Orange County Sheriff’s deputies foil attempted jail escape

• March 1, 2023

An Orange County inmate who tried to break out of jail was stopped before he could escape, deputies say.

Michael Johannes Palko, 31, was in custody at the Central Men’s Jail facility in Santa Ana, where he was booked for robbery in May 2021.

Palko had taken civilian clothes from the jail and attempted to exit through a “control area” near the front of the jail where employees enter the facility at around 6:30 a.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 28, according to Orange County Sheriff’s Department representative Carrie Braun.

It is unclear where Palko got the clothes from or how close he was to exiting the facility.

Deputies recognized Palko and returned him to his cell. No one was injured, and it is believed at this time that Palko was acting alone. All inmates were accounted for after a complete search of the facility.

RELATED COVERAGE: Inmate who escaped from Orange County jail sentenced to 20 years in prison

The last time inmates managed to escape from the Santa Ana facility was in January 2016, when three inmates got away by climbing through plumbing pipes.

An investigation into the attempted escape by the department’s Custody Intelligence Unit is ongoing.

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​ Orange County Register 

McCarthy defends giving Fox thousands of hours of J6 video

• March 1, 2023

By Lisa Mascaro and Farnoush Amiri | Associated Press

WASHINGTON — House Speaker Kevin McCarthy is defending his decision to give Fox News’ Tucker Carlson “exclusive” access to Jan. 6 security footage of the Capitol attack, despite the conservative commentator’s own work raising false claims and conspiracy theories about the 2021 riot over Joe Biden’s election.

McCarthy vowed Tuesday to eventually make roughly 42,000 hours of sensitive Capitol Police security videos available to the broader public “as soon as possible,” but made it clear the Fox News commentator had first dibs. The Republican McCarthy is also supportive of giving access to some of the nearly 1,000 defendants being prosecuted for their roles in the siege.

Five people died in the Jan. 6, 2021 attack and its aftermath after then-President Donald Trump encouraged a mob of supporters to “fight like hell” as Congress was tallying the election results from the states.

“I don’t care what side of the issue you are on. That’s why I think putting it out all to the American public, you can see the truth. See exactly what transpired that day,” McCarthy told reporters at the Capitol.

“Have you ever had an exclusive? Because I see it on your networks all the time. So we have exclusive, then I’ll give it out to the entire country,” McCarthy said.

The speaker’s decision to release the mountains of police security footage has set off a firestorm at the Capitol over the way the images will be potentially used as a political tool to rewrite the history of what happened that deadly day. Fox News is facing new scrutiny in a separate court case over its airing of false claims about the 2020 election that Trump lost to Biden.

It’s also raising new concerns about sensitive security operations at the Capitol. While video from the Jan. 6 riot has already widely aired as part of the public hearings last summer by the House committee investigating the attack — including from the police cameras, documentarians like then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s daughter who filmed secret locations and even the rioters themselves — McCarthy is making available almost 42,000 hours of footage, three times what was first seen, from cameras stationed in all corners of the Capitol complex.

“We are deeply concerned that the release of footage related to the January 6 violent insurrection will reveal some security details that could create some challenges in terms of the safety and well being of everyone on the Capitol Complex,” said Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y.

Rep. Bennie Thompson, the former chairman of the House Jan. 6 committee, said the panel went through a painstaking process to work closely with the U.S. Capitol Police to review and ultimately release approved segments of the surveillance footage as part of its public hearings.

“I’m supportive of a process, if this is true transparency, that would not compromise the integrity or the security of the Capitol,” the Mississippi Democrat said.

When McCarthy told fellow Republicans behind closed doors about his decision Tuesday, he was greeted with applause, according to a person who was familiar with the private conference meeting but unauthorized to speak about it publicly.

The speaker has had a rocky relationship with Carlson, who has been critical of McCarthy’s leadership, but the influential Fox News commentator ultimately stood down when the California Republican was battling to become House speaker in a dragged-out party vote earlier this year. It was seen as helping to boost McCarthy to the job.

