The Brief

The nationwide bird flu outbreak is killing more L.A. County cats.

There’s now been four confirmed cases, L.A. County public health officials told LAist Thursday, and they’re investigating three possible others in felines from a separate household.

Dr. Sharon Balter,  director of the Division of Communicable Disease Control and Prevention with the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, said no L.A. County residents have gotten bird flu, and there’s no evidence of person-to-person spread, but there’s still a low risk.

“ We at the health department are definitely following this outbreak, which is primarily in birds and cattle right now, very, very closely,” she said. “We really want to encourage people not to handle sick or dead birds unless they're wearing a mask and gloves, and also to always consume pasteurized milk.”

How we got here

The four infected cats were from one household and drank raw milk linked to a recall.

Their symptoms included loss of appetite, fever, and neurologic signs. The cats later died after those symptoms got more severe.

Dr. Maria Pyrdek, Pasadena Humane’s chief veterinarian, told LAist the neurologic symptoms are the number one sign you see in birds, and are now being reported in cats.

“ It might be something really small, like small twitches, maybe an eye is twitching, a head is tremoring back and forth, and then those will progress to more and more severe signs,” she said. “Difficulty walking or balancing, sort of stumbling, that, like, looking drunk appearance, maybe not picking up their paws when they're walking.”

Public health officials announced Wednesday that they’re investigating more possible cases of bird flu in a trio of cats from another household.

They’re not believed to have been exposed to raw milk, as seen in the first few cases, but they’re looking into other possible sources, including raw meat.

Two of the cats died after coming down with respiratory symptoms. And one of the cats tested positive for Influenza A. The other two are believed to have been positive as well.

Officials noted this is a rare result. The Department of Public Health is waiting for test results to confirm the cases.

Other birds, cats, and wild animals continue to be tested for bird flu as well. And the humans who had direct contact with the cats are keeping an eye out for symptoms and have been offered antiviral medication.

What you should know

There’s been no human cases of bird flu connected to these cats, but the investigation is ongoing.

Human cases of bird flu are rare, and the risk to people remains low. However, Balter is strongly urging people to avoid raw milk and not to feed it to their pets, including frozen products.

“ The pasteurization process will kill the germs,” she said.

Raw milk can carry harmful germs like influenza, and anyone can get sick from it. Pregnant people, those 65 and older, young children, and people with weakened immune systems have the highest risk of severe illness.

Symptoms in humans can include eye redness, sore throat, vomiting, headaches, fatigue, and fever. If you’ve used the recalled raw milk products and start showing symptoms, immediately contact your doctor or local health department.

Infected cats may develop a fever and neurologic signs that could quickly lead to death. If you suspect your pets are sick, call your vet as soon as possible, and let them know if they’ve consumed raw milk or raw meat.

“ If you're worried about your cat having some sort of neurologic sign, you want to get them in to seek care as quickly as possible and let a veterinarian evaluate them and see what the level of concern is,” Pyrdek said.

You can find more information about bird flu here and here.

Canadian actress and screenwriter Catherine O'Hara has died at her home in Los Angeles following a brief illness, according to her agent and manager.

She was 71 years old and was known for absurdist comedy. She enjoyed a six-decade career in TV and film playing sometimes over-the-top, but endearing characters.

In one of her most memorable roles, O'Hara played the freaked-out mom of rascally son Kevin (Macaulay Culkin) in two Home Alone movies. Later, she portrayed the self-centered, whiny matriarch in the riches-to-rags TV sitcom Schitt's Creek — a role for which she earned an Emmy and a Golden Globe Award in 2020.

Catherine O'Hara and Macaulay Culkin in "Home Alone."

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She won her first Emmy in 1982 for writing on the Canadian sketch comedy TV series Second City Television, or SCTV. She cofounded the show, and created characters such as the show biz has-been Lola Heatherton.

"I loved playing cocky untalented people," O'Hara told Fresh Air in 1992.

On SCTV in the '70s and '80s, she teamed up with another Canadian comic actor, Eugene Levy. Together, they — along with an ensemble — went on to perform in a string of films by director Christopher Guest.

O'Hara and Levy were dog trainers in the Guest's mockumentary Best in Show. And they were a folk-singing duo in A Mighty Wind.

Moira Rose (Catherine O'Hara) and Johnny Rose (Eugene Levy) in "Schitt's Creek."

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O'Hara and Levy also acted together as the parents in Schitt's Creek. More recently, O'Hara acted with another Canadian, Seth Rogen, in his Apple TV comedy The Studio. She played a movie studio head who gets pushed aside.

O'Hara was born and raised in Toronto, and got her start as an understudy for Gilda Radner at the Second City Theater in Toronto.

She reportedly met her production designer husband Bo Welch on the set of the 1988 movie Beetlejuice. She reprised her spiritually possessed role in the 2024 sequel Beetlejuice Beetlejuice.

Since the news of her death some of her famous friends have paid tribute to her online.

