Take to the skies with the best drone

• September 22, 2026

WHICH DRONE IS BEST?

Fitting a high-definition camera to a drone means you can capture amazing images for personal or commercial use. There are lots of photography drones on the market, but with a range of technical specifications and prices it’s difficult to know which is best.

We’ve put together a concise buying guide to help you find the right model for your video and photography needs. We’ve also made several recommendations at the end to help you get started on your search. Our top pick is the DJI Mini 4K, which combines excellent flight characteristics with high-quality recording.

In this article: DJI Mini 4K, DJI Mini 3 Fly More Combo and DJI Avata 2

WHAT TO KNOW BEFORE YOU BUY A DRONE

Resolution and fps

Many drones now have a camera attached — but that doesn’t make them great photography drones. It’s important to consider the kind of images you want to take and their intended use. A 1080p camera is called High Definition (HD) — and might be fine for survey work or family outings — but 4K captures around four times as much detail and is the standard required by pros. You also need to look at the number of frames per second (fps) — because that’s going to affect how smooth the video is, particularly if the drone is moving. A reasonable minimum is 24 fps. A 60 fps camera will produce high-quality video, but some photography drones will take 120 fps videos.

Megapixels

If you want to take high-quality stills, you need to look at megapixels (MP). While sensor size plays its part, it’s really a question of the more pixels the better — anywhere from 1MP to 32MP is common.

Storage

Another aspect of photography drones you’ll need to consider is memory size. High-resolution images take a lot of disk space. Your drone may come with an SD card — typically 16GB — but you’ll probably find yourself needing more.

Gimbals

Cameras can be either fixed or mounted on a gimbal that can be set at different angles. Zoom is not usually available on budget drones.

WHAT TO LOOK FOR IN A QUALITY DRONE

Battery

Drones have fairly limited batteries, and most photography drones can run for 15 to 30 minutes. This means you should plan out your shots ahead of time so that you don’t waste any time and can capture as much footage as possible.

Controls and display

Some photography drones come with a controller that can mount your phone or features a built-in display, while others are controlled with a smartphone app. In most cases, photography drones can stream video directly to your phone so you can see exactly what you’re capturing. Drones without this feature do not work well as photography drones.

Learning to fly

Photography drones take a while to master — and the last thing you want is a serious crash with your expensive investment. There’s no substitute for practice, but most have built-in safety features so they’ll return to base and land themselves if the battery is getting low, or they can sense they’re getting out of control range. Some have auto hover, advanced models also have collision avoidance.

HOW MUCH YOU CAN EXPECT TO SPEND ON A DRONE

You’ll need to spend around $200 for even the cheapest photography drone, and camera quality is modest in entry-level models. Semi-pro equipment costs around $500 and makes for decent photos and videos, but the best models cost $1,000 or more. That’s quite an investment, but you will be buying a machine with extraordinary capabilities.

DRONE FAQ

Can I just buy a cheap drone and attach my own camera?

A. It may be possible — some drones have the ability to attach a separate camera (usually action cams). However, without testing a drone yourself, there’s no way to know how the weight of your camera will affect flight characteristics, duration, or image stability.

Are there any regulations associated with photography drones?

A. It depends on the weight of the drone and whether you intend to use images for commercial purposes. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) sets the rules, and they do change from time to time. Check faa.gov for up-to-date info.

WHAT ARE THE BEST DRONES TO BUY?

Top drone

DJI Mini 4K

Our take: This compact, easy-to-fly drone provides high-quality recordings, excellent wind resistance and a long battery life.

What we like: It’s a beginner-friendly drone that’s ready to fly as soon as the battery is charged. The included remote is pre-paired, and the controls are intuitive and forgiving. It weighs less than 9 ounces, so you won’t need an FAA registration to fly.

What you should consider: It’s missing some popular features like follow-me mode or gesture controls.

Top drone for the money

DJI Mini 3 Fly More Combo

Our take: Costing less than an expert drone, this feature-packed model comes with three 38-minute batteries for 114 minutes of flying time.

What we like: It records in 4K HDR and features True Vertical shooting for capturing tall landmarks, such as buildings and waterfalls, effectively. It has level 5 wind resistance and a transmission range of up to 10 kilometers. Plus, you can capture incredible views in panorama landscape mode.