McCarthy insisted he was taking measures to ensure security at the Capitol would not be jeopardized by the release, but declined to provide details — only to say that Carlson made it clear to the speaker’s team he did not want to show “exit routes” used by lawmakers or others.

Access to the footage will also be available to defendants who are facing charges over their alleged involvement in Jan. 6. McCarthy said defendants have had access before, but if it’s still needed, “We can supply that to them too.”

The House Administration Committee’s subcommittee on Oversight, which is chaired by Rep. Barry Loudermilk, R-Ga., is making accommodations for any attorneys representing defendants who have asked to view the footage, the person familiar with the situation said.

But the Republican leader has made it clear he is working to set the record as he sees it, and repeatedly complained that other media outlets, including CNN, already had received exclusives to show video last year, when Democrats held the majority in House.

McCarthy also suggested it was unfair that the Jan. 6 panel, which disbanded once Republicans took control of the House, released security video during the riot of former Vice President Mike Pence fleeing for safety as well as the GOP leader’s own staff scrambling to secure their office.

“It was disturbing to me that the January 6 committee would show the exit strategy of the vice president,” McCarthy told reporters Tuesday. “What I thought would be best is if the entire world and the country could see what transpired.”

Carlson has said that his producers have been on Capitol Hill since early February, poring over the footage after getting the “unfettered access” from McCarthy.

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The archive is a potential trove of the inner workings of the Capitol and includes the hideaways of lawmakers as well as the evacuation routes that Capitol Police used to usher leadership and rank-and-file members to safety. It also includes long moments of empty hallways where nothing is happening.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said the release of tapes to Carlson was “despicable” and said he would not agree to release them to other media. “Security has to be the number one concern,” Schumer said.

Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell would not comment directly on McCarthy’s move, saying his only concern is the security of the Capitol.

Associated Press writer Mary Clare Jalonick contributed to this report.

​ Orange County Register 

This Oscar season, Asian representation is ‘Everywhere’ as upstart indie is Academy front-runner

• March 1, 2023

“Everything Everywhere All At Once,” the universe-hopping film that celebrates diversity, family and humanity, has taken over Hollywood’s awards season.

The A24 film with a majority-Asian cast took home the top honors at the 29th annual Screen Actors Guild awards, including best motion picture ensemble performance. This year’s SAG Awards — which often predict winners at the Academy Awards, happening this year on March 12 — were held Sunday in Los Angeles and live-streamed online for the first time.

The latest award-season triumph completed a “guild trifecta” after the film snagged Directors Guild and Producers Guild honors, solidifying the film’s status as the front-runner for Oscar gold.

And these are just the latest plot turns for the three-hour multiverse, martial arts fantasy/family drama which, since it debuted a year ago at SXSW, has defied Hollywood logic. This anarchic indie allegory on the immigrant experience — saddled with a spare $14.3 budget and an out-there plot that defies high-concept marketing strategies — has snagged more than $100 million in global ticket sales and topped the traffic on streaming services.

“Every one of you knows the journey, the roller-coaster ride, the ups and downs,” said Malaysian actress Michelle Yeoh, whose career has run the gamut from martial-arts thrillers aacadmend dramas, to rom-coms. “This is not just for me, this is for every single girl that looks like me.”

At the SAG gala, Yeoh and Ke Huy Quan, the film’s leads, became the first Asians to win in their respective categories. Yeoh won for best film lead actress for her role as Evelyn Wang, and Quan won for best supporting male actor.

The EEAAO Awards! https://t.co/tExoUrVrUw

— Dave Lu 呂曉龍 (@davelu) February 27, 2023

Holding back tears, Yeoh thanked her supporters and the thousands of media-industry members in the SAG-AFTRA union who vote on winners.

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“We are here because we love what we do. Thank you for giving me a seat at the table, because so many of us need this. We want to be seen, we want to be heard.”

