Over the July 4th holiday, dozens of stray dogs were brought to OC Animal Care

• July 6, 2023

So far, nearly five dozen stray dogs were brought to OC Animal Care over the Fourth of July holiday, the animal shelter has reported.

Fifty-seven dogs have been brought to the shelter since July 1, OC Animal Care reported on Wednesday, noting that more are still arriving. The loud noises that come with Independence Day celebrations cause dogs to escape, the shelter said.

Those who have recently lost a pet can visit several different websites to hopefully find their loved one. Petadoption.ocpetinfo.com can be used to check if the lost pet has wound up at the OC Animal Care Shelter or if it has been found by community members and is not at the shelter.

Pet owners are also encouraged to explore other avenues, such as thoroughly searching their neighborhood — including neighborhood Facebook groups and Nextdoor — reaching out to local veterinarian offices and posting photos with a detailed description of the pet in prominent locations.

When Independence Day rolls around, lost pets are common: OC Animal Care said one in three pets will go missing during their lifetime so a pet license is a good way for pet owners to stay connected with their furry friends.

More pets go missing on the Fourth of July than any other day of the year. Across California, calls reporting missing pets spiked more than 300% on July 5, according to 24Pet, a microchip registry and lost pet database.

Pet owners’ first instinct is to go out and search for their pet, however, this could confuse animal because it spreads their smell. It’s recommended that owners get help from friends and family who can go out to look in bushes and small areas the dogs could find refuge in.

Pets licensed with OC Animal Care also qualify for its Take Me Home Program. This pet redemption program is offered to pet owners who have had their licensed pets impounded for the first time and requires pet owners to redeem their pet within the first 24 hours. More information on how to license one’s pet can be found at ocpetinfo.com/license.

Staff writer Laylan Connelly contributed to this report.

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​ Orange County Register 

SVB Financial approved to sell investment bank back to founder for $100 million

• July 6, 2023

By Steven Church | Bloomberg

SVB Financial Group, the bankrupt former owner of Silicon Valley Bank, won court permission to sell its investment banking arm for $100 million, four years after it paid $280 million for the unit.

The buyers include Jeff Leerink and his management team. Leerink founded the investment advisory and continued running the unit after the bank holding company bought it. The sale is also backed by Baupost Group.

US Bankruptcy Judge Martin Glenn had initially refused to approve the sale because it released too many SVB Financial executives from any potential lawsuits related to the collapse of the Silicon Valley Bank, which was taken over by regulators earlier this year.

But after company officials added some restrictions to the legal releases, Glenn signed an order on Wednesday approving the sale.

After regulators took over its bank, SVB Financial filed bankruptcy with plans to sell its non-banking assets, including the investment bank, in order to repay bondholders.

The bank-holding company has since been fighting the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. over $2 billion in cash SVB Financial had on deposit with the bank.

The bankruptcy is SVB Financial Group, 23-10367, US Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York.

More stories like this are available on bloomberg.com

©2023 Bloomberg L.P.

​ Orange County Register 

Invisibility of children experiencing homelessness in OC highlighted in new report

• July 6, 2023

It’s difficult to count and track the number of homeless people in Orange County, especially children. These children have higher rates of absenteeism and face several challenges in obtaining a well-rounded education.

The 2022 Point In Time Count tallied 721 children under the age of 18 in Orange County who were experiencing homelessness. But a recent OC Grand Jury report notes that number differs greatly from the 23,246 children identified by the county’s school districts based on the federal McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act.

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development requires all jurisdictions to complete the Point In Time count every two years; in 2022, Orange County sent teams out over three days to canvas communities to count those living in cars and on the streets as well as calculate the number of individuals and families in emergency shelters and transitional housing programs.

HUD categorizes homelessness as either sheltered or unsheltered. Sheltered homelessness refers to people found in emergency shelters, transitional housing or other temporary arrangements.

“That does not count people who are experiencing homelessness who lack a fixed nightly abode, who fit into potentially staying with another family member, in a motel, in a variety of other settings,” Doug Becht, director of OC Health Care Coordination, said. That’s where McKinney-Vento comes in.

The McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act is a federal law created to support the enrollment and education of homeless students. In contrast to HUD, various other living arrangements meet the McKinney-Vento definition of homeless, such as youth who are living in motels, recreational vehicles or sharing housing with multiple families.

While there are efforts from the county and school districts to address homelessness and ensure that no student is left behind, homeless children are failing to receive enough support from either to address their unique needs and challenges in getting an education. The OC Grand Jury report says that because the county and schools use different definitions to identify homeless students, children are being undercounted, leading to a negative impact on their education.

“What has happened is the invisibility continues to be persistent because we fail to operate under the national definition of students experiencing homelessness,” Jennifer Friend, CEO at Project Hope Alliance, said. “It is the broader definition. Our greatest challenge has been in lifting the invisibility of how many kids there really are in our county experiencing homelessness.”

Schools are not designed to meet every need of students experiencing food or housing insecurity, transportation barriers or mental health crises, Friend said. As a solution, school districts have worked with organizations like Project Hope Alliance to bring resources directly to students.

Project Hope Alliance is an organization that places case managers at school sites for children and youth experiencing homelessness. Case managers identify homeless students and address their basic needs, such as food, clothing or transportation. They also conduct regular check-ins, provide educational support and connect children and families to other resources.

“In the state of California, 21% of all students experiencing homelessness are chronically absent versus only 9.8% of their housed peers being absent. Yet, only 8.3% of all school districts receive any type of money to support students experiencing homelessness,” Friend said. “The invisibility perpetuates the lack of resources, which then results in us failing our kids.”

The organization works with several Orange County districts, including Newport-Mesa Unified School District. Socorro Shiel, an assistant superintendent with the district, said much of what students need is outside of schools’ control, and they rely on strong partnerships with resources such as Project Hope Alliance, which offer ongoing support for homeless students.

“It really is about being a conduit for other community-based organizations, for other city and county services to help families,” Shiel said. “The goal for schools is just to have the strongest families possible because the stronger the family, the stronger the student is and the less adult issues a student has to be worrying about.”

An Tran, director of the OC Social Services Agency, said the goals of McKinney-Vento are different from the goals and programs operated within the county. The County of Orange doesn’t have a specific department that targets homeless children because they are picked up with the care for families, Tran said.

“The reason why is many times, individuals, especially children, come with families,” Tran said. “We have programs that we operate on behalf of the state and federal government that provide services to homeless families as a whole. Many of these children come within family units and the entire family unit needs care and needs supportive services.”

The county also works with the Orange County Department of Education and school districts to help with transportation and other resources for children in the foster care system, Tran said. Liaisons are in place to help the county coordinate the care and educational needs of the foster children.

Each school district is responsible for helping fulfill the needs of homeless students, OC Department of Education homeless education coordinator Jeanna Awrey said, noting schools provide the resources they can to best support homeless students, but “if there’s not a house, there’s nothing we can do.”

“That’s the biggest challenge because we can help them get to school, we can help them get school supplies, help them to a tutor,” Awrey said. “But, if they don’t have a permanent house that they’re going to on a daily basis, that will make it very difficult for a parent and the child.”

The OC Grand Jury concluded that “public schools are failing far too often in their efforts to educate children experiencing homelessness.”

The jury recommends the OC Department of Education form a joint task force made up of district-level administrators from each school district and leadership from nonprofit organizations that serve homeless families to address absenteeism, low test scores and low graduation rates of children experiencing homelessness.

It is also recommended that local school districts develop a plan that includes yearly mandatory McKinney-Vento Act training for all district and school administrators, teachers, office staff and counselors.

As for the county, the Grand Jury wants to see it develop a plan to increase the number of family shelters, permanent supportive housing and low-cost/long-term housing for families. The jury said the County Board of Supervisors should find financial funding to support all Orange County school districts with enrolled children experiencing homelessness to meet the mandate to equitably educate these students.

Friend believes the solution is for every government agency at every level and community members to join together to build a system that works for homeless children.

