Lakers draft picks Jalen Hood-Schifino, Maxwell Lewis ready to hit ground running

• June 28, 2023

EL SEGUNDO — For Jalen Hood-Schifino and Maxwell Lewis – who the Lakers selected with the Nos. 17 and 40 picks in last Thursday’s NBA draft – the last few days have been “surreal”, as Lewis put it.

Not just because their dreams of making it to the league came to fruition. But because of who the Lakers, and a specific Lakers great, meant to them.

Both Hood-Schifino and Lewis mentioned the late Kobe Bryant as a source of inspiration growing up. Lewis said his father, Robert, who is from Inglewood, put a poster of Kobe in his room growing up.

Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka said Hood-Schifino mentioned the “Mamba Mentality” as “one of the pillars in his life” in a previous conversation.

“The first thing I thought of was Kobe, because growing up, I was a big Kobe fan,” Hood-Schifino said about his initial reaction to being selected by the Lakers. “I was just like, ‘This can’t be real right now.’ I didn’t really have no emotions. I felt like I couldn’t cry. Couldn’t really talk. I didn’t really hear nothing. Just like, ‘Dang, I’m really about to be a Laker.’ I’m just really thankful.”

But as the rookies got settled into the UCLA Health Training Facility during Tuesday’s introductory press conference, the conversation shifted.

The 6-foot-6, 215-pound Hood-Schifino, who was Indiana’s second-leading scorer last season, and the 6-7, 195-pound Lewis, Pepperdine’s leading scorer last season, won’t be asked to play the same roles as rookies that they did in college.

The 20-year-old rookies will have to adapt and find ways to fit into a Lakers team that is coming off a Western Conference finals appearance and expects to challenge for the title in 2023-24.

“Coming in as a rookie, obviously, you start from the bottom,” Hood-Schifino said. “Obviously, you have to find your niche and find what you need to do to help your team win. Whether that’s being vocal, being an assist guy, playing defense or whatever it is, I’m going to go in there with the approach that I want to help the team win and get better every single day.”

Cracking the rotation of a playoff team as a rookie isn’t easy.

Minutes typically aren’t given out from Day One as they would be on a younger, rebuilding team coming off a losing season. It will take more work to earn playing time.

But in Coach Darvin Ham’s eyes, the best way for Hood-Schifino and Lewis to earn their playing time will be by proving they’re ready to compete and handle responsibilities on the defensive end.

“We have all the faith in the world in these two, that they’re going to fall right into place with what we’ve got going on,” Ham said. “As a young player, the harder you play [and] compete, particularly on the defensive end, usually, those guys are the ones who get the minutes early. The offense will catch up. But first, they have to establish a competitive tone, and buying in, knowing what we’re doing defensively. That’s going to translate into everything else.”

Pelinka has said the front office values continuity heading into free agency, which begins Friday at 3 p.m. PT.

How Hood-Schifino and Lewis will fit into that vision remains to be seen and is something the rookies will have to prove.

But Pelinka doesn’t want to put a ceiling on how Hood-Schifino and Lewis could contribute to a team that’s looking to remain a contender.

“We’re at the doorstep of free agency and we’ve been pretty clear since our last game with the success of making it to the Western Conference finals, we want to try our hardest to keep this core of guys together and also improve around the edges and on the margins to not only get back to where we were last year but hopefully take the next step and get into the NBA Finals,” Pelinka said. “The league is full of young players that can surprise – even in the playoffs.

“The team that beat us, Denver, had a guy that they drafted last year [Christian Braun] that was in their rotation. So I don’t want to put a limit on what either of these guys here can do for Coach Ham and the team. They’re gonna start with the foundation of work, and if they earn minutes in our rotation, that’s because they put in the work to do it. But I do think guys can be impactful in this league – even young players.

The Lakers begin Summer League play on July 3 in the six-team California Classic in Sacramento before heading to Las Vegas for the league-wide event (July 7-17).

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​ Orange County Register 

Camp Pendleton identifies 3 Marines who died in fiery crash on the 5 freeway

• June 28, 2023

Camp Pendleton officials on Tuesday identified three Marines who served in units belonging to the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force among the four people who died in a fiery car crash on the 5 Freeway over the weekend.

