NEW YORK — On East Houston Street, tucked between the noise and the hustle, sits the kind of old-school New York spot that reminds you why you fell in love with the city in the first place.
Army & Navy Bags is less than 200 square feet, packed floor to ceiling. And at the center of it all, wearing his signature sandals, vest, T-shirt, and smile, is owner Henry Yao.
“Thank you so much. Thank you. Oh my God,” Henry said as customers stepped inside.
People don’t just shop here anymore, they visit Henry.
“If you’re ever in New York and you don’t come see him,” one customer joked, “go back to wherever you came from.”
When Joelle Garguilo walked in, Henry lit up.
“Hello,” Henry said.
“Hello,” Joelle replied.
“Oh wow,” Henry said. “What a surprise.”
That genuine excitement is what made the world fall in love with him. His story spread thanks to Nick Heller, better known as New York Nico, who began posting about Henry on social media.
“Sometimes I fall asleep because nobody walking,” Henry said.
“And then what happens?” Garguilo asked.
“New York Nico. He says, ‘Henry, I think I can help you.’ A picture. Just a picture.”
One photo changed everything.
“Because of him, I survived,” Henry said.
The attention came at a crucial moment, as small businesses across the city, including Henry’s, struggled through the pandemic. Now, people come not only to shop but to say hello, shake his hand, or even bring him lunch.
“I saw it on TikTok,” one visitor said. “I came in and thought, this is really New York. Like, we know each other here.”
Customers have traveled from Germany, even Australia, all drawn by Henry’s warmth.
“My cousin said this man is like an oracle,” another customer said. “You’ll be blown away.”
To understand Henry, you need to understand his journey.
“Where did you grow up?” Garguilo asked.
“China,” Henry said.
“When did you come to the U.S.?”
“When I was 19 years old.”
“What was the dream?” Garguilo asked.
“That time, China was tough. I was so lucky I had opportunity to come to the USA,” Henry said.
The simplest things felt miraculous.
“I never seen a refrigerator before,” he said. “Coca-Cola, right? First time I drink it, I thought, I’m in heaven. A cold thing was so, so cool.”
Henry worked every job he could.
“I just want my children to have better education,” he said.
He has three kids, including a son named Nicholas.
“I named him Nicholas because I love Nicholas’s voice,” Henry said of singer Nicholas Tse. “So special.”
Eventually, Henry opened this tiny shop.
When I started, I thought, a little too small,” Henry said. “But I know if you treat people with respect, they remember. A store may be ugly, small, but people still love and support. It’s small but sincere.”
For 22 years, he has made it work.
“I have passion about military stuff,” he said. “The soldier uses the bag as fuel, it must last.”
But Henry is now facing new challenges, including rising tariffs and increasing rent.
“It’s almost 200 square feet,” He said.
“And the rent’s over $7,000 a month?” Garguilo asked.
“Yeah,” Henry said.
Still, he refuses to raise prices, and he doesn’t want donations or handouts. What he wants is customers.
“New York, we accept everybody,” he said. “New Yorkers are not just friendly, they’re hard too. They show love. Other places, you dress a little weird and people look at you different, but New York, no. We accept you, no matter who you are.”
So if you’re ever on East Houston Street, stop by Army & Navy Bags. Say hi to Henry, because in a city that’s constantly changing, some things, and some people, are worth holding onto.
GREENWICH VILLAGE, Manhattan — If you’re in the mood for dessert, you’ve likely heard of Little Cupcake Bakeshop and its iconic Brooklyn Blackout Cake, a longtime favorite among New Yorkers.
The family owned bakery has built a loyal following with its classic desserts, neighborhood feel and commitment to scratch-made treats.
Little Cupcake Bakeshop is expanding once again, to Greenwich Village, marking another milestone for the growing business. The bakery already had locations in Bay Ridge, Prospect Heights and East Williamsburg in Brooklyn, as well as SoHo in Manhattan, allowing the brand to reach customers across multiple neighborhoods while staying true to its roots.
