LOS ANGELES (AP) — The NHL postponed the Los Angeles Kings' home game against the Calgary Flames on Wednesday with several massive wildfires burning across the greater Los Angeles area.
The Kings and Flames were scheduled to play Wednesday night at the Kings' downtown arena. The NBA's Los Angeles Lakers are scheduled to host the Charlotte Hornets in the same arena on Thursday night.
“Our hearts are with our entire Los Angeles community,” the Kings said in a statement. “We appreciate the hard working first responders who are diligently working to contain the fire and protect our community. We appreciate the league’s support in keeping our fans, staff, and players safe.”
The Pepperdine women's basketball team also postponed its home game scheduled for Thursday night against the University of Portland at Firestone Field House on the school's Malibu campus, the West Coast Conference announced. Pepperdine canceled classes Wednesday, and access to its coastal campus is restricted.
The NFL is paying close attention to the potential impact of the fires on the two playoff-bound Los Angeles teams' preparations and the Rams' wild-card postseason game against the Minnesota Vikings scheduled for Monday night at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood.
The NFL said Wednesday evening if the game had to be moved, it would take place at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, the home of the Arizona Cardinals.
In 2003, the league moved a Monday night regular-season game between the Miami Dolphins and San Diego Chargers to Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe, Arizona, due to wildfires.
Three major fires were burning in areas of the vast Los Angeles metroplex on Wednesday following two days of extraordinary winds. At least 70,000 people are under evacuation orders, and more than 1,000 structures have been destroyed.
The Rams and the Los Angeles Chargers both train in areas not threatened by fires, but both teams are monitoring the air quality and its potential impact on their workouts.
The Chargers changed their practice schedule Wednesday to minimize their players' outdoor time in coastal El Segundo, while the Rams don't resume practice until Thursday. The Chargers are on the road Saturday against the Houston Texans in the wild-card round.
Coach Jim Harbaugh had the Chargers' offensive and defensive units practice separately to limit their time on the field. The air quality at the team's complex was 185 when the offense began their afternoon session. Anything above 150 is considered unhealthy.
“We're trying to keep everybody safe and healthy as much as possible and also at the same time get our preparation done for the game,” defensive coordinator Jesse Minter said.
Wide receivers coach Sanjay Lal lives in Calabasas, which is one of the areas affected by the wildfires. Offensive coordinator Greg Roman said Lal had “an intense night” with his family dealing with power outages.
The Rams said no players or staff members had been affected by the fires. The team is headquartered in Woodland Hills, a neighborhood located about 13 miles north of fire-ravaged Pacific Palisades but separated by the Santa Monica Mountains.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with everyone affected by the fires,” star Rams receiver Cooper Kupp wrote on social media. “Thank you to the firefighters, first responders, and everyone else doing their best in unfathomable circumstances.”
Los Angeles Clippers star Kawhi Leonard abruptly left the team before its game at Denver on Wednesday because of what the team described as personal reasons. Leonard bought a house in Pacific Palisades in 2021.
“You definitely have to take care of home. ... Totally had my support 100%,” Clippers coach Tyronn Lue said. “Going back, checking on his family and kids, making sure they’re well. And he got back, and they’re doing OK, so just happy and thankful for that.”
The NBA's Hornets made their flight to Los Angeles as scheduled Wednesday afternoon. For now, the Thursday game with the Lakers remains scheduled.
“We are in communication with the Lakers and Hornets and continue to closely monitor the situation to determine if any scheduling adjustments are necessary related to tomorrow night's game,” NBA spokesman Mike Bass said Wednesday.
At least five people have been killed in the fire north of Pasadena several miles east of the venerable Rose Bowl in a different canyon. That Altadena fire also damaged the radio transmitter used by ESPN LA 710, and USC announced the station wouldn't be able to air the play-by-play broadcasts of the Trojans' men's basketball game at Indiana or the women's basketball game at Maryland on Wednesday.
“My heart is with our entire LA community and everyone affected by these devastating fires,” USC athletic director Jennifer Cohen wrote on social media. “So grateful for the heroic efforts of the fire fighters and first responders.”
The USC women's team has been on an eastern trip, beating Rutgers on Sunday and Maryland on Wednesday night.
“We’ve been on the road for whatever it is now — five days — and our city is on fire,” USC coach Lindsay Gottlieb said. “Hard to be away and watch those scenes, so just want to send our thoughts and prayers to the first responders, to those impacted. I have friends that have been displaced. I know the players probably do, too.”
The Kings said tickets for their postponed game against Calgary will be good for the rescheduled date, which hasn’t been set yet.
AP Basketball Writer Tim Reynolds in Miami and AP Sports Writers Joe Reedy in El Segundo and Noah Trister in College Park, Maryland, contributed to this report.
Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert (10) celebrates with head coach Jim Harbaugh during the second half of an NFL football game against the Las Vegas Raiders in Las Vegas, Sunday, Jan. 5, 2025. (AP Photo/John Locher)
Los Angeles Rams place kicker Joshua Karty (16) reacts after making a field goal during the first half of an NFL football game against the Seattle Seahawks, Sunday, Jan. 5, 2025, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Los Angeles Kings center Anze Kopitar, left, celebrates with goaltender Darcy Kuemper after the team's win against the New Jersey Devils during an NHL hockey game, Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Ryan Sun)
High winds blow as thick smoke from wildfires shrouds downtown Los Angeles on Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Richard Vogel)
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on Monday said he plans to tell the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to stop recommending fluoridation in communities nationwide. Kennedy also said he’s assembling a task force to focus on the issue.
Also on Monday, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced it is reviewing “new scientific information" on potential health risks of fluoride in drinking water. The EPA has primary authority to set the maximum level of fluoridation in public water systems.
