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  • Sierra snow travel: Chain controls in effect on Interstate 80, Highway 50

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    Sierra snow travel: Chain controls in effect on Interstate 80, Highway 50

    LIVE AT 10 P.M. WE BEGIN WITH THE SECOND NIGHT OF WET WEATHER HERE IN NORTHERN CALIFORNIA, INCLUDING HEAVIER SNOW IN THE SIERRA. THIS IS A LOOK AT CONDITIONS ALONG I-80 NEAR KINGVALE. THIS WAS EARLIER TONIGHT WHERE PEOPLE WERE FORCED TO TAKE SOME EXTRA TIME ON THE ROADS. THANK YOU FOR JOINING US HERE AT TEN. I’M ANDREA FLORES AND I’M KURTIS MING. WE WANT TO SHOW YOU A LIVE LOOK AT I-80. NOW, THIS IS NEAR DONNER SUMMIT TONIGHT. RIGHT NOW, CHAINS ARE REQUIRED FROM KINGVALE TO THE DONNER LAKE INTERCHANGE. CHAIN CONTROL IS LIKELY TO STAY IN EFFECT UNTIL TOMORROW MORNING. AND HERE’S A LOOK AT CONDITIONS ALONG HIGHWAY 50. THIS IS AT MEYERS. CHAINS ARE REQUIRED ON HIGHWAY 50 FROM THREE MILES EAST OF KYBURZ TO MYERS IN EL DORADO COUNTY. AND WE’RE TRACKING THE SNOW FALLING ACROSS THE SIERRA TONIGHT. ANDRES VALLE IS STANDING BY ON INTERSTATE 80. BUT WE WANT TO START WITH KCRA 3 METEOROLOGIST. HEATHER WALDMAN. SO, HEATHER, WHERE IS THE STORM SYSTEM RIGHT NOW? YEAH, THAT SNOW HAS BEEN FALLING STEADILY FOR THE LAST FEW HOURS, AND WE’VE ACTUALLY BEEN WATCHING THE SNOW LEVEL COME DOWN. ALL THE WHILE, IT’S JUST BEEN SOGGY IN THE FOOTHILLS ALL DAY, AND THE VALLEY HAS BEEN IN AND OUT OF SOME OF THAT LIGHT RAIN AND DRIZZLE. LET’S GO NORTH TO SOUTH HERE. QUINCY, PORTOLA, LA PORTE, SEEING THAT LIGHT RAIN. BUT IT IS CHILLY. TEMPERATURES TODAY IN THE 40S AT BEST. UP THERE IN THE MOUNTAINS. HIT AND MISS. RAIN SHOWERS FROM YUBA CITY DOWN TOWARDS ARBUCKLE AND ESPARTO AND WINTERS JUST ENOUGH TO WET THE ROADS. WE’RE ONLY PICKING UP A FEW HUNDREDTHS OF AN INCH OF RAIN OUT OF ANY OF THIS, BUT THOSE SHOWERS EXTEND DOWN INTO THE EAST BAY. A LITTLE BIT OF WET WEATHER LEFT OVER THERE IN FAIRFIELD. IT’S BEEN RELATIVELY DRY FROM STOCKTON TO ESCALON INTO MODESTO AND PATTERSON FOR MOST OF THIS EVENING. BUT YOU GO UP THE HILL INTO SONORA JACKSON, ANGELS CAMP THAT’S WHERE YOU’RE SEEING SOME OF THAT LIGHT RAINFALL. THIS IS ECHO SUMMIT RIGHT NOW. THAT’S A FREEZE FRAME, BUT YOU CAN SEE SOME SNOW BUILT UP ON THE ROADS. WE DO HAVE CHAIN CONTROLS AND YOU SEE THE DELAYS HERE, ESPECIALLY ON THE EASTBOUND LANES, THE YELLOWS REPRESENTING SOME OF THAT SLOWER TRAFFIC AREAS IN RED. THAT’S WHERE CARS LIKELY HAVING TO STOP, PULL OVER, PUT THE CHAINS ON AND KEEP GOING. NOT SEEING MUCH IN THE WAY OF SNOW AT LAKE LEVEL AROUND TAHOE. MAYBE SOME WET SNOW JUST BARELY REACHING THE GROUND, BUT IT’S NOT REALLY STICKING. HERE’S WHERE YOU’RE GOING TO GET YOUR