Joelle Garguilo sat down with the brothers behind the bakery to talk about how it started, the inspiration behind their signature cakes and what’s next for the business. They also shared what the latest expansion means for their family and for the communities they serve.
Brad Arnold, founder and lead singer of 3 Doors Down, has died. He was 47.
The rock group posted on its Instagram on Saturday, he passed away from cancer.
“Brad helped redefine mainstream rock music, blending post-grunge accessibility with emotionally direct songwriting and lyrical themes that resonated with everyday listeners. Brad’s songwriting became a cultural touchstone for a generation, producing some of the most enduring hits of the 2000s, including the band’s breakout hit,” Kryptonite,” which he wrote in his math class,” the band wrote. “Those closest to him will remember not only his talent, but his warmth, humility, faith, and deep love for his family and friends.”
Brad Arnold of the band 3 Doors Down performs during Patriots Fest on Saturday, May 18, 2024, in Aurora, Ill.
Photo by Rob Grabowski/Invision/AP
They said he died peacefully and was surrounded by his wife, Jennifer, and family.
Entertainment’s awards season has coincided with the Trump administration’s mass deportation campaign in Minneapolis, forcing artists to decide whether and how to join the growing cultural revolt against immigration crackdowns.
Pushback from music’s biggest stars was visible Sunday from the Grammys red carpet and throughout the telecast. Activists spent the week pressing celebrities to don pins protesting the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement presence in cities, working with their teams to spread the message and circulating them at the many events leading up to the ceremony.
Billie Eilish, Finneas and Carole King wore pins while appearing onstage. Even Justin and Hailey Bieber, who don’t normally address American politics, had them. Eilish began her song of the year speech by professing that “no one is illegal on stolen land.” British soul pop singer Olivia Dean, recognized as best new artist, shared that she is the granddaughter of an immigrant – people who she said “deserve to be celebrated.” Expletives flew as ICE got cursed multiple times by winners including Kehlani.
“Before I say thanks to God, I’m gonna say: ICE out,” Bad Bunny said to a standing ovation with roaring applause while accepting the award for best música urbana album. “We’re not savage, we’re not animals, we’re not aliens. We are humans and we are Americans.”
“The hate gets more powerful with more hate. The only thing that is more powerful than hate is love. So please, we need to be different. If we fight, we have to do it with love. We don’t hate them, we love our family. Don’t forget it, that’s how we do it with love,” he added.
The frequent pushback and buttons’ prevalence marked a much stronger showing of support than organizers saw at last month’s Golden Globes. Public backlash has grown since a Border Patrol officer shot and killed 37-year-old nurse Alex Pretti and federal agents detained 5-year-old Liam Conejo Ramos. The recent arrest of journalist Don Lemon, who attended Sunday’s ceremony, only added to the outcry.
Plus, as one organizer noted, the Grammys tend to draw a less risk-averse crowd than Hollywood’s shows.
“These are folks who are known for six-stage shows, crazy costumes, being kind of rebellious, punk rock – like that’s the music industry. And so, I think it makes sense that we would see good support,” Maremoto Executive Director Jess Morales Rocketto said ahead of the show. “These pins are about so much more than a red carpet moment. It’s about people taking a stand and doing what they can to show up to say that ICE should be out of our communities.”
Protest pins on the red carpet
Jason Isbell, Margo Price, Kehlani and Rhiannon Giddens were among the other artists wearing protest apparel on the Grammys red carpet.
Billie Eilish, left, and Kehlani, right, wear “ICE OUT” pins at the 68th annual Grammy Awards on Sunday, Feb. 1, 2026, in Los Angeles.
Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP
Justin Vernon, whose band Bon Iver is up for best alternative music album, said he wore a whistle to honor the legal observers who are documenting federal agents’ actions on the streets.
“I think there’s a reason that music exists and it’s to heal and to bring people together,” he told The Associated Press. “But the real work are those observers on the on the ground in Minneapolis. We just want to want to shout them out.”
