Sebastian Gonzalez Barboza swims freestyle during the Men’s 500 Yard Freestyle

The No. 5 Florida Gators walked into the Hearnes Center on Friday night with a 10-game win streak and didn't slow down, defeating Mizzou volleyball in a 25-13, 26-24, 25-13 sweep.

The Tigers' losing streak is up to three matches as they sit 8-8 with a 1-3 record in Southeastern Conference play.

Missouri hit .149 on attacks in the match with 29 kills and 15 errors. Florida recorded just three errors and added 44 kills for a .519 hit percentage. Missouri did not record a block in the match, and had three service aces with eight errors behind the line.

Kimani Johnson continues to lead the way for the Tigers on the court as she notched eight kills in 17 tries. Johnson has started to find her groove as the game appears to be slowing down a lot more for her.

"I think I'm starting to understand the game a little bit more," Johnson said in a press conference after the match. "How I can use my toolbox a little bit better, how I'm seeing the block, and just finding open spots on the court.

Florida middle blocker Alec Rothe got things going early for the Gators with three kills through the first 10 points of Set 1 to help Florida jump out to a 7-3 lead. Looking to pull away from Missouri, Florida was playing like the buzz saw that's been running through its opponents over its last 10 games.

After going down 7-3 early in Set 1, Missouri went on 3-0 run to keep things close and nearly made it a 4-0 run to get within a point of the Gators before a challenge reversed an out-of-bounds call. So instead of a 9-8 score, Florida led 10-7. An opportunity squandered, Missouri trailed the rest of the set, leading to the eventual 25-13 loss. The Tigers, did, however, make it tough for Florida to win the final point, a sign of things to come in Set 2.

And while Missouri tried to regroup before things really got out of hand, the fans in the Hearnes Center, which were loud to start the match, had gone silent.

Missouri started off Set 2 on the right foot, jumping out to a 5-2 lead behind a pair of kills from freshman standout Lydia Stahley. From there, Missouri clung onto a narrow lead until the media timeout. After a Kimani Johnson kill made it 13-10, Missouri looked like it would be the pace-setter this time around, but a 5-1 run from Florida — all via the kill — quickly shifted the momentum of the set as the two teams went to their benches.

The Tigers punched back with a 3-0 run, courtesy of Felder's rocket of a kill and Sierra Dudley getting an ace as Missouri jumped out in front 17-15. The two teams traded punches for the next handful of points, and after looking dead in the water after an ugly Set 1, Missouri was on the brink of tying it up.

Missouri then got to 23 after a Johnson kill, but Florida's Logan King came right back with her own to keep the two teams tied. Then, a Paige Felder kill put Missouri one point away from a Set 2 win, but Florida's timeout killed all momentum. Back-to-back Gator kills off the hands of blockers up front put Missouri on the ropes, and although Missouri coach Dawn Sullivan tried icing the Gators' server, it didn't work, and Florida took a commanding 2-0 lead over the Tigers with a 26-24 win.

"I thought our team played really well that set and really impressed," Sullivan said in a press conference after the match. "I think we have moments that we can play with any team. We just have to be able to be a little more consistent with what we do, and so (I) keep seeing glimpses of it, which I'm really excited about."

After the loss, the Tiger players showed one clear emotion – frustration. Florida, though, looked to slam the door shut, which is exactly what it did. The Gators got out to a 10-4 lead in the set and quickly forced a Sullivan timeout. But it was to no avail as Florida continued to put the hammer down on the Tigers as it led 16-6 before the gap briefly plateaued.

Then a 4-0 run made it 22-9, and Florida coasted to the sweep.

"Kudos to Florida," Sullivan said. "I though they just played a really clean volleyball game, and very strong both in reception and attack."

A point this season for Sullivan has been to serve tough. She felt her team early on did not serve tough and actually were playing out of system more often than they were in system, and they need to find their way back in system.

"I think it goes back to that reception piece, that first contact hit," Sullivan said. "How do we lift that ball up a little bit higher? How do we get that more into the pocket. Our setters are little bit too much on the run."

Missouri (8-8, 1-3 SEC) looks to get back on track as Auburn (11-5, 1-3) comes to town for a 2 p.m. match Sunday at the Hearnes Center.

GREAT FALLS, Mont. - A wildland fire burned off of Spring Trees Rd, west of Flood Rd near Great Falls on Thursday.

Cascade County Sheriff’s Department reported that the fire burned around 200 acres, and Montana DNRC sent a helicopter to work the fire.

