants to buy a house in Rosarito, where friends and family from L.A. could visit him. He wants to travel the world, starting with a trip to Spain. And he wants to help U.S. organizations build resources for other immigrants who are considering repatriating.
The goal isn’t to encourage people to leave, he said, but to show them they have agency.
“I actually did it,” he said. “I did it, and I’m OK.”
Now, he said, Mexico feels like an estranged relative that he’s getting to know again.
SET FOR JUST AFTER 10:00, AND TONIGHT WE ARE TRACKING THE TROPICS. HURRICANE MELISSA IS RAPIDLY INTENSIFYING AS IT BARRELS TOWARD JAMAICA. IT’S CURRENTLY A CATEGORY THREE STORM, BUT IT COULD REACH CATEGORY FIVE IN THE NEAR FUTURE, AND THIS COULD BE ONE OF THE MOST DEVASTATING HURRICANES TO HIT JAMAICA IN YEARS. PEOPLE IN JAMAICA HAVE BEEN WARNED THAT THEY NEED TO PREPARE NOW AND HUNKER DOWN. THIS VIDEO, TAKEN IN KINGSTON, SHOWS WINDOWS BOARDED UP IN ANTICIPATION OF THE STORM. AND WE ARE TAKING YOU NOW TO A LIVE LOOK AT KINGSTON. YOU CAN SEE THERE THE GROUND ALREADY WET FROM THE OUTER BANDS AND MARQUISE. WHEN WE TALK ABOUT A CATEGORY FIVE STORM, JUST TO REMIND THE PUBLIC, HURRICANE ANDREW THAT HIT HERE IN SOUTH FLORIDA IN 1992, I BELIEVE WAS A CAT FIVE, AND THAT REALLY CHANGED EVERYTHING. THAT’S HOW STRONG THIS STORM COULD BE. IT’S RARE THAT WE SEE CATEGORY FIVES MAKE LANDFALL, BUT WHEN THEY DO, IT’S A HAYMAKER FOR THE ENTIRE REGION, RIGHT. WE’RE TALKING ABOUT THE CHANCE FOR IMMENSE FLOODING, POWER OUTAGES THAT COULD BE WIDESPREAD. ON TOP OF THAT, WITHIN THESE OUTER BANDS, YOU CAN OFTEN FIND SOME TORNADIC SPIN UPS AS WELL. SO ALL IMPACTS WILL BE ON THE TABLE FOR THE NEXT FEW DAYS ACROSS THE CARIBBEAN. BUT SPECIFICALLY, WE’RE LOOKING AT JAMAICA AS YOU GUYS ARE UNDER THAT HURRICANE WARNING. IT’S BEEN QUITE A WHILE SINCE YOU SAW A MAJOR HURRICANE MAKE LANDFALL. THE LAST ONE THAT WAS HURRICANE GILBERT. I ALLUDED TO THIS EARLIER IN THE SHOW BACK IN 1988. SO LESS THAN 40 YEARS AGO, WHEN ADJUSTED FOR 2025, IT WAS IT CAUSED $10 BILLION WORTH OF DAMAGE. AND SINCE THEN, WELL, THE COUNTRY, THEY’VE GROWN IN SIZE BY ABOUT 500,000 PEOPLE. RIGHT ON TOP OF THAT, INFRASTRUCTURE HAS CHANGED AS WELL. BUT THIS STORM COULD POTENTIALLY BE JUST AS BIG AS THE ONE THEY HAD PREVIOUSLY. RIGHT. TAKING A LOOK AT THE EYE WALL, WE SEE THAT BECOMING MUCH MORE DEFINED NOW TONIGHT WITH MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS OF 115MPH. THE STORM’S MOVEMENT IS TOWARDS THE WEST AT 30MPH CONDITIONS. SO IT’S REALLY JUST INCHING ITS WAY ACROSS THE CARIBBEAN. AND KEEP IN MIND, THE SLOWER IT MOVES, THE MORE TIME IT’S GOING TO HAVE TO DRAW IN TO THESE VERY DEEP, WARM WATERS ACROSS THE WESTERN CARIBBEAN. AND THE MORE TIME IT WILL HAVE TO DUMP DOWN THE RAIN ACROSS JAMAICA IN THE NEXT FEW DAYS. SO THAT’S WHAT WE’RE WATCHING OUT FOR. THIS STORM POTENTIALLY BECOMING A CATEGORY FIVE JUST BEFORE LANDFALL. HOW WARM IS THE WATER? WELL, TEMPERATURES ARE ANYWHERE BETWEEN 86 AND 88 DEGREES. SOME OF THE WARMEST SEA SURFACE TEMPERATURES ACROSS THE GLOBE. WHICH IS WHY WE HAVE THIS STORM BECOMING A CATEGORY FIVE BY MONDAY. HEADING INTO TUESDAY, MAKING LANDFALL RIGHT IN THE HEART OF JAMAICA. THEY’RE OUR SPAGHETTI PLOTS ARE FAIRLY TIGHT KNIT. WE SEE THAT RECURVE TOWARDS THE NORTH AND THE EAST, PLACING THIS OVER CUBA AS WE MOVE ACROSS THE WORKWEEK, LIKELY DOWNGRADING, THOUGH, FROM A CATEGORY FIVE OVER JAMAICA, POSSIBLY BECOMING A CATEGORY TWO JUST BEFORE LANDFALL HERE IN CUBA. REGARDLESS, THOUGH, SOUTHEASTERN CUBA, YOU GUYS WILL FEEL THE BRUNT OF THOSE STRONG HURRICANE FORCE WINDS AND ALSO RAINFALL, OFTEN KINGSTON WE COULD POSSIBLY SEE CHANCES FOR RAIN BETWEEN 18 AND 24IN. NOW THERE ARE A FEW DIFFERENT MODEL OUTCOMES IN WHICH MELISSA CAN TAKE. THE MOST LIKELY IS THIS NORTH AND EASTERLY PATH, BUT IF IT DOES INTENSIFY QUICKER, WE COULD SEE IT CURVE TOWARDS THE NORTH AND THE EAST A LITTLE BIT FASTER. IT’S GOING TO KEEP US SAFE AS THIS NEXT COLD FRONT HERE IN THE UNITED STATES. SO GREAT NEWS FOR US THERE. REGARDLESS THOUGH, THIS STORM IS GOING TO MAKE NOT ONE BUT TWO LANDFALLS IN JAMAICA AND ACROSS CUBA, LIKELY BEFORE IT GETS TO CUBA AS A CATEGORY THREE OR CATEGORY TWO. HERE, BACK AT HOME, TEMPERATURES ARE BACK IN THE MID 70S. AS WE SETTLE DOWN TONIGHT, BUT IT IS A BREEZY EVENING, WINDS COMING IN FROM THE EAST AND WE HAVE SOME GUSTY CONDITIONS BETWEEN 24 AND 30MPH. THAT’S GOING TO KEEP YOUR RIP CURRENT RISK ALIVE. AND ALSO A HIGH SURF ADVISORY IN PLACE AS WE HEAD INTO THE END OF YOUR WEEKEND, WHICH DOES INCLUDE A FEW MORE CHANCES FOR RAIN TOMORROW, WE’LL CARRY THAT CHANCE FOR RAIN INTO THE START OF YOUR WORKWEEK AS WELL. A 60% COVERAGE ON MONDAY, 30% COVERAGE TUESDAY. SUNSHINE RETURNS WITH COOLER TEMPERATURES, THOUGH, A
The National Hurricane Center is monitoring Hurricane Melissa. Bookmark this page for the latest maps and spaghetti models for Melissa. Hurricane season 2025The Atlantic hurricane season runs from June 1 through Nov. 30. Stay with WESH 2 online and on-air for the most accurate Central Florida weather forecast.>> More: 2025 Hurricane Survival GuideThe First Warning Weather team includes First Warning Chief Meteorologist Tony Mainolfi, Eric Burris, Marquise Meda and Cam Tran.>> 2025 hurricane season | WESH long-range forecast>> Download Very Local | Stream Central Florida news and weather from WESH 2
The National Hurricane Center is monitoring Hurricane Melissa.
Bookmark this page for the latest maps and spaghetti models for Melissa.
Hurricane season 2025
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When millions of demonstrators took to the streets in June for “No Kings Day” — depicting President Trump as a wannabe monarch intent on violating American democratic norms — it was still fairly early in his administration.
The immigration raids in Los Angeles were just getting under way and Trump had deployed military troops to the city to clamp down on protests.
