Nov

Nov. 6 (UPI) — On this date in history:

In 1860, Republican Abraham Lincoln was elected 16th president of the United States.

In 1861, Jefferson Davis was elected president of the Confederate States of America.

In 1869, in the first formal intercollegiate football game, Rutgers beat Princeton, 6-4.

In 1928, Republican Herbert Hoover was elected 31st president of the United States, defeating Democrat Al Smith.

In 1956, U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower was re-elected by a wide margin.

In 1965, a formal agreement between the United States and Cuba allowed Cubans who wanted to leave the island nation for America to do so. More than 250,000 Cubans had taken advantage of this opportunity by 1971.

In 1984, U.S. President Ronald Reagan was elected to a second term, winning 49 states.

File Photo by Mal Langsdon/UPI

In 1985, members of the 19th of April Movement took over the Palace of Justice in Bogota, Colombia. The leftist guerrillas would kill more than 100 people (11 of whom where Supreme Court Justices) by the time the siege ended.

In 1991, Russian President Boris Yeltsin issued a decree banning the Communist Party, nationalizing its property and condemning its activities.

File Photo by Jim Ruymen/UPI

In 2012, U.S. President Barack Obama defeated Republican challenger Mitt Romney to win a second term. Federal finance reports showed campaign expenditures broke the $2 billion mark, making the election the most expensive in U.S. history at the time.

In 2013, Avigdor Lieberman, who had resigned as Israel’s foreign minister because of an investigation of alleged corruption, was acquitted and said: “This chapter is behind me. I am now focusing on the challenges ahead.” Lieberman became foreign minister again five days later.

In 2019, the U.S. midterm elections saw a number of milestones and firsts — Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., and Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., were the first Muslim women elected to the House; Sharice Davids, D-Kan., and Debra Haaland, D-N.M., were the first Native American women elected to the House; Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., was the youngest person elected to the House in nearly three decades; and Jared Polis became the country’s first openly gay male governor, in Colorado. Democrats also took back control of the House, while Republicans held onto the Senate.

In 2024, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz dismissed Finance Minister Christian Lindner, resulting in the collapse of his three-party coalition government. A month later, Scholz lost a confidence vote in parliament, triggering an election in February that saw conservative Friedrich Merz put into power.

File Photo by Leo Correa/UPI

HIGH SCHOOL GIRLS VOLLEYBALL

CITY SECTION PLAYOFFS
WEDNESDAY’S RESULTS
Semifinals

DIVISION II
#1 East Valley d. #5 North Hollywood, 20-25, 25-16, 25-19, 24-26, 15-11
#2 Mendez d. #6 Maywood CES, 25-23, 25-18, 8-25, 25-18

DIVISION III
#1 Panorama d. #12 New West Charter, 25-22, 25-13, 25-23
#2 Sun Valley Poly d. #3 Chavez, 23-25, 25-23, 25-22, 18-25, 15-5

DIVISION IV
#1 Marquez d. #13 Fairfax, 3-0
#7 South East d. #3 Huntington Park, 27-25, 25-11, 25-16

DIVISION V
#5 Legacy d. #9 Santee, 25-22, 26-24, 25-20
#11 Sotomayor d. #7 Jefferson, 25-15, 25-19, 23-25, 22-25, 15-11

FINALS SCHEDULE
FRIDAY
At Southwest College

DIVISION V
#11 Sotomayor (12-11) vs. #5 Legacy (9-15), 5:15 p.m.

OPEN DIVISION
#2 Palisades (34-7) vs. #1 Venice (32-10), 7:30 p.m.

SATURDAY
At Birmingham High

DIVISION IV
#7 South East (10-14) vs. #1 Marquez (15-21), 10 a.m.

DIVISION III
#2 Sun Valley Poly (13-19) vs. #1 Panorama (15-14), 12:30 p.m.

DIVISION II
#2 Mendez (25-8) vs. #1 East Valley (13-6), 3:15 p.m.

DIVISION I
#3 Granada Hills Kennedy (31-9) vs. #1 LA University (20-6), 6 p.m.

HIGH SCHOOL GIRLS TENNIS

SOUTHERN SECTION PLAYOFFS
WEDNESDAY’S RESULTS
First Round

DIVISION 2
Woodbridge 13, Sherman Oaks Notre Dame 5
Orange Lutheran 13, Great Oak 5
Redondo Union 10, Santa Margarita 6
San Juan Hills 13, Diamond Bar 5
Aliso Niguel 10, Newport Harbor 8
Chadwick 14, Laguna Beach 4
Tesoro 13, Huntington Beach 5
Calabasas 15, Temecula Valley 3
Crean Lutheran 15, Los Osos 3
Peninsula at Bonita
Marlborough 10, South Pasadena 8
San Marino 14, Crescenta Valley 4
Crossroads 16, Claremont 2
Westlake 13, Yorba Linda 5
Troy 10, Oak Park 8
Harvard-Westlake 15, Northwood 3

DIVISION 3
Anaheim Canyon, bye
Santa Monica 12, Patriot 6
Whitney 15, Arlington 3
Cate 13, Dos Pueblos 5
Temple City 13, Buckley 5
San Clemente 10, Cypress 8
Eastvale Roosevelt 11, Riverside King 7
El Toro at Los Alamitos
Brentwood 16, Liberty 2
West Ranch 10, CAMS 8
Campbell Hall 17, Yucaipa 1
Capistrano Valley 9, Ayala 9 (CV wins on games 75-68)
Flintridge Prep 10, Long Beach Poly 8
Arcadia 11, Sunny Hills 7
Corona Santiago 13, Redlands 5
Palm Desert, bye

DIVISION 4
Sierra Canyon 12, Quartz Hill 6
Esperanza 12, Fullerton 6
Pasadena Poly 11, Mission Viejo 7
Placentia Valencia 11, Camarillo 7
Rancho Cucamonga 10, Carpinteria 8
Dana Hills 10, Fairmont Prep 8
San Dimas 10, Irvine 8
Oaks Christian 11, La Serna 7
Keppel 9, San Marcos 9 (Keppel wins on games 79-74)
Murrieta Mesa 14, Silverado 4
Torrance 11, Orange County Pacifica Christian 7
Simi Valley 10, Alta Loma 8
Geffen Academy 11, Mayfield 7
Agoura 10, West Torrance 8
St. Margaret’s 12, Warren 6
Marymount 16, Westminster La Quinta 2

DIVISION 5
Thacher, bye
Valencia 11, Oxford Academy 7
Milken Community 10, Louisville 8
Riverside North 13, Valley View 5
Burbank 16, Long Beach Wilson 2
Millikan 14, Oak Hills 4
Maranatha 14, Rowland 4
Golden Valley 15, Chaparral 3
Chino Hills 10, Webb 8
Lakewood St. Joseph 13, Burbank Burroughs 5
Santa Barbara 13, Laguna Blanca 5
Beverly Hills 10, Citrus Valley 8
Santa Fe 11, Serrano 7
Cerritos 12, Pasadena Marshall 6
Bishop Montgomery 13, Xavier Prep 5
Paloma Valley 9, La Palma Kennedy 9 (PV wins on games 87-75)