Two of the Marines, Sgt. Daniel Nichols and Cpl. Rodrigo Zermeno Gomez Jr., were assigned to Combat Logistics Regiment 1, 1st Marine Logistics Group. Staff Sgt. Joshua Moore Jr., was assigned to the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit, I Marine Expeditionary Force.

“These U.S. Marines will truly be missed,” said a statement from the command. “Our thoughts are with the friends and families who are grieving this loss.”

Nichols, 26, of Texas, was an ammunition specialist who enlisted in April 2017. His service medals include the National Defense Service Medal, Sea Service Deployment Ribbon, two Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medals, two Marine Corps Good Conduct Medals, a Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, a Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal and a Certificate of Commendation.

Gomez, 21, of Arizona, was a maintenance management specialist. He enlisted in August 2020 and medals he had received include the National Defense Service Medal, Sea Service Deployment Ribbon and Global War on Terrorism Service Medal.

Moore, 27,  of Kentucky, was an ammunition chief. He enlisted in September 2014. His awards and decorations include the National Defense Service Medal, two Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medals, Navy Meritorious Unit Commendation, two Marine Corps Good Conduct Medals, Inherent Resolve Campaign Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, the Sea Service Deployment Ribbon and a Certificate of Commendation.

The three Camp Pendleton Marines and another person who had not been identified as of Tuesday pending family notification died in the single-vehicle crash Saturday morning on the 5 Freeway in Downey, officials said. The California Highway Patrol received a call about 2:30 a.m. reporting the crash involving the 2018 Dodge Charger traveling south on the freeway. Investigators believe the driver lost control of the car, which then struck a concrete pillar and a metal guard rail, according to KCAL.

The force of the collision “caused the vehicle to split in two, subsequently ejecting the two rear passengers onto the right shoulder,” a statement from the California Highway Patrol said.

Mona Darwish and City News Service contributed to this report.

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San Juan Capistrano man and woman found dead in possible murder-suicide

• June 28, 2023

Orange County Sheriff’s Department homicide detectives and the Coroner’s office are investigating a possible murder-suicide after a man and a woman were found dead inside a San Juan Capistrano home on Tuesday, said sheriff’s Sgt. Mike Woodroof.

Civil deputies were serving an eviction notice around 8 a.m. on the 3000 block of Paseo Santiago when they entered the home and discovered the two bodies, which may have been there for a few days. Investigators believe the suspect was found dead inside the house, and there is no threat to the public, said  Woodroof.

The investigation is ongoing. Details on the cause of death and the identity of the two individuals were unavailable.

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The Compost: Here’s how to reduce your e-waste footprint

• June 28, 2023

Welcome to The Compost, a weekly newsletter on key environmental news impacting Southern California. Subscribe now to get it in your inbox! In today’s edition…

It’s hard not to get sucked in by the latest and greatest gadgets.

Sometimes they promise convenience, like a smart refrigerator that will tell you when you’re running low on milk. Others promise to enhance our health and safety, like a watch that can monitor your heartbeat or a cell phone with emergency satellite communication. Often it’s just about pleasure, such as getting a smoother gaming experience by buying the latest version of your laptop.

But no matter what’s driving our purchases, one thing is clear: Our pricey addiction to electronics is, quite literally, piling up.

Humans generate more than 50 million tons of e-waste each year, according to the latest report on the topic from the United Nations. And while the volume of e-waste has skyrocketed in recent years, the percentage that gets recycled has actually dropped, down now to just 17%.

My colleague Teri Sforza and I wrote about how Chromebooks in schools have become the poster child for this technology treadmill. A coalition of environmental and education advocates led by the nonprofit Public Interest Research Group, or PING, have joined forces on a campaign to slow that Chromebook churn. Their immediate focus is on getting Google to extend what they say are rather arbitrary “death dates,” when the company stops making needed software updates. The California chapter of PING also is backing legislation now in the California Assembly that would force electronics companies to make it easier for people and shops to repair devices.

