The disappearance of “Today” show host Savannah Guthrie’s mother three weeks ago has inspired a small number of volunteers to launch their own searches in the dense desert near her home in hopes of cracking the case.The Pima County Sheriff’s Department said while it appreciates the concern for Nancy Guthrie, it asked people inquiring about volunteering to give investigators space to do their jobs. Video above: Nancy Guthrie search turns to Mexico”We all want to find Nancy, but this work is best left to professionals,” the agency said in a statement over the weekend.Nancy Guthrie, 84, was last seen at her home just outside Tucson on Jan. 31 and was reported missing the following day. Authorities believe she was kidnapped, abducted or otherwise taken against her will. Drops of her blood were found on the front porch, but authorities haven’t publicly revealed much evidence. Despite the sheriff’s request for people not to search on their own, volunteers have continued to look. A small group reported finding a black backpack on Sunday, but it wasn’t the same brand as one identified in video surveillance that the FBI released of a masked man at Guthrie’s home the night she disappeared. A sheriffs’ spokesperson told Tucson television station KOLD that the bag and its contents didn’t appear to be viable leads. The Associated Press reached out to the sheriff’s department for comment on Monday.Two women from the group Madres Buscadoras de Sonora, or “Searching Mothers of Sonora,” who were carrying digging tools Sunday outside of Guthrie’s home, said they, too, would join the search. They posted fliers on Guthrie’s mailbox with her picture and their contact information.Tony Estrada, the former long-time sheriff in neighboring Santa Cruz County, said volunteer searchers have good intentions in wanting to help and can serve as a force multiplier, but it’s crucial that their efforts be coordinated with law enforcement.”You can’t have people all over the place looking for something and not reporting to anybody or letting them know that they’re going to be in that area,” Estrada said. “They may be trampling into things that may come out to be helpful in the future.”Nearly all search operations for U.S. law enforcement agencies are staffed with volunteers, said Chris Boyer, executive director of the National Association for Search and Rescue.Untrained volunteers who show up to help in a search may mean well, but experts say they could end up contaminating a crime scene.”It’s painful for law enforcement when that happens,” Boyer said. Volunteers should undergo background checks, be trained in things like administering first aid and preserving crime scenes, and work under the direction of law enforcement authorities, said Boyer, whose group provides education, certification and advocacy for search and rescue efforts across the United States and other countries.Several hundred people are working the Guthrie investigation, and more than 20,000 tips have been received, the sheriff’s office has said. The FBI and other agencies are assisting. Video below: United Cajun Navy says it will join search for Nancy GuthrieThe sheriff’s office has watched around the clock lately at Guthrie’s house. It also enacted a temporary one-way flow on the road so that emergency vehicles and trash collection trucks could get through. The constant presence of news crews, bloggers and curious onlookers has drawn mixed reaction from neighbors.Some appreciated the attention the case has been getting. Others have placed traffic cones and signs on their properties to keep people off. Meanwhile, the tribute to Nancy Guthrie outside her home keeps growing, with flowers, yellow ribbons, crosses, prayers and patron saints for older adults and in desperate situations.Aran Aleamoni and his daughter Ariana picked out a bouquet of red, pink and white flowers and placed them at the edge of Guthrie’s yard, alongside a sign that read “Let Nancy Come Home” and a statuette of an angel.”My heart goes out to the entire family,” said Aran Aleamoni, who has known the Guthrie family for a long time. “We are all pulling for you. We’re with you in your corner.”Billeaud reported from Phoenix.
TUCSON, Ariz. —
The disappearance of “Today” show host Savannah Guthrie’s mother three weeks ago has inspired a small number of volunteers to launch their own searches in the dense desert near her home in hopes of cracking the case.
The Pima County Sheriff’s Department said while it appreciates the concern for Nancy Guthrie, it asked people inquiring about volunteering to give investigators space to do their jobs.
Video above: Nancy Guthrie search turns to Mexico
“We all want to find Nancy, but this work is best left to professionals,” the agency said in a statement over the weekend.
Nancy Guthrie, 84, was last seen at her home just outside Tucson on Jan. 31 and was reported missing the following day. Authorities believe she was kidnapped, abducted or otherwise taken against her will. Drops of her blood were found on the front porch, but authorities haven’t publicly revealed much evidence.
Despite the sheriff’s request for people not to search on their own, volunteers have continued to look. A small group reported finding a black backpack on Sunday, but it wasn’t the same brand as one identified in video surveillance that the FBI released of a masked man at Guthrie’s home the night she disappeared.
A sheriffs’ spokesperson told Tucson television station KOLD that the bag and its contents didn’t appear to be viable leads. The Associated Press reached out to the sheriff’s department for comment on Monday.
Two women from the group Madres Buscadoras de Sonora, or “Searching Mothers of Sonora,” who were carrying digging tools Sunday outside of Guthrie’s home, said they, too, would join the search. They posted fliers on Guthrie’s mailbox with her picture and their contact information.
Tony Estrada, the former long-time sheriff in neighboring Santa Cruz County, said volunteer searchers have good intentions in wanting to help and can serve as a force multiplier, but it’s crucial that their efforts be coordinated with law enforcement.
Felicia Fonseca
Neighbors walk by a growing memorial for Nancy Guthrie, the missing mother of “Today” show host Savannah Guthrie, outside her home in Tucson, Ariz., Sunday, Feb. 22, 2026.
“You can’t have people all over the place looking for something and not reporting to anybody or letting them know that they’re going to be in that area,” Estrada said. “They may be trampling into things that may come out to be helpful in the future.”
Nearly all search operations for U.S. law enforcement agencies are staffed with volunteers, said Chris Boyer, executive director of the National Association for Search and Rescue.
Untrained volunteers who show up to help in a search may mean well, but experts say they could end up contaminating a crime scene.
“It’s painful for law enforcement when that happens,” Boyer said.
Volunteers should undergo background checks, be trained in things like administering first aid and preserving crime scenes, and work under the direction of law enforcement authorities, said Boyer, whose group provides education, certification and advocacy for search and rescue efforts across the United States and other countries.
Several hundred people are working the Guthrie investigation, and more than 20,000 tips have been received, the sheriff’s office has said. The FBI and other agencies are assisting.
Video below: United Cajun Navy says it will join search for Nancy Guthrie
The sheriff’s office has watched around the clock lately at Guthrie’s house. It also enacted a temporary one-way flow on the road so that emergency vehicles and trash collection trucks could get through. The constant presence of news crews, bloggers and curious onlookers has drawn mixed reaction from neighbors.
Some appreciated the attention the case has been getting. Others have placed traffic cones and signs on their properties to keep people off.
Meanwhile, the tribute to Nancy Guthrie outside her home keeps growing, with flowers, yellow ribbons, crosses, prayers and patron saints for older adults and in desperate situations.
Aran Aleamoni and his daughter Ariana picked out a bouquet of red, pink and white flowers and placed them at the edge of Guthrie’s yard, alongside a sign that read “Let Nancy Come Home” and a statuette of an angel.
“My heart goes out to the entire family,” said Aran Aleamoni, who has known the Guthrie family for a long time. “We are all pulling for you. We’re with you in your corner.”
Project R.I.D.E in Elk Grove has been connecting riders and horses across the greater Sacramento area since 1979, offering equine therapy to people of all ages with special needs. “It’s hard to put in words unless you experience it,” Danny Ford, director of operations at Project R.I.D.E., said of the program’s impact. “I think it’s the happiest place on Earth. It’s better than Disneyland, in my opinion.”The nonprofit and therapeutic riding facility offers recreational riding to individuals with diagnosed physical, emotional and intellectual disabilities. The organization has a list of some of the diagnoses it accepts listed on its website.Five-year-old Rahi Parekh uses a wheelchair. KCRA 3 joined him for his lesson at Project R.I.D.E. late last month. He said he enjoys playing games while horseback riding and visiting with the barn cats, who also call the facility home.“I feel happy. Yeah. Happy. I feel happy,” he said.Ford noted horses have a special ability to connect with their riders.”They know completely how you’re feeling when you’re sitting in the saddle. They can actually sense and feel your heartbeat as well,” he said. “They will kind of match your senses, the way you’re feeling.”Ford began his work with the organization as a volunteer, but he first came through the barn doors as a dad. His son started riding at the facility as a toddler.”He’s now 21, has Down syndrome,” Ford said. “The sense of independence and that sense of control in life, I think, completely changes his life for 30 minutes, at least, every week.”For individuals who are unable to ride, Project R.I.D.E also has a fully interactive simulated horse, fondly named Buster Brady. “It’s hard to put into words exactly everything that we can do here, but it’s easy to see on the faces of our participants, I think, what the outcome of it all is,” Ford said.Project R.I.D.E. instructors are accredited through PATH International, the Professional Association of Therapeutic Horsemanship.”Come and sit in the stands, watch a lesson, and it’ll completely change your life to see the joy and the reward that some of these people get from the time that they spend with us,” Ford said.The organization is currently preparing for its annual steak dinner fundraiser on April 18. It relies on donations and a team of dedicated volunteers to keep the program active.As part of our 70 Years of Service initiative, we’re highlighting organizations that are making a difference all year long. See more stories in the series here.See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter | Find us on YouTube here and subscribe to our channel
ELK GROVE, Calif. —
Project R.I.D.E in Elk Grove has been connecting riders and horses across the greater Sacramento area since 1979, offering equine therapy to people of all ages with special needs.
“It’s hard to put in words unless you experience it,” Danny Ford, director of operations at Project R.I.D.E., said of the program’s impact. “I think it’s the happiest place on Earth. It’s better than Disneyland, in my opinion.”
Five-year-old Rahi Parekh uses a wheelchair. KCRA 3 joined him for his lesson at Project R.I.D.E. late last month.
He said he enjoys playing games while horseback riding and visiting with the barn cats, who also call the facility home.
“I feel happy. Yeah. Happy. I feel happy,” he said.
Ford noted horses have a special ability to connect with their riders.
“They know completely how you’re feeling when you’re sitting in the saddle. They can actually sense and feel your heartbeat as well,” he said. “They will kind of match your senses, the way you’re feeling.”
Ford began his work with the organization as a volunteer, but he first came through the barn doors as a dad. His son started riding at the facility as a toddler.
“He’s now 21, has Down syndrome,” Ford said. “The sense of independence and that sense of control in life, I think, completely changes his life for 30 minutes, at least, every week.”
For individuals who are unable to ride, Project R.I.D.E also has a fully interactive simulated horse, fondly named Buster Brady.
“It’s hard to put into words exactly everything that we can do here, but it’s easy to see on the faces of our participants, I think, what the outcome of it all is,” Ford said.
Project R.I.D.E. instructors are accredited through PATH International, the Professional Association of Therapeutic Horsemanship.
“Come and sit in the stands, watch a lesson, and it’ll completely change your life to see the joy and the reward that some of these people get from the time that they spend with us,” Ford said.
The organization is currently preparing for its annual steak dinner fundraiser on April 18. It relies on donations and a team of dedicated volunteers to keep the program active.
As part of our 70 Years of Service initiative, we’re highlighting organizations that are making a difference all year long. See more stories in the series here.
With all the snow and ice still on the streets after Sunday’s storm, one mayor in Maryland asked for volunteers to help clear sidewalks.For middle and high school students in Baltimore, it’s a chance to get credit for volunteer hours. For adults, it’s just the satisfaction of being a neighbor helping a neighbor.Volunteers come armed with shovels and clear walkways within minutes. They’re part of the Baltimore City Snow Corps, and their job is to break the ice and clear the snow — free of charge for homeowners.”I’m not going to lie. It’s very tedious. I (have fun) doing it,” said Joel Rodgers-Turner, a Snow Corps volunteer.”A mess. It’s just a mess. You have to really dig it up and take your time, though,” said Martrell Marshall, another volunteer.The program started with a call from Mayor Brandon Scott.”We are asking for people to help their neighbor. We want volunteers to help shovel out their neighbors across the city of Baltimore,” Scott said in a video posted to Instagram.”Mayor Brandon Scott. Big encouragement to come outside to help Baltimore City,” said Jordan Carter.Volunteers sign up and go to those in need — older adults, people with disabilities and others who may not be able to pick up a shovel and clear snow and ice from sidewalks.”The trucks are doing what they have to do on the streets, so we have to do what we have to do,” Carter said. “When you bring people help, they may help someone else. It’s better when we all come together and get it done. It’s going to get done a lot faster.”The group of volunteers said it has removed snow outside of 60 houses and off 80 cars throughout 12-hour shifts.”We do it quick, like 15 minutes. We’ll be in and out,” said Donta Crosby. “It’s really fun. It’s a fun job. I encourage everybody to volunteer and do it, too.”When volunteers aren’t working, they’re singing about the volunteer job they do.
With all the snow and ice still on the streets after Sunday’s storm, one mayor in Maryland asked for volunteers to help clear sidewalks.
For middle and high school students in Baltimore, it’s a chance to get credit for volunteer hours. For adults, it’s just the satisfaction of being a neighbor helping a neighbor.
Volunteers come armed with shovels and clear walkways within minutes. They’re part of the Baltimore City Snow Corps, and their job is to break the ice and clear the snow — free of charge for homeowners.
“I’m not going to lie. It’s very tedious. I (have fun) doing it,” said Joel Rodgers-Turner, a Snow Corps volunteer.
“A mess. It’s just a mess. You have to really dig it up and take your time, though,” said Martrell Marshall, another volunteer.
The program started with a call from Mayor Brandon Scott.
“We are asking for people to help their neighbor. We want volunteers to help shovel out their neighbors across the city of Baltimore,” Scott said in a video posted to Instagram.
“Mayor Brandon Scott. Big encouragement to come outside to help Baltimore City,” said Jordan Carter.
Volunteers sign up and go to those in need — older adults, people with disabilities and others who may not be able to pick up a shovel and clear snow and ice from sidewalks.
“The trucks are doing what they have to do on the streets, so we have to do what we have to do,” Carter said. “When you bring people help, they may help someone else. It’s better when we all come together and get it done. It’s going to get done a lot faster.”
The group of volunteers said it has removed snow outside of 60 houses and off 80 cars throughout 12-hour shifts.
“We do it quick, like 15 minutes. We’ll be in and out,” said Donta Crosby. “It’s really fun. It’s a fun job. I encourage everybody to volunteer and do it, too.”
When volunteers aren’t working, they’re singing about the volunteer job they do.
Redondo Beach environmentalists this week celebrated the opening of a white seabass grow-out pen that’s set to help the fish grow healthily in a safe habitat before being released into the ocean.
City officials and environmentalists gathered this week to cut ribbon on the grow out pen and celebrate the official opening and its anticipated progress.
A new white seabass grow out pen just opened on the Redondo Beach harbor on Jan. 26, 2026 that’s set to help the threatened fish grow healthily in a safe habitat before being released into the ocean. (photo from Mark Hansen)
The grow-out, at the Redondo Beach Harbor Patrol Dock, will reinvigorate local efforts to raise this threatened fish population, Mayor Jim Light has said.
Local coastal builder Clark McNulty dropped the first batch of seabass, nearly 1,500 fish, into the pen on Nov. 20. McNulty’s Coastal Construction Group brought the latest project to life when crews installed the grow out pen that month.
The seabass are raised at grow out facilities until they grow to eight to 10 inches long, according to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, then released into the harbor.
