The Brief

Enjoy the sounds of Ellington and Gershwin with Dudamel at the Hollywood Bowl. Take in a story about “sweat.” Learn about the early Central Avenue jazz scene.

Monday, July 10 - Saturday, July 15 

West Edge Mural Fest 
12101 W Olympic Blvd., Sawtelle 
West Edge, a new mixed-use development at Olympic and Bundy, holds a Mural Fest that will run from July 10-15. Catch global artists and muralists, including Aaron Martin, Anna Charney and ER (Efren Rebugio Jr.) as they create works across 4,000 square feet. On Saturday, July 15 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., celebrate the murals in The Plaza with art, face painting, henna and live music.
COST: FREE; MORE INFO

Mondays through Aug. 7

Movie Mondays: The Lion King 
Julianne and George Argyros Plaza
Segerstrom Center for the Arts
600 Town Center Drive, Costa Mesa
Watch movies inspired by the upcoming season at the Segerstrom Center, starting with The Lion King (1994 version). Additonal features include Clue (July 17), How the Grinch Stole Christmas (July 24), Peter Pan (July 31) and Aladdin (Aug. 7). Arrive early for pre-show activities fun at 6 p.m., with the screenings starting around dusk. Bring your own snacks or purchase food from George’s Café. Outside alcohol is not permitted.
COST: FREE; MORE INFO

Tuesday, July 11; 8 p.m.

Phantogram
The Bellwether
333 Boylston St., downtown L.A.
L.A.'s new music venue officially opens on Tuesday with a sold-out show with Phantogram with opener Ill Peach. (Other artists performing within its opening weeks include Tycho, Panda Bear & Sonic Boom, Haim, Andrew Bird and Porter Robinson.)
COST: $55; MORE INFO

Tuesday, July 11; 7:30 p.m.

Alleviating the Housing Crisis: Where’s the Money?
Hammer Museum 
10899 Wilshire Blvd., Westwood
The museum’s series, Hammer Forum: L.A.’s Housing Crisis, continues with a panel discussion and exploration of the monies involved in housing. In 2016, L.A. voters lent their support to Proposition HHH, a bond measure designed to generate more than $1 billion over 10 years to create affordable housing for unhoused people. Nearly all the funds have been allocated, but where is the housing? Join journalist Anna Scott, creator of the KCRW podcasts Samaritans and City of Tents, who speaks with Dr. Heidi Behforouz, medical director of Housing for Health at L.A. County Department of Health Services; Stephanie Klasky-Gamer, president and CEO of LA Family Housing; and Miguel A. Santana, president of the Weingart Foundation and former city administrative officer for the city of L.A., where he oversaw a $9 billion budget and designed LA's first comprehensive homelessness strategy.
COST: FREE; MORE INFO

Tuesday, July 11 - Sunday, July 16 

Simon Miller Sample Sale
950 S. Broadway, downtown L.A.
The L.A.-based fashion and accessories brand Simon Miller holds a sample sale this week.
COST: FREE admission; MORE INFO

Wednesday, July 12; 7:30 p.m.  

Central Ave: Open House
The Beehive
1000 E. 60th St., Florence
The MUSE/IQUE organization with The New 9th and the Central Avenue Jazz Festival present Central Avenue: An Extraordinary Story of the South LA Music Legends Who Changed the World. The open house is open to the community, remounting a concert program that traces jazz that began on Central Avenue, the West Coast’s answer to the Harlem Renaissance. Additional performances take place on Saturday, July 15 and Sunday, July 16 at Memorial Park in Pasadena.
COST: FREE with RSVP; MORE INFO

Thursday, July 13; 7 p.m. 

One for the Books
Crawford Family Forum
474 S. Raymond Ave., Pasadena
In this special edition of One for the Books, host Traci Thomas talks about food, culture, cookbooks and the politics of food. She’s joined by guests Bricia Lopez, chef and partner at her family’s restaurant Guelaguetza, who released a cookbook Asada: The Art of Mexican-Style Grilling in April; J avier Cabral, cookbook co-author and editor of L.A. Taco; and Keith Corbin, chef and owner of the acclaimed Alta Adams restaurant. They’ll talk about books and food and play some games. At this LAist event, guests won’t leave hungry — there will be food on-site for everyone to enjoy and cookbooks will be available for purchase.
COST: FREE - $40; MORE INFO

Gustavo Dudamel and the Los Angeles Philharmonic, seen here at the 91st Annual Academy Awards in 2019, perform works by Ellington and Gershwin.

