Honolulu records 6th death from massive explosion of illegal fireworks over New Year’s

• February 5, 2025

By AUDREY McAVOY

HONOLULU (AP) — A sixth person died Wednesday from injuries sustained when crates of illegal fireworks ignited during a New Year’s Eve party in a Honolulu neighborhood, setting off a chain of explosions that left more than a dozen people with severe burns.

The 30-year-old woman died at a local hospital at about 5:59 a.m., the Honolulu Police Department said in a statement.

The others killed included a 3-year-old boy, three women and one man.

The blast set off fresh calls for a crackdown on illegal fireworks that have become increasingly more common in Hawaii. Contraband explosives rock neighborhoods year-round but grow in frequency around the year-end holidays.

Police have so far arrested 10 people in connection with the explosion. Authorities accused them of reckless endangering, endangering the welfare of a minor and multiple fireworks offenses.

Police said they are working with prosecutors to file charges but it is taking time due to the number of people arrested, large volume of evidence being examined and fireworks being tested.

Authorities seized 500 pounds (227 kilograms) of unused fireworks from the scene.

Police said they expect to make more arrests.

Hawaii Gov. Josh Green has proposed allowing police to issue $300 tickets to those who shoot off fireworks and imposing potential class A felony charges and decades in prison on those whose use of fireworks leads to serious injury or death. The state Department of Law Enforcement has asked the Legislature for $5.2 million to hire eight people and expand a forensic lab to counter rampant fireworks smuggling.

Six of the injured were flown to a burn center in Arizona for treatment last month because Hawaii’s only burn care facility reached capacity with the wounded from the incident. One of them, a 29-year-old man, died last week.

​ Orange County Register 

Man pleads guilty in rapper Pop Smoke’s fatal 2020 Hollywood Hills shooting

• February 5, 2025

By TERRI VERMEULEN KEITH

A 24-year-old man pleaded guilty Tuesday to voluntary manslaughter and two counts of home-invasion robbery in connection with the 2020 shooting death of rapper Pop Smoke at a home in the Hollywood Hills.

Corey Walker, who was 19 at the time of the killing, faces 29 years in state prison. He also waived credit for the time he has already served behind bars since his July 9, 2020, arrest.

Walker is due back in a downtown Los Angeles courtroom for sentencing Feb. 21.

One of Walker’s attorneys, Kellen Davis, said outside court that he believes his client has “come to terms” that “this is the best outcome under the circumstances,” but said Walker “has to carry the load for this” despite the fact that he was not the shooter and that the killing was “something Mr. Walker never wanted to happen.”

Walker — who admitted gang and gun allegations — could have faced life in prison without the possibility of parole if he had been tried and convicted on the original charges, which included murder and the special circumstance allegations of murder during the course of a robbery and murder during the commission of a burglary.

Walker was one of four people and the only adult arrested and charged in the killing of the 20-year-old rapper, whose real name was Bashar Jackson. The other three defendants were all charged in juvenile court, and their names were withheld because of their ages.

In 2023, one of the juvenile defendants, who was 15 at the time of the killing, admitted a first-degree murder charge in juvenile court, along with an allegation he personally discharged a handgun. He also admitted a home-invasion robbery count, and he is expected to remain in a juvenile facility until he turns 25.

That teenager could not be charged as an adult due to his age at the time of the crime.

Another juvenile defendant admitted one count each of voluntary manslaughter and home-invasion robbery, and the third admitted a charge of home-invasion robbery. The current custody status of those two defendants was not immediately clear.

Walker admitted a factual basis for his guilty plea, acknowledging that he became aware that the rapper was staying at the short-term rental home on Hercules Drive in the Hollywood Hills, and that he initially drove with the 17-year-old to surveil the house about 2:05 a.m. Feb. 19, 2020 and then returned with the three teenagers and another person — whose identity has not been released — shortly after 4 a.m. that day.

Walker replied “Yes” when Deputy District Attorney Hilary Williams asked if he provided a 9mm firearm to one of the juveniles.

Walker also admitted that he had researched the Los Angeles Police Department and the house on the websites Zillow and Google, driven with the vehicle’s headlights off and kept an open line of communication with the 17-year-old while the rest of the group went inside the home. He acknowledged that the victim’s Rolex watch, along with jewelry and a purse, were taken from the home, and that the group later sold the watch for $2,000.

LAPD Capt. Steve Lurie said the 911 call that brought police to the Hercules Drive address came from someone on the East Coast who said a friend’s home was being broken into by multiple suspects, and that one of them was armed with a handgun.

