1st major snow storm of season drops 1 foot on Montana

• October 25, 2023

By Amy Beth Hanson | Associated Press

HELENA, Mont. — The first major snowstorm of the season dropped up to a foot (30 centimeters) of snow in the Helena, Montana, area by Wednesday, sending an army of snowplows and sand trucks out on the roads.

Residents woke up to swirling snow and the sound of shovels on sidewalks just days after temperatures rose into the lower 80s. Trees decked out in fall colors and some Halloween decorations were weighed down with snow. Helena Public Schools canceled six school bus routes Wednesday morning, but no schools were closed.

The National Weather Service warned of hazardous travel on snowy mountain passes and ice on some highways when snow initially melts and then freezes as road temperatures drop.

Plows scraped snow off the highways, streets and parking lots and sand was scattered on roads to increase traction as the Montana Highway Patrol responded to dozens of crashes and slide-offs, including jackknifed semi-tractor trailers, according to the patrol’s incident website.

The first snowfall of the season “is always the most dangerous because people just aren’t used to it yet” after driving for months on mostly dry pavement, said Matt Ludwig, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Great Falls. Drivers aren’t used to dealing with less traction, slower speeds and longer stopping distances, he said.

Cold air moving down from northwestern Canada has combined with a moist Pacific weather system, leading to freezing temperatures and expected snowfall amounts up 14 inches (36 centimeters) in Washington’s northern Cascade Mountains and 18 inches (46 centimeters) in the mountains of Montana, the National Weather Service forecasts. Some higher elevations in the northern Rockies could see snow totals of 2 feet (61 centimeters) or more.

After the first wave of snow, it was Helena that saw the most accumulation, with a couple spots reporting 13 inches (33 centimeters) of snow. However, the official site at the airport had half that amount, said Cody Molvan, chief meteorologist for the National Weather Service in Great Falls said Wednesday.

Some towns in central Montana reported 10 inches (25 centimeters) of snow, while other areas along the Rocky Mountain Front had 6 to 8 inches (16 to 20 centimeters) of snow as the storm moved east.

The first wave of snow ended at midday Wednesday and a second round — less widespread and with much less accumulation — was forecast from Wednesday night into Thursday morning, the weather service said.

The storm brought a sharp change in weather.

Helena tied record temperatures in the lower 80s (high 20s Celsius) late last week, which is about 25 degrees above average for this time of year, Ludwig said. Great Falls also had a day in the low 80s late last week, before being covered in snow on Wednesday.

Temperatures could fall into the low single digits with wind chill values below zero Wednesday night into Thursday morning in Great Falls, the forecast says.

“If that’s not a shock to your system, I don’t know what is,” Ludwig said.

Helena’s Walmart store still had a display of kayaks outside on Wednesday, their prices nearly covered in snow.

The snow had also moved across northwestern and north-central North Dakota by early Wednesday, creating difficult travel conditions in some areas.

North Dakota state Rep. Jeremy Olson was headed home from the Legislature’s adjourned special session in Bismarck to his farm near Arnegard, in the area where the heaviest snowfall amounts are expected. He said he bought 400 pounds (181 kilograms) of rock salt to put over his pickup truck’s back axle for extra weight and greater traction on snow and ice.

In the days before the storm, his wife and daughters went shopping for the next week, got shovels ready and prepared a generator in case their power goes out.

“Things we’ve learned over the past years, a few lessons learned over past experiences gave us a good chance to get prepared for this thing,” Olson told The Associated Press.

The area of Williston, Watford City and Minot, in North Dakota’s oil field, could receive the heaviest snowfall, potentially 8 inches to a foot (20 to 30 centimeters), said Nathan Heinert, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Bismarck. Bismarck could see 4 to 6 inches (10 to 15 centimeters) of snow late Thursday after rain on Wednesday, he said.

The snow closed U.S. Highway 14-16-20 outside the east entrance to Yellowstone National Park, according to the Wyoming Department of Transportation. There was no word on when the gate 50 miles (80 kilometers) west of Cody, Wyoming, would reopen. The park’s east, south and west entrances and nearly all roads in the park are scheduled to close to car and truck traffic for the season next Wednesday.

Associated Press reporters Jack Dura in Bismarck, North Dakota and Mead Gruver in Cheyenne, Wyoming, contributed to this report.

​ Orange County Register 

Driver charged in killing of 4 Pepperdine students was being chased, said his attorney

• October 25, 2023

VAN NUYS — The driver who crashed his car into a multiple parked vehicles on Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu, killing four Pepperdine University students, pleaded not guilty Wednesday to murder and other charges, and his attorney claimed his client was being chased at the time following a road rage incident.