But four months later, many Americans feel Trump’s threats and norm-shattering actions have only gotten more intense as protesters prepare to take part Saturday in more than 2,700 “No Kings” demonstrations scheduled across the country.
In that period, the Trump administration has ramped up immigration raids across L.A. and Chicago and deployed National Guard troops to Washington D.C. It has also pressured universities to comply with his agenda or lose funding, fired government officials he deems insufficiently loyal and embarked on an aggressive sweep of prosecutions of political opponents.
“We’re seeing an escalation, right?,” said Hunter Dunn, a spokesman for 50501, one of the “No Kings” coalition’s core organizing partners. “We are watching as ICE’s mass deportation program is speeding up and becoming even more aggressive than it was. What happened in Los Angeles is now happening in Memphis, in D.C., in Chicago.”
But the second “No Kings” protest comes with some existential questions for organizers who trying to mount a sustained protest movement. What is the most effective way to challenge Trump? And how do you make noise without playing into the president’s hands?
Saturday’s revival of the massive series of demonstrations — organized around the slogan “No Thrones. No Crowns. No Kings” — will voice left-wing concerns that the Trump administration is embracing authoritarian tactics and unraveling U.S. democracy. But it will also include a broader range of issues, including rising prices and rollbacks of environmental protections.
For Dunn, a 22-year-old organizer in Los Angeles County who is part of a coalition of thousands of groups, the threat Trump poses goes beyond immigration. Trump, he noted, had used the Federal Communications Commission to try to silence broadcasters he does not like, brought “spurious” charges against protesters and demonstrators outside of ICE facilities and signed a so-called “big, beautiful bill” that Dunn said had funneled trillions of dollars from the average American to billionaires who supported the Trump regime.
“We’re seeing the Trump administration repeatedly try and fail to shake the pillars of democracy, and in doing so, escalate the threat level,” Dunn said.
The June 14 event inspired more than five million people to rally against Trump. One test will be whether they can increase that number on Saturday.
In both Los Angeles and Chicago, Trump has tried to use protests — many of them peaceful — to claim that the streets are unsafe and in need of military troops. Trump pushed back against the underlying premise of the protest in an interview with Fox News Friday.
“They’re referring to me as a king,” he said. “I’m not a king.”
Protesters also face increasing attacks from Trump’s allies on the right, some of whom are branding their demonstrations as anti-American.
“We call it the ‘hate America’ rally,” U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson said Wednesday at a news conference. “Let’s see who shows up for that. I bet you you’ll see Hamas supporters, I bet you’ll see Antifa types, I bet you’ll see the Marxists on full display, the people who don’t want to stand and defend the foundational truths of this republic.”
Organizers expect a broad and diverse group of Americans to attend Saturday’s “No Kings” demonstrations. About 600 more events are scheduled than the 2,100 demonstrations that took place in June, and slightly more people have signed up, even though the organization is discouraging registrations.
David S. Meyer, a professor of sociology at UC Irvine who studies social movements, said that people’s opinions about the Trump administration have not changed too much since June. Rather, he argued, people felt a higher level of urgency about the danger of the Trump administration.
“What’s increased is the willingness of people to take more action, to do something,” he said. “I think there’s a hunger for action.”
Meyer said he was surprised to see key GOP leaders falling into line with Trump and pushing the idea that “No Kings” is anti-American.
“There are plenty of presidents who’ve encountered protests against their policies,” Meyer said. “That’s part of what America is all about. And usually presidents say, ‘I have to represent everybody and do what I think is best for the country. And I understand that there are other Americans who disagree with me.’”
In an attempt to broaden the scope of “No Kings,” Meyer noted, organizers are appealing to Americans upset over the rising cost of living, gutting of environmental protections, sweeping overhauls of federal agencies and the government shutdown over looming healthcare cuts. These issues, Meyer argued, are connected to the theme of American democracy.
“Trump doesn’t consult with people who disagree with him … and the people surrounding him, and this is by design, are explicitly chosen because of their loyalty rather than their specific competencies,” Meyer said. “The strategy of the ‘No Kings’ organizers is to provide a kind of large and inclusive bucket for all the grievances to fit into and for people with all kinds of different gripes to show up.”
Another reason “No Kings” touches on so many issues, Dunn said, is in response to the Republican tactic — articulated by Trump’s former White House Chief Strategist Steve Bannon as “flooding the zone” — of overwhelming the public with a barrage of information, disinformation and controversy.
“Republicans’ strategy is to worsen the economy for everyone, to worsen the cost of living for the average American… to try to weaken the American people and make it harder for them to stand up against this administration’s abuses,” Dunn said. “So that’s why we’re standing up on all those fronts, because we have to meet them at every front that they’re using to harm the American people.”
The goal of “No Kings” goes beyond just getting Americans out on the streets together in solidarity against Trump. They want to connect people who are upset and frustrated with the Trump administration to local organizing groups.
“Getting involved in those groups, making those face to face connections and joining them will have a much larger impact over the next few days, the next few weeks, next few months, the next few years, than just one day of protest,” Dunn said.
Going forward, Dunn said, one of the key questions facing the Trump resistance movement is how to pressure leading Democratic elected officials to get on board.
While legislators such as Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Bernie Sanders and Chris Van Hollen had done a lot to resist the Trump administration, he said, he wanted to put more pressure on mainstream Democrats across the country.
“How do we get support from what is supposed to be the opposition party?”
Dunn said he was not worried about the prospect of violence Saturday when millions take to the streets. The rallies and demonstrations that took place on the June demonstrations were overwhelmingly peaceful, he noted. Organizers put a major emphasis on de-escalation and protest safety, bringing in community and faith leaders and training tens of thousands of volunteers across the country in de-escalation. He scoffed at the idea extremists might hijack any of the demonstrations.
“The biggest threat to safety at every protest I’ve ever been at — unless law enforcement gets involved — is always dehydration and heat exhaustion,” Dunn said.
Olivia Negron, 73, an organizer with Studio City Rising who has protested in that L.A. neighborhood every weekend since April, said she was alarmed not just by the president’s rhetoric, but by the Trump administration’s actions against immigrants through the courts and in the streets.
“The president doesn’t know what it is to be American,” said Negron, a Latina and the child of a U.S. Navy officer. “The American dream is about inclusivity and making sure that immigrants are welcomed into the United States.”
Negron, who marched against the war in Vietnam, said she felt the people in power have taken away what it means to be American and made it difficult to fly the American flag. But she said she was hopeful that the Trump administration’s actions since the last “No Kings” day would push more people to protest.
“We need to turn the ship of state around and get this democracy heading in the right direction,” Negron said. “Absolutely more inclusion, more equity, more diversity. Diversity is our strength and empathy is our superpower.”
Federal authorities are now pursuing a misdemeanor charge against David Huerta, president of Service Employees International Union California, who was arrested during the first day of a series of immigration raids that swept the region.
Prosecutors originally brought a felony charge of conspiracy to impede an officer against Huerta, accusing him of obstructing federal authorities from serving a search warrant at a Los Angeles workplace and arresting dozens of undocumented immigrants on June 6.
On Friday, court filings show federal prosecutors filed a lesser charge against Huerta of “obstruction resistance or opposition of a federal officer,” which carries a punishment of up to a year in federal prison. The felony he was charged with previously could have put him behind bars for up to six years.
The U.S. attorney’s office in Los Angeles declined to comment.
In a statement, Huerta’s attorneys, Abbe David Lowell and Marilyn Bednarski, said they would “seek the speediest trial to vindicate David.” The lawyers said that “in the four months that have passed since David’s arrest, it has become even clearer there were no grounds for charging him and certainly none for the way he was treated.”
“It’s clear that David Huerta is being singled out not for anything he did but for who he is — a life-long workers’ advocate who has been an outspoken critic of its immigration policies. These charges are a clear attempt to silence a leading voice who dared to challenge a cruel, politically driven campaign of fear,” the statement read.
The labor union previously stated that Huerta was detained “while exercising his First Amendment right to observe and document law enforcement activity.” Huerta is one of more than 60 people charged federally in the Central District of California tied to immigration protests and enforcement actions.
Two recent misdemeanor trials against protesters charged with assaulting a federal officer both ended in acquittals. Some protesters have taken plea deals.
In a statement Friday, Huerta said he is “being targeted for exercising my constitutional rights for standing up against an administration that has declared open war on working families, immigrants, and basic human dignity.”
“The baseless charges brought against me are not just about me, they are meant to intimidate anyone who dares to speak out, organize, or demand justice. I will not be silenced,” he said.