There are currently no evacuations in place.

NonStop Local is reaching out to local fire departments to get more information, but a reporter on scene stated that crews were putting out hot spots when he arrived.

A red flag warning remains in effect for the area until 9 p.m. on October 9 due to low relative humidity and winds of 20-30 mph and gusts upwards of 50 mph. This combination can result in extreme fire weather.

(The Center Square) – A prominent labor union announced this week that its taxpayer-paid members voted to go on a one-day strike after negotiations with California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office stalled.

The differences are mostly over increased salaries for government workers, which would cost the state's taxpayers more money. It is unclear what the total monetary figure would be if the Newsom administration agreed to the union's demand to increase workers' pay by 7% this year, another 7% in 2027 and an additional 6% in 2028 - 20% during the next three years.

Economist Wayne Winegarden told The Center Square that the current demands for raise hikes would make things worse in a state with high taxes.

Approximately 96.2% of SEIU Local 1000’s 100,0000 members voted this week to authorize an unfair practice strike for Oct. 21, saying that state officials bargained in bad faith. "SEIU" stands for Service Employees International Union.

Worksite strike lines are scheduled in multiple cities across the state, including five in Sacramento and one each in Oakland, San Francisco, Fresno, Los Angeles, Norwalk, San Bernardino and San Diego.

Each strike line is scheduled to start at 7 a.m. on Oct. 21. 

Anica Walls, president of SEIU Local 1000, told The Center Square on Friday that the Newsom administration rejected all of the union’s proposals for the contract renewal.

“Our big-ticket items are general salary increases," Walls said.

Wallis added that the union's proposals include affordable healthcare to meet increased costs and a modernization of work "so we can efficiently and effectively continue to save the taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars."

But Winegarden, the economist, told The Center Square on Friday that he didn’t find that salary increases are financially sustainable for California’s taxpayers.

“The state has a spending problem,” said Winegarden, a senior fellow in business and economics at Pasadena, Calif.-based Pacific Research Institute. “If you look at the payment of government workers in California compared to every other state, they’re much better compensated. The idea that they’re striking in order to get 7% increase in pay for the next year and 20% over three years, these are unaffordable increases that if the state acquiesces, it’s the taxpayer who pays for it.”

California has some of the highest taxes in the country, Winegarden added. “This is just making it worse."

SEIU Local 1000's previous three-year labor contract was estimated to cost taxpayers an additional $1.5 billion when it was enacted in 2023, according to the California Legislative Analyst's Office. But a state budget crisis led to a delay in raises, and the union agreed to temporary pay cuts in June 2025.

The current contract expired June 30. The union said the Newsom administration waited until the last minute to reject the union’s proposals when negotiating contract renewal earlier this year, making members of the SEIU Local 1000 work without a contract for more than three months.

“CalHR remains ready to sit down anytime with the union to negotiate a fair and responsible agreement,” Angela Musallam, deputy director of communications for the California Department of Human Resources, told The Center Square via email on Friday. “The state remains focused on protecting the critical and essential services that Californians rely on.”

Newsom’s office did not comment for this story and instead referred The Center Square to the state Department of Human Resources.

The union represents employees of every state government department, according to the SEIU Local 1000 website, including workers in jobs that include nurses, information technology professionals, printers, educators, analysts and custodians, among many other jobs.

According to an information webpage about the strike, SEIU Local 1000 officials said any strike of this magnitude will be historic in California.

“California has never seen a strike this large involving the workers who keep the state running,” the union said on its website. “The Newsom administration can prevent this by coming to the table and bargaining in good faith. Administrations may change, but our demand will not: bargain fairly with the workers who keep California running.”

Under state law, employers can’t discipline or threaten employees who are members of a union and who participate in a strike, but employees who do participate won’t get paid while going on strike. They also can’t use vacation or sick time, according to the SEIU Local 1000.

The union has a strike fund to help offset financial losses to employees who go on strike, but the money isn’t meant to replace lost wages employees lose when striking. Rather, that money, which members pay in the form of union dues, is meant to pay for legal services to represent union members if they face retaliation from employers for going on strike.

​Meteorologists usually avoid exaggeration.

They focus on probabilities, model groups, and higher-than-normal rainfall. Instead of making predictions, they give outlooks and add warnings to forecasts that look months ahead.

