Man suspected of shooting 15-year-old teen boy in La Habra arrested

• March 7, 2025

A 44-year-old La Habra man with alleged gang affiliations was arrested Thursday, March 6, on suspicion of fatally shooting a 15-year-old teenage boy.

The shooting occurred Feb. 22 shortly after midnight in a commercial area on the 700 block of East Lambert Road. Officers responded to the area and found the teen, who sustained a gunshot wound and later died at the hospital, the La Habra Police Department said. Details on the victim and the circumstances leading up to the shooting were not released.

On Thursday, detectives arrested Michael Sanchez on suspicion of murder with a gang enhancement.

A spokesperson from the department could not be reached for additional information. The investigation is ongoing, police said.

​ Orange County Register 

UC Irvine women edge UC Davis to clinch top-2 seed in Big West Tournament

• March 7, 2025

IRVINE — The incentive was clear.

If the UC Irvine women’s basketball team could beat visiting UC Davis on Thursday evening, the Anteaters would lock up a double-bye into the Big West Tournament semifinals next week.

Getting to that point was never going to be easy, but UCI found a way when Nikki Tom sank a pull-up jumper with 1.6 seconds left, lifting the Anteaters to a 55-53 victory over the Aggies at the Bren Events Center.

The victory gave the Anteaters (20-9 overall, 14-5 Big West) their fourth straight 20-win season and a top-two finish in the Big West regular-season standings.

With that finish comes a guaranteed spot in the tournament semifinals next Friday in Henderson, Nevada.

“The double-bye was really what we were playing for today,” UCI coach Tamara Inoue said.

That prognosis didn’t look good when both teams came out of television timeout and the Aggies made two free throws to push their lead to 53-46 with 4:25 left, but the visitors didn’t score the rest of the way against a UCI team that came into the game sixth in the nation in field-goal percentage defense (35.3%) and 11th in scoring defense (54.2 ppg).

“Defense, that’s something we really push,” Inoue said. “Even though we were having some empties (possessions), we were getting back and defending really well.”

Summah Hanson entered the game during the timeout and the 6-foot-3 sophomore from Australia swished a 3-pointer to cut the deficit to four. She then sank two free throws to trim the lead to two with 3:30 remaining.

“I thought her 3 really turned it,” Inoue said of Hanson.

Deja Lee tied it with a short jumper with 2:47 left and neither team scored again until Tom’s game-winner.

“Before the play even started, Amelia (Scharpf) told me, ‘Be ready to shoot,’ so I was really prepared,” said Tom, a four-year starter. “I just knew my teammates trusted me to have that moment.”

Tom had missed all four of her field-goal attempts and had not scored prior to her go-ahead basket.

“Nikki knows time and score, so I knew she was going to take that shot,” Inoue said. “She’s smart. The stats don’t always show how valuable she is but Nikki, by far, is the most valuable player on the team.”

Hunter Hernandez scored 12 points and Lee and Olivia Williams finished with 10 points each for UCI, which closes out the regular season against visiting UC Santa Barbara on Saturday afternoon.

Megan Norris scored 15 points and Ryann Bennett contributed 12 for the Aggies (18-11, 12-7), who had won three straight entering the game.

“I came into this league and (UC Davis coach Jennifer Gross) kicked my butt the first three or four years,” Inoue said. “Just never let off the gas, and then we started to catch them a little bit, but there’s never a game that we play that’s not competitive.”

The Anteaters missed their first three shots of the game, but then got hot, building an 11-2 lead and forcing the Aggies to burn an early timeout.

Bennett subbed in, however, and she scored the first six points in an 8-0 run that pulled the Aggies back within 11-10.

Tova Sabel, who leads UCD in scoring and is second in the Big West at 15.1 ppg, picked up her second foul with 6:43 still left in the first quarter and she sat on the bench for the remainder of the half before finishing with nine points.

The Anteaters eventually took a 16-15 lead into the second quarter. Shirel Nahum checked in for UCI and scored the first four points in a 7-0 run that was capped by a 3-pointer from Ines Gnahore that extended the lead to 25-20 with 2:19 left in the half.

The Aggies scored the final five points of the half to tie it up 25-25 at the break.

