Headlines of the day: See pictures and maps of the snowpack from the sky (2023)

Hello It'sTuesday 16 May, and here are the stories you shouldn't miss today:

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Researchers take the escape to map California's huge snow pack and measure flooding threats

Flying thousands of feet above the Sierra Nevada in a plane equipped with specialized imaging devices, Elizabeth Carey has been scanning the mountains with lasers to accurately map the snow.

"The amount of water we have in the snowpack this year is just mind-boggling," she said. "It's just been extraordinary."

By mapping the snowpack with laser pulses and spectrometers, Carey and her colleagues are able to provide a detailed picture of one of the largest snow accumulations ever recorded in the state. The flights also collect data to estimate when and how quickly the snow will melt , which helps California officials prepare for the runoff, manage water releases from dams,and assess which areas are the greatest risk of flooding.

Pharmacies in L.A. openly selling "magic mushrooms" as the state weighs decriminalization

The cannabis dispensary in an uncluttered strip mall in Coastal Los Angeles County offers the standard fare: pre-rolled joints, vape pens, a wide variety of edibles and a selection of smoking accessories.

But there's an extra class of merchandise that sets this suburban storefront apart. A glass case displays "magic mushrooms" and a variety of items containing psilocybin, the compound that gives said magic to those who eat it.

A connection that is still illegal throughout the country.

Is a four-day work week as good as it sounds?Employees share how it really is

Efficiency and time management are key when you are on a four-day work schedule as the more than 250 business workers at Thredup are.online used dealer is one of asmall but growing number of companiesthat has bent the traditional five-day week in favor of what advocates and participants say isgreater balance between work and private life.

Still, getting your work done in four days can be intense and stressful. ThredUp employees said it can be challenging to fit everything in so they can keep their Fridays off.Even then, several people said that they still work a little on Fridays.

A Hollywood producer says he makes 'dreams come true'. But allegations of fraud dog him.

Over the past 14 years, Hollywood producer David Brown has faced repeated allegations of fraud and deceit that allegedly took place in many of the productions he worked on as an accountant and producer,According to a review of court records and more than 30 interviews.

In a series of at least 10 litigation, two bankruptcy proceedings and two criminal cases in the last year and a half, Brown and the companies he controls two productions, fail to pay crews and background players and fail to repay loans of millions of dollars he took out toProjects.

Border crossings fall markedly after the end of section 42, US officials say

Some speculated that the end of section 42, a policy used in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic to turn migrants back at the border without giving them access to asylum protection, would result in an influx of crossings.

But the Biden administration has long said it was prepared for the moment and had planned the change,Despite attacks by Republicans who argued that border policy was incorrectly administered.

PHOTO OF THE DAY

What would L.A.'s visual identity be without landscape artists?Landscapes are the architects of beauty in Los Angeles, the stewards of the land, whisperers of the plants. Their bodies of work are round - we are inside alive group exhibition created and cared for by workers who walk among us.

California

Gloria Molina, the Chicana who blazed trails across L.A. -politics, dead.The daughter of working -class parents and an unparatical Chicana who transformed the political landscape of Los Angeles,died Sunday night after a three-year-old battle with cancer.She was 74.

After landslides, a beach town in Orange County is between a bluff and a tough place.A landslide under the historic Casa romantica in San Clementeemphasizes the threat of coastal stabilityaggravated by last winter's powerful storms.

A year later, the Taiwanese Church remembers mass shooting in Laguna Woods.Feng Feng Lee and most of the hundreds of others at Sunday's commemoration spoke in Taiwanese dialect, which they typically do during worship services.The gunman, according to prosecutors, hated them for that.

NATION-WORLD

Analysis: 'Love Fest' for Zelensky in Europe shows concerns about the US presidential race in 2024."Berlin is preparing for the possibility that Donald Trump can beat Joe Biden at the next election," the news magazine Der Spiegelwrote last month, adding that such a result could spell"disaster"for Ukraine and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.

Two Florida mothers are at the center of the fight against book bans in America.Jen Cousins ​​og Stephana FerrellTrack school board votes and the fate of booksAcross the state's 67 districts, try to find victories in a state firmly in the hands of a conservative Republican Party.