“It’s time to build a strategy to meet the needs that students are experiencing outside of the classroom that are preventing them from accessing their education. That’s going to require our community to come together at every level,” Friend said.

“It’s going to take all of us,” said Friend.

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​ Orange County Register 

OC Fair 2023: 9 outrageous foods available this year

• July 6, 2023

When it comes to fair food, more is more. At the 2023 OC Fair, concessioners are piling on the toppings and coming up with unexpected ingredients to make their offerings as outrageous as possible.

We sampled these nine items in a preview for OC Fair staff members at the San Diego County Fair.

All will be new to the OC Fair, and most are exclusive to the fair as well.

Egg Roll Turkey Dog

What: Pink’s Hot Dogs, the iconic Hollywood brand, will be grilling turkey dogs, encasing them in egg roll wrappers with red and green lettuce before deep-frying. They are then topped with spicy Sriracha mayonnaise and sweet chili sauce. It’s an exclusive.

Find it: Centennial Farm.

Hot Cheetos Chicken on a Stick

What: This exclusive handheld item from Biggy’s is a bunless version of the Flamin’ Hot Cheetos Chicken Sandwich with the other ingredients stabbed onto a skewer. “You get it with pickles and the whole nine yards,” said owner Dominick Palmieri, who has several other concessions at the fair.

Find it: Fair Square, near the Blue Gate.

Mediterranean Bowl

What: This dish is not so much outrageous as unexpected. It’s an exclusive for the OC Fair by Charlie Boghosian, better known for the deep-fried creations he sells at his Chicken Charlie’s stands. It features half an avocado and hummus with pickles on a bed of lettuce,

Find it: Main Mall, Park Plaza.

Tasti Papas Locas

What: This new item from Tasti Chips features freshly fried chili lime potato chips with more than a half dozen toppings. They include jicama, cucumber, nacho cheese, Tapatio Chamoy Sauce, crema, cilantro, a lime wedge and Flamin’ Hot Cheetos dust. “It looks heavy but it’s very refreshing,” said Lori Sutherland.

Find it: Main Mall, Family Fair Way.

Candied Bacon-Wrapped Pork Belly Bites

What: Nate Janousek, owner of Bacon-a-Fair, emptied a bag of brown sugar over bacon-wrapped pork belly slices as he prepared them for the OC Fair preview, joking that he wasn’t ready to go the Flamin’ Hot Cheetos route.

Find it: Family Fairway.

Deep Fried S’mores on a Stick

What: This dessert from Charlie Boghosian is more traditionally Chicken Charlie’s than his Mediterranean Bowl. It’s a deep-fried, batter-covered s’more filled with molten marshmallows, chocolate sauce and crushed graham crackers.

Find it: Main Mall, Park Plaza.

Pineapple Whip Dumplings with Fruit Roll-ups

What: Swirl is serving this exclusive. It features Fruit Roll-ups wrapped around pineapple-flavored frozen dessert. The soft serve freezes the Fruit Roll-ups, making them like a hard candy that adds a sour note to the pineapple, according to Palmieri.

Find it: Family Fairway.

Mazapán Funnel Cake

What: Dutchmen’s Funnel Cakes will be serving a dessert made with De La Rosa peanut candy.

Find it: Carnival.

Maple Bacon Smoothie

What: This exclusive concoction from Bacon-A-Fair is frozen yogurt, whipped cream, a little bit of milk and “several iterations of bacon,” said Janousek. “There’s crumbled bacon on top. There’s a bacon garish and then there’s bacon blended into it with maple syrup. Cheers.”

Find it: Family Fairway.

OC Fair

Where: OC Fair & Event Center, 88 Fair Drive, Costa Mesa.

When: July 14-Aug. 13.

Hours: 11 a.m.-11 p.m. Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday; 11 a.m.-midnight Friday and Saturday.

Admission: $13 Wednesday and Thursday; $15 Friday-Sunday; $9 for people 60 and older and children 6-12 years old. Tickets need to be purchased in advance online at ocfair.com/oc-fair/buy-tickets

Parking: $12

Information: ocfair.com/oc-fair

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​ Orange County Register 

Cooking with Judy: Making use of the fresh produce at Fullerton’s downtown market

• July 6, 2023

It’s more than a market – it’s a happening!