Huerta was held at the Metropolitan Detention Center in downtown Los Angeles for days, prompting thousands of union members, activists and supporters to rally for his release. California Democratic Sens. Adam Schiff and Alex Padilla also sent a letter to the Homeland Security and Justice departments demanding a review of Huerta’s arrest.
A judge ordered Huerta released in June on a $50,000 bond.
The case against Huerta centers on a June 6 workplace immigration raid at Ambiance Apparel. According to the original criminal complaint filed, Huerta arrived at the site around noon Friday, joining several other protesters.
Huerta and other protesters “appeared to be communicating with each other in a concerted effort to disrupt the law enforcement operations,” a federal agent wrote in the complaint.
The agent wrote that Huerta was yelling at and taunting officers and later sat cross-legged in front of a vehicle gate to the location where law enforcement authorities were serving a search warrant.
Huerta also “at various times stood up and paced in front of the gate, effectively preventing law enforcement vehicles from entering or exiting the premises through the gate to execute the search warrant,” the agent wrote in the affidavit.
The agent wrote that they told Huerta that if he kept blocking the Ambiance gate, he would be arrested.
According to the complaint, as a white law enforcement van tried to get through the gate, Huerta stood in its path.
Because Huerta “was being uncooperative, the officer put his hands on HUERTA in an attempt to move him out of the path of the vehicle.”
“I saw HUERTA push back, and in response, the officer pushed HUERTA to the ground,” the agent wrote. “The officer and I then handcuffed HUERTA and arrested him.”
According to a statement from SEIU-United Service Workers West, SEIU California State Council, and the Service Employees International Union, “Huerta was thrown to the ground, tackled, pepper sprayed, and detained by federal agents while exercising his constitutional rights at an ICE raid in Los Angeles.” Video of his arrest went viral.
“Despite David’s harsh treatment at the hands of law enforcement, he is now facing an unjust charge,” the statement read. “This administration has turned the military against our own people, terrorizing entire communities, and even detaining U.S. citizens who are exercising their constitutional rights to speak out.”
Acting U.S. Atty. Bill Essayli, posted a photo on the social media site X of Huerta, hands behind his back, after the arrest.
“Let me be clear: I don’t care who you are — if you impede federal agents, you will be arrested and prosecuted,” Essayli wrote. “No one has the right to assault, obstruct, or interfere with federal authorities carrying out their duties.”
In an interview with Sacramento TV news oulet KCRA last month, Essayli referred to Huerta as Gov. Gavin Newsom’s “buddy” and said he “deliberately obstructed a search warrant.”
While speaking with reporters in June, Schiff said Huerta was “exercising his lawful right to be present and observe these immigration raids.”
“It’s obviously a very traumatic thing, and now that it looks like the Justice Department wants to try and make an example out of him, it’s all the more traumatic,” Schiff said. “But this is part of the Trump playbook. They selectively use the Justice Department to go after their adversaries. It’s what they do.”
Tropical Storm Lorenzo is poorly organized over the Atlantic, according to the National Hurricane Center.The storm is located approximately 1,415 miles west-northwest of the Cabo Verde Islands. Lorenzo is moving toward the north at about 13 mph. A turn toward the northeast and a faster forward speed are expected later today, according to the NHC.The system has a minimum pressure of 1004 mb and a maximum sustained wind speed of 40 mph.The NHC said Lorenzo is forecast to dissipate by Thursday. There are no coastal watches or warnings currently in effect, according to the NHC. Areas to watchHurricane season 2025The Atlantic hurricane season runs from June 1 through Nov. 30. Stay with WESH 2 online and on-air for the most accurate Central Florida weather forecast.>> More: 2025 Hurricane Survival GuideThe First Warning Weather team includes First Warning Chief Meteorologist Tony Mainolfi, Eric Burris, Marquise Meda and Cam Tran.>> 2025 hurricane season | WESH long-range forecast
Tropical Storm Lorenzo is poorly organized over the Atlantic, according to the National Hurricane Center.
The storm is located approximately 1,415 miles west-northwest of the Cabo Verde Islands.
Lorenzo is moving toward the north at about 13 mph. A turn toward the northeast and a faster forward speed are expected later today, according to the NHC.
The system has a minimum pressure of 1004 mb and a maximum sustained wind speed of 40 mph.
The NHC said Lorenzo is forecast to dissipate by Thursday.
There are no coastal watches or warnings currently in effect, according to the NHC.
Areas to watch
Hurricane season 2025
The Atlantic hurricane season runs from June 1 through Nov. 30. Stay with WESH 2 online and on-air for the most accurate Central Florida weather forecast.
Tropical Storm Lorenzo is poorly organized over the central tropical Atlantic, according to the National Hurricane Center.The storm is located approximately 1,430 miles west of the Cabo Verde Islands. Lorenzo is moving toward the northwest at about 12 mph. This motion is expected to continue today, followed by a turn to the north tonight. The system has a minimum pressure of 1005 mb and a maximum sustained wind speed of 40 mph.A northeastward motion is expected on Wednesday and Thursday, according to the NHC. Lorenzo is not expected to cause any threat to Florida. However, it is still something to monitor. There are no coastal watches or warnings currently in effect, according to the NHC. Spaghetti modelsHurricane season 2025The Atlantic hurricane season runs from June 1 through Nov. 30. Stay with WESH 2 online and on-air for the most accurate Central Florida weather forecast.>> More: 2025 Hurricane Survival GuideThe First Warning Weather team includes First Warning Chief Meteorologist Tony Mainolfi, Eric Burris, Marquise Meda and Cam Tran.>> 2025 hurricane season | WESH long-range forecast
Tropical Storm Lorenzo is poorly organized over the central tropical Atlantic, according to the National Hurricane Center.
The storm is located approximately 1,430 miles west of the Cabo Verde Islands.
Lorenzo is moving toward the northwest at about 12 mph. This motion is expected to continue today, followed by a turn to the north tonight.
The system has a minimum pressure of 1005 mb and a maximum sustained wind speed of 40 mph.
A northeastward motion is expected on Wednesday and Thursday, according to the NHC.
Lorenzo is not expected to cause any threat to Florida. However, it is still something to monitor.
There are no coastal watches or warnings currently in effect, according to the NHC.
Spaghetti models
Hurricane season 2025
The Atlantic hurricane season runs from June 1 through Nov. 30. Stay with WESH 2 online and on-air for the most accurate Central Florida weather forecast.
