Man allegedly pepper-sprays moviegoer for using cell phone in Burbank theater

• September 20, 2026

A man was cited and released for allegedly pepper-spraying a patron who was using a cell phone during a movie in Burbank, according to multiple media reports.

The incident occurred about 5:30 p.m. Tuesday at the AMC Burbank, 125 E. Palm Ave. A witness told police that about 40 minutes into the movie, the hiss of aerosol spray could be heard from a few rows behind, according to KTLA5.

Moments later, a moviegoer was heard yelling. The suspect was reportedly seen fleeing the theater after the incident. The witness contacted police, who located the man in the theater lobby and took him into custody.

A 34-year-old man was cited for misdemeanor battery and released at 7:22 a.m. Wednesday, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department’s Inmate Information Center.

Two other moviegoers complained of irritation from the pepper spray, NBC4 reported.

​ Orange County Register 

Angel City FC takes playoff fight to the road starting Sunday against Utah

• September 19, 2026

Angel City Football Club interim coach Leif Smerud joked after Wednesday’s game that he likes going on the road to see new and different parts of America.

He’s going to get his wish for the next four games, including the next three consecutive weeks against the top of the NWSL, all coming before the international break. All while Angel City continues its fight for an NWSL playoff spot.

“I look forward to it,” he said. “I like being on the road. I get to see a lot of the U.S., so I’m happy with it, going out and hopefully we can get three points.”

The first three opponents (Utah, Washington and Gotham FC) are all battling for first place in the NWSL. Angel City is currently in ninth place, one point behind the final playoff spot (Seattle Reign, 36 points) and with a clear view of at least fifth place, just three points behind. If Angel City makes the playoffs, it will be just the second time in its five-year history. The first was in 2023 under then interim coach Becki Tweed.

“It’s interesting because I’ve heard that it’s difficult to win away, in this league and that probably is (true),” Smerud said. “But I’ve sort of experienced that it’s not that difficult. We have done well on the road.”

Of Angel City’s 10 wins this season, a new club record, five are on the road and half of their 36 points (18) have come away from BMO Stadium.

“I think we have a style of play, where we are solid and we also managed to keep the ball a bit,” he said. “That can fit playing away in a good way. It’s good for us. Often there is a bit more space and the opponents has to try to do something offensively, which opens up space for some of our players, with the qualities we have.”

That road mentality was evident earlier this month as Angel City went 2-1 on a three-game trip. The team stayed out on the road, playing the North Carolina Courage, Boston Legacy FC and Racing Louisville FC.

This trip, Angel City will return home after Sunday, but then stay on the road after playing Washington (Sept. 26), heading to New Jersey to face Gotham FC (Oct. 4). After the international break, Angel City will return with a fourth consecutive road game, visiting Denver Summit FC.

“There is a competitive spirit in us now that I like a lot and that really pays off,” Smerud said.

Angel City lost its first meeting against Utah (1-0), May 2. Maiara Niehues received a red card late in the first half, leaving the team a player short for the second half. Utah is up to fourth place (42 points) entering this week. Last season, Utah finished in 12th place.

ANGEL CITY FC at UTAH ROYALS FC

When: Sunday, 4 p.m.

Where: America First Field; Sandy, Utah

How to watch: NWSL+

​ Orange County Register 

Hoag’s Irvine expansion fits right in

• September 19, 2026

A first visit to Hoag’s massive Irvine expansion could, naturally, involve asking for some help navigating its floor plan.

When the bigger Hoag Hospital Irvine Sun Family Campus opens its last buildings to the public this month offering care to patients of unique health journeys — from mothers and newborns to cancer and digestive health patients — Hoag leaders said it could take time “acclimating the community” to the campus’s layout.

“We had done a previous scheme to this, to what we’ve built. It was a regular hospital tower, very traditional. But Irvine is planned around a series of villages,” said Hoag Real Estate and Facilities Senior Vice President Sanford Smith, part of a team that helped steer the $1 billion construction project toward its completion.

“That was sort of the guiding principle,” Smith said of the individual specialty care facilities that were built instead. “This was going to become the healthcare village.”

Some community members got the gist of moving around the campus, situated on the northwest corner of Alton Parkway and Sand Canyon Avenue, Saturday, Sept. 19, as they took guided tours of inpatient and outpatient facilities for cancer, digestive and women’s health.

The tours were part of a free “World of Wonder” event being hosted by Hoag to celebrate the expansion project’s completion.

