Today’s Headlines: Here’s what fueled America’s deadliest wildfire in a century

Hello, it’s Thursday, Aug. 17, and here are the stories you shouldn’t miss today:

TOP STORIES

Ignored warnings, hubris and a slow response fueled America’s deadliest wildfire in a century. Officials in Hawaii have, at times, insisted that little could have been done to avoid the tragedy that obliterated a historic West Maui town and killed scores of residents. Yet there is plenty of evidence that government officials should have been aware of the danger to Lahaina.

• In the ruins of Lahaina, a surfing legend leads a volunteer army to get supplies to survivors.
• As a portable morgue arrives, two Maui fire victims are identified.
• From Paradise to Lahaina: Camp fire survivors offer solace and advice in the wake of the Maui fire.
• Angelenos tied to Maui gather in grief at a restaurant with Lahaina in its name.

Ex-Anaheim mayor to plead guilty to corruption charges tied to the Angel Stadium sale. Former Anaheim Mayor Harry Sidhu has agreed to plead guilty to federal charges in connection with his push to sell Angel Stadium, including lying to FBI agents about not expecting to receive anything from the Angels when the transaction closed — he allegedly hoped to get a $1-million campaign contribution — and destroying an email in which he provided confidential information to the team about the city’s negotiations.

The plea agreement filed Wednesday in U.S. District Court in Santa Ana offers an extraordinary look inside Sidhu’s efforts to sell the stadium to a company controlled by the Angels’ owner for $320 million.

113 degrees at work, failing AC at home: Farmworkers can’t escape life-threatening heat. Grapes, dates and other crops have been made to flourish in the dry, searing heat of the eastern Coachella Valley. But farmers and civic leaders never built the basic infrastructure needed to shelter the workers who live in such a harsh region.

So as climate change pushes temperatures to increasing extremes, many workers are being exposed to dangerous heat for hours during the day only to return home and struggle to find any respite in trailer parks where the power supply is unstable, air conditioning is minimal and water is often unclean.

Inside Japan’s ‘miracle town,’ where the birth rate is soaring amid a demographic crisis. In a nation struggling with record-low birth rates and population decline, Nagi has become known as a “miracle town,” where nearly half of the households have three or more children.

Far from the bustling cacophony of cities like Tokyo, mothers here chat leisurely as their children’s laughter rings through the fields, and shrug off official hand-wringing over a dearth of youngsters.

PHOTO OF THE DAY

Austin Reaves leaves the court after Team USA defeated Puerto Rico in an exhibition game at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

From small town to big time: Austin Reaves reveals how newfound fame isn’t changing him. Reaves is one of the Lakers’ most popular players and has a leading role on Team USA’s World Cup team, but he’s still a small-town guy at heart.

CALIFORNIA

Flash mobs invade luxury Los Angeles retailers with brute force, overwhelming numbers. Overall crime rates are down in Los Angeles this year, but a surge in smash-and-grab robberies is casting a long shadow over shoppers and retailers.

A tropical system brewing in the Pacific is expected to bring cooling, lightning and storms to SoCal. A tropical storm forming off the coast of Mexico is likely to bring cooling, humidity and the possibility of showers and lightning to Southern California.

A Los Angeles hotel became homeless housing. The city paid $11.5 million to cover the damage. L.A. quietly paid the Mayfair Hotel $11.5 million to cover damage incurred when the building was homeless housing. Now, the mayor wants to buy the building.

Poll: California voters agree political disinformation is a big problem. But how to fix it? A new poll of California voters finds widespread concern over disinformation regarding politics and elections, but little agreement on whom to trust.

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass scores a U.S. policy shift to expedite homeless housing. Mayor Karen Bass has gotten a big ask from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, which has agreed to allow L.A. to put homeless people into housing before they compile all the documentation necessary to prove their eligibility.

NATION-WORLD

This Ukrainian was famed for playful sculptures. Now his art melds war debris and rage. Ukrainian sculptor Mikhail Reva was once comfortable in the “Russian world.” Now he fiercely rejects it, with art that is a testament to a brutal war.

Colorado River Basin ranks among the world’s most water-stressed regions, analysis finds. The analysis found that all seven states that rely on the Colorado River face high or extremely high water stress. Arizona ranked first for the most severe water stress in the country, followed by New Mexico and Colorado, and California ranked fifth.