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Kevin Winter

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Getty Images

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Thursday, July 13; 8 p.m.

Ellington and Gershwin with Dudamel
Hollywood Bowl
2301 N. Highland Ave., Hollywood 
Gustavo Dudamel leads the LA Phil in this celebration of two great American musicians and composers who blended orchestral sounds and jazz. Gustavo Dudamel. Tony- and Grammy Award-winning singer Patina Miller performs selections by Ellington, Gershwin and others from the Great American Songbook.
COST: FREE; MORE INFO

Thursday, July 13; 6:30 p.m.

KCRW Summer Nights: Steady Holiday
Hammer Museum
10899 Wilshire Blvd., Westwood
Steady Holiday — the solo project from L.A.-based singer-songwriter Dre Babinski — performs in the Hammer Courtyard with KCRW DJs Nassir Nassirzadeh and Novena Carmel spinning tunes. The happy hour with cash bar starts at 6:30 p.m., and the galleries featuring Together in Time: Selections from the Hammer Contemporary Collection will be open until 9 p.m.
COST: FREE; MORE INFO

Thursday, July 13; 5 - 8 p.m. 

Ozomatli
Irvine Regional Park
1 Irvine Park Rd., Orange 
Bring your blankets and chairs to the park to picnic and enjoy live music under the summer sky. This week, the OC Parks Summer Concert Series welcomes L.A.’s own Ozomatli with opener KYNG. Food and beverages are available for purchase.
COST: FREE; MORE INFO

Storytellers return to The Moth this week.

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Courtesy of The Moth

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Thursday, July 13; 7:30 p.m. 

Los Angeles StorySLAM: Sweat
Los Globos
3040 W. Sunset Blvd., Silver Lake
Listen to a night of 5-minute true and surprising stories about perspiration, sweat, nerves, knees weak and other things that leave your palms damp. Melanie Maras hosts. Seating is first-come-first-serve. Los Globos is a 21+ venue.
COST: $15; MORE INFO

Thursday, July 13; 10 p.m. 

Hotel with Joel Kim Booster, Girl God + More!
Dynasty Typewriter
2511 Wilshire Blvd., Westlake
Take a one-night trip with Hotel, showcasing standup/character performers in L.A. as they test out new bits and crazy ideas. The lineup includes Joel Kim Booster, Girl God (Grace Freud & April Clark), Julie Greiner, Max Hawksford and Andres Parada. Ages 18+.
COST: $20 - $25; MORE INFO

Viewing Pick

The Afterparty: Season 2
The mystery-comedy series The Afterparty from Christopher Miller returns with a new case and a few new characters. This time, a groom was murdered at a wedding, and Tiffany Haddish's Detective Danner returns to solve the case. Other returning cast members include Sam Richardson (Aniq) and Zoë Chao (Zoë). The first two (of 10 episodes) premiere on July 12 on Apple TV, followed by one new episode every Wednesday through Sept. 6.

Esters hosts chef Jorge Serrano on Wednesday, July 12 from 5 to 9:30 p.m. for The Serrano Experience, featuring Spanish dishes including Basque cheesecake.

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Courtesy of Rustic Canyon family.

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Dine and Drink Deals

Here are a few dine and drink options to indulge in this week.

• The 1917 Wine Bar + Bistro at the historic San Antonio Winery in downtown L.A. launched a new summer and happy hour menu, including ziti tagliati made with bone marrow, wild mushroom, 24-month-aged parmigiano-reggiano dop, veal jus ($27), crème brûlée French toast made with crème fraîche, berries, maple syrup, maple sage sausage and scrambled eggs (Saturday and Sunday brunch, $18), and Italian Spritz, sangria and Bloody Mary (available for happy hour from Wednesday through Friday from 3 p.m. to close).
• On Thursday, July 13, Del Frisco’s Grille in Santa Monica holds a “Hot Grille Summer” patio party from 5 to 6:30 p.m. For $45, guests can indulge in hors d’oeuvres that include Tomato & Burrata Bruschetta, Cheesesteak Eggroll Bites, Herbed Guacamole Bites and Cucumber Gazpacho Bites while sipping on drinks from Dos Hombres and Hampton Water Rosé.
• Tallula’s in Santa Monica collaborates with chef Tony Messina’s Surf Clam on Monday nights for the rest of July. Dine on New England classics like lobster rolls, fried clams, crudo, sashimi, small plates and a large-format dish focusing on California produce and fresh seafood. 
• Also in Santa Monica, Esters hosts chef Jorge Serrano on Wednesday, July 12 from 5 to 9:30 p.m. for The Serrano Experience. Slicing up Iberico ham by hand and cooking authentic Spanish tapas for one night only. Highlights from the à la carte menu include a classic Pan Con Tomate, Cadiz crudo with Spanish bluefin tuna belly and 12-year Pedro Jimenez white vin, gambas al ajillo featuring baby red prawns, pulpo gallego with olive oil-crushed Yukon potatoes, Basque Cheesecake topped with dulce de leche.
• Piccalilli in Culver City has a new Monday Night Burger + Sake Bomb special. Pair the sake-bomb style cocktail Float Like A Butterfly with their signature burger.