“We had the rare opportunity to build around the patient experience from the ground up,” Hoag Hospital Board of Directors Chair Robert Brunswick said. “That meant thinking not only about the medicine and technology inside these buildings, but also about how patients and families move through them, how they stay connected to their care teams, and how the environment itself can support them during some of the most important moments of their lives.”

A healthcare ‘ecosystem’

Hoag leaders said “science-based hospitality” — the idea that patients’ environments contribute to their healing — helped inspire the impulse to ditch the traditional mid-rise hospital model and instead build a fluid “healthcare village” tapping into Irvine’s nature scene and suburban feel.

Rooms are private, stocked with equipment and technology that localize care and give patients and their support systems more control over their experience. Each inpatient room lets in lots of natural light and opens up to views of greenery, including outdoor courtyards and balconies that are accessible to patients and visitors looking for fresh air or a serene moment.

“Hoag Hospital Irvine’s Sun Family Campus is an excellent example of how hospitals are rethinking not only where care is delivered, but the entire experience surrounding that care for families and caregivers alike,” said Sara May, the Orange County regional vice president of the Hospital Association of Southern California.

Also, the campus’s decentralized layout — separating the Women’s Outpatient Pavilion, Women’s Hospital, Cancer and Digestive Hospital and Cancer and Digestive Outpatient Pavilion into distinct but interconnected blocks — gives a nod to its intense specialization.

And with additional hospital beds, new services and a growing team of medical care professionals, there’s also how Hoag’s expansion fits into the larger Orange County picture.

“For Orange County, the campus represents a substantial investment in the region’s health care infrastructure, including the addition of 155 inpatient beds that will expand capacity to meet the needs of a growing and changing community,” May said. “As health care needs become increasingly complex, investments that expand access while creating more coordinated, patient-centered environments are especially important.”

The Sun Family Campus completion caps off Irvine’s recent hospital boom, in which $4 billion in investments added 371 beds between City of Hope, UCI Health and Hoag this past year.

When City of Hope’s Cancer Specialty Hospital opened in December on Sand Canyon Avenue, less than four miles east of Hoag Irvine, it made available 73 inpatient beds devoted to myriad types of cancer. Two years prior, City of Hope opened its large outpatient care center on the same campus.

UCI Health — Irvine’s all-electric hospital also opened in December, bringing another 144 beds to the area and expanding acute patient care on Irvine’s west end, roughly a 15-minute drive from Hoag’s Sun Family Campus. UCI Health’  Joe C. Wen & Family Center for Advanced Care had previously opened at the Jamboree Road medical complex, offering outpatient services.

“If you combine what they bring to the region and what we already have existing here, the whole menu of treatment is available,” Greater Irvine Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Dave Coffaro said.

“Whether it’s preventative types of care at the wellness center, the Samueli Integrative Health Institute at UCI, where a lot of that’s preventive to chronic diseases and cancer and things like that, with City of Hope and Hoag kind of picking up space in between,” Coffaro said, “you’ve got this amazing breadth of services for preventive, quality of health and chronic health treatments.”

The recent hospital boom has meant a massive hiring wave as staffing ramped up, but has also strengthened the synergy between Irvine’s hospitals and med-tech companies, giving them reasons to stay local and elevate the county’s level of care, Coffaro said.

In 2023, the Irvine Greater Chamber of Commerce published a study that said of the 1,552 major device and equipment companies in the state, more than 235, or roughly 15%, are in Orange County. And of that percentage, some of the biggest companies, such as Edwards Lifesciences and Masimo, are headquartered in Irvine.

“In economics terms, it’s the whole supply chain. We’ve got it all here,” Coffaro said. “We’re looking at the whole ecosystem.”

​ Orange County Register 

Lisa Leslie’s statue celebration ‘makes sense’ according to Nneka Ogwumike

• September 19, 2026

TORRANCE — After 15 seasons, Sparks all-time leading scorer Nneka Ogwumike is three games away from retiring from the WNBA.

Ogwumike is also less than 24 hours from celebrating franchise legend Lisa Leslie, a three-time league MVP who played for Los Angeles from 1997-2009 and won consecutive WNBA championships in 2001 and 2002, who is honored with a statue outside Crypto.com Arena Sunday afternoon.

Ogwumike said, “it just makes sense” that Leslie will be the first Spark to be memorialized outside of what was previously known as Staples Center.