What you should consider: It doesn’t have a built-in sensor for avoiding obstacles.

Worth checking out

DJI Avata 2

Our take: For the more experienced drone flyer, this model is great for doing aerial tricks and recording them in HD quality.

What we like: With responsive flight and a steady camera, the Avata 2 excels at capturing 60-fps 4K video and has a generous 23-minute flight time. With a DJI controller, it can perform flips and tricks with a single button press.

What you should consider: Can only be operated with DJI VR goggles, which you must purchase separately.

Prices listed reflect time and date of publication and are subject to change.

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BestReviews spends thousands of hours researching, analyzing and testing products to recommend the best picks for most consumers. BestReviews and its newspaper partners may earn a commission if you purchase a product through one of our links.

​ Orange County Register 

No charges in Nolan Wells’ death following grand jury review

• September 22, 2026

PASCAGOULA, Miss. (AP) — A grand jury has found there wasn’t evidence to bring charges in the death of Nolan Wells, a Black teen who was found dead after a July 4 boating trip off the Mississippi Gulf Coast.

The decision announced late Monday by Angel Myers McIlrath, the district attorney overseeing Wells’ case, comes after months of intense speculation about how the 18-year-old disappeared from a bustling party and why the friends who ferried Wells to the island left without him.

The Jackson County grand jury found no evidence of criminal conduct and noted that examinations of his body by the Mississippi medical examiner’s office and an independent forensic pathologist hired by Wells’ family found the cause and manner of death to be undetermined.

“If credible evidence comes to light in the future that suggests Mr. Wells’ death was non-accidental, this matter should be represented to the Jackson County Grand Jury for further consideration,” the panel’s report said.

Lawyers for Wells’ family, including civil rights attorney Ben Crump, said the grand jury’s report leaves more questions than answers and accused the district attorney of ending the investigation without determining what caused blunt force trauma on the back of Wells’ head and body. They also renewed their request that the U.S. Department of Justice conduct an independent investigation and called on Myers McIlrath to release the full autopsy report by the medical examiner.

Crump, Wells’ family and the NAACP planned a news conference Tuesday.

Wells disappeared while celebrating the Fourth of July with friends on Horn Island, an island off Mississippi’s Gulf Coast. His body was discovered on the island’s northwestern tip two days after he was last seen.

Shortly after, Jackson County Sheriff’s Office officials said investigators did not suspect foul play, sparking widespread concerns about whether law enforcement would conduct a thorough investigation in a state with a brutal history of racism and civil rights violations. McIlrath repeatedly promised a fair and thorough investigation into his death.

Wells’ parents and their lawyers voiced suspicions after Wells’ friends left the island without him, saying he wanted to stay behind and talk to a girl. Wells’ phone was on the boat that took him to the island, which was later towed partway back to the mainland after taking on water.

Crump and Wells’ parents have cast doubt on why a teenager would choose to stay on an island without his phone. They also speculated that messages on his phone were tampered with and alleged his friends were reluctant to turn over his keys. Lawyers for Wells’ friends said the friends are cooperating with authorities.

The grand jury also debunked public assertions that Wells was the only Black person on Horn Island on July 4.

“These false assertions have led to misidentification, speculation and rumors concerning the death of Mr. Wells,” it said.

The report concluded with the panel expressing sympathy for Wells’ family. “The evidence received in this matter convinced the Grand Jury of Mr. Wells’ outstanding character,” it said.

​ Orange County Register 

Trump returns to UN at a moment of anxiety about Iran, AI and the future of world body itself

• September 22, 2026

By AAMER MADHANI

NEW YORK (AP) — President Donald Trump is set to address the U.N. General Assembly on Tuesday at a tumultuous moment for the world — and for his presidency.

The global economy has been shaken by his decision to launch a war against Iran. Anxiety about the social impact being wrought by artificial intelligence is surging. And questions linger about the future of the United Nations itself with Trump’s scaling back U.S. financial support for the United Nations.

After his speech to the annual gathering of world leaders, Trump is expected to hold talks with new British Prime Minister Andy Burnham, Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and a more informal meeting with Venezuela’s acting President Delcy Rodríguez, according to the White House.

He’s also set to meet with leaders and senior officials from Gulf Cooperation Council nations — Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and United Arab Emirates — to discuss the way ahead with the war in Iran and growing concern about recent Iran-backed rebel attacks on Saudi Arabia.