“When officers arrived there approximately six minutes later, they discovered a victim inside the house had been shot,” Lurie said at the time. “They called the fire department, who arrived and transported that victim to Cedars-Sinai, where he was pronounced dead.”

The suspects were wearing masks and were last seen running from the home and possibly getting into a nearby vehicle. The four were taken into custody just under five months later.

Pop Smoke released an album in July 2019, and one of the songs, “Welcome to the Party,” was considered by some the song of the summer. Nicki Minaj did a remix of the song a few months later.

The rapper also collaborated with Travis Scott on a song called “Gatti.”

Pop Smoke was named top new artist, top rap artist and top male rap artist at the Billboard Music Awards in May 2021, while his “Shoot for the Stars, Aim for the Moon” won top rap album and top Billboard 200 album.

The rapper’s mother, Audrey Jackson, accepted the top Billboard 200 album award on her late son’s behalf, saying then that she wanted to “thank the fans for honoring the life and spirit of my son so much that he continues to manifest as if he were still here in the flesh.”

“He created music for the kid who has to sleep four in a room, the kid who has to figure out how to get to school each day so he can graduate and make his mom proud,” she added. “He did this so that 14-year-olds would not have to kill to prove that they are somebody. That is the irony in this.”

According to various media reports, the New York rapper posted photos earlier on the day of the killing or late the night before from a party at the home, even revealing the address. According to TMZ, one of the photos showed a person holding a large sum of money.

​ Orange County Register 

Tustin Unified employee arrested on suspicion of sexual assault of a student

• February 5, 2025

A Tustin Unified School District employee has been arrested on suspicion of sexual assault involving a student on Tuesday, Feb. 4, the Santa Ana Police Department announced.

At around 7:30 a.m. Tuesday, officers responded to a report of sexual activity in a vehicle near Westwood Avenue and Riviera Drive. They located a male and female in the backseat.

During their investigation, officers determined that the female was a 16-year-old student at Foothill High School. The man was identified as Mariano Hernandez, 32, a Behavior Interventionist at Benson Elementary in the Tustin Unified School District.

Hernandez and the victim admitted to being in a dating relationship for a few weeks. They reportedly met at Foothill High School, where Hernandez had been a teacher’s aide, department spokesperson Natalie Garcia said. Hernandez then transferred to the elementary school, but continued to see the student.

Details regarding the timeline of those events were not immediately available.

Hernandez was arrested and booked at the Santa Ana jail for contacting and communicating with a minor, lewd acts with a minor, digital penetration and child annoyance.

Tustin Unified School District could not immediately be reached for comment.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Detective M. Tapia at 714-245-8379, mtapia@santa-ana.org or Orange County Crime Stoppers at 1-855-TIP-OCCS.

​ Orange County Register 

Newport Coast estate of Hot Pockets creator Paul Merage seeks $40 million

• February 5, 2025

An oceanfront Newport Coast estate owned by billionaire businessman Paul Merage, inventor of microwave-crisping Hot Pockets turnovers, is on the market for $40 million.

Currently, it’s the most expensive listing in guard-gated Pelican Crest on the MLS.

The 11,041-square-foot residence in a Mediterranean style has six bedrooms and 11 bathrooms. It stands two stories high on a third-acre-plus lot with an expansive underground level featuring a wine cellar and tasting room, gym, home spa and garage lined with walls of storage closets.

Records show the property has belonged to Merage since June 1998.

Completed in 2001, it has been “designed with a calming transitional style and finished to the highest standards of quality and craftsmanship,” the listing reads.

Beyond the expansive foyer with a staircase is a wood-clad office, minimalist kitchen and light-filled living and dining areas where French doors and glass doors flow out to the resort-style grounds.

There’s an infinity pool, spa and heated loggias backed by panoramic views.

Those views abound from throughout the house, including the upstairs primary bedroom where French doors open onto a wraparound balcony. The room includes two walk-in closets and two bathrooms, the largest of which has a soaking tub and separate glass-enclosed shower.

An elevator services all three levels.

Rex McKown and Marcy Weinstein of M | W | A at Compass hold the llisting.

Merage, 82, is co-founder and former CEO of Chef America. The Iranian entrepreneur and his brother, David, sold their frozen-food business in 2001 to Nestlé for $2.6 billion. In 2005, Merage donated $30 million to UC Irvine’s business school that now bears his name.