Earlier in the week, Mexican American singer Becky G had an explicit message for ICE on the nails she wore to the MusiCares Person of the Year gala. And at the Sundance Film Festival, several celebrities wore pins saying “ICE OUT” during their red carpet appearances, including Natalie Portman, Olivia Wilde and Zoey Deutch, who also wore a “BE GOOD” pin, referencing Renee Good, who was killed by an ICE officer last month.
Wilde told the AP that she was “horrified by this string of murders that we are somehow legitimizing and normalizing.”
“It’s really difficult to be here and to be celebrating something so joyous and beautiful and positive when we know what’s happening on the streets,” she added. “Americans are out on the streets marching and demanding justice, and we’re there with them. And if we can do anything with our platforms, you know, we can speak out and demand that ICE get out.”
Portman got emotional when asked about her “ICE OUT” pin at the premiere of her new film, “The Gallerist.”
“I’m so lucky to be here in a joyful, creative community celebrating a movie we’re really proud of. But it’s impossible to ignore what ICE is doing to our country. And I’m very inspired, though, by all of the amazing, amazing Americans who are coming out and supporting each other and being there in communities. It’s beautiful,” the actor said as she teared up.
Reasons celebrities may not speak out
As far as the Grammys go, Morales Rocketto, the community organizer who founded the Latino advocacy group Maremoto, said it’s “kind of a crapshoot” as to which entertainers actually wear the pins.
She described a range of industry forces working against artists’ political expression. Objections could come from record companies, managers or corporate partners.
“Maybe the design house that did their fashion deal for the red carpet didn’t want them to literally poke holes in the dress,” she said. “There’s like a million reasons for people not to do it.”
Artists might also face personal dangers themselves. Morales Rocketto pointed to the Trump administration’s threats to place ICE agents at the upcoming Super Bowl halftime performance by Bad Bunny, “one of the most invincible” entertainers in her view.
“I wouldn’t be surprised if we see some Latino artists wearing them,” she said of the pins. “But the reality is that just because Latino artists are rich and famous, doesn’t mean that they are exempt from the lack of safety that permeates so many Latinos and Latino families. They themselves may be undocumented or only have a green card or have mixed status families.”
___
AP Film Writer Lindsey Bahr and AP journalist Brooke Lefferts contributed reporting from Park City, Utah.
Entertainment’s awards season has coincided with the Trump administration’s mass deportation campaign in Minneapolis, forcing artists to decide whether and how to join the growing cultural revolt against immigration crackdowns.
Pushback from music’s biggest stars was visible Sunday from the Grammys red carpet and throughout the telecast. Activists spent the week pressing celebrities to don pins protesting the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement presence in cities, working with their teams to spread the message and circulating them at the many events leading up to the ceremony.
Billie Eilish, Finneas and Carole King wore pins while appearing onstage. Even Justin and Hailey Bieber, who don’t normally address American politics, had them. Eilish began her song of the year speech by professing that “no one is illegal on stolen land.” British soul pop singer Olivia Dean, recognized as best new artist, shared that she is the granddaughter of an immigrant – people who she said “deserve to be celebrated.” Expletives flew as U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement got cursed multiple times by winners, including Kehlani.
“Before I say thanks to God, I’m gonna say: ICE out,” Bad Bunny said to a standing ovation with roaring applause while accepting the award for best música urbana album. “We’re not savage, we’re not animals, we’re not aliens. We are humans and we are Americans.”
“The hate gets more powerful with more hate. The only thing that is more powerful than hate is love. So please, we need to be different. If we fight, we have to do it with love. We don’t hate them, we love our family. Don’t forget it, that’s how we do it with love,” he added.
The frequent pushback and buttons’ prevalence marked a much stronger showing of support than organizers saw at last month’s Golden Globes. Public backlash has grown since a Border Patrol officer shot and killed 37-year-old nurse Alex Pretti and federal agents detained 5-year-old Liam Conejo Ramos. The recent arrest of journalist Don Lemon, who attended Sunday’s ceremony, only added to the outcry.