The process, Light said, gives the fish a much greater chance of survival. It has helped white seabass polulation recover since its steady decline in the 1990s, he added.
A new white seabass grow out pen just opened on the Redondo Beach harbor on Jan. 26, 2026 that’s set to help the threatened fish grow healthily in a safe habitat before being released into the ocean. (photo from Mark Hansen)
Fully grown white seabass can reach more than four feet long, according to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.
The process of the hatchery program starts in Carlsbad, per the department, where juvenile white seabass grow to four inches before being sent to one of the 13 grow out facilities throughout the region, including the Redondo Beach grow out site.
The fish are held at the grow-out facilities until they are ready for release, typically at around 8 to 10 inches in length.
Volunteers are also needed to work one hour per week to feed fish, clean the pen and remove any dead fish from the grow out facility. A weekly schedule with assigned days will be released once sign ups are filled.
• The 137th Rose Parade gets underway at 8 a.m. on Jan. 1, 2026. • The 5.5-mile parade features floral-covered floats, equestrian units and marching bands.
The clock is ticking.
And it’s all hands on deck as an army of volunteers get floats ready for their run down Colorado Boulevard on Thursday, Jan. 1.
This year’s theme for the 137th Rose Parade is “The Magic in Teamwork” with Magic Johnson as grand marshal.
Here’s a look at what’s happening behind the scenes.
Volunteer Jeff Okayasu works on the Rotary International float titled “Unite for Good,” while other Rose Parade floats are constructed at the Phoenix Decorating Co. in Irwindale.
Volunteers work on cutting flowers that will be added to the the “Bee Magical Together” float at the Phoenix Decorating Co. in Irwindale.
Volunteer Heather Tran, 16, helps decorate a float for the Rose Parade at the AES Rosemont Pavilion in Pasadena.
Clockwise from top left, cut flowers to be used for the Rotary Club float titled “Unite for Good”; volunteer Dulce Monico works on a flower that will be part of the City of Hope float titled “Overcoming Cancer and Diabetes Together”; volunteers help cup Spanish moss used to decorate the San Diego Zoo Safari Park’s float; and volunteer Susie Fundter of Pasadena helps decorate a zebra on the San Diego Zoo Safari Park float.
Volunteers John Hernandez, right, and his son, Leonidas, of Fontana, apply Spanish moss to an elephant on the San Diego Zoo Safari Park float.
Volunteer Carlos Bo Bedia works on the Shriners float titled “Building Dreams Together” at the Phoenix Decorating Co. in Irwindale.
Volunteer Neal Gamble, from Scott City, Kan., works on the Shriners float titled “Build Dreams Together.”
BROOMFIELD, Colo. — For Todd and Laura Clyncke, the Christmas season begins with a computer, a list, and what they describe as a calling to help families who may be struggling during the holiday.
“This world is still a good place and people still care,” Laura Clyncke said as she reflected on the importance of giving. “I think people are called to do things in their life, and we feel the calling to help others.”
The Adopt-A-Family program is one part of Catholic Charities’ broader work across northern Colorado. Stacy Baum, the organization’s vice president of marketing and community engagement, said Catholic Charities operates dozens of programs, including shelters, affordable housing, women and family services, early childhood education and senior services.
During the holidays, Baum said Adopt-A-Family helps ensure people served by Catholic Charities “aren’t forgotten on Christmas morning.”
“There’s no way we could do the work we do without folks like the Clynckes’,” Baum said. “They are such exceptional examples of what it means to just give from your heart. They’re the kind of people who just do things from the bottom of their hearts, they’re amazing humans.”
Todd Clyncke said the couple’s approach to giving has grown over time, shaped by the way he was raised.
Richard Butler
Todd Clyncke
“Giving becomes who you are versus what you do,” he said. “But you do it because of who you are.”
When the lists of families are released, the Clynckes’ say they often chose the families that may be considered harder to adopt, including large families with children and teens, or households with adults who also need support.
Laura Clyncke said she gets emotional sometimes when reading the items on families’ Christmas lists.
“It’s things school supplies or socks,” Laura said with tears in her eyes. “And I know they need those things, but it’s really heart wrenching when you see those are things on a Christmas list.”
In recent years, she said they’ve paid special attention to “kinship” families, which are households where grandparents or other relatives are raising children.
“The grandparents are always so modest with what they put on there, and they’re really the ones making the sacrifices,” said Laura.
Catholic Charities of Denver,
Todd and Laura Clyncke
Baum said families like the Clynckes’ make a major impact because they don’t just adopt one family, they often take on several at a time and look for ways to do more each year.
“They always look at what they can do, and they always look to do more,” Baum said. “And that is such a huge inspiration to all of us.”
Last year alone, the Clynckes’ purchased gifts for nearly 60 family members through Adopt-A-Family.
Todd Clyncke said he sometimes thinks about the moment those gifts are opened by families.
“I think a lot about when they’re opening them, that hopefully they will feel the love that’s coming with that,” Todd said.
Catholic Charities of Denver,
Todd and Laura Clyncke dropping off Christmas gifts to Adopt-A-Family centers.
“The feeling we get when we drop the gifts off at the Adopt-A-Family Center and stand there and cry, even after 26 years, because it’s such a blessing to be able to do that outweighs anything that could happen on Christmas morning in terms of receiving gifts,” said Laura.
Catholic Charities nominated Todd and Laura Clyncke for their decades of service, and Denver7 and Levine Law recognized them as this week’s Denver7 Everyday Heroes.
“Thank you very much for this,” the couple said. “But again, we don’t feel like we deserve it. We don’t feel like heroes. We are just doing what we need to do.”
As they return for another year of giving, the Clynckes’ hope families seeking help this Christmas feel loved and cared for.
“You can’t take it with you, so you might as well do something good with it while you can,” Laura said with a smile.
Denver7 features a different Everyday Hero each week. To nominate a hero in your life, click here.
JULIS, Israel — Nestled in a quiet corner of a quaint village in Israel’s north, the building appears, at the outset, to house an elegant meeting salon with giant chandeliers, ornate but uncomfortable chairs and trays of sweets.
But past an improvised divider made of plywood and a stern attendant who places stickers over smartphone cameras, sits a team of volunteers working amid large screens and laptops: The nerve center of an all-hands-on-deck humanitarian operation to aid the Druze religious minority in Syria.
Druze in Israel have long sent donations to their coreligionists in the southwestern Syrian province of Sweida, but since July — when around 1,000 Druze civilians were slaughtered in a sectarian killing rampage — a complex aid operation has emerged to serve tens of thousands of people more than 40 miles of hostile territory away.
“What were we supposed to do? Watch them get slaughtered and be silent?” said Muwaffaq Tarif, the spiritual chieftain of the 150,000-strong Druze community in Israel.
Marshaling family ties in Syria and links to Israel’s military and government, the operation headquartered in the salon now provides funds, humanitarian and medical aid, along with logistical and intelligence support — this despite a months-long blockade on Sweida by Syrian forces.
The assistance has become part of a vital lifeline for the province, and has empowered Druze militias and spiritual leaders calling for secession from Syria and an alliance with Israel.
Demonstrators dance with the Druze flag as they gather in front of the Berlin Cathedral to voice solidarity for Druze communities in Syria on Aug. 30 in Berlin.
(Omer Messinger / Getty Images)
The needs are vast. As Tarif sat with volunteers at the salon, his phones racked up calls and messages — the grand majority from Druze in Syria.
“I’m getting 500, 800, sometimes even a thousand people, every day. All need my help. It makes you cry,” Tarif said.
The Druze — a sect that combines elements of Islam and other religious traditions — constitute 1 million people worldwide; some 500,000 live in Syria, or roughly 3% of the population. Hard-line Muslims consider them infidels.
During Syria’s 14-year civil war, the dictatorial President Bashar Assad let them establish their own militias in Sweida and run affairs in the Druze-majority province, so long as they didn’t fight government troops or allow opposition rebels to enter. But they had little love for Assad or the Islamist-dominated opposition.
After Assad’s much-reviled regime fell last December, the new president, Ahmed al-Sharaa, tried to mollify concerns about the new government’s jihadist roots; Al-Sharaa was once an Al Qaeda-affiliated rebel leader but renounced the group years ago.
A poster of Ahmed al-Sharaa, Syria’s interim president, graces a windshield in Damascus as Syrians mark the first anniversary of the fall of the Assad regime.
(John Wreford / LightRocket via Getty Images)
Al-Sharaa promised to protect Syria’s minorities and excise extremists among his allies. That won him support from the U.S., Europe and his Arab neighbors, but Israel took an adversarial stance, occupying swaths of Syria’s south and launching thousands of airstrikes to destroy the fallen government’s arsenal.
Meanwhile, Al-Sharaa urged Druze leadership to dissolve their militias and surrender arms. Some wanted to cooperate, but Syria’s top Druze cleric, Hikmat al-Hijri, refused, saying his groups would disarm only when Al-Sharaa formed an inclusive government.
Syria is home to a diverse collection of religions, and as the new government sought to establish itself, sectarian unrest broke out. In March, government-linked gunmen massacred some 1,500 people, mostly Alawites. In May, clashes erupted in Druze-majority areas near Damascus.
Then came the massacres in Sweida.
They started in early July as tit-for-tat kidnappings between Druze militias and Bedouin tribes but soon devolved into street fighting. The government negotiated a ceasefire and sent security personnel, but rather than restoring order, they joined the Bedouins in a blood-soaked rampage.
They systematically burned and looted some 32 villages, executed civilians, then mutilated their bodies and abused men by cutting off their mustaches, which among Druze are considered a sign of spiritual maturity. And they filmed themselves doing so, proudly posting trophy videos to social media.
Families are evacuated by the United Nations in southern Syria in July after violent clashes between Bedouin fighters and members of the Druze community.
(Bakr Alkasem / AFP via Getty Images)
By the rampage’s end, nearly 200,000 people were forced to flee their homes. More than 100 women and girls were abducted. Dozens remain missing.
Al-Hijri urged President Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to save Sweida, adding that “we can no longer coexist with a regime that knows only iron and fire.”
Once word reached Tarif of what happened, he raced to action.
“We called everyone, the [Israeli] army, the government, the prime minister, the defense minister, the chief of staff, to stop the massacres. The Syrian government was entering with tanks, drones, artillery. It was an army versus against civilians with a pistol or rifle,” Tarif said.
Israel, which has made overtures to Syria’s Druze, mobilized. Netanyahu ordered airstrikes on Syrian personnel blitzing through Sweida’s provincial capital, along with the Damascus headquarters of the Syrian army and the presidential palace.
Al-Sharaa accused Israel of fomenting internal divisions and said Al-Hijri’s call for international intervention was unacceptable. He formed a committee to investigate atrocities against the Druze and others, and vowed in a speech to the United Nations General Assembly in September “to bring every hand stained with the blood of innocents to justice.”
Al-Hijri and many Druze previously conciliatory toward Al-Sharaa were unconvinced and demanded to secede.
At the same time, a tense standoff ensued: Syrian government forces surrounded the province, ostensibly to keep Bedouins and Druze separated, though critics accused them of replicating Assad’s surrender-or-starve tactics to force Sweida into submission.
Many among Israel’s Druze wanted to help.
“The world was ignoring what happened, so we have to do this. Our women sold their gold, people sold property, others took loans to raise money,” Tarif said, adding that some $2.5 million was collected.
With no land link between Sweida and areas Israel occupied in southern Syria, the only way to deliver aid was via the Israeli air force. But the amounts proved inadequate. That was the spark for the operations room.
Standing amid an array of workstations, a volunteer explained how his team identified sympathetic individuals to buy medicine and food from Damascus, and middlemen who bribed supplies past government checkpoints into Sweida. They also smuggled in equipment and paid workmen to rehabilitate water and electricity infrastructure. Some convoys entered with the Syrian Red Crescent with Damascus’ knowledge, Tarif said.
“If we use $10,000 here, it’s nothing. But in Syria, they go a long way, and buy plenty of supplies,” the volunteer said.
The center funded converting a judiciary building in Sweida into a displacement center housing 130 families, complete with a workshop where women could sew clothing, including uniforms for Druze militias.
Other volunteers brought their specialties to bear: With Sweida’s medical facilities ravaged, the center managed four hospitals in the province.
Programmers built an app-based humanitarian ecosystem, enabling Sweida residents to register for medical care, while doctors used WhatsApp messages to consult specialists in Israel and elsewhere.
Other programs coordinated aid requests and deliveries, or helped residents document atrocities.
“We took advantage of our skills to defend ourselves,” said one 28-year-old activist with the operations room technical team, taking out his phone to demo some apps. One for medical procedures included drop-down menus and a simple interface he said has been used by thousands.
Some assistance veered into intelligence. Because Sweida was still under threat, the team, some of whose members retired from military service, tracked events on the ground. They deployed bots to monitor posts on social media that could indicate an attack, hacked phones of commanders in the area, and relayed the information to the Israeli military and Druze militias.
Meanwhile, the Israeli military supplied the militias with limited amounts of weapons and ammunition, activists in Sweida say, and maintain drone surveillance over the area.
Members of the Druze community in the Israel-annexed Golan Heights gather for a rally in July to show solidarity with Druze in Syria.
(Jalaa Marey / AFP via Getty Images)
All that has made the Sweida militias more effective. But it has also strengthened Al-Hijri’s plan to secede and ally the province — which is some 60 miles southeast of Damascus — to Israel. In recent speeches, he refers to Sweida as Bashan, its Hebrew biblical name, and forces under his control have raised the Israeli flag along the Druze banner. Last week, Al-Hijri-affiliated forces revealed new uniforms and logos that critics point out incorporate the Star of David in their design.
For his part, Tarif, who says he is in daily contact with Al-Hijri as well as intermediaries to Al-Sharaa, insists “the ball is in Jolani’s court,” employing Al-Sharaa’s nom de guerre.
“Do this tomorrow. Open an international humanitarian corridor to Sweida. Bring people back to their homes. Return the kidnapped. Simple,” Tarif said.
At the same time, local opposition to Al-Hijri is intensifying after his forces tortured and killed two Druze clerics he accused of “treason” for contacting state authorities.
“He’s gathering thugs around him, silencing any voice seeking a solution with the state,” said one activist in Sweida who refused to be named for fear of reprisals. Many in Sweida feel trapped between Al-Hijri and a government in Damascus they’ve learned to fear.
“As a Druze, if I want to stand against Al-Hijri and his gangs, who can I go to?” the activist asked. “The state that committed massacres against my people? How can we trust them?”
Altadena will welcome visitors back to beloved Christmas Tree Lane, which will mark its 105th lighting ceremony after the beloved stretch survived the January wildfires
Christmas Tree Lane – the oldest lighting spectacle in the United States, with nearly a mile stretch of twinkling cedars – will welcome visitors back to celebrate the resurrection and hope in Altadena, nearly a year after the deadly Eaton fire tore through the historic community.
On Saturday, Dec. 6, Santa Rosa Avenue will once again welcome visitors to glimpse Altadena’s famous holiday lights, a way to celebrate resiliency in the face of such unimaginable loss. As many as 6,000 homes were lost, and 19 Altadena residents perished in the wind-fueled January wildfire. But the volunteers with Christmas Tree Lane Association have vowed to make the century-old extravaganza a must-see event with more than 10,000 lights lighting the path to recovery.