The visit to the U.N. comes when Trump’s foreign policy approach — particularly his decision to start a war with Iran — has become a drag on his fellow Republicans’ hopes of retaining control of both chambers of Congress during the coming midterm elections. Nevertheless, administration officials signaled Trump will make the case in his address that the world is better off for his leadership.

“We expect the president will highlight how he has and his administration have confronted complex problems head-on around the world,” Ambassador Mike Waltz, Trump’s chief envoy to the international body, told reporters.

Waltz also suggested that Trump might revisit some of his long-held criticism of the United Nations. The president has criticized the body as being ineffectual on issues of war and peace, has claimed the organization is perpetuating a “con job” by emphasizing the need to address global warming, and has asserted the U.N. has promoted the “invasion” of migrants into Europe.

Iran war to loom large

In last year’s address at the U.N., Trump claimed the U.S. had “demolished” Iran’s nuclear capabilities after he ordered the June 2025 bombardment of three key facilities.

He returns to the General Assembly nearing the seven-month mark of a new war against Iran that he insists is necessary to address a nuclear threat posed by Iran.

The war has grown more complicated even though strikes by the United States and Israel have killed much of Iran’s top leadership and destroyed its air force and navy, while a U.S. blockade of Iranian oil has left Tehran in economic shambles.

The passage of oil from other Gulf countries through the Strait of Hormuz has improved in recent weeks with the help of the U.S. Navy helping guide commercial vessels through the narrow waterway. Still, the flow of oil is significantly below pre-war levels. And Brent crude continues to hover around $100 per barrel, up from about the $70 range in the weeks before the start of the war.

But the energy market continues to be spooked. Saudi Arabia earlier this month shuttered a key pipeline that acted as a relief valve for oil blocked in the Gulf. The kingdom made the move after the pipeline came under attack by Iran-backed militants in Iraq.

At the same time, territorial grabs by the Yemen-based Houthi rebels, another Iranian-backed group, near the Bab al-Mandab Strait has now made it treacherous for oil carriers to use that Red Sea shipping lane.

Majed al-Ansari, chief spokesman for the Qatari Foreign Ministry, said Monday that Qatar and other mediators are trying to penetrate a “deep deficit of trust” between the U.S. and Iran and get the sides back to negotiations.

“What we’re trying to say is that, ‘Listen, this will end at the negotiating table,” said al-Ansari, speaking at the Concordia Annual Summit, a global affairs forum taking place during the U.N.’s high-level week. “Either we sign a deal now or sign a deal 10 months away. The only difference is the number of dead and destruction that we see.”

The administration will sign a Greenland deal

At last year’s General Assembly, Trump touted his record as a peacemaker and claimed that “everyone says that I should get the Nobel Peace Prize” for his administration’s efforts mediating several conflicts around the globe.

This year, his administration is set to sign an agreement on the sidelines of the General Assembly with Danish and Greenlandic leaders that aims to set the pathway for the expansion of the U.S. military’s footprint on Greenland.

The deal, announced last week, came together after Trump repeatedly threatened to “take over” Greenland, a territory of NATO-ally Denmark, by military force if necessary.

Under the deal, Greenland remains Denmark’s territory. “I’m looking forward to the meeting tomorrow. I think we have reached a good agreement,” Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen told Danish broadcaster TV2 Denmark.

Trump’s frustration with Russia-Ukraine war mounts

The president could also touch on Russia’s continuing war against Ukraine during the address — a conflict that during his 2024 campaign he predicted would be resolved on Day One of his second term.

The president has routinely expressed frustration about the conflict. He hasn’t obscured that his patience is being tested by Ukraine’s targeting of Russia’s diesel refineries — an issue that’s added to oil markets’ volatility — and Russia’s targeting of Ukraine’s energy grid.

Trump last week asserted that he got the two sides to agree to not target each other’s energy infrastructure. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he was willing to go along with Trump’s plan if Russia abided by it. Russia said it could only go along with Trump’s energy truce proposal if Western energy sanctions on Moscow were lifted first.

The two sides have continued carrying out strikes on refineries and other energy infrastructure. Trump on Monday, before departing for New York, expressed his frustration with targeting of energy infrastructure.