Fraser Michael Bohm, 22, of Malibu, was re-arrested Tuesday, with bail set at $8 million, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department. According to court records, he was charged Tuesday with four counts of murder and four counts of vehicular manslaughter.

Bohm pleaded not guilty to the charges during an arraignment hearing in Van Nuys, and his bail was reduced to $4 million.

Bohm’s attorney, Michael Kraut, told reporters outside court that his client was being chased following a road rage incident at the time.

“This is exceptionally tragic,” he said. “The family grieves equally with each other over what’s going on. I mean, they feel horrible that this has happened. The issue here is whether it’s murder or manslaughter or not a crime. That’s really what we’re here to look at. We have evidence that the sheriff’s department did not want to take that clearly shows that there was a road rage incident.”

District Attorney George Gascón said during a Wednesday afternoon news conference that Bohm was driving at more than 100 mph when the crash occurred.

Bohm was initially taken into custody following the 8:30 p.m. Oct. 17 crash on suspicion of vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence. Jail records show he was released from custody around 7:20 a.m. last Wednesday while sheriff’s officials continued their investigation into the cause of the crash, including the driver’s possible impairment.

Sheriff’s officials said Bohm was driving west at a high rate of speed in the 21600 block of Pacific Coast Highway when he lost control of his sedan and slammed into at least three vehicles parked on the north side of the roadway. Those parked vehicles struck the four Pepperdine students who were standing or walking nearby, leaving them dead at the scene.

The crash killed Niamh Rolston, 20, Peyton Stewart, 21, Asha Weir, 21, and Deslyn Williams, 21, all seniors at Pepperdine’s Seaver College of Liberal Arts.

Bohm suffered minor scratches and bruises.

Although he was arrested at the scene, he was later released “to allow detectives time to gather the evidence needed to secure the strongest criminal filing and conviction,” according to a Tuesday night statement from the sheriff’s department announcing his re-arrest.

“When a case is presented to the District Attorney’s Office, you need to present supporting evidence for the specific charges being requested for filing within 48 hours,” the statement said. “In this specific case, the evidence including toxicology, speed analysis, execution of search warrants, etc. was still pending and took additional time to collect.”

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Investigators presented their case to the District Attorney’s Office on Monday, which filed the charges against Bohm Tuesday. He was arrested Tuesday afternoon.

The crash has renewed calls for safety improvements on PCH, particularly in the area of the crash, which some call “Dead Man’s Curve.” The Malibu City Council on Monday heard from dozens of residents calling for action to improve safety and force drivers to slow down on the stretch.

The council called on its staff to prepare a report on conditions on PCH and a possible declaration of a local emergency, which would allow the use of local resources to implement safety measures.

​ Orange County Register 

Fryer on Football: Previews and predictions for Week 10’s top games

• October 25, 2023

GAME OF THE WEEK

NO. 9 EDISON (6-3, 4-0) VS. NO. 7 LOS ALAMITOS (7-2, 4-0)

Where, when: Veterans Stadium, Friday, 7 p.m.

Analysis: Los Alamitos has won the Sunset League championship the past four seasons, and it can make it five years in a row Friday with a win over Edison. Both teams enter the game 4-0 in league. The Griffins have scored more than 60 points in four games this season including in their past three Sunset League wins over Newport Harbor, Corona del Mar and Huntington Beach. Junior running back Anthony League last week rushed for 156 yards and two touchdowns on 10 carries in the 63-13 win over Huntington Beach. The player who really makes the Griffins offense go is junior quarterback Alonzo Esparza, who has thrown for 2,090 yards, which are fourth-most in Orange County, and 23 touchdowns. Edison junior running back Julius Gillick is fourth in county rushing with 1,403 yards. This could be a high-scoring game. It is very difficult for any team to keep up with that Los Alamitos offense lately.

Winner: Los Alamitos

NO. 16 YORBA LINDA (6-3, 1-1) VS. NO. 21 FOOTHILL (6-3, 2-0)

Where, when: Tustin High, Thursday, 7 p.m.