Updated November 14, 2026 at 13:52 PM ET

WASHINGTON— Friday's nationwide ground stop started when a contractor updated old Federal Aviation Administration telecommunication lines, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said Saturday.

Tens of thousands of passengers across the U.S. are still stranded Saturday after the rare ground stop. Bryan Bedford, the FAA administrator who joined Duffy at Saturday's media briefing, said schedule problems should be resolved by Sunday evening.

Nearly 25,000 flights were delayed, and over 9,000 were cancelled on Friday, according to FlightAware, a flight tracking site. The disruption seeped into Saturday morning with more than 4,000 cancellations recorded, which is 18% of flights departing the U.S., according to data from Cirium, an aviation analytics company.

L3Harris, a long time contractor for the FAA, was doing routine maintenance in at least one remote location changing copper wire to fiber optics, Duffy said. "When I tell you that we're using old equipment, we're using old equipment," he said.

He said the FAA is still investigating the exact error that started flooding other routers in the air traffic control system, and if L3Harris was at all responsible.

"It's pretty straightforward work that we were doing yesterday at, again, a very remote location. So what we're working to determine was whether we had incompetence, meaning was it user error, installator error from L3Harris, or did they install a faulty router?"

L3Harris did not immediately respond to NPR's request for comment.

These updates have been happening in American institutions for decades, Duffy said.

"Virtually every single institution in America has gone from copper to fiber, from analog to digital," Duffy said. "Just maybe the FAA is the last one to be doing this work because the investments haven't been made, but this is not complicated."

Bedford said there was no evidence of anything nefarious happening or any AI-related issues.

Since his time in office, Duffy said he's been asking Congress for money to make more upgrades. In July 2025, Congress approved $12.5 billion to modernize the nation's aging air traffic control system.

With that money, 70% of copper communications have been replaced to high-speed fiber, Bedford said. Duffy called the innovations and the need for more a "bipartisan moment."

"This is the moment, if we don't start to switch out our systems, when, how long are we going to wait, America, and Congress?" Duffy asked.

Thousands of passengers miss flights

Passengers wait at boarding gates at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in Washington, DC on November 13, 2026.

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Zina Desmazes

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AFP via Getty Images

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For about four hours on Friday, thousands of flights at U.S. airports were grounded in one of the biggest disruptions of the nation's air travel system since the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001.

The aviation system is back online and slowly returning to normal Saturday morning, but delays and cancellations will continue, Duffy said. Bedford said all passengers will be put on new flights or they'll get a full refund, but that people should reach out to their airlines directly.

Flight boards at airports across the country Saturday morning continued to be riddled with red cancelled marks. At Tampa International Airport in Florida, people in the main terminal area before security curled up in chairs to grab a wink of sleep.

On Friday night, a flight board at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in D.C. showed dozens of flights delayed into the early morning hours or cancelled.

Passengers Erin and Jake Britt spent half the day at the airport in D.C. on Friday. Their plane to Fort Lauderdale, Fla. boarded at 3 p.m. By 5:30 p.m., they were getting off the plane — but they were still in D.C.

"Overall, our plane was definitely annoyed, but reasonable," Erin Britt said, as the couple left the airport at 8 p.m. "People being upset and asking like, 'Well, how are you not prepared for this?' And it was like, 'Well, no one was prepared.'"

She said neither the pilot nor flight attendants had any more information than passengers."They seem just as in the dark," she said.

The pair decided to cancel their weekend trip, but the night didn't end there. They spent over nine hours overnight waiting on the JetBlue customer service call line to be reimbursed. "I was setting alarms in 20 minute intervals in case I fell asleep," Erin Britt said.