“It’s about healing,” Jules McCulskey, 53, said of bringing the tradition back to the community. “We will rebuild. We will celebrate life. We will keep our neighborhood traditions alive.”
For the 105th year, Altadena’s Christmas Tree Lane will come alive for a winter festival of lights and hope on Saturday Dec. 6 Credit: Michele McPhee
This year there will be a special ceremony memorializing what was lost in the Eaton Fire. But there will also be carolers, hot chocolate and a special visit from Santa Claus. Volunteers are still needed.
IN CENTRAL FLORIDA, AND THE LONG LINES SHOW THAT MANY PEOPLE ARE IN NEED OF FOOD THIS YEAR. CARS STRETCHED AROUND THE BLOCK THIS MORNING AT VALENCIA COLLEGE. HEART OF FLORIDA, UNITED WAY DISTRIBUTED 6000 THANKSGIVING MEAL OR MEAL KITS TO FAMILIES IN NEED. MORE THAN A THOUSAND VOLUNTEERS PACKED THOSE MEALS THIS WEEK AT THE CENTRAL FLORIDA FAIRGROUNDS. THE ORGANIZATION SUPPORTS LOCAL WORKING FAMILIES WITH LIMITED ASSETS AND INCOME. THEY SAY THAT THESE FAMILIES ARE OFTEN LEFT CHOOSING BETWEEN RENT, MEDICINE AND PUTTING A HOLIDAY MEAL ON THE TABLE. THAT’S ENOUGH FOOD TO FEED 24,000 PEOPLE. THIS THURSDAY MORNING FOR THANKSGIVING, WE GIVE AWAY MEALS THAT ARE UNCOOKED. FAMILIES GO HOME. THEY CAN COOK THEIR MEAL TOGETHER AND HOPEFULLY ENJOY THE SAME MEAL THAT WE’LL HAVE THIS COMING THURSDAY. NO MATTER WHAT’S GOING ON, EVERYBODY WANTS TO LEND A HAND. AND THAT’S SO IMPORTANT BECAUSE PEOPLE DON’T ALWAYS GET ALONG. AND RIGHT NOW, A LOT OF PEOPLE ARE NOT GETTING ALONG. AND THIS IS WHAT WE NEED. WE NEED PEOPLE TO GIVE, TO WELCOME AND TO EMBRACE. WE CERTAINLY DO. EACH KIT INCLUDES A SHELF STABLE, FAVORITES, CANNED VEGETABLES, MASHED POTATOES AND SEASONINGS, PLUS A GIFT CARD SO THAT FAMILIES CAN BUY THE PROTEIN OF THEIR CHOICE. VOLUNTEERS DISTRIBUTED MEALS AT MULTIPLE LOCATIONS ACROSS ORANGE
United Way distributes thousands of Thanksgiving meal kits to families in Central Florida
Heart of Florida United Way distributed 6,000 Thanksgiving meal kits to families in need in Central Florida, with cars stretching around the block at Valencia College.More than 1,000 volunteers packed these meals earlier in the week at the Central Florida Fairgrounds.The organization supports local working families with limited assets and income, who often face difficult choices between rent, medicine, and holiday meals.”It’s enough food to feed 24,000 people this Thursday morning for Thanksgiving. We give meals that are uncooked, families can go ahead and cook their meals and hopefully enjoy the same meal we are having this upcoming Thursday,” Jeff Hayward, president and CEO of Heart of Florida United Way, said. Volunteer Alisa Toro said, “No matter what’s going on, everyone wants to lend a hand, that’s so important because people don’t always get along, and right now not a lot of people are getting along, this is what we need, we need people to give, welcome and to embrace.”Each kit includes shelf-stable favorites such as canned vegetables, mashed potatoes, and seasonings, plus a gift card for families to buy the protein of their choice.Volunteers distributed meals at multiple locations across Orange, Seminole and Osceola counties.
, Fla. —
Heart of Florida United Way distributed 6,000 Thanksgiving meal kits to families in need in Central Florida, with cars stretching around the block at Valencia College.
More than 1,000 volunteers packed these meals earlier in the week at the Central Florida Fairgrounds.
The organization supports local working families with limited assets and income, who often face difficult choices between rent, medicine, and holiday meals.
“It’s enough food to feed 24,000 people this Thursday morning for Thanksgiving. We give meals that are uncooked, families can go ahead and cook their meals and hopefully enjoy the same meal we are having this upcoming Thursday,” Jeff Hayward, president and CEO of Heart of Florida United Way, said.
Volunteer Alisa Toro said, “No matter what’s going on, everyone wants to lend a hand, that’s so important because people don’t always get along, and right now not a lot of people are getting along, this is what we need, we need people to give, welcome and to embrace.”
Each kit includes shelf-stable favorites such as canned vegetables, mashed potatoes, and seasonings, plus a gift card for families to buy the protein of their choice.
Volunteers distributed meals at multiple locations across Orange, Seminole and Osceola counties.
On Saturday morning, Genaro Alfonzo pulled up to the Kia Forum in Inglewood wearing his Dodgers hat and jersey, with a flag for his Boys in Blue flapping from a Toyota pickup truck.
But the morning after his beloved Dodgers won Game 6 of the World Series against the Toronto Blue Jays, Alfonzo was not happy. It was nearly 11 a.m., and the 70-year-old had not yet eaten.
“Just this,” he said, tearing up as he held up a blue plastic coffee cup, half empty. “I’m not working. My wife’s not working — there’s no work. The market is expensive.”
Alfonzo was among thousands of people who showed up to a drive-through food distribution event Saturday at the Kia Forum put on by the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank on the first day of a lapse in funding for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP.
Share via
It was the first day of the month — the first day of a pause in federal food assistance for millions of low-income Americans, including 5.5 million Californians, because of the government shutdown that began Oct. 1.
On Friday,two federal judges, in separate rulings, ordered the U.S. Department of Agriculture to begin using more than $5 billion in contingency funds for SNAP during the government shutdown. But they gave the agency until Monday to figure out how to do so.
Although the orders were a win for people who rely on SNAP, they did not mean that recipients would be spared a lapse in food aid. Over the weekend, state and local food banks scrambled to prepare for a deluge of need.
People pick up food distributed by Noel Community Organization at the Lily of the Valley Church of God In Christ Saturday in Long Beach.
(Eric Thayer/Los Angeles Times)
California Atty. Gen. Rob Bonta — whose office helped bring about a lawsuit by a coalition of Democrat-led states against the Trump administration over the food aid cutoff — said Thursday that a ruling in the states’ favor would not mean SNAP funds would immediately be loaded onto CalFresh and other benefit cards.
“Our best estimates are that [SNAP benefit] cards could be loaded and used in about a week,” he said, adding that “there could be about a week where people are hungry and need food.” For new program applicants, he said, the delay could be even longer.
On Saturday, amid gray skies and fog, scores of volunteers for the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank gathered outside the Forum to serve Angelenos looking to stock their shelves and refrigerators for what could become the longest shutdown since 2018, when the government was shut down for 35 days.
Volunteers disbursed food containers for about 5,000 vehicles, according to the food bank. Each offering had items for about 40 meals, with whole grains, fresh produce, tortillas, canned tuna, yogurt and frozen chicken.
“This is what large-scale disaster relief looks like,” said Michael Flood, chief executive of the food bank. “It’s about getting as much as possible out to as many people as possible — safely and in a short time.”
Fueled by bins of snacks — chips, oranges and bottled water — many volunteers expressed enthusiasm for the long day ahead.
“I’m just happy to be here — it’s a great opportunity to help people,” said Jordan Diaz, 35.
Ron Del Rio, 54, said he was happy to help but angry about the circumstances.
“It’s frustrating and heartbreaking to see people who are hungry,” he said. “It’s just so unsettling that it has to be this way. Why are there 5,000 cars coming through here in a country that is so rich?”
Norma White gives Dario Medina a free haircut as people wait to pick up food distributed by Noel Community Organization at the Lily of the Valley Church of God In Christ Saturday in Long Beach.
(Eric Thayer/Los Angeles Times)
About 600,000 SNAP recipients live in Los Angeles, according to Mayor Karen Bass, who said in a statement Friday that “no one in Los Angeles should have to worry about putting food on the table because of circumstances beyond their control.”
For volunteer Diane Jackson, 72, loading up cars with boxes of fresh produce hit close to home. Her son had been in line to receive food earlier that morning.
“He has 7 children!” she said. “He made sure to come out here. I’m so glad they’re here — it feels good.”
Volunteers were greeted with fist bumps, air kisses and shouted thank yous.
As she waited in line, Maxx Bush, 79, who lives near the Forum, said she was angry because people’s incomes are not increasing, even as groceries, housing, insurance, medication, gasoline and other necessities are becoming more expensive.
“Our elected officials are letting us down because we vote and put these people in office, and they tend to get a personal vendetta going with each other and forget about the main thing, which is the people.”
In their opposition to states’ request for a temporary restraining order requiring the disbursement of contingency funds, attorneys for the USDA argued that the $5.25 billion is reserved “in the event of natural disasters and other uncontrollable catastrophes” and could cause more disruptions later. The emergency funds will not cover the roughly $9 billion required for all November benefits, according to the USDA.
Last week, Gov. Gavin Newsom activated the National Guard to help package food and directed $80 million to food banks to stock up. More than 63% of SNAP recipients in California are children or elderly people, Newsom’s office said.
“I have instructed our lawyers to ask the Court to clarify how we can legally fund SNAP as soon as possible,” President Trump saidin a post on Truth Social on Friday. “It is already delayed enough due to the Democrats keeping the Government closed … it will BE MY HONOR to provide the funding.”
On Saturday, Bonta snapped back.
“The Trump Admin CHOSE to withhold food assistance from people in need. They CHOSE to let people go hungry and now are only changing their tune thanks to lawsuits,” Bonta said on X. “It should have never gotten this far in the first place.”
Two people leave a food distribution site Saturday in Long Beach.
(Eric Thayer/Los Angeles Times)
Around noon on Saturday, the parking lot at the Forum was a cacophony of sound: car engines rumbling, car stereos blasting music, fire engines blaring in the distance, children shrieking, airplanes roaring en route to nearby LAX.
Rayvone Douthard, 51, picked up food in a white Nissan truck with his windows down and stereo blaring a cover by the band Tierra of the 1967 song “Together.” Douthard, a DJ who wore a brightly colored tie-dye T-shirt, said he received federal food aid and was concerned about the delay in funding.
“It’s not right,” he said. “Donald Trump needs to stop what he’s doing. Everyone needs food.”
Then he turned his music up again.
“But I feel positive about this,” he said, gesturing at the bustling parking lot. “Everybody working together. Like the song says!”
The Russian invasion of Ukraine has displaced millions, scattering families across the country and abroad. For many, heavy fighting in the east means crowded shelters, borrowed beds and fading hope.Related video above: President Trump signals he’s holding back on long-range missiles for UkraineAbout 400 miles west of the front line, however, a privately built settlement near Kyiv offers a rare reprieve: stable housing, personal space and the dignity of a locked door.This is Hansen Village. Its rows of modular homes provide housing for 2,000 people who are mostly displaced from occupied territories. Children ride bikes along paved lanes, passing amenities like a swimming pool, basketball court, health clinic and school.The village is the creation of Dell Loy Hansen, a Utah real estate developer who has spent over $140 million building and repairing homes across Ukraine since 2022.At 72, he’s eager to do more.A new missionHansen’s arrival in Ukraine followed a public reckoning. In 2020, he sold his Major League Soccer team, Real Salt Lake, after reports that he made racist comments. He denied the allegations in an interview with The Associated Press but said the experience ultimately gave him a new mission.“I went through something painful, but it gave me humility,” he said. “That humility led me to Ukraine.”Seeing people lose everything, Hansen said he felt compelled to act. “This isn’t charity to me, it’s responsibility,” he said. “If you can build, then build. Don’t just watch.”Hansen now oversees more than a dozen projects in Ukraine: expanding Hansen Village, providing cash and other assistance to elderly people and families, and supporting a prosthetics clinic.He’s planning a cemetery to honor displaced people, and a not-for-profit affordable housing program designed to be scaled up nationally.Ukraine’s housing crisis is staggering. Nearly one in three citizens have fled their homes, including 4.5 million registered as internally displaced.Around the eastern city of Dnipro, volunteers convert old buildings into shelters as evacuees arrive daily from the war-torn Donbas region. One site — a crumbling Soviet-era dorm — now houses 149 elderly residents, mostly in their seventies and eighties.Funding comes from a patchwork of donations: foreign aid, local charities and individual contributions including cash, volunteer labor or old appliances and boxes of food, all put together to meet urgent needs.“I call it begging: knocking on every door, and explaining why each small thing is necessary,” said Veronika Chumak, who runs the center. “But we keep going. Our mission is to restore people’s sense of life.”Valentina Khusak, 86, was evacuated by charity volunteers from Myrnohrad, a coal-mining town, after Russian shelling cut off water and power. She lost her husband and son before the war.“Maybe we’ll return home, maybe not,” she said. “What matters is that places like this exist — where the old and lonely are treated with warmth and respect.”A nation under strainUkraine’s government is struggling to fund shelters and repairs as its relief budget buckles under relentless missile and drone attacks on infrastructure.By late 2024, 13% of Ukrainian homes were damaged or destroyed, according to a U.N.-led assessment. The cost of national reconstruction is estimated to be $524 billion, nearly triple the country’s annual economic output.Since June, Ukraine has evacuated over 100,000 more people from the east, expanding shelters and transit hubs. New evacuees are handed an emergency government subsidy payment of $260.Yevhen Tuzov, who helped thousands find shelter during the 2022 siege of Mariupol, said many feel forgotten.“Sometimes six strangers must live together in one small room,” Tuzov said. “For elderly people, this is humiliating.“What Hansen is doing is great — to build villages — but why can’t we do that too?”’People here don’t need miracles’Hansen began his work after visiting Ukraine in early 2022. He started by wiring cash aid to families, then used his decades of experience to build modular housing.Mykyta Bogomol, 16, lives in foster care apartments at Hansen Village with seven other children and two dogs. He fled the southern Kherson region after Russian occupation and flooding.“Life here is good,” he said. “During the occupation, it was terrifying. Soldiers forced kids into Russian schools. Here, I finally feel safe.”Hansen visits Ukraine several times a year. From Salt Lake City, he spends hours daily on video calls, tracking war updates, coordinating aid, and lobbying U.S. lawmakers.“I’ve built homes all my life, but nothing has meant more to me than this,” he said. “People here don’t need miracles — just a roof, safety, and someone who doesn’t give up on them.”A fraction of what’s neededLast year, Hansen sold part of his businesses for $14 million — all of it, he said, went to Ukraine.Still, his contribution is a fraction of what’s needed. With entire towns uninhabitable, private aid remains vital but insufficient.Hansen has met with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who thanked him for supporting vulnerable communities. Later this year, Hansen will receive one of Ukraine’s highest civilian honors — an award he says is not for himself.“I don’t need recognition,” he said. “If this award makes the elderly and displaced more visible, then it means something. Otherwise, it’s just a medal.” Associated Press journalists Volodymyr Yurchuk in Kyiv, Ukraine, and Vasilisa Stepanenko and Dmytro Zhyhinas in Pavlohrad, Ukraine, contributed to this report.
TARASIVKA, Ukraine —
The Russian invasion of Ukraine has displaced millions, scattering families across the country and abroad. For many, heavy fighting in the east means crowded shelters, borrowed beds and fading hope.