Quan was the only male actor of color nominee in his category. “This moment no longer belongs to just me. It also belongs to everyone who has asked for change,” he shared in his acceptance speech “The landscape looks so different now than before.”

This year’s SAG film and television nominees featured many female actors of color, including “The Woman King” Viola Davis, Hong Chau from “The Whale,” Ana de Armas as Marilyn Monroe in Netflix’s “Blonde,” Danielle Deadwyler in “Till,” Angela Bassett in “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever,” “Everything Everywhere’s” Stephanie Hsu, and Niecy Nash-Betts, who was in Netflix’s “Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story.”

Actress-producer Quinta Brunson and her castmates won best performance in a comedy series for the ABC sitcom “Abbott Elementary.”

I’m still teary about this moment… finally, a video I’m seeing in the community that doesn’t depict violence towards an Asian elder… but a standing ovation. https://t.co/qamf2CSzY1

— trishofthetrade everywhere (@trishofthetrade) February 27, 2023

But it was the final speech of the night from James Hong, considered a trailblazer in Hollywood, that blew audiences away. The “Everything Everywhere” actor called out ongoing racism in the industry, including harmful white-washing and the use of “yellowface,” and championed more authentic Asian representation on and off-screen.

Hong, 94, said that he began his decades-long career in a 1937 film with Clark Gable.

“The leading role was played by these guys with their eyes taped up… the producer said the Asians were not good enough, and they are not box office-[worthy],” Hong said in the final acceptance speech of the night. “But look at us now!”

Related links

SAG Awards 2023: Oscar bellwether nominates ‘Fabelmans’ ‘Banshees,’ ‘Everything Everywhere All at Once’
Oscar nominations show both progress and regression for diversity
‘Everything Everywhere’ tops Oscar nominations with 11
Academy Awards: Hollywood talks a lot about diversity but do they follow up?
These brothers kick, jump, punch and crack you up in ‘Everything Everywhere All at Once’

SAG-AFTRA union member Quincy Surasmith runs the “Asian Americana” podcast, and voted in this year’s awards. Surasmith, an actor, that he was proud that the A24 film “got to sweep.” He recognized his “acting heroes” Quan and Hong who, with these diverse films, get to portray themselves in their full Asian identity.

But he challenged awards shows — which for decades have recognized more white men in Hollywood — and the organizing bodies that decide on them.

“It’s not these individual wins that make people suddenly care about us (artists of color). It’s more about when and how do we get a chance to tell our perspectives and stories, and who gets to create and share those stories, or even have a chance to be nominated for these things,” Surasmith said. “I don’t think we celebrate diversity from the exception; we get to celebrate it when it becomes the norm. We ‘make it’ in Hollywood when we all make it.”

​ Orange County Register 

Dodgers held to four hits in loss to Reds

• March 1, 2023

THE GAME: The Dodgers managed just four hits in a 7-1 loss to the Cincinnati Reds on Tuesday afternoon at Camelback Ranch in Glendale, Ariz.

PITCHING REPORT: Left-hander Julio Urias went 2⅔ innings, going deeper than usual in his first start of the spring as he prepares to pitch for Mexico in the World Baseball Classic. Urias gave up two singles and struck out four of the last five batters he faced. He was charged with a run when Justin Hagenman replaced him and gave up an RBI double. … Noah Syndergaard also made his spring debut, pitching two scoreless innings. He allowed one hit and struck out. His fastball velocity was mostly 91-92 mph though he did touch 93 mph in his second inning. … Right-hander Jordan Yamamoto gave up three runs including a home run to Nick Solak while retiring just one of the four batters he faced in the eighth inning. … The Reds scored three times in the ninth off left-hander Bryan Hudson as well.

HITTING REPORT: Chris Taylor and Miguel Rojas had the Dodgers’ hits, both singles. Andy Pages drove in their only run with an RBI single. Bradley Zimmer’s ninth-inning double was the Dodgers’ last hit of the game.

