The California Flyover

Sunday, May 24, 2026

Good Morning! On this day in 1976, nine French wine experts unknowingly ranked Napa Valley bottles above France’s finest in a Paris blind tasting—a verdict that put California wine on the world map.

From a leaking chemical tank evacuating 40,000 in Orange County to an E. coli outbreak linked to a popular kebab chain—it’s a heavy weekend across California. All this and more in Top Stories.

In case you missed it, this week on The Flyover Podcast, Ayla Brown highlighted new research on a kitchen staple that scientists say could play a surprising role in protecting brain health. Multiple long-term studies found people who ate it regularly had a significantly lower risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease, adding to growing evidence that everyday diet choices may have a bigger impact on memory and cognition than once thought. Listen here.

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Take The Flyover with you. Busy day? Listen to our daily 15-minute podcast while commuting, cooking, or walking the dog—your Flyover fix, anywhere.

40,000 Evacuated in Chemical Emergency

More than 40,000 Orange County residents remain under evacuation orders as a 34,000-gallon tank of methyl methacrylate at a Garden Grove aerospace facility continues to leak—and officials say it will either spill or explode.

Emergency crews have been unable to control the failing tank since Friday, with new evacuation zones added through the weekend. California officials described the situation as “actively in crisis” with no safe way to secure it.

Methyl methacrylate is highly flammable. A spill or explosion could release toxic vapors requiring evacuation of an even larger radius—school closures are already in effect across multiple Garden Grove and Anaheim zip codes.

Crews were attempting to cool and slow the leak as of Saturday afternoon. No explosion has occurred and no chemical exposure injuries have been reported, though 40,000 residents remain displaced heading into Memorial Day weekend.

Nine Sickened, Five Hospitalized in E. Coli Outbreak

The Kebab Shop has paused nationwide sales of its grilled beef kofta after a California E. coli outbreak sickened nine people, six of them children.

State health officials linked the Shiga toxin–producing strain to kofta consumed between March 27 and April 30, with five people hospitalized and two children developing hemolytic uremic syndrome, a serious complication that can cause kidney failure. The chain voluntarily pulled its ground beef products on May 18 and says other proteins on its menu come from different suppliers and are not tied to the outbreak.

Anyone who ate beef kofta at The Kebab Shop and developed severe stomach cramps, diarrhea, or vomiting within 10 days is being urged to contact a health care provider, though officials say the exposure risk is not believed to be ongoing now that the implicated product has been removed from sale.

Bay Area Ends 16-Month Hosting Run

The Bay Area is completing one of the most remarkable hosting stretches in American sports history: the NBA All-S tar Game, the Super Bowl, and FIFA World Cup matches all within 16 months.

World Cup group-stage matches are set for Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, with the region positioned as one of North America’s premier World Cup sites. No market has hosted three events of this stature in such a compressed span before.

Bay FC and local organizations are rolling out community programming to welcome international fans, aiming to build lasting soccer culture in the region.

Bay Area matches kick off during the group stage, bringing global attention to Northern California even as health officials monitor Ebola concerns among international travelers arriving for the tournament.

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➤ San Jose: Kawasaki Heavy Industries launched a physical AI development center in Silicon Valley, partnering with Nvidia, Microsoft, Analog Devices, and Fujitsu to advance robotics and industrial automation for global manufacturing. (More)

➤ Sacramento: The Sacramento region has a packed Memorial Day lineup: veterans ceremonies, outdoor festivals, parks events, and warm sunny weather through Monday, making it one of the area’s busiest holiday weekends in years. (More)

➤ Napa: BottleRock Napa Valley kicked off Friday to a sold-out crowd, launching the beloved Memorial Day weekend festival with headliners Lil Wayne and Backstreet Boys and a culinary stage drawing 120,000 fans through Monday. (More)

➤ Stanislaus County: The Sierra Fire reached full containment Saturday morning after burning 49.5 acres near Oakdale—good news heading into a holiday weekend that marks the unofficial start of California’s fire season. (More)

➤ Fresno: Chevron stations across the Central Valley now display signs blaming Sacramento policies for California’s high gas prices—a direct counter to Gov. Newsom’s Memorial Day call to avoid Chevron pumps over alleged price gouging. (More)

➤ Monterey: Central Coast communities from Monterey to Santa Barbara are marking Memorial Day with veterans ceremonies alongside outdoor recreation, wine-country events, and coastal festivals welcoming the unofficial start of summer. (More)

➤ Simi Valley: The Sandy Fire reached 61% containment Saturday, with some evacuation warnings still in place. The blaze has scorched more than 2,100 acres and destroyed at least one structure in Ventura County. (More)

➤ San Bernardino County: A four-month AI camera pilot program launches on the 10 Freeway’s HOV toll lanes to catch solo drivers illegally using carpool lanes. If effective, the technology could expand to freeways statewide. (More)

➤ Inland Empire: Memorial Day kicks off summer swim season across Riverside and San Bernardino counties, with community pools throughout the Inland Empire opening for the first time this year. (More)

➤ UCLA entered Saturday night’s Game 2 of the NCAA softball Los Angeles Super Regional against UCF with a chance to clinch the series, one day after the Bruins posted a dominant 9-1 victory in Game 1. (See Result)

➤ Meanwhile, in baseball, Mulivai Levu’s walk-off three-run home run in the ninth inning lifted UCLA to a 7-5 victory over rival USC in the Big Ten tournament semifinal, advancing the Bruins to the championship game. (Watch Video)

➤ San Diego Padres center fielder Jackson Merrill avoided serious injury after tests returned negative results for fractures and structural damage. He left Wednesday’s game after colliding with the outfield wall while attempting to rob a Shohei Ohtani home run. (More)

➤ Troy Ryan was named general manager and head coach of the Professional Women’s Hockey League’s San Jose expansion franchise, becoming the first person in league history to hold both roles simultaneously. (More)

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➤ Carnaval San Francisco returns to the Mission District for its 47th year, one of Northern California’s largest Latino cultural celebrations. The two-day parade, live music, and costumes run through Sunday with street closures across the neighborhood. (More)

➤ Memorial Day in LA means outdoor movies, pool parties, Fleet Week festivities, and free events from Hollywood to the harbor—a full weekend slate for families and solo adventurers before the unofficial start of summer. (More)

➤ Two retired Kern County teachers—plein air painter Charlotte White and pen-and-ink artist James Bates—are turning Bakersfield’s oil rigs, orchards, iris fields, and backroad landmarks into a quiet visual record of the county’s industrial and agricultural soul. (More)

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Discover 10 of California’s most underrated spots, from hidden beaches and mystical caves to quirky sculpture gardens, perfect for off-the-beaten-path adventures.