DELAYS FROM KINGVALE UP OVER DONNER SUMMIT AND INTO TRUCKEE. EVERYBODY’S IN THE RED IN THE EAST AND THE WESTBOUND LANES. THERE’S ONE MORE LOOK AT DONNER SUMMIT FOR YOU, AND THAT’S WHY THINGS ARE SLOW GOING AT THE MOMENT. ADDITIONAL SNOWFALL TONIGHT LOOKING AT 4 TO 8IN OVER DONNER SUMMIT. SIMILAR TOTALS OVER ECHO SUMMIT UP TO AN ADDITIONAL FOOT OVER EBBETTS PASS AND SONORA PASS. WE’LL TALK ABOUT ADDITIONAL RAINFALL, AND OF COURSE WE’LL LOOK AHEAD TO WHEN THINGS DRY OUT IN A FEW MINUTES. SOUNDS GOOD. HEATHER, THANK YOU SO MUCH. AND AS HEATHER JUST MENTIONED, THAT SNOW IS MAKING SIERRA TRAVEL TOUGH. KCRA 3’S ANDRES VALLE IS IN THE SIERRA TRACKING THE CONDITIONS FROM INSIDE. LIVE TRACKER THREE. YEAH GUYS. SO WE’RE CURRENTLY HERE IN I-80 AT KINGVALE. WE’RE ACTUALLY TRYING TO LOOP OUR WAY BACK ONTO THOSE WESTBOUND LANES, BUT IT’S REALLY SLOW MOVING. SO THIS IS THE AREA WHERE A LOT OF CALTRANS CREWS ARE STOPPING PEOPLE MAKING SURE THEY HAVE CHAINS, AND IF THEY DON’T, THEY TURN THEM AROUND TO GO DOWN THE HILL DOWN TO A LOWER ELEVATION. SO RIGHT NOW WE’RE ABOUT 6000FT, AS YOU CAN SEE, RIGHT IN FRONT OF US IS A SEMI TRUCK. THE ROADS ARE COMPLETELY SNOW COVERED AS OF RIGHT NOW. WE TAKE IT OVER TO OUR ROOF CAMERA. YOU CAN SEE HOW MUCH SNOW IS BUILT BEHIND US AND ALSO THE SEMI TRUCKS. ALSO HAVING TO TURN AROUND AS WELL. BUT AS WE TAKE YOU BACK OVER TO THOSE, WHAT WE’RE SEEING RIGHT IN FRONT OF US, THERE IS A LONG LINE ON THOSE WESTBOUND LANES HEADING OVER THE HILL RIGHT NOW. AND SO THIS IS AN AREA WHERE CALTRANS IS AGAIN CHECKING THOSE PEOPLE IN CASE THEY HAVE THOSE CHAINS. BUT LET’S SHOW YOU VIDEO THAT WE GATHERED FROM EARLIER THIS AFTERNOON. THIS THIS EVENING, I SHOULD SAY FROM WHEN THE TRAFFIC WAS A LOT SLOWER ON INTERSTATE 80. THIS IS WHEN CHAIN CONTROLS OFFICIALLY WENT UP RIGHT AROUND 7:30 P.M. THERE WAS A LONG LINE OF VEHICLES BEING STOPPED ON THE EASTBOUND LANES OF I-80 AT KINGVALE AND CALTRANS. CREWS WERE STATIONED ALONG THE SHOULDER OF THE INTERSTATE, WARNING DRIVERS OF ICY ROAD CONDITIONS AND TO TAKE IT SLOW. NOW, MANY DRIVERS HAD TO STOP AT THE SHELL GAS STATION TO BUY CHAINS BEFORE CONTINUING ON THE INTERSTATE. NEXT IS BY SOME CHAINS AND INSTALL THEM REAL QUICK AND THEN HOPEFULLY BE ON OUR WAY. NOPE. I’M KIND OF SURPRISED. I THOUGHT IT WAS GOING TO BE RAIN. SO THIS IS AWESOME. WE WERE WE WERE TRYING TO BEAT IT, BUT WE GOT HELD UP IN SACRAMENTO. BUT IT’S FINE ADVICE GOING INTO, YOU KNOW, THIS WINTER SEASON, I GUESS JUST DRIVE, DRIVE SLOWLY. AND YOU KNOW, WATCH OUT FOR THE TRUCK DRIVERS. AND YOU DON’T NEED TO CARRY CHAINS. WE SELL THEM RIGHT HERE. AND YEAH SO THAT SHELL GAS STATION ACTUALLY STAYS OPEN LATE WHEN CHAIN CONTROLS ARE IN EFFECT. BUT AS YOU CAN