Related video above: President Trump signals he’s holding back on long-range missiles for Ukraine
About 400 miles west of the front line, however, a privately built settlement near Kyiv offers a rare reprieve: stable housing, personal space and the dignity of a locked door.
This is Hansen Village. Its rows of modular homes provide housing for 2,000 people who are mostly displaced from occupied territories. Children ride bikes along paved lanes, passing amenities like a swimming pool, basketball court, health clinic and school.
The village is the creation of Dell Loy Hansen, a Utah real estate developer who has spent over $140 million building and repairing homes across Ukraine since 2022.
At 72, he’s eager to do more.
A new mission
Hansen’s arrival in Ukraine followed a public reckoning. In 2020, he sold his Major League Soccer team, Real Salt Lake, after reports that he made racist comments. He denied the allegations in an interview with The Associated Press but said the experience ultimately gave him a new mission.
“I went through something painful, but it gave me humility,” he said. “That humility led me to Ukraine.”
Seeing people lose everything, Hansen said he felt compelled to act. “This isn’t charity to me, it’s responsibility,” he said. “If you can build, then build. Don’t just watch.”
Hansen now oversees more than a dozen projects in Ukraine: expanding Hansen Village, providing cash and other assistance to elderly people and families, and supporting a prosthetics clinic.
He’s planning a cemetery to honor displaced people, and a not-for-profit affordable housing program designed to be scaled up nationally.
Ukraine’s housing crisis is staggering. Nearly one in three citizens have fled their homes, including 4.5 million registered as internally displaced.
Around the eastern city of Dnipro, volunteers convert old buildings into shelters as evacuees arrive daily from the war-torn Donbas region. One site — a crumbling Soviet-era dorm — now houses 149 elderly residents, mostly in their seventies and eighties.
Funding comes from a patchwork of donations: foreign aid, local charities and individual contributions including cash, volunteer labor or old appliances and boxes of food, all put together to meet urgent needs.
“I call it begging: knocking on every door, and explaining why each small thing is necessary,” said Veronika Chumak, who runs the center. “But we keep going. Our mission is to restore people’s sense of life.”
Valentina Khusak, 86, was evacuated by charity volunteers from Myrnohrad, a coal-mining town, after Russian shelling cut off water and power. She lost her husband and son before the war.
“Maybe we’ll return home, maybe not,” she said. “What matters is that places like this exist — where the old and lonely are treated with warmth and respect.”
A nation under strain
Ukraine’s government is struggling to fund shelters and repairs as its relief budget buckles under relentless missile and drone attacks on infrastructure.
By late 2024, 13% of Ukrainian homes were damaged or destroyed, according to a U.N.-led assessment. The cost of national reconstruction is estimated to be $524 billion, nearly triple the country’s annual economic output.
Since June, Ukraine has evacuated over 100,000 more people from the east, expanding shelters and transit hubs. New evacuees are handed an emergency government subsidy payment of $260.
Yevhen Tuzov, who helped thousands find shelter during the 2022 siege of Mariupol, said many feel forgotten.
“Sometimes six strangers must live together in one small room,” Tuzov said. “For elderly people, this is humiliating.
“What Hansen is doing is great — to build villages — but why can’t we do that too?”
‘People here don’t need miracles’
Hansen began his work after visiting Ukraine in early 2022. He started by wiring cash aid to families, then used his decades of experience to build modular housing.
Mykyta Bogomol, 16, lives in foster care apartments at Hansen Village with seven other children and two dogs. He fled the southern Kherson region after Russian occupation and flooding.
“Life here is good,” he said. “During the occupation, it was terrifying. Soldiers forced kids into Russian schools. Here, I finally feel safe.”
Hansen visits Ukraine several times a year. From Salt Lake City, he spends hours daily on video calls, tracking war updates, coordinating aid, and lobbying U.S. lawmakers.
“I’ve built homes all my life, but nothing has meant more to me than this,” he said. “People here don’t need miracles — just a roof, safety, and someone who doesn’t give up on them.”
A fraction of what’s needed
Last year, Hansen sold part of his businesses for $14 million — all of it, he said, went to Ukraine.
Still, his contribution is a fraction of what’s needed. With entire towns uninhabitable, private aid remains vital but insufficient.
Hansen has met with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who thanked him for supporting vulnerable communities. Later this year, Hansen will receive one of Ukraine’s highest civilian honors — an award he says is not for himself.
“I don’t need recognition,” he said. “If this award makes the elderly and displaced more visible, then it means something. Otherwise, it’s just a medal.”
Associated Press journalists Volodymyr Yurchuk in Kyiv, Ukraine, and Vasilisa Stepanenko and Dmytro Zhyhinas in Pavlohrad, Ukraine, contributed to this report.
During one of this fall’s busiest sports weekends, volunteers at St. Paul, Minnesota’s, Allianz Field were focused not on a game Saturday, but a much bigger mission.
“I feel that food is just a basic human necessity,” said volunteer Pete Wilson. “There are more people than ever now in this state that don’t know where their next meal is coming from.”
In Minnesota, about one in five families is struggling with food insecurity. Minnesotans made nine million trips to food shelves last year.
Advocates tell WCCO that as demand increases, help from the federal government is shrinking.
“The federal cuts and changes in policy we’re seeing right now are important,” said Sarah Moberg, CEO of Second Harvest Heartland.
Second Harvest is doing something they’ve never done before — giving away food to 1,800 families at a large-scale food distribution and community resource fair.
“It is frustrating,” said Adero Riser Cobb, President and CEO of Keystone Community Services. “We’d like to say that we’d like to work ourselves out of a job, meaning everyone has the food.”
She says the reality is that many Minnesota households need extra food support.
“I’ve raised three kids. The thought of kids going to bed hungry every night, trying to go to school when they’re hungry, I’m just not ok with that,” said Wilson.
Inside A Celebrity-Powered Mission for Change featuring Olivia Holt, Abbey Cowen, Rumer and Tallulah Willis!
Fiji Islands, March 7, 2025 (Newswire.com)
– A groundbreaking volunteer initiative, Art LOVES Fiji, brought together a team from the United States to the breathtaking Fiji Islands to raise awareness and give back. Produced by Art LOVES Earth in partnership with VRTU Studios, this unique project combined creativity, community support, and environmental conservation to form long term local partnerships and make a lasting impact on the islands.
Over 12 days, the Art LOVES Fiji team visited multiple Fijian islands, collaborating with local communities and organizations, including Heart Heroes and Corals for Conservation with support of a group of celebrity actresses, filmmakers, photographers, actors, models, and philanthropists dedicated their time and talents. Prominent participants included actresses Abbey Cowen, Olivia Holt, Rumer Willis, and Tallulah Willis and Miss Supermodel Fiji Alisha Idana.
The team visited several of the most remote island villages where they participated in women’s and children’s empowerment activities with the locals, including the Sustainable Nama Harvesting Program with local village women, a local partnership with Nama Fiji that supports the local women as their primary income source, to create opportunity for the women of the Yasawa islands.
Another centerpiece of the campaign was helping plant a new coral reef in Fiji as part of the UN-endorsed “Reefs of Hope” coral restoration program, led by the NGO Corals for Conservation.
Art LOVES Fiji is part of a broader campaign by Art LOVES Earth, which plans similar initiatives in other countries in 2025, that is actively seeking partnerships with tourism boards, celebrities, brands, and donors aligned with its mission to to create meaningful change.
Founded by Ryan Hattaway, Art LOVES Earth is a platform that leverages creativity to inspire environmental conservation and community support worldwide. For more information on Art Loves Earth please visit: www.artlovesearth.com.
For five years after two teenage girls were killed and their bodies left along an Indiana trail, Richard Allen’s name sat unnoticed in a box with thousands of other tips about the mystery, until it was rediscovered by chance.Stashed in a box of tips from the public, Allen’s note said he saw three girls as he walked along the Monon High Bridge Trail between 1:30 and 3:30 p.m. on February 13, 2017.In September 2022, as volunteer receptionist Kathy Shank filed the tip in an online database, she realized the time Allen said he was on the trail matched the time the girls were thought to have gone missing, according to CNN affiliate WLFI.Shank submitted the tip to the detective in charge of the investigation because she thought it was worth looking into, she testified last week at Allen’s trial for the murders of Abigail “Abby” Williams, 13, and Liberty “Libby” German, 14, in Delphi, Indiana.Carroll County Sheriff Tony Liggett said despite the tip, Allen “got lost in the cracks,” according to CNN affiliate WLFI. The suspect never left the small town, working at a local CVS pharmacy until he was arrested.The revelation about the tip box is one of many facts surfacing in what is known as the Delphi murder case. Many details of the case, including how exactly the girls died, have remained unknown to the public for years. In December 2022, a judge issued a gag order to stop attorneys, law enforcement officials, court personnel, the coroner and the girls’ relatives from making public comments on the case.But with the trial underway, more of the story is beginning to come to light. Here’s what we’ve learned about the case in the first full week of the trial.Both girls were killed by cuts to the neckA pathologist who performed the girls’ autopsies testified both had wounds on their necks, which seemed to be from a serrated edge, though he could not determine exactly what or how many instruments were used to make the cuts, according to CNN affiliate WLFI.Abby had one seven-inch-long wound on the side of her neck, pathologist Roland Kohr testified. Libby had four or five wounds on her neck and the three main blood vessels in her neck were cut, according to WLFI.Fourteen images from the girls’ autopsies were shown in court, WLFI reported. Family members cried and other members of the audience were visibly shaken, according to CNN affiliate WRTV.Libby would have bled to death from her wounds within five to 10 minutes, Kohr testified, according to WRTV.Neither of the victims’ bodies showed any signs of sexual assault or defensive wounds, Kohr said, according to WRTV.While Abby’s body was discovered fully clothed – in Libby’s clothes – Libby was discovered nude, Kohr testified, according to WRTV. Abby’s T-shirt, jeans and jacket were discovered in the nearby river, the station reported.More than 50 photos of the crime scene were shown in court, sparking emotional reactions, WRTV reported.Unspent bullet ties Allen to crime scene, prosecutors sayProsecutors have worked to link Allen to the crime scene with an unspent bullet found between the girls’ bodies investigators said came from Allen’s gun.Former Indiana State Police Firearm Examiner Melissa Oberg testified the .40 caliber round found between the bodies matched a pistol seized from Allen’s home, according to CNN affiliate WTHR. She explained she matched the cartridge to the pistol through the “quality and quantity of marks” on the cartridge.The defense has sought to cast doubt on the bullet evidence, questioning why more images were not taken of the cartridge and suggesting the bullet could have come from a law enforcement officer’s weapon, according to CNN affiliate WRTV.The pistol is one of several weapons found in Allen’s home in 2022, prosecutors said. Police also discovered multiple knives and ammunition within his home, according to WLFI. He was arrested shortly after authorities said they determined the unspent round matched his handgun.The defense, meanwhile, has raised questions about the absence of DNA evidence linking Allen to the killings. Asked if any DNA evidence taken from the swab of Libby’s wrists was matched to Allen, Indiana State Police investigator Brian Olehy said no, according to CNN affiliate WTHR.’Bridge Guy’ video played in fullThe trial has also seen the screening of a video captured on Libby’s cell phone. Authorities had previously only released a screenshot from the “Bridge Guy” video, which shows a man in a blue jacket and jeans walking on the Monon High Bridge, as well as a short audio clip with a man’s muffled voice saying, “Down the hill.”Authorities have long held they believe the man shown in the video, dubbed “Bridge Guy,” to be the person responsible for the girls’ deaths.The 43-second video shown in court, enhanced by investigator Jeremy Chapman, seems to show Libby recording the trail before turning the camera to record Abby. Then “Bridge Guy” comes into view, according to CNN affiliate WNDU. Libby can be heard telling Abby “the trail ends here, we have to go down,” on the video, WNDU reported.One witness, Sarah Carbaugh, testified driving back from the Monon High Bridge Trail on February 13, 2017, she saw a man who looked “muddy, bloody, and unfriendly,” whom she identified as the man on the bridge shown in the video, according to CNN affiliate WLFI.Defense calls again for ‘Odinism’ theoryAlthough the trial has revealed a wealth of new information surrounding the case, one aspect remains unclear: the motive behind the gruesome crime.The victims’ bodies were found partially covered with sticks, Indiana State Police investigator Brian Olehy testified on October 22, according to CNN affiliate WTHR.Olehy suggested the sticks may have been used in “an attempt at concealment” but the victims’ bodies were not fully covered.The defense, meanwhile, is hoping to use the placement of the sticks as evidence of their theory the girls were killed not by Allen, but rather in a ritualistic murder, perhaps as part of Odinism, a branch of Norse paganism with a far-right strain.Allen’s defense attorneys filed a new motion on October 23, arguing for their alternate killer theory to be allowed in court, according to CNN affiliate WTHR. In the motion, the attorneys argue, “the sticks on the girls appear to be arranged in a pattern/arrangement.” The judge previously blocked a similar effort to allow the Odinism theory in court.
CNN —
For five years after two teenage girls were killed and their bodies left along an Indiana trail, Richard Allen’s name sat unnoticed in a box with thousands of other tips about the mystery, until it was rediscovered by chance.
Stashed in a box of tips from the public, Allen’s note said he saw three girls as he walked along the Monon High Bridge Trail between 1:30 and 3:30 p.m. on February 13, 2017.
In September 2022, as volunteer receptionist Kathy Shank filed the tip in an online database, she realized the time Allen said he was on the trail matched the time the girls were thought to have gone missing, according to CNN affiliate WLFI.
Shank submitted the tip to the detective in charge of the investigation because she thought it was worth looking into, she testified last week at Allen’s trial for the murders of Abigail “Abby” Williams, 13, and Liberty “Libby” German, 14, in Delphi, Indiana.
The revelation about the tip box is one of many facts surfacing in what is known as the Delphi murder case. Many details of the case, including how exactly the girls died, have remained unknown to the public for years. In December 2022, a judge issued a gag order to stop attorneys, law enforcement officials, court personnel, the coroner and the girls’ relatives from making public comments on the case.
But with the trial underway, more of the story is beginning to come to light. Here’s what we’ve learned about the case in the first full week of the trial.
Both girls were killed by cuts to the neck
A pathologist who performed the girls’ autopsies testified both had wounds on their necks, which seemed to be from a serrated edge, though he could not determine exactly what or how many instruments were used to make the cuts, according to CNN affiliate WLFI.
Abby had one seven-inch-long wound on the side of her neck, pathologist Roland Kohr testified. Libby had four or five wounds on her neck and the three main blood vessels in her neck were cut, according to WLFI.
Fourteen images from the girls’ autopsies were shown in court, WLFI reported. Family members cried and other members of the audience were visibly shaken, according to CNN affiliate WRTV.
Libby would have bled to death from her wounds within five to 10 minutes, Kohr testified, according to WRTV.
Neither of the victims’ bodies showed any signs of sexual assault or defensive wounds, Kohr said, according to WRTV.
While Abby’s body was discovered fully clothed – in Libby’s clothes – Libby was discovered nude, Kohr testified, according to WRTV. Abby’s T-shirt, jeans and jacket were discovered in the nearby river, the station reported.
More than 50 photos of the crime scene were shown in court, sparking emotional reactions, WRTV reported.