Both of these efforts could have much broader impacts on how we all interact with technology. If companies are forced — through public pressure or, more likely, legislation — to make their products last longer, we’ll all have less excuse to treat these devices as disposable.

Along with supporting such efforts, here are other steps to help reduce your e-waste footprint:

Use devices you have as long as you can. Most of the environmental damage happens in making and shipping the products, so buying less typically is better than buying a newer version even if it’s more sustainably made.
If your device breaks, try to find a local repair cafe in your area or use a resource like iFixit to fix it yourself. Check with the manufacturer, too, and voice your support for increasing repair options and resources.
If your device works and you just don’t need it anymore, consider donating it to a charity, selling it to a third-party service or repurposing it for another use. An old cell phone, for example, might still be helpful for taking photos or playing music, so you’re not using memory or battery life on your main phone.
If your device can’t be fixed or repurposed, see if it can be recycled. CalRecycle has a search tool that lets you find organizations nearby that recover unwanted devices.
When you need a different device, consider buying a used or refurbished version. They can save you big money and often have lots of life left in them, with many sellers offering at least limited warranties.

This all will help the planet. But it will help our bank accounts, too. A study by PING estimates the average family could save $400 a year if they could repair rather than replace common electronics and appliances. And taxpayer-funded schools and other agencies would save millions if devices lasted longer.

Oakland Unified School District hosts a summer repair internship program, teaching students how to make basic repairs to devices. In PING’s report, it notes the district had to throw out 4,156 “expired” laptops last summer that were otherwise in fine working condition.

“There was so much unneeded waste,” said Rio Blackshaw-Mckee, a senior at Skyline High School in Oakland who participated in the internship. “It felt terrible seeing all those trashed Chromebooks, knowing that the money could have gone to clubs, field trips or learning resources.”

— By Brooke Staggs, environment reporter

 ENERGIZE

Not giving up: Irvine passed a ban on gas hookups in most new buildings just before a federal judge ruled against the same sort of ban in Berkeley. Our Yusra Farzan looked at how Irvine hopes to get around that ruling and still pursue its electrification goals. …READ MORE…

Speaking of Irvine: The city set a goal to hit zero carbon emissions by 2030, which is 15 years faster than the state’s goal. City staff is presenting a five-part plan to help the Orange County city get there during a special meeting this afternoon.

Solar farms vs. our deserts: Is rooftop solar enough to power our fossil-free future? Or can big farms coexist with animals and plants in places like the Mojave Desert? And if not, “should Americans be willing to sacrifice a few endangered species in the name of tackling climate change?” Sammy Roth with the Los Angeles Times tackles the tough questions in his latest piece on repowering the West. …READ MORE…

 HYDRATE

Win for local water projects: Santa Ana just received $5.9 million in state funding to boost the local water supply and improve quality, our Destiny Torres reports. Newly captured groundwater will also help the city turn part of the Santa Ana Zoo parking lot into an urban green space. …READ MORE…

 REGULATE

For the bees and the planet: New rules will help protect bees from a common pesticide used on farms. But there are no regulations on using the insecticide on lawns or gardens, despite research now linking neonics to broader ecosystem problems and health conditions in humans. There also are no regulations on planting seeds pretreated with pesticides. Two bills take aim at these gaps, which advocates say are risky to pollinators, waterways and people. Agriculture groups are pushing back, saying they need these tools. Here’s my look at the background, bills and arguments on both sides. …READ MORE…

Pushing a bigger monument: Local and national leaders converged Monday on Eaton Canyon Nature Center in Pasadena to urge President Joe Biden to expand the San Gabriel Mountains National Monument an additional 109,000 acres to the west. Our John Orona has the story. …READ MORE…

Lab-grown meat approved: Would you eat lab-grown meat for the sake of the planet and/or animal welfare? Two California companies are banking on it, and federal regulators just gave them the green light. …READ MORE…

Greenhouse gas inventory: California legislators are trying to create a uniform inventory of greenhouse gases, which cities and counties could use to develop climate plans. Our Kaitlyn Schalhorn reports in her Sacramento Snapshot roundup that Senate Bill 511 would require electrical and natural gas usage broken down by residential, commercial, industrial and agricultural sectors. …READ MORE…

 TRANSPORT

Rivian embraces Tesla charging: Shares of Irvine-based Rivian rose after news the company will incorporate Tesla Inc.’s electric-vehicle charging ports into future automobiles and gain access to its supercharger network, Ed Ludlow with Bloomberg reports. …READ MORE…

Get a roundup of the best climate and environment news delivered to your inbox each week by signing up for The Compost.

