LOS ANGELES -- A youth counselor was beaten to death at a South Los Angeles children and family services facility, and a group of young people has been arrested in connection with the attack, authorities said.
David Mcknight-Hillman, a 25-year-old employee of Wayfinder Family Services, was trying to break up a fight among a group of youths when they turned on him, said Deputy Joana Warren, a spokeswoman for the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department.
Deputies responded to the Windsor Hills neighborhood at 9:51 p.m. Saturday to a call about a fight at the facility, a nonprofit organization that provides residential therapeutic services to youths placed by Los Angeles County's Department of Children and Family Services.
Once there, authorities found Mcknight-Hillman suffering from what appeared to be blunt-force trauma injuries. He was transported to a local hospital, where he died, sheriff's officials said.
Two 18-year-olds, identified as Nyler Mason and Keith Lewis, were arrested on suspicion of murder in connection with the attack, sheriff's officials said. Four juveniles also were arrested and booked at Juvenile Hall on Eastlake Avenue.
--Los Angeles Times
Officials in San Diego County on Tuesday reported a cumulative total of 32 cases of the new, potentially more contagious variant of the coronavirus that has also spread rapidly in England.
The variant, known as B.1.1.7, was first identified in a virus sample taken from a San Diego County man in his 30s on Dec. 29 and confirmed a day later and subsequently announced publicly.
Since then, more cases of the variant have been identified, and on Tuesday, officials announced an additional 24 cases confirmed by whole genome sequencing and four more suspected cases.
Prior to Tuesday, San Diego County had confirmed four cases of the variant. The 24 newly confirmed patients are believed to have no travel history and to have come from 19 different households, but an investigation and contact tracing are ongoing, according to a statement released by county officials.
The new cases have been identified among residents of San Diego and several suburbs. The residents range in age from 10 to over 70.
--Los Angeles Times
COLUMBIA, S.C. -- U.S. Rep. Jim Clyburn of South Carolina said Tuesday that Wednesday's efforts by some Republicans to object to the certification of President-elect Joe Biden's win are "crossing the line."
In multiple interviews Tuesday, the Columbia Democrat argued that those objections to the Electoral College certification will be largely fruitless.
"We know what the results are, so there's not going to be any change in any of that," said Clyburn, who added that the objection will only "prolong the process."
Dozens of Republicans in the House and Senate have vowed to object to the certification on Wednesday. Most of their objections center around allegations of massive voter fraud that could have swayed the results of the election. However, there has been no proof of such widespread fraud.
The objections will trigger a debate and a vote on certification in both the House and the Senate that will last hours.
--The State (Columbia, S.C.)
Iconic talk-show host Larry King has been moved out of the intensive care unit amid his battle with COVID-19, but he’s not out of the woods yet.
King remains hospitalized at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, where he checked in more than a week ago.
“Larry continues to improve,” King’s family said in a statement. “He and his sons thank everyone for the outpouring of support and can’t wait to get him home.”
The 87-year-old Brooklyn native was able to have a video call with his sons, Larry Jr., Cannon and Chance, a spokesman said.
King, best known for his “Larry King Live” interview show that ran on CNN from 1985 to 2010, has faced a number of medical scares in the last few decades, including prostate and lung cancer, a heart attack in 1987 and a near-fatal stroke in 2019.
--New York Daily News
