What is being billed as the worlds tallest fresh-cut Christmas tree now stands at a Southern California outlet mall.

On Monday, the Citadel Outlets in Commerce, located about 10 minutes outside of Los Angeles, welcomed the 115-foot white fir tree as it kicked off the holiday season.

Mall officials said it took three days to transport the tree from Mount Shasta in Northern California to Commerce. It was installed in the mall's Center Court.

RELATED STORY | Fresh-cut or artificial trees? What experts say is more sustainable

Over the next two weeks, workers will decorate the tree with 18,000 lights and 10,000 ornaments and bows ahead of the malls annual Tree Lighting Concert Celebration on Nov. 7.

The tree is 35 feet taller than New York Citys 80-foot Rockefeller Center Christmas tree and 70 feet taller than the Hollywood Sign, which stands 45 feet tall.

This story was originally published by Jermaine Ong with the

Scripps News Group in San Diego.

A Colorado resident infected with measles could have exposed thousands of people to the illness after flying in and out of Denver International Airport earlier this month, state health officials said Friday.

The individual a Jefferson County adult with unknown vaccination status against the highly transmissible virus traveled in and out of the airport at least three times during the first week of October, according to the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment.

State health officials say its likely the patient was exposed during travel outside of Colorado.

Sixth measles-related death reported as Pennsylvania battles widespread outbreak

The CDPHE says people could have been exposed to measles at the following locations and times listed below:

Denver International Airport: Between 12:25 a.m. and 3 a.m. on Saturday, Oct. 3. The individual arrived at Gate C50, rode the airport train to Concourse B, then took an employee shuttle bus to an employee parking lot. Denver International Airport: Between 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 4. The individual rode an employee shuttle bus from an employee parking lot to Concourse B, then left from Gate B48 at 10:57 a.m. Denver International Airport: Between 11:25 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 4 and 2 a.m. on Monday, Oct. 5. The individual arrived at Gate A18 in Concourse A, rode the train to Concourse B, then took an employee shuttle bus to an employee parking lot. CareNow Urgent Care, located at 6413 Fig St. in Arvada: Between 11:35 a.m. and 4:15 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 7.

Measles is a highly contagious viral infection that spreads through the air and can remain airborne for up to two hours meaning people may have been exposed even if they were nowhere near the infected person at the time.

State health officials said those who were potentially exposed to the virus may develop symptoms through Wednesday, Oct. 28.

What to do if you believe you were exposed

Anyone who believes they may have been exposed especially those who have not been vaccinated with the MMR vaccine should monitor for symptoms for 21 days and avoid public gatherings or high-risk settings, health officials said in a news release.

Symptoms to watch out for include anything from a fever, a cough, a runny nose, and red, watery eyes that develop into a rash that starts on the face and then spreads to the rest of the body about three to five days after symptoms first start. A person with measles is contagious four days before and four days after the rash appears.

State health officials urge people who develop symptoms to call the CDPHE at 720-653-3369 or their local public health agency immediately by phone before trying to seek treatment to avoid other people from becoming potentially infected with the virus. The CDPHE urges people to call an urgent care center or emergency department and explain that you may have been exposed to measles if you do not have a health care provider.

While most people recover within two or three weeks after contracting the virus, unvaccinated people run the risk of complications from the disease, including ear infections, seizures, pneumonia, immune amnesia, brain damage and ultimately, death.

Measles only spreads from people who show symptoms; it does not spread from people who arent feeling sick, state health officials said.

Unvaccinated people exposed to the virus can get the MMR vaccine 72 hours after exposure (but before symptoms are present) to prevent an infection, according to health officials. If vaccination is not possible, antibody treatment can help in some cases if its given within six days of exposure, state health officials said.

Getting vaccinated is the best way to protect yourself, your family, and your community, the CDPHE spokesperson said.

While the two-dose series of the MMR vaccine has a 97% efficacy rate against infection, about 3 in every 100 people can still get infected if exposed to the virus for a prolonged period of time, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Vaccinated individuals will usually develop milder symptoms and are less likely to spread it to others, according to state health officials.

People who got vaccinated against measles before 1968 should talk to their health care provider about possibly getting a booster as the vaccine used before that year wasn't as effective.

Colorado measles cases have slowed, but numbers are still high

Colorado experienced a reprieve in measles activity this summer following several outbreaks in the northeastern part of the state at the beginning of the year, but the highly contagious disease started making headlines again after the CDPHE announced an international visitor who was later confirmed to have measles traveled to areas northwest of Denver in mid-September.

As of Friday, Colorado had reported 26 cases of the virus across 9 counties: Adams (5), Arapahoe (1), Broomfield (5), Delta (1), Jefferson (1), Lake (6), Larimer (1), Saguache (1), and Weld (5), according to statewide data. For context, that's about 72% of all cases the state reported all of last year. Up until 2014, Colorado saw between zero and two cases each year.

Most of the state's measles cases have occurred in unvaccinated individuals who traveled to areas of the U.S. with active outbreaks, per state data.

Across the nation, the number of confirmed measles infections this year has so far reached 4,410 numbers not seen in 35 years, according to CDC data with the majority of cases happening among unvaccinated children.

At least five measles-related deaths have been reported across the U.S. so far in 2026. The last time the U.S. reported four measles deaths was 35 years ago, in 1991.

This story was originally published by scar Contreras with the Scripps News Group in Denver.

President Donald Trump's new press secretary, Katie Zacharia, is "transitioning out of the role" after he told her to reconsider the job just five days in, according to a White House official.

Trump told reporters at the White House on Friday he was leaving the decision up to her, claiming that she's been treated "very badly" by the media. However, CNN and other sources reported that Zacharia had been fired from the role.