​ Orange County Register 

Update: 5 Freeway corridor near Santa Clarita under a wind advisory until early Friday morning

• March 7, 2025

An updated wind advisory was issued by the National Weather Service on Thursday at 8:50 p.m. valid from 9 p.m. until Friday, Mar. 7 at 4 a.m. for 5 Freeway corridor near Santa Clarita.

The NWS Los Angeles/Oxnard CA said, “Northwest winds 15 to 25 mph with gusts up to 45 mph expected.”

“Gusty winds will blow around unsecured objects. Tree limbs could be blown down and a few power outages may result,” the NWS said. “Winds this strong can make driving difficult, especially for high profile vehicles. Use extra caution.”

​ Orange County Register 

Lakers’ Austin Reaves returns vs. Knicks after missing 2 games with calf injury

• March 7, 2025

LOS ANGELES — Lakers starting Austin Reaves returned to the lineup for Thursday night’s homestand finale against the New York Knicks after missing the previous two games.

Reaves sat out Tuesday’s victory over the New Orleans Pelicans and Sunday’s victory over the Clippers because of a strained right calf that forced him to miss most of last Friday’s win against the Clippers.

The fourth-year guard’s status was day-to-day after an MRI on the calf from over the weekend didn’t reveal a serious injury.

Reaves is averaging 19.1 points, six assists and 4.2 rebounds this season – one of 15 players in the NBA to meet the 19 point/six-assist/four-rebound statistical threshold, along with Lakers teammates Luka Doncic and LeBron James.

“The imaging we got kind of relieved any fears we had,” Coach JJ Redick said before Thursday’s game. “It’s just been more about him feeling comfortable and ready to play.

“He’s just had an overall great season. He’s been solid – more than solid. He’s been really good through each iteration of this team this season. And I think the more time that him, Bron and Luka could just all be on the court together and get comfortable is good for us going into this home stretch.”

Starting forward Rui Hachimura missed his fourth consecutive game because of left patellar tendinopathy.

Hachimura is expected to be reassessed on Friday ahead of the team’s four-game road trip that begins on Saturday night in Boston.

Redick said Hachimura will “likely” travel with the team.

DRIVING

Doncic said after the win against the Pelicans that he felt he should drive to the basket more, indicating that he still getting into rhythm after missing 6½ weeks because of a strained left calf as a reason for not doing so.

And while he’s driving at a similar rate as he did with the Dallas Mavericks before his injury and being traded in early February, he’s driving less than he has in previous seasons.

Doncic entered Thursday averaging 14.4 drives in his nine games as a Laker compared to the 14.6 he did in 22 games with the Mavericks earlier this season.

But he averaged 17.8 drives in 2023-24 and 19.7 the previous season.

Opponents have typically trapped or switched when Doncic has operated as the ball handler in pick-and-rolls.

“He’s done a good job of finding the balance,” Redick said of Doncic. “He may feel that. That’s not something we’ve addressed as a staff. We feel like he’s getting two on the ball and moving it. When he’s making 3s, he’s Luka and he’s one of the hardest players in the world to guard.

“But we like the way he’s balancing all the facets of his offensive game.”

​ Orange County Register 

Angels pitcher Caden Dana says arm feels fine despite struggles

• March 7, 2025

PEORIA, Ariz. — Angels top pitching prospect Caden Dana moved quickly to dispel any suggestion that his spring struggles have anything to do with arm discomfort.

On Tuesday against the Cleveland Guardians, the right-hander came on in relief, left the game after some initial struggles and went back to the mound the following inning, as spring rules allow. Neither inning went well.

Afterward, Angels manager Ron Washington suggested that common mid-spring arm fatigue could have been a culprit.

“There were times I thought he popped the ball pretty good,” Washington said.

An off day physically certainly would seem plausible. Dana was uncharacteristic in giving seven runs on five hits and four walks while recording three outs across the two innings he appeared, while recording three total outs.

The 21-year-old, who came into camp as an outside candidate for the No. 5 spot in the rotation, might have been out of sorts, but it had nothing to do with his arm.

“My arm’s definitely not dead. I feel fine,” Dana said. “Coming out of the ’pen is a little different for me. I’m still trying to adjust to that. So keep working on it. Keep getting better.”

His time in relief this spring is more of circumstance. The Angels are not planning on a new role for a pitcher they see as a long-term rotation piece. The club has what appear to be four set starters with left-hander Yusei Kikuchi on schedule for Opening Day, to be followed in some order by lefty Tyler Anderson and right-handers Jose Soriano and Kyle Hendricks.

