By Lisa Mascaro, Mary Clare Jalonick and Jonathan Lemire WASHINGTON — Negotiators reached a tentative agreement Saturday for the Senate Judiciary Committee to hear testimony Thursday from Christine Blasey Ford, the woman accusing Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh of sexual assault from decades ago, according to two people briefed on the matter. Lawyers for Ford…

Dominik Rayos of Whittier points to the scale while his father Pedro watches. His pumpkin weighed 93 pounds. The Great Pumpkin Weigh Off is held each year as part of the Irvine Park Railroad’s annual pumpkin patch activities. (Photo by Bill Alkofer, Contributing Photographer) A pumpkin fan watches a weigh-in during The Great Pumpkin Weigh…

Breed: Staffordshire terrier and cocker spaniel mix (DNA breed-tested) Age: 4 years Gender: Spayed female Size: 38 pounds Petunia’s story: Petunia is sweet, mellow and mild-mannered. With a happy, loving disposition, she’s affectionate, enjoys walks, walks nicely on a leash, and loves to give kisses and get belly rubs. Petunia is fine with other dogs while on…

Discover the joys of rabbit ownership or help a worthy cause at these events coming up soon. Plan ahead so you can attend. Agility isn’t just for dogs anymore. A rabbit hops to it over some jumps in a bunny-sized course. (Courtesy of Bunny Bunch Rabbit Rescue) A rabbit enjoys some Halloween cheer — or…

Hundreds of firefighters battled a third-alarm brush fire in the Castaic and Santa Clarita area Saturday evening that had grown to more than 3,000 acres, causing some road closures and evacuations, authorities said. By 7 p.m., the fire was 10 percent contained and about 20 homes along a stretch of San Francisquito Canyon Road had…

The case was unique from the start: A white, blue-eyed teenager from the affluent Los Angeles suburb of Palos Verdes Estates was arrested in October on suspicion of murder in an alleged gang killing in South Los Angeles. About a week later, Cameron Terrell posted $5-million bail, grabbing headlines. …

By MATTHEW PENNINGTON | Associated Press WASHINGTON — North Korea’s Kim Jong Un is “little rocket man” no more. President Donald Trump isn’t a “mentally deranged U.S. dotard.” In the year since Trump’s searing, debut U.N. speech fueled fears of nuclear conflict with North Korea, the two leaders have turned from threats to flattery. And there’s…

By ALAN FRAM and LISA MASCARO | Associated Press WASHINGTON — The high-stakes confrontation over whether Brett Kavanaugh’s accuser will testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee grinded into Saturday as Republican Chairman Chuck Grassley gave Christine Blasey Ford more time to decide whether to tell her story to his panel and a riveted nation. Grassley had…

An oceanfront palazzo in Laguna Beach’s secluded Irvine Cove that hit the market five years ago for $65 million sold this month for $32.7 million. The asking price dropped several times since 2013, and was entered into the Multiple Listing Service on Sept. 12, the day the house sold, at $38.9 million. The estate, with…

The Los Angeles City Council has formally approved a March 5 special election to fill a vacancy on the Board of Education. If no candidate wins a majority, a runoff would be held between the top two finishers on May 14. The action taken Friday was largely a formality because the school board had…