Analysis: Foothill can win the four-team Crestview League championship outright with a win over Yorba Linda. The Knights contending for the league championship seemed very unlikely when they lost to El Dorado 41-19 on Oct. 5. The Knights first earned this opportunity with a 22-21 upset win over Villa Park and last week’s 55-0 cruise over Brea Olinda. Foothill senior running back Aaron Mitchell is averaging 124 yards rushing a game and 7 yards a carry. Yorba Linda lost to Villa Park last week 34-33, its first league loss since 2018. The Mustangs have won the league championship outright the past four years. A Yorba Linda win and a Villa Park win over Brea Olinda on Friday would leave Foothill, Villa Park and Yorba Linda in a three-way tie for first place. A three-way coin flip to decide the league’s order of playoff representation was completed Monday. This has the makings of a defense-led game. Yorba Linda will be the better team in that category.

Winner: Yorba Linda

NO. 24 LA HABRA (5-4, 3-1) VS. SONORA (8-1, 4-0) 

Where, when: La Habra High, Friday, 7 p.m.

Analysis: Sonora is one of the larger surprises this season. The Raiders could be a Freeway League champion for the first time since 1994 when they shared the league title with Buena Park, Fullerton and Sunny Hills. Their most recent outright championship was in the Orange League in 1971. Sonora’s offensive leader is junior running back Anthony Abad, who is averaging 123 yards rushing a game and 8 yards a carry. The Raiders last week beat Troy 34-14, two weeks after Troy beat perennial league champ La Habra 27-21. That right there should make one expect Sonora to beat La Habra. Not so fast. After the Troy loss, La Habra stomped Sunny Hills 45-0 and Fullerton 45-7. That is the mark of a team playing with resolve, a team that does not want to be the one that could not continue La Habra’s streak of six straight Freeway League championships.

Winner: La Habra

Qurterback Aidan Houston (15) of Cypress scrambles against the defense of El Modena in a football game at Western High School in Anaheim on Thursday, August 31, 2023. (Photo by Leonard Ortiz, Orange County Register/SCNG)

NO. 18 CYPRESS (6-3, 4-0) VS. NO. 10 TUSTIN (9-0, 4-0)

Where, when: Tustin High, Friday, 7 p.m.

Analysis: This is for the Empire League championship. Cypress has won the league title outright three of the past four seasons and shared it with Pacifica and Tustin in 2020. The Centurions have won 15 straight league games. Cypress senior quarterback Aidan Houston, a league player of the year in 2022, is having another excellent season. He has thrown for 1,355 yards and nine touchdowns and is the team’s leading rusher at 535 yards and six touchdowns. Tustin is Orange County football’s only undefeated team. Junior running back Eimesse Essis has burst his way to 1,294 yards rushing, while averaging 11 yards a carry. The Tillers defense is fast and physical. Tustin has outscored its four league opponents 159-7, with an average margin of victory of 38 points. This game won’t be that one-sided, but Tustin’s offense and defensive prowess will get the Tillers to 10-0.

Winner: Tustin

Santa Ana’s football team, including (from left) Sergio Torres, Troy Alvarez, Charles Hughes and Christian Murrillo, won its Orange Coast League opener over St. Margaret’s on Thursday at Santa Ana Stadium. (Photo by Steve Fryer, Orange County Register/SCNG)

SANTA ANA (7-2, 5-0) VS. ORANGE (5-4, 4-1)

Where, when: El Modena High, Friday, 7 p.m.

Analysis: Santa Ana defeated St. Margaret’s and looked sharp in doing so, 49-36, on Sept. 14 in the Orange Coast League opener for both. Eight days later Orange lost to St. Margaret’s 28-22. Santa Ana senior running back Charles Hughes has rushed for 1,025 yards and 20 touchdowns in eight games. Senior quarterback Sergio Torres has rushed for seven touchdowns and has completed 92 of 159 passes for 1,527 yards and 17 touchdowns with only two interceptions. Santa Ana freshman defensive lineman Troy Alvarez has team-highs of eight tackles for loss and five sacks. Orange senior running back Ardwon Morris is the county’s leading rusher with 1,786 yards and 24 touchdowns. He will get plenty of yards against the Saints but the Saints will make enough defensive stops and get enough big plays on offense.

Winner: Santa Ana

Fryer on Football last week: 3-2

Season to date: 34-16

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​ Orange County Register 

Anaheim detective testifies to mishandling now-missing video evidence in murder trial

• October 25, 2023

An Anaheim police investigator has admitted to mishandling surveillance footage allegedly showing a suspect fleeing the scene of a fatal 2015 stabbing, prompting the defendant in the murder case to ask that the charges be dismissed.

The surveillance footage was a key factor in obtaining a search warrant against defendant Pedro Hernandez, who is charged with the killing of Mychael Francis Ryan.