But recently, their language has become much more dramatic, particularly when discussing the El Niño gathering strength in the Pacific. They’re calling it a “Super El Niño,” a “Godzilla El Niño,” and an “unprecedented event.”

El Niño is a naturally occurring warming of the ocean surface in the central and eastern Pacific. The World Meteorological Organization warned earlier this year that El Niño could cause significant floods, drought, and extreme heat.

Forecasts are becoming even more extraordinary. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) predicts an 83% chance that this year’s El Niño could surpass every previous one recorded since 1950. The WMO also projects that temperatures in a key Pacific monitoring region could reach 3.7 degrees above normal, beating the previous record of 2.6 degrees set during the 2015-2015 El Niño. NOAA also expects strong to very strong El Niño conditions to persist well into early 2027, possibly setting the stage for an unusually extreme winter, although it's uncertain where the worst storms will hit.

A state of emergency for homeowners

California Gov. Gavin Newsom has already declared a state of emergency, even though El Niño hasn’t officially arrived yet.

For homeowners, businesses, and their insurance companies, the main concern is what will happen when El Niño arrives.

“This is shaping up to be an unusually strong El Niño, which is why you’re hearing the term ‘Super El Niño,’” Crystal Egger, president and meteorologist at Monarch Weather + Climate Intelligence, told Insurify.

But Egger cautions against interpreting a record-strength El Niño as a forecast for catastrophe everywhere.

El Niño, she explained, is about “shifting the odds.” It can make certain weather patterns and risks more likely, but predicting exactly where storms will hit or how much rain or snow each community will get is still difficult.

Shifting odds look different depending on where you live

According to Egger’s data, California and the Southwest face a higher risk of heavy rain, flooding, mudslides, and debris flows in the wake of El Niño. The Southern Plains, Gulf Coast, and Southeast could see wetter-than-normal conditions and increased water damage. Parts of the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast could face heavy precipitation and coastal or inland flooding.

Meanwhile, parts of the Pacific Northwest and northern interior West may face the opposite problem: warmer, drier weather and continued drought.

This means some parts of the country may have to worry about too much water, while others will worry about not getting enough.

El Niño is a recurring climate pattern associated with unusually warm water in the central and eastern tropical Pacific Ocean. Changes in those ocean temperatures can alter atmospheric circulation and affect weather thousands of miles away.

This time, the ocean is particularly warm.

Egger said sea-surface temperatures in the affected region are running about 3.6 degrees Fahrenheit above normal.

NOAA’s Sept. 10 ENSO Diagnostic Discussion reported that El Niño had strengthened during the previous month, with sea-surface temperature anomalies exceeding 3 degrees Celsius (37.4 Fahrenheit) in the eastern equatorial Pacific. Subsurface temperatures were also significantly above average.

NOAA’s latest seasonal outlook says an El Niño this strong makes the usual weather effects more likely, but they’re still not definite.

That’s an important qualification.

“The biggest lesson from the historical record is that strong El Niños can produce very significant weather impacts, but they don’t all look the same,” Egger said.

California may face too much of a good thing

California and the Southwest could be among the most closely watched regions this winter.

NOAA’s seasonal outlook favors above-normal precipitation across much of the southern tier of the country. Egger said this elicits worries about heavy rainfall, flooding, mudslides, and debris flows in California and the Southwest.

The risk can be especially acute in areas previously affected by wildfires, as the fires could have removed the vegetation and altered the soil, leaving hillsides less able to absorb water when heavy rain arrives.

For homeowners, this means regular fall tasks like clearing gutters, checking drainage, inspecting roofs, and checking retaining walls become much more important.

It also raises an insurance problem.

Standard homeowners insurance generally covers damage from wind and rain entering a house because of covered storm damage, but it doesn’t cover flooding. Homeowners generally need a separate flood policy through the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) or a private insurer for that protection.

And homeowners shouldn’t assume they’re safe simply because their property isn’t in a high-risk flood zone. Flooding can occur well away from rivers, coastlines, and designated high-risk areas.

Mud creates another potential coverage complication. NFIP policies can cover “mudflow,” generally involving a riverlike flow of liquid and mud across normally dry land. But the federal policy excludes landslides and other forms of earth movement.

The South and East could get wetter, too

Egger said some of the strongest probabilities for above-normal precipitation extend along the eastern Gulf Coast and Southeast coast, including Florida.

The wetter signal may also extend northward.

“That doesn’t mean a constant stream of storms,” Egger said of the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast. But the pattern could create more opportunities for heavy precipitation and coastal or inland flooding.