Unspent bullet ties Allen to crime scene, prosecutors say
Prosecutors have worked to link Allen to the crime scene with an unspent bullet found between the girls’ bodies investigators said came from Allen’s gun.
Former Indiana State Police Firearm Examiner Melissa Oberg testified the .40 caliber round found between the bodies matched a pistol seized from Allen’s home, according to CNN affiliate WTHR. She explained she matched the cartridge to the pistol through the “quality and quantity of marks” on the cartridge.
The defense has sought to cast doubt on the bullet evidence, questioning why more images were not taken of the cartridge and suggesting the bullet could have come from a law enforcement officer’s weapon, according to CNN affiliate WRTV.
The pistol is one of several weapons found in Allen’s home in 2022, prosecutors said. Police also discovered multiple knives and ammunition within his home, according to WLFI. He was arrested shortly after authorities said they determined the unspent round matched his handgun.
The defense, meanwhile, has raised questions about the absence of DNA evidence linking Allen to the killings. Asked if any DNA evidence taken from the swab of Libby’s wrists was matched to Allen, Indiana State Police investigator Brian Olehy said no, according to CNN affiliate WTHR.
‘Bridge Guy’ video played in full
The trial has also seen the screening of a video captured on Libby’s cell phone. Authorities had previously only released a screenshot from the “Bridge Guy” video, which shows a man in a blue jacket and jeans walking on the Monon High Bridge, as well as a short audio clip with a man’s muffled voice saying, “Down the hill.”
Authorities have long held they believe the man shown in the video, dubbed “Bridge Guy,” to be the person responsible for the girls’ deaths.
The 43-second video shown in court, enhanced by investigator Jeremy Chapman, seems to show Libby recording the trail before turning the camera to record Abby. Then “Bridge Guy” comes into view, according to CNN affiliate WNDU. Libby can be heard telling Abby “the trail ends here, we have to go down,” on the video, WNDU reported.
One witness, Sarah Carbaugh, testified driving back from the Monon High Bridge Trail on February 13, 2017, she saw a man who looked “muddy, bloody, and unfriendly,” whom she identified as the man on the bridge shown in the video, according to CNN affiliate WLFI.
Defense calls again for ‘Odinism’ theory
Although the trial has revealed a wealth of new information surrounding the case, one aspect remains unclear: the motive behind the gruesome crime.
The victims’ bodies were found partially covered with sticks, Indiana State Police investigator Brian Olehy testified on October 22, according to CNN affiliate WTHR.
Olehy suggested the sticks may have been used in “an attempt at concealment” but the victims’ bodies were not fully covered.
The defense, meanwhile, is hoping to use the placement of the sticks as evidence of their theory the girls were killed not by Allen, but rather in a ritualistic murder, perhaps as part of Odinism, a branch of Norse paganism with a far-right strain.
Allen’s defense attorneys filed a new motion on October 23, arguing for their alternate killer theory to be allowed in court, according to CNN affiliate WTHR. In the motion, the attorneys argue, “the sticks on the girls appear to be arranged in a pattern/arrangement.” The judge previously blocked a similar effort to allow the Odinism theory in court.
Local mom Tina Mackey went on a Meals On Wheels in Greenville, SC trip with her kids so that she could share with us her experience.
Ya’ll, have you ever thought about something for a long time (I mean years). And you have in your mind how it should go? That’s how it was for me with Meals on Wheels. This has been something I’ve wanted to do for years. I had preconceived notions about time commitment, how it would work taking children, how often I would have to commit to driving, and much more. Let me tell you how Meals on Wheels is not at all what I expected it to be.
How volunteering with Meals On Wheels went for my family
First, let me say that our experience with Meals on Wheels was far better than anything I ever thought it would be. This is one of those times that I ended up saying, “why haven’t we done this sooner?” We began by going to orientation and learning about the organization. Being briefed on how things worked made us confident that we could really do this. Orientation is now virtual, and you can attend a virtual orientation session on Thursdays at 9:30 am.
Next, we picked up our food. The food packages are pretty straight-forward. They have special trays for certain dietetic restrictions, but other than that it was pretty simple. All food is cooked and packaged at their site just off of Oregon Street near August Street in Greenville. If you want to be assigned a route further out of town, you have the option of picking up your food from a drop off site closer to your location.
Last, we drove to our locations. The papers that they give you detail everything. It gives you directions to your first house along with the house description and specific directions on where and how to drop the food. (Food is never to be left alone on a porch). Then, you follow the directions to your next house. Even if you don’t have GPS, you can do this just by following their written instructions. We were finished with our route in exactly 1 1/2 hours.
Things To Know Before Starting Your Meals on Wheels Route
Orientation is now virtual and happens every Thursday at 9:30 am.
Food pick-up can be at the downtown location or at a food drop elsewhere.
Food pickup begins at 10 am.
Most people like to pickup at 10 am and be finished by 12 pm.
MoW services a very large area including places from Travelers Rest all the way down to Fountain Inn and beyond.
You do not have to commit to a consistent drop, but can choose on a weekly basis.
Time commitment is roughly 2 hours.
There are other ways to volunteer your time from greeting volunteers to cooking and packaging the meals.
Benefits I Didn’t Expect When Working with Meals on Wheels in Greenville
The clients were so happy to see us and genuinely thankful for us and you are welcome to visit with clients during your routes. My kids loved meeting new people and having a chance to help them. My children each took turns knocking on doors and taking the lead on talking to the clients. I loved that they had a chance to learn assertiveness.
My son got great experience with navigation! We even saw parts of Greenville that we’ve never seen while we were driving around our route. Plus, there was lots of time in the car to talk about how we can help others.
So if you’re thinking of volunteering, but are hesitant because you’re not sure what to expect, my advice would be to go ahead and try it. They would be more than happy for you to try it once just to see how it works for your family. And from then, you can commit to a weekly route or just takes routes as they fit into your schedule.
The Getty Center’s “On Thin Ice – Dutch Depictions of Extreme Weather” includes “A Winter Scene with Two Gentlemen Playing Colf; Hendrick Avercamp (Dutch, 1585–1634); Pen and brown ink and translucent and opaque watercolor; Getty Museum; 2008.13” on exhibit through Sept. 1. (The J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles)
Here is a sampling of things to do in the San Fernando Valley and the greater Los Angeles area.
EVENTS
Ventura County Fair: The fair — celebrating its 150th anniversary — runs today-Aug. 11. Fair hours: noon-12 a.m. daily. Commercial and exhibit buildings and the barn close earlier. Check the website for “early bird” online fair admission and season passes; regular admission is $20; $15 ages 65 and older and ages 6-12 (venturacountyfair.org/fair/hours-and-days/). Carnival wristband are an extra fee. Check the website for PRCA Rodeo show times, $8 or $10 (rodeo tickets are additional and are good only for a specific time and date). Concerts are free with fair admission, but there is a VIP ticket option for purchase (venturacountyfair.org/fair/entertainment/). Parking is limited onsite. Check parking and shuttles here: venturacountyfair.org/fair/parking-shuttles. Ventura County Fair Grounds, 10 W. Harbor Blvd, Ventura. venturacountyfair.org
Prosperity Market’s Black Business Scavenger Hunt: Take part in the 4th annual event to discover Black-owned businesses included restaurants, services and stores, Aug. 1-25. More than 100 Black-owned businesses in the Los Angeles area are taking part. Text #BBSH24 to 323-417-0465 to participate and earn points by texting the unique code for each business you visit. A pop-up finale market and block party and winners of the scavenger hunt will be revealed, 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Sept. 1 (parking lot of Hilltop Coffee + Kitchen, 4427 W. Slauson Ave., Los Angeles). www.instagram.com/prosperity.market. www.prosperitymarketla.com/. Details on the event: www.prosperitymarketla.com/pages/events
Music Center’s Dance DTLA: Have fun learning new dance steps when expert dance instructors provide lessons and DJs spin the tunes, 7-11 p.m. on Fridays Aug. 16. Schedule: Samba, Aug. 2; Hip-Hop, Aug. 9; Disco, Aug. 16. Lessons are free. Food and beverages will be available for purchase. Check the website for instructors and DJs. Dances are subject to change. Check the website for parking or taking the Metro. Jerry Moss Plaza at the Music Center, 135 N. Grand Ave., Los Angeles. www.musiccenter.org/dancedtla
National Night Out Against Crime and Drugs – Mission Hills: Neighbors in the Los Angeles Police Department Mission Community Police Station area gather together at a block party to meet-and-greet the senior lead police officers, learn about crime prevention and safety tips, and enjoy music by DJ Bobby Arias, raffle prizes and free food, 5-7 p.m. Aug. 6. Bring a blanket or lawn chair for seating. Bring a picnic dinner. No pets allowed. Brand Park, 15121 Brand Blvd. Betty Ley, 818-401-3272. Details on the flyer: www.mhnconline.org/event/national-night-out-6/
National Night Out with Burbank Police Department: Meet Burbank police officers, view police vehicles, community exhibitors, refreshments and giveaways, 5:30 p.m. Aug. 6. Johnny Carson Park, 400 Bob Hope Drive. Burbank Police Department, Community Resource Officers, 818-238-3235. www.facebook.com/BurbankCA/
National Night Out – Northridge: Event includes community resources booths, a police vehicle display, a children’s bouncy house, popcorn and a screening of “Sing 2” (2021), 6 p.m. Aug. 6. Event is cosponsored by Los Angeles City Councilmember John Lee’s office and Los Angeles Police Department Devonshire Community Police Station. Northridge Recreation Center, 18300 Lemarsh Ave. (at Reseda Boulevard). See the flyer: www.facebook.com/LAPDDevonshire/
National Night Out – Valley Village: Neighborhood Council Valley Village holds an event with music, food, raffles and a “Glow Stick” walk, 6 p.m. Aug. 6. Bring your own glow stick. Also, nonperishable food to be collected, and then donated to the North Hollywood Interfaith Food Pantry (no glass bottles). Valley Village Park, 5000 Westpark Drive. Maribel Ulloa-Garcia, 818-759-8204 or email: maribelugncvv@gmail.com. www.myvalleyvillage.com.
Nisei Week Japanese Festival: The 82nd Nisei Week events include special cultural activities, entertainment and exhibits throughout Little Tokyo, Aug. 10-18. The Grand Parade, 4 p.m. Aug. 11. Festival map: https://niseiweek.org/festival/#map. 213-687-7183. Email: info@niseiweek.org. niseiweek.org
The “Natsumatsuri Family Festival” — at the Japanese American National Museum — includes cultural performances, activities and crafts, 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Aug. 10. Free. Location, 100 N. Central Ave., Los Angeles. Details: www.janm.org/events/2024-08-10/2024-natsumatsuri-family-festival
Also, the Japanese American Community and Cultural Center (244 S. San Pedro St., Los Angeles) has a schedule of activities, Aug. 10-18. The JACCC presents the “Plaza Festival” — Aug. 17-18 — that includes entertainment, food and shopping, 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Aug. 17; and on the second day, 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Aug. 18, a “Taiko Gathering,” with local Japanese drum groups. Details on the Aug. 10-18 schedule at the JACCC: jaccc.org/events/82nd-annual-nisei-week-jaccc/
Nisei Week Japanese Festival winds up with a closing ceremony and “Ondo Street Dance Party,” 3:45-7 p.m. Aug. 18 (First Street between Central Avenue and San Pedro Street). niseiweek.org
Grand Parade – Nisei Week Japanese Festival Grand Parade: The parade includes traditional Japanese taiko drum performers, local community groups, high schools, elected officials and representatives, and the newly crowned 2024 Nisei Week queen and court, 4 p.m. Aug. 11. Grand marshal is David Ono, KABC-7 news anchor, and the parade marshal is actress Amy Hill. The route begins at Central Avenue; on Central and heading west on Second Street; turning north on San Pedro Street; turning east on First Street; turning south and ending on Central Avenue. 213-687-7183. Email: info@niseiweek.org. niseiWeek.org. niseiweek.org/events/grand-parade/
The Big ‘I Do’ Wedding Experience – City of Santa Clarita: If you’re engaged to be married (or planning to propose), register by Aug. 16 to be a part of the City of Santa Clarita’s event in which multiple couple exchange their wedding vows, at the same time, and followed by a group wedding reception on Valentine’s Day, Feb. 14, 2025. Couples who register will automatically be entered in a raffle to win a custom wedding dress or suit. 661-651-0823. Read the details and register: santaclarita.gov/weddings
Wings Over Camarillo Air Show: The event includes aerial performances, a classic car and motorcycle show, vintage and present-day military aircraft display, a STEM pavilion and a “Veterans Hangar,” 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Aug. 17-18. Air show performances begin at noon. All ticketing is online. Admission, for one day and plus fee $30; $20 for active military with ID; $10 ages 6-16 (details and to purchase general admission here: tinyurl.com/mshrb8my). General admission ticket holders need to bring a blanket or chairs for seating (no personal umbrellas or tents; also, the viewing area is at the “East Ramp” only). VIP Chalet tickets (seats and VIP parking) $170 for Aug. 17 or $160 for Aug. 18; $90 for ages 3-12 for VIP Chalet tickets (see details and to purchase: tinyurl.com/4es28r25). No dogs or pets are allowed. Details on attending here: https://wingsovercamarillo.com/public-notice). Camarillo Airport, 555 Airport Way. Updates: www.facebook.com/WingsOverCamarillo. www.wingsovercamarillo.com
ART
ReflectSpace Gallery: New: “(Be)Longing: Asian Diasporic Crossing.” Gallery hours: 9 a.m.-9 p.m. Monday-Thursday; 9 a.m.-6 p.m. Friday-Saturday; 1-6 p.m. Sunday. Exhibit runs through Sept. 22. The gallery is inside the Glendale Central Library, 222 E. Harvard St. 818-548-2021. reflectspace.org. www.reflectspace.org/post/be-longing
