Fiona Ng
is LAist's deputy managing editor and leads a team of reporters who explore food, culture, history, events and more.
Published January 3, 2026 5:00 AM
Kevin Cooley and his family's lot in Altadena. They lost their house in the Eaton Fire a year ago.
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Kevin Cooley
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Courtesy Kevin Cooley
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Topline:
Photographer Kevin Cooley takes photographs of wildfires for a living. A year ago, he and his family lost their home in the Eaton Fire.
The story: LAist has been following Cooley's life in the year since the January fire, as he ponders the long road ahead. The photographs he has taken in Altadena have helped to keep him anchored. He'd drive up to the neighborhood as many as several times a week to shoot anything that caught his eyes.
The context: It began with wildflowers and plants that pushed out from the fire rubble. And recently, Cooley has turned his lens on some of the folks who are living on their lots in makeshift dwellings. They call themselves, he said, "the homesteaders."
Read on ... for the story and to see the photographs that have led Cooley home.
The pull of Altadena has never let up for Kevin Cooley and his family — through fire, debris and the long, current stretch where the lot that once held their house on El Molino Avenue has sat barren.
"There's no more fire debris. It's all gone. I mean, there's certainly a reminder of the fire everywhere," Cooley said. "It's just all construction ... and lots that are for sale."
A rock denoting Kevin Cooley's home in front of his lot in Altadena. Cooley lost his house in the Eaton Fire a year before.
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Fiona Ng
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LAist
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The Altadena lot where Kevin Cooley and his family's house once sat before the Eaton Fire.
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Fiona Ng
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LAist
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Kevin Cooley sitting next to his cleared lot in Altadena.
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Fiona Ng
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LAist
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'Like a rollercoaster'
"It's been a lot of fluctuation, like a rollercoaster," Cooley said of the decision-making process. "Just not knowing what the right thing to do is."
The January fire wiped out nearly a decade's worth of life he and his family built in Altadena, confronting them with what Cooley called a "blank slate."
In a whirlwind year of trying to put their lives back together, the thought of whether it's just easier — and less costly — to start anew elsewhere has crossed their minds.
"It's daunting but also kind of interesting to think about all the possibilities that you could have," Cooley said.
Along the way, Cooley, a photographer, turned to his art to make sense of all that was lost — and ended up forging an even deeper relationship with this place.
A picture of roses found growing on a lot on Calaveras Street in Altadena. Cooley says this photo best encapsulates his intention for the series.
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Kevin Cooley
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He told me about his first impression of Altadena — how it seemed "impossibly far away." How the interminable drive that day up Lake Avenue deposited him on the Echo Mountain trail — "one of the most beautiful hikes I've ever been on." How the neighborhood quickly became their entire world after he and his wife bought the place on El Molino, some eight years later.
" I walked my kid to school. My wife, Bridget, she would ride her bike to work," he said. " I mean, that's not what you think of as living in Los Angeles, but yet, it's so close in a lot of ways to everything in L.A."
Home sick
Since the fire, Cooley has been coming up to Altadena, sometimes as many as several times a week. He would drive around the neighborhood, over and over again, to take pictures of whatever might catch his eyes.
His route always begins at his lot on El Molino.
Aloe on Harriet Street.
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Kevin Cooley
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Courtesy Kevin Cooley
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" It seems like a natural starting point and also a place to reflect on coming back, to seeing if it's really a place that I want to rebuild my life again," Cooley said.
About six months ago, he told me he was photographing flowers and plants that rose out of the fire's impossible ruins and burnt trees that managed to sprout new growth.
A redwood palm on Palm Street.
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Kevin Cooley
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Courtesy Kevin Cooley
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A ponytail palm on Athens Street.
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Kevin Cooley
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Courtesy Kevin Cooley
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The 'homesteaders'
Since Thanksgiving, he started to fix his lens on some of the folks living in temporary dwellings on their lots.
"They call themselves the 'homesteaders,'" Cooley said.
Homesteader Tom in Altadena.
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Kevin Cooley
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Courtesy Kevin Cooley
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Cooley took me on a drive, pointing out an Airstream on one block ... then a tiny box of an ADU down another ... then a trailer the size of a school bus ... then a tent ... then a giant RV. A sign in front of it says, "My entire life burned in Altadena and all I got was a stupid sign."
"They're all intending on coming back in a permanent way, but in the meantime, they have many different reasons for being here," Cooley said.