Tropical Storm Lorenzo forms in Atlantic, NHC says
AND FLOODING OUT INTO THE STREETS. THERE WERE POWER OUTAGES ON LONG ISLAND, TOO. THAT WAS PRETTY ROUGH UP THERE. TONY YEAH, SOUTH SIDE, SOUTH SHORE THERE. DID SOME PRETTY BIG, PRETTY BIG DAMAGE IN THE HAMPTONS I SAW THERE, TOO. HEY, LET ME TAKE YOU GUYS BACK OUTSIDE. I WANT TO SHOW YOU WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE IN DOWNTOWN ORLANDO RIGHT NOW. IT IS JUST A BEAUTIFUL, BEAUTIFUL EVENING HERE IN CENTRAL FLORIDA. HOPE YOU HAD THE CHANCE TO GET OUT THERE AFTER DINNER BEFORE IT GOT DARK THERE. AND ENJOY A NICE LITTLE COMFORTABLE WALK. FALL-LIKE TEMPERATURES SETTLING ON IN. IT IS 69 NOW IN DAYTONA BEACH. IT IS 68 HERE. BACK TOWARDS WILDWOOD, UP IN OCALA, COMING IN AT 66. SATELLITE. ENHANCE THE SET UP THERE SHOWS A COUPLE OF THUNDERSTORMS SOUTH AND EAST OF NASSAU IN THE BAHAMAS. ELSEWHERE, THINGS ARE PRETTY QUIET. THE ONE THING WE’RE WATCHING, EVEN THOUGH THE SURF HAS CALMED DOWN, THOSE LONG PERIOD SWELLS ARE CREATING THOSE DANGEROUS RIP CURRENTS THAT WILL CARRY ON OVER INTO THE DAY TOMORROW. LET’S TAKE A LOOK AT THE 12 HOUR MOST ACCURATE FORECAST HERE FOR THE CITY OF ORLANDO. 12 246 OUT THE DOOR IN THE MORNING. WE’RE DROPPING TO ABOUT 6566 DEGREES. THEN BY THE NOON HOUR THERE YOU CAN SEE APPROACHING THE 80 DEGREE MARK. NOW A LITTLE BIT COOLER UP TOWARDS CITRA OCALA DUNNELLON THE FARTHER SOUTH AND EAST YOU GO, THE TEMPERATURES WILL BE JUST A LITTLE BIT WARMER, RIGHT AROUND 65. IN ORLANDO, NORMAL LOW WOULD BE AT ABOUT 67. AND THAT’S WHERE WE’RE GOING TO BE. TITUSVILLE, PALM BAY AND MELBOURNE RIGHT AROUND 68 DEGREES. SO THE SETUP FOR TONIGHT INTO THE DAY TOMORROW COMFORTABLY COOL OUT THE DOOR IN THE MORNING, SUNNY AND PERFECT. AS WE GET YOU ON INTO THE AFTERNOON TUESDAY. GET OUT THERE AND ENJOY IT. A LOT OF YOU MAY BE TRYING TO MAKE IT A BEACH DAY. GO HAVE FUN, BUT JUST KNOW THAT THE RIP RISK IS STILL GOING TO BE ELEVATED THERE. HIGH TIDE, BY THE WAY, IS AT 3:00. LOW TIDE IS IN THE MORNING AT 830 FOR WATER. TEMPERATURES HAVE FALLEN BACK NOW INTO THE UPPER 70S. TEMPERATURES AT THE BEACHES TOMORROW. LOW 80S. YOU WORK YOUR WAY INLAND, AWAY FROM THE COAST. TEMPERATURES HERE RUNNING 83 TO ABOUT 86. AND IF THE ATTRACTIONS ARE YOUR THING, TOMORROW, YOU’RE GOING TO BE IN GREAT SHAPE. 70, 79, 83 DEGREES. ALL OF OUR BEAUTIFUL ATTRACTIONS ARE GOING TO BE SPLENDID TOMORROW, SO ENJOY! DON’T FORGET THE SUNBLOCK AND STAY HYDRATED. THERE’S WEDNESDAY, A LITTLE TROUGH OF LOW PRESSURE SNEAKING BY TO THE EAST, AND THEN A BACK DOOR FRONT KIND OF MOVES ON IN. FRESHENS UP THOSE GUSTY WINDS AND STIRS UP THE SEAS THERE. WE’LL WATCH THE RIP CURRENTS AND THE ELEVATED SURF THERE. THURSDAY ON INTO FRIDAY AS WE HEAD INTO THE WEEKEND. HIGH PRESSURE STILL NEARBY. SO ANOTHER GORGEOUS START TO THE WEEKEND. AND THEN LATE ON SUNDAY, MOISTURE STARTS TO CREEP BACK TO THE NORTH AND THE EAST. IF ANYBODY IS GOING TO HAVE RAIN, IT MIGHT BE POLK COUNTY, BUT I THINK THIS ONE WILL SETTLE ON IN OVERNIGHT SUNDAY AND THEN ON INTO MONDAY. SO FOR NOW, THE WEEKEND LOOKS GREAT. 84 AND 86 DEGREES RESPECTIVELY. NO MENTION OF ANY RAIN. AND AS WE HEAD INTO THE WEEKEND, THE MOUNTAINEERS ARE IN TOWN TO TAKE ON THE KNIGHTS. SUNNY. BREEZY. PLEASANT. AS WE GET YOU INTO THE AFTERNOON THERE ON SATURDAY. GAME TIME. KICKOFF TEMPERATURE COMING IN AT ABOUT 80. LORENZO. HERE’S THE UPDATED 11:00 ADVISORY WINDS NOW UP TO 60 MILES AN HOUR. A LITTLE BIT OF WIND SHEAR, BUT IT’S IT’S A FIGHTER. AND IT’S GOING TO GET AWFULLY CLOSE TO BECOMING A HURRICANE THEN MIGHT DO A LITTLE BIT OF A LOOP DE LOOP THERE. BUT WE’RE NOT TOO WORRIED ABOUT THAT. WHAT WE’RE GOING TO BE WATCHING, THOUGH, DOWN THE ROAD, IS ANOTHER DISTURBANCE HERE THAT WILL GET INTO THE CARIBBEAN. THE QUESTION IS, DOES IT GET PULLED TO THE NORTH OR DO THESE FRONTS KIND OF RIP IT APART? AND THAT’S WHY I WANT YOU TO KEEP CHECKING BACK IN. LAST WEEK OF OCTOBER, AT LEAST ONE MODEL ADVERTISING THE CHANCE FOR SOMETHING TO DEVELOP. MOST OF THEM, HOWEVER, ARE GOING DUE WEST. SO SEVEN DAY FORECAST THROUGH THE WEEKEND. DRY FOR THE MOST PART. MAYBE A QUICK SHOWER WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY W
Tropical Storm Lorenzo formed out in the central tropical Atlantic on Monday, according to the National Hurricane Center. The storm is located approximately 1,180 miles west of the Cabo Verde Islands. Lorenzo is moving toward the northwest at about 13 mph, with a gradual slowdown expected through tonight, followed by a turn toward the north on Tuesday.The system has a minimum pressure of 999 mb and a maximum sustained wind speed of 60 mph. A gradual increase in intensity is possible by the middle of the week.Lorenzo is not expected to cause any threat to Florida. However, it is still something to monitor. There are no coastal watches or warnings currently in effect, according to the NHC. Spaghetti modelsHurricane season 2025The Atlantic hurricane season runs from June 1 through Nov. 30. Stay with WESH 2 online and on-air for the most accurate Central Florida weather forecast.>> More: 2025 Hurricane Survival GuideThe First Warning Weather team includes First Warning Chief Meteorologist Tony Mainolfi, Eric Burris, Marquise Meda and Cam Tran.>> 2025 hurricane season | WESH long-range forecast
Tropical Storm Lorenzo formed out in the central tropical Atlantic on Monday, according to the National Hurricane Center.
The storm is located approximately 1,180 miles west of the Cabo Verde Islands.
Lorenzo is moving toward the northwest at about 13 mph, with a gradual slowdown expected through tonight, followed by a turn toward the north on Tuesday.
The system has a minimum pressure of 999 mb and a maximum sustained wind speed of 60 mph. A gradual increase in intensity is possible by the middle of the week.
Lorenzo is not expected to cause any threat to Florida. However, it is still something to monitor.
There are no coastal watches or warnings currently in effect, according to the NHC.
Spaghetti models
Hurricane season 2025
The Atlantic hurricane season runs from June 1 through Nov. 30. Stay with WESH 2 online and on-air for the most accurate Central Florida weather forecast.
TRACK THE TROPICS WITH FIRST WARNING. METEOROLOGIST ERIC BURROUGHS. WE HAVE BEEN SO FORTUNATE SO FAR THIS HURRICANE SEASON. KNOCK ON WOOD, THAT PERSISTS. I MEAN, ALL OF THE HURRICANES HAVE STAYED AWAY FROM THE UNITED STATES. WE STILL HAVE ABOUT A MONTH AND A HALF TO GO FOR HURRICANE SEASON. SO LET’S MONITOR AND SEE HOW THIS PLAYS OUT. THE GOOD NEWS DOES NOT LOOK LIKE JERRY WILL BE A LANDFALL FOR US. IT’S UNDERGOING SOME SIGNIFICANT WIND SHEAR, BUT AS THE HURRICANE HUNTERS HAVE BEEN INVESTIGATING, THEY HAVE FOUND IT GRADUALLY INTENSIFYING. WINDS ARE NOW AT 65 MILES AN HOUR. SO JERRY CONTINUES TO DEVELOP. WE THINK IT BECOMES A CATEGORY ONE HURRICANE AS IT LIFTS TO THE NORTH AND EVENTUALLY MAKES A HARD RIGHT TURN. IT GETS CLOSE ENOUGH TO THE LEEWARD ISLANDS AND WINDWARD ISLANDS, THOUGH, THAT THEY DO HAVE TROPICAL STORM WATCHES POSTED, SO IT IS EXPECTED TO STAY NORTH OF THEM. BUT SOME OF THOSE SQUALLY CONDITIONS MAY MOVE IN. SO IF YOU’VE GOT FRIENDS OR FAMILY THAT LIVE OUT THERE, JUST KEEP THAT IN MIND. ELSEWHERE, WE ARE WATCHING. THIS IS EXTRATROPICAL. INVEST 96. JUST SOMETHING INTERESTING TO LOOK AT. HAS A LOW END 10% CHANCE OF
The National Hurricane Center is monitoring Tropical Storm Jerry. Bookmark this page for the latest maps and spaghetti models for Jerry. Hurricane season 2025The Atlantic hurricane season runs from June 1 through Nov. 30. Stay with WESH 2 online and on-air for the most accurate Central Florida weather forecast.>> More: 2025 Hurricane Survival GuideThe First Warning Weather team includes First Warning Chief Meteorologist Tony Mainolfi, Eric Burris, Marquise Meda and Cam Tran.>> 2025 hurricane season | WESH long-range forecast>> Download Very Local | Stream Central Florida news and weather from WESH 2
The National Hurricane Center is monitoring Tropical Storm Jerry.