 PROTECT

Marine life hit by algae bloom: A toxic algae bloom that’s crept down the coast of California from San Luis Obispo County has been sickening and killing hundreds of sea lions and dolphins, our Erika Ritchie reports. One expert said in her 25 years that she’s “never seen anything like it.” …READ MORE…

Sea lion attack: Experts believed the algae could be responsible for reports of a sea lion attacking beachgoers in Dana Point, triggering beach closures this afternoon.

Wildlife district stirs debate: Depending who you ask, our Clara Harter reports an ordinance that just cleared a major hurdle in Los Angeles City Hall would either be a boon to the environment and wildlife, or a curse on some local homeowners and developers. The law would limit how much of a homeowner’s property can be covered in structures and require the use of animal-friendly architecture for new development in hillside communities between Griffith Park and the 405 Freeway. …READ MORE…

High school hit with shrapnel: Atlas Iron & Metal Co. is charged with contaminating the soil and groundwater, producing toxic fumes and spewing shrapnel onto the campus at Jordan High in Watts during dangerous explosions. Clara Harter is back with news on charges from the District Attorney. …READ MORE…

Sand arrives: The first of an estimated 3,000 truckloads of dredged sand has been delivered to Capistrano Beach Park and Doheny State Beach in Dana Point, our Laylan Connelly reports. It’s part of a much-needed infusion of sand that will widen the severely eroded and battered beaches. …READ MORE…

Lakes see algae, too: Lake Elsinore and Big Bear Lake once again have warnings in place for toxic algae blooms, though Monserrat Solis reports they’re so far not nearly as severe as blooms that happened last summer. …READ MORE…

CELEBRATE

Creative uses for an invasive plant: There’s a meme going around hiking circles about how every group has one friend who points out that the pretty yellow flowers everyone has been admiring on Southern California hillsides in recent months are actually harmful invasive mustard. That friend is me. So I particularly enjoyed this story by the Associated Press’ Julie Watson about artists and chefs finding creative ways to use the destructive blossom.  …READ MORE…

A $3 million state grant will help expand the Mojave Desert Land Trust’s seed bank in Joshua Tree. (Photo by Terry Pierson, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG)

 EXPLORE

Visit a seed bank: If you’ve been to Joshua Tree, you might have driven past this funky sign along the main drag. MDLT is for Mojave Desert Land Trust, a nonprofit dedicated to preserving and restoring desert land across Southern California. I recently got to spend time at their headquarters for an article I wrote on the organization’s seed bank, where they aim to collect and store seeds representing all 2,400 species of plants native to our deserts. You can stop by the site to purchase native seeds and merchandise to support the nonprofit. You can also tour their demonstration garden, with lots in bloom right now. And they have a very popular native plant sale each October, where the line starts early in the morning to buy plants that preserve local genetics and are well adapted to our climate. Check it out next time you visit Joshua Tree!

 PITCH IN

Welcome bees: For this week’s tip on how Southern Californians can help the environment… The story I wrote on how insecticides impact bee populations got me looking at more tips for protecting these mighty pollinators. Here are five steps we all can take:

Limit or halt use of chemical insecticides on lawns and gardens.
Plant a year-round bee garden, with an emphasis on native flowers, shrubs and trees.
Leave some bare patches of sunny dirt, which bees can use to nest.
Don’t over manicure. Bees use hollow plant stems and leaf piles as habitat and rest in longer grass.
Support local beekeepers by buying honey at your farmer’s market or other supplier.

Thanks for reading, Composters! Don’t forget to sign up to get The Compost delivered to your inbox and to share this newsletter with others.