For some, they simply could not stay away.
An Airstream in Altadena.
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Kevin Cooley
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Courtesy Kevin Cooley
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"Being elsewhere has been really hard on them," he said. " They want to feel a connection to this place. They want to be back in Altadena."
Cooley photographed the homesteaders the same way as the wildflowers and the trees, with strobe lights illuminating his subjects against a darkened backdrop at dusk.
Homesteaders Michael and Brooke in Altadena.
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Kevin Cooley
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Courtesy Kevin Cooley
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" Those homesteaders are like the human equivalent of what the plants are doing," he said. " My idea was to have them match conceptually and visually."
As we drove around, with the majestic mountains sporting a dense coat of Kelly green as our constant North Star, it's impossible to miss the new phase Altadena has entered — as debris and wreckage gave way to neat, empty lots and "For sale" signs to now the wooden frames sprouting into shape on many blocks, all within a year's time.
A fact of life
And these in-between moments of resiliency — be it the plants or the homesteaders — are disappearing quickly.
"People are building so fast and some people have already built, finished and have moved in. Photographing people in these temporary conditions is almost, again, a race against time," he said.
But their resolve, their longing to be rooted, has reaffirmed his own decision to stay.
A rusted, beat-up VW bus in Altadena
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Kevin Cooley
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Courtesy Kevin Cooley
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Cooley and his wife still will rebuild. They now need to settle on one of the two companies on their shortlist for the job.
This time, the family will have a home tailored to their needs. For Cooley, that means a proper art studio space, instead of working out of the garage like he did before.
Above all, their new house will be built with the next fire in mind.
" Wildfires are a fact of life in California," he has told me every time we meet. "That would mean building the most fire-hardened house possible."
Robert Garrova
explores the weird and secret bits of SoCal that would excite even the most jaded Angelenos. He also covers mental health.
Published February 1, 2026 5:00 AM
Stars shine bright above Death Valley’s Badwater Basin.
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Michael Kohler
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National Parks Service
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Topline:
If you’re up for a drive out to the desert, the annual Death Valley Dark Sky festival is happening Feb. 6 to 8. Kind of like the Coachella of star gazing, the weekend is packed with opportunities to spot celestial bodies through telescopes and hear scientists talk about everything from black holes to cutting edge radio telescopes.
What to expect: Friday and Saturday will include outdoor star parties, where attendees can get access to the dozens of telescopes they’ll have set up. The weekend’s programming will include talks from NASA and Jet Propulsion Laboratory scientists, space-themed pub trivia at the Badwater Saloon and guided walks of the Death Valley spots that helped experts design missions off our planet.
And Earth flowers? If you need a more terrestrial reason to make the trip out to Death Valley? All that rain we had is making for good wildflower conditions.
If you’re up for a drive out to the desert, the annual Death Valley Dark Sky festival is happening Feb. 6 to 8.
Kind of like the Coachella of star gazing, the weekend is packed with opportunities to spot celestial bodies through telescopes and hear scientists talk about everything from black holes to cutting edge radio telescopes.
Cameron Hummels, a research scientist and director of astrophysics outreach at Caltech, said he’s headed out to this convening of star gazers in Death Valley for five years.
He said it’s one thing to go to public science talks or watch them on YouTube, “but to have a visceral experience of looking through a telescope at a dark night sky is like something you have to go to a place to do."
Friday and Saturday will include outdoor star parties, where attendees can get access to the dozens of telescopes they’ll have set up.
The weekend’s programming will include talks from NASA and Jet Propulsion Laboratory scientists, space-themed pub trivia at the Badwater Saloon and guided walks of the Death Valley spots that helped experts design missions off our planet.
“Because [Death Valley is] such an exposed landscape, it makes a really good planetary analog for a lot of the other locations in our solar system. Whether it’s the moon or Mars or some of the other objects in our solar system,” Hummels told LAist.
On Saturday, Hummels will lead a presentation on the “formation and evolution of galaxies.”
These dark sky events — known as astro-tourism — are becoming more popular, Hummels said. People seem to be increasingly interested in space in the last five years or so. And there are other pluses of laying out under the stars with a friend.
“I think anytime you get into the great outdoors you’re gonna have mental health benefits... I can highly recommend this to people as both an educational opportunity but [also] a place to see our place in the universe and have a fun chill weekend,” Hummels said.
