ALEX BLOG

The reopening around midday came three months ahead of schedule, and business owners say that should give travelers plenty of time to plan their spring and summer road trips. The highway is famously a must for California visitors traveling between Los Angeles and San Francisco.

"Today is a monumental milestone for us," said a relieved Colin Twohig, general manager of the Big Sur River Inn. "We're hitting the light at the end of the tunnel after three long years."

The first shutdown came in January 2023 when a series of powerful atmospheric rivers triggered a major landslide. The highway was buried by mud and rocks again the following year during another wet winter, and a lane also collapsed down a cliff near the Rocky Creek Bridge.

The traffic stoppage between Carmel and Cambria cut off access to Big Sur, an isolated stretch of the state's central coast where misty, forested mountains rise up from the ocean. What used to be a short drive between the southern and northern sections — with tiny Big Sur Village roughly in the middle — became an eight-hour trek inland and then back toward the seashore.

The isolated area, home to fewer than 2,000 residents, is known for its panoramic hiking trails along high cliffs and craggy beaches where seals and sea lions sometimes sprawl out. The late "Tropic of Cancer" author Henry Miller lived there for nearly two decades starting in the 1940s, and there's now a library devoted to his work.

There were multiple closures at various locations throughout the past three years, and the last stretch that remained shut was a 7-mile (11-kilometer) span near Lucia, according to the California Department of Transportation, or Caltrans.

Gov. Gavin Newsom announced the opening on social media, thanking Caltrans for the speedy work in "reviving a vital economic lifeline for local business owners and residents affected by the closure."

Caltrans, which has called Highway 1 the jewel of the state highway system, deployed remotely operated bulldozers and excavators to safely remove tons of debris in steep terrain. Then crews drilled 4,600 steel bars into the slopes in a grid to patch layers of the hillside together and reduce the risk of future slides, the department said.

California Assemblymember Dawn Addis, a Democrat whose district includes Big Sur, said the restoration will provide a much-needed fiscal boost to the region.

"This turning point will help restore revenue, access to our state parks, support jobs, public safety, and economic stability for many of our residents," Addis said in a statement.

Twohig said he looks forward to seeing tourists in cars and motorhomes back on the road.

He estimated that his inn, with 22 guest rooms, a large restaurant and a general store, saw a 20% drop in business. He said the road closure directly following COVID-19 restrictions was a one-two punch. The inn spent the down time making improvements and marketing heavily to entice California residents to visit during the off-seasons.

"When you have a hospitality business, you really rely on the busy season, and when there is no busy season, it can be a hard pill to swallow," he said. "Having that lifeline back is huge."

A top Trump administration lawyer pressed a federal judge Wednesday to block a newly enacted California law that bans most law enforcement officers in the state from wearing masks, including U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents.

Tiberius Davis, representing the U.S. Department of Justice, argued at a hearing in Los Angeles that the first-of-its-kind ban on police face coverings could unleash chaos across the country, and potentially land many ICE agents on the wrong side of the law it were allowed to take effect.

"Why couldn't California say every immigration officer needs to wear pink, so it's super obvious who they are?" Davis told U.S. District Judge Christina A. Snyder. "The idea that all 50 states can regulate the conduct and uniforms of officers ... flips the Constitution on its head."

The judge appeared skeptical.

"Why can't they perform their duties without a mask? They did that until 2025, did they not?" Snyder said. "How in the world do those who don't mask manage to operate?"

The administration first sued to block the new rules in November, after Gov. Gavin Newsom signed the No Secret Police Act and its companion provision, the No Vigilantes Act, into law. Together, The laws bar law enforcement officers from wearing masks and compel them to display identification "while conducting law enforcement operations in the Golden State." Both offenses would be misdemeanors.

Read more:Trump claims crime is rampant in California. Newsom counters with stats showing historic lows

Federal officials have vowed to defy the new rules, saying they are unconstitutional and put agents in danger. They have also decried an exception in the law for California state peace officers, arguing the carve out is discriminatory. The California Highway Patrol is among those exempted, while city and county agencies, including the Los Angeles Police Department, must comply.

"These were clearly and purposefully targeted at the federal government," Davis told the court Wednesday. "Federal officers face prosecution if they do not comply with California law, but California officers do not."