The Downtown Fullerton Market will continue weekly from 4:30 to 8:30 p.m. on Thursdays at the Downtown Plaza, 125 E. Wilshire Ave., until Aug. 31.

Visit for the live entertainment as well as family and children’s activities. Bands change weekly and begin at 6:30 p.m. at the beer-wine garden hosted by the adjoining Fullerton Museum Center, which remains open for the evening.

Mediterranean is my favorite cuisine, so my first stop during a recent visit was Baba Foods, which boasts an amazing variety of pita chips, including cinnamon-sugar, lemon pepper, garlic and herbs de Provence, za’atar and sea salt. It sells falafel, hummus in a dizzying array of flavors, including classic, roasted garlic and roasted sweet bell pepper, as well as handmade baklava.

At Elisa Marie Baking a sign boasts “third-place brownies” – at the OC Fair, I learn. The previous year her cherry-lavender jam took first place, Elisa tells me.

“I’ve been baking since I was 3,” she said. “There are pictures of me baking biscuits with my mom.”

Elisa worked as a corporate pastry chef in Chicago. “When the pandemic hit, I couldn’t get work, so my husband encouraged me to start baking for myself.  Now we’re in five retail locations, including the Anaheim Marriott and The Butchery, besides the markets.”

Galaxy Toffee next door sells cookies, but the toffee must be popular because it was sold out by the time I arrived at 5:30.

I can’t help noticing a crystals and chakra balancing booth next to one for the Fullerton Library. This is quite the eclectic market!

The busiest stand was Sunny Cal Farms from Fresno with a wide variety of stone fruits, including white and yellow peaches and at least five varieties of plums and pluots (plum-apricot hybrids), my favorite being Red Beauty.

This low-fat breakfast pancake makes use of zucchini and blueberries. (Courtesy of Judy Bart Kancigor)

Their most popular summer fruit, they said, is their cherrums, a cherry-plum combination that tastes sweet with a tang of plum. The tangelos, a pomelo-tangerine cross, are equally delicious.

I grabbed a basket of large, perfect black mission figs, the best I’ve ever had. Prominently displayed are useful instructions for ripening fruit.

“1. Remove fruit from reusable or plastic bags. 2. Place your unwashed fruit on a cutting board, platter, or flat surface slightly spaced apart. 3. Check fruit 2x daily in the morning and evening. 4. When ripe, place fruit in the fridge to prevent from going bad or bruising. Once ripe, flavor will hold in the fridge until enjoyed.”

I stopped at Berumen Farms for zucchini and its many-colored heirloom tomatoes whose weird, other-worldly shapes belie their luscious texture and taste.

For most of my purchases this day, my recipe is simple: 1. Eat 2. Enjoy. Or if you want to get complicated: 1. Ripen, 2. Slice. 3. Eat. 4. Enjoy.

As for the zucchini, there’s zucchini bread and zucchini cake – why not zucchini pancakes? Zucchini’s flavor is mild, adding texture and moistness without the funk of, say, broccoli or Brussels sprouts, yielding a generous, satisfying portion.

Fullerton’s Judy Bart Kancigor is the author of “Cooking Jewish” and “The Perfect Passover Cookbook.” Her website is cookingjewish.com.

LOW-FAT HEALTHY ZUCCHINI BREAKFAST PANCAKE

Shred zucchini with a food processor and spread it out on a tea towel 12 hours to dry. Then place it in a sealable bowl, cover with paper towel, seal and refrigerate upside down.

Change the paper towel daily and it will keep a week.