"Mama. I thought we had time. I wanted more. I wanted to sit in a chair next to you. I heard you. But I had so much more to say. I love you. I'll see you later." wrote actor Macaulay Culkin.
Copyright 2026 NPR

This story was originally published by The LA Local on Jan. 30, 2026.

Businesses across Los Angeles are shutting their doors on Friday for a national day of action against Immigration and Customs Enforcement, a coordinated effort to stand in solidarity with people saying no to work, school and shopping around the U.S.

The “ICE Out” general strike and protests were organized in Minnesota after weeks of aggressive tactics by federal agents and the killings of two people. Immigration enforcement has also surged in L.A. this week, and flyers announcing a local day of action on Friday have blanketed many neighborhoods, as well as spreading online. A protest was also planned for Friday afternoon at L.A. City Hall.

In Boyle Heights, restaurants, coffee shops and retail stores began posting signs on their windows that read “TODOS CON MINNESOTA! FUERA ICE! No trabajo y no escuela.” Many, including Accúrrcame Cafe and Xtiosu, also shared messages on social media.

Picaresca Barra de Café announced it would be closed for business but open as a community space from 8:30-10:30 a.m.

“Instead of operating as usual, we’ll open the space as a community meeting point—a place for people to gather, make posters, connect, and support one another,” the business wrote in an Instagram post. “We’ll be providing materials where we can, along with free drip coffee, and holding the space intentionally and respectfully.”

Sandra Gomez, who runs a tiendita on Cesar Chavez Avenue in Boyle Heights, joined a protest in Boyle Heights on Wednesday and pledged to close her shop for the day.

Gomez spoke passionately about why it was important for businesses to take part in the action.

“We want to keep going and do our part so the country can move forward, but ICE has affected us,” she said in Spanish.

Melchor Moreno, the co-owner of La Chispa de Oro Mexican restaurant, decided Thursday that he would close on Friday.

Since last summer, his restaurant on Cesar Chavez Avenue has been strained by a lack of customers too afraid to leave their homes. Moreno said sales began picking up over the last few months, but recently tanked when the Eastside saw increased immigration enforcement activity.

“Normally, our lunch crowd is really busy,” he said. “But there are only two tables with people dining. No one’s been in here for the last two hours.”

It wasn’t an easy decision for Moreno, but his employees were urging him to close in a show of support for the community.

“I know it’s going to hurt financially, but something has to happen, something has to change,” he said.

Elsewhere in the city, the owners of South LA Cafe announced they’d be closing all five of their locations.

Celia Ward-Wallace, one of the cafe’s co-owners, said the cafe was intentional about its decision, knowing it would mean loss of revenue, hours for employees and a gathering place for South LA Cafe regulars.

But the shop wanted to make a bold statement with its large platform, she said.

“Our community needs to stand in solidarity,” she said, with the nation, with Minnesota, and with the city of L.A. and its people.

In Pico Union, La Flor de Yucatán Bakery owner Marc Burgos said participating in the shutdown was a way to stand with his customers and neighbors. Burgos’ father, Antonio Burgos, opened the bakery’s first storefront in 1971 at Pico and Union, then the business relocated in 1975 to its current home near Hoover and 18th streets.

“I want to stand united with my community against brutality and indignity, inhumane treatment,” Burgos said. “We’re located in a predominantly Latino neighborhood. Everyone fears being harassed, whether they’re here legally or not.”

Semantha Norris contributed to this report.

The Central Library building in downtown Los Angeles turns 100 this year. And on Thursday, library staff kicked off a year-long celebration by opening a very old box buried during its construction: a time capsule.

The opening was historic because the contents haven’t been shown publicly until now. Here’s how we got here, plus some items that caught our eye.

The Central Library cornerstone is laid on 5th Street, along with the time capsule, with City Librarian Everett Perry, and Board of Library Commissioners Frank H. Pettingell, Katherine G. Smith, and Frances M. Harmon-Zahn.

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About the time capsule

In May 1925, more than 100 library staff members came together with the Board of Library Commissioners for an informal ceremony to dedicate the Central Library’s cornerstone, which is a giant limestone block on the outside.

Inside a specially carved pocket in the stone, they placed a copper box filled with relics about the library and broader L.A. The 1881 time capsule from the California State Normal School, which previously occupied the land, was also put inside. (Fun fact: that school later became UCLA.)

Library officials weren’t even sure the box was still there — much less how to get it out. A team drilled a small hole into the grout to find it. From there, Todd Lerew,  special projects director at the Library Foundation of Los Angeles, said it took about a year to figure out how to remove it.

“ When we were doing our tests with a little borescope camera to locate the capsule itself, we also found that the wall behind the cornerstone was not structural,” Lerew said.

That meant it could be broken down safely. To get the box, they took out a couple of historic wall panels, capped off the plumbing and got to work busting down a wall in the men’s bathroom. It took about a week to get it out.