Kennedy told The Associated Press of his plans after a news conference with EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin in Salt Lake City.
Kennedy can’t order communities to stop fluoridation, but he can tell the CDC to stop recommending it and work with the EPA to change the allowed amount.
Utah last month became the first state to ban fluoride in public drinking water, pushing past opposition from dentists and national health organizations who warned the move would lead to medical problems that disproportionately affect low-income communities.
Republican Gov. Spencer Cox signed legislation barring cities and communities from deciding whether to add the cavity-preventing mineral to their water systems. Water systems across the state must shut down their fluoridation systems by May 7.
Kennedy praised Utah for emerging as “the leader in making America healthy again.” He was flanked by Utah legislative leaders and the sponsor of the state’s fluoride law.
“I’m very, very proud of this state for being the first state to ban it, and I hope many more will,” he said.
Kennedy oversees the CDC, whose recommendations are widely followed but not mandatory. State and local governments decide whether to add fluoride to water and, if so, how much — as long as it doesn’t exceed a maximum set by the EPA, which is currently 4 milligrams per liter.
Zeldin said his agency was launching a renewed examination of scientific studies on the potential health risks of fluoride in drinking water to help inform any changes to the national standards.
“When this evaluation is completed, we will have an updated foundational scientific evaluation that will inform the agency’s future steps,” Zeldin said. “Secretary Kennedy has long been at the forefront of this issue. His advocacy was instrumental in our decision to review fluoride exposure risks, and we are committed to working alongside him, utilizing sound science as we advance our mission of protecting human health and the environment.”
Fluoride strengthens teeth and reduces cavities by replacing minerals lost during normal wear and tear, according to the CDC. In 1950, federal officials endorsed water fluoridation to prevent tooth decay, and in 1962 set guidelines for how much should be added to water.
Kennedy, a former environmental lawyer, has called fluoride a “dangerous neurotoxin” and said it has been associated with arthritis, bone breaks and thyroid disease. Some studies have suggested such links might exist, usually at higher-than-recommended fluoride levels, though some reviewers have questioned the quality of available evidence and said no definitive conclusions can be drawn.
In November, just days before the presidential election, Kennedy declared that Donald Trump would push to remove fluoride from drinking water on his first day as president. That didn't happen, but Trump later picked Kennedy to run the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, where he has been expected to take some kind of action. Meanwhile, some localities have gone ahead and decisions whether to keep fluoridating water.
Related to all this: A massive round of staffing cuts last week across federal agencies included elimination of the CDC's 20-person Division of Oral Health. That office managed grants to local agencies to improve dental health and, in come cases, encourage fluoridation.
Fluoride can come from a number of sources, but drinking water is the main one for Americans, researchers say. Nearly two-thirds of the U.S. population gets fluoridated drinking water, according to CDC data. The addition of low levels of fluoride to drinking water was long considered one of the greatest public health achievements of the last century.
About one-third of community water systems — 17,000 out of 51,000 across the U.S. — serving more than 60% of the population fluoridated their water, according to a 2022 CDC analysis. The agency currently recommends 0.7 milligrams of fluoride per liter of water.
But over time, studies have documented potential problems. Too much fluoride has been associated with streaking or spots on teeth. Studies also have traced a link between excess fluoride and brain development.
A report last year by the federal government’s National Toxicology Program, which summarized studies conducted in Canada, China, India, Iran, Pakistan and Mexico, concluded that drinking water with more than 1.5 milligrams of fluoride per liter — more than twice the recommended level in the U.S. — was associated with lower IQs in kids.
Utah Oral Health Coalition chairperson Lorna Koci said Monday that she hopes other states push back against the removal of fluoride and that Kennedy’s visit to celebrate her state's fluoride ban underscores the political motivations of those who support it.
She predicted children will have more cavities as a result and said backers of the fluoride legislation in Utah spread false information that raised doubts about its effectiveness. Opponents of the law warned it would disproportionately affect low-income residents who may rely on public drinking water containing fluoride as their only source of preventative dental care.
“This seems to be less about fluoride and more about power,” Koci said.
Stobbe reported from New York. Associated Press writer Matthew Brown in Billings, Montana, contributed reporting,
The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Science and Educational Media Group and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., right, arrives at University of Utah to discuss Utah's new fluoride ban and food additives legislation, Monday, April 7, 2025, in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo/Melissa Majchrzak)
Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to appear in Salt Lake City with the EPA administrator and state lawmakers to talk about Utah's new fluoride ban and food additives legislation, Monday, April 7, 2025, in Salt Lake City, Utah. (AP Photo/Melissa Majchrzak)
Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to appear in Salt Lake City with the EPA administrator and state lawmakers to talk about Utah's new fluoride ban and food additives legislation, Monday, April 7, 2025, in Salt Lake City, Utah. (AP Photo/Melissa Majchrzak)
Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. exits a bus as he visits University of Utah to discuss Utah's new fluoride ban and food additives legislation, Monday, April 7, 2025, in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo/Melissa Majchrzak)
Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to appear in Salt Lake City with the EPA administrator and state lawmakers to talk about Utah's new fluoride ban and food additives legislation, Monday, April 7, 2025, in Salt Lake City, Utah. (AP Photo/Melissa Majchrzak)
Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. visits University of Utah to discuss Utah's new fluoride ban and food additives legislation, Monday, April 7, 2025, in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo/Melissa Majchrzak)
Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. visits University of Utah to discuss Utah's new fluoride ban and food additives legislation, Monday, April 7, 2025, in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo/Melissa Majchrzak)
Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to appear in Salt Lake City with the EPA administrator and state lawmakers to talk about Utah's new fluoride ban and food additives legislation, Monday, April 7, 2025, in Salt Lake City, Utah. (AP Photo/Melissa Majchrzak)