Bookmark this page for the latest maps and spaghetti models for Jerry.
Hurricane season 2025
The Atlantic hurricane season runs from June 1 through Nov. 30. Stay with WESH 2 online and on-air for the most accurate Central Florida weather forecast.
A series of small earthquakes hit near the Big Bear area in San Bernardino County starting late Saturday night into Sunday morning.
The earthquakes — which maxed out at magnitude 3.5 before sunrise Sunday — had an epicenter in the San Bernardino Mountains about four miles north of Big Bear Airport.
The epicenter was about 29 miles northeast of downtown San Bernardino, 27 miles southeast of Hesperia and 40 miles northwest of Palm Springs.
The first earthquake was magnitude 3.3, which struck at 11:15 p.m. Saturday, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.
It was followed by a magnitude 3.4 at 2:51 a.m. The magnitude 3.5 temblor followed at 3:41 a.m.
An aftershock of magnitude 2.5 was reported at 5:54 a.m., followed by a magnitude 2.6 quake at 6:20 a.m.
“Weak” shaking — or a Level Three on the Modified Mercalli Intensity Scale — was felt in the Big Bear area, according to the USGS. In general, that’s enough to be felt quite noticeably by people indoors, but many people may not recognize it as an earthquake. The vibrations in such shaking may feel like a truck has passed by.
The last time the Big Bear area was hit by major earthquakes was in 1992. On June 28, 1992, a magnitude 6.3 earthquake hit about 4½ miles southeast of Big Bear Airport, causing severe shaking in the Big Bear area.
No lives were lost in the Big Bear earthquake of 1992, the USGS said, but there was substantial damage and landslides in the area, and that quake was widely felt around Southern California and in parts of southern Nevada and western Arizona.
The Big Bear earthquake of 1992 was the second of a one-two punch of temblors that occurred on the same day. Three hours earlier, and about 20 miles to the east, the powerful magnitude 7.3 Landers earthquake struck.
The Landers earthquake had an epicenter more than 25 miles northeast of Palm Springs, and resulted in severe shaking in Yucca Valley, and strong shaking in Twentynine Palms, according to the Modified Mercalli Intensity Scale.
A sleeping 3-year-old boy died after being struck by a collapsing chimney in the Landers earthquake.
Those earthquakes were preceded by a magnitude 6.1 earthquake on April 22, 1992, in Joshua Tree National Park. That quake began a sequence of triggered quakes that migrated north in the following months, culminating in the Landers and Big Bear earthquakes of June 1992.
A man admitted Wednesday that he lit a Molotov cocktail and threw it toward Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies during protests against immigration crackdowns over the summer.
Emiliano Garduno Galvez, 23, who authorities said is a citizen of Mexico in the country illegally, pleaded guilty in federal court to possessing an unregistered destructive device and civil disorder tied to his actions the evening of June 7 in Paramount.
Galvez is set to be sentenced Jan. 30, and he faces up to 15 years in prison.
On the morning of June 7, Border Patrol agents were spotted gathering in Paramount, across the street from the Home Depot. Word quickly spread on social media. Passersby honked their horns. Soon, protesters arrived.
Already tensions were high, with federal officials raiding a retail and distribution warehouse in downtown L.A. the day before, arresting dozens of workers and a top union official.
According to the plea agreement, several people gathered near Hunsaker Avenue and Alondra Boulevard in Paramount and began amassing around personnel of federal agencies and later local law enforcement. People threw rocks or chunks of cinder blocks, lit objects on fire and set off fireworks in the direction of law enforcement, Galvez’s agreement states.
Authorities said the protest interfered with “the coordination of federal agencies’ personnel and preparation for immigration enforcement activities,” and also “obstructed, delayed, and adversely affected commerce.”
Specifically, according to the plea agreement, the Home Depot at the location had to close temporarily “and had products stolen during the civil disorder, including cinder blocks that were thrown at law enforcement.”
Galvez admitted he was in Paramount that evening and that he saw the sheriff’s deputies engaged in crowd control. As the deputies tried to disperse and move the crowd back, Galvez admitted in the plea agreement to going behind a stone wall, lighting the wick inside the Molotov cocktail and then throwing it over the wall toward where he had seen the deputies.
The Molotov cocktail landed in a grassy area near the foot of a protester and around 15 feet from the deputies, according to the plea agreement. Galvez admitted that he then ran from the area.
Galvez threw the Molotov cocktail “intending to obstruct, interfere with, and impede the LASD deputies who were lawfully engaged in performance of official duties,” according to the agreement.
Months of negative news have triggered a tough summer for tourism in Los Angeles, deepening the economic woes for a city buffeted by natural disasters and immigration raids.
Tourist arrivals fell by close to 10% this season, according to the latest numbers from Visit California.
The region’s economy and image suffered significant setbacks this year. Shocking images of the destructive Eaton and Palisades fires in January, followed by the immigration crackdown in June, made global news and repelled visitors. Meanwhile, President Trump’s fickle tariff policies and other geopolitical posturing have convinced many international tourists to avoid America.
On Hollywood Boulevard, there are fewer tourists, and the ones who show up spend less, says Salim Osman. He works for Ride Like A Star, an exotic car company that rents to visitors looking to take a luxury vehicle for a spin and snap the quintessential L.A. selfie.
Last year, crowds lined up to rent its Ferraris and Porches for around $200 an hour, Salim says. However, this summer, foot traffic dropped by nearly 50%.
“It used to be shoulder to shoulder out here,” he said, looking along the boulevard. “It’s a lot harder for people to come here, or they’re afraid of what’s going on here, so they just don’t come.”
Business has been slow around the TCL Chinese Theater, where visitors place their hands into the concrete handprints of celebrities like Kristen Stewart and Denzel Washington.
There were fewer people to hop onto sightseeing buses, stop inside Madame Tussauds wax museum and snap impromptu photos with patrolling characters such as Spiderman and Mickey Mouse. Souvenir shops nearby say they have also had to increase the prices of many of their knick-knacks because of tariffs and a decline in sales.
Of all the state’s international travelers, the most significant absence was from Canadian tourists. Arrivals from visitors from up north fell around 30% in June and July.
Summer in Palm Springs was okay this year, said its mayor, Ron deHarte, but only because domestic tourists offset the sharp decline in Canadians.
“We’ve hurt our Canadian Friends with actions that the administration has taken. It’s understandable,” he said. “We don’t know how long they won’t want to travel to the States, but we’re hopeful that it is short-term.”
A view of travelers at Long Beach Airport in Long Beach. Long Beach Airport saw a 10.5% decrease in passenger traffic when compared to 2024.
(Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times)
Visitors from China, India and Germany also avoided the state. Surprisingly, Mexican tourists didn’t stay away. There were 5.4% more arrivals from our southern neighbor despite the ICE raids, which often targeted Latino people.
There was a dip in traffic to most Los Angeles airports. With the World Cup on the books for next year and the Summer Olympics gearing up in 2028, the growing decline in tourism is worrisome for many across all industries.
Cynthia Guidry, the director of the Long Beach Airport, says reduced airline schedules, economic pressures and rising costs also impacted airport traffic. She’s currently seeking out ways to best prepare for the Olympics, which don’t involve flight revenue, such as dining at the airport and souvenir shopping.
“We’re focused on attracting new service, growing non-aeronautical revenue and managing expenses to stay resilient,” she said.
Many of the state’s most prominent attractions are also experiencing dry spells. Yosemite reported a decrease of as much as 50% in bookings ahead of Memorial Day weekend.
Dennis Speigel, president of International Theme Park Services, a consulting firm in the industry, says that this past year has been a “soft year” for most theme parks nationwide.
The “Forever Marilyn” statue towers over visitors who attend the weekly Palm Springs Villagefest along Museum Way.
(Genaro Molina/Los Angeles Times)
There have been fewer international visitors and more domestic traffic, as more people are embracing the idea of staycations, or spending their holidays closer to home.
“People in the locales where the parks are stayed in their areas,” he said, adding that this summer people stayed home because of “the general economy, the media, the tariffs, the confusion and the uncertainty that came with that.”
Los Angeles and California depend on tourism.