And if you need a more terrestrial reason to make the trip out to Death Valley? All that rain we had is making for good wildflower conditions.
“Death Valley is poised for a better-than-average bloom, and with a little luck, it could even be better than that,” David Blacker, Death Valley National History Association executive director, wrote in his Wildflower Report earlier this month.
Organized by the National Park Service, the festival is a collaboration between NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, Jet Propulsion Laboratory and Ames Research Center, Caltech and other institutions.
TikTok has become an essential element in giving rising musicians a platform to develop their identity, as it did for Addison Rae (left). It's also become a widely used and effective tool for promoting artists who already have a record deal, like Olivia Dean. All of the best new artist nominees at this year's Grammys were TikTok stars of one kind or the other.
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Photo collage by Abi Inman
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Valerie Macon/Getty Images, Michael Loccisano/Getty Images
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Topline:
According to the Recording Academy itself, the Grammy for best new artist is for musicians who are having "a breakthrough into the public consciousness." What did it look like to have a breakthrough moment in 2025? More often than not, it meant having a hit song on TikTok. At this weekend's Grammys, all eight best new artist nominees are musicians whose popularity skyrocketed thanks to the app.
The backstory: Last year, Luminate partnered with TikTok on aMusic Impact report. It found what many powerbrokers in the music industry have known for awhile: The app is not only a large source of music discovery, but also a leading driver of chart success. According to the report, 84% of songs that entered Billboard's Global 200 chart went viral on TikTok first.
This year's Grammys: Looking at this year's Grammy nominations, the best new artist contenders run the gamut from indie darlings who started making music a decade ago to former Hype House TikTok creators who launched recording careers in 2025. All eight nominees used the app in their ascent to pop stardom — but did they rise through the music industry into TikTok virality? Or the other way around?
Read on ... to discover which new artists started on the app and which came up the old-fashioned way.
According to the Recording Academy itself, the Grammy for best new artist is for musicians who are having "a breakthrough into the public consciousness."
What did it look like to have a breakthrough moment in 2025? More often than not, it meant having a hit song on TikTok. At this weekend's Grammys, all eight best new artist nominees are musicians whose popularity skyrocketed thanks to the app.
"If there's anything that speaks to TikTok's power right now, I think it's this category in particular," says Robert Steiner, a media analyst at the music and entertainment insights company Luminate.
Last year, Luminate partnered with TikTok on aMusic Impact report. It found what many powerbrokers in the music industry have known for awhile: The app is not only a large source of music discovery, but also a leading driver of chart success. According to the report, 84% of songs that entered Billboard's Global 200 chart went viral on TikTok first.
And music, in turn, is essential to the app as well. Steiner says going all the way back to its roots in Musically — a platform for lip-syncing videos — songs have been the currency for TikTok's biggest memes and dances.
"A lot of the trends that we see on TikTok are audio-based. Obviously video is part of it, but the sound is a huge aspect of it as well," Steiner says. "It was set up to really capitalize on audio becoming a key driver to the app, and I think as a result, it does seem like they created at least a segment of their user base that is very musically inclined."
Looking at this year's Grammy nominations, the best new artist contenders run the gamut from indie darlings who started making music a decade ago to former Hype House TikTok creators who launched recording careers in 2025. All eight nominees used the app in their ascent to pop stardom — but did they rise through the music industry into TikTok virality? Or the other way around?
Olivia Dean
The English singer is not a newcomer; as she told NPR's Morning Edition in September, she's been recording and releasing music for nearly a decade. In 2023, her album Messy was shortlisted for the U.K.'s Mercury Prize. But in 2025, the warm soul-pop melodies of her album The Art of Loving put her on the map in a major way. The single "Man I Need" became a hit on TikTok — it's been used in 1.7 million videos so far, according to the app — and quickly climbed the charts.
Did Olivia Dean come from TikTok or the music industry: The music industry.
KATSEYE
Born out of a reality television competition show in 2023, KATSEYE is a global girl group seemingly created for TikTok virality — and so far, the sextet has delivered. In 2025, singles like "Gnarly" and "Gabriela" steadily climbed the charts; but perhaps more importantly, they soundtracked millions of videos on TikTok. Choreography from KATSEYE's Gap commercial (set to "Milkshake" by Kelis, not their own song) became a dance trend too, heralded as a clap back to Sydney Sweeney's controversial American Eagle jeans ad. In December, TikTok officially crowned KATSEYE its Global Artist of 2025.