Anaheim officer Joseph Atkinson testified late last week that he watched surveillance footage from a business that authorities allege showed Hernandez running away from the scene of the stabbing, but the officer said he either neglected to make a copy of the footage or made a copy but forgot to book it into evidence and later lost it.

It will ultimately be up to an Orange County Superior Court Judge to determine exactly what impact the missing evidence — which has been acknowledged by prosecutors — will have on the criminal case against Hernandez.

Under questioning by Assistant Public Defender Scott Sanders, Atkinson — a 26-year law enforcement veteran currently working as a traffic sergeant — admitted that his handling of the purported video footage was a “significant failure.”

“Is it important to take a video of a fleeing murder suspect?” Sanders asked Atkinson during a hearing on Friday.

“It is important,” Atkinson agreed.

The officer said he remembered the video showing someone running, but testified that he could not recall what that person was wearing. He also acknowledged he should have, but didn’t, write a separate report at the time describing the footage.

“You forgot to write a report about a murder suspect running through a crime scene?” Sanders asked.

“Correct,” the officer said.

Atkinson later in his testimony agreed with a prosecution’s description of the missing evidence and neglected police report being the result of “an oversight.”

“Did you purposely destroy the surveillance video?” Deputy District Attorney Austin Deuel asked

“Absolutely not,” Atkinson responded.

Hernandez — a 19-year-old Stanton resident at the time of his arrest — is accused of killing Ryan, a 47-year-old homeless man, during a mid-day attack on Dec. 15, 2015 in the 1200 block of South Magnolia Street. He is also facing sentencing enhancements alleging that he was involved in criminal street gang activity.

Atkinson, according to testimony and court records, played a small but key role in the investigation — authoring sworn statements that were used to obtain search warrants in the aftermath of the killing. Those sworn statements apparently included a description of surveillance footage that the investigator said showed a suspect in the killing running through a parking lot toward the rear of a Walgreens store.

But, despite law enforcement efforts to locate the video, the footage apparently could not be found in police custody.

Sanders alleges in a recent court filing that the footage may have been “willfully destroyed,” describing it as “the most important piece of evidence in the case in terms of establishing that Defendant Hernandez was responsible for the murder.” Other video footage — which was not lost — reportedly shows Hernandez walking behind the Walgreens before entering the store.

“Defendant alleges in this motion that Atkinson intentionally misrepresented in the search warrant affidavits what he saw in the undisclosed video, and that he did this to make it appear that Defendant was responsible for the murder, when in reality the video was not consistent with Defendant being the killer,” Sanders wrote. “More specifically, Defendant alleges that Atkinson realized that the individual he saw running from the scene of the killing was not the same person who entered and exited the Walgreens.”

Prosecutors in response to Sanders’ allegations acknowledged that “There is no doubt that the loss of this particular surveillance video speaks to some level of negligence on the part of the Anaheim Police Department.” But they argued that there was no indication the loss of the evidence was due to “bad faith,” and alleged that other evidence — including eyewitness reports and other video surveillance footage — points to Hernandez.

“Defendant has presented no evidence which suggests the loss of this video was anything more than simple carelessness,” Deuel wrote. “Moreover, the police had no reason whatsoever to destroy this video, as it helped confirm the Defendant was the murderer.”

Judge Kimberly Menninger is expected to hear more testimony before making a ruling related to the missing evidence. That testimony — which is expected to include the lead investigator in the case — is scheduled to continue on Nov. 3.

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​ Orange County Register 

Big California corporations will have to say how much they pollute

• October 25, 2023

Airborne emissions linked to climate change and health problems aren’t always easy to see.

A new California law seeks to make those pollutants — and the companies emitting them — more visible to the public.

SB 253, which Gov. Gavin Newsom signed Oct. 7, is billed as a first-in-the-nation requirement for large corporations to publicly disclose their airborne pollutants on an annual basis.

“We need the full picture to make the deep emissions cuts that scientists tell us are necessary to avert the worst impacts of climate change,” the bill’s sponsor, Sen. Scott Wiener, D-San Francisco, said in a news release about SB 253, also known as the Climate Corporate Data Accountability Act.

The bill, which previously faltered in the Assembly, passed the Senate 27-8 and the Assembly 49-20 in September despite staunch opposition from business groups, including the California Chamber of Commerce.

“To be clear: This bill will not reduce emissions,” The chamber argued in a document posted on its website. “It is a costly reporting requirement that does not help us meet our climate goals.”

SB 253 “may result in large businesses ceasing their partnerships with small and medium-sized businesses, leaving these companies without the contracts that enable them to grow and employ more workers,” the chamber added.