“Russia has unfortunately lost control of its Diesel Oil Industry due to its War with Ukraine,” Trump posted on social media. He added, “This ridiculous and never ending War with Ukraine must be ended.”

Trump to hold critical talks with UK, Japan and Venezuela leaders

The president is set to hold his first face-to-face meeting with Burnham, the center-left Labour Party leader who became prime minister in July.

With elevated oil prices dragging the British economy, he may also be eager to discuss ways to fully reopen the Strait of Hormuz. He announced on Monday that he would send a Royal Air Force plane to the Mideast to help Saudi Arabia repel attacks from Houthi rebels. The plane will refuel Saudi planes during defensive missions.

Trump’s meeting with Japan’s Takaichi comes as he prepares to welcome Chinese President Xi Jinping later this week to Washington for a state visit.

The historically complicated Japan-China relationship became even more fraught after Takaichi said last year that Japan’s military could intervene if China were to take action against Taiwan, a semi-autonomous island democracy that Beijing considers its own territory. The tensions have spilled over into the China-Japan economic relationship.

Trump’s engagement with Rodriguez, Venezuela’s interim president, will be the first meeting between the two leaders since Trump in January ordered a U.S. military operation to capture then-President Nicolás Maduro and swept him off to New York City to face federal narco-terrorism and drug trafficking charges. Maduro’s lawyers have objected to the U.S. military action that snatched him from power.

​ Orange County Register 

Orange County girls flag football: JSerra, Orange Lutheran collide Tuesday

• September 22, 2026

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The Orange County girls flag football rankings for Tuesday, Sept. 22.

GIRLS FLAG FOOTBALL TOP 10

School, record, previous rank

Records through Sept. 21.

1. JSerra 17-0 (1): The Lions ride a 45-game winning streak into their first Trinity League clash against visiting Orange Lutheran on Tuesday. JSerra beat the Lancers 27-6 last month in the Chargers tournament. Kate Meier has passed for 4,448 yards and 56 TDs, and rushed for 13 scores.

2. Orange Lutheran 17-1 (3): Capri Cuneo (18) and Claire Dahman (12) have combined for 18 interceptions.

3. Newport Harbor 15-3 (2): The Sailors play at Edison on Wednesday with a chance to rebound from a loss against Huntington Beach. Newport Harbor, Huntington Beach and Corona del Mar each have one loss in the Sunset League.

4. Huntington Beach 14-3 (6): Roxie Shaia passed for 227 yards and three TDs in an 18-6 win against Newport Harbor last week.

5. Woodbridge 14-4 (4): The Warriors defeated Tesoro 38-33 in a nonleague game Monday.

6. Corona del Mar 11-4 (5): The Sea Kings play at Huntington Beach on Wednesday. Corona del Mar won the teams’ first Sunset League game 20-18.

7. Mission Viejo 11-0 (9): The Diablos play host to Beckman in the South Coast League on Wednesday. Leah Vanderveen paces Mission Viejo with 14 touchdown receptions.

8. Trabuco Hills 9-5 (8): Ky Chappel has rushed for 580 yard and 11 touchdowns.

9. Beckman 14-5 (7): The Patriots slipped to 0-2 in the South Coast League with a 27-13 loss against Trabuco Hills on Monday.

10. Tesoro (14-5): Chloe Gillis tossed three touchdowns in a 21-19 victory against Santa Margarita. Tesoro avenged a 33-6 loss against the Eagles earlier in the season.

Also considered: Santa Margarita (7-8), Edison (13-5).

​ Orange County Register 

Orange County girls volleyball Top 10, Sept. 21

• September 22, 2026

This week’s Orange County girls volleyball rankings:

GIRLS VOLLEYBALL TOP 10 

Records through Sept. 20.

School, record, previous rank 

1. Mater Dei 23-0 (1): The Monarchs won the title in the top division of the Durango Fall Classic in Las Vegas. They beat Sierra Canyon in two sets in the final. Mater Dei’s Westley Matavao, a senior outside hitter who is committed to UCLA, was named tournament MVP.

2. Santa Margarita 10-8 (2): The Eagles were swept at home by defending CIF Southern Section Division 1 champion Sierra Canyon. They pick up Trinity League play this week with matches against Orange Lutheran and JSerra.