"I said 'Katie, is this for you?' because she's been treated very rough," Trump said he told Zacharia earlier Friday morning. "Honestly, if I were you, Id reconsider."

He added that he felt Fox News host Sean Hannity was "a little bit tough" on her in a recent interview and "she's a nice person."

Trump claimed Zacharia said, "this is a lot tougher" and that he told her, "welcome to the world of Trump."

He told reporters they would speak about her role when he returned to the White House. The president is headed to Georgia for a campaign event.

Katie Zacharia defends lawyer title, explains short first White House briefing

"Maybe it's not for her," the president added.

This is a developing story and will be updated.

Pope Leo XIV underwent surgery Tuesday that confirmed that he has lung cancer, and doctors removed the lower lobe of his right lung, the Vatican said Tuesday.

The tests confirmed a diagnosis of lung adenocarcinoma, the Vatican said in a medical bulletin after the surgery. It said the diagnosis had been suspected by preoperative tests and was confirmed during surgery.

The 71-year-old was in the operating room for about 3 hours, the statement said. The surgery itself lasted approximately 90 minutes. "The surgery was successful, and there were no complications," the statement said.

Leo had walked into Rome's Gemelli hospital through the main entrance earlier in the day and waved to dozens of well-wishers who had gathered to greet him. The Vatican said the surgery would be performed by a team led by Gemelli's chief thoracic surgeon, Dr. Stefano Margaritora.

RELATED STORY | Pope Leo XIV will undergo surgery to remove a nodule on his lung

The American pontiff has offered a rare level of transparency about the first publicly disclosed major health problem of his 17-month papacy. He revealed the discovery of the small, localized nodule during his Sunday noon prayer and announced that he would have it removed.

Oncologists said prior to the operation that even if the nodule turned out to be cancerous, Leo's prognosis is "excellent" since it will have been removed at an early stage.

The Vatican on Monday canceled all Leo's audiences through Oct. 20.

While Gemelli has a specific papal apartment that past popes have used, complete with a private chapel on the 10th floor, Leo will actually be staying in a nearby room since the papal apartment is currently undergoing renovations, according to the Vatican press office.

Water service was restored to residents of a southeast Colorado Springs neighborhood on Saturday.

Colorado Springs Utilities said they were able to restore service around 2 p.m. This is after a water main break on Friday near Airport Road and Murray Boulevard that resulted in services being stopped and some areas being flooded.

As far as a cause, Utilities said it was likely an aging pipe, but it is still being looked into.

But detours will remain in place until Thursday, they said. Murray Boulevard will remain closed between Airport Road and Dewey Drive as crews work to repair the road in the area, according to Utilities.

Utilities asks drivers in that area to proceed with caution as those crews work.

This same area saw another water main break earlier this year, but Utilities said they arent able to say yet whether it was the same main that broke this time, nor how that incident ties into this most recent break, if at all.

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Crews responded to an apparent water main break in southeastern Colorado Springs Friday.

At the intersection of Murray Boulevard and Airport Road, water covered the surface of the road. A neighborhood northwest of the intersection also has water covering the road.

Viewers have reached out to us about the water.

Colorado Springs Utilities says they have crews at the scene. They say Murray Boulevard is closed from Airport Road to Dewey Road. Utilities did says they planned on replacing a hydrant in the area, but that work has been postponed.

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Hundreds of local students celebrated the fall season while also getting some hands on learning.

On Thursday, Venetucci Farm hosted one of several school field trips of the month. Kindergarteners were able to learn about planting, watering and growing vegetables.

The Pikes Peak Real Estate Foundation says they expect to have about 1,500 students visit the farm in October. The foundations says while the farm cannot grow its own edible food because of contamination that happened a decade ago, the tradition continues with pumpkins from a farm in Pueblo.

Why is it important to teach kids about agriculture? We want to ensure that these kids know the true heritage of the Pikes Peak region, Martin Trujillo, the southeast executive director of Colorado Youth Outdoors, said. It is not only essential, but also the different climates and things like that that this community brings together is truly what we want them to take home with them going forward.

Every student also leaves with their own pumpkin to take home as long as they can carry it back to the bus on their own.

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An air ambulance carrying six people may have been "coming in blind" with electrical problems when a storm loomed ahead of it early Saturday shortly before it vanished in the waters off Nantucket.

The pilot reported electrical problems and declared an emergency as it approached the coast on the flight from Bermuda, according to air traffic control audio posted by LiveATC.net. "Roger, you said you're coming in blind. Is that what you said?" a controller can be heard asking the pilot.

That makes Mary Schiavo, who is a former Inspector General of the Transportation Department, think the plane may have lost its navigational instruments just as a storm moved across its path on radar. The plane also descended sharply from its cruising altitude of around 24,000 feet to around 10,000 feet, according to preliminary data from flight tracking site FlightRadar24.

"Something bad happened with this big drop, and they flew into this big storm. It's a terrible place to have a loss of your instruments and be flying blind," said Schiavo, who is an aviation attorney. "It's very easy to get disoriented and not know if you're turning, climbing, descending, etc. Spatial orientation hits pretty quickly."

The Canadian-registered air ambulance jet had four crew members and two passengers aboard when it departed Bermuda's L.F. Wade International Airport overnight for the flight to Massachusetts, according to a statement from the Bermuda airport's operator, Skyport.

Four of the six people on board the flight that went missing early Saturday were Canadian nationals, the country's Minister of Transport Steven MacKinnon said on X. Transport Canada is closely monitoring and working with authorities on search and rescue efforts, he said.

The Coast Guard said the Federal Aviation Administration reported that the Gulfstream G100 had lost contact very early Saturday morning. The search for the jet included crews in the air and on the water, the Coast Guard said.

The National Transportation Safety Board said it was gathering information about the situation Saturday, but did not say immediately if it would investigate.