The hearing comes at a moment of acute public anger at the agency following the fatal shooting of American protester Renee Good by ICE agent Jonathan Ross in Minneapolis — rage that has latched on to masks as a symbol of perceived lawlessness and impunity.

"It's obvious why these laws are in the public interest," California Department of Justice lawyer Cameron Bell told the court Wednesday. "The state has had to bear the cost of the federal government's actions. These are very real consequences."

She pointed to declarations from U.S. citizens who believed they were being abducted by criminals when confronted by masked immigration agents, including incidents where local police were called to respond.

"I later learned that my mother and sister witnessed the incident and reported to the Los Angeles Police Department that I was kidnapped," Angeleno Andrea Velez said in one such declaration. "Because of my mother's call, LAPD showed up to the raid."

The administration argues the anti-mask law would put ICE agents and other federal immigration enforcement officers at risk of doxing and chill the "zealous enforcement of the law."

"The laws would recklessly endanger the lives of federal agents and their family members and compromise the operational effectiveness of federal law enforcement activities," the government said in court filings.

Davis also told the court that ICE's current tactics were necessary in part because of laws across California and in much of the U.S. that limit police cooperation with ICE and bar immigration enforcement in sensitive locations, such as schools and courts.

California contends its provisions are "modest" and aligned with past practice, and that the government's evidence showing immigration enforcement would be harmed is thin.

Bell challenged Department of Homeland Security statistics purporting to show an 8,000% increase in death threats against ICE agents and a 1,000% increase in assaults, saying the government has recently changed what qualifies as a "threat" and that agency claims have faced "significant credibility issues" in federal court.

Read more:Attacks on ICE up 1,000%? Trump administration claim not backed up by court records

"Blowing a whistle to alert the community, that's hardly something that increases threats," Bell said.

On the identification rule, Snyder appeared to agree.

"One might argue that there's serious harm to the government if agents' anonymity is preserved," she said.

The fate of the mask law may hinge on the peace officer exemption.

"Would your discrimination argument go away if the state changed legislation to apply to all officers?" Snyder asked.

"I believe so," Davis said.

The ban was slated to come into force on Jan. 1, but is on hold while the case makes its way through the courts. If allowed to take effect, California would become the first state in the nation to block ICE agents and other federal law enforcement officers from concealing their identities while on duty.

A ruling is expected as soon as this week.

Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.

This story originally appeared inLos Angeles Times.

That's exactly what customs officials found when they discovered two women were smuggling an invasive species of turtle into the country through theirchecked baggage. Now, the women face possible jail time while the turtles will hopefully be returned to their natural habitats, where they belong. Here's what we know.

Sign up for our newsletter and get hidden gems, travel secrets, and stories like this delivered straight to your inbox!

5,000 turtles rescued from a smuggler's suitcase in India

The Air Intelligence Unit had an unusual day when they came face-to-face with 5,000 red-eared slider turtles that had been packed tightly into a series of plastic containers and hidden inside of the suitcases of a pair of women.

The alleged smugglersflew into Tiruchy International Airport, according toTimes of India. They arrived there from Kuala Lumpur, the capital of Malaysia. The publication says thatauthorities were alteredto the possible situation via a tip, which prompted them to check the bags once the duo arrived. The women were taken into custody due to violations of the Wildlife Protection Act.

A team of officials from the forest department then arrived to examine the turtles, which were identified as the invasive species, before sending them back to Kuala Lumpur. According to theTimes of India, the investigation is ongoing.

Related: United Airlines passenger flabbergasted over how seatmate behaved—alleging no flight attendants stepped up to help

Trafficking exotic animals through the airport is a big problem

As unusual as this news sounds, it's hardly out of the ordinary. In fact, aUnited News of Indiareport from 2024 said that4,967 small green turtlesand 19 yellow turtles were seized at the Anna International airport. Once again, the flight originated from Kuala Lumpur and contained a massive collection of turtles, but they are hardly the only ones caught up in these crimes.