The law applies to U.S.-based companies doing business in California that have annual revenues of $1 billion or more.

Starting in 2026, those companies — about 4,000 in total, according to California Environmental Voters — will have to disclose their emissions, which are broken down into three categories:

Emissions from company-owned sources.
Emissions caused indirectly by a company through its use of electricity.
Emissions by outside sources doing work on a company’s behalf.

Businesses “are responsible for a large share” of greenhouse gas emissions that cause climate change, with research showing that since 1988, 100 fossil fuel producers are responsible for 71% of greenhouse gas emissions worldwide, according to a nonpartisan state analyst’s report on SB 253.

Disclosing the third category of emissions, such as diesel exhaust from trucks ferrying goods from the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach to Inland Empire warehouses, is “one of the reasons why I care so much about SB 253,” said Matt Abularach-Macias, deputy campaigns director for California Environmental Voters.

Diesel exhaust is blamed for the region’s poor air quality and is linked to cancer, asthma and other health problems.

“There hasn’t really ever been full transparency about … how much of a burden the Inland Empire is currently shouldering for the rest of the country’s economy because of the goods and logistics movement,” Abularach-Macias said.

“I think this will bring about the needed transparency to demonstrate the burden that we’re carrying in the Inland Empire.”

He added: “So much of the propaganda from the big polluters has made … the climate crisis an individual problem and has told the public that, you, individually, your consumption is responsible for the crisis.”

SB 253 can help change that narrative by putting the emphasis on corporate pollution, Abularach-Macias said. “If everyone believes that this is an individual problem, then policy solutions are going to reflect that,” he said.

“Whereas if we come to understand that this is a problem with certain people who are responsible for creating it, then I think policy solutions should shift and reflect that as well.”

Because the law only applies to businesses located in California, “this means that out-of-state and international companies can opt to simply ignore SB 253’s requirements,” CalChamber argued.

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“Therefore, the burden of this bill will fall squarely on California-based companies, giving out-of-state and foreign companies a market advantage, driving production out-of-state and increasing the cost of goods for California residents.”

It’s also hard to accurately measure the third type of emissions, the chamber said.

Responsibility for enforcing SB 253’s reporting requirements will fall to the California Air Resources Board, which will develop regulations on those requirements between now and 2026.

​ Orange County Register 

Thousands of striking hotel workers march through LA

• October 25, 2023

Thousands of hotel workers marched through downtown Los Angeles on Wednesday, Oct. 25, protesting “poverty wages” and the use of unhoused migrants to replace striking hospitality employees as the labor unrest nears its four-month mark.

Unite Here Local 11, which represents the 15,000 employees involved in the walkout, said the most recent contract proposal from the hotels’ Coordinated Bargaining Group falls short.

“The hotels did not meaningfully improve upon their prior position, offering no new money for wages, pension or health insurance,” Unite Here said. “Amid soaring housing costs, workers have been demanding wages that will enable them to afford to live in the communities where they work.”

Many hotel employees commute hours to and from work, the union said, with some reportedly sleeping in their cars.

Also see: California workers will get five sick days instead of three under law signed by Gov. Newsom

CBG’s latest offer includes an immediate $2.50 wage increase and a pay hike of $4 within the first nine months of the contract. By the end of the six-year contract, workers at most of the hotels would see a $9-an-hour pay increase, union officials said.

The proposal also offers additional pension contributions and provides for the continuation of employees’ healthcare coverage.

CBG spokesman Keith Grossman said Unite Here “remains unwilling to engage in actual good-faith negotiations.”

“The union appears to want to continue to hurt Los Angeles and negatively impact our employees by continuing its Los Angeles boycott and its intermittent work stoppages,” Grossman said recently.

Jobless benefits for strikers

Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Burbank, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y. and Rep. Donald Norcross, D-N.J., introduced legislation Wednesday that would make striking workers eligible for unemployment insurance benefits after 14 days of striking.

Dubbed the “Empowering Striking Workers Act,” the bill has been endorsed by the United Auto Workers, American Federation of Teachers, Writers Guild of America-West and  California Labor Federation, among others.

Hotel workers march to demand better wages Wednesday, Oct. 25, 2023, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Ryan Sun)

“We know that strong unions are vital to a strong middle class,” Schiff said in introducing the bill.

Southern California’s hotel strike began over the July 4 weekend. The Westin Bonaventure Hotel & Suites, Biltmore Los Angeles and Loews Hollywood are the only ones that have reached tentative labor agreements with the union.

