Los Angeles to impose new COVID-19 restrictions on social gatherings

LOS ANGELES— Nearly all social gatherings of individuals from more than a single household will be banned in Los Angeles County for at least three weeks starting Monday under new restrictions local health officials unveiled on Friday, citing a continued surge in COVID-19 infections.

The public health order specifically exempts religious services and protests under constitutionally protected rights in an apparent nod to Wednesday's US Supreme Court decision striking down a New York state order that had restricted the size of religious gatherings.

The Los Angeles County measures, affecting some 20 million people living in and around the nation's second largest city, go beyond a curfew imposed last week by California Governor Gavin Newsom barring social gatherings and other non-essential activities across most of the state between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m.

Taken together, they represent the most stringent COVID-19 measures imposed on the Los Angeles area since California's first-in-the-nation statewide lockdown in March, early in the pandemic. They also are among the most restrictive in effect nationwide.

State and local authorities have instituted, or re-imposed, a wide range of limitations on social and economic activity in hopes of blunting a wave of coronavirus infections raging out of control across the country following a late-summer lull.

Political leaders and health officials have also escalated public appeals to pandemic-weary Americans in recent days urging them to stay home, avoid gatherings and limit Christmas shopping as they wait for promised vaccines.

In announcing the latest temporary constraints, L.A. county health officials said the daily tally of newly documented infections had exceeded 4,500 cases for five straight days, crossing a threshold previously set for additional measures to curb the contagion.

Under the new L.A. County order, which runs through Dec. 20, residents are advised - but not required - to stay home as much as possible and to always wear face coverings when outside their homes and around others.

But any social gatherings of people from more than one household are prohibited, whether in public or private, and whether indoors or outside. The latest order still permits some measure of commercial activity, albeit at reduced levels.

It lowers the maximum occupancy levels for "essential" retail businesses, including grocery stores, to 35% of capacity, while non-essential retail locations such as indoor shopping malls and personal care services such as nail salons can remain open at 20% of capacity.

Beaches, trails and parks remain open, too, so long as individuals keep their distance from others outside their households and wear a mask. The same applies to golf courses, tennis courts, skate parks and other outdoor recreational venues.

All indoor and outdoor service at bars, restaurants, wineries and breweries remains prohibited under an earlier county order that restricted them to takeout and delivery only.

Health officials around the country have warned that the holiday travel season and onset of colder weather - leading to greater social mixing and people congregating indoors - is fueling a COVID-19 surge that has sent infections, hospitalizations and deaths to record levels.

Nearly 388,000 COVID-19 cases have been confirmed across Los Angeles County to date, including more than 7,600 deaths, with 10% of all diagnostic tests coming back positive - twice the rate considered concerning by health authorities. 

The US has the world's highest number of COVID-19 infections with over 13 million cases, according to the tally by the Johns Hopkins University and Medicine.

-reuters-

LA County resident dies of lung illness, fifth US death possibly tied to vaping

A Los Angeles County resident has died from a lung illness possibly tied to vaping, bringing the total number of such US deaths to five, health officials said on Friday.

Officials are warning against e-cigarette use as the exact cause of any link between vaping and the lung condition remains unknown.

The unidentified person was described as an older adult who had chronic underlying health conditions and was one of 12 cases of people in Los Angeles County experiencing severe and sudden lung disease after a history of vaping, said Muntu Davis, Los Angeles County Department of Public Health officer.

"Our recommendation... is that if you don't have to vape, don't do it right now. There really is a lot of unknowns. There is a lot of information that needs to be gathered," he said during a news conference.

Deaths have also been confirmed in Illinois, Indiana, Minnesota and Oregon, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said on Friday. In addition, the agency is probing 450 cases of lung illness that may have been caused by e-cigarette use around the country.

The CDC said the total count of confirmed cases of illness linked to vaping remained at 215, the same as its update last month, but a number of other cases of lung illnesses remained under investigation.

Staff from health agencies, including the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), said they have not linked the illnesses to any specific e-cigarette product or any particular substance in the e-cigarettes.

The CDC said no evidence of infectious diseases has been identified and therefore the lung illnesses are likely associated with a chemical exposure.

"Something has to be done. There's not enough regulation. There's not enough action taken by our politicians," said Tim Johnson during a news conference in Illinois on Thursday after his daughter fell ill with a lung illness believed to have been caused by vaping.

"We may have dodged a bullet with our daughter."

E-cigarettes are generally thought to be safer than traditional cigarettes, which kill up to half of all lifetime users, according to the World Health Organization. But the long-term health effects of vaping are largely unknown.

Juul, in which Altria Group Inc. has an over 30-percent stake, is the dominant e-cigarette maker in the US market.