Plus, as one organizer noted, the Grammys tend to draw a less risk-averse crowd than Hollywood’s shows.
Kehlani accepts the award for best R&B performance for “Folded” during the 68th annual Grammy Awards on Sunday, Feb. 1, 2026, in Los Angeles.
AP Photo/Chris Pizzello
“These are folks who are known for six-stage shows, crazy costumes, being kind of rebellious, punk rock – like that’s the music industry. And so, I think it makes sense that we would see good support,” Maremoto Executive Director Jess Morales Rocketto said ahead of the show. “These pins are about so much more than a red carpet moment. It’s about people taking a stand and doing what they can to show up to say that ICE should be out of our communities.”
Protest pins on the red carpet
Jason Isbell, Margo Price, Kehlani and Rhiannon Giddens were among the other artists wearing protest apparel on the Grammys red carpet.
Billie Eilish, left, and Kehlani, right, wear “ICE OUT” pins at the 68th annual Grammy Awards on Sunday, Feb. 1, 2026, in Los Angeles.
Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP
Justin Vernon, whose band Bon Iver is up for best alternative music album, said he wore a whistle to honor the legal observers who are documenting federal agents’ actions on the streets.
“I think there’s a reason that music exists and it’s to heal and to bring people together,” he told The Associated Press. “But the real work are those observers on the on the ground in Minneapolis. We just want to want to shout them out.”
Earlier in the week, Mexican American singer Becky G had an explicit message for ICE on the nails she wore to the MusiCares Person of the Year gala. And at the Sundance Film Festival, several celebrities wore pins saying “ICE OUT” during their red carpet appearances, including Natalie Portman, Olivia Wilde and Zoey Deutch, who also wore a “BE GOOD” pin, referencing Renee Good, who was killed by an ICE officer last month.
Wilde told the AP that she was “horrified by this string of murders that we are somehow legitimizing and normalizing.”
“It’s really difficult to be here and to be celebrating something so joyous and beautiful and positive when we know what’s happening on the streets,” she added. “Americans are out on the streets marching and demanding justice, and we’re there with them. And if we can do anything with our platforms, you know, we can speak out and demand that ICE get out.”
Portman got emotional when asked about her “ICE OUT” pin at the premiere of her new film, “The Gallerist.”
“I’m so lucky to be here in a joyful, creative community celebrating a movie we’re really proud of. But it’s impossible to ignore what ICE is doing to our country. And I’m very inspired, though, by all of the amazing, amazing Americans who are coming out and supporting each other and being there in communities. It’s beautiful,” the actor said as she teared up.
Reasons celebrities may not speak out
As far as the Grammys go, Morales Rocketto, the community organizer who founded the Latino advocacy group Maremoto, said it’s “kind of a crapshoot” as to which entertainers actually wear the pins.
She described a range of industry forces working against artists’ political expression. Objections could come from record companies, managers or corporate partners.
“Maybe the design house that did their fashion deal for the red carpet didn’t want them to literally poke holes in the dress,” she said. “There’s like a million reasons for people not to do it.”
Artists might also face personal dangers themselves. Morales Rocketto pointed to the Trump administration’s threats to place ICE agents at the upcoming Super Bowl halftime performance by Bad Bunny, “one of the most invincible” entertainers in her view.
“I wouldn’t be surprised if we see some Latino artists wearing them,” she said of the pins. “But the reality is that just because Latino artists are rich and famous, doesn’t mean that they are exempt from the lack of safety that permeates so many Latinos and Latino families. They themselves may be undocumented or only have a green card or have mixed status families.”
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Emmy Award-winning actor Timothy Busfield turned himself in to authorities on Tuesday to face child sex abuse charges in New Mexico stemming from allegations that he inappropriately touched a minor on the set of a TV series he was directing.
His apprehension comes after authorities in Albuquerque issued a warrant for his arrest on Friday on two counts of criminal sexual contact of a minor and one count of child abuse. A criminal complaint alleges the acts occurred on the set of the series “The Cleaning Lady,” which was filmed in Albuquerque.
