THE M777 towed howitzer from the United States might be enough to stop the Russian advance in eastern Ukraine, but they haven’t arrived yet (Wikipedia/USMC).

Street fighting continues to rage in the city of Severodonetsk in the eastern area of Ukraine.

According to United Press International, Russian forces are pushing into the important industrial center and have gained control of most of it. The Donbas region of Ukraine has long been the focus of Russian-speaking separatists seeking to ally the area with Russia.

At the same time, the Ukrainian government is pleading for more weapons and ammunition. A particular emphasis is placed on modern artillery prices. The U.S. has pledged to send its most powerful and accurate howitzers to Ukraine but they are not expected to arrive for at least two more weeks.

Rallies call for stricter gun laws

Crowds as large as 40,000 people gathered in cities across the nation on Saturday to call for stricter gun control laws in the wake of mass shootings in Uvalde, Texas and Buffalo, New, York.

GUN CONTROL – especially as it relates to military-style semiautomatic rifles and high capacity magazines are back in the national conversation after several mass killings (Shutterstock).

The biggest turnout in these “March For Our Lives” demonstrations was in Washington, D.C, but rallies were also held in Los Angeles, Las Vegas, New York and Chicago, as well as smaller cities, according to USA Today.

Also in the news … The Alaska primary election count planned for Saturday (today) will go on as scheduled after the state’s high court overturned a ruling by a lower court claiming that visually impaired voters weren’t getting a “full and fair” chance to vote. The open by-mail primary includes choosing among the 48 candidates – one of whom is former governor and Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin – to run for the state’s sole representative to the U.S. House of Representatives.

Sports: Not another streak, please

After losing their second game in a row, the Los Angeles Angels today (Saturday) will hope to change their luck and end their slump – 16 losses in 17 games – when they host the New York Mets tonight in Anaheim.

The Los Angeles Dodgers are battling their traditional rivals, the San Francisco Giants, this evening in the Bay Area.
Check back later for final results.

Weather: A wee bit cooler for a wee bit

Spoiled by the nice sunny and warmer weather? You will get a break from that for three days starting on Sunday in the West Orange County area. The forecast for tomorrow is for partly cloudy skies with a daytime high of 79 and an overnight low of 64. Monday will be similar with a high of 76 (63), warming a bit to 79 (63) on Tuesday. Sun and daytime temps in the 80s will return on Wednesday.