SEE RIGHT NOW IT IS SLOW MOVING ON THOSE WESTBOUND LANES OF INTERSTATE 80, AS WELL AS THOSE EASTBOUND LANES OF INTERSTATE 80. SO THAT’S THE LONG LINE THAT YOU SEE ALONG THOSE STREETS, ALL THOSE CARS AND TRUCKS STOPPED RIGHT NOW AS CALTRANS CREWS ARE CHECKING FOR THOSE CHAINS. LET’S SHOW YOU THAT ROOFTOP CAMERA AS WELL. AS YOU CAN SEE, A LOT OF THESE SEMI TRUCKS HAVE PULLED OVER ALONG THE WESTBOUND LANES OF INTERSTATE 80 AS WELL. SO WE KNOW SO FAR THAT CHAIN CONTROLS WILL MORE THAN LIKELY BE IN EFFECT THROUGHOUT THE REST OF TONIGHT. WE’VE SEEN CALTRANS CREWS TREATING THOSE ROADWAYS, PLOWING THE SNOW AS WELL OUT OF THE INTERSTATE. BUT FOR THE MOST PART, AGAIN, THINGS ARE LOOKING REALLY SLOW RIGHT NOW. IF YOU’RE TRAVELING IN AND OUT OF THE SIERRA, IF YOU ARE COMING UP HERE, BRING THOSE CHAINS WITH YOU. INSTALL THEM, OF COURSE, AT THOSE CHAIN CONTROL LOCATIONS, IF YOU DON’T HAVE THEM, YOU CAN BUY THEM AT THAT SHELL GAS STATION AT KINGVALE. BUT AGAIN, IT’S GOING TO TAKE YOU QUITE A BIT OF TIME BECAUSE A LOT OF THE TRAFFIC IS STOPPED. AND REMEMBER, THE SPEED LIMIT IS ALSO ONLY 30MPH, WHEN CHAIN CONTROLS ARE IN EFFECT. WE’RE LIVE HERE IN LIVE TRACKER THREE ON THE KCRA THREE NEWS. YEAH, AND YOU CAN SEE SOME ISSUES WITH THE LANE DISTINCTION DUE TO THAT SNOW ON THE HIGHWAY. ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THAT. LOOK AT THE INTERSTATE AND TURNING AGAIN TO CONDITIONS ON HIGHWAY 50. THIS WAS EARLIER TONIGHT IN EL DORADO COUNTY. CALTRANS WAS OUT EARLY CLEARING THE ROADS AFTER WHAT WAS MOSTLY A PRETTY RAINY DAY ALONG HIGHWAY 50. AND DRIVERS ARE TAKING IT EASY. IT’S A LITTLE TOUGH DRIVING SOMETIMES, AND THEN IT MAKES A HAZARDOUS TRIP FOR EVERYBODY ELSE. GOING BOTH WAYS. HEADING INTO THE SEASON, YOU DEFINITELY WANT, YOU KNOW, ALL WHEEL DRIVE, FOUR WHEEL DRIVE, AND NOT JUST THAT YOU’D WANT, YOU KNOW, CHAINS OR SNOW TIRES. NOW TO HIGHWAY FOUR IN CALAVERAS COUNTY. IT WAS SNOWING THERE PRETTY MUCH ALL DAY LONG. WE CAPTURED THESE IMAGES IN TAMARACK. FAMILIES WERE SHOCKED TO SEE HOW MUCH SNOW FELL TODAY. I JUST THOUGHT IT WAS A LOT, ESPECIALLY FOR OCTOBER. IT’S IT’S A LITTLE EARLY IN THE SEASON TO BE SNOWING THIS HARD. SO HELP US SHOW THE WEATHER. SHARE YOUR PHOTOS AND VIDEOS OF THE STORMS. IT COULD END UP ON TELEVISION LIKE CLAUDETTE JUUL WHO SHARED THIS PHOTO OF THE CLOUDS AND WOODLAN NOT RAINING AT THE TIME, BUT THE ROADS THERE WERE WET. AND CHECK OUT THIS PHOTO FROM PAM GOODLEY. THIS IS THE FRESH SNOW AT THE ROYAL GORGE CROSS COUNTRY SKI AREA. WE’D LIKE TO SEE YOUR PHOTOS AND VIDEOS TOO. YOU CAN SHARE THEM WITH US DIRECTLY. SCAN THE QR CODE ON YOUR SCREEN. IT WILL TAKE YOU RIGHT TO OUR UPLOAD PAGE, OR YOU CAN ALSO GO TO KCRA.COM/UPLOAD WILL WORK TO SHAR