3. Los Alamitos 19-5 (3): The Griffins went 3-3 in the Durango Fall Classic. They beat Newport Harbor in four sets two weeks ago and are 6-0 in the Sunset League going into this week.

4. Newport Harbor 23-5 (3): The Sailors won the Bronze Division championship of the Durango Fall Classic. They also beat Corona del Mar and Huntington Beach in Sunset League matches last week.

5. Crean Lutheran 18-4 (5) : The Crestview League leaders beat Canyon in a league match and St. Margaret’s in a nonleague match.

6. JSerra 6-10 (6): The Lions did not play last week. They return to action with a nonleague match at Aliso Niguel on Tuesday followed by a crucial Trinity League match at Santa Margarita on Thursday.

7. San Juan Hills 7-12 (7): The Stallions lost to Aliso Niguel and defeated San Clemente last week.

8. Orange Lutheran 23-3 (8): The Lancers lost to a team everyone should expect the Lancers to lose to, Sierra Canyon, in their only match last week. Orange Lutheran has two more big challenges this week – a Trinity League home match Tuesday against Santa Margarita, and a league match Thursday at Mater Dei.

9. Edison 8-11 (9): The Chargers split their two matches last week. They beat Fountain Valley in a Sunset League match. Edison lost to San Clemente in nonleague play. Edison is home against Newport Harbor in a league match Wednesday.

10. Corona del Mar 17-4 (9): The Sea Kings lost Sunset League away matches to Newport Harbor and Los Alamitos last week.

Also considered: Aliso Niguel;  Beckman; Cypress; Huntington Beach; San Clemente; St. Margaret’s.

​ Orange County Register 

Davante Adams leads the way in Rams’ bounce-back victory over Giants

• September 22, 2026

INGLEWOOD — Davante Adams’ inherent insistence over where the Rams’ offense was heading amplified the team-wide messaging heading into Monday night.

The Rams didn’t want to make excuses about their Down Under disappointment in the season-opening loss to the San Francisco 49ers in Australia.

Neither did Adams. No more travel discourse. No more potential Week 1 hiccups.

“You’re a fool,” Adams said Thursday, when asked if the Rams’ first-week woes were the offense’s reality.

The New York Giants were the fools on Monday night. Adams more than backed up the messaging with his best performance since joining the Rams, eight catches for 195 yards and two touchdowns in a 28-6 victory over the Giants (1-1) on Monday night at SoFi Stadium.

“We’re thrilled to win – any win in this league is one to celebrate,” Adams said after the game. “But when you look back, trying to be great and be a Super Bowl-caliber team, you got to hold yourself to a high standard, and I think we can do a little bit better than even what we did, but this is definitely on track with what we’re capable of.”

The 33-year-old wide receiver – leading the way after the Rams (1-1) deemed star wide receiver Puka Nacua inactive before the game with a hip injury – started the scoring with a 31-yard touchdown grab when he extended his arms above his head to snag a low-arm-angle pass from Matthew Stafford, and burst from the center of the field into the end zone with 19 seconds left in the first quarter.

Early in the second quarter, Adams put Giants safety Tyler Nubin on skates and collected a deep pass with heaps of green turf in front of him for a 64-yard gain. Three plays later, Stafford connected with running back Kyren Williams for a 10-yard touchdown pass and a 14-0 lead.

Adams wasn’t done, collecting a high fade for an 11-yard touchdown catch with 6:21 left in the third quarter to extend the Rams’ lead to three scores. His 195 receiving yards were the fourth-best total of his career (11 yards short of his career-best 206 in a 2021 game with the Green Bay Packers) and his best as a Ram.

“Anytime you go eight (catches) for 195 (yards) is a pretty special deal,” Rams coach Sean McVay said.

Despite finally finding their rhythm on offense – the word of choice for Rams’ coaches and players alike over the past 10 days – in Stafford’s four-touchdown pass, 327-yard effort, which included tight end Terrance Ferguson being unlocked for 54 receiving yards and a touchdown, the results weren’t all pretty.

Ferguson dropped a pair of open passes. Stafford tried to feed the hot hand and instead threw his second interception of the season when double coverage stymied Adams’ attempt at catching a deep ball. Williams fumbled at the Rams’ 11-yard line. Giants safety Jevon Holland came up with the interception on Stafford’s pass, as well as the punch out and fumble recovery on Williams.