DEFENSE REPORT: The Reds were successful on four stolen base attempts, three with Austin Barnes at catcher and one with Diego Cartaya behind the plate.

UP NEXT: Dodgers (RHP Dustin May) vs. Rangers (LHP Andrew Heaney), Wednesday, 12:05 p.m., at Surprise Stadium, SportsNet LA, 570 AM

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​ Orange County Register 

Teacher at Irvine’s Beckman High School arrested after recording devices found in school restroom

• February 28, 2023

IRVINE — A teacher at Beckman High School in Irvine was arrested Monday on suspicion of hiding recording devices in a bathroom at the school.

Siu Kong Sit was arrested on suspicion of  possession of or manufacturing child pornography, burglary and on two misdemeanor charges and was booked at the Orange County Jail, said Irvine Police Department Lt. Cathy Scherer.

According to police, a contracted maintenance worker found the devices inside a restroom near a pool at the school and turned the items over to the school’s administrative staff, which then called the police department. Officers determined the devices had recorded several victims while they were in the restroom, Scherer said.

During the course of their investigation, detectives determined Sit had installed the recording devices.

Scherer said police are attempting to locate additional victims based on additional evidence located on the devices.

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​ Orange County Register 

Fountain Valley collision leaves one driver dead, another hospitalized

• February 28, 2023

A two-vehicle collision at Euclid Street and Slater Avenue in Fountain Valley left one driver dead and another hospitalized after officers pulled him from his burning car on Sunday, Feb. 26.

Fountain Valley police said in a Monday statement that an officer witnessed the collision at 4:52 p.m. when a 2022 Toyota Camry heading north on Euclid collided with a 2008 Dodge Caravan, and the Camry burst into flames.

The 55-year-old Caravan driver was pronounced dead at the scene.

Police said that at the time of the collision, the Caravan driver was turning left onto eastbound Slater from southbound Euclid. His identity was not immediately made public.

Officers pulled the 51-year-old Camry driver from Costa Mesa out of his vehicle after it had become engulfed in flames. He was hospitalized with significant head injuries, police said.

Investigators have not yet determined if drugs or alcohol were involved.

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​ Orange County Register 

Santa Margarita girls soccer seeded first for CIF Southern California Regional

• February 28, 2023

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Santa Margarita’s girls soccer team received another reward Sunday for its dramatic victory in penalty kicks in the CIF-SS Division 1 championship.

The Eagles (19-2-1) were seeded first in Division I for the CIF Southern California Regional tournament, which starts Tuesday.

Santa Margarita will play host to Liberty of Bakersfield (22-1) at Saddleback College at 6 p.m.

Los Alamitos (18-7-5), the Division 1 runner-up to the Eagles, received the No. 3 seed in Division I and a match against visiting Cathedral Catholic on Tuesday. Cathedral Catholic was the Open Division runner-up in the San Diego Section to Westview.

Villa Park (17-3-4), which fell to Santa Margarita in the semifinals, claimed the No. 4 seed in Division I. The Spartans play host to No. 5 La Costa Canyon at El Modena High on Tuesday at 5 p.m.

Marina (11-6-6) and Portola (16-3-2) received the third and seventh seeds, respectively, in Division III. The Vikings play host to Centennial of Bakersfield on Tuesday while the Bulldogs travel to No. 2 Patrick Henry, the Division II champion in San Diego.

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Crean Lutheran (19-3-3), which claimed the Division 5 title Saturday, drew the third seed in Division IV and a home game against South Gate on Tuesday.

And in Division V, Magnolia and La Quinta, who dueled in the CIF-SS Division 7 final on Friday, received the fifth and sixth seeds, respectively.

The champion Sentinels (17-9-1) play Tuesday at Clairemont of San Diego, the Division IV champion in San Diego. The Aztecs (16-7-5) play host to Larchmont Charter of Los Angeles at Bolsa Grande High.

The regional tournament continues Thursday with the semifinals and concludes Saturday with the finals.

