Fire update: Line Fire leads to evacuations as containment is still in progress
Firefighters are making some progress on a wildfire in San Bernardino County. As of Monday morning, more than 20,000 acres have burned since the Line Fire ignited Thursday evening. The fire is now 3% contained. Multiple evacuation orders are in place for nearby residents. Authorities warn that more than 36,000 structures, including homes and businesses, are threatened. Alongside the Line Fire, the Bridge Fire in the Angeles National Forest and the Roblar Fire around Camp Pendleton have had firefighters seeking to contain multiple parts of Southern California. Joining us to get into the latest on these fires is Jacob Margolis, science reporter for LAist.
With files from LAist; for resources and our latest reporting, click here.
Herb Alpert remembers his friend Sergio Mendes
Sergio Mendes, the celebrated Brazilian musician whose 1966 hit “Mas Que Nada” made him a global superstar and helped launch a long, Grammy-winning career, died last week after months battling the effects of long COVID. He was 83. The death Thursday of the Brazilian pianist, songwriter and arranger was confirmed in a statement by his family. “His wife and musical partner for the past 54 years, Gracinha Leporace Mendes, was by his side, as were his loving children,” the statement Friday said. “Mendes last performed in November 2023 to sold out and wildly enthusiastic houses in Paris, London and Barcelona.” Mendes was born in Niterói, Rio de Janeiro’s sister city, and studied classical music at a conservatory before joining jazz groups. In the late 1950s and early 1960s, he began playing Bossa Nova as the genre was heating up in Rio’s nightclub scene with Antonio Carlos Jobim, João Gilberto and others. In 1962, they traveled to New York for a Bossa Nova festival at Carnegie Hall. During the trip, Cannonball Adderley invited Mendes to collaborate on the album “Cannonball Adderley and The Bossa Rio Sextet,” leading to his first American record, “The Swinger from Rio,” after signing with Atlantic Records. Two years later, Mendes moved to California and formed Brazil ’64, which evolved into Brazil ’66 after he added two female vocalists. The group’s debut album, produced by Herb Alpert, featured “Mas Que Nada.” Sung entirely in Portuguese, “Mas Que Nada” was a mid-tempo Samba number originally released in 1963 by composer Jorge Ben Sor, and updated three years later by Mendes, who had been playing the song in clubs and gave it a jazzier, more hard-hitting feel. Mendes won the 1992 Grammy Award for Best World Music Album for “Brasileiro” and two Latin Grammy Awards. He also received an Oscar nomination in 2012 for Best Original Song for “Real in Rio,” from the animated film “Rio.”
Today on AirTalk, Larry talks with trumpeter and philanthropist Herb Alpert about his friendship and collaborations with Sergio Mendes over the years.
With files from the Associated Press
Climate Solutions Week: Why the San Fernando Valley suburbs could be ground zero for the next farming revolution
LA’s San Fernando Valley is quintessential suburbia, with 1.8 million people living within 260 square miles. However, now that climate change has made the classic suburban lawn unsustainable, some radical folks are taking to replacing their green grass with crops, all in an effort to build community and lower emissions, by cutting trips to the grocery store. But There are challenges associated with converting a yard into a suburban farm in the San Fernando Valley, including water. How much people pay depends on their water rate, and the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power has specific guidelines for what qualifies for the agricultural rate, including use and acreage. Could suburbia be the home of the next farming revolution? Joining us this morning on AirTalk to discuss is LAist reporter Makenna Sievertson and Alexys Romo, founder and executive director of Black Thumb Farm in Panorama City.
Read the full LAist story here.
Music is more than just good vibrations. It may be the brain's medicine.
We all know music can be emotionally healing. It's why we listen to love songs after a break-up, party music to feel energized or classical music to calm down. But music's benefits may be more medicinal than we think. In his new book I Heard There Was a Secret Chord: Music As Medicine, Daniel Levitin, a neuroscientist and musician, explains how our brains react with music on a neurological level and explores research around music being used to treat Parkinson's and PTSD, as well as how music informs our memory. Today on AirTalk, Levitin joins Larry to discuss his new book and the science behind how we listen to our favorite songs.
Daniel Levitin will be at Live Talks LA with Stewart Copeland on September 11 at the Glorya Kaufman Performing Arts Center at Vista Del Mar Child and Family Services in Los Angeles. You can get tickets here.
Pasadena's hidden history unveiled in latest season of 'Western Edition' podcast
Pasadena, aka the "City of Roses," has a deep history. It's known for the Rose Bowl, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Caltech, major movie sites and a number of famous people. All these things and more have influenced broader American histories in ways most people don't know. A new season of the podcast Western Edition uncovers some of Pasadena's greatest history and stories. Joining to discuss is William Deverell, host of Western Edition: Hidden Pasadena, historian of the American West and director of the Huntington-USC Institute on California and the West (ICW). If you have questions, call 866-893-5722 or email atcomments@laist.com.
USC study shows connection between cannabis use disorder and risk of head and neck cancer
A new study out of Keck Medicine at USC used a large dataset of millions of patients to analyze the connection between those diagnosed with cannabis use disorder, and their likelihood to develop types of head and neck cancer. It turns out frequent users are at much higher risk–three to five times more–than previously thought, and not just from smoke inhalation. Today on AirTalk, we speak with senior author of the JAMA study and head and neck surgeon with Keck Medicine of USC, Dr. Niels Kokot. Also with us is Dr. John Califano, professor in the Department of Otolaryngology, at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine. Have questions about cannabis use as it relates to head and neck cancers? What’s recreationally safe? Does the form of consumption matter? Call 866-893-5722 or email atcomments@laist.com.
A new memoir gives an honest perspective of sex work
For many Americans, sex work is still considered a taboo subject. Yet, for writer Charlotte Shane, it was her life. In her early twenties, Shane made the radical decision to change paths from her women’s graduate program to a career in sex work. In her second memoir, An Honest Woman: A Memoir Of Love And Sex Work , Shane weaves together her personal and professional history to explore the world of heterosexual relationships. Joining us on AirTalk to discuss her memoir is author Charlotte Shane. If you have questions, call 866-893-5722 or email atcomments@laist.com.
Charlotte will be in conversation about her book “An Honest Woman” with journalist and essayist Ann Friedman at Skylight Books in Los Feliz on Friday, September 13th at 7:00 p.m. For more information about the event, click here.
