Category: 1-HeadlineNews

Today we’re doing something a little different: channeling our inner holiday spirit and sharing stories from some of our awesome colleagues across the L.A. Times newsroom.

They submitted stories about losing a loved one to COVID-19. Finding new ways to bond with family. Reconnecting with choirmates after months of virtual performances. And the exploits of one seriously sassy pet rabbit. (Thank you, Steve Padilla, Karen Garcia, Wendy Lee and Jazmín Aguilera!)

We at The Times have been working remotely throughout the pandemic, and we miss chitchatting with coworkers. Hearing these stories is kind of like kicking back at an old-school office potluck and catching up. It made us feel good and cheery. We hope it does the same for you.

More reading: Just some holiday stuff to set the mood

The L.A. Times 2021 holiday cookie recipes

8 fun, festive and free phone and Zoom backgrounds made by L.A. artists

How to handle another COVID holiday season

His nicknames: El Hijo del Pueblo — the People’s Son. El Ídolo de México — Mexico’s Idol. El Rey — the King. Or just plain Chente.

Ranchera legend Vicente Fernández passed away this week at age 81, and millions of his fans in the U.S., Mexico and beyond are mourning a man who was their soundtrack of love and sadness and resistance for over half a century.

Today, L.A. Times journalists who grew up with Chente’s music — host Gustavo Arellano, deputy sports editor Iliana Limón Romero, video journalist Steve Saldivar and culture writer Daniel Hernández — talk about his legacy. We even sing some of his songs — badly.

More reading:

Vicente Fernández, a Mexican musical icon for generations, dies at 81

Column: Vicente Fernández’s journey was our parents’ journey. Long may they live

Appreciation: 10 essential songs of ranchera legend Vicente Fernández

Need a quick, yummy gift for Christmas or any other occasion? For generations of Californians, the answer has been a box of See’s Candies. With stores that sport a black-and-white checkerboard design and offer a galaxy of sweets — chocolates, peanut brittle, butterscotch lollipops — the South San Francisco-based company is nostalgia in a box or bag.

Today, L.A. Times food columnist Jenn Harris talks with host Gustavo Arellano about See’s on the occasion of the chain’s 100th anniversary. And you'd better believe some taste tests are involved. (What’s that white-chocolate one that Gustavo has never liked?)

More reading:

Is See’s Candies the best in the world? It’s certainly the most memorable

Everything you ever wanted to know about See’s Candies

Timeline: 100 years of See’s Candies

2021 has been a bad year for disasters: Drought. Oil spills. Bomb cyclones. Wildfires. Delta. Omicron. Yet if you’re reading this, you’ve survived.

Our Masters of Disasters — L.A. Times reporters Ron Lin, Alex Wigglesworth and Rosanna Xia — reflect on the year and offer a bit of hope on apocalyptic issues such as the coronavirus, the environment and wildfires.

More reading:

The American West went through climate hell in 2021. But there’s still hope

More than 400 toxic sites in California are at risk of flooding from sea level rise

Newsletter: We write about environmental calamity. Here’s what gives us hope

Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti is political royalty in the City of Angels. His father was a district attorney. Eric Garcetti won his last election with over 80% of the vote. There were even rumors he would run for president in 2020. This summer, the Biden administration has tapped Garcetti as the U.S. ambassador to India. A Senate panel will consider his nomination this week. And people from Kolkata to Calexico are still saying ... huh? Him?

Today, we speak to L.A. Times columnist Steve Lopez, who says Garcetti’s ambition might actually make him good for the position, and to former City Council candidate Dinesh Lakhanpal, who’s open to the idea, if a bit skeptical.

An earlier version of this episode was published June 10, 2021. 

More reading:

Garcetti’s India move is no surprise. But it still stirred emotions and speculation

Waiting for Garcetti: India evaluates its ties with a post-Trump U.S.

Garcetti’s Senate committee nomination hearing scheduled for Tuesday

Hungry? The Los Angeles Times' annual list of the 101 best restaurants just dropped. Whether you live here, want to visit or are just craving inspiration for types of food to explore near your own home, the list has something for you. Today, L.A. Times restaurant critic Bill Addison tells us about some of his favorite local restaurants — high-end spots, mom-and-pop places, Middle Eastern, Mexican, Korean and beyond — and how he chose which ones made the cut. He also talks about how food journalism is changing and why journalists used to give so much positive attention to chefs who made great food but behaved like toxic jerks.

 

More reading: 

These are the 101 best restaurants in L.A.

11 must-try pop-ups, the next generation of L.A. dining

10 places to drink (wine, beer, cocktails, caffeine) right now

The Miss Navajo Nation pageant has been going on almost every year since the 1950s. It’s not about swimsuits or evening gowns, though. This tradition is all about making sure the culture of the largest Native American tribe in the United States remains alive — and vibrant.In this episode, you’ll hear from this year's contestants, judges and the winner. And you’ll get a sense of why the Diné — what Navajos call themselves — place such importance on something nonmembers, at first glance, might dismiss as a mere beauty contest or country fair frivolity.

More reading: 

A pageant like no other: ‘Can you imagine Miss USA or Miss Universe butchering a sheep?’ 

Navajo shepherds cling to centuries-old tradition in a land where it refuses to rain

Navajo Nation surpasses Cherokee to become largest tribe in the U.S.

Jacqueline Avant was a force many times over in Black Los Angeles and beyond. She was a renowned philanthropist, a political king and queen maker, a patron of the arts. She was also a wife, mother, a friend to community activists and U.S. presidents alike. Last week, an intruder fatally shot her in her Beverly Hills home. Tributes from across the world have poured in to mark a life ended too soon. Today, we devote our episode to the life and legacy of Jacqueline Avant, who was 81 years old.

More reading: 

The killing of Jacqueline Avant: What we know 

‘Unfathomable’ slaying of Jacqueline Avant stuns Hollywood and political world 

Philanthropist Jacqueline Avant helped unite the worlds of Black politics and entertainment

There are about 20 million people in the United States with felony records and unemployment rates among the formerly incarcerated is especially high — 27%, a few years ago, according to the Prison Policy Initiative. Compare that with the overall unemployment rate around the same time, which was less than 4%. The stigma of a criminal record has long influenced this reality, but with the Great Resignation unfolding before us, the situation for these folks seems to be looking up. Today, we'll hear from L.A. Times business reporter Don Lee, who has written about the issue, and from someone who's working to connect formerly incarcerated people with jobs — and who was formerly incarcerated himself.

 

More reading: 

Once shunned, people convicted of felonies find more employers open to hiring them 

Tight job market is good for felons, people with disabilities and others who are hard to employ. But can it last?

Visit the Honest Jobs website

Our sister podcast “The Envelope” — which does deep-dive interviews with movie and TV stars — just started a new season, so we’re giving you a taste.

In this episode, Kirsten Dunst shares stories about growing up in Hollywood, why she decided to publicly address her mental health break, and the joyful — though sometimes awkward — moments of acting opposite her real-life partner, Jesse Plemons, in “The Power of the Dog.”

More reading:

‘Power of the Dog’ writer-director Jane Campion explains her enigmatic career choices

Review: ‘Power of the Dog’ reasserts Jane Campion’s mastery and reveals a new side of Benedict Cumberbatch

Kodi Smit-McPhee walks us through that ‘Power of the Dog’ ending

The Envelope podcast homepage