Yield: 1 serving

Ingredients:

1 large egg plus 1 white
1/4 cup plain yogurt (not Greek)
3 tablespoons gluten-free pancake mix (I use Arrowhead Mills, available at Sprouts)
1 tablespoon ground flax or chia seeds or combination
Pinch fine kosher or sea salt
Sweetener of your choice, to taste
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
3/4 cup shredded zucchini
1/4 cup blueberries
Vegetable spray
Low calorie or pure maple syrup

Method:

1. Beat egg plus white and yogurt with a fork in a bowl. Add pancake mix, ground seeds, salt, sweetener, cinnamon and vanilla and beat until no lumps remain. Mix in zucchini and blueberries.

2. Heat medium frying pan over medium heat. Spray with vegetable spray. When beginning to brown, add pancake mixture and spread.  Cook until brown on one side, then flip pancake and cook the other side.

3. Remove pancake to a plate, pour on syrup and serve.

​ Orange County Register 

The death toll from a South Africa gas leak blamed on illegal gold processing has risen to 17

• July 6, 2023

By MOGOMOTSI MAGOME and GERALD IMRAY

BOKSBURG, South Africa — The death toll from a toxic gas leak that authorities blamed on an illegal gold processing operation in South Africa rose to 17, including three children, as police removed canisters from a community of closely packed shacks and sifted through evidence Thursday.

The leak of what authorities said was a toxic nitrate gas happened Wednesday night in the informal Angelo settlement in Boksburg, a city on the eastern outskirts of Johannesburg.

The three children who died were ages 1, 6 and 15, police said. At least 10 people were hospitalized, including a 2-month-old baby, two 4-year-olds and a 9-year-old, according to Panyaza Lesufi, the premier of Gauteng province, who gave an update Thursday.

A statement from South African President Cyril Ramaphosa’s office said it was a “devastating and tragic loss of innocent lives.”

Bodies remained on the ground, some of them covered in sheets or blankets, for hours after the gas leak was reported around 8 p.m. Wednesday as emergency service responders waited for forensic investigators and pathologists to do their work.

South African police officers dismantle a shack used by illegal gold miners in the Angelo Informal Settlement, in Boksburg, South Africa, Thursday July 6, 2023. South African police say at least 16 people, including three children, have died from a leak of a toxic nitrate gas that was being used by illegal miners to process gold. (AP Photo/Jerome Delay)

“It’s not a nice scene at all. … It’s painful, emotionally draining and tragic,” Lesufi was quoted as saying in news reports as he visited the settlement on Wednesday night.

An Associated Press journalist saw a forensic investigator covering the body of a small child with a blanket. Another body, covered in a white cloth with a shoe sticking out, lay under a strip of yellow police tape cordoning off the area. The bodies eventually were removed.

Search teams combed the area deep into the night looking for other possible casualties. Authorities didn’t say if the people engaged in the illegal gold processing thought to have caused the gas leak were among the dead, but police opened a criminal case.

Investigators made their way through narrow alleys between shacks and other makeshift homes that were dark due to a lack of streetlights, a common situation in the deeply impoverished informal settlements found in and around South Africa’s cities.

Emergency services spokesman William Ntladi said the deaths were caused by the inhalation of nitrate gas that leaked from a gas cylinder being kept in a shack where illegal miners were separating gold from rock and dirt. He said the leak had emptied the canister.

People huddle around a fire for warmth in the Angelo Informal Settlement in Boksburg, South Africa, on Thursday July 6, 2023. Police said a gas leak left multiple people dead including children. (AP Photo/Themba Hadebe)

Lesufi, the Gauteng premier, tweeted videos that showed the dusty inside of the shack and at least four gas cylinders on metal stands. The footage included what Lesufi said was the cylinder that leaked lying on the floor next to the shack’s entrance.

The search teams concentrated on an area stretching out 100 meters (yards) from the cylinder to check for more dead or injured people, Ntaldi said.

Police later began tearing down the shack, and Lesufi said all gas cylinders were removed from the site.

Illegal mining is rife in the gold-rich areas around Johannesburg, where miners go into closed off and disused mines to search for any deposits left over. They then attempt to process some of that gold in secret, often in makeshift and highly dangerous facilities.

Mining fatalities underground are also common and the South African government department responsible for mining announced recently that at least 31 illegal miners were believed to have died in a gas explosion in a disused mine in the city of Welkom in central South Africa in May. The cause was methane gas, the mining department said.