Last year, the state’s tourism hit a new high, with visitors spending $157.3 billion, up 3% from 2023, and creating 24,000 jobs, according to a 2024 economic impact report from Visit California.
“Los Angeles is California’s primary international gateway; the impacts are felt statewide,” Adam Burke, president of Los Angeles Tourism, said in a statement to The Times. “Looking ahead, long-term recovery will depend on global economic conditions and how the U.S. is perceived abroad.”
Tourists walk across celebrity stars on Hollywood Boulevard in front of the Dolby Theater.
(Gina Ferazzi/Los Angeles Times)
Australian tourists Geoffrey and Tennille Mutton ignored the warnings of their friends and family to bring their two daughters to L.A.
“A lot of people have had a changed view of America,” said Geoffrey as his family enjoyed Ben & Jerry’s ice cream outside of Hollywood’s Dolby Theater. “They don’t want to come here and support this place.”
Humberto was upgraded to a hurricane on Friday, according to the National Hurricane Center.As of the 5 a.m. advisory on Saturday, the NHC said Humberto is expected to remain a powerful major hurricane for the next several days. Humberto is located 375 miles northeast of the northern Leeward Islands. Humberto is moving toward the northwest at 6 mph. The NHC said the system has maximum sustained winds of nearly 145 mph, with higher gusts and a minimum central pressure of 938 mb. There are no coastal watches or warnings in effect.Swells generated by Humberto will begin affecting portions of the northern Leeward Islands, the Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico and Bermuda this weekend and early next week. PTC9Meanwhile, a second system continues to move toward the southeastern United States. Hurricane season 2025The Atlantic hurricane season runs from June 1 through Nov. 30. Stay with WESH 2 online and on-air for the most accurate Central Florida weather forecast.>> More: 2025 Hurricane Survival GuideThe First Warning Weather team includes First Warning Chief Meteorologist Tony Mainolfi, Eric Burris, Kellianne Klass, Marquise Meda and Cam Tran.>> 2025 hurricane season | WESH long-range forecast>> Download Very Local | Stream Central Florida news and weather from WESH 2
As of the 5 a.m. advisory on Saturday, the NHC said Humberto is expected to remain a powerful major hurricane for the next several days.
Humberto is located 375 miles northeast of the northern Leeward Islands.
Humberto is moving toward the northwest at 6 mph.
The NHC said the system has maximum sustained winds of nearly 145 mph, with higher gusts and a minimum central pressure of 938 mb.
There are no coastal watches or warnings in effect.
Swells generated by Humberto will begin affecting portions of the northern Leeward Islands, the Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico and Bermuda this weekend and early next week.
PTC9
Meanwhile, a second system continues to move toward the southeastern United States.
Hurricane season 2025
The Atlantic hurricane season runs from June 1 through Nov. 30. Stay with WESH 2 online and on-air for the most accurate Central Florida weather forecast.
The National Hurricane Center is monitoring two areas in the Atlantic. Tropical wave Invest 92-LThe tropical wave, designated as Invest 92-L, is located between the Windward Islands and the coast of West Africa and is producing showers and thunderstorms.Dry and stable air could likely limit this system’s development over the next few days, but a tropical depression or named storm could form by the middle to latter part of this week.The system is expected to move west-northwestward at 10 to 15 mph over the central tropical Atlantic, the NHC said.Related: Tracking Invest 92-L: Maps, path, spaghetti models Formation chance through the next 48 hours: 90%Formation chance through the next 7 days: 90%At this time, the development is not expected to affect the U.S.Eastern tropical wave The NHC tagged a new area to monitor off the west coast of Africa. The tropical wave is producing disorganized showers and thunderstorms. Slow development of the system is possible as it moves from the eastern to the central portion of the Atlantic. Formation chance through the next 48 hours: 10%Formation chance through the next 7 days: 20%Hurricane season 2025The Atlantic hurricane season runs from June 1 through Nov. 30. Stay with WESH 2 online and on-air for the most accurate Central Florida weather forecast.>> More: 2025 Hurricane Survival GuideThe First Warning Weather team includes First Warning Chief Meteorologist Tony Mainolfi, Eric Burris, Kellianne Klass, Marquise Meda and Cam Tran.>> 2025 hurricane season | WESH long-range forecast>> Download Very Local | Stream Central Florida news and weather from WESH 2
The tropical wave, designated as Invest 92-L, is located between the Windward Islands and the coast of West Africa and is producing showers and thunderstorms.
Dry and stable air could likely limit this system’s development over the next few days, but a tropical depression or named storm could form by the middle to latter part of this week.
The system is expected to move west-northwestward at 10 to 15 mph over the central tropical Atlantic, the NHC said.
At this time, the development is not expected to affect the U.S.
Eastern tropical wave
The NHC tagged a new area to monitor off the west coast of Africa. The tropical wave is producing disorganized showers and thunderstorms.
Slow development of the system is possible as it moves from the eastern to the central portion of the Atlantic.
Formation chance through the next 48 hours: 10%
Formation chance through the next 7 days: 20%
Hurricane season 2025
The Atlantic hurricane season runs from June 1 through Nov. 30. Stay with WESH 2 online and on-air for the most accurate Central Florida weather forecast.
Arrest documents for former Osceola County Sheriff Marcos Lopez were released Friday and detail his alleged role in a gambling operation.Lopez was arrested on June 5 and faces charges of one count of racketeering and one count of conspiracy to commit racketeering. The affidavit includes a screen grab of a text message Lopez sent to co-defendant Ying “Kate” Zhang in September 2019. Investigators describe Zhang, a Chinese-born realtor, as “an investor and co-business owner” in the illegal enterprise.Lopez wrote in a text message, “Kate, nothing to worry. No matter what the outcome is, when I win, we start the first internet amusement cafe in Osceola County. You will be safe and not have to worry about anything because I will be your sheriff.”According to the affidavit, Lopez introduced Zhang to Krishna Deokaran in August 2019 at the Player’s Club in Leesburg. Investigators describe Deokaran as being at the helm of the operation, owning casinos in Lake County and the Eclipse Social Club. Zhang has not been arrested, and a source told WESH 2 Investigates she is believed to have fled the country.When Deokaran suggested opening a gambling business near the Osceola Sheriff’s Office on State Road 192, investigators say Lopez replied, “No, that can’t work because it’s too close for comfort.” Eventually, investigators say Lopez connected Deokaran with what would become the Eclipse site, later texting, “We did a raid. I shut the place down. It’s ours.”After the casino opened at this location in Kissimmee, an anonymous tip led investigators to discover the TikTok page openly advertising slot machines and fish tables.In proffer interviews with investigators, Deokaran admitted paying Lopez cash each time they met — anywhere from $10,000 to $35,000 — totaling between $600,000 and $700,000. The payments, prosecutors allege, were for securing the site, alerting the operation of possible task force investigations and keeping deputies away.Deokaran has forfeited nearly $1 million in Osceola and Orange counties after raids shut down his illegal casinos, but he has not been arrested.Court records show Deokaran’s admissions came as part of a proffer agreement, in which defendants may receive reduced charges or a plea deal in exchange for cooperation. Jose Rivas, a defense attorney not representing anyone in this case, said, “Well, it’s the big fish when it comes because he’s running the organization. But at the same time, what the government is really after is the public official which is Marcos Lopez.”The affidavit reveals Deokaran cooperated with investigators during proffer interviews. Rivas explained, “A proffer is what we call a snitch session. You know, pretty much in more formal terms. It’s when someone provides what we call substantial assistance.”The affidavit calls the former sheriff a “protector and beneficiary of the illicit operation,” and says he: played a multifaceted role in the expansion and protection of the enterprisejoined for political campaign contributions and personal payment pledged to use his anticipated elected sheriff’s title to shield the enterprise from law enforcement scrutiny recruited new members, secured leases for new locationsOfficials were tipped off in September of 2022 that the Eclipse Social Club in Kissimmee was operating as a casino with Las Vegas-style machines, the affidavit says. In July 2023, an agent went undercover into the establishment where people had to ring a bell and get through security and a locked door to enter. Lopez’s defense team of attorneys, Mary Ibrahim and Migdalia Perez, sent WESH 2 Investigates the following statement:”In light of the release of the Arrest Affidavit, the Lopez Defense team wishes to remind the public and press the importance of the legal principle of the presumption of innocence.It is the cornerstone of our justice system. These are unchallenged accusations, not a conviction. We urge the public and the press to respect the legal process and allow it to proceed without prejudice. It is vital that we uphold the rights of all involved and refrain from speculation that could jeopardize a fair outcome. We ask for patience while the legal process runs its course.”See the full documents below. Background Lopez was accused of engaging in the gambling operation for campaign contributions and personal payments. In total, investigators said the organization generated over $21.6 million in illicit proceeds.Gov. Ron DeSantis suspended Lopez from his position as sheriff and appointed an interim sheriff, Christopher Blackmon.His bond was set at $1 million, and he pleaded not guilty to the charges.One week after Lopez was booked into the Lake County Jail, WESH 2 Investigates learned a multi-agency raid in 2024 shut down the casino at the center of the state’s racketeering case.On June 23, Robin Severance Lopez, the suspended sheriff’s estranged wife, was arrested. She is charged with conspiracy to use investment proceeds from racketeering. Marcos Lopez bonded out of jail on June 26. He has pleaded not guilty.Lopez’s defense team of attorneys Mary Ibrahim and Migdalia Perez sent WESH 2 Investigates the following statement:”In light of the release of the Arrest Affidavit, the Lopez Defense team wishes to remind the public and press the importance of the legal principle of the presumption of innocence.It is the cornerstone of our justice system. These are unchallenged accusations, not a conviction. We urge the public and the press to respect the legal process and allow it to proceed without prejudice. It is vital that we uphold the rights of all involved and refrain from speculation that could jeopardize a fair outcome. We ask for patience while the legal process runs its course.”Arrest docsTimeline
Arrest documents for former Osceola County Sheriff Marcos Lopez were released Friday and detail his alleged role in a gambling operation.