Did KATSEYE come from TikTok or the music industry? Both.
The Marías
The indie pop band started releasing synth-driven, bilingual songs nearly a decade ago and collaborated with Bad Bunny on his 2022 album Un Verano Sin Ti. But it was a demo of their song "No One Noticed," which lead singer María Zardoya released unofficially on her TikTok account, that would become the band's biggest song to date, and was later officially released on their 2024 album Submarine. Zardoya told podcast host Zach Sang that despite being a slower, introspective song — the opposite of what the band's label wanted at the time — fans gravitated towards it on social media.
Did The Marías come from TikTok or the music industry?The industry via the independent route — they built a fanbase and eventually landed a record deal with Atlantic, then hit big on the app.
Addison Rae
Originally from Lafayette, La. — cue the Britney Spears comparisons — Addison Rae became a TikTok sensation in 2019 by posting videos of herself dancing to viral songs. She moved to Los Angeles, joined the Hype House and amassed millions of followers, all of which then helped build momentum for a music career. After a co-sign from Charli XCX on the "Von Dutch" remix, she released her effervescent debut album Addison in June.
Did Addison Rae come from TikTok or the music industry? TikTok.
sombr
Hailing from New York City's Lower East Side, the Gen Z rocker sombr has had his share of viral TikTok songs. His 2022 single "Caroline" was the first, helping him get signed to Warner Records when he was still 17 years old. Two more followed in 2025; his singles "Back to Friends" and "Undressed" were used on hundreds of thousands of TikTok videos and both steadily climbed Billboard's Hot 100 chart, months before sombr released his debut album I Barely Know Her.
Did sombr come from TikTok or the music industry? Both.
Leon Thomas
A child Broadway star and former Nickelodeon actor, it's safe to say Leon Thomas has been grinding for decades. After being mentored by Babyface for years, the 32-year-old has produced for artists ranging from his Victorious co-star Ariana Grande to Rick Ross. In 2024, he won a Grammy for best R&B song for his contributions to SZA's "Snooze." But Thomas' sophomore album, MUTT, landed him directly in the spotlight — its lead single took off on TikTok and climbed Billboard's Hot 100 chart. Of this year's best new artist contenders, Thomas is the most widely recognized by the Recording Academy; he landed five additional nominations, including for album of the year.
Did Leon Thomas come from TikTok or the music industry? The music industry.
Alex Warren
Another member of the Hype House collective, Alex Warren went from posting massively popular pranking videos online to releasing a romantic ballad — and instant wedding playlist staple — that spent months climbing Billboard's Hot 100 chart. "Ordinary" became one of the biggest hits of the summer, and earned Warren an invitation to perform with country superstar Luke Combs at Lollapalooza.
Did Alex Warren come from TikTok or the music industry? TikTok.
Lola Young
Often drawing comparisons to previous best new artist winner Amy Winehouse, the 25-year-old had already released several albums before her 2024 single "Messy" went viral on TikTok. Young's songs had already been gaining traction on the app for a while — videos of her performing "Don't Hate Me" on a playground in 2023 racked up millions of views — but "Messy" became a different kind of phenomenon. Before performing at Coachella last spring, Young told NPR's Morning Edition that she does not identify as a TikToker, but recognized the massive impact the app has had on her career.
Did Lola Young come from TikTok or the music industry? The music industry.
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The Vermont Square Branch of the LA Public Library opened in 1913.
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LaMonica Peters
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The LA Local
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Topline:
More than a century after it first opened its doors, the Vermont Square Branch of the Los Angeles Public Library is still operating out of its original building, nestled among the homes on West 48th Street.
The backstory: The Vermont Square Branch was built in 1913 on what had been park land that was donated by the City of Los Angeles. It was funded with a Carnegie Foundation grant, the philanthropy of industrialist Andrew Carnegie, who funded the arts, higher education and public libraries after making his fortune in steel in the late 19th century.
Why it matters: For generations, it’s been considered a safe place and gathering spot for people who may otherwise have no place to go. Today, the neighborhood council uses the room in the library’s basement for meetings, the grassy area out back is a place to relax, and for some, the building is a refuge from hot- and cold-weather days.
Read on ... to learn more about why this branch means so much to the community.