ONGOING ART
Babst Gallery: “Athena LaTocha” and “Sarah M. Rodriguez.” Gallery hours: noon-5 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday; and by appointment. Exhibits run through Aug. 3. Location, 413 S. Fairfax Ave., Los Angeles. 424-600-2544. babstgallery.com/
Brand 52 – Juried Exhibition of Works on Paper: The 52nd annual show includes 102 artworks — 1,574 artworks were entered for this year’s show, the largest number submitted, and also the largest number to be chosen to be exhibited. The art was submitted by artists from across the United States and curated by art critic and curator Shana Nys Dambrot. Gallery hours: 11 a.m.-8 p.m. Tuesday-Thursday; 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Friday-Saturday. Exhibit runs through Aug. 9. Exhibit catalogs for sale: www.associatesofbrand.org. Brand Library and Art Center, 1601 W. Mountain St., Glendale. 818-548-2051. www.brandlibrary.org
Michael Kohn Gallery: “Chiffon Thomas: Progeny.” Gallery hours: 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Tuesday-Friday; 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturday. Exhibit runs through Aug. 17. Location, 1227 N. Highland Ave., Los Angeles. 323-461-3311. www.kohngallery.com
David Kordansky Gallery: Three new exhibits at the gallery: “Curated by Rashid Johnson: Bruts,” a group show (tinyurl.com/3fdvp2wu); “William E. Jones: Saturn Comes Again (tinyurl.com/bzmfkbf2); “Simphiwe Mbunyuza: Intlombe” (tinyurl.com/338wj6d7). Gallery hours: 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday. Exhibits run through Aug. 24. Location, 5130 W. Edgewood Place, Los Angeles. 323-935-3030. davidkordanskygallery.com
Artist Co-Op 7: “Touch of H’art,” interpretations of the natural world by local artists — Susan Ahdoot, Selina Cheng, Beverly Engelberg, Cheryl Mann, Debbi Saunders, Joi T. Wilson. Show is curated by artist Helen Kim. Gallery Hours: 7 a.m.-7 p.m. Monday-Friday; 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturday; closed on Sunday and holidays. Exhibit runs through Sept. 27. Encino Terrace, lobby gallery, 15821 Ventura Blvd. (between Densmore and Gloria avenues), Encino. Artist Co-op 7 contact, Jeanne Hahn, 818-885-8306 or jeannehahn@aol.com. www.co-op7.org
Visual Journey – Artist Co-Op 7: A virtual exhibit from 12 members of the group, through Sept. 30. The exhibit is held in conjunction with the San Fernando Valley Arts & Cultural Center. https://www.co-op7.org. View the exhibit here: www.sfvacc.org/
BOOKS
Book Soup: Chris Nashawaty discusses and signs “The Future Was Now – Madmen, Mavericks, and the Epic Sci-Fi Summer of 1982, 7 p.m. Aug. 1. David Alexander discusses his photography book “Pictures of Time,” 7 p.m. Aug. 2. Moon Unit Zappa discusses “Earth to Moon: A Memoir,” 7 p.m. Aug. 22 (ticketed event, $37.73, for admission and book; event is at the Beverly Hills Public Library, 444 N. Rexford Drive; www.booksoup.com/event/moon-unit-zappa). Location, 8818 Sunset Blvd., West Hollywood. 310-659-3110. www.booksoup.com
Diesel, A Bookstore: Jessica Knoll (“Bright Young Women”) and Sarah Pekkanen (“House of Glass”) discuss and sign their books, 6:30 p.m. Aug. 6. Free seating is limited at the outdoor events. Purchase a book in advance to reserve a seat (click on the website’s tab for the author’s date). Location, 225 26th St., Santa Monica. 310-576-9960. www.dieselbookstore.com
Jay Ellis in Conversation with Issa Rae: Malik Books presents a book release event for Ellis’ “Did Everyone Have an Imaginary Friend (or Just Me)? Adventures in Boyhood,” 7 p.m. Aug. 13. Reservations required. Admission $60.52 (includes second-level seating and a sign book); VIP admission $92.52 (includes floor seating, signed book and backstage after-party). Also, an add-on option for the backstage after-party, $28.52 (must also purchase a general admission ticket). Location, The Miracle Theatre, 226 S. Market St., Inglewood. malikbooks.com. Details and to purchase admission on Eventbrite: tinyurl.com/yu58xcch
An Evening with Nancy Pelosi: The former speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives discusses her new book “The Art of Power,” 7:30 p.m. Aug. 15. Tickets $44.52 for admission-only; $68 for admission and book. Books must be picked up at the program. Books will not be held or mailed. No refunds. Wilshire Ebell Theatre, 4401 W. Eighth St., Los Angeles. ebellofla.org/event/the-ebell-of-la-writers-bloc-speaker-emerita-nancy-pelosi-08-15-24/
CHARITY/FUNDRAISER/VOLUNTEER
Brody Stevens Festival of Friendship Walk and Softball Game: A fundraiser for Comedy Gives Back, an organization that provides help for comedians who need mental health or addiction services/treatment, Aug. 17. The Friendship Walk – 1.5 miles around Reseda Recreation Center (between the pond and the baseball field) – begins with check-in or day-of-event registration, 1-2 p.m.; walk takes place, 2 p.m. A post-walk rally includes guest speakers, comedians, music and food trucks. The “star-studded” comedians vs comedians softball game, 5 p.m. (at the Dodgers Dreamfield Little League field behind Brody’s bench. The late stand-up comedian, who died in 2019, attended Reseda High School. Walk entry fee $40 in advance; $50 on Aug. 17. Location, 18411 Victory Blvd., Reseda. Information about Comedy Gives Back, www.comedygivesback.com. Details and to register for the walk (or give a donation): https://givebutter.com/BrodyStevensWalk
Community Bingo Night: American Legion Post 288 and Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 1614 in La Crescenta host the 12th annual Bingo Night fundraiser for veterans’ programs in the local area, 6 p.m. Aug. 18. Doors open, 4:30 p.m. Admission $25 (food available for purchase and the event includes raffles). Purchase tickets in advance from members of the AL Post 288 or VFW Post 1614. Also, from 8 a.m.-4 p.m. Monday-Friday at the Crescenta Valley Weekly Newspaper, 3800 La Crescenta Ave., La Crescenta. Location, Healy Hall at Holy Redeemer Catholic Parish, 2361 Del Mar Road, Montrose (enter Healy Hall from Briggs and Mayfield avenues). Dick Clubb, 818-384-5761.
Brody Stevens 818 Festival of Friendship Comedy Show: The late comedian is remembered with humor and love, 7:30 p.m. Aug. 18. Minimum age: 21. Tickets $35.05 and up (Tickets: https://www.showclix.com/event/818-2024) . Two-drink minimum. Proceeds go to Comedy Gives Back mental health programs. Comedy Store, Main Room, 8433 Sunset Blvd., Los Angeles. https://thecomedystore.com/calendar/the-main-room/
DINING
Brew at the L.A. Zoo: The Los Angeles Zoo holds the event with samples of beers, DJs (Tyler Boudreaux, Raul Campos, Johnny Hawks), the band Arena, and food for purchase, 6:30 p.m. Aug. 3. Minimum age to attend: 21 (must show a valid ID). Tickets $75; VIP $175 (includes early entry at 6 p.m.; a lounge area with drinks and food; animal keeper talks; other perks when choosing a VIP ticket). Purchase standard tickets in advance to avoid lines; also, no VIP tickets available at the door. Details on beers and other beverages: tinyurl.com/yc47phtw. Facts about the event: tinyurl.com/49kkse87. Location, 5333 Zoo Drive, Los Angeles. www.lazoo.org. https://lazoo.org/plan-your-visit/special-experiences/brew2024/
Smorgasburg Los Angeles: The outdoor food and drink market has an “Ice Cream Alley” vendor area, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Aug. 4 (and all other Sundays through Sept. 1). Check the website or Facebook for vendors. Free admission. No pets allowed at this venue. Row DTLA, 777 S. Alameda St., Los Angeles. la.smorgasburg.com and www.facebook.com/SmorgasburgLA/
Charles Phoenix – Southern California in Kodachrome: The pop culture author and entertaining lecturer presents a retro slideshow of 1950-1960s cultural scene through Kodachrome slides, 7 p.m. Aug. 7. The Getty Center offers this mid-century lecture for free (an advance ticket is required) or watch online on Zoom (register in advance for the link). Details and to register for in-person or the Zoom link: tinyurl.com/3xrc2ree. About Charles Phoenix: https://charlesphoenix.com/. Getty parking: www.getty.edu/visit/center/parking-and-transportation. The Getty Center, 1200 Getty Center Drive (at North Sepulveda Boulevard), Los Angeles. 310-440-7300. www.getty.edu.
Distinguished Speaker Series of Southern California: The 2024-25 season of speakers: Trevor Noah, Oct. 15; Malcolm Gladwell, Nov. 19; Dr. Sanjay Gupta, Jan. 14; Pete McBride and Kevin Fedarko, Feb. 11; Zanny Minton Beddoes, April 22; Emily Chang, May 6. Subscription packages on sale for the series, $210 and up (no single tickets are sold). Programs begin at 7:30 p.m. and there will be a question and answer session. Details and information for the Long Beach, Pasadena and Redondo Beach location talks: www.speakersla.com/faq/. Bank of America Performing Arts Center, Kavli Theatre, 2100 E. Thousand Oaks Blvd., Thousand Oaks. 805-449-2787. bapacthousandoaks.com. www.speakersla.com/locations/thousand-oaks/
Canoga Park Farmers Market: A certified market, 9 a.m.-1:30 p.m. Saturdays. Rain or shine. Location, 7248 Owensmouth Avenue, between Sherman Way and Wyandotte Avenue. www.instagram.com/mainst.canogaparkfarmersmarket
El Nido Farmers Market – Pacoima: El Nido Family Centers and the City of Los Angeles present the market, 9 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturdays. Location, Pacoima Family Source Center, 11243 Glenoaks Blvd. www.elnidofamilycenters.org/farmers-market
Encino Farmers Market: ONEgeneration presents the market, 8 a.m.-1 p.m. Sundays. Location, 17400 Victory Blvd. (between Balboa Boulevard and White Oak Avenue). Farmers market manager, 818-708-6611 or email: farmersmarket@onegeneration.org. www.onegeneration.org/farmers-market/
Good Times Farmers Market: 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Sundays. Los Angeles Valley College, parking lot A, 5800 Fulton Ave. (at Burbank Boulevard), Valley Glen. Email: goodtimesfarmersmarket@gmail.com. Instagram: tinyurl.com/mrxcaxrn
NoHo Summer Nights Movie – Valley Cultural Foundation: “Barbie” (2023, 8 p.m. Aug. 10 (valleycultural.org/event/2024-noho-movie-barbie/). Free. Bring a blanket or low-back lawn chair for seating. Upcoming: “Coco” (2017), Aug. 24. North Hollywood Recreation Center (behind the North Hollywood Amelia Earhart Public Library), 11455 Magnolia Blvd. Check upcoming movies and concerts here: https://valleycultural.org/concerts-events/noho-summer-nights/.
MUSEUM
Academy Museum of Motion Pictures: Ongoing special exhibits: “Outside the Mainstream,” through Aug. 4. “Shifting Perspectives: Vertical Cinema,” through Aug. 4. “John Waters: Pope of Trash,” through Aug. 4. “Significant Movies and Movie Makers,” three exhibits through Jan. 4, 2026: “Casablanca,” “Boyz n the Hood,” and Lourdes Portillo.” Hours: 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Wednesday-Sunday and Monday. Admission $25; $19 ages 62 and older; $15 students, age 18 and older with ID; free for ages 17 and younger. Location, 6067 Wilshire Blvd. (corner of Fairfax Avenue), Los Angeles. 323-930-3000. academymuseum.org
African American Firefighter Museum: Artifacts, fire apparatus, pictures and stories about African American Los Angeles firefighters. Hours: timed entry admission, 1, 2 and 4 p.m. on Sunday (make a reservation on Eventbrite here: tinyurl.com/4dx5xxhk). Donation. Location, 1401 S. Central Ave., Los Angeles. 213-744-1730. https://www.aaffmuseum.org/
Autry Museum of the American West: Museum hours: 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Tuesday-Friday; 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday-Sunday. Admission $18; $14 ages 62 and older, and ages 13-18 and also students older than 18 with ID; $8 ages 3-12 (theautry.org/visit). Location, 4700 Western Heritage Way, Los Angeles. theautry.org
Bolton Hall Museum: Hours: 1-4 p.m. Saturday-Sunday. Free admission; $5 donation is appreciated. Bolton Hall Museum, 10110 Commerce Ave., Tujunga. 818-352-3420. Email: llhs@boltonhall.org. www.facebook.com/boltonhallmuseum and www.boltonhall.org
California African American Museum: Ongoing special exhibits: “Tatyana Fazlalizadeh: Speaking to Falling Seeds,” through Aug. 3. “Paula Wilson: Toward the Sky’s Back Door,” through Aug. 18 (caamuseum.org/exhibitions/2024/paula-wilson-toward-the-sky-s-back-door). Also, “Simone Leigh,” a traveling exhibit, co-presented with the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (artwork to be presented at both museums), through Jan. 20, 2025 (caamuseum.org/exhibitions/2024/simone-leigh). Hours: 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday; 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Sunday. Free admission. Parking $20 before 5 p.m.; $24 after 5 p.m. (in Exposition Park). Location, 600 State Drive, Los Angeles (in Exposition Park). 213-744-7432. www.caamuseum.org and www.facebook.com/CAAMinLA/
California Science Center: Ongoing special exhibit: “Leonardo Da Vinci: Inventor. Artist. Dreamer.,” through Sept. 2 (californiasciencecenter.org/exhibits/leonardo-da-vinci-inventor-artist-dreamer). Hours: 10 a.m.-5 p.m. daily. Admission is free to the center’s permanent galleries, but there is a charge for special exhibits. Admission to the “Leonardo Da Vinci” exhibit: $22.95 ages 18-64; $20.95 ages 65 and older and students ages 13-17 with ID; $15.95 ages 3-12; (timed tickets are required for special exhibits, and also the Imax Theater; californiasciencecenter.org/visit). Location, 700 Exposition Park Drive, Los Angeles. californiasciencecenter.org
Craft Contemporary: Ongoing special exhibits: “Kyungmi Shin: Origin Stories” (www.craftcontemporary.org/exhibitions/kyungmi-shin-origin-stories) and “3B Collective: Highway Hypnosis,” with artwork from members of the Los Angeles-based 3B Collective — Adrian Alfaro, Aaron Douglas Estrada, Alfredo D. Diaz, Alexa Ramírez Posada, Oscar Magallanes, Rubén Ortiz-Torres — (www.craftcontemporary.org/exhibitions/highway-hypnosis). Both exhibits run through Sept. 8. Hours: 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesday-Sunday. Admission $9; $7 ages 65 and older and students; free for ages 12 and younger. Location, 5814 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles. www.craftcontemporary.org
Discovery Cube Los Angeles – Sylmar: Ongoing special exhibit: “Expedition: Dinosaur!” through Sept. 2. The Discovery Cube has ongoing exhibits that aim to make science fun for children. Hours: 10 a.m.-5 p.m. daily. Admission $18 ages 15-61; $17 ages 62 and older; $16 ages 3-14. Location, 11800 Foothill Blvd., Sylmar. www.facebook.com/TheDiscoveryCube and www.discoverycube.org
The Getty Center: Ongoing special exhibits: “The Book of Marvels – Wonder and Fear in the Middle Ages,” through Aug. 25. “On Thin Ice – Dutch Depictions of Extreme Weather,” through Sept. 1. Hours: 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesday-Friday and Sunday; 10 a.m.-8 p.m. Saturday. Free admission but a timed-ticket admission is required (tinyurl.com/yu6fsv3s). Parking $25 (www.getty.edu/visit/center/parking-and-transportation). Location, 1200 Getty Center Drive (at North Sepulveda Boulevard), Los Angeles. 310-440-7300. www.getty.edu