Other starting opportunities this spring are going to righty Jack Kochanowicz and lefty Reid Detmers, who are in a spirited battle for the final rotation spot.

The battle leaves Dana to get in his work mid-game. And while the role is something of an out-of-body experience, Dana is game to take on the challenge, even if it might have an upper hand at the moment.

“I felt a little out of rhythm, obviously,” Dana said Thursday about his previous outing. “That’s the name of the game, throwing strikes and that’s not what I did.”

While Dana admitted that struggles in his brief major league appearance last season were a blow to his confidence, he is staying defiant in the face of some undesirable results this spring that have left him with a 15.88 ERA over 5⅔ innings.

“I know I’m a starter,” said Dana, who has fashioned a 12-12 record with a 3.01 ERA in 41 minor-league starts over three seasons. He had 244 strikeouts over 212⅓ innings.

“I mean, I’m not going to be coming out of the ’pen too often. But for the time being, just kind of adjust to it mentally and physically. It’s definitely a different world coming out of the ’pen. I’ve experienced that now and I still believe in myself.”

CENTRAL PARK

A day after playing in left field, Mickey Moniak was back in center field on Thursday, while Jo Adell played in right field against the Seattle Mariners. Washington said there was no deeper meaning to the positioning, with both players still targeted for center field this season.

“Today was Moniak in center, but (it was) Jo’s day to play so he went to right,” Washington said. “(There) will be a time when Jo goes to center and Moniak goes to right. We’re trying to give them as much time in both spots as we possibly can.”

LID LIFTER

Kikuchi will make his second Cactus League start in a home split-squad game against the Arizona Diamondbacks on Friday.

In his first official game action, the left-hander gave up two runs on three hits with one walk and three strikeouts over 2⅔ innings against the Dodgers last Friday. The first batter he faced, Japan countryman Shohei Ohtani, tagged him for a home run.

At his current pace, Kikuchi would have just two more Cactus League starts remaining before facing the Chicago White Sox in the season opener on March 27 on the road.

Right-hander Jose Soriano also will start Friday in a split-squad game against the Kansas City Royals in Surprise.

NOTES

It might be the middle of spring training but it is never too early to start treating games like it was the regular season. The Angels took the rare step of having a full batting practice in advance of a Cactus League road game.

Taylor Ward led off and went 1 for 3 with a double as the Angels’ designated hitter in his first game action since missing time with a knee injury.

​ Orange County Register 

JSerra boys basketball continues state title quest with victory over Carlsbad

• March 7, 2025

SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO – The CIF Southern California Regional playoffs can be a second chance for some teams.

The JSerra boys basketball team is one of those teams.

After going 1-3 in pool play in the CIF Southern Section Open Division playoffs, JSerra has won its first two regional games, including a 79-55 victory over Carlsbad in Division I Thursday at JSerra High.

JSerra (24-10) plays at Sierra Canyon (24-7) in the Division I regional semifinals Saturday at 7 p.m. The winner of that game plays in the SoCal Regional championship game Tuesday.

Sierra Canyon, the No. 1 seed in the SoCal Division I bracket, defeated Santa Barbara 78-45 on Thursday.

JSerra junior forward Brannon Martinsen said the Lions are hungry for success.

“We didn’t complete two of our goals,” said Martinsen, referring to finishing third in the Trinity League and not reaching the CIF-SS Open Division championship game. “Hang up a black banner, a state championship banner, is still what we’re trying to do.”

Martinsen has done his part. He scored a game-high 25 points with eight rebounds Thursday. The 6-7 junior forward scored 16 points Tuesday when JSerra beat San Marcos 80-56 in the first round of the regional playoffs.

JSerra senior guard BJ Davis Ray scored 20 points with six assists. He also was the primary defender on Carlsbad’s high-scoring Jake Hall. The senior guard, averaging close to 30 points this season, was held to 15 points, his second-lowest total this season.

Lions senior forward James Eyenga scored 15 points with 16 rebounds.

JSerra beat Carlsbad 91-77 in a tournament in late December although Hall had a hot hand in that game.

“He scored 32 on us last time,” JSerra coach Keith Wilkinson said. “Even though we won we had to do a little bit better with him this time.”