Busfield, who is married to actor Melissa Gilbert, is known for appearances in “The West Wing,” “Field of Dreams” and “Thirtysomething,” the latter of which won him an Emmy for outstanding supporting actor in a drama series in 1991.
He was booked by Albuquerque police on the charges, said Gilbert Gallegos, spokesperson for the city police department.
Busfield denied the allegations last fall when interviewed by authorities as part of an investigation, the complaint said.
NBC shelved an episode of “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit” that featured Busfield and was set to air Thursday, a network spokesperson confirmed Tuesday to The Associated Press. Busfield was guest-starring as the judge on the long-running show, which focuses on sex crimes.
The criminal complaint filed by an investigator with the Albuquerque Police Department says the boy reported that he was 7 years old when Busfield touched him three or four times on private areas over his clothing. Busfield allegedly touched him five or six times on another occasion when he was 8, the complaint said.
The child was reportedly afraid to tell anyone because Busfield was the director and he feared he would get mad at him, the complaint said.
The boy’s twin brother told authorities he was touched by Busfield but did not specify where. He said he didn’t say anything because he didn’t want to get in trouble.
When he was interviewed by authorities as part of the investigation, Busfield suggested that the boys’ mother was seeking revenge for her children being replaced on the series. He also said he likely would have picked up and tickled the boys, saying the set was a playful environment.
Busfield’s attorney did not immediately return a message seeking comment Tuesday. A video obtained by TMZ showed Busfield in front of a window with the Albuquerque skyline in the backdrop. He said he arrived in the city after driving 2,000 miles (3,219 kilometers).
“I’m going to confront these lies. They’re horrible. They’re all lies,” Busfield said.
The search for Busfield involved the U.S. Marshals Service and extended to New York before Busfield appeared in a video from Albuquerque and arrived at a metropolitan detention center, Gallegos said.
“We had the U.S. Marshals’ office looking in New York in particular, and other cities” Gallegos said.
The mother of the twins – who are identified only by their initials in court records – reported to Child Protective Services that the abuse occurred between November 2022 and spring 2024, the complaint said.
Busfield’s wife, Gilbert, indicated through a publicist that she won’t speak publicly at the request of attorneys for Busfield while the legal process unfolds.
“Her focus is on supporting and caring for their very large family,” publicist Ame Van Iden said in a statement. “Melissa stands with and supports her husband and will address the public at an appropriate time.”
The investigation began in November 2024, when the investigator responded to a call from a doctor at the University of New Mexico Hospital in Albuquerque. The boys’ parents had gone there at the recommendation of a law firm, the complaint said.
According to the complaint, one of the boys has been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder and anxiety. A social worker documented him saying he has had nightmares about Busfield touching him.
“The Cleaning Lady” aired for four seasons on Fox, ending in 2025. The show was produced by Warner Bros., which according to the complaint conducted its own investigation into the abuse allegations but was unable to corroborate them.
SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) — At the Grateful Deadhead House in San Francisco, deadheads came to pay homage after learning of Bob Weir’s passing. He died after a battle with cancer.
Weir was one of the founding members of the Grateful Dead in 1965, along with Jerry Garcia.
“I never saw Jerry live. But I have seen every iteration of The Dead with Bobby, since the early 2000s. This is going to have huge impact on this community. It’s a great community,” said Jess Keay, who lives in Fairfax.
The kings of psychedelic rock rose to prominence during the rise of the counterculture movement born on the streets of San Francisco’s Haight-Ashbury. The band’s eclectic music combined rock with elements of jazz, blues and folk.
On social media, the Weir family wrote: “Bobby will forever be a guiding force whose unique artistry reshaped American music. His work did more than fill rooms with music; it was warm sunlight that filled the soul.”
“I think the Grateful Dead, and Bobby especially, brought joy to so many people. They have been, for me and everyone, they have been there for us in good times and bad. So many of us got on the bus and have never gotten off,” said Aaron Friedman, a San Francisco resident.