But the Rams’ defense held, partially buoyed by Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart exiting during their first drive with a knee injury when outside linebackers Josaiah Stewart and Byron Young (one sack) sandwiched him to the ground.

The roars were clear. The noise was deafening. Aaron Donald stormed his way through the home tunnel during starting lineup introductions as the announced crowd of 73,773 rose to their feet.

“He came running out of the tunnel and I couldn’t control myself,” Stafford said. “I was freaking hyped, man.”

He was back.

When the Giants took over at the 11-yard line late in the second quarter, Donald kept New York out of the end zone when he read a Giants play call, stuffing running back Najee Harris backward for a loss of 3 yards on a third-and-2 from the Rams’ 3-yard line.

Donald, who spent two years in retirement after a Hall of Fame-caliber career, returned Monday and played 58% of the snaps for the night. The 35-year-old tallied three tackles and a tackle for loss in his season debut in his first game since a January 14, 2024 NFC wild-card playoff loss in Detroit.

“It felt good,” Donald said with a laugh. “Wish I was able to slam him, though. But first game back, we’ll get there.”

Was there a snap count in Donald’s return game?

“What do you think?” McVay posed to reporters afterward. “You tell him to come out.”

At his postgame press conference, Donald conveyed his soreness in response to multiple questions with his right hand in a wrap. Sore, sure.

Donald’s impact, however, paid dividends in the home opener.

He wasn’t the only “new” Rams player to stamp his impact on the game.

Cornerback Trent McDuffie intercepted Giants backup quarterback Jameis Winston on an underthrown pass to wide receiver Malik Nabers in the end zone, holding their foes at bay from inching closer.

“It was the first home game and I’m glad I could start it off right, and hopefully there’s more to come,” McDuffie said of his interception.

McDuffie, who also set a career-high with four passes defended, secured his first interception as a Ram since being acquired in an offseason trade with the Kansas City Chiefs.

“Trent was a stud,” McVay said.

Even undrafted free agent Wesley Bailey secured his first career sack, making his mark in lieu of star edge rusher Myles Garrett, who will miss at least the following three games after undergoing successful knee surgery last Monday. Garrett watched the game from a suite at SoFi Stadium.

The Rams’ defense held the Giants to 182 yards and Winston to just 111 through the air (on 11-for-27 passing) as Dart never returned.

“Guys were flying around, man,” Donald said. “Today, the defense played how we supposed to play.”

The Rams rolled up 481 total yards with ample protection from the offensive line and averaged 5.8 yards per carry with the tandem of Williams (12 carries for 85 yards) and running back Blake Corum (12 carries for 79 yards).

With a trip to Denver to face the Broncos (1-1) next on the docket, Monday could have been a wrench that threw the Rams’ Super Bowl hopes into question.

Instead, Monday Night Football provided a victory so comforting, it had McVay vocalizing a festered admission to the Rams’ Australia travel-plan hullabaloo.

“Sometimes you win,” McVay said.

“Sometimes you learn,” he continued.

“And sometimes you have a dumbass coach that makes travel plans that puts you in bad spot,” McVay concluded.

​ Orange County Register 

Orange County scores and player stats for Monday, Sept. 21

• September 22, 2026

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Scores and stats from Orange County games on Monday, Sept. 21

Click here for details about sending your team’s scores and stats to the Register.

The deadline for submitting information is 10:45 p.m. Monday through Friday and 10 p.m. Saturday.

GIRLS GOLF

EMPIRE LEAGUE

Garden Grove 270, Ocean View 291

NONLEAGUE

Oxford Academy 226, Santa Fe 276

GIRLS TENNIS

NONLEAGUE

Canyon 17, Villa Park 1

Kennedy 13, Magnolia 5

Orange Lutheran 12, Beckman 6

GIRLS FLAG FOOTBALL

EMPIRE LEAGUE

Westminster 37, Kennedy 20

Fullerton 43, Laguna Hills 13

Valencia 24, Garden Grove 0

FREEWAY LEAGUE

Villa Park 14, Sunny Hills 7

GOLDEN WEST LEAGUE

Godinez 20, Katella 14

GROVE LEAGUE

Santiago 19, Los Amigos 2

Saddleback 32, Savanna 0

NORTH HILLS LEAGUE

La Habra 28, Brea Olinda 0

ORANGE LEAGUE

Century 24, Western 6

Bolsa Grande 32, Magnolia 0

PACIFIC COAST LEAGUE

Sage Hill 25, University 14

PACIFIC HILLS LEAGUE

Irvine 12, Pacifica Christian 0

RIO VISTA LEAGUE

Glenn 27, Oxford Academy 0

​ Orange County Register 

Stanton man who died trying to stop Cook’s Corner shooter declared Carnegie Medal hero