According toan extensive reportfrom the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, turtles and tortoises made up only 4 percent of the illegally trafficked animals between 2015 to 2021. The group that sees the most international trafficking are corals, which make up 16 percent of all seizures, then the list breaks down further, like this:

• Crocodilians at 9 percent

• Elephants at 6 percent

• Bivalve mollusks at 6 percent

• Carnivores at 5 percent

• Parrots and cockatoos at 4 percent

• Orchids at 4 percent

And then the list goes on. You can get a full accounting of the report by visiting the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime's website. While some people may think of these as victimless crimes—after all, many of these creatures are sold at a very high price to people who desperately want to keep and care for them—that's hardly the case.

Related: Delta passenger who recently lost 60lbs spots seatmate's body-shaming text: 'I can't stop crying'

According to the World Wildlife Fund W(WF), poaching and the associated trafficking that comes along with it causes untold harm to the environment. "Populations of species on earthdeclined by an average 40 percentbetween 1970 and 2000—and the second-biggest direct threat to species survival, after habitat destruction, is wildlife trade," a statement on their website reads. And, that doesn't take into consideration the lives lost when non-native species are introduced into new habitats, either by those who purchased them illegally and realized they could no longer care for them, or by smugglers who decided to release them when they became too much of a liability to keep.

My personal opinions about animal smuggling aside, it's clear that the trafficking of wild animals continues to be a big problem. Hopefully, as more high profile cases like this come to light, future smugglers will think twice about taking part in the trade and leave the animals in their natural habitats where they belong.

This story was originally published byTravelHoston Jan 14, 2026, where it first appeared in theAirlinessection. Add TravelHost as aPreferred Source by clicking here.

Superfoods Inc., which makes Live it Up-brand Super Greens powder, recalled products including its original and wild berry flavors with expiration dates of August 2026 to January 2028. Consumers should not eat, sell or serve the products and should throw them away or return to the place of purchase.

lllnesses tied to the supplement were reported from Aug. 22 to Dec. 30, 2025. At least 12 people were hospitalized. No deaths have been reported, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The products were distributed nationwide. Case have been reported in 21 states: Alabama, Connecticut, Delaware, Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Utah, Vermont, Washington and Wisconsin.

An FDA investigation is continuing and additional products could be contaminated, the agency said.

Symptoms of salmonella poisoning usually start within hours or days of eating a contaminated food product. They include diarrhea, fever and stomach cramps. Most people recover without treatment within a week, but infections can be serious in children younger than 5, adults 65 and older and people with weakened immune systems.

The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute's Department of Science Education and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.

A top Trump administration lawyer pressed a federal judge Wednesday to block a newly enacted California law that bans most law enforcement officers in the state from wearing masks, including U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents.

Tiberius Davis, representing the U.S. Department of Justice, argued at a hearing in Los Angeles that the first-of-its-kind ban on police face coverings could unleash chaos across the country, and potentially land many ICE agents on the wrong side of the law it were allowed to take effect.

"Why couldn't California say every immigration officer needs to wear pink, so it's super obvious who they are?" Davis told U.S. District Judge Christina A. Snyder. "The idea that all 50 states can regulate the conduct and uniforms of officers ... flips the Constitution on its head."

The judge appeared skeptical.

"Why can't they perform their duties without a mask? They did that until 2025, did they not?" Snyder said. "How in the world do those who don't mask manage to operate?"

The administration first sued to block the new rules in November, after Gov. Gavin Newsom signed the No Secret Police Act and its companion provision, the No Vigilantes Act, into law. Together, The laws bar law enforcement officers from wearing masks and compel them to display identification "while conducting law enforcement operations in the Golden State." Both offenses would be misdemeanors.

Read more:Trump claims crime is rampant in California. Newsom counters with stats showing historic lows

Federal officials have vowed to defy the new rules, saying they are unconstitutional and put agents in danger. They have also decried an exception in the law for California state peace officers, arguing the carve out is discriminatory. The California Highway Patrol is among those exempted, while city and county agencies, including the Los Angeles Police Department, must comply.

"These were clearly and purposefully targeted at the federal government," Davis told the court Wednesday. "Federal officers face prosecution if they do not comply with California law, but California officers do not."

The hearing comes at a moment of acute public anger at the agency following the fatal shooting of American protester Renee Good by ICE agent Jonathan Ross in Minneapolis — rage that has latched on to masks as a symbol of perceived lawlessness and impunity.