Unite Here workers are currently picketing the Pasadena Hilton, the Hyatt Place Pasadena, the DoubleTree San Pedro, the Hotel Maya in Long Beach and the Laguna Cliffs Marriott in Dana Point.

And then there’s the issue of replacement workers, some of whom are living at the Union Rescue Mission shelter on Skid Row.

Also see: LA district attorney investigating hotels hiring refugees amid strike

LA County District Attorney George Gascon announced this week he has launched an investigation into the working conditions of unhoused refugees who have been hired by hotels during the ongoing strike.

“We take these egregious allegations with the utmost seriousness,” Gascon said in a statement. “The mistreatment of vulnerable workers and their exploitation will not be tolerated.”

In one instance, a minor is alleged to have missed school in order to work at a hotel, the union said, and some refugees say the paychecks they receive have little or no documentation regarding the hours they worked.

Hotel workers march to demand better wages Wednesday, Oct. 25, 2023, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Ryan Sun)

Labor unrest

Southern California has emerged as ground zero for worker rallies, pickets and strikes.

More than 75,000 Kaiser Permanente employees, including 23,000 in Southern California, reached a tentative labor agreement with the healthcare giant on Oct. 13 that will boost wages by 21%, increase staffing and provide other workplace benefits to employees.

That came on the heels of a three-day strike, with the threat of another walkout looming.

An estimated 700 workers at Providence St. Joseph Medical Center in Burbank are on strike this week, claiming severe understaffing and high turnover are impacting patient care.

Employees at Prime Healthcare hospitals in Lynwood, Inglewood, Garden Grove and Encino held a five-day strike the week of Oct. 9 to protest severe understaffing that they say has impacted patient care.

Cooks and cashiers at a McDonald’s in East Los Angeles also staged a lunchtime walkout on Tuesday, claiming kitchen temperatures soared to nearly 100 degrees during last week’s heat wave.

​ Orange County Register 

Ducks head to Boston looking to avenge Sunday’s loss

• October 25, 2023

After a blackout gave way to the Ducks lighting up the scoreboard in Columbus on Tuesday, they were on to Boston for a rematch with the Bruins on Thursday.

Boston won, 3-1, on Sunday in a game that the Ducks carried in many ways, sending them on a four-game trip with a sour taste in their mouths. That gave way to the succulent flavor of Frank Vatrano’s overtime tally against the Blue Jackets, which capped a third-period rally that spilled into the bonus frame of Tuesday’s 3-2 victory, the Ducks’ first on the road in three attempts.

Little was said after the match given various circumstances –– the widespread Columbus power outage delayed Tuesday’s start time, the Ducks had to travel eastward afterward and there was limited visiting media on hand –– and not a word was uttered about the benching of star forward Trevor Zegras.

Zegras had just one point in six games but his expected goals numbers had been strong up until Tuesday. Zegras didn’t take any of the whopping seven penalties for the Ducks Tuesday (they killed six of them), however questionable puck management appeared to be an issue both Tuesday and Sunday for Zegras, though Coach Greg Cronin had not yet elaborated on his rationale.

In what has been confirmed as a coach’s decision, Zegras did not skate a single shift in the third period, even as the Ducks were chasing a tying goal.

They ultimately got that goal from their fourth line when Ross Johnston assisted on Brett Leason’s equalizer. Zegras did not play in overtime either, when Vatrano received a beautiful pass from center Benoit-Olivier Groulx before quickly transitioning from backhand to forehand and rifling in the winner.

“Whoever it was, great pass, and I was fortunate enough to put it in the net,” said Vatrano, who was unsure if the dish had come from Groulx or Cam Fowler.

Vatrano leads the team in goals with five and he, like Cronin, grew up in Massachusetts as a Bruins fan. Unlike Cronin, whose playing career ended after college, Vatrano wore the Bruins sweater, debuting with the club and playing parts of three seasons in black and gold. That’s one of many connections the Ducks have to New England, where General Manager Pat Verbeek also played for the Hartford Whalers. They’ll also have at least one tie to their following opponent, the Philadelphia Flyers, as they recalled former Philly defenseman Robert Hagg from the minors on Wednesday.

While the Ducks are celebrating their 30th anniversary, this is the centennial season for the Bruins, who partied hard in year No. 99’s regular season by racking up an all-time record number of points and victories. Their lore meant something to Cronin, who spoke with the Boston Globe ahead of last week’s game. He even broke into song momentarily with the melody of the theme from the Bruins’ old UHF broadcasts. He also spoke briefly of the “rich memories” he had of the old Boston Garden, where Bobby Orr triumphed on the ice and Bill Russell ruled the hardwood.