• September 22, 2026

A Stanton man who died trying to stop a rampaging shooter in 2023 at a popular Trabuco Canyon roadhouse will be awarded North America’s top honor for civilian heroism.

Glen Sprowl Jr., who rushed at the heavily armed gunman at Cook’s Corner with only a pocketknife, is receiving the Carnegie Medal posthumously, the Carnegie Hero Fund Commission announced Monday. Sprowl, who was 53, will be joined by 15 other new recipients across the United States and Canada.

The medal recognizes individuals who risk their lives to an extraordinary degree to save or attempt to save others. Besides the medal, the award carries a $7,500 grant to Sprowl’s family.

“At the end of the day, (Sprowl) heard shots fired and went toward the gunfire,” said Jewels Phraner, director of administration at the Pittsburgh-based Carnegie organization. “He distracted the gunman long enough for them to take cover, for people to flee, for police to get there. … He (saved) people by giving them time.”

John Patrick Snowling, a 59-year-old retired Ventura Police Department sergeant, stormed into the popular bar wearing a black baseball cap and holding a revolver in his right hand and a semiautomatic gun in his left on Aug. 23, 2023.

Snowling, in the midst of a divorce, was searching for his estranged wife, Marie, who was at Cook’s Corner during the $8 “Spaghetti Night.” Without word, Snowling fired a round into her jaw and then let fly a barrage of bullets throughout the building. Marie Snowling survived the attack.

The gunman then went outside and retrieved a shotgun and a third handgun from his truck, witnesses said.

According to the Carnegie commission’s investigation, Sprowl, who worked as a shop manager, was sitting outside the front of the bar when Snowling came out.

Surveillance video captured Sprowl entering the bar shortly after the assailant exited. Sprowl then came back outside, moving around the building toward the parking lot. As he did, he encountered several people and tried to rally them to pursue Snowling, according to the commission.

Carrying a pocketknife, Sprowl then continued alone toward the shooter, reaching the base of a ramp to the parking lot. Snowling fired at Sprowl with a shotgun, hitting him four times in the upper body. Sprowl collapsed and died at the scene. Snowling went on to shoot two other people before Orange County sheriff’s deputies arrived about four minutes later.

Deputies killed Snowling in a wild, adrenaline-fueled gun battle that left more than 70 spent rounds. They found a loaded Beretta 950B .25-caliber semiautomatic pistol tucked in Snowling’s back pants pocket. The gunman had killed three people, including Sprowl, and injured six more in the melee.

Sprowl’s next of kin, an adult son, declined to have the Carnegie commission release his contact information, saying he wished privacy.

In earlier interviews, Sprowl’s friends and family described him as a guy with a tough exterior but a big heart, the type of friend who would drop everything to help someone in need.

Sprowl was the father of three children, two sons and daughter who live in Arizona. He had plans to move there to be closer to them and start a motorcycle parts company, friends said.

Phraner said the medal takes a few months to be manufactured and will be awarded to Sprowl’s family in a local ceremony yet to be determined. Each recipient gets his or her own ceremony.

Sprowl is in good company in the latest group of recipients. They include a 24-year-old man who rescued an injured hang glider that crashed on the side of a mountain in Duncan, British Columbia; a 19-year-old woman who was shot and killed while trying to rescue her neighbor from an estranged partner in Peoria, Illinois; and a 68-year-old grandfather who went back into a burning house in Stockton to save his grandson. The boy ultimately was rescued by his father, who also went into the house. The grandfather died in the fire.

With the latest group of recipients, the Carnegie Medal has been awarded to 10,597 people since the inception of the fund in 1904. Established by industrialist-philanthropist Andrew Carnegie, the fund has given out more than $47 million in one-time grants, scholarship aid, death benefits and other assistance, according to the organization.

​ Orange County Register