​ Orange County Register 

National Signing Day 2025: List of Orange County athletes who are signing Feb. 5

• February 5, 2025

OCVarsity is compiling a list of Orange County high school athletes who will be signing official agreements with collegiate programs Wednesday, Feb. 5, or later this week.

Senior athletes (Class of 2025) in all sports except basketball are eligible to officially sign at this time. This is considered the start of the regular signing period for football, which had an early signing period in December.

The NCAA no longer uses the NLI (National Letter of Intent); athletes now sign a “grant in aid” agreement to commit to a college.

The list does not include names of athletes who were on our previous signing lists in November and December.

The OCVarsity list includes athletes who received commitment letters from Ivy League schools and military service academies, but does not include players offered preferred walk-on status.

ORANGE COUNTY SIGNING LIST

(Please send Signing Day information to preps@ocregister.com)

BREA OLINDA

Liv Chappell, golf, Long Beach State

Holly Macedo, soccer, Corban University

CANYON

Abby Foley, water polo, Concordia

Samantha Gresham, softball, Dartmouth

Blake Helsper, baseball, Hawaii Pacific

Noah Kim, basketball, Oberlin College

Victoria Oropeza, softball, Augusta University

Jordan Simmons, softball, Brown

CAPISTRANO VALLEY

Tommy Acosta, football, Washington & Lee

CAPISTRANO VALLEY CHRISTIAN

Sophia Helsel, soccer, Westmont College

Bella Lee, volleyball, Jessup University

CORONA DEL MAR

Sebastien Boydell, football, Fresno State

CREAN LUTHERAN

Ben Byszewski, football, St. Thomas

Connor Stephens, football, Dordt University

CYPRESS

Aiden Franco, baseball, Azusa Pacific

Jackson Kesserman, water polo, Wheaton College (Mass.)

Wyatt Rosales, baseball, Western Oregon

EDISON

Julius Gillick, football, Fresno State

JSERRA

Elisha Canales, football, Fresno State

MATER DEI

Fernando España, football, Arizona Christian University

Wailana Whitford, gymnastics, Brown University

Jack Cudzil, lacrosse, University of Pennsylvania

Hugo Villalba, sailing, Pace University

Brady Kennedy, sailing, Boston College

Noah Stapleton, sailing, Brown University

Tate Christopher, sailing, Tulane University

Christian Sotomayor, soccer, Dominican University

Savannah Muldrew, soccer, Texas Southern University

Isabella Ruby, softball, George Washington University

Sophia Rolon, softball, Cal

Morgan Lalonde, swimming, Louisiana State University

Maya Villa, track and field, Claremont McKenna College

MISSION VIEJO

Brock deFries, football, UNLV

Zachary Foeldi, football, Fresno State

Cash Semonza, football, Tulane University

NORTHWOOD

Joseph Harper, football, Army

ORANGE LUTHERAN

Olivia Oskorus, softball, Cal State Dominguez Hills

Ariana Markey, soccer, Pepperdine

Jayden Santos, volleyball, Jessup University

Gavin Nixon, soccer, Baldwin Wallace University

Ben Lilii, football, Arizona State

SERVITE

Brandon Bass, football, Union College (N.Y.)

Brayden Kim, football, St. Thomas (Minn.)

ST. MARGARET’S

Aidan McMahon, volleyball, Belmont Abbey College

Luke Newman, football, University of Chicago

Kate Purpura, tennis, Bucknell University

Will Viola, football, University of Chicago

Scarlett Welsome, lacrosse, Hofstra University

Maverick Young, football, University of Chicago

RELATED

Football Early Signing Day: List of Orange County athletes who are signing

Fall Signing Day 2024: List of Orange County athletes who are signing, Nov. 13

​ Orange County Register 

AI and scientists unite to decipher old scrolls charred by the Vesuvius volcano

• February 5, 2025

By JILL LAWLESS and PAN PYLAS

LONDON (AP) — Scientists hope a mix of artificial intelligence and human expertise will help decipher ancient scrolls carbonized by a volcanic eruption 2,000 years ago.

Hundreds of papyrus scrolls were found in the 1750s amid the remains of a lavish villa at the Roman town of Herculaneum, which along with neighboring Pompeii was destroyed when Mt. Vesuvius erupted in A.D. 79.

The library of what’s called the Villa of the Papyri has the potential to add immeasurably to knowledge of ancient thought if the scrolls, which have been rolled up into the size of a candy bar, could be read.

The heat and volcanic ash from Vesuvius destroyed the town and preserved the scrolls, but in an unreadable state, turning them into charred fragile blocks that disintegrate if unrolled physically.