Lopez was arrested on June 5 and faces charges of one count of racketeering and one count of conspiracy to commit racketeering.
The affidavit includes a screen grab of a text message Lopez sent to co-defendant Ying “Kate” Zhang in September 2019. Investigators describe Zhang, a Chinese-born realtor, as “an investor and co-business owner” in the illegal enterprise.
Lopez wrote in a text message, “Kate, nothing to worry. No matter what the outcome is, when I win, we start the first internet amusement cafe in Osceola County. You will be safe and not have to worry about anything because I will be your sheriff.”
According to the affidavit, Lopez introduced Zhang to Krishna Deokaran in August 2019 at the Player’s Club in Leesburg. Investigators describe Deokaran as being at the helm of the operation, owning casinos in Lake County and the Eclipse Social Club. Zhang has not been arrested, and a source told WESH 2 Investigates she is believed to have fled the country.
When Deokaran suggested opening a gambling business near the Osceola Sheriff’s Office on State Road 192, investigators say Lopez replied, “No, that can’t work because it’s too close for comfort.”
Eventually, investigators say Lopez connected Deokaran with what would become the Eclipse site, later texting, “We did a raid. I shut the place down. It’s ours.”
After the casino opened at this location in Kissimmee, an anonymous tip led investigators to discover the TikTok page openly advertising slot machines and fish tables.
In proffer interviews with investigators, Deokaran admitted paying Lopez cash each time they met — anywhere from $10,000 to $35,000 — totaling between $600,000 and $700,000.
The payments, prosecutors allege, were for securing the site, alerting the operation of possible task force investigations and keeping deputies away.
Deokaran has forfeited nearly $1 million in Osceola and Orange counties after raids shut down his illegal casinos, but he has not been arrested.
Court records show Deokaran’s admissions came as part of a proffer agreement, in which defendants may receive reduced charges or a plea deal in exchange for cooperation.
Jose Rivas, a defense attorney not representing anyone in this case, said, “Well, it’s the big fish when it comes because he’s running the organization. But at the same time, what the government is really after is the public official which is Marcos Lopez.”
The affidavit reveals Deokaran cooperated with investigators during proffer interviews. Rivas explained, “A proffer is what we call a snitch session. You know, pretty much in more formal terms. It’s when someone provides what we call substantial assistance.”
The affidavit calls the former sheriff a “protector and beneficiary of the illicit operation,” and says he:
played a multifaceted role in the expansion and protection of the enterprise
joined for political campaign contributions and personal payment
pledged to use his anticipated elected sheriff’s title to shield the enterprise from law enforcement scrutiny
recruited new members, secured leases for new locations
WESH 2 News
Arrest docs detail former Osceola Sheriff Marcos Lopez’s alleged role in gambling operation
Officials were tipped off in September of 2022 that the Eclipse Social Club in Kissimmee was operating as a casino with Las Vegas-style machines, the affidavit says.
In July 2023, an agent went undercover into the establishment where people had to ring a bell and get through security and a locked door to enter.
Lopez’s defense team of attorneys, Mary Ibrahim and Migdalia Perez, sent WESH 2 Investigates the following statement:
“In light of the release of the Arrest Affidavit, the Lopez Defense team wishes to remind the public and press the importance of the legal principle of the presumption of innocence.
It is the cornerstone of our justice system. These are unchallenged accusations, not a conviction. We urge the public and the press to respect the legal process and allow it to proceed without prejudice. It is vital that we uphold the rights of all involved and refrain from speculation that could jeopardize a fair outcome. We ask for patience while the legal process runs its course.”
See the full documents below.
Background
Lopez was accused of engaging in the gambling operation for campaign contributions and personal payments.
In total, investigators said the organization generated over $21.6 million in illicit proceeds.
Gov. Ron DeSantis suspended Lopez from his position as sheriff and appointed an interim sheriff, Christopher Blackmon.
His bond was set at $1 million, and he pleaded not guilty to the charges.
One week after Lopez was booked into the Lake County Jail, WESH 2 Investigates learned a multi-agency raid in 2024 shut down the casino at the center of the state’s racketeering case.
On June 23, Robin Severance Lopez, the suspended sheriff’s estranged wife, was arrested.
She is charged with conspiracy to use investment proceeds from racketeering.
Marcos Lopez bonded out of jail on June 26. He has pleaded not guilty.
Lopez’s defense team of attorneys Mary Ibrahim and Migdalia Perez sent WESH 2 Investigates the following statement:
“In light of the release of the Arrest Affidavit, the Lopez Defense team wishes to remind the public and press the importance of the legal principle of the presumption of innocence.
It is the cornerstone of our justice system. These are unchallenged accusations, not a conviction. We urge the public and the press to respect the legal process and allow it to proceed without prejudice. It is vital that we uphold the rights of all involved and refrain from speculation that could jeopardize a fair outcome. We ask for patience while the legal process runs its course.”
Breaking Update: A judge has declared a mistrial in the murder of a 3-year-old boy over a discovery violation involving an interview.The judge said prosecutors withheld key evidence and testimony from the defense—something that warrants a mistrial. >> Developing story, this will be updated Monday’s story: The mother accused in her 3-year-old son’s murder took the stand in her own defense Monday afternoon.Erica Dotson, 31, spoke for two hours. It was the first time the public had heard from the defendant since her 2021 arrest.“I genuinely believed my son was just having accidents. I believed everything that Josh said,” Dotson said. “I just didn’t see what was going on. I wasn’t home much.”Dotson and her boyfriend, Joshua Manns, are charged in the death of her son, Jameson Nance. They are being tried separately.Manns told authorities he had a seizure while Jameson was in the bathtub on the day he died. He said Jameson wasn’t breathing when he regained consciousness.“I said, ‘What do you mean? Did you call 911?’ He said no,” Dotson said.A medical examiner determined the cause of death was blunt force trauma sustained over an extended period of time. In the days leading up to Jameson’s death in June 2021, Dotson said she noticed a large lump on his head. But both Manns and Jameson told her it was an accident.She said her son was prone to injuries, including a broken leg earlier that year. There was also a time when Jameson had a black eye. Dotson said he got it from another child at daycare, though the school had no record of the incident.Following the more recent head injury, Dotson testified that she wanted to take her son to the hospital because the bruising and swelling were getting worse. She said Manns argued with her about it.“He said he was sorry and that he loved Jameson,” Dotson said. “That he would never do anything to hurt Jameson and that he promised me the next day when I went to work that he’d protect him.”Jameson was killed the following day. According to the medical examiner, he had dozens of bruises and stab wounds to the head.“He didn’t look like that,” Dotson said. “I told Detective Campos, he didn’t have all that swelling. He didn’t look like that when I left that morning. He had swelling on his eyes, but he didn’t look like that.”Dotson and Manns both face the death penalty if convicted.“I’m the only female in Brevard County facing the death penalty,” Dotson said.The state is expected to call rebuttal witnesses on Tuesday. Closing arguments will follow.
BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. —
Breaking Update: A judge has declared a mistrial in the murder of a 3-year-old boy over a discovery violation involving an interview.