The Getty Villa: Ongoing special exhibits: “Picture Worlds: Greek, Maya, and Moche Pottery,” through July 29 (www.getty.edu/art/exhibitions/picture_worlds). “Sculpted Portraits from Ancient Egypt,” through Jan. 25, 2027. Hours: 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Wednesday-Monday. Free admission, but a timed-entry reservation is required. Parking $25. Location, 17985 Pacific Coast Highway, Pacific Palisades. www.getty.edu/visit/villa/
Grammy Museum: Ongoing special exhibits: “Roxy: 50 and Still Rockin’,” through Sept. 2 (grammymuseum.org/event/50andstillrockin). “Hip-Hop America: The Mix Tape Exhibit,” through Sept. 4 (grammymuseum.org/exhibit/hip-hop-america-the-mixtape-exhibit). Hours: 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday, Wednesday-Friday and Sunday; 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturday. Admission $18; $15 ages 65 and older; $12 ages 5-17 and college students with ID. Location, 800 W. Olympic Blvd., Los Angeles. 213-725-5700. grammymuseum.org
Italian American Museum Los Angeles: Ongoing special exhibit: “Louis Prima: Rediscovering a Musical Icon,” through Oct. 13 (tinyurl.com/mrrb4pbh). Hours: 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Tuesday-Sunday. Admission free; donations requested. Location, 644 N. Main St., Los Angeles. 213-485-8432. www.iamla.org
Japanese American National Museum: Ongoing special exhibits: “Giant Robot Biennale 5,” an exhibit of art by Sean Chao, Felicia Chiao, Luke Chueh, Giorgiko, James Jean, Taylor Lee, Mike Shinoda, Rain Szeto, Yoskay Yamamoto (co-presented by Eric Nakamura, founder of Giant Robot), through Sept. 1. “J.T. Sata: Immigrant Modernist,” photography exhibit by the late James Tadanao Sata (1896-1975), through Sept. 1. Hours: 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesday-Wednesday and Friday-Sunday; noon-8 p.m. Thursday; closed on national holidays (www.janm.org/visit). Admission: $16; $9 ages 62 and older and children; free for ages 5 and younger (timed advance tickets are recommended). Location, 100 N. Central Ave., Los Angeles. 213-625-0414. Facebook: www.facebook.com/jamuseum and janm.org
La Brea Tar Pits and Museum: Museum hours: 9 a.m.-5 p.m. daily, except closed on the first Tuesday of the month and national holidays. Admission $15; $12 ages 62 and older and students ages 13-17; $7 ages 3-12; free for ages 2 and younger, but a ticket is required (tarpits.org/plan-your-visit/la-brea-tar-pits-buy-tickets). Parking $18. Location, 5801 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles. 213-763-3499. tarpits.org/
LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes: Permanent exhibits: “LA Starts Here!” “Calle Principal: Mi México en Los Ángeles.” Hours: noon-5 p.m. Wednesday-Sunday. Free admission. Location, 501 N. Main St., Los Angeles. www.lapca.org
Los Angeles County Museum of Art: Ongoing special exhibits: “Dining with the Sultan: The Fine Art of Feasting,” through Aug. 4. “Vincent Valdez and Ry Cooder: El Chavez Ravine,” through Aug. 11. “Ed Ruscha/Now Then,” through Oct. 6. Hours: 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Monday-Tuesday and Thursday; 11 a.m.-8 p.m. Friday; 10 a.m.-7 p.m. Saturday-Sunday. Plan your visit information here: bit.ly/2P3c7iR. Admission $23; $19 ages 65 and older and students ages 18 and older with a valid ID; free for ages 17 and younger (reserving/purchasing an advance, timed-entry online is recommended; these prices are for residents of Los Angeles County with an ID). Location, 5905 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles. 323-857-6010. www.lacma.org
Martial Arts History Museum: Hours: 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Wednesday-Sunday. Admission $12; $5 ages 6-17. Location, 201 N. Brand Blvd. (corner of North Brand and Wilson Street; use entrance at 111 Wilson St.), Glendale. 818-245-6051. www.facebook.com/martialartshistorymuseum. martialartsmuseum.com/
Museum of Contemporary Art: Hours: 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesday-Wednesday and Friday; 11 a.m.-8 p.m. Thursday; 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturday-Sunday. Admission is free but an advance online timed-entry ticket is required. Special exhibits are $18; $10 seniors and students; free for ages 11 and younger. Locations: the Geffen Contemporary at MOCA, 152 N. Central Ave., Los Angeles; MOCA Grand Avenue, 250 S. Grand Ave., Los Angeles. 213-633-5351. www.moca.org/visit
Museum of the San Fernando Valley: Hours: 1-5 p.m. Tuesday; 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday-Sunday. Free admission; donations appreciated. Rancho Cordillera del Norte, 18904 Nordhoff St. (southwest corner of Nordhoff and Wilbur Avenue), Northridge. 818-347-9665. themuseumsfvnow.org/
Natural History Museum Los Angeles County: Ongoing special exhibit: “Butterfly Pavilion,” through Aug. 25. Admission to this special exhibit is $8 by a timed ticket (30-minute time slot) and also, a general museum admission is required (nhm.org/plan-your-visit/nhm-buy-tickets). Hours: 9:30 a.m.-5 p.m. Wednesday-Monday (closed on Tuesday). Admission $18; $14 ages 62 and older and ages 13-17; $7 ages 3-12; free for ages 2 and younger, but a ticket is required. Location, 900 Exposition Blvd., Los Angeles. nhmlac.org
Petersen Automotive Museum: Ongoing special exhibits: “Eyes on the Road: Art of the Automotive Landscape,” through Nov. 2024. “Best in Low: Lowrider Icons of the Street and Show,” through April 2025. “GM’s Marvelous Motorama: Dream Cars from the Joe Bortz Collection,” 6 concept cars from the 1950s, through March 2026 (www.petersen.org/gms-marvelous-motorama-exhibit). Hours: 10 a.m.-5 p.m. daily. Admission $21; $19 ages 62 and older; $13 ages 12-17; $12 ages 4-11. Location, 6060 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles. 323-930-2277. www.petersen.org
Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum: Ongoing special exhibit: “Star Wars and SDI: Defending America and the Galaxy,” through Sept. 8. Hours: 10 a.m.-5 p.m. daily (except Thanksgiving Day, Christmas and Jan. 1). Admission: $25; $22 ages 62 and older; $18 ages 11-17; $15 ages 3-10 (purchase online here: tinyurl.com/mry5ne9h). Location, 40 Presidential Drive, Simi Valley. www.reaganfoundation.org
Skirball Cultural Center: Ongoing special exhibit: “Wild Things Are Happening: The Art of Maurice Sendak,” through Sept. 1 (www.skirball.org/museum/wild-things-are-happening-art-maurice-sendak). Hours: noon-5 p.m. Tuesday-Friday; 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday-Sunday. Closed for Jewish and national holidays (www.skirball.org/visit). Admission $18; $13 seniors, full time students with ID and ages 2-17 www.skirball.org/visit). Admission for the “Noah’s Ark at the Skirball” is an extra charge and by a timed-entry (purchase online). Location, 2701 N. Sepulveda Blvd., Los Angeles. 310-440-4500. skirball.org
Valley Relics Museum: Take a trip down San Fernando Valley memory lane, 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Aug. 3-4 (see website for other dates). Admission $15 and up. The museum is located at 7900 Balboa Blvd., Hangar C3 and C4, entrance is on Stagg Street, Van Nuys. Purchase tickets at the door or online. 818-616-4083. www.facebook.com/valleyrelics and valleyrelicsmuseum.org
Wende Museum of the Cold War: Ongoing special exhibits: “Undercurrents I: Stories, Symbols and Sounds,” through Sept. 15. (wendemuseum.org/exhibition/undercurrents-i/). “Visions of Transcendence: Creating Space in East and West,” through Sept. 15 (tinyurl.com/2ef586nh). Hours: 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Friday-Sunday (wendemuseum.org/about-us/visit). Free admission. Location, 10808 Culver Blvd., Culver City. 310-216-1600. 310-216-1600. Email: visit@wendemuseum.org. wendemuseum.org
MUSIC
Waahli – Sunset Concerts at Skirball Cultural Center: 8 p.m. Aug. 1. Doors open, 6:30 p.m., for exploring museum exhibits, and for purchasing food and beverages. Free walk-up tickets; first-come, first-served. Parking $20 (no street parking). Upcoming: Vagabon, Aug. 8; DJs Jauretsi and TossTones, Aug. 16. Location, 2701 N. Sepulveda Blvd., Los Angeles. 310-440-4500. skirball.org. www.skirball.org/programs/sunset-concerts-el-laberinto-del-coco
Anna Kovaleva and Elena Kovaleva: The pianist and violinist, respectively, perform a recital, 1 p.m. Aug. 3. Platt Branch Library, 23600 Victory Blvd., Woodland Hills. 818-340-9386. Details: tinyurl.com/yj64u5v2
Concerts at Warner Park – Valley Cultural Foundation: Wanted, a tribute to the band Bon Jovi, with emerging artist Saticöy, Aug. 4 (valleycultural.org/event/2024-wanted-bon-jovi-tribute/). Emerging artists perform, 5:30 p.m., followed by the headliner (concerts end at 8:30 p.m.). Upcoming: ABBA-LA, a tribute to ABBA, with emerging artist Tomorrow’s Tigers, Aug. 11 (valleycultural.org/event/2024-abba-la/). Free admission (bring your own blanket or low-back chair for seating). Or: $20 VIP seat; $35 VIP seat and paid parking (purchase in advance). Parking: event parking begins at 4 p.m. (see the website for address and more information). See more concerts at Warner Park on the website. Warner Park, 5800 Topanga Canyon Blvd., Woodland Hills. 818-888-0822. www.valleycultural.org
Concerts in the Park – Chumash Park: Blank Space, music of Taylor Swift, 6 p.m. Aug. 4. Upcoming: The Yacht Groove, Aug. 18. Free admission ($2 suggested donation). Bring a blanket or low-back lawn chair for seating. Food available for purchase or bring a picnic. Location, 5550 Medea Valley Drive, Agoura Hills. Click on Events: www.agourahillscity.org/department/community-services-parks-recreation
Reggae on the Mountain XII – The Homecoming: The line up includes Steel Pulse, Don Carlos, Marlon Asher, Empress Akura, Quinto Sol, Neighborhood Orchestra, Mestizo Beat, Irie Nature and Jah Faith, 10 a.m.-8 p.m. Aug. 17. There will be a children’s area, beverage, food and non-food vendors. Bring a low-back chair for seating. No animals allowed. Purchase tickets in advance: $90.74; VIP $272.60. Topanga Community Club, 1440 N. Topanga Canyon Blvd., Topanga. Information on attending, parking, shuttles and map: www.reggaeonthemountain.com/info. Updates: www.facebook.com/reggaeonthemountainfestival. www.reggaeonthemountain.com
THEATER
The Grown-Ups: Baby Teeth present the Los Angeles premiere of a play by Skylar Fox and Simon Henriques about a group of summer camp counselors who have decisions to make when an emergency occurs, 7:30 p.m. Aug. 3 and 8. Minimum age: 13. The play is performed outdoors around a campfire. Tickets $25. Location, Hollywood Lutheran Church, 1733 N. New Hampshire Ave., Los Angeles. Details and to purchase tickets on Eventbrite: tinyurl.com/h2enj7uj
ONGOING THEATER
A Midsummer Night’s Dream: The play by William Shakespeare, 7:30 p.m. Aug. 1. Show runs 7:30 p.m. Aug. 8, 15 and 29; 7 p.m. Sept. 2; 3:30 p.m. Sept. 8; 7:30 p.m. Sept. 23. Tickets: upper tier (general seating), $32; $20 ages 62 and older and students; $15 ages 5-15; lower tier, assigned seats $48; $35 ages 62 and older and students; $15 ages 5-15; also, $60 premium seating. Parking $10 in the lot; or, for free along Topanga Canyon Boulevard. Will Geer Theatricum Botanicum, 1419 N. Topanga Canyon Blvd., Topanga. 310-455-3723. theatricum.com/a-midsummer-nights-dream/. www.theatricum.com
The Winter’s Tale: The play by William Shakespeare, 7:30 p.m. Aug. 2. Show runs 7:30 p.m. Aug. 10 and 16; 3:30 p.m. Aug. 24; 3:30 p.m. Sept. 7 and 15; 7:30 p.m. Sept. 30. Tickets: upper tier (general seating), $32; $20 ages 62 and older and students; $15 ages 5-15; lower tier, assigned seats $48; $35 ages 62 and older and students; $15 ages 5-15; also, $60 premium seating. Parking $10 in the lot; or, for free along Topanga Canyon Boulevard. Will Geer Theatricum Botanicum, 1419 N. Topanga Canyon Blvd., Topanga. 310-455-3723. theatricum.com/the-winters-tale. www.theatricum.com
Wendy’s Peter Pan: A retelling of J.M. Barrie’s play “Peter Pan,” by Ellen Geer, 7:30 p.m. Aug. 9. Show runs 7:30 p.m. Aug. 18 and 25; 7:30 p.m. Sept. 1, 8, 14, 21, 28; 7:30 p.m. Oct. 4. Tickets: upper tier (general seating), $32; $20 ages 62 and older and students; $15 ages 5-15; lower tier, assigned seats $48; $35 ages 62 and older and students; $15 ages 5-15; also, $60 premium seating. Parking $10 in the lot; or, for free along Topanga Canyon Boulevard. Will Geer Theatricum Botanicum, 1419 N. Topanga Canyon Blvd., Topanga. 310-455-3723. theatricum.com/wendys-peter-pan/. www.theatricum.com
Tartuffe – Born Again: The play by Molière, translated from the original French and adapted by Freyda Thomas, 7:30 p.m. Aug. 4. Show runs 7:30 p.m. Aug. 11; 3:30 p.m. Aug. 18 and 25; 7:30 p.m. Aug. 30; and other dates through Oct. 13. Tickets: upper tier (general seating), $32; $20 ages 62 and older and students; $15 ages 5-15; lower tier, assigned seats $48; $35 ages 62 and older and students; $15 ages 5-15; also, $60 premium seating. Parking $10 in the lot; or, for free along Topanga Canyon Boulevard. Will Geer Theatricum Botanicum, 1419 N. Topanga Canyon Blvd., Topanga. 310-455-3723. theatricum.com/tartuffe-born-again/. www.theatricum.com
Submit calendar listings at least two weeks in advance to holly.andres@dailynews.com. 818-713-3708.
In a world brimming with busy lives and personal goals, we take a moment to celebrate the incredible impact of volunteers. Their dedication embodies the very best of humanity: our interconnectedness, compassion, and unwavering commitment to building a better world together.
In National Volunteer Month, Nonprofits Can Now Engage With Individuals Committed to Making a Difference
PLYMOUTH, Mass., April 9, 2024 (Newswire.com)
– Benefact4, the pioneering app to recognize and celebrate every act of kindness, today announced the launch of its new Charity Search and Events feature. This innovative addition gives charities and nonprofits unparalleled access to like-minded users and the ability to list events from volunteer opportunities to fundraisers, offering a dynamic way to connect with a targeted audience of giving- and volunteer-minded individuals.
Benefact4 offers users an additional platform to amplify and support the causes they care about as they log donations, volunteer hours, time spent training or mentoring, and other contributions. The app records the tangible impact of their generosity over time and connects users with a global community of givers to inspire others to contribute to causes they care about. Now, organizations can engage these users by sharing events for a nominal fee or opt for Featured Event placement on the app’s homepage for optimal visibility. Benefact4’s initiative aligns perfectly with its mission to nurture a community focused on kindness and giving.
“We are thrilled to introduce the Charity Search and Events feature, a significant step forward in our commitment to bridging the gap between charities seeking support and individuals eager to make a difference,” said Gail O’Rourke, founder, Benefact4. “By leveraging our platform, nonprofits can effectively reach out to those already engaged in philanthropic activities, ensuring their events receive the attention and participation they deserve.”