DIVISION 6
Woodcrest Christian 10, La Habra 8
Flintridge Sacred Heart 15, Lancaster 3
Garden Grove 10, Mayfair 8
Ontario Christian 10, Estancia 8
Santa Monica Pacifica Christian 9, Western Christian 9 (PC wins on games 70-66)
Villa Park 10, Corona 8
Vista del Lago 11, San Bernardino 7
Linfield Christian 10, La Quinta 8
San Jacinto 12, Riverside Notre Dame 6
Village Christian 16, Indio 2
Downey 11, Summit 7
Hillcrest 10, Western 8
Montclair 14, Hesperia 4
El Modena 14, Hacienda Heights Wilson 4
Heritage 13, Chino 5
Saugus 14, La Mirada 4

DIVISION 7
Temescal Canyon 11, Los Altos 7
Los Amigos 9, Rosemead 9 (Los Amigos wins on games 79-78)
El Rancho 10, La Sierra 8
Malibu 16, Twentynine Palms 2
South Hills 13, Azusa 5
Laguna Hills 17, Orange Vista 1
Ventura 12, Savanna 6
Apple Valley 10, Chaffey 8
Norwalk 9, Canoga Park AGBU 9 (Norwalk wins on games 70-66)
La Salle 13, Coachella Valley 5
Ramona 12, Granite Hills 6
Segerstrom 11, San Gabriel 7
Bolsa Grande 12, Westminster 6
Oakwood 17, Miller 1
Northview 12, Indian Springs 6
Arroyo 17, Highland 1

DIVISION 8
Alhambra, bye
Bishop Diego 14, YULA 4
Rim of the World 10, Foothill Tech 8
Nogales 13, Paramount 5
Tahquitz 13, Grand Terrace 5
Costa Mesa 12, Knight 6
Duarte 10, Workman 8
Whittier 11, de Toledo 7
St. Bonaventure 12, Edgewood 6
Oxnard 10, Channel Islands 8
Bellflower 10, Rancho Alamitos 8
Arroyo Valley 10, Moreno Valley 8
Canyon Springs 12, Cathedral City 6
Garden Grove Santiago 14, Carter 4
Hueneme 14, Banning 4
Academy for Academic Excellence 14, La Puente 4

FRIDAY’S SCHEDULE
(Matches at 3 p.m. unless noted)
First Round

DIVISION 1
Sage Hill at Corona del Mar
JSerra at Mater Dei
Mira Costa at Palos Verdes
Fountain Valley at Portola

Second Round

DIVISION 2
Orange Lutheran at Woodbridge
San Juan Hills at Redondo Union
Chadwick at Aliso Niguel
Calabasas at Tesoro
Crean Lutheran vs. Bonita / Peninsula
San Marino at Marlborough
Westlake at Crossroads
Harvard-Westlake at Troy

DIVISION 3
Santa Monica at Anaheim Canyon
Whitney at Cate
Temple City at San Clemente
Roosevelt vs. El Toro / Los Alamitos
Brentwood at West Ranch
Campbell Hall at Capistrano Valley
Flintridge Prep at Arcadia
Corona Santiago at Palm Desert

DIVISION 4
Esperanza at Sierra Canyon
Pasadena Poly at Placentia Valencia
Rancho Cucamonga at Dana Hills
San Dimas at Oaks Christian
Keppel at Murrieta Mesa
Simi Valley at Torrance
Agoura at Geffen Academy
Marymount at St. Margaret’s

DIVISION 5
Valencia at Thacher
Milken at Riverside North
Millikan at Burbank
Maranatha at Golden Valley
Lakewood St. Joseph at Chino Hills
Santa Barbara at Beverly Hills
Santa Fe at Cerritos
Bishop Montgomery at Paloma Valley

DIVISION 6
Woodcrest Christian at Flintridge Sacred Heart
Ontario Christian at Garden Grove
Santa Monica Pacifica Christian at Villa Park
Linfield Christian at Vista del Lago
San Jacinto at Village Christian
Hillcrest at Downey
El Modena at Montclair
Heritage at Saugus

DIVISION 7
Temescal Canyon at Los Amigos
Malibu at El Rancho
Laguna Hills at South Hills
Apple Valley at Ventura
Norwalk at La Salle
Ramona at Segerstrom
Bolsa Grande at Oakwood
Arroyo at Northview

DIVISION 8
Bishop Diego at Alhambra
Rim of the World at Nogales
Tahquitz at Costa Mesa
Whittier at Duarte
St. Bonaventure at Oxnard
Bellflower at Arroyo Valley
Garden Grove Santiago at Canyon Springs
Academy of Academic Excellence at Hueneme

Note: Quarterfinals (Divisions 2-8) Nov. 10; Semifinals (all divisions) Nov. 12; Finals (Divisions 1-4) Nov. 14 at University of Redlands; Finals (Divisions 5-8) Nov. 14 at The Claremont Club.

HIGH SCHOOL GIRLS VOLLEYBALL

CITY SECTION PLAYOFFS
TUESDAY’S RESULTS
Semifinals

OPEN DIVISION
#1 Venice d. #5 El Camino Real, 25-13, 19-25, 25-21, 25-22
#2 Palisades d. #6 Taft, 25-17, 17-25, 25-23, 25-19

DIVISION I
#1 LA University d. #4 LA Marshall, 3-2
#3 Granada Hills Kennedy d. #2 Grant, 15-25, 25-17, 25-21, 16-25, 15-8

WEDNESDAY’S SCHEDULE
(Matches at 7 p.m. unless noted)
Semifinals

DIVISION II
#5 North Hollywood at #1 East Valley
#6 Maywood CES at #2 Mendez

DIVISION III
#12 New West Charter at #1 Panorama
#3 Chavez at #2 Sun Valley Poly

DIVISION IV
#13 Fairfax at #1 Marquez
#7 South East at #3 Huntington Park

DIVISION V
#9 Santee at #5 Legacy
#11 Sotomayor at #7 Jefferson

FINALS SCHEDULE
Friday, Nov. 7
At Southwest College
Division V — 5:15 p.m.
Open Division — 7:30 p.m.

Saturday, Nov. 8
At Birmingham High
Division IV — 10 a.m.
Division III — 12:30 p.m.
Division II —3:15 p.m.
Division I — 6 p.m.

Nov. 4 (UPI) — On this date in history:

In 1879, James and John Ritty of Dayton, Ohio, patented the first cash register, known as “Ritty’s Incorruptible Cashier.”

In 1922, British archaeologist Howard Carter discovered the steps leading to the tomb of Tutankhamen, ancient Egypt’s child-king. Unlike other burial places in the Valley of the Kings, King Tut’s tomb was largely untouched by looters.

In 1924, Nellie Tayloe Ross of Wyoming is elected the first female governor in the United States.