Sixty years later, at the corner of Masonic and Haight, devoted fans turned out once again. But this wasn’t just “One More Saturday Night.” It was a night to celebrate a man and his music.
“Bob Weir changed the world. And it’s funny to be in a city that is clearly so steeped in materialism. But it is beautiful that this corner is lit up and becomes that thing that San Francisco represents: love, music, the spiritual, the divine, the psychedelic,” said Austin Waz, a San Francisco resident.
“The Grateful Dead is a way of life for me. It is part of who I am. And since I was 12 years old, they have been an integral part of who I am as a San Franciscan,” said Sunshine Powers, the owner of the store Love on Haight. “I am so glad that his last show was in Golden Gate Park. That makes me feel really good.”
That show featured the group Dead & Company, who played there in August. The band is another iteration of the Grateful Dead, led by Weir, who would also sing.
“The voices are all gone. We still have our drummers, bless them. But there is something about the people who sing to you. And that voice is silent now,” said Dennis McNally. He was the Grateful Dead’s biographer and publicist going back to the 1980s.
McNally described them as more than just a band, but rather, the soundtrack to people’s lives. Improvisation was where their magic was. Wier’s music and lyrics created another world.
“He was stubborn and idiosyncratic and caring. And just a really remarkable guy. And I am going to miss him,” McNally said.
LONDON — British playwright Tom Stoppard, a playful, probing dramatist who won an Academy Award for the screenplay for 1998’s “Shakespeare In Love,” has died. He was 88.
In a statement Saturday, United Agents said Stoppard died “peacefully” at his home in Dorset in southern England, surrounded by his family.
“He will be remembered for his works, for their brilliance and humanity, and for his wit, his irreverence, his generosity of spirit and his profound love of the English language,” they said. “”It was an honor to work with Tom and to know him.”
FILE – Tom Stoppard poses with the award for best play for “Leopoldstadt” in the press room at the 76th annual Tony Awards on Sunday, June 11, 2023, in New York.
(Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP, File)
The Czech-born Stoppard was often hailed as the greatest British playwright of his generation and was garlanded with honors, including a shelf full of theater gongs.
His brain-teasing plays ranged across Shakespeare, science, philosophy and the historic tragedies of the 20th century. Five of them won Tony Awards for best play: “Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead” in 1968; “Travesties” in 1976; “The Real Thing” in 1984; “The Coast of Utopia” in 2007; and “Leopoldstadt” in 2023.
Stoppard biographer Hermione Lee said the secret of his plays was their “mixture of language, knowledge and feeling. … It’s those three things in gear together which make him so remarkable.”
The writer was born Tomás Sträussler in 1937 to a Jewish family in Zlín in what was then Czechoslovakia, now the Czech Republic. His father was a doctor for the Bata shoe company, and when Nazi Germany invaded in 1939 the family fled to Singapore, where Bata had a factory.
In late 1941, as Japanese forces closed in on the city, Tomas, his brother and their mother fled again, this time to India. His father stayed behind and later died when his ship was attacked as he tried to leave Singapore.
In 1946 his mother married an English officer, Kenneth Stoppard, and the family moved to threadbare postwar Britain. The 8-year-old Tom “put on Englishness like a coat,” he later said, growing up to be a quintessential Englishman who loved cricket and Shakespeare.
He did not go to university but began his career, aged 17, as a journalist on newspapers in Bristol, southwest England, and then as a theater critic for Scene magazine in London.
He wrote plays for radio and television including “A Walk on the Water,” televised in 1963, and made his stage breakthrough with “Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead,” which reimagined Shakespeare’s “Hamlet” from the viewpoint of two hapless minor characters. A mix of tragedy and absurdist humor, it premiered at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in 1966 and was staged at Britain’s National Theatre, then run by Laurence Olivier, before moving to Broadway.
A stream of exuberant, innovative plays followed, including meta-whodunnit “The Real Inspector Hound” (first staged in 1968); “Jumpers” (1972), a blend of physical and philosophical gymnastics, and “Travesties” (1974), which set intellectuals including James Joyce and Vladimir Lenin colliding in Zurich during World War I.
