TimesOC: Latest news in Orange County

Good morning, and welcome to the TimesOC newsletter. It’s Friday, Dec. 11.

My name is David Carrillo Peñaloza, the author of the TimesOC newsletter and an editor for Los Angeles Times Community News.

Orange County on Thursday reported a record-high 1,025 COVID-19 hospitalizations, and on the same day, it was reported that more than 3,000 people died in the U.S. due to the coronavirus. The number of deaths in a single day nationwide are more than on D-Day or 9/11.

Help is on the way as the Food and Drug Administration’s advisory panel endorsed Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine.

Here are the latest headlines for our Orange County readers:

A busy Sunday at the intersection of Pacific Coast Highway and Main Street in downtown Huntington Beach.

(Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)

NEWS

— U.S. panel endorses widespread use of Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine

— One-day U.S. death toll from COVID-19 tops 3,000, more than D-Day or 9/11

— Orange County reports record-high 1,025 COVID-19 hospitalizations

— Here’s how California plans to distribute the COVID-19 vaccine in coming weeks

— Can at-home tests help Orange County get a handle on the pandemic?

— Southern California is a main driver of state’s record COVID-19 deaths, with no signs of a letup

— California’s new contact-tracing app: What you need to know

— UC Irvine researchers develop rapid antibody generation technology that could target COVID-19

— The Golden State’s future? Most Californians are pessimistic

— States urge Supreme Court to toss out ‘seditious’ Texas lawsuit seeking to overturn Joe Biden’s win

— Column: In Xavier Becerra as first Latino health secretary, Joe Biden gets a team player who’s tough in a fight

— Column: Should California’s next U.S. senator be Black or Latino? Both if Dianne Feinstein quits

— Fewer high school graduates enrolled in college this fall amid COVID-19 pandemic, study shows

— Drive-through and walk-in coronavirus antibody testing launches in Santa Ana

— Garden Grove nonprofit provides rental assistance and food as pandemic leaves many in need

— Huntington Harbour Boat Parade a go for this weekend, but people from out of town discouraged to come watch

— Prepped by a pandemic, organizers make tentative plans for 2021 OC Fair

— Orange County wedding planners grow a new business selling plant pots

— A lawsuit alleges ‘unchecked groping’ and other sex abuse at O.C. homeless shelters

— Newport Beach woman charged with murder in crash that left 2 dead, 3 children injured

— Man who allegedly struck, killed 12-year-old boy in DUI collision in Costa Mesa charged with murder

— ‘You got pedigree’: Sgt. Charles J. Shaw II gets a posthumous show at the Bowers Museum

— Looking after Newport Beach seniors was her calling for 33 years. That’s until grandma-hood came

— O.C. activist’s documentary features ground-level view of protests sparked by death of George Floyd

— Newport City Council appoints Brad Avery as mayor and Kevin Muldoon as mayor pro tem

— Laguna Beach to have Bob Whalen as mayor again, Sue Kempf is mayor pro tem

Lakers star LeBron James stands up during introductions prior to Game 6 of the NBA Finals against the Miami Heat on Oct. 11.

(Mark J. Terrill / Associated Press)

SPORTS

— LeBron James named Time’s athlete of the year for work against voter suppression

— Paul George signs four-year extension with the Clippers

— Rams continue to build confidence in domination over Patriots

— Column: Who in the NFL will have the courage to say COVID’s spread has gone too far?

— Chargers’ Isaac Rochell nominated for NFL’s Walter Payton Man of the Year Award

— U.S. Olympic leaders say American athletes won’t be punished for protests

— Colin Kaepernick and Ben & Jerry’s look to ‘Change the Whirled’

— Column: Don’t say farewell to heart and soul. Dodgers must re-sign Justin Turner

— First two picks of the Rule 5 draft are Angels and Dodgers pitchers

— The voice of the Angels sells Dodgers championship T-shirts

— It’s a rivalry ‘game on’ after a Trojan and a Bruin fought on together

— Nick Figueroa believed in himself and USC has been the beneficiary

— Corona del Mar Aquatics coach Kelly Rulon inducted into USA Water Polo Hall of Fame

— Orange County Soccer Club launches virtual soccer curriculum to keep kids active during pandemic

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