In 1924, voters overwhelmingly re-elected Calvin Coolidge president of the United States over Charles Davis.

In 1952, Republican Dwight D. Eisenhower was elected president, ending 20 years of Democratic administrations.

UPI File Photo

In 1956, Soviet forces entered Budapest to crush an anti-communist revolt in Hungary. UPI correspondent Russell Jones described the conflict as “the murder of a people.”

In 1979, Iranian militants seized the U.S. Embassy in Tehran, taking about 90 people hostage, 63 of them Americans.

In 1980, Republican Ronald Reagan was elected the 40th president of the United States in a landslide victory over incumbent Jimmy Carter.

In 1991, Imelda Marcos, former first lady of the Philippines, returned home, ending more than five years of exile in the United States.

UPI File Photo

In 1995, Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, 73, was assassinated by a Jewish extremist following a peace rally in Tel Aviv.

In 2002, Roman Catholic Cardinal Bernard Law of Boston apologized for assigning priests who may have been sexually abusive to parishes where they continued to have access to children.

In 2003, the elevation of a gay Episcopal priest to bishop prompted worldwide opposition, a Kenyan cleric said, “The devil has clearly entered our church.”

In 2006, Katharine Jefferts Schori was installed as the first female presiding bishop of the U.S. Episcopal Church.

In 2008, Barack Obama, a Democratic U.S. senator from Illinois, was the first African American elected president of the United States, taking 338 electoral votes to 161 for Republican John McCain.

In 2016, the Paris Agreement on climate change officially went into effect. One hundred and ninety-seven countries signed the accord promising to keep the global temperature below 2 degrees Celsius of pre-industrial levels.

In 2019, more than 450 Oklahoma inmates were released from prison as part of the nation’s largest commutation of sentences.

CITY SECTION PLAYOFFS

MONDAY’S RESULTS

Quarterfinals

DIVISION III

#1 Panorama d. #9 Verdugo Hills, 28-26, 25-23, 25-21

#12 New West Charter d. #4 Sun Valley Magnet, 25-19, 14-24, 25-18, 25-18

#3 Chavez d. #6 L.A. Hamilton, 26-24, 22-25, 25-12, 25-18

#2 Sun Valley Poly d. #10 Alliance Levine, 25-11, 25-9, 25-13

DIVISION IV

#1 Marquez d. #8 Van Nuys, 25-8, 25-11, 24-26, 25-20

#13 Fairfax d. #5 Fulton, 25-14, 25-13, 25-18

#3 Huntington Park d. #6 Animo Robinson, 3-0

#7 South East d. #2 Bell, 25-19, 25-19, 27-25

DIVISION V

#9 Santee d. #1 Middle College, 25-14, 28-26, 18-25, 25-15

#5 Legacy d. #4 L.A. Wilson, 25-17, 25-21, 25-18

#11 Sotomayor d. #3 RFK Community, 25-15, 23-25, 25-9, 25-22

#7 Jefferson d. #18 Monroe, 25-14, 25-20, 25-19

TUESDAY’S SCHEDULE

(Matches at 7 p.m. unless noted)

Semifinals

OPEN DIVISION

#5 El Camino Real at #1 Venice

#6 Taft vs. #2 Palisades at Brentwood

DIVISION I

#4 L.A. Marshall at #1 LA University

#3 Granada Hills Kennedy at #2 Grant

Note: Semifinals Divisions II-V Nov. 5 at higher seeds; Finals (all divisions) Nov. 7-8

HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL

SOUTHERN SECTION PLAYOFFS

(Games at 7 p.m. unless noted)

FRIDAY’S SCHEDULE

First Round

DIVISION 2

Corona del Mar at Murrieta Valley

Tustin at Rancho Cucamonga

Yorba Linda at Los Alamitos

Downey at San Juan Hills

Beaumont at San Clemente

Damien at Vista Murrieta

Leuzinger at Crean Lutheran

Chaminade at Chaparral

DIVISION 3

Murrieta Mesa at Bishop Amat

Oak Hills at Oxnard Pacifica

Laguna Beach at Sherman Oaks Notre Dame

Mira Costa at Chino Hills

Aquinas at Dana Hills

Palos Verdes at Valencia

Huntington Beach at Edison

Inglewood at Capistrano Valley

DIVISION 4

Muir at Charter Oak

San Jacinto at Bishop Diego

Great Oak at Cajon

Villa Park at Westlake

St. Bonaventure at Oaks Christian

Paraclete at Long Beach Wilson

Western at Cathedral

El Modena at La Habra

DIVISION 5

Redondo Union at Torrance

Etiwanda at St. Paul

Bonita at Northview

Newbury Park at Loyola

Millikan at Aliso Niguel

Lakewood at La Serna

Rio Hondo Prep at Thousand Oaks

Orange at Troy

DIVISION 6

Eastvale Roosevelt at Crespi

Lancaster at Burbank

Alta Loma at St. Pius X-St. Matthias

Los Altos at Upland

El Toro at Orange Vista

Summit at Agoura

Salesian at Ventura

Riverside King at Moorpark

DIVISION 7

Claremont at Palm Springs

Mayfair at Hart

Barstow at Serrano

La Canada at West Covina

North Torrance at Apple Valley

Segerstrom at Victor Valley

Schurr at Saugus

El Segundo at Calabasas

DIVISION 8

Marina at Palm Desert

Patriot at Elsinore

Beckman at La Mirada

La Quinta at Fullerton

Temecula Valley at Irvine

Santa Ana Calvary Chapel at Quartz Hill

Mary Star of the Sea at Brea Olinda

St. Genevieve at St. Monica

DIVISION 9

Ramona at Silverado

Cerritos at Fillmore

Moreno Valley at Hesperia

Vista del Lago at Norte Vista

Norwalk at Warren

Chino at Cerritos Valley Christian

San Dimas at Rowland

Riverside Poly at Corona Santiago

DIVISION 10

Oak Park at Village Christian

Tahquitz at Heritage Christian

Portola at Brentwood

Pasadena at Santa Monica

El Rancho at Garden Grove Pacifica

West Torrance at Liberty

St. Margaret’s at Redlands East Valley

Hillcrest at Monrovia

DIVISION 11

El Monte at St. Anthony

Western Christian at Bell Gardens

Maranatha at Baldwin Park

Jurupa Hills at Shadow Hills

Gahr at Chaffey

Valley View at Dominguez

Diamond Bar at Palmdale

San Marcos at South Pasadena

DIVISION 12

Costa Mesa at Yucca Valley

Rialto at Grace

Perris at Citrus Hill

Coachella Valley at Banning

Nogales at Bellflower

Ganesha at Colton

Ocean View at Santa Paula

Arroyo Valley at Desert Christian Academy

DIVISION 13

Pacific at Saddleback

Santa Rosa Academy at Heritage

Desert Hot Springs at Woodbridge

Nordhoff at Buena Park

La Puente at Kaiser

Fontana at Viewpoint

Hacienda Heights Wilson at Linfield Christian

Montebello at Rancho Alamitos

DIVISION 14

Channel Islands at South El Monte

Vasquez at Indian Springs

Bolsa Grande at Ontario

San Jacinto Valley at Miller

Bassett at Alhambra

Anaheim at Webb

Gabrielino at Trinity Classical Academy

Godinez at Pioneer

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 14

Quarterfinals

DIVISION 1

Orange Lutheran at St. John Bosco

Santa Margarita at Sierra Canyon

Mission Viejo at Mater Dei

Servite at Corona Centennial

Note: Quarterfinals (Divisons 2-14) Nov. 14; Semifinals (all divisions) Nov. 21; Finals (all divisions) Nov. 28-29.