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Garden Grove district on track with new sports facilities

• June 28, 2023

Santiago High soccer and football teams practiced Monday on a bright green field ringed by a vibrant orange track with pristine white lines.

The school hosted a celebration in the afternoon for its new athletic facilities before the athletes took the field.

The synthetic track now offers nine lanes with the new field at its center and new LED lighting.

“I am confident that this new facility will bring new excitement and energy to our outstanding athletic programs, which have dedicated coaches and hardworking players,” Garden Grove Unified School District Board President Walter Muneton said in a statement. He is an alum of Santiago High.

The athletic facilities were funded in part by a 2016 bond measure approved by voters that raised $311 million for projects at various campuses.

The district has similar facilities opening at its Rancho Alamitos High and Los Amigos High campuses by the end of July, spokeswoman Abby Broyles said. Each facility is costing about $8.5 million.

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​ Orange County Register 

Plans for new Metrolink stations in Boyle Heights and Pico Rivera press on

• June 28, 2023

In an effort to add ridership and get cars off the road, Metrolink trains may soon stop at two new stations in Los Angeles County — one at the Los Angeles General Medical Center in Boyle Heights and the other in Pico Rivera.

The stations are under study by LA Metro, the county transit agency that helps fund Metrolink, a heavy-rail passenger service that operates seven lines and 65 stations in Southern California.

LA Metro’s board voted on Thursday, June 22 to add $10 million to Metrolink’s regional rail program, which is exploring adding the stations.

The added stop at the L.A. County hospital campus would come off the San Bernardino Line, which has stops in Montclair, Pomona, Covina, Baldwin Park, El Monte, Cal State Los Angeles and downtown L.A.’s Union Station.

A rendering of the proposed Pico Rivera Metrolink station. (Image courtesy of Metro.)

A station in Pico Rivera would be served by two Metrolink train lines, the 91/Perris Valley line and the Orange County line. The station would be located between the Norwalk/Santa Fe Springs Station and the Commerce Station, said Scott Johnson, Metrolink spokesman. The 91/Perris Valley line and the San Bernardino line are the two busiest in the Metrolink system.

A $500,000 feasibility study looking at the L.A. County hospital stop was completed in 2022. The study concluded that adding a station would benefit more than 9,600 essential hospital workers and visitors.

The study also found that having a direct stop at the hospital campus would help decrease traffic on streets in Boyle Heights and provide a carless transit service to support new additions planned for what was once called the LAC+USC Medical Center. Plans include additional housing and a Restorative Care Village that provides residential treatment for mental health care, substance use disorders and other services. A first phase costing $68.5 million was completed in July 2022.

“We are rebranding and reimagining what we are doing there,” said Supervisor and LA Metro board member Hilda Solis, whose motion for a study of a Metrolink stop there was approved in 2021. “We have added restorative care and more housing there.

“The best way to get there — without having to drive and park — is to take Metrolink,” she said. “Metrolink (San Bernadino Line) helps connect people as far away as San Bernardino and Pomona, many who work at the General Hospital.”

In a survey taken by 1,500 employees at the regional hospital, 55% said they would use the train with the direct stop. Some employees take the line to Union Station, then take a county bus to the county hospital, Solis said.

“We do see professionals such as nurses, doctors and medical technicians who use the line. But this would cut down on the time of their commute,” she said.

Others who visit the hospital campus or come for a doctor’s appointment often have to take three or four buses to get there and it can take them three to four hours, Solis said.

Metro is moving ahead with preparing environmental documents that could pave the way for the new station to be built, according to Jay Fuhrman, Metro’s regional transportation planner and Deputy Executive Officer of Regional Rail Brian Balderrama.

Planning for the Pico Rivera station is not as far along.

Metro will hire a consultant to start the feasibility study this fall, wrote Fuhrman and Balderrama in an email. The study will begin in the fall. Completion of the study is expected in the fall of 2024, they reported.

This follows a Metro board motion approved in February 2023 from Fourth District Supervisor Janice Hahn, Glendale Mayor Ara Najarian and Whittier City Council member Fernando Dutra to authorize the feasibility study.