    Sierra snow travel: Chain controls in effect on Interstate 80, Highway 50

    Updated: 11:12 PM PDT Oct 14, 2025

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    Rain has been the headliner for the start of Northern California’s winter storm, but snow is picking up in the Sierra.The largest amounts are expected in the afternoon and the evening. The heaviest snow will be south of Donner Summit, Meteorologist Dirk Verdoorn said. (Video above: Winter storm updates Tuesday at 10 p.m.)Below is the latest information on chain controls. 11:00 p.m.: Reporter Andres Valle was in Livetracker 3 and showed that I-80, around 6,000 feet elevation, was covered in snow. The following chain controls remain in effect:Interstate 80: Chain controls are in effect eastbound from Cisco to Donner Lake Interchange and westbound from Donner Lake Interchange to 2.5 miles east of the junction for Highway 20 in Nevada County.Highway 50: Chains are required from three miles east of Kyburz to MeyersHighway 88: Chains are required from Ham’s Station to Picketts JunctionHighway 4: The highway is closed from 0.7 miles east of Lake Alpine to the junction of Highway 89 due to snow. Additionally, chains are required from Camp Connell to the Mt. Reba turnoffHighway 89: Chains are required on all vehicles from Picketts Junction to 2.7 miles south of the junction with Highway 50 in El Dorado County. Additionally, chains are required on vehicles from Bliss State Park to Tahoe City. 10:30 p.m.: Chain controls remain in effect in portions of I-80 in the Sierra, causing some drivers to buy chains for their tires before they can continue on their travels.”We were trying to beat it, but we got held up in Sacramento,” said one traveler, Tracy Lent. “I thought it was going to be rain, so this is awesome.”Chain installers are ready to help those who don’t have any chains already.”You don’t need to carry chains. We sell them right here,” Bowles said. He also urged drivers to take it slow and watch out for trucks. 7:30 p.m.: Interstate 80: Just before 7:30 p.m., chain controls went into effect on I-80 between Rainbow and the Donner Lake Interchange, according to the Caltrans Quickmap.7:00 p.m.: Highway 4: Chains are required on all vehicles except 4-wheel-drive vehicles from half a mile east of Camp Connell to the Mt. Reba turnoff.Watch Livetracker 3 video from Tuesday evening:6:30 p.m.: Highway 88: Chains are required on all vehicles except 4-wheel-drive vehicles with snow tires on all 4 wheels from Ham’s Station to Picketts Junction3 p.m.: Chain controls are up on Highway 50 and Highway 88. Highway 50: Chains are required on all vehicles except 4-wheel-drive vehicles with snow tires on all 4 wheels from Twin Bridges to Meyers.Highway 88: Chains are required on all vehicles except 4-wheel-drive vehicles with snow tires on all 4 wheels from 4 miles east of Ham’s Station to Silver Lake.| MORE | See the latest rain and snow totals here. Track the latest California highway road conditionsHere is where you can search Caltrans road conditions by highway and see if chain controls are in effect.Real-time traffic mapClick here to see our interactive traffic map.Track interactive, Doppler radarClick here to see our interactive radar.Download our app for the latestHere is where you can download our app.Here are key websites to prepare for and track California power outages.Preparing for power outages: Ready.gov explains how to prepare for a power outage and what to do when returning from one here.Keeping informed when you’ve lost power and cellphone service: How to find a National Weather Service radio station near you.Here is how to sign up for CalAlerts emergency alert notifications for any county in California.Track PG&E power outages here.Track SMUD outages here.Track power outages across all California counties.Follow our KCRA weather team on social mediaMeteorologist Tamara Berg on Facebook, Instagram and X.Meteorologist Heather Waldman on Facebook, X, Instagram and TikTok.Meteorologist Kelly Curran on X, Facebook and Instagram.Meteorologist Dirk Verdoorn on Facebook.Meteorologist Ophelia Young on Facebook, X and Instagram.Watch our forecasts on TV or onlineHere’s where to find our latest video forecast. You can also watch a livestream of our latest newscast here. The banner on our website turns red when we’re live.We’re also streaming on the Very Local app for Roku, Apple TV or Amazon Fire TV.Send us your photos and videosShare your weather photos and videos at kcra.com/upload.See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter | Find us on YouTube here and subscribe to our channel

    Rain has been the headliner for the start of Northern California’s winter storm, but snow is picking up in the Sierra.

    The largest amounts are expected in the afternoon and the evening. The heaviest snow will be south of Donner Summit, Meteorologist Dirk Verdoorn said.

    (Video above: Winter storm updates Tuesday at 10 p.m.)

    Below is the latest information on chain controls.

    11:00 p.m.: Reporter Andres Valle was in Livetracker 3 and showed that I-80, around 6,000 feet elevation, was covered in snow.

    The following chain controls remain in effect:

    • Interstate 80: Chain controls are in effect eastbound from Cisco to Donner Lake Interchange and westbound from Donner Lake Interchange to 2.5 miles east of the junction for Highway 20 in Nevada County.
    • Highway 50: Chains are required from three miles east of Kyburz to Meyers
    • Highway 88: Chains are required from Ham’s Station to Picketts Junction
    • Highway 4: The highway is closed from 0.7 miles east of Lake Alpine to the junction of Highway 89 due to snow. Additionally, chains are required from Camp Connell to the Mt. Reba turnoff
    • Highway 89: Chains are required on all vehicles from Picketts Junction to 2.7 miles south of the junction with Highway 50 in El Dorado County. Additionally, chains are required on vehicles from Bliss State Park to Tahoe City.

    10:30 p.m.: Chain controls remain in effect in portions of I-80 in the Sierra, causing some drivers to buy chains for their tires before they can continue on their travels.