More than a century after it first opened its doors, the Vermont Square Branch of the Los Angeles Public Library still is operating out of its original building, nestled among the homes on West 48th Street.
It’s not just a library. For generations, it’s been considered a safe place and gathering spot for people who otherwise may have no place to go. Today, the neighborhood council uses the room in the library’s basement for meetings, the grassy area out back is a place to relax, and for some, the building is a refuge from hot- and cold-weather days.
Of course, people also go there to read books, for free access to the internet and for children’s programming. But they also go there to find peace and quiet amid the hustle and bustle of inner-city Los Angeles.
“It feels safe. It’s pretty big. It’s nice inside and comfortable. There are people to talk to, and I can meet friends,” resident Moses Rogers told The LA Local.
The Vermont Square Branch was built in 1913 on what had been park land donated by the city of Los Angeles. It was funded with a Carnegie Foundation grant, the philanthropy of industrialist Andrew Carnegie, who funded the arts, higher education and public libraries after making his fortune in steel in the late 19th century.
The library is not the oldest branch in the city system, but it’s the first library building owned by the city. All other city libraries and facilities were housed in rented spaces.
It was designed in the architectural style of the Italian Renaissance, and you still can find the original circulation desk, windows that allow in natural light, old furniture and marble fixtures inside the library.
Branch manager Martha Sherod has worked at the library for 13 ½ years and calls the Vermont Square Branch a hidden treasure that some in the neighborhood can overlook. She said some people think it’s a government building, but for the people who grew up using the library, it symbolizes being home.
“People come here for a purpose, they want to be here. We really like serving them,” Sherod told The LA Local. “Now that I’ve been here so long, I’ve seen kids grow up from being little kids to college students. So, it’s really been a joy for me.”
Sherod said the branch holds about 24,000 items and has 4,500 visitors a month on average. The library also offers adult and teen programming, including free legal advice, health screenings, arts and crafts and book club activities.
“The library isn’t just for quietly sitting and reading. There’s usually a lot of good activities happening. There are resources that you can use at home by downloading or just coming in here,” Sherod said.
The Vermont Square Branch was designated by the Los Angeles Cultural Heritage Commission in 1983 after the community rallied to keep the building from being replaced. The exterior of the building remains the same, although the library was retrofitted for earthquake safety in 1990, a process that caused the branch to close to the public for six years.
Longtime Vermont Square resident Fletcher Fair told The LA Local she’s been going to the branch since the late 1960s, and the library will always be a cornerstone of the community.
“It’s the neighborhood library, and that’s where everyone went and prospered. We hung out, studied and partied,” she said. “There were a lot of events here.”
A vial of the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccination for children is displayed during an immunization event at the L.A. Care and Blue Shield of California Promise Health Plan Community Resource Center in the Panorama City neighborhood of Los Angeles.
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Patrick T. Fallon
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Getty Images
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Topline:
The first measles case of the year in Los Angeles County has been confirmed by the county public health department.
Details: Public health officials said Friday a county resident who recently traveled abroad has been confirmed to have measles. Authorities have not identified locations, other than healthcare settings, where the person could have exposed others.
Read on ... to find more information.
The first measles case of the year in Los Angeles County has been confirmed by the L.A. County Department of Public Health.
County public health officials said Friday a county resident who recently traveled abroad has been confirmed to have measles. Authorities have not identified any locations, other than healthcare settings, where the person could have exposed others.
Affected healthcare facilities are contacting patients and employees about potential exposure. County officials also are in the process of identifying those who may have had contact with the person.
Measles spreads easily through the air and can stay on surfaces for many hours. Those infected can spread the virus before showing symptoms, which can take weeks to appear.
Symptoms includea fever above 101 degrees; cough; runny nose; red, watery eye; and a rash that typically starts on the face.
So far, 588 measles cases of measles have been reported in the U.S. this year, the highest number of cases in a January since the U.S. eliminated measles in 2000. Most of these cases are linked to outbreaks in South Carolina, Arizona and Utah.
The L.A. County Department of Public Health is encouraging Angelenos to check their immunization statuses for a measles, mumps, rubella vaccine to determine if they’re protected against the virus.
Residents also should notify their health providers for guidance in the case of a potential exposure.
If symptoms develop, contact a healthcare provider via phone as soon as possible. L.A. Public Health advises people not to go physically into a health care facility before notifying them of measles symptoms.