Wednesday’s tragedy was likely to stoke more anger at illegal miners, who are often migrants from neighboring countries, operate in organized gangs and are blamed for bringing crime into neighborhoods.

Violence against illegal miners erupted last year and raged for days in an area west of Johannesburg after a group of 80 men, some of whom were believed to be illegal miners, were charged with gang raping eight women who were working on a TV shoot at a disused mine.

Boksburg is the city where 41 people died after a truck carrying liquefied petroleum gas got stuck under a bridge and exploded on Christmas Eve.

Imray reported from Cape Town, South Africa.

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​ Orange County Register 

Dodgers dig out of early hole, hold on to beat Pirates

• July 6, 2023

LOS ANGELES — Make sure your lap bar is locked and in place. Keep your hands in the car at all times. Until (and if) the Dodgers solve their pitching problems, there could be a lot more games like this.

Rookie starter Bobby Miller gave up two home runs and spotted the Pittsburgh Pirates a four-run headstart. But the Dodgers came back to take the lead on back-to-back home runs by J.D. Martinez and David Peralta then twice survived bases-loaded, no-outs situations to preserve a 6-4 win on Wednesday night.

“We’re kind of in it right now,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said after the game, revealing that Brusdar Graterol has been unavailable the past two games and could land on the injured list on Thursday with an arm issue. “I wouldn’t say we’re limping to the break with the ’pen, but … they’re going to be short tomorrow. We have to find a way to piece it together. We need a big one from Julio (Urias) and find a way to win a ballgame.”

Ryan Brasier – released by the Boston Red Sox with a 7.29 ERA last month – and Daniel Hudson were the unlikely heroes of this bumpy ride for the Dodgers.

Brasier replaced Phil Bickford with the bases loaded and no outs in the seventh inning and escaped with the Dodgers’ two-run lead undiminished. Hudson created his own mess in the ninth, giving up a leadoff double and back-to-back walks before escaping to record his first save since June 8, 2022, before a torn ACL ended his season.

“I would like to have it been a little easier than that. But, hey, we got a W,” said Hudson, who choked up when talking about his latest long recovery (he has twice come back from Tommy John surgery).

“It was fun. Kind of like how I remembered it. It’s a pretty special feeling walking through those gates.”

The sight of the bullpen gates opening has stirred a lot of less uplifting emotions for the Dodgers this season.

“Guys are fighting. Guys are fighting,” Roberts said. “But I feel better than I did last night (after losing a ninth-inning lead).”

By recent standards, Miller actually gave the Dodgers a quality start against the Pirates, pitching into the sixth inning.

But he gave up a solo home run to Bryan Reynolds in the first inning and a three-run homer to Jack Suwinski in the fourth to put the Dodgers in an early 4-0 hole.

“Bad slider. Just a little bit of a misfire. Missed a spot,” Miller said of the three-run homer.

“I’m just figuring out who I am at this level, figuring out how to mix better at this level. I thought I did a better job of that today. I thought the fastball command was a little better today. I was able to move it around the whole strike zone. Just a couple bad pitches, I thought.”

Pirates rookie right-hander Osvaldo Bido gave the Dodgers a leg up on digging out of that hole. He walked Max Muncy and J.D. Martinez back-to-back to start the fourth inning then hit David Peralta with a pitch.

Jason Heyward turned one of those gifts into a run with a sacrifice fly and Miguel Rojas made it 4-2 with a two-out RBI single.

An inning later, second-year right-hander Roansy Contreras picked up where Bido left off. He walked Will Smith and Muncy back-to-back with one out then gave up a three-run home run to Martinez and a solo home run to Peralta that put the Dodgers in the lead.

Since May 1, Peralta is batting .343 (48 for 140) with five home runs and 21 RBIs. In that time, only Miami’s Luis Arraez (.363) has a higher batting average among players with at least 100 at-bats.