    “We were trying to beat it, but we got held up in Sacramento,” said one traveler, Tracy Lent. “I thought it was going to be rain, so this is awesome.”

    Chain installers are ready to help those who don’t have any chains already.

    “You don’t need to carry chains. We sell them right here,” Bowles said. He also urged drivers to take it slow and watch out for trucks.

    7:30 p.m.: Interstate 80: Just before 7:30 p.m., chain controls went into effect on I-80 between Rainbow and the Donner Lake Interchange, according to the Caltrans Quickmap.

    7:00 p.m.: Highway 4: Chains are required on all vehicles except 4-wheel-drive vehicles from half a mile east of Camp Connell to the Mt. Reba turnoff.

    Watch Livetracker 3 video from Tuesday evening:

    This content is imported from YouTube.
    You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site.

    6:30 p.m.: Highway 88: Chains are required on all vehicles except 4-wheel-drive vehicles with snow tires on all 4 wheels from Ham’s Station to Picketts Junction

    3 p.m.: Chain controls are up on Highway 50 and Highway 88.

    • Highway 50: Chains are required on all vehicles except 4-wheel-drive vehicles with snow tires on all 4 wheels from Twin Bridges to Meyers.
    • Highway 88: Chains are required on all vehicles except 4-wheel-drive vehicles with snow tires on all 4 wheels from 4 miles east of Ham’s Station to Silver Lake.

    | MORE | See the latest rain and snow totals here.

    Track the latest California highway road conditions

    Here is where you can search Caltrans road conditions by highway and see if chain controls are in effect.

    Real-time traffic map

    Click here to see our interactive traffic map.

    Track interactive, Doppler radar

    Click here to see our interactive radar.

    Download our app for the latest

    Here is where you can download our app.

    Here are key websites to prepare for and track California power outages.

    Follow our KCRA weather team on social media

    Watch our forecasts on TV or online

    Here’s where to find our latest video forecast. You can also watch a livestream of our latest newscast here. The banner on our website turns red when we’re live.

    We’re also streaming on the Very Local app for Roku, Apple TV or Amazon Fire TV.

    Send us your photos and videos

    Share your weather photos and videos at kcra.com/upload.

    See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter | Find us on YouTube here and subscribe to our channel

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  • Brett James, Grammy-winning ‘Jesus, Take the Wheel’ songwriter, dies in plane crash

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    Grammy-winning songwriter Brett James, known for penning hits including Carrie Underwood’s “Jesus, Take the Wheel,” died in a small-engine plane crash on Thursday, according to the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame. He was 57.A plane registered under James’ name reportedly crashed into a field in Franklin, North Carolina, about 270 miles southeast of Nashville, around 3 p.m. Thursday, according to data from FlightAware and a statement from the FAA. Three people were on board the plane, according to the FAA, and the National Transportation Safety Board said it is investigating.CNN has reached out to Macon County Sheriff’s Office for further information.James, who worked with megastars like Taylor Swift, Bon Jovi and Keith Urban, won a Grammy for Best Country Song in 2006 for co-writing “Jesus, Take the Wheel.” He also wrote on Kenny Chesney’s “Out Last Night,” and was regarded as one of the industry’s most sought-after collaborators.His more than 500 songs have appeared on albums with combined sales of over 110 million copies, according to the Nashville Songwriters Association International.In 2020, James was elected to the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame. He also owned the publishing company Cornman Music and served on the board of the Country Music Association and as a national trustee of The Recording Academy, according to the Nashville Symphony.“Brett was a trusted collaborator to country’s greatest names, and a true advocate for his fellow songwriters,” the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers said in an Instagram post announcing James’ death.“Rest in peace pal. Total stud. Fellow aviator. One of the best singer-songwriters in our town….total legend,” country musician Dierks Bentley wrote on Instagram.

    Grammy-winning songwriter Brett James, known for penning hits including Carrie Underwood’s “Jesus, Take the Wheel,” died in a small-engine plane crash on Thursday, according to the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame. He was 57.

    A plane registered under James’ name reportedly crashed into a field in Franklin, North Carolina, about 270 miles southeast of Nashville, around 3 p.m. Thursday, according to data from FlightAware and a statement from the FAA.

    Three people were on board the plane, according to the FAA, and the National Transportation Safety Board said it is investigating.

    CNN has reached out to Macon County Sheriff’s Office for further information.

    James, who worked with megastars like Taylor Swift, Bon Jovi and Keith Urban, won a Grammy for Best Country Song in 2006 for co-writing “Jesus, Take the Wheel.” He also wrote on Kenny Chesney’s “Out Last Night,” and was regarded as one of the industry’s most sought-after collaborators.

    His more than 500 songs have appeared on albums with combined sales of over 110 million copies, according to the Nashville Songwriters Association International.

    In 2020, James was elected to the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame. He also owned the publishing company Cornman Music and served on the board of the Country Music Association and as a national trustee of The Recording Academy, according to the Nashville Symphony.