The station would integrate with plans for a future A Line (formerly Gold Line) Eastside Extension, as well as a new bus rapid transit line — plus bike paths for active transportation, Fuhrman and Balderrama wrote. The cost ranges from $20 million to $200 million, according to a city report.

Pico Rivera City Manager Steve Carmona said the addition of a Metrolink station is part of an overall city transportation and sustainability plan.

“One, it is for economic development. Two, it is to create an environment to take residents out of their cars,” Carmona said on Tuesday, June 27.

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Related links

As more people are struck by its trains, Metrolink pushes for better safety, suicide prevention
Metrolink gets collision-avoidance technology, Metro gets downtown connector
Metrolink to add crash-resistant train cars to its lines
Metro L Line eastside light-rail extension to Montebello gets $35 million grant from state
Pico Rivera just got $1.05 million to turn a bus depot into a much-needed park

​ Orange County Register 

Wallace Neff-designed home in San Marino lists after 55 years for $6.8M

• June 27, 2023

For the first time in 55 years, a San Marino mansion by noted architect Wallace Neff is on the market.

The asking price is $6.75 million.

Designed in an Italian revival style, this 7,381-square-foot house sits on nearly 1 acre of park-like grounds with six bedrooms and eight bathrooms.

The listing calls it “a rare opportunity to update a historically significant and stately two-story home in one of the city’s premiere locations” across from The Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Garden grounds.

Multiple listing service photos show the home is well-maintained, albeit dated. A wide circular driveway leads to the house’s front facade, embellished with black shutters.

The front door opens into a grand foyer with a staircase, one of two. There is also a service staircase. A fireplace anchors the formal living room, which leads to an impressive wood-paneled library with bookcases lining the wall.

Floral wall coverings match the drapes in the formal dining room. From there, a door swings into the butler’s pantry and beyond to the kitchen. Like the kitchen, has breakfast room’s walls feature the same floral pattern as the dining room.

A highlight of the second floor is the spacious primary suite. It has two dressing rooms and a full bathroom, one of four on this level.

The grounds feature a solar-heated pool, a pool cabana with a dressing room and a bathroom, and a lighted north-south tennis court.

Neff, who died in 1982 at 87, was known for designing period revival style homes for the likes of Charlie Chaplin, Cary Grant and other Southern California celebrities. His most celebrated work is the Pickfair mansion in Beverly Hills, which he transformed from a lodge into a Tudor style for Hollywood power couple Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks in 1927.

According to listing agent Bill Podley of DPP Real Estate, the San Marino home was built as a spec property by Neff’s brother-in-law, Thaddeus Up de Graff Jr., in 1929. The first owner was Stuart Llewellyn Williams, a real estate broker and Nevada gold mine owner, who bought it in 1930. It sold last in 1968 for $125,000.

Records show the home belongs to the family of Martha and E. Leroy Tolles. Martha Tolles, 101, is a best-selling author of the Katie and Darci children’s fiction series and the adult historical novel “Love and Sabotage.” Roy Tolles, who died in 2008 at 85, was a founding partner of the nationally recognized Los Angeles law firm Munger, Tolles & Olson.

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Severe storms scuttle more than 7,000 US flights

• June 27, 2023

By Chris Isidore and Jordan Valinksy | CNN

Claude Ronnie Msowoya and his family spent three days trying to get to Johannesburg, South Africa, only to be forced to return home by train, without his baggage.

Msowoya told CNN that his United Airlines flight from Boston to Newark airport was delayed Sunday, which caused him and his family to miss their connecting United Airline flight from Newark to Johannesburg.

Msowoya said his family was eventually booked on another United Airlines flight that was scheduled to take off Monday evening, but it was also canceled.

“We had to go to the customer service line, which had taken us 10 hours the previous day. We didn’t get any help and later tried to get our bags to cancel the trip. We stood in line for 6 hours at luggage claim only to be told that they won’t be giving anyone their luggage and they should file a claim and pray and hope that their luggage gets delivered to them,” Msowoya said.

Msowoya told CNN his family decided to take a train back home to Boston after spending three days in Newark airport.