Nov. 2 (UPI) — On this date in history:

In 1889, North and South Dakota became the 39th and 40th states of the union.

In 1920, in the first significant news broadcast, KDKA in Pittsburgh reported the U.S. presidential election results in Warren G. Harding’s win over James Cox.

In 1947, Howard Hughes built and piloted the world’s largest airplane, the 200-ton flying boat Spruce Goose, on its only flight, at Long Beach, Calif. The Goose remained airborne for just under 1 mile.

In 1959, Charles Van Doren told a U.S. congressional investigation he had been given questions and answers in advance of appearances on a television game show.

In 1962, U.S. President John Kennedy announced that Soviet missile bases in Cuba were being dismantled.

In 1976, Democrat Jimmy Carter, former governor of Georgia, was elected the 39th U.S. president, defeating Republican incumbent Gerald Ford.

File Photo by Don Rypka/UPI

In 1983, U.S. President Ronald Reagan signed the bill establishing a national holiday to mark the birthday anniversary of civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr.

In 1992, legendary filmmaker Hal Roach died at age 100. He was credited with discovering the comedy team of Laurel and Hardy and producing the Our Gang comedies.

In 2004, U.S. President George W. Bush was re-elected in a race with Democrat John Kerry.

File Photo by Greg Whitesell/UPI

In 2013, two French journalists, Ghislaine Dupont and Claude Verlon, were kidnapped and killed after interviewing a rebel leader in northern Mali. President Francois Hollande expressed “indignation at this odious act.”

In 2016, the Chicago Cubs beat the Cleveland Indians in Game 7 of the World Series, winning the team’s first championship in 108 years. Though the game began on Nov. 2, a rain delay pushed the final half hour of Game 7 into early Nov. 3.

In 2023, the Beatles released their last new song, “Now and Then,” using new technology to piece together vocals, guitar and piano recorded by the late John Lennon and George Harrison in the late 1970s with new additions by Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr.

In 2024, Kemi Badenoch became the first Black woman to lead a major British political party after defeating Robert Jenrick to take the helm of the country’s Conservative and Unionist Party.

File Photo by Neil Hall/EPA-EFE

CITY SECTION PLAYOFFS

(Games at 3 p.m. unless noted)

WEDNESDAY’S SCHEDULE

First Round

DIVISION I
#16 Venice at #1 Jefferson
#9 Roosevelt at #8 Carson
#12 Granada Hills Kennedy at #5 Franklin
#13 Sylmar at #4 Legacy
#14 GALA at #3 Birmingham
#11 El Camino Real at #6 King/Drew
#10 Cleveland at #7 Garfield
#15 Santee at #2 Bell

DIVISION II
#16 Dorsey at #1 Sun Valley Magnet
#9 South East at #8 Bernstein
#12 Angelou at #5 Sotomayor
#13 Mendez at #4 Stern
#14 Fremont at #3 San Fernando
#11 Huntington Park at #6 Lincoln
#10 North Hollywood at #7 Sherman Oaks CES
#15 Foshay at #2 Crenshaw

DIVISION III
#16 Hollywood at #1 South Gate
#9 Van Nuys at #8 Taft
#12 Monroe at #5 Orthopaedic
#13 Westchester at #4 New Designs University Park
#14 WISH Academy at #3 Hamilton
#11 Roybal at #6 Arleta
#10 Port of at #7 Chatsworth
#15 Marquez at #2 Hawkins

FRIDAY’S SCHEDULE

Quarterfinals

OPEN DIVISION
#8 Verdugo Hills at #1 San Pedro
#5 Wilmington Banning at #4 Marshall
#6 Wilson at #3 Panorama
#7 Narbonne at #2 Eagle Rock

Note: Quarterfinals (Divisions I-III) Nov. 7 at higher seeds; Semifinals (all divisions) Nov. 12 at higher seeds; Finals (all divisions) Sat., Nov. 15 at Garfield High.

SOUTHERN SECTION PLAYOFFS

(Matches at 2 p.m. unless noted)

WEDNESDAY’S SCHEDULE

First Round

DIVISION 2
Sherman Oaks Notre Dame at Woodbridge
Great Oak at Orange Lutheran
Redondo Union at Santa Margarita
Diamond Bar at San Juan Hills
Newport Harbor at Aliso Niguel
Laguna Beach at Chadwick
Huntington Beach at Tesoro
Temecula Valley at Calabasas
Los Osos at Crean Lutheran
Peninsula at Bonita
Marlborough at South Pasadena
Crescenta Valley at San Marino
Claremont at Crossroads
Yorba Linda at Westlake
Troy at Oak Park
Northwood at Harvard-Westlak

DIVISION 3
Anaheim Canyon, bye
Patriot at Santa Monica
Arlington at Whitney
Dos Pueblos at Cate
Buckley at Temple City
San Clemente at Cypress
Riverside King at Eastvale Roosevelt
El Toro at Los Alamitos
Liberty at Brentwood
West Ranch at CAMS
Yucaipa at Campbell Hall
Capistrano Valley at Ayala
Long Beach Poly at Flintridge Prep
Arcadia at Sunny Hills
Redlands at Corona Santiago
Palm Desert, bye

DIVISION 4
Quartz Hill at Sierra Canyon
Fullerton at Esperanza
Mission Viejo at Pasadena Poly
Camarillo at Placentia Valencia
Carpinteria at Rancho Cucamonga
Fairmont Prep at Dana Hills
Irvine at San Dimas
La Serna at Oaks Christian
San Marcos at Keppel
Silverado at Murrieta Mesa
Torrance at Orange County Pacifica Christian
Simi Valley at Alta Loma
Geffen Academy at Mayfield
West Torrance at Agoura
St. Margaret’s at Warren
Westminster La Quinta at Marymount

DIVISION 5
Thacher, bye
Oxford Academy at Valencia
Milken Community at Louisville
Riverside North at Valley View
Long Beach Wilson at Burbank
Oak Hills at Millikan
Rowland at Maranatha
Golden Valley at Chaparral
Webb at Chino Hills
Burbank Burroughs at Lakewood St. Joseph
Laguna Blanca at Santa Barbara
Beverly Hills at Citrus Valley
Santa Fe at Serrano
Cerritos at Pasadena Marshall
Xavier Prep at Bishop Montgomery
La Palma Kennedy at Paloma Valley

