
It’s been a busy couple of weeks, so we totally get it if you haven’t had time to read all the local news. If that’s the case – and In Case You Missed It – here are a few stories of local interest that we’ve definitely found worth knowing about in recent days.
First, in one of the saddest developments this holiday season, the remains of Nancy Paulikas – who suffered from Alzheimer’s and wandered away from LACMA in October, 2016 – were identified this week when DNA from a skull and other bones found in 2017 on a charred hillside in a Sherman Oaks park (a fire swept through the area in March, 2017) were matched to the missing woman. Her date of death was listed as the day the fire struck the park.
Next is the news, reported by EaterLA and others, that an outpost of Eleven City Diner, a popular Chicago-based 1950s-style diner/delicatessen, will open in the historic Dominguez-Wilshire building at 5400 Wilshire Blvd. The all-day breakfasts, lox, bagels, pastrami, chicken soup, malts and more are scheduled to arrive during first week in January.
In other food news, City Council Member Paul Koretz made headlines earlier this month when he introduced a motion that would call on city-run and some other food providers (including parks, the Los Angeles Zoo, Meals on Wheels, restaurants at the Los Angeles International Airport, movie theaters and some other large-scale entertainment venues) to include at least one plant-based, vegan protein entree in their menus. According to a KCBS-TV story about the motion, it cites several studies that suggest “plant-based eating…could cut greenhouse-gas emissions from food sources by 70 percent.”  The motion still awaits hearings by a City Council committee before it can be forwarded to the full City Council for a definitive vote.

And finally, in a wonderful holiday gift to all Angelenos, the Los Angeles Public Library announced its new ExploreLA/Discover & Go program, which provides library card holders who are Los Angeles residents with free or reduced admissions to 18 different cultural organizations, including the Autry Museum, the La Brea Tar Pits, Natural History Museum, Hammer Museum and even Kidspace Children’s Museum. (See the link above for the full list.) The institutions available for the free passes will vary from month to month, and you must visit the program website to request a pass before you visit any venue.  For full details, rules and requirements, see the link above.