For homeowners, repeated storms could cause wind damage, falling trees, roof damage, and wind-driven rain that forces water into structures.

The Northwest may have the opposite problem

The same climate pattern that increases rainfall odds across the southern U.S. can have almost the reverse effect farther north.

El Niño winters are often warmer and drier across portions of the Pacific Northwest and northern interior West. Egger said parts of that region can expect below-normal levels of precipitation this winter.

What homeowners can do before the weather arrives

For homeowners, preparing for the weather ahead depends on where they live.

Experts say homeowners in wetter-risk areas can inspect roofs, clean gutters and drainage systems, trim vulnerable trees, and consult a professional to determine whether their property is susceptible to flooding.

They can also review their insurance before a storm appears in a seven-day forecast.

That’s particularly important for flood insurance, since NFIP policies generally have a 30-day waiting period before coverage takes effect. Buying a policy when a major storm is already approaching may be too late.

Business owners can similarly review commercial property, flood, and business interruption coverage to determine whether their policies address the particular hazards most likely in their region.

Egger’s advice is considerably less dramatic than the “Super” and “Godzilla” labels surrounding this El Niño.

She says to prepare for the risks most likely where you live, but don’t treat a seasonal outlook as a prediction of a specific disaster.

“El Niño doesn’t mean the entire country is going to have a bad winter,” Egger said. “It changes the odds, making certain types of weather more likely in certain parts of the country.”

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(The Center Square) - U.S. Rep. Andy Biggs, R-Arizona, is framing his campaign for governor around economic affordability, water management and border security, drawing a sharp contrast with the Democratic incumbent, Gov. Katie Hobbs.

In an interview with "The States," The Center Square's daily podcast, Biggs criticized the Hobbs administration’s fiscal and regulatory track record, arguing that Arizona has slipped under the governor’s leadership.

"Under Katie Hobbs, we've gone from being one of the most affordable states to one of the least affordable states," Biggs said, pointing to state rankings in educational attainment.

Biggs told Greg Bishop, host of "The States," that Arizona needs a change in executive leadership to reverse course.

The Center Square reached out to Hobbs and her campaign for comment, but did not get a response by publication time. The Center Square also invited Hobbs to appear on "The States" and is waiting for a response.

During the interview on "The States," Biggs acknowledged Arizona’s competitive overall tax rankings by organizations such as the Tax Foundation but argued that the state should follow national trends toward eliminating the state income tax.

Meanwhile, water management has emerged as a central flashpoint in the gubernatorial contest.

Biggs criticized Hobbs’ handling of negotiations regarding the state's Colorado River water allotment, contending that the administration relies too heavily on conservation alone rather than seeking out new augmentation strategies. The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation created a plan that requires Arizona, California and Nevada to make cuts, but no cuts are required of Colorado, Utah, New Mexico and Wyoming.

"We have tremendous stores of underground water that we've been saving for decades," said Biggs, adding that the state must look at extraction, cleaning and distribution infrastructure to support future growth.

In terms of immigration and crime, Hobbs has defended her administration's approach to public safety and law enforcement partnerships. For example, Hobbs released a TV ad in late August to highlight “her record on delivering on border security, supporting law enforcement, and investing in public safety to protect Arizona families and communities.”

Biggs is not buying.

"She's an open borders advocate," Biggs said, pointing to the repeal of previous border barrier initiatives and the defunding of the state's border security strike force. The Republican gubernatorial candidate advocated for close cooperation with federal immigration authorities to ensure public safety.

On the legislative front, Biggs criticized Hobbs’ use of the veto pen — noting a high volume of vetoed bills during her term — while pointing to his own legislative background as evidence of an ability to build bipartisan consensus on key issues like water and rural health care funding. Republicans control a majority in both houses of Arizona's Legislature, but lack enough seats to override the Democratic governor's vetoes.

Biggs, a retired attorney who served in the Arizona House and the Arizona Senate prior to being elected a U.S. representative for the state's 5th Congressional District in 2016, also voiced firm support for preserving Arizona's right-to-work status.

A right-to-work state is one in which an employee of a unionized operation does not have to pay dues or fees as a condition of employment. While unions can and do exist in Arizona and other right-to work states, people working for those unionized businesses do not have to be members of the union. Nevada and Utah are right-to-work states. California, Colorado and New Mexico are forced unionism states or non-right-to-work states.