For people who had events or plans over the weekend – the delay added an extra layer of stress. Joe Romano and Maddie Cabana had a cruise leaving Orlando, Fla. Saturday afternoon.

"It was a big eye roll. I mean, I travel a lot for work already, so I'm constantly dealing with flight delays," Romano said. "When this happened, I was just like, 'Of course, it always happens to me.'"

"Just rather inconvenient and frustrating," Cabana added, as the pair contemplated checking their bags or going home. They even thought about driving to Florida. "Hopefully, everything will be fine. It'll all work out. It always does."

And it did— eventually. After their JetBlue flight was ultimately cancelled, they quickly booked another one on Southwest Airlines and made it early Saturday morning.

Others, like Suze DiPietro decided flying wasn't worth it anymore. Her husband drove about four hours down from Ocean City, New Jersey to pick her up in D.C. Luckily, they had friends in the area where they spent the night.

"My husband, my hero, is driving down from New Jersey to come get me," DiPietro said.

Other alternatives included people switching to Amtrak trains as they struggled to get to their destination. Although, even Amtrak's system had a brief outage Friday night.

This was only the second nationwide ground stop since September 11, 2001. The U.S. last issued a ground stop of this scale in 2023, when all U.S. airports were shut down due to an outage in the NOTAM (Notice to Air Missions) system, which alerts pilots and airports of real-time hazards.

That outage prompted fears of a cyberattack, but the FAA later determined the issue was caused when contract workers inadvertently deleted critical files.

The FAA has recently begun rolling out an AI-enhanced software tool known as the SMART system as part of its ambitious overhaul of the nation's air traffic control system. But Air Space Intelligence, the company that makes the tool, quickly dismissed speculation that its product could be connected to the flight disruptions.

"The current ground stop is not based on or a result of the SMART system, any product of ASI or our integration with FAA and ATC," the company said on social media.

Ava Pukatch contributed to reporting.

Copyright 2026 NPR

Eggs from the first confirmed sea turtle nests found on the U.S. West Coast have hatched.

"We are excited to share that some of the olive ridley sea turtle eggs from Seal Beach successfully hatched after a 58-day incubation period," said the Aquarium of the Pacific in a social media post.

The Long Beach-based aquarium has been keeping watch over 204 olive ridley sea turtle eggs, laid on Seal Beach and Huntington Beach in September. A second set of eggs found on Huntington Beach is still incubating

The aquarium said the hatchlings were released early Saturday morning in a coastal area with little light and human disturbances.

Baby turtles, the aquarium said, go through a “frenzy period” after hatching, where they swim nonstop for up to two days

The eggs came from the first confirmed sea turtle nests found on the U.S. West Coast. Scientists say unusually warming water tied to El Niño likely drew the rare turtles to the Southern California coast.

If you happen to see 600 people snaking down 14.3 miles of Santa Monica Boulevard (and then some) on Saturday, Nov. 21 — their sole purpose is just to … walk.

“For years people were asking us, ‘What are you doing?’” said Michael Schneider, founder of the Great Los Angeles Walk.

These strolls are maximalist in nature, usually covering the entire length of a given thoroughfare. Sunset Boulevard. Melrose Avenue. Ventura Boulevard.

The inaugural Great L.A. Walk in 2006 along Wilshire Boulevard.

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Courtesy Great Los Angeles Walk

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How the walk began 

The pre-Thanksgiving tradition started in 2006 with Wilshire Boulevard. Schneider, who had reached the milestone of living in L.A. for a decade, was inspired by a book about the street’s history to walk its entire 15.8 miles on foot. He asked others to join on his blog Franklin Avenue.

About two dozen people showed up. That day, they popped into storefronts, stopped by restaurants, sneaked into the Park Plaza Hotel near MacArthur Park and shot up to the roof. “That kind of unearthed a whole new side of Los Angeles as we walked down Wilshire,” he said.

By the time the trek reached the ocean, folks were asking Schneider about next year. Now, it's always on the Saturday before Thanksgiving.

“I inadvertently turned it into an annual tradition,” he said.

The 2016 edition of Great L.A. Walk along Pico Boulevard.

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Courtesy Great Los Angeles Walk

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The 2007 installment was Pico Boulevard — with restaurant recommendations along the route handpicked by the late Pulitzer-winning food critic Jonathan Gold.

