KCET Wins Most Los Angeles Area Emmy Awards; KABC, KNBC, KMEX, KVEA Take Top Newscasts

Bruce Haring pmc-editorial-managerThe federal Drug Enforcement Agency has charged former Los Angeles Angels director of communications Eric Kay with supplying the drugs that killed pitcher Tyler Skaggs last year.Skaggs was found dead in his Texas hotel room from choking on his own vomit after ingesting a lethal mix of alcohol and the painkillers fentanyl and oxycodone.

LOS ANGELES -- Notable facts and figures from Tuesday’s nominations for the 72nd Emmy Awards: ——— ‘WATCHMEN’ SOARS BUT ‘ROOTS’ RUNS DEEP HBO's “Watchmen” led all shows with a whopping 26 nominations, but that doesn't come close to the record for a limited series. That honor belongs to the 1977 mega-hit “Roots,” which like “Watchmen” looked at American history and the legacy of racism, though in a very different way.

Gene Maddaus Senior Media WriterThe Los Angeles County District Attorney’s office has filed a request to extradite Harvey Weinstein, as it seeks to try him on five counts of sexual assault and rape.The D.A.’s office had previously filed a detainer on New York State prison authorities, the first step in a process that has been slowed considerably by the coronavirus pandemic.

Tom Grater International Film ReporterLos Angeles residents were given a rude awakening circa 4.30AM this morning when a 4.3 magnitude earthquake hit the city.The quake’s epicentre was near San Fernando Valley.

Tom Tapp Deputy Managing Editor“Two weeks ago,” said Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, “I stood before you at one of these briefings and said that the virus was taking control from us and that we needed to take back control from the virus. And that message tonight has not changed.”But, said the mayor, “We have some small, hopeful signs that reflect our resilience.”On Friday, Los Angeles County reported one of its lowest recent daily totals of new coronavirus cases.

The National Women’s Soccer League Tuesday announced that Los Angeles has been awarded an expansion team, which will be in place spring 2022. A majority woman-founded group led by Natalie Portman, technology venture capitalist Kara Nortman, media and gaming entrepreneur Julie Uhrman and tech entrepreneur and venture capitalist Alexis Ohanian secured the expansion rights, according to the league.

Natalie Portman and a group of predominantly female founders were awarded the rights to bring a National Women’s Soccer League team to Los Angeles in 2022, Variety’s sister site Sportico reports.Portman and tech venture capitalist Kara Nortman, media and gaming entrepreneur Julie Uhrman and venture capitalist Alexis Ohanian, who led the investment with his fund, Initialized Capital, are sidelining the traditional ownership model.

Brandon Choe Photo EditorKCET picked up eight wins tonight at the Los Angeles Area Emmy Awards, including awards for local color, culture and sports programming. KMEX followed with five wins.KVEA’s wins included best news series and live coverage of an unscheduled news event.

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at LargeAs a spike in COVID-19 cases puts a halt to reopening plans in the city of Los Angeles, public broadcaster KCET is launching the series “Southland Sessions” to bring arts and cultural events to viewers quarantined at home.The series, which premieres Wednesday night, will feature conversations with local artists and cultural leaders as they discuss how the pandemic — as well as the recent social uprisings across the country — impact the arts locally.

Tom Tapp Deputy Managing EditorOne day after Los Angeles County reported a record number of new coronavirus cases, Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer called new data “troubling and startling.”The director announced that the 7-day rolling average of the test positivity rate is up to 9.8 percent. That’s compared to 9 percent earlier this week.Ferrer said the county had seen 2,758 new cases of COVID-19 reported over the past 24 hours.

Two men and two teens have been charged in the death of rising rapper Pop Smoke, who was killed during a Los Angeles home-invasion robbery in February, the district attorney’s office said Monday. Los Angeles County District Attorney Jackie Lacey said in a statement that Corey Walker and Keandre Rodgers were charged with murder that occurred during the commission of a robbery and burglary.

Tom Tapp Deputy Managing EditorOne day after Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti warned that “We’d likely return to a mandated stay-at-home order” in one or two weeks if coronavirus conditions in the region get worse, the head of Los Angeles County’s Health Department agreed, with some qualifications. “Nothing can be off the table in the pandemic,” said county public health director, Barbara Ferrer.

LOS ANGELES -- Three men and two juveniles have been arrested in connection with the February home-invasion death of rising rapper Pop Smoke in Los Angeles, police said Thursday. The 20-year-old New York rapper whose legal name is Bashar Barakah Jackson was killed Feb.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle moved to Los Angeles with son Archie in March 2020 following their step back from the royal family. Since then, the couple have focused on charity work, addressed security concerns and lived in a celebrity’s multimillion-dollar mansion.Harry and Meghan announced their plans to leave their positions as senior members of the royal family in January 2020.

Naya Rivera is believed to be missing after taking a boat ride with her 4-year-old son in Lake Piru in Los Angeles on Wednesday, according to multiplereports.The Ventura County Sheriff's department told NBCLA that the actress and her son, Josey, rented a boat at around 1 p.m.Approximately three hours later, another boater discovered her young son in the boat by himself.

Tom Tapp Deputy Managing EditorCalifornia, Illinois, Missouri, Texas, Tennessee, Utah and West Virginia broke records for daily new coronavirus cases on Wednesday, according to the New York Times. That — among other things — had the mayor of America’s second-largest city worried about a new COVID-related crisis.“We’re going to see across this nation a testing emergency,” said Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti in response to a question from Deadline.