Take Two

The pandemic hit our most vulnerable populations the hardest. We look back - and ahead on the issue of housing and homelessness. Plus, we unwind with the best tunes of 2020.

This week, we look back at 2020 - and ahead to 2021 - and today we zero in on the spread of COVID-19 and distance learning in LAUSD. Plus, some judges and prosecutors in LA are pushing back on DA Gascon's policies.

Today's show is dedicated to our Race in LA series with LAist.com where Angelenos share their personal stories of how race and ethnicity has shaped their relationship with the world.

What to know about the UK's new COVID-19 variant, coronavirus outbreaks tick up at childcare facilities and how to give this holiday season because kindness is contagious.

COVID-19 relief talks continue in congress as needs mount, ICU nurse pleads to Angelenos to stay home and author Christina Hammonds Reed on her new young adult novel, The Black Kids.

LAUSD first millennial board president Kelly Gonez joins us, California monarchs plummet to low levels and why Tom Cruise freaked out on his crew over COVID-19 protocols

It'll be several months before the general public gets access to the coronavirus vaccine but what checks will be place to make sure it's distributed equitably, LAist's Race in LA series goes back to 1956, and Disney faces pushback for some mask photos.

The first shots of the COVID-19 Pfizer vaccine are administered, cops may have to be 25 before they get a badge and gun and West Hollywood relies on super heroes to stress importance of wearing masks.

How Gov. Newsom is looking to fill a number of important positions in CA's government, how the coronavirus vaccine will get distributed in LA County and some hot tips for making potato latkes.

CA is expected to get the first doses of the COVID-19 vaccine in just two days, a low income housing complex for veterans has been destroyed and why the NFL wants to finish the season.

Today, we take a look at part one of the Lance Armstrong/Oprah Winfrey interview. Then, can Congress save the struggling U.S. Postal Service? John C. Reilly goes country with a little help from his friends Becky Stark and Tom Brosseau, and we take a further look at the intersection of a pregnant woman's civil liberties and the rights of the fetus. Plus the Friday Flashback and your Weekend Alibi.

How do California's strict gun laws match up with President Obama's 23 executive order for gun control? Then, Oakland, California is caught in a turmoil of gun violence because of a gang feud. We also look at the rich history of the Presidential inaugurations and the role music plays in ushering the President into office. Plus much, much more.

This morning, President Obama and VP Joe Biden announce their plans to curb gun violence. Even though California already has some of the strictest gun laws, some lawmakers are working harder to curb gun violence. Then, a researcher calls for a change to Scrabble's point system, an L.A. photographer documents prison inmates' 'Re-Entry' into society, and much more.

Lance Armstrong reportedly admitted to doping in an interview with Oprah Winfrey, though details are not yet public. Will this big score for Oprah give her struggling cable network, OWN, a boost? Severe air pollution in Beijing, China is causing a frenzy in the state-run media, plus much more.

A Southern California cold snap threatens citrus farming, plus, we take a look at L.A.'s first public fruit orchard. Then, California's prison realignment causes dangerous row of dominoes at local level, a California judge will rule if a 12-year-old boy guilty of murdering neo-Nazi father two years ago, the Los Angeles Kings skate back on the ice, and much more.

Vice President Joe Biden is meeting with film and game industries to talk gun violence. Plus, Saturday marks the 3-year anniversary of the Haiti earthquake. We check in with the ongoing relief effort there. Then, Ventura County strawberry farmers fight frost, Chinese tourism skyrockets in the U.S. and much more.

California Governor Jerry Brown will release his new budget proposal today. Will is help shrink the state's deficit? Then, an autopsy on NFL star Junior Seau shows he suffered from a brain disease caused by head trauma. The Oscar noms are out, who came out on top and who got snubbed? Then, Anglers reel in thousands of 'red devil' jumbo squid in Orange County, we run down the top LA-based crime movies, a San Juan Capistrano woman is fighting to save her beloved dinosaur statue and much more.

According to a new report, 2012 was the hottest year on record for the U.S. On the other side of the world, Australia has been suffering from a longterm heat wave and dangerous brush fires. Then, Latin American countries are reconsidering the legalization of marijuana after similar measures get voted through in the U.S. A new article explains how Tide detergent became a hot commodity in the drug trade. Florida readies for it's annual Python Challenge, where hunters from all over the country compete to rid the Everglades of the overpopulous Burmese Python, plus much more.

A new CA bill proposes the strict tracking of all bullets and shotgun shells sold in the state. Plus, a judge rules that names in the LA archdiocese sex abuse files should be public. Then, 'Awesome Tapes From Africa' blog transports obscure tunes beyond Africa's borders, the Mars500 experiment is over...How did the six volunteers fare during 500 days of solitude? Plus much more.

Kids at LAUSD campuses return to school today for the first time since the Newtown shootings. Have enhanced security measures been put in place yet? Plus, we'll check in with students and parents as they arrive to school. Plus, a new study shows classroom design can have an affect on kids' grades. Then, school citations remain high despite reforms, gadgets and gimmicks take center stage at Consumer Electronics Show, and much more.

Will policy chief Michele Flournoy be the first female secretary of defense? Plus, depictions of torture in 'Zero Dark Thirty' prompt a Senate inquiry; A biofuel-carrying train crosses the US-Canada border, reaping fraudulent carbon credit rewards; San Diego's water supply is evolving because of new demand and a massive desalination project in the works, plus much more.

The 113th Congress is to be sworn in today, ushering in 14 new faces. Then, what issues are ahead for California in 2013? President Obama's new immigration policy could ease separation time for immigrants and their American families, and dialect experts convene in Boston for a conference about the development and new trends in American English, plus much more.