Hall had difficulty getting the ball and had a hard time, too, getting off a quality shot when he did because of the defense of JSerra freshman Ryan Doane and senior James Eyenga at times but mostly because of Ray’s work.

“He’s one of the best defenders in the country,” Wilkinson said of Ray, a 6-7 senior who signed with Southern Methodist University. “He’s got great length, great feet and he can guard anybody.”

Carlsbad (26-7), which lost to Montgomery 53-45 in the CIF San Diego Section Open Division championship game, had a 16-12 lead at the end of the first quarter.

Martinsen opened the second quarter with a 3-point basket. Ray made two free throws to put JSerra on top 17-16 and the Lions added to their lead from there. They outscored the Lancers 21-9 in the second quarter for a 33-27 halftime lead.

JSerra then outscored Carlsbad 22-9 in the third quarter to put the game away, taking a 55-36 lead into the fourth quarter.

Carlsbad made 17 of its 52 shots, for 33 percent, while the Lions were 31 for 64 from the floor 48 percent.

Ray has scored 46 points over the two regional games.

JSerra is playing without starting point guard EJ Bryson, who was injured in the Lions’ win over Santa Margarita in the CIF-SS Open Division playoffs. Ray and fellow senior Grayson Sinek handled point guard duties Thursday.

“It was a really hard loss for us when we lost Bryson in that Santa Margarita game,” Wilkinson said. “We’ve adjusted and figured out how to play without a true point guard.

“It’s a credit to BJ and Grayson. They’ve done a really good job.”

The pursuit of a championship continues for JSerra.

“We’re playing well,” Wilkinson said. “Guys are sharing the ball and making shots.”

​ Orange County Register 

Dodgers decide to ‘slow play’ Shohei Ohtani’s pitching rehab

• March 7, 2025

GLENDALE, Ariz. — Shohei Ohtani threw his fourth bullpen session of the spring on Feb. 25, increasing the intensity of his work.

Everything seemed to be on track for an anticipated return to pitching sometime in May.

But Ohtani hasn’t thrown off a mound since then, limiting his throwing to flat-ground work and playing catch in the outfield in the nine days since – an extended break that Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said was decided on after a conversation among Ohtani, the pitching coaches and training staff.

It was a response to “the intensity of his work” as a hitter increasing with his inclusion in Cactus League games, Roberts said. Ohtani has played in four games over the past week, going 5 for 12, including 2 for 4 on Thursday. He was scheduled to get three at-bats but requested to stay in the game for an additional at-bat.

“As the game has intensified, his work playing in games, it was sort of trying to give him a little respite from the rehab and to slow him down,” Roberts said of the pause in Ohtani’s throwing program. “We’ve never really put a time on anything. … He’s still playing catch, so his arm is still moving. But we just felt that to intensify the bullpens alongside of the intensity of the games wasn’t smart, so we just wanted to kind of slow-play it.”

Because he has stopped throwing bullpen sessions, Ohtani will not face hitters in live batting practice before the team breaks camp and leaves for Tokyo next week.

The plan is to “ramp him back up” at some point, but Roberts said he didn’t know exactly when that would be.

The Dodgers have outlined a plan to have Ohtani pitch in simulated games (perhaps against Dodgers hitters or minor-leaguers brought in for that purpose), but he will not go on a minor-league injury rehabilitation assignment before pitching in major-league games.

“It’s very kind of nuanced with him,” Roberts said, pointing out that Ohtani is returning from two surgeries – on his right elbow in September 2023 and his left shoulder in November 2024. “(We’re) just trying to make sure that we don’t push something we don’t need to.”

Before spring training began, Roberts went on record saying Ohtani could join the Dodgers’ starting rotation in May “and it might be earlier.” The pause in Ohtani’s throwing program could change that and Roberts was more cautious in his answer Thursday when asked about Ohtani’s timeline to join the rotation.

“I talked about that in January,” Roberts said of his optimistic projection before training camp opened. “I just feel, and we all feel, just trying to make it a broad time to return. We just don’t know. And so I think that when he’s ready, when the process, the progression, as it’s going on, we’ll know. But I don’t want to put any kind of expectation on you guys, or Shohei.”

Ohtani was unavailable for comment.

MAY DAY

Right-hander Dustin May made his third start of the spring on Thursday, holding the Texas Rangers scoreless for three innings and striking out three of the final four batters he faced.

