A wildfire broke out late last night in Sylmar. At approximately 9:00pm, the Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFP) reported that high winds were causing the fire to spread rapidly. Affected areas include Sylmar, Porter Ranch, and parts of Granada Hills.

As of 8:30am on Friday morning, approximately 4,700 acres have burned, 25,000 homes have been evacuated, and 100,000 people have been displayed, according to the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD). Containment is at 0%.

Even though their opponents were tough, The Corsairs were wearing smiles during their match against the SBCC Vaqueros at the Mt. SAC Mountie Classic Tournament hosted by Fullerton College in Fullerton, Calif. on September 28, 2019.

2020 Democratic Presidential Candidate Beto O’Rourke, holds a town hall event at Casa del Mexicano, on Saturday, October 5, in Los Angeles, Calif.

Santa Monica College Police Department (SMDP) hosted a barbeque to raise money for Breast Cancer Research on Tuesday, October 8th, 2019, at their SMC headquarters, in Santa Monica, California. 100% of the proceeds go to City of Hope in Southern California.

Blues guitarist, Samantha Fish, played to a sold out crowd last Friday at The Troubadour. On tour to promote her new album, Kill Or Be Kind, which was released on September 20th, she played back-to-back nights at the West Hollywood venue.

Warner Bros.’ “Joker” smashed box office records with a $93.5 million debut last week, earning the biggest October launch of all time.

As the election to determine Canada’s next Prime Minister - and hence the political landscape of the country itself - emerges, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is embroiled in a series of controversies that threaten to undermine the Liberal parliamentary majority.

Last Monday on Lebron James’ HBO Show “The Shop,” California Governor Gavin Newsom signed a bill enacting major athletic reform in the state. Senate Bill 206 (SB 206) prohibits the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) from barring an institution the ability to compete in an event if athletes are paid for their names and likenesses. The bill passed through the California Legislature unanimously.

The 35th Abbot Kinney Festival took place this past Sunday, September 29th, on Abbot Kinney Blvd., in Venice. The festival featured over 350 vendors, including local businesses of all types, craft booths (art, clothing, jewelry, etc.), and a variety of kids' rides and games.

On Thursday, Sept. 26, clubs from the Santa Monica College (SMC) community were on display with hopes of recruiting new members. Each club had their own unique formula to draw in as many students as they could at their respective tables.

Pedestrians, visitors, and curious tourists all stopped by at the Santa Monica Pier on Friday, Oct. 4 to observe the 2nd-Annual Pacific Park Taco Eating Championship at 11 a.m. Under the bright sky of an ocean morning, championship eaters consumed as many two-ounce carnitas tacos that they could ingest in eight minutes. 

California Senate Bill 276, signed into law on Sept. 9, 2019, places tighter regulations on medical exemptions given for children’s vaccines. The bill cements a deadline of Jan. 1, 2021, for the State Department of Public Health (CDPH) to create a standardized form system through California’s Immunization Registry for approving and tracking exemptions.

Choosing to ditch his microphone and orate directly to the audience, Gioia presented testimonies to the art of experience and the passing of time. The poems Hot Summer Nights and Psalm of the Heights explore a tableau of the city; each experience is unique, including dynamic and entangled relationships. The poems meditate on the human condition from a point of observation and reflection.

Beto O'Rourke, a 47-year old former three-term congressman representing El Paso Texas, now running for the 2020 democratic Presidential nomination, arrived at La Casa Del Mexicano, a historic hispanic landmark that has been around for 88 years, located in Boyle Heights. With a small turn out of supporters that came to the event on Saturday, O'Rourke used the moment to send a personal message to the crowd.

During the latest Board of Trustees meeting, representatives from the Guided Pathways redesign team presented a report to the Board, updating them on the progress in implementing the new Pathways framework.

Indiecade, an independent video game festival, comes to SMC's CMD for the second year in a row. IndieCade Festival, an event showcasing independent games and their creators, will be occupying Santa Monica College’s (SMC) Center for Media and Design (CMD) for the second year in a row, from Oct. 10 to Oct. 12.

Math Therapy is a combined effort of the Adalante and Black Collegians communities to specifically help African American and Latino students at Santa Monica College (SMC). Math faculty, tutors and counselors meet with students every Thursday in the Letters and Sciences Building, Room 105 to eliminate math barriers, provide free math resources, and help prepare for math assessments and exams.

It’s back-to-school season for kids across America. As the new school year welcomes prospective students, Sandy Hook Promise released a PSA video on Sept. 18. The video depicts cheerful schoolchildren parading ordinary school essentials for the academic year that may now come in handy when fending off an active shooter.

Screamfest, a film festival dedicated to terror, will be presenting an abundance of horror films throughout Oct. 8-17, purposely causing blood-curdling screams all throughout the night.

César Chavez was a famed California farm worker, labor leader, and civil rights activist. His son, Eduardo Chavez screened his feature documentary, "Hailing César," on Thursday, Sep. 26 as part of Santa Monica College's (SMC) Social Justice series.