Hobbs has framed the election as a choice between stable leadership centered on putting Arizona first and what it characterizes as Washington-style division. Biggs countered that the incumbent has avoided debates and public forums to defend her record, maintaining that Arizona is fundamentally a center-right state ready for a change in direction.

(The Center Square) – Polling deficit, disapproval of the president, and recent shifts in campaign strategy by super PACs are evolving a dynamic that further favors Democrat Roy Cooper over Republican Michael Whatley in North Carolina’s election for a seat in the U.S. Senate.

However, Whatley’s campaign tells The Center Square any raising of a white flag, as one left-leaning publication wrote early Thursday, are false and in fact there is strategy inclusive of five events over the next seven days, statewide campaigning aggressively, and welcoming both President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance anytime they wish to visit.

Voting started in a 61-day window, the nation’s longest, when requested absentee ballots were mailed out Sept. 4. In-person early voting begins Thursday and runs through Oct. 31, and Election Day is Nov. 3.

This U.S. Senate seat has long been viewed as a major player nationally in the quest for a majority in the chamber. Republicans have 53 seats today. Thirty-five seats are on the ballot, two of which are special elections.

In no particular order, Ohio, Michigan, Georgia, Maine, Iowa, New Hampshire, Alaska, Texas and Montana have been considered the other top battlegrounds. Democrats’ momentum has brought Kansas into the picture and changed the outlook on both North Carolina and Georgia, while Republican momentum has changed the outlook in Montana.

In the last two weeks, the super PAC Senate Leadership Fund has reportedly paused $71 million in advertising campaign spending for Whatley’s campaign to help elsewhere in the country. There is a report of Old North Action canceling $6.5 million in advertising reservation funding.

“We obviously can’t coordinate with any of the super PACs but based on public records, it’s clear they’ve shifted some of their resources to shore up some red states like Kansas and South Carolina similar to what they had to do here in North Carolina back in 2016 to shore up the Sen. Richard Burr campaign,” D.J. Griffin, communications director for the Whatley campaign, told The Center Square in a digital interview. “That doesn’t change our overall strategy any and we will continue to be aggressively campaigning across North Carolina. We’ve temporarily halted most broadcast to better calibrate our microtargeting and for a bit of message adjustment. We remain confident we will have the resources to win the support of late-breaking voters to win on Election Day.”

Whatley was in Wilson on Friday in the first of five events over seven days. The “Make More, Keep More” event included state Sen. Buck Newton, R-Wilson, where the audience was told under Cooper’s watch energy costs went up 30%, housing costs went up 85% and healthcare costs became the highest in the nation.

“Roy Cooper made life more expensive for families across North Carolina,” Whatley said in Wilson. “He raised electricity rates, housing costs and health insurance premiums – and wants every household in North Carolina to pay $5,700 more in taxes every year. As your senator, I will fight every day to make sure families make more and keep more of their hard earned money.”

Griffin says the campaign is doing anything but raising a white flag of surrender against a candidate in state office each of the past five decades.

“We have five earned media events over the next seven days and other grassroots events as well, so we are doubling down on winning, not backing down,” Griffin told The Center Square. “We have always been a grassroots-oriented campaign and plan to continue campaigning aggressively across the state. Michael has visited all 100 counties, and we are going to be focused on get out the vote in all 100 counties with the organizations we’ve put in place over the past 14 months. Roy Cooper has never visited all 100 counties and will continue to hide in Left-Wing-Snowflake-Zones.”

Cooper’s bid to succeed Republican Sen. Thom Tillis would be trend-breaking if successful. Tillis, Burr and Ted Budd have made Republicans 5-for-5 since Democrat Kay Hagan won election to the U.S. Senate in 2008. And Democrats haven’t taken a midterm Senate seat in the state since John Edwards in 1998.

Republicans in statewide races for this decade – 2020, 2022 and 2024 – are 32-10 against Democrats, a party with significantly declining voter registrations for more than 20 consecutive years, according to State Board of Elections data analyzed by The Center Square.

Tillis decided in June 2025 to leave the gridlock of Washington and not seek reelection. While strong on wanting Republicans to carry this election and remain in majorities, he and the president have clashed publicly on some hot-button issues – be it Senate confirmations or impacts on healthcare through legislation that otherwise is helpful to putting money in the pockets of constituents.

“Who is better and motivating Republican voters to get out and vote – Thom Tillis or President Trump?” Griffin told The Center Square. “We all know it’s President Trump and we welcome him and Vice President Vance back to North Carolina to campaign any time.”