Musical drama “Every Good Boy Deserves Favor” (1977) was a collaboration with composer Andre Previn about a Soviet dissident confined to a mental institution – part of Stoppard’s long involvement with groups advocating for human rights groups in the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe.
He often played with time and structure. “The Real Thing” (1982) was a poignant romantic comedy about love and deception that featured plays within a play, while “Arcadia” (1993) moved between the modern era and the early 19th century, where characters at an English country house debated poetry, gardening and chaos theory as fate had its way with them.
“The Invention of Love” (1997) explored classical literature and the mysteries of the human heart through the life of the English poet A.E. Housman.
Stoppard began the 21st century with “The Coast of Utopia” (2002), an epic trilogy about pre-revolutionary Russian intellectuals, and drew on his own background for “Rock’n’roll” (2006), which contrasted the fates of the 1960s counterculture in Britain and in Communist Czechoslovakia.
“The Hard Problem” (2015) explored the mysteries of consciousness through the lenses of science and religion.
Stoppard was a strong champion of free speech who worked with organizations including PEN and Index on Censorship. He claimed not to have strong political views otherwise, writing in 1968: “I burn with no causes. I cannot say that I write with any social objective. One writes because one loves writing, really.”
Some critics found his plays more clever than emotionally engaging. But biographer Lee said many of his plays contained a “sense of underlying grief.”
“People in his plays … history comes at them,” Lee said at a British Library event in 2021. “They turn up, they don’t know why they’re there, they don’t know whether they can get home again. They’re often in exile, they can barely remember their own name. They may have been wrongfully incarcerated. They may have some terrible moral dilemma they don’t know how to solve. They may have lost someone. And over and over again I think you get that sense of loss and longing in these very funny, witty plays.”
That was especially true of his late play “Leopoldstadt,” which drew on his own family’s story for the tale of a Jewish Viennese family over the first half of the 20th century. Stoppard said he began thinking of his personal link to the Holocaust quite late in life, only discovering after his mother’s death in 1996 that many members of his family, including all four grandparents, had died in concentration camps.
“I wouldn’t have written about my heritage – that’s the word for it nowadays – while my mother was alive, because she’d always avoided getting into it herself,” Stoppard told The New Yorker in 2022.
“It would be misleading to see me as somebody who blithely and innocently, at the age of 40-something, thought, ‘Oh, my goodness, I had no idea I was a member of a Jewish family,’” he said “Of course I knew, but I didn’t know who they were. And I didn’t feel I had to find out in order to live my own life. But that wasn’t really true.”
“Leopoldstadt” premiered in London at the start of 2020 to rave reviews; weeks later all theaters were shut by the COVID-19 pandemic. It eventually opened in Broadway in late 2022, going on to win four Tonys.
Dizzyingly prolific, Stoppard also wrote many radio plays, a novel, television series including “Parade’s End” (2013) and many film screenplays. These included dystopian Terry Gilliam comedy “Brazil” (1985), Steven Spielberg-directed war drama “Empire of the Sun” (1987), Elizabethan romcom “Shakespeare in Love” (1998) – for which he and Marc Norman shared a best adapted screenplay Oscar – code breaking thriller “Enigma” (2001) and Russian epic “Anna Karenina” (2012).
He also wrote and directed a 1990 film adaptation of “Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead,” and translated numerous works into English, including plays by dissident Czech writer Václav Havel, who became the country’s first post-Communist president.
He was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in 1997 for his services to literature.
He was married three times: to Jose Ingle, Miriam Stern – better known as the health journalist Dr. Miriam Stoppard – and TV producer Sabrina Guinness. The first two marriages ended in divorce. He is survived by four children, including the actor Ed Stoppard, and several grandchildren.
SAN FRANCISCO — Katie Wakeman never set out to become San Francisco’s most recognizable gate artist. Twenty years ago, she was just a young woman in her twenties, unsure about her future, who needed help fixing a broken car seat.
