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It’s Monday, Feb. 24 And Here Are The Stories We’re Following Today
(Chava Sanchez / LAist)
It's a day of mourning in Los Angeles today, as thousands pay their respects on the occasion of Lakers legend Kobe Bryant's public memorial.
We'll have ongoing coverage of the event and the response from the public, with reporters placed inside the Staples Center and at various locations where people have gathered to pay their respects.
Here's what else we're...
Covering Today:
- There were a few technical stumbles with the county's new voting system, but in-person voting officially began on Saturday and will continue through primary election day on March 3. Our engagement editor Brianna Lee will be answering voter questions today, and you can always check out our Voter Game Plan to help you get set to vote.
- A controversial immigration policy known as "public charge" goes into effect today. Critics worry it could scare away low-income immigrants from getting health care. Reporter Alyssa Jeong Perry looks at how Southern California community clinics are preparing.
- Pop culture and entertainment writer Mike Roe also takes you inside a new exhibition at LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes that looks at the history and current state of L.A.'s Afro-Latinx community.
- And when you're ready, contributor Christine N. Ziemba is here to help you plan your week.
In Case You Missed It:
- Southern California residents are getting mailers from the Republican National Committee that look an awful lot like official Census 2020 forms — except they aren't.
- Recent projections show that Latinos will account for 21.5% of all voters casting a ballot this March. As a group, their growing political power is stronger than ever in California.
- In another effort to boost falling transit ridership, L.A. leaders are considering a program that would allow bus and (eventually) rail riders to cut to the front of TSA security lines.
- Mike Hughes was a 64-year-old daredevil who drew attention for telling people he believed the Earth is flat and that he would build a rocket to prove it. He was killed Saturday when his self-made rocket crashed after launching in the Mojave Desert.
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The news cycle moves fast. Some stories don't pan out. Others get added. Consider this today's first draft.
One year ago, Congress voted to defund public media, eliminating a critical $1.7 million from our budget every year going forward. But they couldn’t silence us, and we’re not going anywhere. LAist is now 100% community funded and that means we’re taking our future into our own hands and turning to you to keep local reporting strong.
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If this story helped you, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our nonprofit newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our communities. We are free to follow facts wherever they lead and to hold power to account without fear or favor. Our only loyalty is to our readers and listeners and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen Southern California’s communities.
If this story helped you, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
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