They are desperate to escape the violence in Sudan. But their passports are stuck, so they are.Almost a month into the matches, hundreds-potentially thousands-of pass-like Sudaneseremain strandedbecause their documents are stuck in embassies ifInternational staff has long been evacuated.

Hollywood and the art

The 15 most forbidden books in America this school year.
"Gender Queer: A Memoir" by Maia Kobabe has become itmost banned book in america, a goal for school boards, conservative candidates, predicate and parenting groups who condemned it as pornography aimed at accommodating children.

This Cannes Film Festival could be the most explosive in years. Here's what to expect.Will there bestrikers waved signs outside the Palais, or just the usual bunch of festival goers who request tickets at the last minute ("A concession please")?

The Hulu documentary dives in the Randall Emmett scandal.Emmettsfallstarted with oneinvestigationAt the times that include allegations that include accusations of discrimination, abuse of the workplace and questionable behavior towards actor Bruce Willis, as his mental sharpness rejected — and all emmets deny.

Wait, are Charlize Theron and Megyn Kelly throwing drag shows?"I want to f-- someone up who likes to try to f-- something with you guys,"Said Theronved "Drag Isn't Dangerous"-teletonet. Kellytook up the challengeand threw it back against Theron.

BUSINESS

Vice Media files for bankruptcy, the latest in a series of setbacks with digital media.Monday'sarchivingcomes amid a wave of media layoffs and closings — including cuts at Gannett, NPR, the Washington Post and more in recent months.

If you get a notification of Class-Action Review, this is what you need to consider when deciding to participate or deselect.In most cases there islittle disadvantage of attending these litigation, which combines many legal requirements - often thousands - into one claim against a single defendant, reducing fees for each plaintiff and potentially earning a much larger payment.

SPORT

Pillar: Mookie Betts is playing at his peak. Will he maintain that through October?What remains a mystery is whether Betts can maintain his latest form, whether he can be more consistent and eliminate the longer periods when he is a non-factor.He doesn't give any promises."I want to," Betts said, "but no one tells what will happen."

Lakers vs.Nuggets: What Scouts expect in the Western Conference finals.League insiders interviewed by The Times agreeThe series will again depend on the star duos that have been left: Lakers 'LeBron JamesandAnthony DavisAnd Denvers Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray.

My

Opinion: 'Unfortunate by Most Measures': Calculating the Staggering Economic Cost of COVID.Thethree sectors that lost the mostDuring the first 30 months of the pandemic, air travel, eating and health and social services fell by 57.5 %, 26.5 %and 29.2 %respectively.

Opinion: Who will Catholics follow? Pope Francis or the right -wing US bishops?At the age of 86, Pope Francis is close to the end of his pontificat.Blier American Catholics, a fantastic82% see him positively.But he may not live to appoint enoughlike -minded cardinalsto choose a similar successor.

Column: shouting racists is not effective.Gen z needs to find another way.“If any generation can get together it is [gen zers]. But young liberals need to learn tocommunicate productively,place more emphasis on dialogue and less on derogatory judgments known to alienate their peers,”Jean Guerrero writes.

KUN I SoCal

The water tower on in that Mattei's tavern.

(The Inn at Mattei's Tavern)

Mixing old and new has been a theme in Los Olivos, a charming city just two hours north of Los Angeles, known for its vineyards, lavender farms, orchards and horse paths.

Here is14 things to doIn the magic village filled with wine and lavender flowers.

FROM THE ARCHIVES

An Oscars statue at the Dolby Theater in Los Angeles.

(Matt Sayles/Matt Sayles/Invision/AP)

On May 16, 1929,the first Academy Awards were held at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel.

Academy President Douglas Fairbanks awarded 15 statuettes for unique performance in 1927 and 1928.

Since then, the Oscar award has become an event seen all over the world.In 2017, The Times released oneYear by year Look at Oscars.

We appreciate you taking the time to read today's headlines! Comments or ideas? Feel free to send us a message atheadlines@latimes.com.