"It's obvious why these laws are in the public interest," California Department of Justice lawyer Cameron Bell told the court Wednesday. "The state has had to bear the cost of the federal government's actions. These are very real consequences."

She pointed to declarations from U.S. citizens who believed they were being abducted by criminals when confronted by masked immigration agents, including incidents where local police were called to respond.

"I later learned that my mother and sister witnessed the incident and reported to the Los Angeles Police Department that I was kidnapped," Angeleno Andrea Velez said in one such declaration. "Because of my mother's call, LAPD showed up to the raid."

The administration argues the anti-mask law would put ICE agents and other federal immigration enforcement officers at risk of doxing and chill the "zealous enforcement of the law."

"The laws would recklessly endanger the lives of federal agents and their family members and compromise the operational effectiveness of federal law enforcement activities," the government said in court filings.

Davis also told the court that ICE's current tactics were necessary in part because of laws across California and in much of the U.S. that limit police cooperation with ICE and bar immigration enforcement in sensitive locations, such as schools and courts.

California contends its provisions are "modest" and aligned with past practice, and that the government's evidence showing immigration enforcement would be harmed is thin.

Bell challenged Department of Homeland Security statistics purporting to show an 8,000% increase in death threats against ICE agents and a 1,000% increase in assaults, saying the government has recently changed what qualifies as a "threat" and that agency claims have faced "significant credibility issues" in federal court.

Read more:Attacks on ICE up 1,000%? Trump administration claim not backed up by court records

"Blowing a whistle to alert the community, that's hardly something that increases threats," Bell said.

On the identification rule, Snyder appeared to agree.

"One might argue that there's serious harm to the government if agents' anonymity is preserved," she said.

The fate of the mask law may hinge on the peace officer exemption.

"Would your discrimination argument go away if the state changed legislation to apply to all officers?" Snyder asked.

"I believe so," Davis said.

The ban was slated to come into force on Jan. 1, but is on hold while the case makes its way through the courts. If allowed to take effect, California would become the first state in the nation to block ICE agents and other federal law enforcement officers from concealing their identities while on duty.

A ruling is expected as soon as this week.

Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.

This story originally appeared inLos Angeles Times.

That's exactly what customs officials found when they discovered two women were smuggling an invasive species of turtle into the country through theirchecked baggage. Now, the women face possible jail time while the turtles will hopefully be returned to their natural habitats, where they belong. Here's what we know.

Sign up for our newsletter and get hidden gems, travel secrets, and stories like this delivered straight to your inbox!

5,000 turtles rescued from a smuggler's suitcase in India

The Air Intelligence Unit had an unusual day when they came face-to-face with 5,000 red-eared slider turtles that had been packed tightly into a series of plastic containers and hidden inside of the suitcases of a pair of women.

The alleged smugglersflew into Tiruchy International Airport, according toTimes of India. They arrived there from Kuala Lumpur, the capital of Malaysia. The publication says thatauthorities were alteredto the possible situation via a tip, which prompted them to check the bags once the duo arrived. The women were taken into custody due to violations of the Wildlife Protection Act.

A team of officials from the forest department then arrived to examine the turtles, which were identified as the invasive species, before sending them back to Kuala Lumpur. According to theTimes of India, the investigation is ongoing.

Related: United Airlines passenger flabbergasted over how seatmate behaved—alleging no flight attendants stepped up to help

Trafficking exotic animals through the airport is a big problem

As unusual as this news sounds, it's hardly out of the ordinary. In fact, aUnited News of Indiareport from 2024 said that4,967 small green turtlesand 19 yellow turtles were seized at the Anna International airport. Once again, the flight originated from Kuala Lumpur and contained a massive collection of turtles, but they are hardly the only ones caught up in these crimes.

According toan extensive reportfrom the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, turtles and tortoises made up only 4 percent of the illegally trafficked animals between 2015 to 2021. The group that sees the most international trafficking are corals, which make up 16 percent of all seizures, then the list breaks down further, like this:

• Crocodilians at 9 percent

• Elephants at 6 percent

• Bivalve mollusks at 6 percent

• Carnivores at 5 percent

• Parrots and cockatoos at 4 percent

• Orchids at 4 percent

And then the list goes on. You can get a full accounting of the report by visiting the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime's website. While some people may think of these as victimless crimes—after all, many of these creatures are sold at a very high price to people who desperately want to keep and care for them—that's hardly the case.