“Lisa, she came in early in my career and provided me mentorship,” Ogwumike said at the team’s practice facility in Torrance Saturday afternoon. “Being able to have that Sparks family connection and understand what she was able to do with her time with the Sparks and doing my best to uphold that has given us an opportunity to also develop an almost like a family relationship, a very surprising sisterhood being able to be close with Lisa in that way so I’m happy to be here for that moment for her.”

For Sparks second-year coach Lynne Roberts, Leslie is the original Spark.

“She is one of the original ones that put professional women’s basketball on the map,”  Roberts said.

Ogwumike, an 11-time All-Star and 2016 WNBA MVP, is averaging 17.2 points, 8.8 rebounds and 3.0 assists this season and ranks fourth on the league’s all-time points list.

Ogwumike is also seven points away from scoring 8,000 career points in the WNBA. She will likely pass that mark in her penultimate home against on Sunday against the Portland Fire.

“I just come in every day and do my job,” Ogwumike continued. “I’ve been playing a long time, so I feel like that’s what 8,000 points means. I’m just glad that I’m healthy in this season of my life and I want to finish strong.”

Rae Burrell for Most Improved Player?

Meanwhile, Sparks fifth-year guard Rae Burrell, who is averaging a career-high 14.5 points, 2.4 rebounds and 2.6 assists on 45.9% shooting from the field and 37.3% from beyond the arc, is being pitched by the team as a candidate for the league’s Most Improved Player award.

“I think it means a lot,” Burrell said. “It’s good to get that recognition of the work that you put in. I’m happy that they’re showcasing that. It’s not an easy thing to do, especially, I feel like, in my position, amongst the conversations that have been had with the most improved players, I think that I was kind of put in one of the harder positions of being like a fifth option or what it is and just working my way to be in those conversations, so I’m proud of myself. I’m happy the team is showcasing that and giving me my flowers with that as well. I’m just happy to be in the conversations.”

Burrell, a first-year starter, had a career-high of 7.5 points last season.

Ogwumike believes Burrell has a strong case for MIP.

“She’s come in and had to occupy a lot of different spaces and hold a lot of different responsibilities, and she’s worn them well,” Ogwumike explained. “We’ve seen that her game has improved with her stepping up to the plate.”

“If you just look at it on paper,” Roberts added, “you can’t deny it. Every aspect of her game is improved. The role that she has taken on for our team, particularly after KP left, having to be that attacking player that can get to the hoop, her shooting is really good. She’s had a tremendous year.”

The Sparks (15-26) are 2-0 against Portland (16-26) this season, including an 89-72 home win on June 7 and a 106-101 road victory on Aug. 2, which was the same day the team traded away then-leading scorer Kelsey Plum to the Phoenix Mercury before the league’s trade deadline.

Forward Dearica Hamby led the way with 23 points and 10 rebounds in that victory over the Fire.

PORTLAND (16-26) AT SPARKS (15-26)

When: Sunday, 4 p.m.

Where: Crypto.com Arena, Los Angeles

TV: USA, Spectrum SportsNet

​ Orange County Register 

Widow of South OC Cars and Coffee co-founder killed in Irvine crash hires lawyer

• September 19, 2026

The widow of James Wehr, the South OC Cars and Coffee co-founder who died in a fiery McLaren collision in Irvine last weekend, has hired an accident lawyer to investigate the circumstances surrounding the crash.

Corey Higgins, with iAccidentLawyer.com, announced on an Instagram reel that he represents Emma Wehr.

“At the time of the collision, a significant amount of water was on the roadway on an otherwise clear night, creating an extremely hazardous condition for any motorist,” Higgins said in the reel. “The source of that water has yet to be identified, and our firm is actively investigating how that water came to be there, how long that condition had existed, and who may ultimately bear responsibility.”

He added,  “As part of that investigation, we are also examining the crashworthiness of the vehicle that James was driving, including how that vehicle and its safety systems performed during the collision and whether the vehicle provided the level of occupant protection that should be reasonably expected under the circumstances.”

Police have said the car was traveling at “a high rate of speed” on Culver Drive north of Deerfield Avenue around 12:20 a.m. on Sunday, Sept. 13, when it hit a curb, slammed into a tree, split in half and erupted in flames. They have not released a speed estimate.

James Wehr, 27, and Alexis “Lexi” Kramer, 22, a Hooters calendar model from Lakeland, Fla., died in the crash. He was driving, and she was in the passenger seat, police said.