The judge said prosecutors withheld key evidence and testimony from the defense—something that warrants a mistrial.
>> Developing story, this will be updated
Monday’s story:
The mother accused in her 3-year-old son’s murder took the stand in her own defense Monday afternoon.
Erica Dotson, 31, spoke for two hours. It was the first time the public had heard from the defendant since her 2021 arrest.
“I genuinely believed my son was just having accidents. I believed everything that Josh said,” Dotson said. “I just didn’t see what was going on. I wasn’t home much.”
Dotson and her boyfriend, Joshua Manns, are charged in the death of her son, Jameson Nance. They are being tried separately.
Manns told authorities he had a seizure while Jameson was in the bathtub on the day he died. He said Jameson wasn’t breathing when he regained consciousness.
“I said, ‘What do you mean? Did you call 911?’ He said no,” Dotson said.
A medical examiner determined the cause of death was blunt force trauma sustained over an extended period of time. In the days leading up to Jameson’s death in June 2021, Dotson said she noticed a large lump on his head. But both Manns and Jameson told her it was an accident.
She said her son was prone to injuries, including a broken leg earlier that year. There was also a time when Jameson had a black eye. Dotson said he got it from another child at daycare, though the school had no record of the incident.
Following the more recent head injury, Dotson testified that she wanted to take her son to the hospital because the bruising and swelling were getting worse. She said Manns argued with her about it.
“He said he was sorry and that he loved Jameson,” Dotson said. “That he would never do anything to hurt Jameson and that he promised me the next day when I went to work that he’d protect him.”
Jameson was killed the following day. According to the medical examiner, he had dozens of bruises and stab wounds to the head.
“He didn’t look like that,” Dotson said. “I told Detective Campos, he didn’t have all that swelling. He didn’t look like that when I left that morning. He had swelling on his eyes, but he didn’t look like that.”
Dotson and Manns both face the death penalty if convicted.
“I’m the only female in Brevard County facing the death penalty,” Dotson said.
The state is expected to call rebuttal witnesses on Tuesday. Closing arguments will follow.
President Donald Trump posted a meme on social media Saturday saying that Chicago “will find out why it’s called the Department of WAR,” as the city’s officials brace for an immigration crackdown.Related video above — ‘We’re going in’: President Trump vows National Guard deployments as judge rules against him”I love the smell of deportations in the morning … Chicago about to find out why it’s called the Department of WAR,” the post reads. Trump signed an executive order on Friday to rebrand the Pentagon as the “Department of War.”The post includes what appears to be an artificially generated image of the president wearing a hat and sunglasses, with the Chicago skyline in the background, accompanied by text reading “Chipocalypse Now.”Democratic Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker on Saturday called Trump’s post “not normal.””The President of the United States is threatening to go to war with an American city. This is not a joke. This is not normal,” Pritzker wrote on X. “Donald Trump isn’t a strongman, he’s a scared man. Illinois won’t be intimidated by a wannabe dictator.”It comes as Trump has ramped up his rhetoric against the country’s third most populous city. CNN previously reported the Trump administration’s plans to conduct a major immigration enforcement operation in Chicago, and that officials there were bracing for it to begin as early as Friday.In recent days, personnel from Immigration and Border Protection, as well as Customs and Border Protection, have begun trickling into the city, White House officials told CNN.The Trump administration has also reserved the right to call in the National Guard if there is a reaction to the operation that warrants it, the officials said. The Chicago operation is being modeled after a similar operation carried out in Los Angeles in June. A judge ruled this week that the June deployment broke federal law prohibiting the military from law enforcement activity on U.S. soil in most cases; the Trump administration has appealed.White House officials have made clear the Chicago immigration crackdown is distinct from the idea the president has floated to use federal law enforcement and National Guard troops to carry out a broader crime crackdown in the city, similar to the operation in Washington, D.C.When asked by a reporter Tuesday about sending National Guard troops into the city, Trump said, “We’re going,” adding, “I didn’t say when. We’re going in.”Democratic officials who represent Chicago and Illinois also condemned Trump’s post Saturday.”The President’s threats are beneath the honor of our nation, but the reality is that he wants to occupy our city and break our Constitution,” wrote Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson on social media. “We must defend our democracy from this authoritarianism by protecting each other and protecting Chicago from Donald Trump.”Illinois Sen. Tammy Duckworth described Trump’s post on X as “Stolen valor at its worst,” writing, “Take off that Cavalry hat, you draft dodger. You didn’t earn the right to wear it.”CNN’s Alayna Treene contributed to this report.
President Donald Trump posted a meme on social media Saturday saying that Chicago “will find out why it’s called the Department of WAR,” as the city’s officials brace for an immigration crackdown.
Related video above — ‘We’re going in’: President Trump vows National Guard deployments as judge rules against him
“I love the smell of deportations in the morning … Chicago about to find out why it’s called the Department of WAR,” the post reads. Trump signed an executive order on Friday to rebrand the Pentagon as the “Department of War.”
The post includes what appears to be an artificially generated image of the president wearing a hat and sunglasses, with the Chicago skyline in the background, accompanied by text reading “Chipocalypse Now.”
Democratic Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker on Saturday called Trump’s post “not normal.”
“The President of the United States is threatening to go to war with an American city. This is not a joke. This is not normal,” Pritzker wrote on X. “Donald Trump isn’t a strongman, he’s a scared man. Illinois won’t be intimidated by a wannabe dictator.”
It comes as Trump has ramped up his rhetoric against the country’s third most populous city. CNN previously reported the Trump administration’s plans to conduct a major immigration enforcement operation in Chicago, and that officials there were bracing for it to begin as early as Friday.
In recent days, personnel from Immigration and Border Protection, as well as Customs and Border Protection, have begun trickling into the city, White House officials told CNN.
The Trump administration has also reserved the right to call in the National Guard if there is a reaction to the operation that warrants it, the officials said. The Chicago operation is being modeled after a similar operation carried out in Los Angeles in June. A judge ruled this week that the June deployment broke federal law prohibiting the military from law enforcement activity on U.S. soil in most cases; the Trump administration has appealed.
White House officials have made clear the Chicago immigration crackdown is distinct from the idea the president has floated to use federal law enforcement and National Guard troops to carry out a broader crime crackdown in the city, similar to the operation in Washington, D.C.
When asked by a reporter Tuesday about sending National Guard troops into the city, Trump said, “We’re going,” adding, “I didn’t say when. We’re going in.”
Democratic officials who represent Chicago and Illinois also condemned Trump’s post Saturday.
“The President’s threats are beneath the honor of our nation, but the reality is that he wants to occupy our city and break our Constitution,” wrote Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson on social media. “We must defend our democracy from this authoritarianism by protecting each other and protecting Chicago from Donald Trump.”
Illinois Sen. Tammy Duckworth described Trump’s post on X as “Stolen valor at its worst,” writing, “Take off that Cavalry hat, you draft dodger. You didn’t earn the right to wear it.”
A federal judge ruled Tuesday that the Trump administration’s deployment of U.S. military troops to Los Angeles during immigration raids earlier this year was illegal.
U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer found the deployment violated the Posse Comitatus Act, which limited the use of the military for law enforcement purposes. He stayed his ruling to give the administration a chance to appeal.
“President Trump and Secretary Hegseth have stated their intention to call National Guard troops into service in other cities across the country … thus creating a national police force with the President as its chief,” Breyer wrote.
The ruling could have implications beyond Los Angeles.
Trump, who sent roughly 5,000 Marines and National Guard troops to L.A. in June in a move that was opposed by California Gov. Gavin Newsom and L.A. Mayor Karen Bass, issued an executive order declaring a public safety emergency in D.C. The order invoked Section 740 of the District of Columbia Home Rule Act that places the Metropolitan Police Department under direct federal control.
In June, Breyer ruled that Trump broke the law when he mobilized thousands of California National Guard members against the state’s wishes.
In a 36-page decision, Breyer wrote that Trump’s actions “were illegal — both exceeding the scope of his statutory authority and violating the 10th Amendment to the United States Constitution.”
But the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals paused that court order, allowing the troops to remain in Los Angeles while the case plays out in federal court. The appellate court found the president had broad, though not “unreviewable,” authority to deploy the military in American cities.
In his Tuesday ruling Breyer added: “The evidence at trial established that Defendants systematically used armed soldiers (whose identity was often obscured by protective armor) and military vehicles to set up protective perimeters and traffic blockades, engage in crowd control, and otherwise demonstrate a military presence in and around Los Angeles. In short, Defendants violated the Posse Comitatus Act.”