Some abortion drug restrictions are upheld by an appeals court. New restrictions on access to a drug used in the most common form of abortion would be imposed under a federal appeals court ruling.

HOLLYWOOD AND THE ARTS

Pizzas and protests: How Hollywood picket lines differ.
On Sunset Boulevard, cutting through the heart of Hollywood, the Netflix picket line is easily the most visible. And it feels the loudest.

A documentary examines how what the U.S. did — and did not do — helped shape the Holocaust. A trio of documentarians realized that a sweeping, freshly researched retelling of the persecution of European Jews would be just as essential to their ever-lengthening film as detailing the xenophobia, racism and political decisions that made American inaction toward refugees so tragically consequential.

Two decades later, a Korean action landmark still hits like a hammer. This week, the distribution company that released “Parasite” brings “Oldboy” back to more than 200 American screens (including several in Los Angeles), restored and remastered to mark the 20th anniversary of its debut.

‘Avatar: The Way of Water’ financier accuses Disney of self-dealing in new lawsuit. In part, TSG Entertainment’s lawsuit hits Disney for allegedly cutting “sweetheart” deals to put TSG-backed movies on its own streaming services to boost subscriber numbers, while depriving the investor of substantial revenue.

BUSINESS

The L.A. Times guide to buying an electric car now. If you’re in a single-car household and plan to keep it that way, you’ll want an EV with long range. If you need a second car, an EV is a no-brainer. The best second-car value is a secondhand EV.

• Hydrogen fuel cell cars are here. But good luck trying to fill one up.
• Going car-less in L.A.: The environmental benefits and economic costs.

SPORTS

Bobby Miller provides a strong start as Dodgers break it open late to beat Brewers. With a 6-2 defeat of the Milwaukee Brewers at Dodger Stadium, the Dodgers continued to cement their place atop the National League West — and in the middle of the World Series picture — by winning their ninth straight game and 13th of 14 so far in August.

Telemundo’s all-female TV crew makes U.S. history. “It is an honor to be able to call games that will transcend soccer and become important moments for these players,” said Daniella López Guajardo. “It is a major responsibility being the first woman to call games in Spanish for U.S. television. Bringing to people my experience is a huge responsibility.”

Column: Idled by the strike, screenwriters and actors compete on the softball field. Although sanctioned by the union, the league isn’t limited to members. It includes actors, showrunners, stunt people, industry newcomers and anyone else who wants to let out their frustrations against Hollywood’s labor impasse with games that are equal parts “The Bad News Bears” and “Norma Rae.”

OPINION

This idea could save California billions of gallons of water while generating clean energy. A project in the Central Valley’s Turlock Irrigation District could reduce evaporation from canals and aqueducts by covering them with solar panels.

Two conservative scholars say the case isn’t close — the Constitution bars Trump from running again. As two esteemed conservative scholars of constitutional law put it: “There is a list of candidates and officials who must face judgment under Section 3 [of the 14th amendment]” — a disqualification clause. “Former president Donald Trump is at the top of that list.”

ONLY IN L.A.

(James Yang / For The Times)

The COVID-19 pandemic forced us to get creative with our dating lives: Zoom or FaceTime calls became the new first — or screener — date.

Then we went back to our old ways — yelling to hear each other talk about our hobbies and what we do for work in a noisy bar.

In the spirit of bringing back something good that came out of the pandemic, why not continue to expand your options? Here are 11 lively places in L.A. to take your crush that don’t involve dinner and/or drinks.

FROM THE ARCHIVES

President Clinton appears after making a statement to the media in Washington following his impeachment by the House of Representatives. Clinton rejected calls for his resignation after the House impeached him on one count of perjury and obstruction of justice.

(Tim Sloan / AFP via Getty Images)

On Aug. 17, 1998, then-President Bill Clinton told the American people that he had a relationship with White House intern Monica Lewinsky that was “not appropriate, in fact, it was wrong.” The admission came after seven months of denial.

In a televised address that followed a historic day of testimony to a grand jury, Clinton also acknowledged lying to the public about his “private” conduct but steadfastly insisted that he had not asked anyone to lie or otherwise break the law, The Times reported.

“I misled people, including even my wife. I deeply regret that,” Clinton said.

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