DIVISION 6
La Habra at Woodcrest Christian
Flintridge Sacred Heart at Lancaster
Garden Grove at Mayfair
Estancia at Ontario Christian
Santa Monica Pacifica Christian at Western Christian
Villa Park at Corona
Vista del Lago at San Bernardino
Linfield Christian at La Quinta
Riverside Notre Dame at San Jacinto
Indio at Village Christian
Downey at Summit
Western at Hillcrest
Hesperia at Montclair
Hacienda Heights Wilson at El Modena
Chino at Heritage
La Mirada at Saugus

DIVISION 7
Los Altos at Temescal Canyon
Los Amigos at Rosemead
El Rancho at La Sierra
Twentynine Palms at Malibu
Azusa at South Hills
Orange Vista at Laguna Hills
Ventura at Savanna
Chaffey at Apple Valley
Canoga Park AGBU at Norwalk
La Salle at Coachella Valley
Granite Hills at Ramona
Segerstrom at San Gabriel
Westminster at Bolsa Grande
Miller at Oakwood
Indian Springs at Northview
Highland at Arroyo

DIVISION 8
Alhambra, bye
Bishop Diego at YULA
Foothill Tech at Rim of the World
Paramount at Nogales
Grand Terrace at Tahquitz
Costa Mesa at Knight
Workman at Duarte
de Toledo at Whittier
Edgewood at St. Bonaventure
Oxnard at Channel Islands
Rancho Alamitos at Bellflower
Arroyo Valley at Moreno Valley
Cathedral City at Canyon Springs
Carter at Garden Grove Santiago
Hueneme at Banning
La Puente at Academy for Academic Excellence

FRIDAY’S SCHEDULE

First Round

DIVISION 1
Sage Hill at Corona del Mar
JSerra at Mater Dei
Mira Costa at Palos Verdes
Fountain Valley at Portola

Note: Second Round (Divisions 2-8) Nov. 7; Quarterfinals (Divisions 2-8) Nov. 10; Semifinals (all divisions) Nov. 12; Finals (Divisions 1-4) Nov. 14 at University of Redlands; Finals (Divisions 5-8) Nov. 14 at The Claremont Club.

Great writing, even when an author sets a story in early 20th century Maine or during ancient uprisings, often sheds light on our own era. From a novel starring a sentient gale-force wind, on to a memoir from a leading African American writer, this month’s titles provide illumination as we lose daylight.

FICTION

Helm: A Novel
By Sarah Hall
Mariner Books: 368 pages, $30
(Nov. 4)

U.K. inhabitants of Hall’s native Cumbria region have grappled for centuries with a wind known as “The Helm.” Different eras have deemed it a measure of divine anger or human sin, and more recently, as one of earth’s vital signs. Helm’s narration alternates with chapters from perspectives including an astrologer, an astronomer, a Crusader, an herbalist and a climatologist, each adding to the strength of the immortal force.

Palaver: A Novel
By Bryan Washington
Farrar, Straus & Giroux: 336 pages, $28
(Nov. 4)

As in his first two novels “Memorial” and “Family Meal,” Houston-based Washington weaves scenes of Americans at home and in Japan with exquisite attention both to queer culture and to emotions. “The mother” and “the son” are never named; her Jamaican origins affect his upbringing, as well as his identity. When she makes an unannounced visit to see him in Japan, the title’s gentle irony becomes apparent.

Queen Esther: A Novel
By John Irving
Simon & Schuster: 432 pages, $30
(Nov. 4)

Readers will recall Dr. Wilbur Larch from “The Cider House Rules.” Here he is the 1919 go-between for Esther Nacht, a 14-year-old Jewish refugee whom he places with the Winslow family as an au pair. Like so many women through the ages, that role results in a different kind of labor for her, one that turns this most Irving-esque (wrestling! sex!) book into writer Jimmy Winslow’s origin story.

The Silver Book: A Novel
By Olivia Laing
Farrar, Straus & Giroux: 256 pages, $27
(Nov. 11)

The 1975 murder of Italian subversive film director Pier Paolo Pasolini forms the tortured heart of Laing’s first historical novel. In 1974 protagonist Nicholas Wade leaves England and lands in Venice, where he meets Danilo Donati, costume designer for Pasolini as well as Fellini and others. Their relationship reflects those auteurs’ themes, especially those of fascism’s rebirth in Pasolini’s “Salò, or the 120 Days of Sodom.”

The White Hot: A Novel
By Quiara Alegría Hudes
One World: 176 pages, $26
(Nov. 11)

Noted playwright Hudes pens a stunning debut novel that rends conventional notions of motherhood. Years after disappearing from her child’s life, April Soto writes her daughter Noelle a letter to read on her 18th birthday. Less apology than explanation, and less explanation than soul-searching screed, this novel has a huge voice, a woman’s attempt to create meaning from the depths of family trauma.

NONFICTION

Book of Lives: A Memoir of Sorts
By Margaret Atwood
Doubleday: 624 pages, $35
(Nov. 4)

Only Margaret Atwood could write a debut memoir at age 85 and make it significantly different from her previous work while at the same time infusing it with her droll wit and many passions, literary, environmental and familial. While she has always combined public and private in her acclaimed and groundbreaking novels, essays, and poetry, this volume beautifully fuses Atwood the person, and Atwood the writer.

Front Street: Resistance and Rebirth in the Tent Cities of Techlandia
By Brian Barth
Astra House: 304 pages, $29
(Nov. 11)

Barth, a freelance journalist, spent time in three different Bay Area encampments of unhoused people, including Oakland’s Wood Street Commons, and, as Gov. Gavin Newsom moves forward on a new task force targeting these areas for removal, he argues that solutions to homelessness should come from the ground up, with the involvement of those most affected.

Without Consent: A Landmark Trial and the Decades-Long Struggle to Make Spousal Rape a Crime
By Sarah Weinman
Ecco: 320 pages, $32
(Nov. 11)

Until the 1970s in most states, a married woman could not legally refuse to have sex with her husband. The 1978 Oregon trial of John Rideout for marital rape of his wife Greta — despite his then-acquittal — raised awareness of this legislation and led to Rideout’s conviction for rape and sodomy nearly four decades later in a case involving two other partners. Weinman (“The Real Lolita”) writes with energy about a case with present-day ramifications.

Revolutions: A New History
By Donald Sassoon
Verso: 432 pages, $40
(Nov. 18)

You say you want a revolution — and historian Sassoon says: Consider your predecessors. Although we focus on hot-button moments, the long tale of these uprisings can lead to long-term instability and injustice (e.g., the young United States choosing to persist with enslavement). What is the real price of transformation? Is it worth considering when people unite against tyranny and oppression?

Languages of Home: Essays on Writing, Hoop, and American Lives 1975–2025
By John Edgar Wideman
Scribner: 400 pages, $29
(Nov. 18)

Wideman’s 1985 essay “The Language of Home” was about the power of words to capture our foundations, so it’s fitting that his new collection covering 50 years of his powerful prose mimics that essay’s title. The new title’s plural refers to the author’s constant themes, which aren’t surprising. What does surprise is his prescience about still-relevant concerns, from a disappearing middle class to police brutality.

