Months after imposing fines of up to $300,000 for illegal fireworks activity on the Fourth of July, the city of Stanton has agreed to reduce those penalties to at most $10,000, the city said in a news release.s After the Fourth of July last year, 18 Stanton residents received fines for alleged illeg al firework activity, ranging from $1,000 to several hundreds of thousands of dollars. Each alleged instance of illegal firework activity carried a $1,000 fine. Stanton drones reportedly captured $929,000 worth of illegal firework violations, during last year’s Fourth of July holiday period, according to Stanton City Manager Hannah Shin-Heydorn. But, the city has now settled with most of the citation receivers to pay up to $10,000, which can be paid through a monthly payment plan. The city rolled out a Fourth of July drone program in 2025 to catch and fine those engaging in illegal firework activity following the passage of a spring ordinance. So, what will happen to all that citation money? Under a state health code, 65% of the collected money will go to the State Fire Marshal. The rest will go to the city’s general fund to offset the costs associated with the drone program, said Shin-Heydorn. Stanton will continue enforcing illegal firework activity, said the news release. ...read more read less