“Our team is working to preserve the evidence, investigate every potential contributing factor, and determine the full sequence of events that led to this tragedy,” Higgins said.

“Our Major Accident Investigation Team (MAIT) is conducting an extensive investigation into the collision that will take months to complete,” the Irvine Police Department announced in a news release this week.

“Investigators will examine all possible contributing factors to the collision, including roadway and vehicle conditions, the vehicle’s speed, and any factors that may have affected Wehr’s operation of the McLaren,” police said.

A large crowd turned out for a memorial event at the weekly South OC Cars and Coffee gathering in San Clemente on Saturday.

Family of woman killed in McLaren crash in Irvine seeks funds to send her remains home to Florida

​ Orange County Register 

Saudi Arabia confirms Yemen’s Houthi rebels tried to attack its capital with a ballistic missile

• September 19, 2026

By TOQA EZZIDIN and CARA ANNA

CAIRO (AP) — Saudi Arabia on Saturday confirmed that Yemen’s Houthi rebels tried to attack its capital with a ballistic missile, the first targeting of Riyadh since the escalation in fighting with the Iran-backed rebels.

The statement by the Saudi-led coalition fighting the Houthis came long after the morning attempt, which the coalition said was intercepted. It also said the Houthis tried to attack civilian infrastructure in the Red Sea port city of Yanbu and in Taif, Baysh and Farasan but they were thwarted, giving no further details.

The Houthis earlier claimed, without providing evidence, they had targeted “sensitive sites” in Riyadh and facilities of Saudi oil giant Aramco in Yanbu, causing “massive fires.” Aramco, the world’s largest oil company, did not respond to a request for comment.

The fighting between Saudi Arabia and the Houthis is the latest front to erupt as a result of the Iran war. The growing conflict near another important global shipping corridor has brought new pressures for markets.

Houthi military spokesperson Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree claimed they attacked Saturday with cruise and ballistic missiles as well as drones. He also said Saudi Arabia had attempted to target the rebel-held city of Sanaa in Yemen, without giving details. The Associated Press couldn’t independently verify the claims.

On Thursday, the first civilian casualty was reported as the Saudi civil defense said debris from an intercepted Houthi drone killed a Yemeni resident of Saudi Arabia.

And on Wednesday, Saudi Arabia said the Houthis had tried to attack Mecca, Islam’s holiest city, with a drone that it said was intercepted. The Houthis fiercely denied the accusation.

Regional officials have told The Associated Press that Saudi Arabia is running low on missile interceptors and has asked France, Britain, Pakistan and Egypt for air defense support.

___

Anna reported from Jerusalem.

​ Orange County Register 

Coastal Cleanup a chance to give back, and get ahead of El Nino storms

• September 19, 2026

The coast is clear — for now.

Tens of thousands of volunteers showed up at beaches, harbors, parks, trails and lakes on Saturday, Sept. 19, ready to clean — a chance not just to give back, but also to tackle the trash that has collected between inland communities anhttps://www.ocregister.com/2026/09/17/surfboards-made-of-cigarettes-documentary-on-trashy-boards-shines-light-for-coastal-cleanup-day/d the coast before El Niño storms wash in down waterways and into the ocean.

California Coastal Cleanup Day marked its 42nd year on Saturday, a collective volunteer effort that brought together volunteers at more than 700 cleanup sites around the state. The day is held in conjunction with International Coastal Cleanup Day, making it a global affair reaching coasts around the world.

Rainfall — and there is more than usual expected from a forecasted El Niño — washes trash and pollution from gutters and streets, storm drains and creeks into the ocean, organizers said, so Coastal Cleanup Day provides an opportunity to prevent even greater harm to the coast and the wildlife that calls it home.

The event is put on by the California Coastal Commission, with the help of local nonprofit and environmental groups. The cleanup has grown to include all 58 California counties.

“As we celebrate the 50th year of the Coastal Act, Coastal Cleanup Day serves as an important reminder that we all need to show up to protect our coast,” Coastal Commission Executive Director Kate Huckelbridge said in a statement. “Year after year, Californians demonstrate their commitment to a clean and healthy coast and ocean, proving that Californians will take action to save our state’s iconic shoreline.”

Based on early reports from the field on Saturday afternoon, Orange County Coastkeeper said at least 16,700 pounds of trash was collected during cleanups around the county. More than 2,300 volunteers helped out.