Cooper has 38 years in office: eight as governor, 16 as attorney general, 10 years in the state Senate and four years in the state House of Representatives. Whatley is making his first run at elected office, having previously helped many in his tenures as chairman of the North Carolina Republican Party, then as the Trump-picked chairman of the Republican National Committee.

(The Center Square) – Republican candidates in several key Minnesota races are raising concerns about immigrant gang activity as the state struggles with a series of shootings linked to Somali youth gangs in the Twin Cities.

In response to the violence, the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension has established a new task force to address the issue.

The BCA is also scheduled to meet with local law enforcement officials Friday afternoon to discuss ways to combat the growing problem.

With just 25 days until Election Day, the violence is emerging as a key issue in Minnesota’s election campaigns.

Republican gubernatorial candidate and state House Speaker Lisa Demuth and Republican U.S. Senate candidate Michele Tafoya, a former sports broadcaster, have each issued multiple statements addressing the issue.

“The Walz status quo isn’t working,” the 59-year-old said. “Our campaign is committed to making Minnesota a safer place to live, work and raise a family. We’re listening to our local communities about the best ways to strengthen public safety and crack down on Somali gang violence.”

On Friday, she added a promise to support law enforcement.

“Enough is enough,” Demuth said. “No community should be defined by the actions of a few. And every community deserves to be safe from gang violence. I will fight to give law enforcement the resources they need to protect Minnesotans.”

Tafoya expressed similar concerns, though calling out her opponent Lieutenant Governor Peggy Flanagan by name.

“We cannot allow Somali gang violence to continue threatening our neighborhoods and communities,” Tafoya said. “Peggy Flanagan has presided over this explosion in gang violence. This has happened on her watch. She has no answers and no solutions. Minnesotans deserve leaders who will confront this violence, support law enforcement, and demand accountability. I will.”

Republicans blame a “soft-on-crime” approach from Democrats, as well as cuts to funding for the gang activity.

Flanagan has not addressed crime recently, instead focusing on Medicaid access, the Iran war, and cost-of-living issues.

Democrat U.S. Senator and gubernatorial candidate Amy Klobuchar has briefly touched on crime, releasing a statement earlier this week regarding a thwarted terrorist attack at the Mall of America.

“This shows why we continue to need major coordinated investments in anti-terrorism and local law enforcement to stop attacks like these,” Klobuchar said. “Our state must take terrorism and violent crime head on, working with our federal law enforcement and local police departments to keep Minnesotans safe.”

This all comes as new data from both state and federal law enforcement for 2025 shows drops in violent crimes, including rapes, assaults, and theft in Minnesota.

That said, there are still some concerned about persistently high crime rates in the state’s metropolitan areas, as previously reported by The Center Square.

“A large part of violent crime in our region, especially in the Twin Cities, comes from gang activity. Our agents work closely with local, state, and federal partners to target offenders in groups that cause the most harm,” said Benni Jonsson, an assistant special agent in charge at the Minneapolis FBI office. “When we remove violent offenders and their illegal guns, neighborhoods feel safer right away.”

(The Center Square) – Findings from a new investigation into the 2025 Palisades and Eaton fires have Angelenos shaking their heads.

The independent inquiry by the UL Research Institute — commissioned by California Gov. Gavin Newsom — revealed widespread communication breakdowns, institutional disconnections and tactical errors during the catastrophic fires.

After the investigation's results were released, Joy Chen, co-founder of the Every Fire Survivor’s Network, expressed deep frustration.

“This is yet another report telling us about all the failures of the night,” Chen told The Center Square.

“We really wish that the government would focus more on fixing the problems rather than, you know, just issue another report on the failures," said Chen, whose Altadena home suffered smoke damage from the Eaton Fire.

The Los Angeles County blazes started  on Jan. 7, 2025. The Palisades Fire burned 23,448 acres in the coastal Los Angeles and Malibu area and resulted in 12 deaths and the destruction of 6,833 structures.

The Eaton Fire burned 14,021 acres in the Pasadena-Altadena area and led to 19 deaths and the destruction of 9,419 structures.

Paramedics and sheriff deputies witnessed severe ember storms and structures burning in West Altadena hours before widespread alerts were issued, according to the UL Research Institute. However, because the paramedics operated independently and were not integrated into the fire command structure, their vital observations never reached incident leaders, the institute reported.