“I remember standing in the back row of the balcony, you know, with the iron rails, and looking down the steep stairs,” recalled Cronin to the Globe of his first Bruins game. “I remember thinking, ‘Man, if I fall, the first thing my face will hit is the ice!’”

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From Cronin, a first-time NHL head coach, attending his first game to rookies receiving their initial tastes of NHL action, both teams will feature notable neophytes Thursday. Leo Carlsson, who did not play against Boston or Columbus as part of a measured plan for his first NHL campaign, will likely play Thursday. The plan is not totally unlike what the Tampa Bay Lightning did with Steven Stamkos back in 2008-9, when he began the year on a minutes restriction and averaged fewer than 15 minutes of time on ice for the season. Stamkos, who won two Stanley Cups and four Eastern Conference crowns with Tampa alongside Ducks winger Alex Killorn, turned out just fine.

One rookie the Ducks have had no reservations about deploying has been Pavel Mintyukov. He has played 23 or more shifts in each of his five games, three of which have seen him record a point, and trails only Fowler in minutes played this season for the Ducks.

For Boston, center Matt Poitras has softened the blow of losing their top two pivots from last season. He has muscled his way onto the roster permanently and has seen his role expand rapidly. He touched up the Ducks for two goals in about seven minutes of the third period Sunday, his first two NHL tallies. Then, he piled on another goal in Boston’s 3-0 shutout of Calder Trophy favorite Connor Bedard and the Chicago Blackhawks Tuesday.

DUCKS AT BRUINS

When: Thursday, 4 p.m. PT

Where: TD Garden, Boston

TV: Bally Sports SoCal

​ Orange County Register 

Riverside punts to state regulators for decision on whether to bury power lines

• October 25, 2023

State regulators will decide whether transmission lines for a long-awaited Riverside power project will be buried underground or tower up to 180 feet above a picturesque stretch of the Santa Ana River.

After hearing arguments on both sides from more than two dozen residents, a split Riverside City Council voted late Tuesday, Oct. 24, to leave a decision on the controversial, $521 million project up to the California Public Utility Commission.

Given the need to dramatically increase electrical infrastructure in coming years to meet California’s clean energy goals, Larry Chung with Southern California Edison said “all eyes are on Riverside right now” to see which direction this decision goes.

If commissioners make Edison bury those power lines, as Norco has asked them to, Riverside could continue to pursue federal funds in hopes of preventing additional costs to ratepayers. While that option is pricier and will take longer, it’s popular with many residents who believe it reduces wildfire risks while improving aesthetics and property values.

“Delighted” is how Norco Mayor Pro Tem Kevin Bash, who’s been leading his city’s efforts to underground the project, described his reaction to Riverside’s vote. After meetings last week with representatives for three of the five state utility commissioners, Bash said, “I am hopeful very hopeful that the CPUC will hear it our way.”

But if commissioners reject or ignore Norco’s petition, that clears the way for Edison to continue with approved plans to string high-voltage transmission lines above ground, between new steel poles and towers that would zigzag for 5.3 miles along the bank of the Santa Ana River. That would allow the city and utility to move forward with plans that have been in the works for nearly two decades to boost energy reliability and capacity for Riverside, which is popular with business and trade groups.

For now, Chung said the project is on hold, as Edison waits for either a more definitive vote of support from Riverside for continuing with an above-ground project or a final decision from the state. And he said other jurisdictions are watching for signals about the future of transmission projects in California.

How we got here

Riverside is the only city of its size in California that has just one connection to the regional electric grid.

City leaders say that leaves residents vulnerable to outages and could one day limit both the city’s growth and its transition to electric transportation and buildings. So Edison and Riverside have spent nearly two decades developing plans for a second connection, called the Riverside Transmission Reliability Project, which would tie into the grid near the 15 freeway in Jurupa Valley and carry power to Riverside along 9.3 miles of high-voltage wires that would cut a corner of Norco.

Jurupa Valley filed a lawsuit over the project in 2016 that said overhead lines would hurt property values and residents’ views. So when the CPUC voted to approve the project, in March 2020, it included plans to bury the four miles of power lines that run through Jurupa Valley’s borders, while the remaining 5.3 miles are approved to be above ground.

Riverside officials said there was a delay in moving the project forward for two years due to COVID-19. When it came back up for discussion in late spring of 2022, Councilmember Steve Hemenway led the discussion about concerns over how the project might increase fire risk in the area, hurt aesthetics and impact quality of life for residents. So the council in May 2022 gave Hemenway six months and a budget of $50,000 to have a consultant work with city staff to come up with a plan for moving the entire project underground.

