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It’s Friday, Feb. 21 And Here Are The Stories We’re Following Today

Clouds will begin to gather today as the weather cools off a bit from yesterday’s highs in the low 80’s.
We didn't get caught up in the bee swarm that sent five people in Pasadena to the hospital after a hive was discovered at a hotel near Pasadena City College yesterday (that's a few miles from our headquarters). Ouch.
Here's a look at what we're...
Covering Today:
- Jacob Margolis reports on California’s Earthquake Brace + Bolt program, which provides grants up to $3,000 for homeowners in high-risk areas to lessen the potential for damage during an earthquake with a seismic retrofit.
- The GOP has been distributing confusing Trump campaign mailers that look like census forms, reports Josie Huang. Democrats in Orange County are pushing back.
- Gov. Gavin Newsom announced 286 state-owned properties that can be leased for homeless services. What's available in L.A., and how can they be used?
- Nontraditional voting centers, like car dealerships, that will replace traditional polling places in L.A. County will open Saturday.
In Case You Missed It:
- California state lawmakers voted on a resolution to apologize for interning 110,000 people of Japanese descent during World War II.
- USC announced that it would waive tuition for students whose families make less than $80,000 a year.
- State officials agreed to direct $50 million towards literacy programs as part of a settlement.
- The work of photographers who’ve captured the devastation of wildfires over the past few years is on display at the California Museum of Photography in Riverside.
- In an $18.8 million settlement, Time Warner Cable is reimbursing customers who said they didn’t get the internet speed they paid for.
- After a teacher was placed on leave for using a racial slur towards a student, more kids at Long Beach Polytechnic High School say they’ve been interviewed by police.
- L.A. officials opened the doors to a new homeless navigation center in North Hollywood.
Help Us Cover Your Community:
- Got something you’ve always wanted to know about Southern California and the people who call it home? Is there an issue you want us to cover? Ask us anything >>
- Have a tip about news on which we should dig deeper? Let us know >>
The news cycle moves fast. Some stories don't pan out. Others get added. Consider this today's first draft.
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First aspiring spectators must register online, then later in 2026 there will be a series of drawings.
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It's thanks to Tropical Storm Mario, so also be ready for heat and humidity, and possibly thunder and lightning.
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L.A. County investigators have launched a probe into allegations about Va Lecia Adams Kellum and people she hired at the L.A. Homeless Services Authority.
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L.A. Mayor Karen Bass suspended a state law allowing duplexes, calling more housing unsafe. But in Altadena, L.A. County leaders say these projects could be key for rebuilding.
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This measure on the Nov. 4, 2025, California ballot is part of a larger battle for control of the U.S. House of Representatives next year.
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After rising for years, the number of residential installations in the city of Los Angeles began to drop in 2023. The city isn’t subject to recent changes in state incentives, but other factors may be contributing to the decline.