Muddy waters ahead. Just before Labor Day weekend, Oregon health officials are warning beachgoers to stay away from the water at a picturesque beach due to unsafe levels of fecal bacteria. The Oregon Health Authority (OHA) released an advisory for Oceanside Beach in Tillamook County, Oregon on Wednesday, cautioning that visitors should “avoid direct contact with the … Read more
Islands in the mainstream. For its 59th anniversary, NYC’s legendary West Indian American Day Parade will dance down Eastern Parkway this Labor Day to celebrate all things Caribbean culture — and its biggest champions have a whole new reason to party this year. With packed restaurants, culinary accolades, star chefs and book deals galore, Caribbean … Read more
As West Nile Virus creeps into California, a new AI-powered mosquito killer could be just what Californians need to protect them from the world’s deadliest creature. The Photon Matrix is a high-tech zapper combines futuristic light detection and ranging technology (LiDAR), radar, with AI directing a precision laser to detect mosquitoes and zap them dead … Read more
An award-winning Washington distillery has poured its last drink after filing for bankruptcy and shuttering its tasting room. Blue Spirits Distilling, famous for its cult-favorite pickle and espresso flavored vodkas, filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy on June 11 in the Eastern District of Washington, according to court records. The Chelan County enterprise, which is also … Read more
Hundreds of workers are set to lose their jobs after one of the largest breweries in Southern California announced its production facilities will be leaving the region. Stone Brewing will be exiting its three locations in Escondido as the company moves production to Paso Robles in San Luis Obispo County and to Kansas City. Workers … Read more
A runaway pig dubbed “Wilbur” sent Angelenos on a wild chase over the weekend after the surprisingly speedy swine was spotted hoofing it through West Hollywood. The bizarre pursuit through streets and alleyways was captured in a viral TikTok. “There’s a pig in West Hollywood!” Jamaal Harrison said in a clip posted to his account. … Read more
A baby at the center of a bitter legal battle over whether he should have been aborted was born this week with a serious and rare heart defect. Surrogate McKenna West was about 20 weeks pregnant when the baby she was carrying, Gabriel, was diagnosed with hypoplastic left heart syndrome, a congenital heart defect that … Read more
A coastal NorCal county has cracked the list of “Best Places to Retire in the West” — along with several other California counties. The report, released by investing research platform The Motley Fool, ranked locations across the American West based on seven factors of retired life: healthcare, housing affordability, crime and safety, climate, state and … Read more
The secret is officially out for one of California’s best-kept secrets. Cambria, the quiet village tucked into a pocket of Monterey pines on the Central Coast, has been named one of the top weekend escapes on the West Coast by WorldAtlas. Halfway between San Francisco and Los Angeles, the town of 6,000 residents remains a … Read more
California has recorded its first West Nile virus death of 2026 after a Kings County resident died from the mosquito-borne illness, health officials announced Monday. The death comes weeks after Kings County confirmed its first human case of the 2026 season, according to KGPW. California has recorded its first West Nile virus death of 2026 … Read more
Wet Coast public schools have been sent toward the back of the class in a sweeping new ranking of education systems across the country. The Golden State placed 31st among all 50 states plus Washington, DC, in WalletHub’s 2026 ranking of the nation’s best and worst school systems — trailing Pacific Northwest neighbor Washington, but finishing … Read more
These clams are in a jam. Scientists warn that along the West Coast, legions of soft-shell clams are contracting a deadly, highly contagious cancer. Known as bivalve transmissible neoplasia, the cancer is spread when living cancer cells pass from one animal to another through seawater. Known as bivalve transmissible neoplasia, the cancer is spread when … Read more
There may be plenty of fish in the sea — but a new survey says West Coast singles are getting hooked by catfish. One Washington city was named America’s catfish capital in a new Casino.org ranking of where online daters are most likely to be reeled in by fake romantic profiles — but California was swimming right … Read more
An iconic West Hollywood restaurant has been taken over by a massive “slime monster” as part of the promotion for the upcoming animated movie “Minions and Monsters” from Illumination. Drivers heading down Sunset Boulevard will get more than an eyeful as they pass the 50-year-old Carney’s Train to see the whole place has been taken … Read more
A flashy new West Hollywood rooftop restaurant may have the views — but one Instagram food critic says the food left him feeling “fleeced.” SUSHISAMBA Los Angeles, the Japanese-Brazilian-Peruvian fusion spot that opened in March atop 649 N. La Peer Drive, has been one of LA’s buzziest new dining rooms, with an 11,000-square-foot rooftop space, sweeping … Read more
West Marine, one of the nation’s largest boating and marine supplies retailers, is shutting down 59 stores across 23 states as they battle through Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings — including five locations in California. The company filed for bankruptcy protection in May, citing “supply chain disruptions, extreme weather events, and shifts in consumer behavior” that … Read more
A parasitic tapeworm known as Echinococcus multilocularis — often called the “fox tapeworm” — has been detected for the first time in West Coast wildlife. University of Washington researchers discovered the tapeworm, which can cause a rare but potentially deadly disease in humans, in 37 out of 100 coyotes sampled near Puget Sound in Washington State. The findings … Read more
Katz’s Deli is packing up its pastrami and going cross-country. Later this summer, New York’s oldest Jewish deli, Katz’s Deli, is heading out west to bring its pastrami prowess to the Foodies Eat First Fest in St. Louis, Missouri, taking place on August 22 to 23, for its second consecutive year. Per the festival’s website, the 2-day … Read more
One of Southern California’s most notorious stalled development sites, a massive block-spanning excavation pit dubbed “Lake WeHo” by frustrated locals, could finally be headed toward a dramatic transformation after five years. Drastically altered plans have been unveiled for the vacant Melrose Triangle site in West Hollywood, with developers swapping out hundreds of square feet of … Read more
A dangerous mosquito-borne virus has surfaced in California, prompting officials to intensify surveillance and urging residents to protect themselves from potentially infected mosquitoes. The Coachella Valley Mosquito and Vector Control District announced that a mosquito sample collected in the North Shore community tested positive for West Nile virus, marking the area’s first detection of the … Read more