    “Brett was a trusted collaborator to country’s greatest names, and a true advocate for his fellow songwriters,” the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers said in an Instagram post announcing James’ death.

    “Rest in peace pal. Total stud. Fellow aviator. One of the best singer-songwriters in our town….total legend,” country musician Dierks Bentley wrote on Instagram.

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  • United Airlines plane loses tire after takeoff at LAX, the second time in four months

    United Airlines plane loses tire after takeoff at LAX, the second time in four months

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    A United Airlines flight departing from Los Angeles lost a tire during takeoff Monday, its second Boeing aircraft to have lost a tire in four months.

    The Boeing 757-200 departed Los Angeles International Airport around 7:16 a.m. and continued to its destination at Denver International Airport even after losing the tire, according to the Federal Aviation Administration. The plane landed safely around 10:10 a.m. with no reported injuries on the aircraft or on the ground, United Airlines said in a statement.

    “The wheel has been recovered in Los Angeles, and we are investigating what caused this event,” United said. The company did not say which tire on the aircraft was lost.

    The plane had 174 passengers and seven crew members on board, according to United.

    United and FAA said they would investigate what caused the tire to fall.

    This is the second incident involving a tire falling from a United aircraft mid-air in four months.

    In March, a Japan-bound United flight lost one of its main landing tires seconds after takeoff from San Francisco International Airport. The tire landed in an employee parking lot and damaged several vehicles. The Boeing 777, which carried 235 passengers and 14 crew members, made an emergency landing at LAX and was towed away with no reported injuries.

    United did not respond to an inquiry about whether the causes for the incidents were potentially the same.

    In January, a Boeing 757 operated by Delta Air Lines lost its nose wheel while preparing for takeoff at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport in Atlanta. Delta said a nose gear tire and rim had come loose and then rolled down a hill. Passengers had to exit the plane, but no one was injured.

    Concerns surrounding the safety of Boeing planes has been circulating for years, particularly after two crashes of its 737 Max jets killed 346 people in October 2018 and March 2019. Boeing agreed to plead guilty to a criminal fraud charge over the deadly crashes Monday, avoiding a criminal trial.

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    Ashley Ahn

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  • Gas station robbery leads to chase and fatal crash, police say

    Gas station robbery leads to chase and fatal crash, police say

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    A gas station robbery set off a car chase down Los Angeles city streets that led to a crash and the death of one of the robbery suspects, police said.

    The incident unfolded Saturday evening on West Adams Boulevard, where police said a 21-year-old man was robbed at gunpoint while parked at a gas station.

    The man pursued the robbers as they drove away, and allegedly collided his black SUV into the back of their white sedan, police said. The sedan rammed into a light pole at the intersection with South West View Street, and two passengers jumped out, firing multiple shots at their pursuer.

    Paramedics arriving at the scene pronounced the driver behind the wheel, identified by LAPD as a man in his 30s, dead.

    The robbery victim waited at the scene of the crash for officers to arrive, an LAPD spokesman said. The case is being investigated by the homicide division, but the spokesman could not say if the robbery victim was taken into custody.

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    Paige St. John

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  • Pat Sajak’s final ‘Wheel of Fortune’ airs Friday. What to know about his spin as host

    Pat Sajak’s final ‘Wheel of Fortune’ airs Friday. What to know about his spin as host

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    Pat Sajak will wind down his record-breaking spin hosting “Wheel of Fortune” on Friday night. Here’s what to know about the game show icon’s decades-long tenure on the show.

    When does Sajak’s final episode air?

    The “Wheel of Fortune” Season 41 finale, titled “Thanks for the Memories,” airs at 7:30 p.m. Friday on KABC-7. Thursday’s penultimate episode will include a farewell message from Sajak’s longtime co-host, Vanna White.

    How long has Sajak hosted?

    Sajak has hosted the Hangman-style game show for more than 40 years, stepping in for original host Chuck Woolery after its seventh season in 1982, when “America’s Game” still aired on daytime television.

    “Wheel of Fortune” debuted in 1975 with Woolery and Susan Stafford leading the show before the “Love Connection” host departed over a salary dispute with NBC. Legendary producer Merv Griffin hired Sajak and famous letter-turner White in 1982, and the two have become fixtures of the series. In 2019, Sajak scored the Guinness Book of World Records title for longest career as a game show host on the same show. He will retire with almost 8,000 episodes to his name.

    He earned three Daytime Emmy Awards as game show host during his run and a Daytime Emmy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2011. He also has a People’s Choice Award and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame credited to his “Wheel” run.

    In 2021, “Celebrity Wheel of Fortune” premiered in prime time on ABC with Sajak usually serving as host.

    Why is Sajak stepping down?