Nov. 1 (UPI) — On this date in history:

In 1512, the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel in Rome, one of Italian artist Michelangelo’s most famous works, was exhibited to the public for the first time.

In 1604, William Shakespeare’s Othello made its debut. A new production of the famed play starring Denzel Washington and Jake Gyllenhaal is expected to open on Broadway in 2025.

In 1755, an earthquake in Lisbon, Portugal, killed 60,000 people.

In 1800, U.S. President John Adams and his family moved into the newly built White House after Washington became the U.S. capital.

In 1915, Parris Island was officially designated a Marine Corps Recruit Depot used for the training of enlisted Marines.

In 1938, Seabiscuit beat War Admiral in horse racing’s “match of the century.”

In 1945, Ebony magazine, founded by John H. Johnson, published its first issue.

In 1950, two Puerto Rican nationalists tried to force their way into the Blair House in Washington in an attempt to assassinate U.S. President Harry Truman.

File Photo by Aude Guerrucci/UPI

In 1952, the United States tested the world’s first hydrogen bomb, code named Ivy Mike, on Eniwetok atoll in the Pacific Ocean.

In 1990, McDonald’s, under pressure from environmental groups, said it would replace plastic food containers with paper.

In 1993, the Maastricht Treaty took effect, formally establishing the European Union and leading to the creation of the Union’s single currency, the euro.

File Photo by Eco Clement/UPI

In 2008, Maj. Sebastian Morley, the top British Special Forces commander in Afghanistan, resigned to protest what he called lack of proper equipment for combat troops. He blamed “chronic underinvestment.”

In 2013, a U.S. drone strike killed Hakimullah Mehsud, leader of the Pakistani Taliban, and four other militants.

In 2023, the Texas Rangers defeated the Arizona Diamondbacks 5-0 to win Game 5 and the World Series. It was the first championship win in the team’s 63-year history.

File Photo by John Angelillo/UPI

CITY SECTION PLAYOFFS

THURSDAY’S RESULTS

Quarterfinals

DIVISION I

#1 L.A. University d. #9 Larchmont Charter, 25-12, 25-12, 25-16

#4 L.A. Marshall d. #5 Sherman Oaks CES, 25-23, 25-23, 25-19

#3 Granada Hills Kennedy d. #11 San Pedro, 27-25, 28-26, 25-22

#2 Grant d. #10 South Gate, 25-12, 25-19, 25-16

DIVISION II

#1 East Valley d. #8 GALA, 25-13, 20-25, 25-20, 25-15

#5 North Hollywood d. #13 Lincoln, 15-25, 25-14, 25-19, 25-15

#6 Maywood CES d. #14 Bravo, 3-0

#2 Mendez d. #10 King/Drew, 25-19, 16-25, 25-21, 25-27, 15-11

Note: Quarterfinals Divisions III-V Nov. 3 at higher seeds; Semifinals Open-Division I Nov. 4 at higher seeds; Semifinals Divisions II-V Nov. 5 at higher seeds; Finals (all divisions) Nov. 7-8

This week voters across California received a suspicious text message saying they’d failed to turn in their ballots for the Nov. 4 statewide special election on redistricting.

The message may appear official. It includes the voter’s name and address and links to an official website providing information on early voting and vote-by-mall ballot drop-off locations.

But it’s not from the state, and officials urge caution.

The office of the California secretary of state received numerous reports from voters of “inaccurate text messages from Ballot Now,” according to a news release.

“This has caused voters to believe their returned ballots have not been received or processed by county elections officials,” Shirley Weber, secretary of state, stated in the release. “Let me be clear: Ballot Now is not in any way affiliated with the California Office of the Secretary of State.”

Weber’s office told The Times it doesn’t know the intent behind the Ballot Now text messages, and “we are trying to get to the bottom of it.”

Ballot Now did not respond to The Times’ request for comment.

Where voters can get trustworthy answers to their elections questions

Voters can find accurate information on elections and voting at the state secretary’s website or at their county election office. The secretary’s website includes the complete list of county election offices.

Questions that the secretary of state’s website can assist with include:

How do I check my voter status? By entering some personal information, you can see if you are registered to vote, where you’re registered, and check that your political party and language preference are correct at the website’s voter status page.

How do I track my ballot? You can sign up to track your ballot through the state’s online site Ballottrax.

• By signing up on Ballottrax, voters receive automatic updates when their county elections office: mails their ballot to them, receives their ballot, counts their ballot, or when the office has any issues with the ballot.
• Updates are available in 10 languages — including Spanish, Japanese and Tagalog — and you can choose to be texted, emailed or called with voice alert updates.

Where can I return my ballot? Los Angeles County residents can look for official vote-by-mail ballot drop-box locations or voter centers on the Los Angeles County registrar-recorder/county clerk website.

How to report something fishy

If you believe you’re the victim of election fraud or have witnessed a violation of the California Elections Code, you can submit a complaint form or call the secretary of state’s office.

Fill out an online form, download a PDF version of the form and mail it, or call the office — English speakers can call (916) 657-2166 or (800) 345-8683; Spanish speakers can call (800) 232-8682.

The physical form can be mailed to the California Secretary of State Elections Division at 1500 11th St., 5th Floor, Sacramento, CA 95814 or faxed to (916) 653-3214.

Los Angeles County residents are encouraged to call the Los Angeles County registrar-recorder/county clerk’s call center with any questions or concerns they have, said Mike Sanchez, spokesperson for the office.

The registrar of voters can be reached at (800) 815-2666, and the number for voter center information is (800) 815-2666; choose option No. 1.

HIGH SCHOOL FLAG FOOTBALL

SOUTHERN SECTION PLAYOFFS

MONDAY’S RESULTS

Quarterfinals

DIVISION 1

JSerra 41, Santa Margarita 0

Dos Pueblos 12, Edison 6

Huntington Beach 20, Camarillo 6

Orange Lutheran 41, San Marcos 18

TUESDAY’S SCHEDULE

(Games at 5 p.m. unless noted)

Quarterfinals

DIVISION 2

Newbury Park at Bishop Amat

Ventura at Corona del Mar, 6 p.m.

Downey at Westlake

El Toro at Upland

DIVISION 3

Sunny Hills at La Serna

Glendora at Long Beach Poly

Mission Viejo at El Modena

La Habra at Eastvale Roosevelt

DIVISION 4

Canyon Springs at West Ranch

Riverside King at Great Oak

Riverside Poly at Temecula Valley

Royal at Compton

DIVISION 5

Moreno Valley at Rancho Alamitos

Norte Vista at Castaic

Don Lugo at Anaheim

Vista Murrieta at Vasquez

DIVISION 6

Leuzinger at Cerritos

Loara at Adelanto

Alemany at Estancia

Palm Desert at Hillcrest

Note: Semifinals (all divisions) Nov. 1; Finals (all divisions) Nov. 7-8 at Fred Kelly Stadium.

