Author: JohnValbyNation

A new gate installed along Interstate 5 in Castaic allows drivers to turn around and travel back in the other direction when road conditions are dicey. That came in handy on Thursday, when a snowstorm forced the closure of the freeway through the Grapevine in the midst of the Thanksgiving travel crush. Crews rolled open…

A magnitude 3.7 earthquake was reported Thursday afternoon at 4:49 p.m. Pacific time three miles from Ridgecrest, Calif., according to the U.S. Geological Survey. The earthquake occurred 30 miles from California City, 61 miles from Tehachapi, 61 miles from Barstow and 63 miles from Rosamond. In the past 10 days, there have been six earthquakes…

I grew up in Southern California, both a child of immigrants and a hungry reader, my tastes guided by what I’d read already — mostly schoolbooks, with the occasional novel my mother brought home from Costco. As I crunched my way through the American canon, I must have developed an appetite for stories about white…

So you cannot possibly endure more Black Friday spam, another battle for mall parking or the passive-aggressive visiting family member asking, “What fun do we have lined up for today?” We’re here to help. Set aside the screens, the keys and the Googling, and consider the advice of Times critic Charles McNulty and his cohort…

Click Here: liverpool mens jersey SERIES American Housewife Katie and Greg (Katy Mixon, Diedrich Bader) look for activities that will keep them connected as a couple in this new episode of the family comedy. 8 p.m. ABC Top Elf In this new unscripted holiday competition series, seven kid contestants with building and design skills are…

When Brazilian director Fernando Meirelles signed on to direct Netflix’s “The Two Popes,” he knew he’d have his work cut out for him. The film dramatizes a series of thorny theological discussions between Pope Benedict XVI and the future Pope Francis over Catholic doctrine and the role of the church in a changing world. Not…

I didn’t really want to quit my job as house manager of the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, but I stopped doing something I loved to start treatments for advanced metastasized melanoma. The first few treatments were killing the cancer, but they also were killing me. I didn’t want to end up as a cancer-free cadaver, and…

Cheap airline tickets. Discounted tours. Reduced hotel rates. And don’t forget Vegas, which has fee-free stays, second rooms for free and dollars off regular rates. It’s a bargain hunter’s bonanza, thanks to Black Friday and Cyber Monday, and also thanks to our time zone. My name is Catharine Hamm, and I’m the travel editor for…

Between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day, San Francisco’s always-jumping Union Square ups its game. A towering Christmas tree aglow with thousands of lights and ornaments rises from its center. Skaters whirl around an ice rink, grooving to holiday and pop music. Street performers entertain in and around the square. Festivities include Hanukkah menorah lightings and…

Global stock markets fell Thursday after President Trump signed a bill supporting human rights in Hong Kong, potentially increasing tensions as the U.S. and China talk about ending their trade war. Trading volumes were muted, however, with the U.S. closed for Thanksgiving. China reacted with indignation to the legislation, which Congress passed with overwhelming support.…