The council considered that plan during a November 2022 meeting but voted 4-3 against moving forward, with members Jim Perry, Gaby Plascencia, Erin Edwards and Chuck Conder citing concerns about further delays and rising costs.

Then, in January, the council voted 6-1 to let Hemenway and Conder — who by then had changed his opinion — form a working group to try to find funds to cover the added cost of undergrounding lines. Edison has declined to estimate how much the project’s price tag would go up if the remaining 5.3 miles were moved underground, though costs to underground the Jurupa Valley portion of the project suggest burying the entire project would add an estimated $150 million, bringing the total cost to roughly $671 million.

The working group included Norco council members and staff along with representatives from a bipartisan group of state and federal elected officials’ offices. They met eleven times over the past eight months, with a final report due back to the council Tuesday, Oct. 24.

In that report, Hemenway and Conder said there’s a potential to secure a share of the hundreds of billions of dollars set aside for energy projects in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Deal and the Inflation Reduction Act. They said both Democratic Sen. Alex Padilla and GOP Rep. Ken Calvert of Corona have committed to working with the group to try and secure federal funding, but didn’t cite any money that had actually been locked down. Instead, the council members asked for more time and for the council to let the CPUC know they supported Norco’s efforts to move the project underground.

In a 4-3 vote — with Edwards now joining Conder on Hemenway’s side, while Councilman Ronaldo Fierro went the other direction — the council supported sending the utilities commission a letter Hemenway had drafted that indicates interest in undergrounding the project. But instead of giving his working group more time, the council voted to “revisit the next steps of the working group” only if the CPUC sides with Norco’s to make Edison bury the rest of the project.

Norco appeals to state regulators

While Norco officials were participating in the working group, they also had their staff, legal team and a consultant working on a petition filed Oct. 2 with the CPUC asking the commission to make Edison bury the project’s remaining 5.3 miles of power lines.

Norco’s success hinges on proving that circumstances have changed since the utilities commission approved the project. That’s because Riverside’s neighbor to the west missed the regular window to protest the project by more than two years. The CPUC approved Riverside’s plan for above-ground lines in March 2020, and interested parties then have one year to appeal such decisions.

In Norco’s petition, the city argues there’s been a “dramatic increase in the risk of catastrophic wildfires” since the CPUC approved the project, while development and dry vegetation also have increased in the area over the past two years. There were an average of 4.9 fires per year in Norco for a couple years before the project was approved and in the year after the CPUC gave Edison the greenlight to install above-ground infrastructure. Since then, the petition states that number has jumped to an average of 13.1 wildland fires a year, with 23 blazes in the city from mid-March 2021 through the end of 2022.

“Our communities are now seriously threatened by wildfires to an extent never seen in the past,” a bipartisan coalition of local elected leaders wrote in a letter supporting Norco’s efforts to move the project underground. Signers included Congressman Mark Takano, D-Riverside, along with GOP leaders Calvert, state Sen. Kelly Seyarto of Murrieta and Assemblyman Bill Essayli of Riverside, plus Supervisor Karen Spiegel, Hemenway and Conder.

Also supporting the push to underground the project is Riverside County Fire Chief William Weiser.

“Electrical transmission lines that are undergrounded represent far less of a hazard,” Weiser wrote. “In my professional opinion, undergrounding the remainder of the RTRP transmission line would significantly reduce the threat of wildland fires to the community of Norco, Corona, Jurupa and Riverside.” And if a fire does break out in the area, Weiser said that having “tall high voltage power lines in this area will complicate aerial firefighting, and will limit the effectiveness of firefighting fixed wing aircraft and helicopters.”

There is some precedent for the CPUC to revise a project after the one-year appeal window has passed. The Norco petition cites several examples of when that’s happened, including reversing a five-year-old decision about a project last year following a petition from Southern California Gas.

Responses to Norco’s petition are due by the end of the month, according to Terrie Prosper with the CPUC. A new administrative law judge and commissioner will then be assigned to review all of those materials, Prosper said, with no fixed date for when a final decision might come.

One signal about how the commission might vote is coming from Northern California, where the CPUC has expressed concerns about the cost to customers for Pacific Gas & Electric to move 10,000 miles of overhead power lines underground in high fire risk areas.

It wasn’t clear after the meeting what Riverside would do if the CPUC doesn’t grant Norco’s petition — or if the commission simply doesn’t respond, as they can when appeals are received outside the one-year window.

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