The New England Journal of Medicine published a study showing 84 percent of 53 patients with lung illnesses in Illinois and Wisconsin reported using tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the psychoactive component of cannabis, in e-cigarettes.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Hiker finds woman's body in Angeles National Forest

The body of a woman was found Thursday afternoon by a hiker in the Angeles National Forest.

The discovery was made on East Fork Road near Prairie Fork Road, the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department said.

Homicide detectives were investigating the circumstances surrounding the death. No additional details were immediately available.

Anyone with information is asked to call detectives at (323) 890-5500.

source: latimes.com

Pinoys celebrate Obama victory

LOS ANGELES - With chants of "Four more years" and "Free hot dogs", President Obama's Filipino supporters celebrated at Dodger Stadium with other Los Angeles county Democrats.


Despite neck-to-neck races in key battleground states, Filipino Democrats in the most Filipino-populated region of the country say they never doubted that Obama could win re-election.

"It's just great for the nation to be able to move forward all together as one," Kevin Ocupillo, an Obama supporter, said.

"We got the right guy for the job for the next four years," David Dantic, a Democrat, said.

Just as both President Obama and his rival Mitt Romney worked hard on the campaign trail, Filipinos say they also worked hard for Obama's campaign doing last minute voter canvassing and phone banking in the key swing states like Nevada.

"We had 9 buses that came from Los Angeles that went door-to-door knocking, hitting the pavement, boots to the ground and I met a few Filipinos there. It was wonderful to see the support for Obama," Jocelyn Rosenthal of Filipinos for Obama said.

The pro-Obama crowd jeered as they watch Mitt Romney's concession speech..

But were more than thrilled to hear President Obama's victory speech.

"I actually teared up because this win means so much to me. To my family. When ever i think about Mr. Obama, I think about my grandfather who believed in democracy and the power of the vote," said Melissa Ramosso of Filipinos for Obama.

Many Filipino Republicans in Southern California did not attend the Republican post-election party in Orange County.

But following Romney's concession, Republican Fil-Am politician Edith Fuentes of the  Filipino-American Business Association of Glendale, told Balitang America  that "the best thing for all of us now to do - is to move forward, forget about being a Republican or Democrat, but help those who got elected to do the best job they can - for the people of this country."

Now with the elections over, Filipino Democrats believe that four more years will be enough time for Obama to make good on his 2008 campaign promises of bringing change to a country reeling from an economic crisis.

source: abs-cbnnews.com

Inglewood pastor accused of sex abuse pleads not guilty

A pastor at an Inglewood church pleaded not guilty Friday to charges of sexually abusing a teenage congregant, officials said.

Gordon Solomon, 50, faces nine felony counts. He is being held in lieu of $3-million bail.

Authorities said Solomon met the now 14-year-old victim at Christ's Community Church, where he is the pastor. The alleged abuse started in June 2010 and didn't end until Sunday, according to the Los Angeles County district attorney's office.

The two allegedly exchanged explicit emails and text messages of a sexual nature and would secretly meet at locations throughout the city, according to a statement from the L.A. County Sheriff's Department.

The victim's mother stumbled upon one of the text messages sent to the girl, authorities said. She called the police immediately.

Solomon was charged Friday with seven counts of committing a lewd act on a child, one count of continuous sexual abuse and one count of oral copulation of a person under the age of 14.

If convicted, Solomon faces up to 26 years and 8 months in state prison.

Authorities said there could be additional alleged victims. As a leader of the church, Solomon worked alongside children during Bible classes, computer lessons and choir rehearsal, a member said.

Church officials could not be reached for comment.

Christ's Community Church, at 234 Hindry Ave., formed in 1994 and serves a small congregation of 200, according to the its website. In the community, the church is known for its twice-weekly food pantry, where Solomon and other members handed out fresh produce, canned goods and bread to those in need.

Last year, the church gave out more than $1-million worth of food and non-food items to families in the community, according to the church's website.

"We continue to strive to do more," Solomon wrote.

On Friday morning, several senior citizens arrived for the weekly food giveaway but were disappointed to find that the event had been canceled.

The sign posted on the church gate said nothing of Solomon's arrest, stating only: "No food giveaway."

source: latimes.com

Coroner confirms Whitney Houston found in bathtub

LOS ANGELES --Â Coroners on Sunday completed their autopsy on the body of singer Whitney Houston and confirmed that she was found in the bathtub of her Beverly Hills hotel room, but said the cause of death would not be determined until more lab tests were completed.

Ed Winter, assistant chief coroner for Los Angeles County, revealed little about the autopsy at a news conference, but said medical examiners found no visible signs of trauma or foul play.

He declined to comment on various media reports that Houston, 48, had drowned in her hotel bathtub, possibly after succumbing to drugs or alcohol. He added, "I'm not going to comment on any of the meds or prescriptions that were obtained."