    The 77-year-old announced his retirement a year ago, writing on X (formerly Twitter) that the current season would be his last. In an interview with his daughter, “Wheel” social correspondent Maggie Sajak, the host said that he could continue hosting the show if he wanted to but felt he needed to exit on his own terms.

    “I’d rather leave a couple years too early than a couple years too late,” he said, adding, “I’m looking forward to whatever’s ahead.”

    Who’s taking over ‘Wheel of Fortune’? And when?

    Ryan Seacrest will become the new “Wheel of Fortune” host in September.

    ( Associated Press)

    Less than a month after Sajak revealed his retirement, “American Idol” and “On Air” host Ryan Seacrest announced that he would step into the emcee’s shoes. At the time, Seacrest lauded his predecessor for the way Sajak “always celebrated the contestants and made viewers feel at home.”

    Seacrest, who signed a multiyear deal with Sony Pictures Television last June, will begin the new gig in September.

    White is set to remain on “Wheel of Fortune” for the next two years. She has previously filled in for Sajak as host on a few occasions and, before the brief search for Sajak’s successor came to an end, fans campaigned for White to replace her longtime colleague.

    What did Sajak do before ‘Wheel’?

    It’s hard to think about Sajak doing anything other than soliciting consonants and vowels or declaring a player “bankrupt,” but his storied career began long before “Wheel of Fortune.”

    Born and raised in Chicago, Sajak got his broadcasting start as a newscaster and announcer at a small radio station, looking to broadcast legends Arthur Godfrey, Dave Garroway, Steve Allen and Jack Paar for inspiration to shape his TV personality. He served in the U.S. Army in the late 1960s and was sent to Vietnam, where he hosted a daily show for Armed Forces Radio in Saigon shouting “Good morning, Vietnam!” each day.

    After being discharged, he worked at small radio stations in Kentucky and Tennessee, spending several years as a staff announcer, talk show host and weatherman at Nashville’s WSM-TV. A talent scout for NBC-TV in Los Angeles spotted him and brought him onboard in 1977 to serve as the local NBC station’s primary weatherman. In 1981, Griffin asked him to assume hosting duties on “Wheel” when it still aired during the day on NBC, well before the syndicated version premiered in 1983.

    “The nice thing about working in local TV in L.A.,” Sajak has said, “is that decision makers are watching you every night.”

    The avuncular host has joked that he spent 40 years doing “a part-time job pretending it was full-time,” given how the show’s shooting schedule has allowed him to tape several episodes at a time.

    “The great benefit is [my wife] Lesley and I could spend time together and do things,” he told his daughter in an interview posted this week on the “Wheel of Fortune” YouTube channel. “And I could watch you guys grow up and go to the games and all that kind of stuff that work might have taken me away from.”

    What else is on Sajak’s résumé?

    During his tenure, Sajak has entertained generations of fans, inspired “Saturday Night Live” and “South Park” jokes and generated numerous headlines about his behavior with contestants. He also briefly hosted the short-lived late-night talk show “The Pat Sajak Show” in the late 1980s and played himself in a number of films and TV shows, including “The A-Team,” “227,” “Airplane II: The Sequel,” “Santa Barbara,” “The King of Queens,” “Just Shoot Me!” and “Fresh Off the Boat.”

    “We became part of the popular culture … more importantly became part of people’s lives,” he said in a recent interview with his daughter, who made her “Wheel” debut as a 1-year-old when she joined her dad onstage. The Princeton and Columbia University grad has been the show’s social correspondent since 2021.

    Pat sajak also has helped reformat the show, adding the Toss Up puzzle to contribute more content each episode, plus the idea of the $100,000 Toss Up.

    But his awkward dad jokes have raised eyebrows in recent years, with the stalwart host fully committing to an odd voyeurism quip while bantering with White during a 2023 episode. He also has landed in hot water for asking her if she liked watching opera in the buff and repeatedly raised social media hackles when he mocked and pranked a contestant over her fear of fish, poked fun at a man and his long beard by referring to him as one of Santa’s helpers, and put a winning contestant in a chokehold.

    What’s next for Sajak?

    Sajak said he’s looking forward to time to “with my crossword puzzles” and family. He will continue his duties as chairman of the Hillsdale College Board of Trustees, a position he took up in 2019.

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    Nardine Saad, Alexandra Del Rosario

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  • Cruise sidelines entire U.S. robotaxi fleet to focus on rebuilding ‘public trust’

    Cruise sidelines entire U.S. robotaxi fleet to focus on rebuilding ‘public trust’

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    In the wake of California withdrawing Cruise’s permit to operate self-driving cars in the state, the company announced that it’s suspending all U.S. robotaxi operations.

    The move comes after the California Department of Motor Vehicles alleged that Cruise withheld from regulators video footage of a Cruise robotaxi dragging a person down a city street.