One of the larger cleanups was held at Huntington State Beach, where more than 400 volunteers scoured the sand for debris. There were also educational booths with local nonprofits on hand, and shopping with sustainable products on display.

Orange County Coastkeeper serves as the regional coordinator for Orange County, helping to tally results and coordinate with more than 30 simultaneous cleanup events.

“Every piece of trash removed today represents a small but meaningful act of care for our waterways and ocean,” said Matt Sylvester, spokesperson with OC Coastkeeper, said in a statement. “As we celebrate 50 years of the Coastal Act, we’re grateful for the thousands of people who continue to show up and take responsibility for the future of our coast.”

​ Orange County Register 

Chargers eager ‘to get it right’ against rival Raiders

• September 19, 2026

Welcome to Raiders Week, also known as Week 2, also known as Do-Over Week.

“I feel like more urgency,” Pro Bowl safety Derwin James Jr. said of the Chargers’ preparations, on the field and off, for their AFC West rivalry game Sunday against the Las Vegas Raiders, after they turned in a dud in their season-opening loss last Sunday to the Arizona Cardinals.

“We were a little disappointed in ourselves in how we performed,” James added. “I feel like every guy looked in the mirror. Nobody was pointing a finger. That was the great thing about it, and everybody wanted to get it right and showed up with a sense of urgency to get it right. So, I just can’t wait for us to come out and play how we’re supposed to.”

The Chargers were supposed to win handily over the Cardinals. The oddsmakers made them 9½-point favorites. ESPN’s prediction model gave the Chargers’ chances to win nearly 80% But then they kicked the ball off and everything seemed to go haywire all at once in every facet.

Final: Cardinals 26, Chargers 14.

The Chargers can’t afford a repeat Sunday against the Raiders, winners of their season-opening game over the Miami Dolphins. They can’t afford to be passive in any way, shape or form, as they were for extended stretches against the Cardinals, particularly in the second half.

Again, the Chargers are expected to win, going into the game as 6½-point favorites over Las Vegas. ESPN’s prediction model favored the Chargers by 70.6%, as of Saturday. The Chargers have won four consecutive games over the Raiders, five of the past six and eight of the past 10.

Raiders Week means more to some Chargers than to others.

“I mean, every game is a big deal, man,” said outside linebacker Khalil Mack, a nine-time Pro Bowl selection who began his Hall of Fame-caliber career with the then-Oakland Raiders in 2014. “You treat every game the same, yeah, you treat every game like it’s the Super Bowl.”

Week 2 offers the Chargers an opportunity to play with the sort of efficiency that seemed to be missing in Week 1. In fact, their defense wasn’t so shabby after yielding a touchdown on the Cardinals’ opening possession, giving up another TD on a short field plus four field goals.

It was the Chargers’ offense that sputtered in offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel’s debut. McDaniel said earlier in the week that it was not the “vision” he had for the offense in his first game after he was hired to juice up the offense and get more from quarterback Justin Herbert.

After a credible first half in which the Chargers had only three possessions, their offense failed to click. Herbert threw a third-quarter touchdown pass to Ladd McConkey to cut the Chargers’ deficit to 16-14, but they would get no closer after McConkey left the game because of a rib injury.

McConkey was listed as questionable to play against the Raiders.

The Chargers need more from Herbert, from McConkey’s replacement if he can’t play, from running back Omarion Hampton, from the offensive line and from McDaniel if they are to defeat the Raiders. A difficult stretch of games follows Week 2, starting with the Buffalo Bills in Week 3.

Starting the season 0-2 with the Bills, the Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks, the AFC West champion Denver Broncos and the Kansas City Chiefs next on the schedule would be suboptimal if the Chargers hope to repeat the 11-win seasons of coach Jim Harbaugh’s first two campaigns.

“We did a disservice in how we’ve been trained in football,” McDaniel said of the loss to the Cardinals, when Herbert passed for a modest total of 209 yards and the Chargers ran for another 81. “So, we’ve had to get back to the grind and make sure that doesn’t occur again. If there was a simple answer, that would be really easy.

“You have a division opponent (the Raiders) that doesn’t care about your problems, and neither do any of the people who are spending all the money to be season-ticket holders. No one cares. The good news is that I think we have the character and ability to respond.”

CHARGERS (0-1) vs. RAIDERS (1-0)

When: 1:05 p.m. Sunday

Where: SoFi Stadium

TV/Radio: Ch. 2; 640 AM/103.9/89.3 FM (Spanish)

​ Orange County Register