​ Orange County Register 

‘Still kicking,’ Ducks beat Blackhawks for 3rd straight win

• February 28, 2023

ANAHEIM — Four-point swings aren’t quite what they used to be …

Old days: A game between the Ducks and Chicago Blackhawks meant bragging rights in the regular season in the Western Conference.

New times: A contest involving the Ducks and Blackhawks meant a result could impact the race to the bottom, also known as the Connor Bedard Derby. Of course, last place overall doesn’t automatically ensure the right to pick first in the draft – due to the draft lottery – but a team’s odds are meaningfully enhanced by finishing 32nd.

So how about those standings?

Columbus still holds down the last spot overall with 44 points but ‘gained’ more separation in the standings when the Ducks defeated the Blackhawks, 4-2, on Monday night at Honda Center, with the hosts winning their third straight game. The Ducks and Chicago each have 47 points but the Ducks have played 61 games, two more than the Blackhawks. The result snapped Chicago’s five-game winning streak.

Scoring for the Ducks: Isac Lundestrom (fourth of the season), Jakob Silfverberg (ninth), Max Jones (fifth) and Troy Terry (16th), with Terry and Jones adding assists. Ducks rookie center Mason McTavish added three assists, Frank Vatrano had two assists, and rookie goaltender Lukas Dostal made 24 saves for his third win of the season. Defenseman John Klingberg had the primary assist on Silfverberg’s goal, giving him nine points in his past nine games.

“That’s a hard game for those guys to play,” Ducks coach Dallas Eakins said. “We flew home the other night (from Carolina). Guys probably got in their beds by maybe 4 a.m. Guys with kids probably didn’t sleep at all. So these are dangerous games. … Good on our guys for being ready, getting over that mental hump and finding a way to get the points.”

The game-winner was from Jones, who broke the 2-2 tie, scoring with 17.5 seconds remaining in the second period and Terry scored the only goal in the third, converting a slick backhander from a sharp angle at 8:15.

“I can’t not mention McTavish,” Terry said. “Him and (Jones) together are two of the best forecheckers on the team and they won the puck back. Mac made a really good play. Once I saw he was going to get it, I tried to just bust to the net because I knew he was going to find me.

“Once I got it, I did have a little more time than I thought. I was on my backhand. … I don’t even know if I could have scored it from where I ended up. I just tried to get it around the goalie (Petr Mrazek) and it’s a fortuitous bounce. It feels good.”

Troy Terry Ducks lead 4-2! @AnaheimDucks | #FlyTogether pic.twitter.com/YzzfNmilwo

— Bally Sports West (@BallySportWest) February 28, 2023

The Ducks’ only other three-game winning streak this season was in late January. Earlier in the day, Terry pointed to things he saw in last week’s victory in Washington, which started the current run for the Ducks.

“As a team, we’re still fighting,” he said. “We’re still kicking. When you’ve got guys fighting Tom Wilson and (Dylan) McIlrath and you’ve got Nathan Beaulieu jumping in front of an Alex Ovechkin one-timer. That type of stuff – we may be where we are in the standings – but we’re all playing for something and we’re too close a group not to battle for each other.

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“That game was a good reminder of that and set us up for the next game.”

Jones agreed, saying: “Right there, it showed all right, we still care. Everyone is out there still fighting and leans on each other. It makes everyone else want to work harder.”

Chicago was without franchise icons Jonathan Toews, who is dealing with symptoms of long COVID-19 and Patrick Kane (roster management), and earlier in the day, defenseman Jake McCabe and depth forward Sam Lafferty were traded (along with future draft picks) in a package to the Toronto Maple Leafs for two players and two future picks. One of those players, Joey Anderson, the older brother of Kings defenseman Mikey Anderson, traveled to Anaheim and played against the Ducks, on the fourth line.

How thin were the Blackhawks on experience? Two forwards in their top nine had played a combined nine games in the NHL, counting Monday night’s contest.

​ Orange County Register