“I think it’s just more the confidence,” Roberts said of Peralta’s turnaround after a slow start. “Even a veteran player that has had success, when balls aren’t falling and you see a one handle on your average (an average under .200), you start to get frustrated. But then to his credit, he continued to work and persevered and found some outfield grass. Now you’re starting to see when he gets into good counts, he’s taking more chances out in front and tonight he did that hitting a homer.”

Bickford replaced Miller with two outs in the sixth but retired just one of the five batters he faced, leaving the game to Brasier with the bases loaded and no outs in the seventh. Brasier walked the tightrope, giving up two line drives – one to Rojas at shortstop (98.5 mph off the bat) and one to second baseman Mookie Betts – then getting Santana to pop out harmlessly.

“There’s just no panic,” Roberts said of Brasier. “I think Ryan pitched a good bit in Boston, so when you’re in that environment, you can pitch anywhere, and he showed that. We’ve used him a lot and for him to come in bases loaded and nobody out, that would’ve been the game. You don’t see too many times in a game where you see bases loaded and nobody out and you come away unscathed.”

You did Wednesday night.

After Caleb Ferguson handled the eighth, Hudson came in and gave up a leadoff double then walked back-to-back batters to load the bases.

“I think it was just adrenaline and trying not to make a mistake,” Hudson said. “Trying to get some weak contact or swing and miss. If I walk them, go get the next guy. Try to make a pitch on the next guy and go from there.”

Hudson struck out two of the next three batters to close it out. Afterward, bullpen coach Josh Bard brought Hudson a glass of bourbon to toast his return.

“It’s up there, for sure,” Hudson said of the emotions coming back from this injury compared to others. “The knee rehab for whatever reason was a little more frustrating than the elbow stuff. Obviously blowing out back to back – the second rehab was pretty straightforward and pretty easy. I didn’t have any setbacks.

“This was a lot more frustrating just because we were talking about six to nine, but my old ass couldn’t get back in nine. Thankfully we got there though.”

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Dinger alert. pic.twitter.com/tWJOGujFt0

— SportsNet LA (@SportsNetLA) July 6, 2023

Peralta down the line! pic.twitter.com/ABVT92dJk3

— SportsNet LA (@SportsNetLA) July 6, 2023

​ Orange County Register 

Sparks fall to Atlanta for 2nd time this week as losing streak reaches 4 games

• July 6, 2023

LOS ANGELES — Sparks coach Curt Miller almost got his wish at home against the Atlanta Dream on Wednesday night. His team fought hard early in the second half, trimming a 13-point halftime deficit to five midway through the third quarter.

But their sheer will was not enough, and the Sparks eventually found themselves trailing by as much as 21 points in the fourth quarter on their way to their fourth straight loss, 90-79, at Crypto.com Arena.

“Really proud and that was the message afterward, that they showed a lot of character,” Miller said. “They really showed togetherness and toughness, that there was more fight in them. It was good to see. That is something that we can really grow from and learn from. Again, it may not all come together this year with everything that we’re dealing with but these moments go a long way two or three years down the road from now.”

Nneka Ogwumike had another double-double with 19 points and 10 rebounds, Azurá Stevens had a season-high 16 points, 12 rebounds and two blocked shots off the bench and Jordin Canada had 13 points and seven assists, but the Sparks could not overcome Atlanta’s pivotal 13-0 run late in the third quarter, losing to the Dream for the second time this week.

Rookie guard Zia Cooke added 11 points off the bench for the Sparks (7-11), who have dropped eight of their past 11 games. They next play at Phoenix (3-13) on Sunday.

“We fought back,” Stevens said when asked about her team’s overall effort. “I think everyone can see that we had some fight and some oomph to how we played and I don’t think we had that in the (previous) game so that’s improvement and that’s what it’s all about is continuing to get better. That’s what we’re all focusing on as a unit and an organization is continuing to get better and we saw that tonight. Yeah, we lost but we fought and that’s really important.”

