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A year after LA-area wildfires destroyed thousands of homes, fewer than a dozen have been rebuilt

On the first anniversary of the most destructive wildfires in the L.A. area, the scant home construction projects stand out among the still mostly flattened landscapes.
Fewer than a dozen homes have been rebuilt in Los Angeles County since Jan. 7, 2025, when the Palisades and Eaton fires erupted, killing 31 people and destroying about 13,000 homes and other residential properties.
For those who had insurance, it’s often not enough to cover the costs of construction. Relief organizations are stepping in to help, but progress is slow.
Among the exceptions is Ted Koerner, whose Altadena home was reduced to ash and two chimneys. With his insurance payout tied up, the 67-year-old liquidated about 80% of his retirement holdings, secured contractors quickly, and moved decisively through the rebuilding process.
Shortly before Thanksgiving, Koerner was among the first to finish a rebuild in the aftermath of the fires, which were fueled by drought and hurricane-force winds.
But most do not have..

Trump sees massive spike in Mar-a-Lago membership fees revenue since returning to office

President Donald Trump’s luxury Florida clubs saw a major spike in earnings last year, according to federal financial disclosures, part of the historic windfall the Republican has earned since returning to office.
Last year, Trump’s Mar-a-Lago club, which also serves as his primary residence, earned him nearly $77.5 million, more than 50 percent more than in 2024.
The estate, which is sometimes called the “Winter White House,” has emerged as a key venue for getting access to the president. Donors and Silicon Valley executives have flocked to Palm Beach to court the president there, and Trump has regularly visited the property and held high-dollar fundraisers at Mar-a-Lago since taking office.
Fundraising events at the Florida club have hit $1 million-per-plate.
Shortly before Trump was reelected in 2024, Mar-a-Lago raised its initiation fee from $700,000 to $1 million. (The club hiked fees around the time of Trump’s first election, too.)
open image in galleryPresident Trump has seen ..

Decorated military veteran catfished by sextortionist he met on fetish site, court filings say

A decorated U.S. military veteran fell victim to an online sextortion scheme after sending compromising nudes to someone he met on a social networking platform for fetishists looking to match with “like-minded kink friends,” according to court documents obtained by The Independent.
In a previously unreported petition filed March 8 in Kings County Supreme Court that aims to unmask the alleged blackmailer, the Brooklyn resident is described as a “highly accomplished” soldier who has been “recognized with several awards” across “multiple deployments.“
“John Doe,” as the victim is being identified in the proceeding, was initially targeted last November while on FetLife, a site for members of the fetish community to connect. Users fall into some 600 different categories, FetLife tells visitors, listing such subsets as “Boot Slut,” “Fallen Angel,” “Rubberist,” and “Pig.”
Since then, several explicit selfies the veteran shared with the person – who posed as a woman but turned out to be a man ..