The Brief

NASA could launch four astronauts on a mission to fly around the moon as soon as March 6.

That's the launch date that the space agency is now working toward following a successful test fueling of its big, 322-foot tall moon rocket, which is standing on a launch pad at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

"This is really getting real," says Lori Glaze, acting associate administrator of NASA's exploration systems development mission directorate. "It's time to get serious and start getting excited."

But she cautioned that there's still some pending work that remains to be done out at the launch pad, and officials will have to conduct a multi-day flight readiness review late next week to make sure that every aspect of the mission is truly ready to go.

"We need to successfully navigate all of those, but assuming that happens, it puts us in a very good position to target March 6th," she says, noting that the flight readiness review will be "extensive and detailed."

The Artemis II test flight will send four astronauts on an approximately 600,000-mile trip around the moon and back. It will mark the first time that people have ventured to the moon since the final Apollo lunar mission in 1972.

When NASA workers first tested out fueling the rocket earlier this month, they encountered problems like a liquid hydrogen leak. Swapping out some seals and other work seems to have fixed these issues, according to officials who say that the latest countdown dress rehearsal went smoothly, despite glitches such as a loss of ground communications in the Launch Control Center that forced workers to temporarily use backups.

Members of the Artemis II crew — NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen — are starting their roughly two-week quarantine to limit their exposure to illnesses before their flight.

Glaze says she spoke to several of the astronauts during the recent test fueling, as they were in Florida to observe the preparations. "They're all very, very excited," she says. "They are really getting a lot of anticipation for a potential launch in March."

Copyright 2026 NPR

A pop-up book that’s seeking to break the world record for size has unfolded at the Central Library in downtown Los Angeles.

The art piece is 31 feet wide, more than 11 feet tall, and weighs in at 1,800 pounds.

Luceros y Penumbras, which roughly translates to “starlight and shadows,” is rooted in L.A. artist Daniel González’s experience visiting the library and his family in Mexico as a child.

“It's a knowledge tree that's been shaped by all these different things that I've learned at the library, about myself, about the city I grew up in, [and] about the town where my family's from,” González said.

The nonprofit Library Foundation of Los Angeles collaborated with the library to commission the piece as part of the Central Library’s centennial celebration.

The project is inspired, in part, by the library’s Toy Movable collection, an archive of more than 2,000 pop-up books.

“Normal pop-up books … they seem so simple, but something amazing pops out when you open the page,” said Todd Lerew, the foundation’s director of special projects. “That sort of childlike wonder that you feel that's persistent, even as an adult, is something that was really important to capture and dial up to 11 with this project.”

The origin of 'Luceros'

The foundation asked González in June 2025 to create a book that told the story of his personal relationship with the library. As González pondered questions including  ”What did the library do for me as a young person?" and "Why was I so attracted to it?" he thought about how knowledge was passed down in his family through the generations.

His grandmother told him stories about the stars above her farm near Teúl, Zacatecas, in Mexico. She said those that emerged at dawn — luceros — were among the most special because they signaled the start of a new day.

“ I looked at those stars … and the histories that my grandparents were sharing with me as these guiding lights,” González said. “Just like the library is a guiding light for many people.”

Daniel González's maternal grandmother, Isabel Gómez, told him stories about the creatures that lived near her farm, including owls, that could teach healing.

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Courtesy Daniel González

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González grew up blocks away from the Benjamin Franklin Library in Boyle Heights.

“ I spent summers there because it was literally the coolest place to be,” González said. “It just gave me the opportunity to explore anything that I had an interest in.”

Daniel González, as a child, after an unsuccessful attempt to make a kite after a trip to the library.  "My dad's like, 'I'm gonna take a picture of you so you can see what you look like when you get grumpy,'" he said.

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Courtesy Daniel González

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Later, he’d visit the Central Library during a middle school field trip and return on the bus to wander the stacks and ask the staff questions.

“ I'm really lucky that I met the people that nurtured that curiosity,” González said.

From sketches to ‘paper engineering’

First, González sketched the images, carved them into linoleum, printed them with ink and digitized them to add color and other details.

A few of Daniel González's tools. In the future, he plans to sell prints related to "Luceros y Penumbras."

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Mariana Dale

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LAist

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Matthew Reinhart, children’s book author, illustrator and “paper engineer,” was tasked with translating the images into three dimensions.

“ My job is really making mistakes,” Reinhart said. “Making mistakes, figuring out where they are and solving them and — of course — making them look good.”

The construction and the fabrication of the book took the work of more than 30 people over a series of months. At least a dozen people using giant poles capped with cushions turn the pages.

Luceros y Penumbras is four pages that open to create two scenes — one of the Central Library building and another of a sprawling tree with an I Spy-like collection of creatures and images throughout. The featured pages will change throughout the exhibition, which is open until mid-November.

There are at least a dozen different symbols throughout “Luceros y Penumbras."

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Mariana Dale

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LAist

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The sea turtle at the base of the tree is a reference both to the creatures that live in the San Gabriel River and to the original inhabitants of the L.A. basin. The Gabrielino-Tongva Tribe tells a story that connects the region’s earthquakes to the turtles.

“When we think of sea turtles, we think of these faraway places where they live, like tropical places,” González said. “But they exist here and they've had to adapt to a changing climate, a changing environment, and find places to call home, just as people do.”

Other images include:

• A star resting in an outstretched hand in honor of Octavia E. Butler, the science fiction writer who also spent time in the library. 
•  Quetzalcoatl, the feathered serpent Aztec deity and a frequent motif in East L.A.’s murals. 
• An owl, a symbol of knowledge associated with the Greek goddess Athena and the Roman goddess Minerva. 