Azurá Stevens on the fight the Sparks showed during Wednesday’s 90-79 loss at home to the Atlanta Dream. pic.twitter.com/sOdAmz5ZbY

— John W. Davis (@johnwdavis) July 6, 2023

“Next man up,” Canada added. “That’s the mentality that we have to have. Everybody has stepped up these last couple of games with injuries and dealing with a lot of adversity but we all have that mentality. Everybody has to stay ready because you never know when your number is going to get called. We have done a good job. You just have to stay consistent and stay together and try to figure out a way to come out a little bit more sharp in the first quarter.”

All-Star reserve guard Allisha Gray had a game-high 23 points, four rebounds and six assists to pace Atlanta (8-8).

Rhyne Howard, who was coming off a career-high 43 points in Sunday’s 112-84 win against the Sparks, added 15 points, five rebounds and six assists and was 5 for 9 from 3-point range. All-Star reserve forward Cheyenne Parker had 14 points and 11 rebounds.

The Sparks trailed 29-16 at the end of the first quarter, as Atlanta’s Howard and former Spark Nia Coffey went a combined 5 for 7 from behind the arc while the Sparks shot 6 for 19 overall (32%).

“We have to be hungry. We have to be ready right from the beginning,” Miller continued. “Again, that’s our challenge right now. Our veteran leaders have to be a big part of that.”

LA Sparks head coach Curt Miller talks about his team’s competitiveness in a 90-79 loss at home against the Atlanta Dream. @CurtMillerWBB spoke highly of his team’s fight but said the team has to be hungry and ready to go at tip-off. #WNBA #LASparks pic.twitter.com/bbAdjHPw1L

— John W. Davis (@johnwdavis) July 6, 2023

The Sparks trailed 37-20 early in the second quarter but a step-through layup by Stevens capped a 14-6 Sparks run that cut Atlanta’s lead to 43-34 with 4:41 left in the first half.

However, the Sparks trailed 53-40 at halftime as the Dream made 20 of 34 shots from the field (58.8%), including 6 of 12 from 3-point range, in the first half.

A 3-pointer by Sparks guard Jasmine Thomas cut Atlanta’s lead to 53-45 with 7:53 left in the third. A 3-pointer by Howard pushed Atlanta’s lead back to double digits, but Stevens responded with back-to-back baskets, pulling the Sparks within five 56-51 with 5:05 left in the third.

That’s when Atlanta responded with its 13-0 run over the next three minutes, extending the lead to 69-51 with 1:37 left in the third.

The Sparks trailed 71-58 heading into the fourth and found themselves down by 21 a few minutes later. The home team went on an 8-0 run to get within 81-69 with 5:38 left but could never cut the margin to single digits.

Before the game, Miller said he wanted to see his team step up and compete against Atlanta.

“It doesn’t matter if you have eight players, nine players. I’m resigned to the fact that we may never play with 11 players this year the way this season is going,” he said. “It doesn’t matter if we have eight players, we’ve got to play hard and try to create the foundation and a culture that we want to rely on years from now.”

After a 112-84 loss to the Atlanta Dream on Sunday, Los Angeles Sparks head coach Curt Miller want to see how hard his team is going to compete against Atlanta in tonight’s rematch. #WNBA #WNBATwitter pic.twitter.com/4n5kpMgEhs

— John W. Davis (@johnwdavis) July 6, 2023

The short-handed Sparks were without four opening-night starters (Jordin Canada, Lexie Brown, Layshia Clarendon, Chiney Ogwumike) during Sunday’s loss in Atlanta. Brown, Clarendon and Ogwumike remained out for the rematch but the prior game’s outcome inspired the Sparks to compete for all 40 minutes.

“It doesn’t sit right to lose to them and sit with it for a long time so it’s nice that we get to play quickly,” Sparks forward Karlie Samuelson said before the game.

Samuelson left the game in the second quarter with an apparent foot injury and will be evaluated further, according to Miller.

Karlie Samuelson and Dearica Hamby’s pregame interview before the Atlanta at Sparks game. The Sparks are looking for a better showing after Sunday’s 112-84 loss in Atlanta. #WNBATwitter #WNBA pic.twitter.com/LZ4xIVx1Zp

— John W. Davis (@johnwdavis) July 6, 2023

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