Dozens killed in missile strike

At least 52 people were killed Friday when a missile hit a crowded train station in the east Ukrainian city of Kramatorsk.

According to the Associated Press, the station was occupied mostly with women and children seeking to flee the city, believed to be in the path of a new Russian military push. The number of wounded has initially been put at “many dozens.”

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy accused the Russians of deliberately targeting an area populated primarily with civilians. The Kremlin denied it was one of their missiles.

Criticism of the attack has quickly followed, from Great Britain, the European Union and the United Nations. Evidence of atrocities by Russian forces are mounting and calls for prosecuting President Vladimir Putin for “war crimes” have increased.

Will Smith’s 10-year ban from Oscars

The Motion Picture Academy banned actor Will Smith from attending any academy events for a period of 10 years in a decision announced on Friday.

According to Los Angeles Times, Smith – who slapped Chris Rock on stage for making a joke about Smith’s wife Jada Pinkett Smith – can still be nominated for an award, but is prohibited from being present at any Oscar awards ceremonies.

Smith replied, “I accept and respect the academy’s decision.” He had previously resigned from the academy.

The slapping incident came before Smith was awarded the Oscar for Best Actor for his performance in “King Richard.”

Sports: Dodgers open with win; Angels lose

The Los Angeles Dodgers opened their 2022 campaign on the road, taking on the Colorado Rockies. The Blue Crew won 5-3 after trailing 3-0 in the second inning. A five-run rally in the fourth was the decider. Walker Buehler (1-0) got the win, working five innings and giving up four hits and two runs. He struck out five and walked two.

They’ll play again on Saturday and Sunday.

The Los Angeles Angels fell to 0-2 with a 13-6 loss to the Houston Astros in Anaheim. The visitors hammered five Halo pitchers for five homers and 14 hits. The Angels had 13 hits – led by Jared Walsh’s three – but no home runs.

Those teams will play again on Saturday and Sunday.

Weather:  The heat is off … soon

Too hot for you? Temperatures in the West Orange County area hit 100 today (Friday), but relief is on the way. The forecast for Saturday is for a daytime high of 81 (overnight low of 57) under partly cloudy skies. Sunday should be even cooler at 72 (57) with mostly sunny conditions. Monday will see more clouds and a high of 69 (49).

Business: Mixed day on Wall Street

Two of three major stock indexes showed declines on Friday. The Dow Jones Average rose by 137.55 point to 34,721.12. However, the S&P 500 dropped by 11.93 points to finish at 4,488.28. The Nasdaq fell by 186.30 to 13,711.

According to analysts, the mixed results are the result of uncertainty about actions of the Federal Reserve system, including expected higher interest rates.