His story was hardly unique. Disruptions for air travelers continued Tuesday for a fourth day with more than 7,000 flights across the United States delayed or canceled after powerful storms ripped through the parts of the country, including in the Mid-Atlantic and parts of the Northeast where many busy hubs are located.

Data from FlightAware showed that, on Tuesday afternoon, more than 5,400 flights within, into or out of the US were delayed and more than 1,600 were canceled. Still, that’s a major decrease from Monday’s chaos, when more than 11,000 flights were either delayed or canceled because of severe weather and air traffic control staffing issues.

United Airlines was once again faring the worst of the US domestic airlines. About 16% of its schedule, or 467 flights, was canceled and another 37%, or 1,062 flights, was delayed just before 6 pm ET. Republic Airways, which operates feeder flights for American Airlines, Delta and United, had 35% of its schedule canceled (333 flights).

The four US airports most affected Tuesday afternoon are all major hubs for either United or Delta: New Jersey’s Newark Liberty, both of New York City’s airports (LaGuardia and John F. Kennedy) and Boston’s Logan. But the problems weren’t limited to the Northeast. There were 17 airports spread across the country, from San Francisco to Orlando, which had at least 20% of their flights delayed according to FlightAware.

More than 40 million people in the Northeast and Central Plains are at risk of severe storms on Tuesday. The majority of people at risk are located in the Northeast, including Philadelphia and Washington, DC, where a Level 1 of 5 threat has been issued by the Storm Prediction Center. A level 3 of 5 threat, of severe weather, is highlighted for parts of Kansas and Oklahoma, including Wichita and Tulsa.

Scattered thunderstorms are again expected east of a cold front from the Mid-Atlantic into parts of the Northeast, leading to the possibility of even more flight delays and cancellations later.

Some of these afternoon storms could produce damaging wind gusts, and heavy rain from these storms could produce isolated instances of flash flooding, particularly over parts of southeastern New York, Delaware and Pennsylvania.

United CEO blames FAA for weekend delays

Since travel problems started to mount on Saturday there have been more than 5,000 flights to, from or within the United States canceled according to FlightAware’s midday stats at midday Tuesday, and another 28,500 delayed.

While weather is part of the reason for the problem, a lack of adequate staffing at the air traffic control centers run by the Federal Aviation Administration and a lack of capacity at US airlines also come into play.

That adds to the problem, making it difficult for the system to handle disruptions caused by bad weather, and for passengers to find seats on new flights when their original flight is canceled.

The head of United Airlines, in a strongly worded memo to staff, blamed the FAA’s air traffic controller staffing problems for “unprecedented challenges” this past weekend that impacted “over 150,000 customers on United alone.”

“The FAA frankly failed us this weekend,” said United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby in an internal company memo shared with CNN.

Kirby says that on Saturday, the FAA reduced arrival rates at its major hub at Newark Liberty International Airport by 40 percent and departure rates by 75 percent, which was “almost certainly a reflection of understaffing/lower experience at the FAA.”

“It led to massive delays, cancellations, diversions, as well as crews and aircraft out of position,” Kirby said. “And that put everyone behind the eight ball when weather actually did hit on Sunday and was further compounded by FAA staffing shortages Sunday evening.”

Kirby says he will be meeting with the FAA and Department of Transportation “to discuss what steps FAA can take in the immediate term to prevent this from happening again this summer.”

The FAA responded Tuesday morning, saying “we will always collaborate with anyone seriously willing to join us to solve a problem.”

In the memo, Kirby was careful to say the current FAA leadership did not create the current staffing problem, but that they need to deal with them. “To be fair, it’s not the fault of the current FAA leadership,” he wrote, but added “they are responsible for solving the problem they inherited.”

These latest problems come at an especially busy time. With millions of passengers set to pack commercial flights for the long holiday weekend, the Transportation Security Administration says July 4 air travel will be even bigger than it was before the pandemic.

The agency anticipates screening 2.82 million people at airports nationwide on Friday, surpassing a post-pandemic record set on June 16 as well as the 2.79 million passengers the TSA screened on July 7, 2019.

​ Orange County Register