Supporters of Proposition 50, California Democrats’ ballot measure to redraw the state’s congressional districts to help the party’s effort to take power in the U.S. House of Representatives, raised more than four times the money as their rivals in recent weeks, according to campaign finance reports filed with the state by the three main committees campaigning about the measure.

Gov. Gavin Newsom’s committee supporting the redistricting measure raised $36.8 million between Sept. 21 and Oct. 18, bringing their total to $114.3 million, according to the report filed with the Secretary of State’s office on Thursday, which was not available until Monday. They had $37.1 million in the bank and available to spend before the Nov. 4 special election.

“We have hit our budget goals and raised what we need in order to pass Proposition 50,” Newsom emailed supporters on Monday. “You can stop donating.”

The two main opposition groups raised a total of $8.4 million during the 28 days covered by the fundraising period, bringing their total haul to $43.7 million. They had $2.3 million cash on hand going into the final stretch of the campaign.

“As Gavin Newsom likes to say, we are not running the 90-yard dash here. We’ve seen a groundswell of support from Californians who understand what’s at stake if we let [President] Trump steal two more years of unchecked power,” said Hannah Milgrom, a spokesperson for the main pro-Proposition 50 campaign. “But we are not taking anything for granted nor taking our foot off the gas. If we want to hold this dangerous and reckless president accountable, we must pass Prop. 50.”

Newsom and other California Democrats decided to ask voters to redraw the state’s congressional boundaries, which are currently drawn by a voter-approved independent commission, in a middecade redistricting after Trump urged GOP-led states to redraw their districts in an effort for Republicans to retain control of Congress in next year’s midterm election.

The balance of power in the narrowly divided House will determine whether Trump is able to continue enacting his agenda during his final two years of office, or is the focus of investigations and possibly an impeachment effort.

Major donors supporting Proposition 50 include billionaire financier George Soros, the House Majority PAC – the campaign arm of congressional Democrats – and labor unions.

Among the opponents of Propostion 50, longtime GOP donor Charles Munger Jr., the son of the longtime investment partner of billionaire Warren Buffett, and the Congressional Leadership Fund – Republicans’ political arm in the House – were top contributors.

“While we are being outspent, we’re continuing to communicate with Californians the dangers of suspending California’s gold-standard redistricting process,” said Amy Thoma, a spokesperson for the committee funded by Munger. “With just ten days to go, we are encouraging all voters to make their voice heard and to vote.”

Ellie Hockenbury, an advisor to the committee that received $5 million from the Congressional Leadership Fund, said the organization was committed to continue to raise money to block Newsom’s redistricting effort in the days leading up to the election.

“His costly power grab would silence millions of Californians and deny them fair representation in Congress, which is why grassroots opposition is gaining momentum,” Hockenbury said. “In the final push, our data-driven campaign is strategically targeting key voters with our message to ensure every resource helps us defeat Prop. 50.”

There are several other committees not affiliated with these main campaign groups that are receiving funding. Those include one created by billionaire hedge-fund founder Tom Steyer, who donated $12 million, and the California Republican Party, which received $8 million from the Congressional Leadership Fund.

These reports come a little more than a week before the Nov. 4 special election. More than 4 million mail ballots — 18% of the ballots sent to California’s 23 million voters — had been returned as of Friday, according to a vote tracker run by Democratic redistricting expert Paul Mitchell, who drew the proposed maps on the ballot. Democrats continue to outpace Republicans in returning ballots, 51% to 28%. Voters registered without a party preference or with other political parties returned 21% of the ballots that have been received.

The turnout figures are alarming Republicans leaders.

“If Republicans do not get out and vote now, we will lose Prop 50 and Gavin Newsom will control our district lines until 2032,” Orange County GOP chairman Will O’Neill wrote to party members on Friday, urging them to cast ballots this past weekend and sharing the locations of early voting centers in the county.

Assemblyman Carl DeMaio (R-San Diego) was more blunt on social media.

“Right now we’re losing the fight against Prop 50 in CA, but turnout is LOW,” he posted on the social media platform X on Friday. “If every Republican voter gets off their ass, returns their ballot and votes NO, we WIN. IT. IS. THAT. SIMPLE.”

More than 18.9 million ballots are outstanding, though not all will be completed. Early voting centers opened on Saturday in 29 California counties.

“Think of Election Day as the last day to vote — not the only day. Like we always do, California gives voters more days and more ways to participate.” said Secretary of State Shirley Weber in a statement. “Don’t Delay! Vote today!”

The U.S. Dept. of Justice announced Friday that it plans on monitoring polling sites in Fresno, Kern, Los Angeles, Orange and Riverside counties at the request of the state GOP.

“Transparency at the polls translates into faith in the electoral process, and this Department of Justice is committed to upholding the highest standards of election integrity,” Atty. Gen. Pam Bondi said. “We will commit the resources necessary to ensure the American people get the fair, free, and transparent elections they deserve.”

Newsom, in a post on X on Friday, said the Trump administration is sending election monitors to polling places in California as part of a broader effort to stifle the vote, particularly among Californians of color, in advance of next year’s midterm election.

“This is about voter intimidation. This is about voter suppression,” Newsom said, predicting that masked border agents would likely be present at California polling places through the Nov. 4 election. “I hope people understand it’s a bridge that they’re trying to build the scaffolding for all across this country in next November’s election, they do not believe in fair and free elections. Our republic, our democracy, is on the line.”

SACRAMENTO — Atty. General Rob Bonta said Monday that he anticipates the Trump administration, which last week announced plans to use federal election monitors in California, will use false reports of voting irregularities to challenge the results of the Nov. 4 special election.

Bonta, California’s top law enforcement officer, said on a call with reporters that he is “100%” concerned about false accusations of wrongdoing at the polling places.

Bonta said it would be “naive” to assume Trump would accept the results of the Nov. 4 election given his history of lying about election outcomes, including his loss to President Biden in 2020.

The attorney general also warned that Trump’s tactics may be a preview of what the country might see in the 2026 election, when control of the U.S. House of Representatives — and the fate of Trump’s controversial political agenda — will be at stake.

“All indications, all arrows, show that this is a tee-up for something more dangerous in the 2026, midterms and maybe beyond,” Bonta said.

The U.S. Department of Justice last week announced it would send election monitors to five California counties where voters are casting ballots in the Proposition 50 election to decide whether to redraw state’s congressional boundaries.

Federal election monitors will visit sites across Southern California and in the Central Valley, in Fresno, Kern, Los Angeles, Orange and Riverside counties, the Justice Department said last week.

Gov. Gavin Newsom called the move an “intimidation tactic” aimed at suppressing support for Proposition 50 and inappropriate federal interference in a state election.

While federal monitoring is routine, particularly in federal elections, it recently has been viewed with heightened skepticism from both parties. When the Justice Department under President Biden announced monitoring in 86 jurisdictions across 27 states during last November’s presidential election, some Republican-led states balked and sought to block the effort.