"I'd just comment that she was found in the bathtub. ... I believe somebody removed her from the bathtub and the paramedics did CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) on her."

He said toxicology tests, which would take six to eight weeks to conduct, would be necessary to determine what factor, if any, drugs or alcohol might have played in Houston's death.

He also said a "security hold" had been placed on the case, as has been done in previous high-profile investigations, to keep further details from being divulged.

The coroner's briefing came as the Grammy Awards opened a few miles away at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, where rapper-actor LL Cool J paid tribute to the late pop star just after the start of the star-studded music show.

"We've had a death in our family and so at least for me ... the only thing that feels right is to begin with a prayer for a woman we loved, for our fallen sister, Whitney Houston," he said.

His brief prayer was followed by a clip of Houston singing her hit, "I Will Always Love You," as the crowd responded with a standing ovation.

Houston, who enjoyed tremendous professional success but struggled with drug abuse for years, died on Saturday afternoon in a fourth-floor room at the Beverly Hilton Hotel. She was at the hotel to attend an annual pre-Grammy gala held that evening by her mentor, record mogul Clive Davis.

The Grammy salute Sunday capped an emotional day for those closest to the pop diva and those who admired her as an entertainer. From the New Jersey church where Houston's singing career first took flight to the hotel where her life abruptly ended, family and fans expressed their grief on Sunday with prayer, tears and raw anguish.

Houston's only child, daughter Bobbi Kristina Brown, 18, was taken by paramedics from the hotel to nearby Cedars-Sinai Medical Center on Sunday suffering from anxiety, Beverly Hills police and fire officials said.

A fire department spokeswoman declined to disclose any information about the daughter's medical condition but said she was "awake and talking" at the time she was transported.

Brown, who was reported by celebrity news website TMZ.com as being enraged at authorities for not being allowed into the hotel room where her mother's body was found, was treated at the hospital for stress and released, a source close to the family told Reuters. A hospital spokeswoman declined comment.

CNN reported that Houston's ex-husband, R&B singer Bobby Brown, canceled a long-scheduled performance in Nashville, Tennessee, with his former band, New Edition, to fly back to Los Angeles and attend to the couple's daughter.

Tears and prayers

At the New Hope Baptist Church in Newark, New Jersey, Houston's hometown, fans and admirers gathered to celebrate her life during three Sunday services, portions of which were devoted to the singer and her family.

Cards and flowers were tied to the railings of the church, where congregants hugged and cried at the entrance. Among those paying their respects was the Reverend Jesse Jackson, the civil rights activist.

"The suddenness of it all leaves us traumatized," said Jackson, who watched Houston grow up and sing at New Hope. It was in that red brick church on a quiet backstreet near downtown Newark where Houston's career began as a soloist in a gospel choir in the 1970s.

While the cause of Houston's death remained undetermined, media reports on Sunday focused on her public behavior in the hours before her death.

The Los Angeles Times said Houston, disheveled, sweaty and smelling of alcohol, was behaving erratically when she stopped by the Hilton two days earlier, accompanied by her daughter, for rehearsals. She was seen flailing her hands frenetically, skipping around the ballroom and wandering aimlessless through the lobby, the newspaper said.

Members of Houston's family expressed their grief in a brief statement saying they were "devastated" by her loss.

"This is an unimaginable tragedy and we will miss her terribly," it said. "We appreciate the outpouring of love and support from her fans and friends."

In a separate statement issued through People magazine, former husband Bobby Brown, with whom she had shared a long struggle with substance abuse, said, "I am deeply saddened at the passing of my ex-wife, Whitney Houston."

Brown was described by an unnamed relative as "beside himself" with grief, according to the magazine.

On the West Coast, the First AME Church of Los Angeles, the city's oldest African-American congregation, held a special moment of silence in Houston's memory.

"Many of us were rooting and pulling for her because she has been a blessing to this generation with talent, with a special anointed voice," Pastor John Hunter told parishioners. "We will miss her. This world will miss her."

Houston's songs were already dominating Internet music sales early on Sunday. Her album "Whitney Houston - The Greatest Hits" was the top seller in the music category on Amazon.com, and her signature hit, "I Will Always Love You," was the No. 1 download at iTunes.

Over the course of a 30-year career in which she established herself as one of the most-admired and influential singers of her time, Houston won six Grammys, 30 Billboard awards and 22 American Music Awards.

The soundtrack for the hit movie in which she starred, "The Bodyguard," was among the best-selling film soundtracks ever.

By the early 1990s, Houston's success on stage was accompanied by an increasingly troubled personal life. In 1992 she married singer Bobby Brown and their tumultuous 14 years together were marred by drug abuse and domestic violence.

The last 10 years of Houston's life were dominated by drug use, rumors of relapses and trips to rehab.

source: interaksyon.com