Related: Delta passenger who recently lost 60lbs spots seatmate's body-shaming text: 'I can't stop crying'

According to the World Wildlife Fund W(WF), poaching and the associated trafficking that comes along with it causes untold harm to the environment. "Populations of species on earthdeclined by an average 40 percentbetween 1970 and 2000—and the second-biggest direct threat to species survival, after habitat destruction, is wildlife trade," a statement on their website reads. And, that doesn't take into consideration the lives lost when non-native species are introduced into new habitats, either by those who purchased them illegally and realized they could no longer care for them, or by smugglers who decided to release them when they became too much of a liability to keep.

My personal opinions about animal smuggling aside, it's clear that the trafficking of wild animals continues to be a big problem. Hopefully, as more high profile cases like this come to light, future smugglers will think twice about taking part in the trade and leave the animals in their natural habitats where they belong.

This story was originally published byTravelHoston Jan 14, 2026, where it first appeared in theAirlinessection. Add TravelHost as aPreferred Source by clicking here.

Renee Nicole Macklin Goodwas fatally shot on Jan. 7 by U.S. Customs and Immigration Enforcement agentJonathan Ross. The shooting came amid an ICE action in Minneapolis, Minnesota, when the 37-year-old mother of three drove her SUV forward near Ross after being told to exit her vehicle.

Widely seenfootage of the deadly encounter has sharply divided the country. Department of Homeland Security officials say Ross acted properly and that Good was engaged in "domestic terrorism"; top Democrats have called for Ross' arrest. New polling finds most American voters think the shooting wasunjustified.

In statements where they called Good "the beautiful light of our family," the woman's four siblings, parents and their attorneys described the shooting as a result of a chance encounter after dropping her 6-year-old child off at school.

"We want to thank everyone who has reached out in support of Renee and our family. The kind of unending care we've been given during this time is exactly the kind that she gave to everyone," Good's family said in a letter shared with USA TODAY. "Nae was the beautiful light of our family and brought joy to anyone she met. She was relentlessly hopeful and optimistic which was contagious. We all already miss her more than words could ever express."

According to the family and their attorneys, Good and wife Becca Good were driving in their car with their dog after dropping off their child when they came across federal agents in their neighborhood engaged in an immigration action. The couple stopped "to observe, with the intention of supporting and helping their neighbors," family attorneys said.

Becca Good exited the SUV shortly before the deadly encounter. Among Good's last words caught on camera, the woman can be heard telling immigration agents, "I'm not mad at you."

"She was our best friend with a seemingly infinite capacity for love. Nae-Nae gave everything she had to take care of her friends and family, and indeed people she never met," Good's family said. "She was our protector, our shoulder to cry on, and our scintillating source of joy."

June Pierce (C) prays during a vigil at a memorial near the site where Renee Good was killed a week ago on Jan. 14, 2026 in Minneapolis. Good was killed by an immigration enforcement agent during an incident in south Minneapolis on January 7. Attorneys representing the family of Renee Good say they are launching an investigation into the fatal shooting and intend to take legal action against the federal government

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Prayer vigil marks one week since Renee Good was killed by ICE agent

June Pierce (C) prays during a vigil at a memorial near the site where Renee Good was killed a week ago on Jan. 14, 2026 in Minneapolis. Good waskilled by an immigration enforcement agentduring an incident in south Minneapolis on January 7. Attorneys representing the family of Renee Good say they arelaunching an investigationinto the fatal shooting and intend to take legal action against the federal government

The new details come as the family announced a Chicago-based law firm islaunching an investigationinto Good's death. The investigation comes as Justice Department officials say there is "no basis" for an investigation in the case. The firm, Romanucci & Blandin, is the same group that represented the family ofGeorge Floydafter he was murdered by a police officer in Minneapolis in 2020.

Department of Homeland Security leaders say thecontroversial deploymentof militarized agents to the state is needed to root outfraudagency officials have linked toSomali immigrants.

More:After Renee Good ICE shooting, lawyers for family launch investigation

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Renee Good family reveals new details about the morning she was killed by ICE