Eventually, Schneider included themed walks. March of Los Pobladores — which retraces the final leg of the 1781 journey taken by the original founders of L.A. — from the San Gabriel Mission to downtown. And USC to UCLA when the rivals faced off on game day.

This year’s route: Route 66 

This year's theme is Route 66.

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Google map screengrab

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This year’s focus is Route 66, marking the centennial of the iconic road. Saturday's walk will start in Echo Park, then go the whole way down Santa Monica Boulevard and end at the pier, totaling about 16 miles.

“You see so many different versions of Los Angeles,” he said.

Michael Schneider, founder of the Great L.A. Walk, at last year's trot along Wilshire Boulevard.

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Courtesy Great Los Angeles Walk

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Celebrity sightings and a marquee shout-out 

One year, he said, the group walked by Magic Johnson.

“He waved at us," Schneider said. "Probably was wondering why [there were] hundreds of people walking past where he was."

As many as 600 people now join the walk, he said. As the number grows, so too has its legend.

“Now we find a lot of people who know who we are,” he said. “You hear people say, ‘Hey, it's the Great L.A. Walk.”

A couple of decades ago, a friend in New York told me about something happening that was kinda underground and just getting traction. It was called “The Moth.” People took turns telling a true, personal story, with no notes, named after the Southern tradition of sitting on front porches and sharing spellbinding tales — with moths flying mesmerized around the porchlight.

It sounded amazing. And terrifying. I filed it under the same list as bungee jumping — no doubt exhilarating but something I’d never do — and got on with my life. Over the years, as it grew bigger and bigger, I went to several Moth events in different cities, and was always so impressed with the storytellers — and equally adamant I’d never do it.

Cut to this September, when a message went out to all the staff at LAist. We’re a media sponsor of The Moth, and an event, a open mike StorySLAM, was coming up in Silver Lake. There were a few tickets available. Did anyone want one? The theme was "Divas." Sure, I thought. I’d go watch. It's always fun.

Nagging thought

As the days went by, the same thought kept nagging at me. How about getting on stage yourself? No, I thought. Too risky. But this time there was another thought, even more vehement. Why are you being held hostage by fear? Life is too short. If you want to do something, you just have to do it. And this opportunity has just fallen into your lap.

So when the day came, I went to the event, and put my name in the hat. Would I be picked? I sat there with sweaty palms as the show started and people came up tell their own funny, moving, poignant stories.

Finally, near the end of the show, my name was called out. Gulp. I walked on stage to the mic, and began telling my story.

“Some years ago I was a BBC radio producer. A show host and I were at Albuquerque airport, on our way to Los Alamos to do interviews about the Manhattan project. But when we got to the gate, it was closed. They’d boarded the plane 15 minutes early. We couldn't believe it. There was only one plane per day and we'd flown in from London and were on a tight schedule. What should we do?”

Holding their breath

It was a strange experience, simultaneously storytelling while looking at the audience and scanning for their reactions. They seemed to be enjoying themselves.... and were holding their breath, waiting to see what came next.

“I could see the plane on the tarmac, one of those regional planes with propellers, on the other side of an alarmed emergency exit door. So I decided, in the heat of the moment, to push it open, and started dashing across the tarmac, yelling for the host to follow me. Security men began running towards me from every direction as the alarm blared loudly.”

The audience was laughing with delight and disbelief, and I was laughing, too, at the recollection. What on earth had made me do that? Ah, my young, impulsive, determined self. Just as well it wasn’t today, post 9/11. I’d be dead.

“As I reached the plane, the security men were shouting 'What are you doing? You can’t run onto the tarmac!' That’s when the diva part came in. I drew myself up to my full 5’ 2” and said, determinedly, 'No, YOU were the ones who boarded the plane early. We did everything right! We have our tickets, we have interviews to do and we are going to get on this plane.'"

The security men looked at each other, unsure what to do. Maybe it was the British accent, or not being used to a woman giving them a dressing down. But one of them shrugged, moved out of the way, and they let us get on the plane. "Hurray! And we made it to Los Alamos, in time to do our interviews. Thank you.”

The audience went crazy, clapping and whooping. I was standing there grinning stupidly. I couldn’t believe I’d done it.

Yes, the story went down well. And the audience hadn't eaten me alive. But there was something bigger, something even more satisfying in my reaction. I’d had made myself do something I was scared of. I'd faced my demons.... and survived.

A lesson for us all.