Greater LA

The slow return of performing arts is threatening the existence of some small theaters in the North Hollywood Arts District. As part of The Griffith Park Free Shakespeare Festival, Angelenos can watch “Macbeth” every Wednesday to Sunday at 7 p.m. through September 4. KCRW learns what goes into each performance. Micro forests can be as small as 10 by 10 feet, but they go a long way in enhancing biodiversity, reducing carbon in the atmosphere, and infusing soil with nutrients.

Fingerboards, the palm-sized skateboards you steer with your fingers, are tokens of 1990s nostalgia that’s gaining interest among a new generation of riders. LA’s recently expanded “anti-camping” law will have a disproportionate impact on Black Angelenos, who make up nearly 45% of the city’s unhoused residents. The Echo Park Trash Club gathers a few times a month to help keep LA streets clean. They also serve homeless encampments, where they’ve had to spend time building trust with residents.

Employing what it calls “fractional ownership” for second homes, real estate startup Pacaso has left communities scrambling to regulate its model. East Hollywood used to have a tightly-knit Japanese immigrant community known as Madison/J-Flats. Boarding houses there offered people affordable rent, home-cooked meals, and community. After pressure from San Clemente residents, the City Council turned down Steven Knoblock’s proposal banning abortion facilities from opening.

The 5,000-square-foot Hollyhock House in East Hollywood was renovated during COVID, and on August 18, it’ll reopen to the public. It’s the first house that Frank Lloyd Wright designed in LA. Former President Barack Obama added LA-based author Antoine Wilson's “Mouth to Mouth” to his reading list. The suspenseful book has been out since January.

LA is in mourning after iconic Dodgers broadcaster Vin Scully died Tuesday at age 94. He called Dodgers games for 67 seasons before retiring in 2016. Mo Ostin died this week at age 95. He ran Warner Brothers Records from the 1960s to the 1990s, then helped create the record label arm of DreamWorks. 

Psychedelics are catching on in a big way. A hidden ayahuasca retreat builds connections and exposes dangerous vulnerabilities. Compton native Keb’ Mo’ says “it’s good to be home.” The blues musician is performing at the Hollywood Bowl on Wednesday. 

The Bill Pickett Invitational Rodeo is the only nationally recognized Black rodeo in the U.S. Today it reaches more than 130,000 spectators, which makes it more popular than ever. “If I Go Will They Miss Me” follows a father and son who live in the Imperial Courts housing project in Watts, which sits directly under the flight path at LAX. A member of the Santa Ana City Council wants green card holders and undocumented residents to have voting rights in local elections. It won’t be a measure on the November ballot, but the issue will come back.

Scientists are checking LA sewage for coronavirus. As fewer people report test results, health officials say the data helps them see what’s next with the pandemic. “Working Together: The Photographers of the Kamoinge Workshop,” a new exhibit at the Getty, highlights the daily lives of Black people in the 1960s and 1970s. 

Laurie Leshin, JPL’s new director, wants to explore the far reaches of space, find evidence of life on Mars, and make the institution more inclusive. Emily Haag spent 85 days running from Jacksonville, Florida to Santa Monica to help raise funds and awareness for the group Students Run LA.

Hundreds of unhoused Angelenos are seeking shelter in the Mojave Desert, having been pushed out of nearby Lancaster due to aggressive policing. Deaths are rising with few solutions on offer. LA nun Sister Mary Sean Hodges has helped more than 10,000 parolees adjust to life after incarceration. Their recidivism rate has been under 1% since 2002. Little Tokyo Table Tennis, founded a year ago, has brought together people from all walks of life: Gen-Z kids with nose piercings, a man sweating in Gucci, a nurse in scrubs, and more.