Where this is leading for May is unclear.

“I haven’t heard anything,” May said when asked about his role to start the season.

“It doesn’t matter if I know or not. They’re going to put me where they want to put me. It’s just kind of up to them.”

There seem to be three options for May, who has not pitched in a major-league game since May 2023. He could open the season in the Dodgers’ starting rotation. He could be moved into a bullpen role. Or the Dodgers could put him on the injured list and send him on a minor-league injury rehabilitation assignment to start the season as they did with Walker Buehler when he was also returning from a second elbow surgery a year ago. May’s eligibility for a rehab assignment would have to be clarified.

Tony Gonsolin is in a very similar situation, competing for the fifth spot in the rotation with a bullpen role also a possibility. He is returning from Tommy John surgery.

“We certainly see both of those guys as starters,” Roberts said. “I just think that weighing in the value of one of those guys starting, the ability for one of those guys to potentially go to the ’pen – does it make sense to give one of those guys an extra chance to continue to build up? There’s just a lot of different variables. Obviously, there’s only one spot as far as that fifth spot. But I think they’re both having really good springs.”

May said he “would like to think” that he is competing for a spot in the rotation.

“When my stuff is in the (strike) zone, it’s just as good as anybody’s in the league. So I feel I have a good chance to get guys out,” he said after Thursday’s outing. “But if it’s in the bullpen, it’s in the bullpen.

“I’d prefer to start. But I just need to log innings. I mean, I haven’t been able to pitch in basically four years so I just need to go out and pitch.”

Due to two elbow surgeries and an emergency procedure to treat a torn esophagus, the 27-year-old May has never pitched more than 56 innings in a major-league season.

KERSHAW UPDATE

Left-hander Clayton Kershaw rejoined the Dodgers in camp on Wednesday and said he is progressing well in his recovery from surgeries on his left foot and knee in November.

“I think so,” he said. “It’s not 100 percent yet but it’s getting there. Feels good.”

Kershaw said he has thrown off a mound “a couple times.”

Kershaw is planning to travel to Japan for the Dodgers’ games there against the Chicago Cubs (though he is not allowed to travel with the team). He is not expected to be activated until well into the season, but the Dodgers have not moved him to the 60-day injured list yet.

ALSO

The Dodgers made another round of cuts after Thursday’s game, sending catchers Griffin Lockwood-Powell and Chris Okey, and infielders Alex Freeland, Austin Gauthier and Kody Hoese to minor league camp.

Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani exploring options with pitching mechanics

Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani ‘looks really good’ in 1st bullpen session

Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani gears up for return to mound, 2-way duties

​ Orange County Register 

Judge orders Trump administration to pay nearly $2 billion in USAID and State Dept. debts

• March 7, 2025

By ELLEN KNICKMEYER and MICHAEL KUNZELMAN, Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal judge on Thursday gave the Trump administration until Monday to pay nearly $2 billion owed to partners of the U.S. Agency for International Development and the State Department, thawing the administration’s six-week funding freeze on all foreign assistance.

U.S. District Judge Amir Ali ruled in favor of nonprofit groups and businesses that sued over the funding freeze, which has forced organizations around the world to slash services and lay off thousands of workers.

Ali’s line of questioning suggested skepticism of the Trump administration’s argument that presidents have wide authority to override congressional decisions on spending when it comes to foreign policy, including foreign aid.

“It would be an “earth-shaking, country-shaking proposition to say that appropriations are optional,” Ali said.

“The question I have for you is, where are you getting this from in the constitutional document?” he asked a government lawyer, Indraneel Sur.

Thursday’s order is in an ongoing case with more decisions coming on the administration’s fast-moving termination of 90% of USAID contracts worldwide.

Ali’s ruling comes a day after a divided Supreme Court rejected the Trump administration’s bid to freeze funding that flowed through USAID. The high court instructed Ali to clarify what the government must do to comply with his earlier order requiring the quick release of funds for work that had already been done.

The funding freeze stemmed from an executive order signed by President Donald Trump on Jan. 20. The administration appealed after Ali issued a temporary restraining order and set a deadline to release payment for work already done.

The administration said it has replaced a blanket spending freeze with individualized determinations, which led to the cancellation of 5,800 USAID contracts and 4,1000 State Department grants totaling nearly $60 billion in aid.

​ Orange County Register