Most residents in West Altadena, where 18 out of 19 Eaton Fire fatalities occurred, did not receive mandatory evacuation orders until it was too late. according to the new investigation. The fire was already sweeping through the unincorporated community.

Meanwhile, the Los Angeles County Fire Department incident command center at the Rose Bowl was disorganized and unaware that the fire had pushed westward until daylight hours, UL Research Institute determined.

Regarding the Palisades Fire, the Los Angeles (City) Fire Department initially contained a smaller fire in Topanga State Park on Jan. 1.

Despite warnings from ground personnel that the site was still smoldering as dangerous red flag weather approached, the UL Research Institute report says the department failed to properly monitor or reinspect the area. The institute also found the city fire department's commanders initially overseeing the response lacked experience with large, complex wildfires. At the same time, the Los Angeles Police Department and the LAFD operated on separate, unintegrated tracks, realizing only late into the disaster that they were using conflicting evacuation maps, according to the institute.

The lack of confidence in the formal leadership led to 26 fire units deploying independently without command approval, the institute reported.

Conditions improved significantly only after the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, or Cal Fire, assumed control of incident operations on Jan. 8, 2025, the UL Research Institute said.

Los Angeles County Supervisor Kathryn Barger called the findings serious and in need of a thorough review.

“Eaton Fire survivors, especially those who lost loved ones, deserve accountability and confidence that every lesson from this tragedy will result in meaningful change,” Barger told The Center Square in an email.

“That is why I acted quickly and introduced a motion, which the Board of Supervisors approved on October 6," said Barger, who represents the Pasadena-Altadena area on the county governance board.

Barger’s motion directed an immediate comparison of these findings with Los Angeles County’s after-action reviews to identify gaps and determine what additional actions must be taken.

“While we can’t change what happened on January 7, we have an obligation to learn from it and ensure our emergency response systems emerge stronger and ready for when the next disaster strikes,” said Barger.

Chen of Every Fire Survivor's Network said residents had to depend on themselves for communications during the Eaton Fire. In fact, Chen told The Center Square, residents had to do some of their own firefighting.

If it had not been for the pickleball WhatsApp of the Altadena Country Club, Chen said people in the area would not have had a way to contact one another and stay informed.

“We triangulated where the fire was based on who could see it from the homes,” said Chen. “Then we called everyone that we knew in harm's way as the fire was moving.”

Chen also credited the pickleball WhatsApp for helping what she described as the emergency volunteer fire brigade. People were typing into WhatsApp when there was a spot fire in their yard or their neighbors' yards. Chen and others rushed to the scenes with buckets to take water out of swimming pools to put out those spot fires.

“That's not our job. That's our government's job,” Chen said. “That's why we pay taxes.”

In the 20-some months since the fires, Chen said fire victims have continued to show up and step up for one another.

What survivors need is for the government to "fix those failures," said Chen, whose organization is reportedly the nation's largest survivor-led disaster recovery nonprofit with 10,000-plus survivors of the Eaton and Palisades fires and their allies.

Chen’s home was smoke-damaged and filled with what she described as toxic contamination. Her family had to move nine times with two teenage girls and two cats. Chen said her insurance company, USAA, paid for testing and remediation before Chen and her family moved back home last summer. Even so, Chen said they were lucky ones.

Two-thirds of Eaton and Palisades fire survivors are still displaced, Chen said, adding that at this point, people’s retirement savings are drained. Others have maxed out credit cards, and many people's housing funds are running out within the next few months, she said.

“One of the major problems has been insurance,” said Chen. “Seventy percent of Eaton and Palisades fire survivors with insurance are having delays and denials and underpayments impeding their recovery.”

Chen called that another government breakdown, noting that the state has a responsibility to regulate the industry.

EFSN has stepped in to fill the gap by collecting data on insurer misconduct, starting with over 500 firsthand accounts against State Farm last year. When the state failed to act, Chen said they brought the data to Barger and Los Angeles County Supervisor Lindsey Horvath, who immediately launched an investigation and lawsuit.

Now EFSN is expanding that effort with a new survey tracking how every major insurer is performing. Results and a consumer scorecard are expected in November.

When asked what advice she has for people who have never faced a disaster, Chen offered two recommendations. One is, watch for the release of EFSN’s insurance scorecard next month to see which companies deliver on their promises. Also, because insurers often require proof of every single possession, Chen recommended people walk through their homes and film video of every room and the items in every drawer or cabinet. People can then use artificial intelligence to reconstruct a comprehensive list of their belongings if disaster strikes, she said.