Today, her vibrant, ornate security gates dot the city like an open-air art gallery, turning mundane neighborhood walks into treasure hunts for locals and visitors alike.
“These things are very loud, very colorful,” Wakeman explains from her Santa Rosa workshop. “You’re walking down the street and seeing the same houses over and over again and then go, holy (expletive), what is that thing?”
That “thing” is likely one of Wakeman’s signature creations – security gates that transcend their functional purpose to become neighborhood landmarks. Her journey began with a chance encounter when her neighbor, a welder, agreed to fix her car seat on one condition: she had to learn some welding too. That spark of curiosity led her to Windsor, Ontario, where her grandparents lived across from a welding school, and eventually to her first welding job in Oakland.
The turning point came when an architect friend connected her with clients who wanted a peacock-themed gate for their Castro district home. Fresh out of a business partnership and facing a challenging solo project, Wakeman took the leap. “I said to hell with it,” she recalls. The resulting creation became an instant neighborhood sensation, with passersby stopping to ask for her contact information.
What followed was a cascade of commissions that established her reputation as “The Gate Girl.” Her second major project for Muttville senior dog rescue generated even more buzz, and word spread organically through San Francisco’s interconnected communities. Each installation becomes a neighborhood event, with curious residents emerging to watch and chat. “I always call it like the mayor of the neighborhood usually comes and tells me all about the neighborhood,” Wakeman laughs.
Her gates tell stories.
The Magnolia gate celebrates the trees lining that particular street. The witch-themed creation in Pengrove reflects the clients’ soap-making business and their three-sister partnership. For a Golden Gate Bridge gate, Wakeman went beyond mere representation – a friend donated actual Golden Gate Bridge paint, acquired through a creative trade involving beer and bridge workers.
As a woman in the trades, Wakeman acknowledges the initial skepticism she faced but views it as motivation. “When somebody has some doubts in your abilities, you push that much harder to kind of kick ass and take names and blow them out of the water,” she says. She actively encourages other women to explore welding, recommending junior college courses as an accessible starting point.
For Wakeman, the true reward isn’t just artistic satisfaction – it’s the community impact. “My gates are not just for a homeowner, they’re for like the whole neighborhood,” she explains. While most artists display work for a month or two, her creations remain on display 24/7, brightening daily commutes and sparking conversations long after installation.
In a city known for its artistic spirit, Katie Wakeman has found her own unique way to contribute to San Francisco’s cultural landscape, one ornate gate at a time.
WALNUT CREEK, Calif. — On a busy day, Model Bakery can sell almost 7,000 English muffins. That’s no small feat for a family-owned bakery that started in the wine country. Their popular muffins have even caught the attention of celebrities.
“The muffins exploded when Oprah had our English muffin. She was up here in Napa for the Wine Auction and stopped in and fell in love with them. We’ve been featured on Oprah’s Favorite Things list four times now, so that kind of put us on the map and you know now we ship all over,” said Sarah MItchell Hansen, who owns Model Bakery with her mother, Karen Mitchell.
The bakery started making muffins 20 years ago.
“One of our bakers was playing around with leftover ciabatta dough, and he griddled some on the stove top and said, oh my gosh, these are really good. And we just started perfecting the recipe,” said Hansen.
There’s a lot that goes into making the dough just right.
“It’s about shaping, so if it’s not mixed well, we can’t shape it well. If you can’t mix it well and you can shape it, it probably won’t griddle too well. So it’s all linked together,” said Gordan Patty, Head Production Baker.
For many years, the Model Bakery has been part of the Napa Valley culinary scene selling breads, pastries and coffee.
“My mom started it in 1984. She was in the catering business, and the bakery across the street went up for sale, and she decided to buy it, and didn’t know anything about baking, but she learned very quickly.” Hansen added, “My mom was thinking about selling, and I didn’t want her to sell, so I decided to move back to Napa and take it over, and we just kind of grew the business.”
Model Bakery has locations in Napa, Yountville, St. Helena and now Walnut Creek, which serves breakfast, lunch and dinner.
