Santa Monica spa owner faces sentencing for price-gouging N95 masks, with some mark-ups as high as 220%

Niki Schwarz, 56, owner of Tikkun Holistic Spa, "is a small business owner from an affluent family who took advantage of the fear that gripped our nation at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic," prosecutors wrote in sentencing papers.

US unemployment claims rise by 4,000 to 353,000

U.S. unemployment claims rose for the first time in five weeks even though the economy and job market have been recovering from the pandemic.

COVID-19 delta variant races through entire Oakland household, killing father and sending mother to ICU

An Oakland family has been dealing with the heartbreaking loss of a father from COVID-19 as they’ve been holding out hope for their mother’s full recovery from the devastating illness. 

Family of prison officer who died of the coronavirus sues San Quentin

The 55-year-old Sgt. Gilbert Polanco, who was also was a U.S. Army veteran, was the first employee to die from the virus at San Quentin.

California school district removes COVID-19 test blood drawn language after parents pressure

The Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District (SMMUSD) sent out an email to parents Sunday night asking them to sign a consent form regarding COVID tests for their children – regardless of vaccination status.

LAPD reports 84 employees have tested positive for COVID-19 in past week

Eighty-four Los Angeles Police Department employees tested positive for COVID-19 in the last week and two additional employees were hospitalized, according to LAPD Chief Michel Moore, who said Tuesday it was a "substantial increase" from last week.

Hawaii governor urges visitors to stay away

Hawaii’s governor asked that visitors and residents reduce travel to the islands to essential business only while the state struggles to control COVID-19 as the highly contagious delta variant spreads in the community.

Fauci expects vaccine uptick, hopes pandemic control could come in spring 2022

Dr. Anthony Fauci said he expects an uptick in vaccination rates following Pfizer’s full approval, and predicted that if enough people do get vaccinated, the country could see COVID-19 under control in the spring of 2022.

Two students banned from school for not wearing masks

A school in Temecula was placed on lockdown after two students refused to comply with the mask mandate.

NYC teachers, staff required to get COVID vaccine with no opt-out option

All New York City public school teachers and other staffers will have to get vaccinated against the coronavirus, officials said Monday.

Masks now required indoors in Ventura County

With hopes to help slow the spread of the COVID-19 Delta variant, the Ventura County Public Health Department issued a new health order that requires individuals to wear a mask in indoor settings regardless of their vaccination status. 

Los Angeles County updates COVID-19 rules for youth sports

After updating its COVID-19 rules for youth sports on Friday, the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health has taken down the new protocols and will revise them Tuesday.

Unvaccinated adults 50+ are 17x more likely to die than vaxxed counterparts

Unvaccinated adults over age 50 were nearly a dozen times more likely to be hospitalized than their vaccinated counterparts, and 17 times more likely to die, according to LA County Health.

Bus driver shortages are latest challenge hitting US schools

The driver shortfall isn’t new, but a labor shortage across many sectors and the pandemic’s lingering effects have made it worse, since about half the workforce was over 65 and more vulnerable to the virus.

Mississippi orders COVID-infected individuals to isolate at home or face up to 5 years in prison

The Mississippi State Department of Health issued an alert on Friday ordering any coronavirus-positive individuals to isolate for at least 10 days or face up to a 5-year prison sentence and a fine of up to $5,000.