In addition, EFSN is running a weekly survivor legal education series called "Beat the Clock." With the statute of limitations for suing insurance companies set to expire on Jan. 7, 2027, for many victims, Chen said the Thursday night sessions cover vital topics such as underinsurance and policyholder rights.

“Having legal rights in insurance doesn’t do much good if you don't know what your rights are,” Chen said.

The sessions feature insurance litigators and can be accessed at efsurvivors.net.

(The Center Square) – As public education remains a concern for taxpayers, supporters of school choice programs argue that giving families more educational options can improve student outcomes at a lower cost.

More than 30 states have some form of school choice program, while 30 states have opted into the Trump administration’s Education Freedom Tax Credit Program, which will take effect Jan. 1, 2027.

Supporters of both state-level school choice programs and the federal tax credit say they give families more options to find schools that better fit their children’s educational needs.

Ryan Cantrell, chief state strategy officer at the American Federation for Children, told The Center Square that school choice programs put education dollars in the hands of parents and make them the decision makers. 

“There really isn’t a better form of accountability than a parent being able to say, ‘This school is not working for my child. I am going to take those dollars and I’m gonna go elsewhere with them,' ” Cantrell said.

As students' public education continues to struggle academically, results from the National Assessment of Educational Progress show that student performance in reading and math have declined since 2019, with K-12 students as a whole at 30% proficiency. 

Lance Izumi, senior director of education studies at Pasadena, Calif.-based Pacific Research Institute, said additional education spending does not necessarily translate into improved academic outcomes.

“It’s very difficult to look at these cries for more funding as anything more than just funding the adults in the system and not helping the students,” Izumi told The Center Square. 

Izumi also said public schools are facing growing competition from charter schools, private schools and homeschooling options that participate in school choice programs. 

According to Education World Wide, homeschooled students generally score between the 65th and 75th percentiles, while the average public school student scores near the 50th percentile.

A study by the National Home Education Research Institute found that homeschooled students typically score 15% to 25% higher on standardized academic achievement tests than public school students. 

There are similar results for students who are in private and charter schools, outperforming students from public schools. 

Private school students test higher than public school students. According to National Center for Education Statistics data, 88% of private high school students apply to college, compared to 57% of public high school students. Also, College Board reports indicate that SAT scores for private school students are around 1200 out of 1600, well above the national average of 1029, according to the Council for American Private Education.  

For charter schools, academic results are generally similar to or slightly higher than those of traditional public schools. Yet a 2023 study by the Center for Research on Education Outcomes at Stanford University found that students attending charter schools made greater academic gains than their peers in traditional public schools because charter school students in mathematics advanced their learning by an additional six days over the course of a year.

In reading, they gained the equivalent of 16 additional days of learning, according to Stanford.

As charter schools aim to help low-income families, test scores from the California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress in English language arts show 49.7% of charter school students met or exceeded state standards. That's compared to 49.2% of students in non-charter schools. In mathematics, 36.7% of charter school students met or exceeded standards, compared with 37.9% statewide in non-charter schools.

Meanwhile, the average cost of a school choice scholarship is roughly $6,000 per student, compared with about $18,000 in average public-school spending, according to EdChoice. 

Cantrell highlighted research from Ohio that found positive outcomes for low-income students participating in voucher programs. According to a study by the Urban Institute, students who participated in school choice programs were more likely to enroll in college than students who remained in public schools and were also more likely to earn a bachelor’s degree.

“We are spending less money and getting better results,” Cantrell noted. 

The Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty analyzed more than 100,000 low- and middle-income Wisconsin students between the 2018-19 and 2022-23 school years.

The review measured performance on the English Language Arts portion of the Wisconsin Forward Exam, a state assessment test for public school students and compared the results to school-choice students from similar economic backgrounds in the public school system. 

“Researchers found that, across all three of Wisconsin’s major private-school choice programs, students who remained enrolled longer consistently experienced stronger academic growth in reading than similar students who stayed in public schools,” according to the Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs.  

Jorge Elorza, CEO of Democrats for Education Reform and advocate for school choice, told The Center Square that Democrats have fallen behind both politically and policy-wise on K-12 education.

“Voters are watching. They see that we have been silent on this issue," Elorza said. "Now there is a political imperative for us to reprioritize and refocus on K-12 education. And it can’t be more of the same. It can’t just be more money to be more of the same. That is not working.”