The box was made of copper, but had been custom-made and soldered shut on all sides. They had to cut into it with shears, Lerew said.

The library's copper box, which had been soldered shut, had to be cut into with shears.

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The California State Normal School's capsule box.

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Exploring the contents

No one knew what to expect inside the box. When it was opened, to much anticipation, it turned out to be a unique snapshot of L.A. in the 1880s and 1920s. Inside were dozens of documents, photos and keepsake items that spanned everything from government records to community memories.

There were annual reports from city departments, rulebooks, portraits of library leaders and even employee lists that included janitors. It had multiple editions of the city charter — essentially L.A.’s constitution — and a population count from 1881 on a small card that showed just 11,000 Angelenos.

Library staff members in 1925 put these cards in the time capsule to add on to the Normal School's records.

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A scrapbook was also inside to document where the central library was before the main building (learn more about that here). It had newspapers from both time periods — including ones in Spanish, German and French. For some reason, the Normal School’s capsule included a copy of the Oshkosh Northwestern.

“ We’re still putting together why a newspaper from Oshkosh, Wisconsin, made its way into the 1881 time capsule, but I had a very puzzled look on my face when I pulled that out,” Szabo told the crowd.

Another oddity? The Normal School also had a memento from President James Garfield’s funeral, which happened in Cleveland, Ohio. He had been assassinated just months before the time capsule’s burial.

The black cloth and the dried moss are mementos from the funeral, according to librarians in 1925.

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Lerew said the newfound contents are helping restore library records, largely because a devastating arson fire in 1986 destroyed a fifth of its collection at the time.

“ We’re constantly trying to fill gaps in our collections,” he said. “When we’re able to do that for our own institutional history, that’s such a special thing and doesn’t come along every day.”

The capsule’s next steps

Part the contents included two editions of the L.A. city charter.

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A portrait of library commissioner Katherine G. Smith alongside two employee directories.

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The Central Library has centennial programming all year long — and the time capsule will be part of that.

A selection of the contents will be on display soon outside the literature and fiction department on the third floor. The rest will be stored in the special collections department, which you can make an appointment to see here.

And if you’ve ever wanted a chance to see a time capsule get made, the Central Library plans to create a new one sometime this year.

The Department of Justice released more than 3 million pages, including more than 2,000 videos and 180,000 images, in its files tied to the death and criminal investigation of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche says Friday's release means the DOJ is now in compliance with the Epstein Files Transparency Act, which Congress passed last November and which legally required the DOJ to release all the files.

Members of Congress who passed the law had earlier complained that the DOJ had failed to meet its deadline of mid-December to release all the files.

Blanche at a press conference on Friday morning said more than 500 lawyers and others worked through weekends and holidays to comply with the law, while making sure to protect victims' information. He said they had to review more than 6 million pages — "two Eiffel Towers of pages" — to decide what to release. They're continuing to withhold documents that depict violence or involve attorney-client privilege, he said. The department also said it discarded any duplicates or unrelated materials.

"I take umbrage at the suggestion, which is totally false, that the attorney general or this department does not take child exploitation or sex trafficking seriously, or that we somehow do not want to protect victims," Blanche said.

He also said the DOJ wasn't seeking to protect President Donald Trump while releasing the files, though some of the files contained sensational and false claims about the president and others.

"Through the process, the Department provided clear instructions to reviewers that the redactions were to be limited to the protection of victims and their families," the DOJ said in a statement. "Some pornographic images, whether commercial or not, were redacted, given the Department treated all women in those images as victims. Notable individuals and politicians were not redacted in the release of any files."

Epstein files political saga

The release of the Epstein files is the latest development in a political saga that has dogged Trump's second term in office and caused bipartisan backlash against Trump's conflicting and shifting commentary on the subject.

Trump amplified conspiracy theories about the files relating to his onetime friend Epstein on the campaign trail, vowing to publicize information about the financier's crimes and ties to powerful people that he alleged was being covered up by the government. But once he returned to the White House, Trump fought efforts by lawmakers and his supporters to release those files.

"There's this mantra out there that, oh, you know, the Department of Justice is supposed to protect Donald J. Trump," Blanche said on Friday. "That's not true. That was never the case. We are always concerned about the victims." He said Trump has directed the DOJ to "be as transparent as we can."

Separately, Blanche said the Department of Justice has opened a civil rights investigation into the death of Alex Pretti, a U.S. citizen who was shot by two immigration enforcement officers last weekend in Minneapolis. The investigation is being led by the FBI, but it is also coordinating with the DOJ's civil rights division, which is led by Harmeet Dhillon.

He also said the investigation was being done in coordination with the Department of Homeland Security.

"I don't want the takeaway to be that there's some massive civil rights investigation that's happening; I would describe this as a standard investigation by the FBI, when there's circumstances like what we saw last Saturday," Blanche said.

This is a developing story and will be updated.

Copyright 2026 NPR