Support for LAist comes from
Become a sponsor
Local and national news, NPR, things to do, food recommendations and guides to Los Angeles, Orange County and the Inland Empire
Donate
Stay Connected

LAist is part of Southern California Public Radio, a member-supported public media network.

Listen
Donate
Podcasts Take Two
LA River Plans, Apollo's History In Downey, Amtrak's Pacific Surfliner Serenader
solid orange rectangular banner
()
Take Two Logo
Jul 18, 2019
Listen • 49:26
LA River Plans, Apollo's History In Downey, Amtrak's Pacific Surfliner Serenader

Los Angeles reveals designs for LA River park, Apollo mission's history in Downey, Only in SoCal can you take the train with the sunset...and a song.
Astronaut Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin Jr., walks near the lunar module during the Apollo 11 moon landing on July 20, 1969.
()

We look at the prevalence of the MS-13 gang in South California in light of a new indictment against the group. Plus, Los Angeles showed off three possible designs for the Taylor Yard portion of the L.A. River Revitalization Project. And, we visit Downey to find out more about the Apollo mission's history there.

LA River Plans

L.A. has unveiled three different plans for a mile-long park along the River's Taylor Yard area. The idea is that what is now a blighted industrial stretch of the river will be restored as a wildlife habitat with people-friendly landscapes.

Guests:

  • Mia Lehrer, Studio-MLA
  • Deborah Weintraub, Los Angeles Chief Deputy City Engineer
     

Apollo History in Downey

To celebrate L.A.'s contribution to the Apollo Mission, the Columbia Memorial Space Center, in Downey, is planning a week of events and activities celebrating 50 years since the first moon landing. The Space Center is located on the NASA site where all of the Apollo spacecraft that took astronauts to the moon were created. Guest host Josie Huang goes to tour the sites where all the Apollo spacecraft parts were designed and built. Exhibits include never-before-seen artifacts of the space program. 

https://www.instagram.com/p/B0EmqeylxDH/

Shelby Jacobs

We speak with former Apollo engineer Shelby Jacobs about his work and experiences as an African American on the shuttle program, which spans 40 years.

Guest:

  • Shelby Jacobs, former Apollo engineer

Animals and Human Sounds

A recent report suggests that the sound of human voices negatively impacts wildlife much more than was previously thought.

Guest:

  • Justin Suraci, a wildlife ecologist at UC Santa Cruz

Amtrak Singer

Comic-Con starts Thursday so Amtrak is adding more seats on its Pacific Surfliner to accommodate all the travelers. And for the lucky one, there's a chance to get serenaded by Anthony Bryant. He runs the café car on the Surfliner so we thought we'd bring back this profile of him from a few years back.

Jasmine Guillory's "The Wedding Party"

Jasmine Guillory is the author of the new romance novel, "The Wedding Party." It's a tale of enemies who turn into lovers set against the backdrop of their best friend's wedding.  Guillory is from Oakland, and her books are unique in that they center around the love lives of black women.

Guest:

  • Jasmine Guillory, author