Scholars and scientists have worked for more than 250 years on ways to decipher the scrolls, the vast majority of which are held in the National Library of Naples.

In 2023, several tech executives sponsored the “Vesuvius Challenge” competition, offering cash rewards for efforts to decipher the scrolls with machine learning, computer vision and geometry.

On Wednesday, the challenge announced a “historic breakthrough,” saying researchers had managed to generate the first image of the inside of one of the three scrolls held at Oxford University’s Bodleian Library.

University of Kentucky computer scientist Brent Seales, co-founder of the Vesuvius Challenge, said the organizers were “thrilled with the successful imaging of this scroll.” He said it “contains more recoverable text than we have ever seen in a scanned Herculaneum scroll.”

The scroll was scanned by Diamond Light Source, a lab at Harwell, near Oxford, that uses a particle accelerator known as a synchrotron to create an intensely powerful X-ray.

Scientists then used AI to piece together the images, search for ink that reveals where there is writing, and enhance the clarity of the text. The process led to a 3D image of the scroll that allowed experts to unroll it virtually, using a process called segmentation.

AI, as it stands, has its limits. Little of the text has been deciphered so far. One of the few words that has been made out is the ancient Greek for “disgust.”

Scholars are being encouraged to join in the effort to complete the text.

“We are still at the beginning of a long process,” Peter Toth, the Cornelia Starks Curator of Greek Collections at the Bodleian, told The Associated Press. “We need better images, and they are very positive and very, very confident that they can still improve the image quality and the legibility of the text.”

Toth also laid out his hope that the technology can be made available locally so that the other two fragile scrolls won’t have to be transported to Diamond’s headquarters.

“Maybe there will be something which can be moved,” he said. “And then don’t forget that there is like 1000 more scrolls in Naples.”

Havovi Todd of AP Television News contributed to this report.

​ Orange County Register 

Ukraine wants partner countries to join in postwar development worth billions

• February 5, 2025

By ILLIA NOVIKOV

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukraine wants to collaborate with partner countries on postwar projects worth billions of dollars not just in mining rare earth elements, but also in energy and construction sectors to help rebuild the country, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said Wednesday.

Sybiha responded to comments by U.S. President Donald Trump who said Monday that he wanted to gain access to Ukraine’s valuable rare earth materials as a condition for continuing support for its war against Russia.

Ukrainian officials have said Russia wants to get its hands on Ukraine’s vast natural resources.

Kyiv intends to offer “guarantees of the presence of major businesses in Ukraine and the vested interests of our closest allies — the United States — in developing these (rare earth) deposits and ensuring their protection,” the foreign minister said.

But cooperation should not be limited to rare earth materials, Sybiha said in a news conference alongside visiting U.K. Foreign Secretary David Lammy.

Ukraine has “huge potential” to become a guarantor of energy security in Europe by buying liquefied natural gas from the United States and storing it in its massive underground tanks for later distribution, he said.

Sybiha also said there was “joint interest” from Ukrainian and American businesses in the postwar reconstruction of Ukraine, estimated to cost more than $400 billion. “This will be one of the largest projects of this century and, accordingly, one of the largest opportunities for our allies.”

Meanwhile, Zelenskyy said in an interview broadcast Tuesday night that the war has killed 45,100 Ukrainian troops. The fighting also has injured close to 390,000 troops, he told Piers Morgan Uncensored on YouTube.

On Dec. 8, he said Ukraine had lost some 43,000 soldiers on the battlefield and 370,000 wounded.

Russia hasn’t given its number of killed since September 2022, seven months after its all-out invasion.

If the U.S. stops sending vital military aid, that could also jeopardize European support, Zelenskyy said in the interview. “Without a doubt, we cannot do without this kind of (Western) support,” he said.

Zelenskyy said Wednesday that the United States must be part of any Western troop deployment to safeguard a peace deal with Russia and shield against another invasion. Sending only European troops would not be enough, he said.

“Because this is not just a matter of numbers, it is about sharing responsibility and ensuring security guarantees. This cannot be done without the United States of America,” he said at a news conference with Lammy.

Ukrainian forces are slowly losing ground, especially in eastern areas, where they are being pushed backward by their bigger foe.

Russia’s Defense Ministry claimed Wednesday that Russian troops had captured the villages of Baranivka in the eastern Donetsk region and Novomlynsk in the northeastern Kharkiv region.