Democrats have been highly suspect of the Trump administration’s plans for monitoring elections, in part because of Trump’s relentless denial of past election losses — including his own to Biden in 2020 — and his appointment of fellow election deniers to high-ranking positions in his administration, including in the Justice Department.

The California Republican Party requested the election monitors and cited several concerns about voting patterns and issues in several counties, according to a letter it sent to the Dept. of Justice.

Bonta, in his remarks Monday questioned the GOP claims, and denied the existence of any widespread fraud that would require federal election monitors. He compared the monitors to Trump’s decision to dispatch the National Guard to Democratic-led cities, despite an outcry from local politicians who said the troops were not necessary.

More broadly, Bonta told reporters that the Trump administration appears to be ready to fight the Nov. 4 results if Prop. 50 passes.

“People vote and you accept the will of the voters — that’s what democracy is. But that’s not what they’re teeing themselves up to do based on everything that we’ve seen, everything that’s been said,” said Bonta, describing Trump’s recent call on social media for Republicans to “wake up.”

Bonta also said that the state would dispatch observers — potentially from his office, the secretary of state and county registrars — to watch the federal monitors at polling places.

Early voting has already started in California, with voters deciding whether to temporarily reconfigure the state’s congressional district boundaries. The Democratic-led California Legislature placed the measure on the Nov. 4 ballot in an effort to increase their party’s numbers in the U.S. House of Representatives .

Gov. Gavin Newsom and other backers of the measure have said they generally support independent redistricting processes and will push for nonpartisan commissions nationwide, but argued that Democrats must fight back against Trump’s current efforts to have Republican states reconfigure their congressional districts to ensure the GOP retains control of Congress after the 2026 election.

Natalie Baldassarre, a spokesperson for the U.S. Dept. of Justice, declined to comment on Bonta’s remarks. Baldassarre also declined to say how many election monitors would work in California.

Federal election monitors observe polling places to ensure compliance with the federal voting rights laws, and are trained to observe and act as “flies on the wall,” said David Becker, executive director of the nonpartisan and nonprofit Center for Election Innovation and Research, in an interview last week.

“Generally, what you do is walk inside, stay off to the side, well away from where any voters are, and take some notes,” said Becker, an attorney who formerly worked in the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division.

MSNBC has set a date for its new name.

Starting Nov. 15, the progressive-leaning cable news channel will be called MS NOW — an acronym for My Source, News, Opinion and World. The famous NBC peacock will no longer be part of the channel’s logo.

Viewers started seeing spots promoting the new moniker on Monday, with the tagline “Same mission, New name.” A larger marketing push will happen in the coming weeks according to a memo from MSNBC President Rebecca Kutler that was obtained by The Times.

The rebranding coincides with parent company Comcast’s spinoff of its NBCUniversal cable channels into Versant, a new company. CNBC, USA Network, Golf Channel, Oxygen, SyFy and E! are also part of the entity.

Comcast is unloading the channels because it believes the mature outlets face a bleak future due to pay TV cord-cutting and are an albatross weighing down its stock price. Comcast Chief Executive Brian Roberts will own 33% of the shares in Versant, which will trade as a public company under the symbol VSNT on the NASDAQ.

MSNBC will soon be called MS NOW.

(AP)

While the spinoff has been in the works for months, MSNBC viewers have heard little about it on the air until now. The network held a fan festival at the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York earlier this month and all of the signage used the MSNBC logo. The name change was referred to several times by the personalities who appeared on stage.

The change required MSNBC to unwind its news operation from NBC News, which supplied correspondents to the channel. A number of NBC News correspondents, including Jacob Soboroff and Ken Dilanian, chose to work for Versant.

The current line-up of MSNBC opinion hosts — including Joe Scarborough, Mika Brzezinski, Nicolle Wallace, Ari Melber, Rachel Maddow, Jen Psaki and Lawrence O’Donnell — will all make the transition to MS NOW.

Although MSNBC employees were initially told the network’s name would be retained, NBCUniversal decided it did not want its brand attached to a network it did not control.

NBC News correspondent Jacob Soboroff reporting on the wildfire that destroyed his boyhood home.

(NBC News)

Versant Chief Executive Mark Lazarus encouraged his staff to embrace the change in spite of the challenges of marketing a new brand in a highly fragmented media landscape.

“This gives us the opportunity to chart our own path forward, create distinct brand identities, and establish an independent news organization following the spin,” Lazarus wrote in an August memo.

MSNBC has its own Washington bureau, which has already broken a number of stories in recent weeks, including the indictments of former FBI Director James Comey and former national security advisor John Bolton.

MSNBC also has a multiyear agreement with U.K.-based Sky News to provide international coverage.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has posted a notice on its website saying federal food aid will not go out Nov. 1, raising the stakes for families nationwide as the government shutdown drags on.

The new notice comes after the Trump administration said it would not tap roughly $5 billion in contingency funds to keep benefits through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, commonly referred to as SNAP, flowing into November. That program helps about 1 in 8 Americans buy groceries.

“Bottom line, the well has run dry,” the USDA notice says. “At this time, there will be no benefits issued November 01. We are approaching an inflection point for Senate Democrats.”

The shutdown, which began Oct. 1, is now the second-longest on record. While the Republican administration took steps leading up to the shutdown to ensure SNAP benefits were paid this month, the cutoff would expand the impact of the impasse to a wider swath of Americans — and some of those most in need — unless a political resolution is found in just a few days.

The administration blames Democrats, who say they will not agree to reopen the government until Republicans negotiate with them on extending expiring subsidies under the Affordable Care Act. Not doing so, they note, would raise premiums for millions of Americans. Republicans say Democrats must first agree to reopen the government before they will negotiate.

Democratic lawmakers have written to Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins requesting to use contingency funds to cover the bulk of next month’s benefits.

But a USDA memo that surfaced Friday says that “contingency funds are not legally available to cover regular benefits.” The document says the money is reserved for such things as helping people in disaster areas.

It cited Hurricane Melissa, which grew into a Category 4 storm in the Caribbean on Sunday — though it is not expected to threaten the U.S. — as an example of why it’s important to have the money available to mobilize quickly in the event of a disaster.

The prospect of families not receiving food aid has deeply concerned states run by both parties.

Some states have pledged to keep SNAP benefits flowing even if the federal program halts payments, but there are questions about whether U.S. government directives may allow that to happen. The USDA memo also says states would not be reimbursed for temporarily picking up the cost.

Other states are telling SNAP recipients to be ready for the benefits to stop. Arkansas and Oklahoma, for example, are advising recipients to identify food pantries and other groups that help with food.

Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) accused Republicans and Trump of not agreeing to negotiate.

“The reality is, if they sat down to try to negotiate, we could probably come up with something pretty quickly,” Murphy said Sunday on CNN’s “State of the Union.” “We could open up the government on Tuesday or Wednesday, and there wouldn’t be any crisis in the food stamp program.”

Licon writes for the Associated Press.