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Catch up with the top 5 stories in LA in just 3 minutes. Sent weeknights.

By Jessica Ogilvie

Good evening. It’s Thursday, May 26, and one family with three small children took on the ultimate challenge. But first, let’s get you caught up with L.A. in the next three minutes with the following news stories.

Mario Tama/Getty Images North America

1 Millions of Southern Californians are expected to travel this Memorial Day weekend.

Starting today, officials at LAX are expecting around 200,000 travelers daily.
The Automobile Club of Southern California predicts 3.1 million SoCal residents will take road trips during the holiday weekend, with Friday afternoon likely to be the busiest.
ICYMI, masks are required inside local airports and on public transportation within the county of L.A.

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Brandon Bell/Getty Images North America

2 Woodland Hills students joined others from around the country in a walkout to protest gun violence.

A group of youth activists called on students nationwide to walk out of classes today in support of the community of Uvalde, Texas, where 19 children and two adults were killed in a mass shooting on Tuesday.
Locally, hundreds of El Camino Real Charter High School students took part, led by the San Fernando Valley chapter of Students Demand Action.
LAUSD Superintendent Alberto Carvalho announced separately that the school district would expand its safety protocols in response to the shooting.

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Courtesy of the L.A. County Dept. of Public Health

3 L.A. County’s daily COVID case count is now topping 6,000, the highest it’s been since February.

The number is almost certainly an undercount, since it doesn’t include positive over-the-counter tests.
Despite the steady rise in cases, the county’s public health director said another mask mandate isn’t on the table — yet.
The latest rise in cases is fueled by BA.2 subvariants.

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Courtesy U.S. Forest Service

4 Wildfires are now a year-round threat in Southern California. What does that mean for homeowners’ wallets?

It means you should pay attention to the California insurance commissioner’s race on your June 7 ballot. This elected official is responsible for making sure insurance companies treat consumers fairly.
The commissioner plays a big role in setting insurance rates in the state, from cars to earthquakes to pets.
The next commissioner will be tasked with figuring out how to keep wildfire insurance affordable while not bankrupting the insurance companies.

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Ethan Ward/LAist

5 Young, unhoused people are demanding a seat at the table to discuss policies.

It’s easy to see why they’re eager to be heard: an L.A. County Department of Public Health study recently revealed that deaths among unhoused people ages 18 to 29 more than doubled in two years.
A local coalition of organizations that advocate for the unhoused yesterday launched a new campaign, Young People to the Front, that brings together experts and young people who have experienced homelessness to call for changes and action.
Their demands include, among other things, dedicated funding for transition-aged youth (aged 16-25), ensuring that youth with lived experience have decision-making power, and decriminalizing youth homelessness.

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And now... to push back against the recent onslaught of Aedes aegypti, a mosquito capable of infecting humans with the deadly diseases of dengue, chikungunya, yellow fever, and Zika, researchers are releasing genetically modified mosquitoes. Check out their futuristic plans here.

That’s it for today. We’ll see you tomorrow.

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