Benefact4’s recent launch offers free access to early sign-ups, termed “First Founders,” including individuals and nonprofits who join before May 1, 2024. Nonprofit early adopters also benefit from a complimentary feature article showcasing their initiatives on the company’s blog. The app’s latest addition caters specifically to the needs of charities and nonprofits, aiming to enhance visibility and support engagement. Its intuitive interface allows organizations to easily list events, foster community interaction, manage volunteer groups, and measure their activities’ impact, streamlining the process of organizing and participating in charitable events.
This launch signifies Benefact4’s ongoing dedication to enhancing user experience and its commitment to supporting the broader philanthropic ecosystem. By facilitating easier access to charity events and opportunities, Benefact4 hopes to inspire more acts of kindness, further amplifying the collective impact of its community.
For more information about the Charity Search and Events feature or to list an event, please visit www.benefact4.com and download the app today.
About Benefact4
Benefact4 is the first app designed to capture and celebrate every act of kindness. From monetary donations to volunteering, and mentoring, Benefact4 offers a comprehensive platform for individuals to track their philanthropic journey, inspire others, and witness the collective power of good. With its unique features and user-centric design, Benefact4 is at the forefront of fostering a global movement of kindness and generosity.
Just an hour from Greenville, SC lies Whispering Pine Farm, a Grade A goat and sheep dairy and cheese-making farm. And, they train volunteers to help with their busy kidding season, which means learning how to care for and birth baby goats and lambs. Our resident goat-lover, Kristina, of course, had to do this.
Our readers at Kidding Around know how much we (ok, I) love baby goats and that we’ll pretty much do anything to hang out with them and learn about them and cuddle with them and give them all our love. Well, we visited Whispering Pines Farm in Seneca to do all of that and learn from Debbie Webster, the farm owner who has years and years of experience.
Newborn baby goat
Intro to Birthing Goats
“Precious is definitely having babies today,” Debbie said to our group of homeschoolers as we all gathered in the warm shop during introductions.
Precious is one of the many mama goats at Whispering Pines and she was due to have her kids when we were there, as were several other goat mamas.
I was thrilled. My kids seemed excited from their facial expressions. It could have also meant a little fear as to what we’d be seeing but I think it was excitement so that’s what I’m going with.
Debbie gave us a rundown of what we’d be learning: how to walk the pasture and look for signs of a labor in the goats and sheep, what to do if one does go into labor and starts pushing out a bundle of cuteness, how to make sure the babies are warm, how to feed them, and how to make sure the older babies get some exercise.
Not one minute after we walked out of the barn shop did Debbie say Precious had already given birth to one baby and another was on the way. It took us another minute to get to the pasture just in time to watch baby goat number two be born. All of us got an up-close view of the amniotic fluid coming out of the mama and the little baby coming out right after.
Then we all learned what afterbirth was. It’s a farm and we knew what we were getting into – and it was awesome.
Learning about Mama Goats
Right after Precious gave birth, another goat, Daphne, went into labor in the same pasture. How lucky were we?!
Debbie was careful to instruct us to give Daphne her space and not get up close to her. The kids in the group were really respectful and listened to Debbie and gave the mama goat a wide berth to go where she pleased. It’s important, we learned, to not look like any kind of predator or get too close as to stress out the mom.
Mama goat giving birth
While the smaller kids were pretty good in the field and with the baby goats, these volunteer opportunities are better for older kids who can hold their own and not be managed as much.
All during this time, we were free to ask Debbie about what happens when a mama goat or sheep goes into labor, how they prefer to give birth, what needs to happen right after the baby is born, and how best to help the farm staff to handle all the births.
One of the biggest things we learned was just how carefully these mama goats and sheep need to be watched, especially in colder weather. The farm staff is so attentive to them, watching for the telltale signs of labor like pawing at the ground and circling around one space, and are ready at the drop of a hat (or baby goat?) to jump in and help the mama.
We saw Daphne give birth to one small baby goat and headed out of the pasture to go check out the older babies and let them out for recess.
More Baby Goats
The farm has pastures set up for sheep and goats and babies. The babies need to be kept warm and fed so they are in a separate area. These babies were just days old and oh-so-cute.
They were all huddled under a heat lamp but needed to practice running and jumping a bit. Our group helped the baby goats out into the sun and they got to play around for a bit.
In the meantime, the twins who were born to Precious were with us and needed to eat their first meal of nutritious colostrum. I was holding one of them and was in complete heaven but he needed to eat so off to the baby eating area we went. Like a human baby, a baby goat or lamb also gets colostrum, a nutrient-dense milk to help them get a good start in life. Baby goats and lambs get a few helpings of colostrum before they move onto regular goat’s milk.
Baby goat’s first feeding
After the twins were fed, four more baby goats came in. Remember Daphne the mama goat giving birth in the pasture? She ended up having quads. Four tiny baby goats – three girls and one boy – were now with us and they were so, so cute and adorable.
Since Whispering Pines is a dairy farm, the babies are separated from their mothers at birth. This is usually a tough thing for us non-farmers to process, especially us mothers, but it’s a very common practice and all the animals on the farm are happy and healthy.
Volunteering During Kidding Season
Whispering Pines Farm is a family-run farm and they really need volunteers. This particular volunteer orientation was fantastic as it was geared towards homeschoolers but they also have other opportunities during non-school times to volunteer and learn how to birth and care for baby goats and lambs.
You don’t need to have kids or be a kid or come as a family. You can come and volunteer in whatever state of life you’re in and you’ll probably leave happier than when you came. This kind of volunteer experience is best suited for kids ages 9+ just because the babies are fragile and need special care and attention. If parents bring their human kids, they need to watch them closely.
The best thing to do is stay tuned to the Whispering Pines Facebook page for events or just text or call Debbie herself (864.360.3222). She’s an open book and will tell you exactly what you can do and what she needs.
Speaking of needs, Whispering Pines really needs towels. With all the kids they are having on the farm, the need for towels is great. Every time a baby is born, they need a clean towel. If you can drop them off at the farm, that’d be fantastic. Or call Debbie and she can help you figure out how to get them there.
If you choose to volunteer, wear clothes you don’t mind getting dirty and dress warmly with hats, gloves, and layers. It’s a farm and you’ll be getting dirty.
About Whispering Pines Farm
Whispering Pines is a family-owned and operated dairy farm. They have horses, cows, goats, and sheep and are a “licensed Grade A Raw Goat and Sheep and Cow milk dairy and cheese making facility.”
The farm is set on 180 acres in Seneca, SC, about an hour outside of Greenville. The farm used to be in Mauldin, which is where I first visited years and years ago. I always loved learning about the sheep and goats and of course, cuddling any baby goat or lamb I could.
Look at all those baby goats
Debbie Webster is a longtime farmer and horsewoman who has used all those acres and animals to help others in so many ways. Her farm has hosted 4 H clubs, homeschoolers, and kids and families with special needs. She used to put on an elaborate live nativity at the farm in Mauldin where they had a large indoor arena. She’s changed her farm in many ways since moving to Seneca yet everything at the farm has a purpose and Debbie’s heart always shines through to every visitor.
Besides volunteer classes during kidding season, Debbie also hosts cheese-making classes at the farm, which I find completely fascinating and would love to do someday. Her products are available on-site at the farm as well as at some local retailers like the Swamp Rabbit Cafe.
Lastly, Whispering Pines offers starter flocks and sheep/goat milking classes.
Just as the trees have begun to lose their leaves in Granite City, Ill., and fall begins to take on the early shades of winter, Victoria Boyd feels the pull of California.
Just as the Santa suit goes off to the cleaners, boots polished and stored in the closet of his home in neighboring Madison, David Becherer feels the pull of California.
But the California that the two longtime friends are drawn to is not a land of palm trees, blue skies and sunny waves on the beach.
Instead it’s a land of glue and make-believe in a drafty warehouse next to the 210 Freeway in Irwindale, where pink flamingos are as tall as blossoming yuccas, butterflies have the wingspan of condors and lotus flowers are the size of hubcaps.
Victoria Boyd, left, and David Becherer, who’s also from Illinois, work on a float at Fiesta Parade Floats in Irwindale.
(Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)
If they see the sun, it will be during a break. The beach is not on their itinerary, and if they’re looking for a moment of rest, it will be when they get back home.
They have a job to do and a deadline to meet. Dec. 31 waits for no one, especially for volunteers like Boyd and Becherer who put in the 12-hour days and double shifts to complete the work on floats for the Rose Parade.
They have made this annual pilgrimage from the frozen Midwest for more than three decades. As a former part-time florist, Becherer used to watch the parade on television, intrigued by the elaborate arrangements and the artistry piled on these rolling platforms, and when he learned he could be part of the spectacle, he jumped. Boyd soon followed.
Her streak has been unbroken since 1987; he took a little time off to care for his family. Their devotion to this annual celebration of camp is unwavering, their commitment close to an obsession.
“How long am I going to be doing this?” asks Victoria Boyd, left. “Well, as long as I can. I don’t think I can stay home. I don’t think I cannot be here.” She is pictured with an unidentified woman.
(Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)
“Unless I’m too tired and full of glue, I feel that I didn’t get my money’s worth,” said Boyd, 79, who sees no end to this tradition.
“How long am I going to be doing this?” she asks. “Well, as long as I can. I don’t think I can stay home. I don’t think I cannot be here.”
On Thursday afternoon, Boyd and Becherer, both former teachers, sit at a small table gluing minced safflower petals onto a string of Styrofoam beads as large as softballs that will soon be placed on the neck of a Hopi butterfly dancer rising from the middle of the float.
They belong to a unique confederacy of nearly 1,000 volunteers who arrive each day at Fiesta Parade Floats, the last week of the year, to begin and end the meticulous and tedious task of chopping flowers, carting supplies, climbing scaffolding, spreading glue, and applying flowers, seeds, bark and spices to an unwieldy contraption of steel, plywood, burlap and polyurethane.
Let others here and across the country take in the polish and perfection of the Rose Parade for a few hours on New Year’s Day. These workers prefer the weeklong company of like-minded devotees dedicated to bringing to life scenes spun from the imagination, from nature and storybooks, from fairy tales and myth.
“We’re part of a cult that comes out here every year, and Dave and I are charter members,” said Boyd, who counts friends from Maine, Louisiana and Michigan. More than a tenth of the workforce arrives from out of state and out of country, some from as far as New Zealand and England, according to a spokesperson with Fiesta, and all on their own dime.
Boyd estimates that she will spend about $2,500 this year — flights, motel, car rental — for the opportunity to work on these “magnificent, awesome” works of art and “to be out of the cold Midwest for a week.”
“That’s a bonus too,” she said.
Barbara Hill may not be a member of any decorating cult, but her dedication is no less intense. For three days last week, she climbed aboard the Torrance Rose Float Assn.’s yellow school bus at 7:45 a.m. for the hourlong ride to Irwindale.
Barbara Hill, center, a resident of Torrance, has volunteered as a Rose Parade float decorator for 43 years. Petra Orozco, left, another volunteer, admires the patches on Hill’s jacket signifying the years she’s worked on floats.
(Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)
Hill, 72, a retired purchaser for Northrop Grumman (think F-18s and B-2s), decorated her first float in 1980, and today she’s focused on flying hummingbirds, having woven together grapevine and moss to create a nest as large as a hot tub.
Though every detail of every float is scripted in advance — specifications listing material, texture and application — the volunteers are given leeway to make sure the execution is effective, the illusion believable. If it means modifying ingredients — and permission is granted — then so be it.
Though this creativity appeals to Hill, the heart of the experience is the friendships, she said, that form over these few days.
“That is the finest thing,” she said. “They assign you to someone whom you’ve never met, and you find a way to work together to get this float done. And in the end, we smile and say, ‘See you again next year.’ ”
And when they do, they will reminisce over their successes and failures. Like the time they created the most realistic mane for a lion — cypress branches coated with paprika — or the time their shaggy dog made of pampas grass caught fire just minutes before the start of the parade.
Or when they won the Sweepstakes Trophy — the parade’s top prize based on floral design, presentation and entertainment — as Boyd and Becherer’s float did last January for the sinuous red and yellow Chinese dragon and lanterns they crafted.
Victoria Boyd estimates that she will spend about $2,500 on her current visit to Southern California — flights, motel, car rental — for the opportunity to work on these “magnificent, awesome” works of art and “to be out of the cold Midwest for a week.”
(Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)
They’re hoping for a repeat and are feeling confident as they check out the competition.
“We’re not so competitive, as we are territorial,” said Boyd, who looks at one float that seems far behind schedule. “I’m not sure how they’ll get it done in time.”
But with only five floats in the Fiesta warehouse, the statistical sample is small. Thirty-six others — under constructed at sites elsewhere — will participate in the parade, each interpreting this year’s theme: “Celebrating a World of Music: The Universal Language.”
At the moment, however, the language is more discordant: a steady din of voices amid sporadic sounds of vacuum cleaners, welding torches, hair dryers and blenders. The air smells of flowers tinged with the essence of glue, of which there are the three varieties — white, sticky and rubber. Boyd is well versed in each.
Fellow Illinoisans Victoria Boyd and David Becherer apply cuttings of safflower on an ornamental piece for a Rose Parade float at Fiesta Parade Floats in Irwindale.
(Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)
Her fingertips are stained orange from crushed flowers stuck to the skin. She tries to wash it off, but the effort is futile. “After Day 3, my phone doesn’t recognize me because I no longer have fingerprints,” she said. “That is a badge of honor.”
As she and Becherer finish their choker for the Hopi butterfly dancer, they get ready to start on a pendant and earrings. Boyd likes the detail work, though she would prefer to be handling whole flowers, not the shredded ones. She calls it “petaling,” the application of individual petals from carnations, irises, gladiolas and the like.
“It’s more intricate,” she said, and under-appreciated because float designers “just haven’t seen a good petal job.”
They know their work is ephemeral, that their efforts will age and wither and dry. “I try not to focus on that,” Boyd said. “It’s sad to think it doesn’t last.”
But Becherer, the seasonal Santa, sees it differently. “It’s just like Christmas,” he said. “You enjoyed it when it was here, then it’s over and you get to start all over again in a year.”
When their work is done, they might pitch in on other floats, but come Sunday, all volunteers at Fiesta disperse.
Hill will head back to home in the South Bay, eager for a hot bath and a soft bed. She will wake up at 8 on New Year’s Day to watch the parade, making sure her float goes by without mishap, and then go back to sleep and wait 51 weeks.
On Monday, Boyd and Becherer will head to the parade route to admire their handiwork. Like newcomers to the experience, they will sit in their chairs, possibly the bleachers, and exclaim when the Hopi butterfly dancer draws near.
Victoria Boyd, center, David Becherer, left, and Gee Wong chat during a lunch break at Fiesta Parade Floats. “When we see our float,” said Becherer, recalling the feeling over the years, “we swell with pride. We let everyone around us know that we did that.”
(Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)
“When we see our float,” said Becherer, recalling the feeling over the years, “we swell with pride. We let everyone around us know that we did that.”
For Boyd, nothing comes close to the Rose Parade. She has seen similar processions elsewhere — Louisiana, Oregon, New York City — but is spoiled by the size and scope and scale of what comes down Colorado Boulevard each year.
“It’s beautiful,” Becherer agrees. “It brings a lot of people together, not only those watching from the street but everyone who worked on the floats. It’s a joy to be around people like that. There is so much division in this world today; no one can agree on anything. Now’s the time for people to come together.”
