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Temperatures are slowly rising through Friday before the weather pattern changes.
Scattered showers and thunderstorms are still possible into Saturday morning.
For the most part, the weekend looks dry and gusty, especially through our corridors.
Next week, we are tracking another storm system that could bring us more rain.
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Around SoCal
1. Dodgers advance to NLCS after Kerkering’s costly error in 11th inning beats Phillies
Orion Kerkering made a wild throw past home instead of tossing to first after mishandling Andy Pages’ bases-loaded comebacker with two outs in the 11th inning, and the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Philadelphia Phillies 2-1 Thursday to win their NL Division Series 3-1.
Kerkering hung his head and put hands on knees after his throw sailed past catcher J.T. Realmuto as pinch-runner Hyeseong Kim crossed the plate, advancing the Dodgers to the NL Championship Series against the Chicago Cubs or Milwaukee.
Realmuto had pointed to first when the two-hopper hit off Kerkering’s glove and rolled just in front of the mound. Fans in the crowd of 50,563 at Dodger Stadium erupted after spending the final three innings on their feet.
Philadelphia, wearing its powder blue throwback uniforms on the road for the second straight day, was knocked out in the Division Series for the third straight season while the defending World Series champion Dodgers reached the NLCS for the eighth time in 13 years.
2. Bass calls for ‘mansion tax’ exemption for Palisades Fire victims
Hoping to expedite recovery efforts in the Pacific Palisades burn area, Mayor Karen Bass called on the City Council Thursday to adopt an ordinance allowing for a one-time exception to the city’s so-called “mansion tax” to speed property sales and expedite rebuilding projects.
In November 2022, Los Angeles voters approved Measure ULA, which assesses a 4% tax on property sales of more than $5 million and 5.5% on sales of more than $10 million, with the revenue earmarked for affordable housing and homelessness-prevention initiatives.
As of August of this year, the measure had generated roughly $830 million, according to the city.
In a letter sent to the City Council Thursday, Bass wrote that providing a one-time exemption from Measure ULA for fire-affected homeowners who want or need to relocate from the fire zone will make it easier for them to sell their properties.
3. LAUSD students show strong gains in latest test scores
Los Angeles Unified School District students showed marked improvement on state standardized tests, with results released Thursday showing across-the-board gains that exceed pre-pandemic levels.
The results were touted Thursday by LAUSD Superintendent Alberto Carvalho and Gov. Gavin Newsom during a news conference in Exposition Park. Carvalho called the latest scores “historic” for the district, reflecting year-over-year improvements in all grade levels.
According to the latest scores, nearly 46.5% of LAUSD students who took part in the testing met or exceeded the state standard in English language arts. That’s up 3.4 percentage points from last year, and is 2.35 points above the pre-pandemic level of 2018-19.
In math, nearly 36.8% of tested students met or exceeded the standard, up 3.93 points from last year and up 3.29 points from 2018-19.
For science, 27.28% of students met or exceeded the standard, up 3.32 points from last year and 4.48 points above the 2018-19 level.
4. LeBron James will miss opening night of his record 23rd NBA season due to sciatica
LeBron James will miss opening night of his record 23rd NBA season due to sciatica that will be re-evaluated in three to four weeks, the Los Angeles Lakers announced Thursday.
The 40-year-old superstar will be sidelined at least until the end of October with sciatica — pain in the nerves running from the buttocks and down the back of the legs — on his right side.
James has yet to participate in a full practice since the Lakers opened training camp last week, and coach JJ Redick said James was “on his own timeline” Thursday after practice. An hour later, the Lakers announced an injury timeline that means James is likely to miss at least their first five or six games, and possibly several more.
The Lakers open the regular season at home Oct. 21 against Golden State. They have eight games in a 13-day span beginning Oct. 24.
Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic, right, is congratulated by forward LeBron James after scoring during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Los Angeles Clippers, Sunday, March 2, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Around the Nation
1. Shutdown frustrations devolve into public spat between Jeffries, Lawler
2. Judge blocks National Guard deployment in Illinois for 2 weeks
3. New York Attorney General Letitia James charged in fraud case after pressure campaign by Trump
Only on Spectrum News 1
Reaction to the LAFD’s after-action review report on the Palisades Fire
The Los Angeles Fire Department has released an After-Action Review Report about the Palisades Fire. The report is normally kept internal. The 70-page report includes a list of challenges, summarized in a fact sheet as: unprecedented weather conditions, response constraints, communication network lapses, resource shortages, and water supply limitations.
Locals Mehrzad Roshan and Craig Weston both expressed frustration as a reaction to the report.
Click the link above for more information.
SoCal Snapshot
The Los Angeles Dodgers pose for photos after a win over the Philadelphia Phillies in Game 4 of the National League Division Series on Thursday in LA. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)