Baranivka’s capture is part of Russia’s effort to envelop Pokrovsk, a key road and rail hub whose loss would compromise a wider area of defense, while the seizure of Novomlynsk is part of Russia’s onslaught toward Kupiansk, another important train junction.

Ukraine keeps hitting the Russian military’s rear areas and supply lines in an effort to disrupt the creeping advance.

Ukraine’s Army General staff claimed Wednesday that Ukrainian forces struck an oil refinery in the Krasnodar region of Russia overnight, setting it on fire.

According to the General Staff, the oil refinery and petroleum product manufacturing plant supplies gasoline and diesel to the Russian army.

The governor of the Krasnodar region, Veniamin Kondratyev, claimed that fragments of a downed Ukrainian drone hit an oil tank at an oil depot in the village of Novominskaya early Wednesday, sparking a fire.

The fire was put out shortly after and there were no injuries, emergency officials said.

​ Orange County Register 

Rain falls across Southern California, with wildfire burn areas prepped for debris flow

• February 5, 2025

The first of two storm systems expected to douse Southern California brought rain across most of the area overnight, raising fears of possible mud and debris flows, but forecasters said the storm was weaker than anticipated, and no flooding was expected.

The “main part” of the storm had moved through the region by late morning Monday, according to the National Weather Service, which said “off-and-on drizzle or light rain” will be possible through Thursday, when the next storm front moves in.

“Rain rates will remain under a tenth of an inch per hour, so (there are) no flooding or debris flow concerns,” according to the NWS. “The next storm is still on track for Thursday night into Friday.”

It was not immediately clear how much rain fell overnight, although forecasters said the storm was “underperforming,” with most areas seeing only a quarter- to a half-inch.

“Rainfall rates have been light enough to tamp down the fire danger but not create anything more than nuisance flooding,” according to the NWS.

Forecasters said there was still “uncertainty” about how much will fall in the second storm later this week, but most models suggest that less than an inch is anticipated in Los Angeles and Ventura counties.

“The current best estimate is for around a half-inch for almost the entire area, with higher amounts on the coastal slopes,” according to the NWS. “There is about a 30% chance that the storm will produce 0.75 to 1.00 inches of rain, with higher amounts on the coastal slopes.”

The rain is expected to wind down in LA and Orange counties by Friday afternoon.

Due to the anticipated precipitation, Caltrans closed Pacific Coast Highway at 3 p.m. Tuesday between Chautauqua Boulevard in Los Angeles and Carbon Beach Terrace in Malibu. The road is expected to remain closed until at least Friday.

“Out of an abundance of caution, the highway must be closed due to soft soils on both the hill and ocean sides of the road,” according to a statement from Caltrans. “Mud and debris flows may occur and canyons may overtop, blocking the road or causing further damage.”

Only essential workers — such as first responders, recovery agencies and utility companies — will be able to access PCH in the closure area, according to Caltrans.

Residents with passes will still be able to return to their homes in Pacific Palisades via Chautauqua, according to Caltrans.

PCH had just reopened Monday with one lane of traffic in both directions between Santa Monica and Malibu, a stretch that was largely closed since Jan. 7 due to the Palisades Fire.

In advance of the rain, the Los Angeles County Department of Public Works worked to clean drainage facilities and debris basins, install additional k-rails near homes and provide sandbags at vulnerable sites.

County storm preparedness actions included:

Debris Basin and Flood Control Maintenance

Public Works crews have been clearing storm drains, catch basins, and debris basins in vulnerable burn areas, removing over 400 cubic yards of mud and debris in Sunset Mesa alone.

Infrastructure Reinforcements

With support from the California Office of Emergency Services, the county has deployed 679 feet of k-rail and over 1,500 sandbags in key locations within the Palisades and Eaton burn areas to slow runoff and prevent dangerous debris flows.

Beach and Water Quality Protection

The county is actively working with beaches and harbors, the Department of Public Health, and state and federal agencies to prevent post-fire debris from polluting local beaches and coastal waters.

Community Resources and Support

Free sandbags and flood risk assessments remain available to residents at designated locations, including the La Costa Post Office at 21229 PCH in Malibu.

Residents were urged to clear drainage paths around their properties, install sandbags to direct runoff away from homes, avoid travel in burn areas and mountain roads during heavy rainfall and sign up for emergency alerts at ready.lacounty.gov.

Southern California experienced its first significant winter storm in late January. The L.A. Basin saw accumulations ranging from half an inch to 1.5 inches, while downtown Los Angeles recorded a total of 0.54 inches of rain.

​ Orange County Register