    The future for the company is uncertain. Its parent company, General Motors, has lost $1.9 billion on Cruise so far this year, including a $732-million loss in the third quarter, according to its latest earnings report. Competitor Ford shut down its Argo robotaxi unit in 2022, concluding that the possibility of far-off profits weren’t worth the enormous cash drain.

    The California DMV gave two reasons for suspending Cruise’s license this week: concerns about safety and claims that the company withheld from regulators video footage that showed a Cruise robotaxi drag an already injured woman 20 feet across street pavement before emergency workers could reach her.

    “The most important thing for us right now is to take steps to rebuild public trust,” Cruise said in a statement online Thursday night. “Part of this involves taking a hard look inwards and at how we do work at Cruise.”

    Cruise vehicles with humans behind the wheel will continue to operate. Until this week, the company had been operating driverless services in San Francisco, Phoenix, Miami, Houston and Austin, Texas.

    Cruise needs to be “extra vigilant when it comes to risk, relentlessly focused on safety” as it rebuilds public trust, a spokeswoman told The Times.

    The incident marks a dark chapter in the emerging history of the automated vehicle industry. Whether Cruise’s actions will harm the industry’s reputation, or only its own, remains to be seen.

    Robotaxi companies claim that autonomous vehicles are already safer than cars driven by humans. Officials in San Francisco say they’re having trouble getting these companies to provide adequate data to prove that. But Cruise is dealing with more than safety in this case — it’s dealing with allegations that it misled regulators and the media in ways that might erode public trust.

    On Oct. 2, a car with a human behind the wheel hit a woman who was crossing at the intersection of 5th and Market streets in San Francisco against a red light. The pedestrian slid over the hood and into the path of a Cruise robotaxi, with no human driver. She became pinned under the car, and was later taken to a hospital.

    Cruise quickly called the crash tragic but said that the robotaxi stopped as it was supposed to and that a human driver couldn’t have reacted as quickly.

    What Cruise did not say, and what the DMV revealed Tuesday, is that after sitting still for an unspecified period of time, the robotaxi began moving forward at about 7 mph, dragging the woman with it for 20 feet.

    Cruise had shown a video of the incident to reporters but barred them from posting it publicly. (Because of that restriction, The Times turned down Cruise’s offer.) The video shown to reporters ended with the robotaxi sitting motionless, but did not include the vehicle dragging the woman.

    The DMV said Cruise showed it the same abbreviated video, and only later did the agency see the full version. The two sides are fighting about that version of events. Cruise told reporters it showed the DMV the full video from the start.

    In response to a request for comment, a spokesperson for the DMV said it stands by the facts outlined in the orders of suspension.

    Cruise Chief Executive Kyle Vogt

    (Kimberly White / Getty Images for TechCrunch)

    Controversy has surrounded the company for months, after San Francisco’s fire chief lit into Cruise and another robotaxi company, Waymo, for interfering with firetrucks and emergency workers. Police said robotaxis were getting in their way too.

    Dozens of such incidents have been reported, including robotaxis blocking an ambulance from exiting a firehouse, driving onto fire hoses and parking themselves there, bursting through police tape and getting tangled in downed utility wires. Cruise robotaxis sometimes gather together up to a dozen at a time to block pedestrians and other cars at busy intersections, a phenomenon whose cause remains a mystery, at least to the public.

    Nonetheless, the California Public Utilities Commission, which regulates taxi fares, voted to allow a massive expansion of robotaxi service across San Francisco. Cruise Chief Executive Kyle Vogt soon started talking about big plans for explosive growth, including the introduction next year of a six-passenger pod-like vehicle with no steering wheel called the Origin. “The goal is to get to scale as quickly as we can in terms of the total number of AVs to make this business profitable and sustainable,” he said at the TechCrunch Disrupt conference in September.

    Waymo, owned by Google parent Alphabet, is also planning to grow its fleets and move into new cities. It has already launched in Santa Monica and will soon expand to Los Angeles. Los Angeles officials are trying to get a close look at company plans, but are stymied by state law that gives cities little authority over robotaxi operations.

    Other robotaxi companies are also gearing up to expand, including Zoox and Motional. Those companies are likely to draw more scrutiny in the wake of Cruise’s setback, said Bryant Walker Smith, an automated vehicle law expert at the University of South Carolina.

    Alain Kornhauser, who heads the autonomous vehicle engineering program at Princeton, said the dragging incident is indeed tragic but it’s something that can be fixed. “The problem is, I don’t think anybody who’s writing code thought about a person being trapped under the car,” he said. “Now they can do something like mount a camera to make sure there’s no one under the car before it moves.”

    People will be forgiving of odd robotaxi behavior if they trust the companies involved, he said. “But this covering-up business and not being forthright” does long-term damage to public acceptance, he said. “Didn’t we learn from Watergate that the coverup can be worse than the crime? They could be apologetic. They could say, ‘We’re not going to do that again.’”

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    Russ Mitchell

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