González said the goal is for viewers to create their own narrative about what they see.

“ I just hope that people carry with them a sense of curiosity to further explore the things that I present, but also maybe something within them,” González said.

Visit the pop-up book

Central Library Centennial Festival

On display

This is a developing story and will be updated. For the most up-to-date information about the fire, you can check:

• CalFire incident page
• Latest evacuation map
• L.A. County Fire Department social media
• Angeles National Forest social media

Multiple evacuation orders are in place for residents near a fast-growing fire in the Antelope Valley and the Angeles National Forest, near the L.A. County and San Bernardino County line.

As of Friday afternoon, the Summit Fire had burned more than 1,600 acres since it sparked earlier in the day and was moving south toward the foothills below Wrightwood. Smoke may be visible from around L.A.

The evacuation orders cover areas south of State Road 138 and north of Big Pines Highway between Largo Vista Road and the western border of Piñon Hills. Warnings are in effect for areas south of Big Pines Highway and north of Antelope Highway.

L.A. County and Angeles National Forest fire crews are working to contain the blaze. Authorities said structures are threatened, but they have yet to specify the type of structures or how many. Several aircraft are involved in the firefight.

The L.A. County Fire Department responded to the reports of the brush fire at 12:49 p.m.

A camera looking northeast from Mount Disappointment in the San Gabriel Mountains captures smoke rising from the Summit Fire.

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Alert California

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UC San Diego

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The basics

• Acreage: 1,600 acres as of 4:15 p.m. Friday
• Containment: 0%
• Structures destroyed: None reported (though authorities said structures are threatened)
• Deaths: None reported
• Injuries: None reported

Evacuation map and orders

Evacuation orders have been issued for the following areas:

• South of State Road 138 and north of Big Pines Highway between Largo Vista Road and the western border of Piñon Hills.

Up-to-date evacuation information for L.A. County can be found here. Check for San Bernardino County alerts here.

Evacuation warnings

Authorities say those who require additional time to evacuate and those with pets and livestock should leave immediately.

• South of Big Pines Highway.
• North of Antelope Valley Highway and south of Pearblossom Highway.

What we know so far

The Summit Fire was first reported early Friday afternoon near Llano in the Antelope Valley. It is burning near the L.A. County and San Bernardino County line. It grew rapidly throughout the afternoon.

The area where the Summit Fire began is sparsely populated.

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CalFire

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Listen to our Big Burn podcast

Fire resources and tips

Check out LAist's wildfire recovery guide

If you have to evacuate:

• Why fire officials don't want you to stay and defend your home
• How to get packed up
• How to leave your house
• What evacuation terms mean and how to sign up for alerts

Navigating fire conditions:

• How to drive in high winds and fire danger
• How to prep for power outages
• How to navigate poor air quality

How to help yourself and others:

• Resources for fire victims, evacuees and first responders
• If you want to help fire victims, resist the urge to volunteer
• How to help find lost pets

How to start the recovery process:

• What to do — and not do — when you get home after a wildfire
• How to make an insurance claim
• How to safely clean up wildfire ash

What to do for your kids:

• How to talk to children about wildfires and losing a home
• What parents should know about wildfire air quality

Prepare for the next disaster:

• Fire season is here. Make sure you're signed up for these alerts
• Every day is now fire season. Let's get you ready for the next wildfire
• Yes, wildfires are getting worse. The history that got us to this moment

You won't find resale items at the Pawn Shop in Hollywood. Instead you'll find TVs, menu items like pickle-brined fried chicken and caviar and a James Beard chef.

The new sports bar, which opened at the end of June, got its name from the long-running pawn shop which used to be at the location.

Chef Tony Messina, along with fellow Pawn Shop partner Diego Torres-Palma, sat down with Austin Cross, who hosts AirTalk every Friday, to explain what makes their new establishment stand out.

Chef Tony Messina (left) and business partner Diego Torres-Palma.

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Shelby Moore

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About the food

Tony Messina began his culinary journey in Boston, starting as a caterer and cook at age 14. Since then, he's received multiple James Beard award nominations, and the organization recognized him in 2019 as the best chef in the Northeast. He made his way to Los Angeles in 2021.

With the beer flowing and multiple flat-screen TVs, you could assume it to be a standard sports bar. However, Messina elevated the menu, blending his fine-dining experience with his New England roots.

"You can come to a fun night with the family or a date night even," Messina said. "Be all-encompassing with the restaurant aspect, as opposed to just being pub grub."

The best Pawn Shop experience

Messina says to have to ultimate experience in the space, you should sit at their bar or booths that have a good view of of the games on TV. If you want a more premium experience, you could reserve a private suite to watch games with friends and family.

As for food, he says to prioritize their small plates and shareables (like their New England-Polynesian Pu Pu Platter) and get a main dish if you're still hungry.

Restaurant details

Interior of Pawn Shop

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Shelby Moore

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• The building was originally home to Brothers Collateral Pawn Shop, which closed in 2019 after 40 years.
• One of its partners, Diego Torres-Palma, also helped develop Benny Boy Brewing through his real estate-investment firm, Ventana Ventures.
• Investors include Dodgers executive Andrew Friedman and Dallas Mavericks minority owner Mark Cuban.

Menu items we tried

Pawn shop's Pan con Tomate

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Shelby Moore

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• Pan con Tomate (smoked tomato, boquerones, urfa, toasted bread)
• Fried chicken (pickle-brined)
• Italian sandwich (capicola, mortadella, prosciutto, salami, schiacciata bread)

What should we try next?