your feel good story for the week - James Blair, a U.S. Navy veteran who has spent the last two decades working at John Wayne Airport, was seen limping across the airport tarmac

plans to continue working, as he has for as long as he can remember, so that he can pay for his 90-year-old mother's hospice care.

 He was recorded limping, visibly struggling, by a woman traveler who knew that someone in that position shouldn't have to continue putting so much wear on themselves. 

 So she started a fund raiser, and the GoFundMe raised more than $170,000 for him

 https://www.cbsnews.com/losangeles/news/john-wayne-airport-employee-go-fund-me-fundraiser-mother-hospice-care/

Posted because it's awesome, it's charity, and it's an airport. I post all three of those things

thank you Marc for letting me know about Barney Oldfield Day at Museum of Fulton County! I didn't know that he became a movie star and even owned the “Oldfield/Kipper Saloon” in Los Angeles, which previously was the the Old Crow Bar, opened in 1906. They hadn't licensed the name from Old Crow liquor though, and were sued

1913... there's a parking garage there now... I bet Barney would hate the idea of a parking garage instead of a saloon, a race track would probably be fine, btu a parking garage? That's insulting to the memory of a race car driver

His car racing career began in 1902 when fledgling automobile designer Henry Ford hired him to race his model 999 car.

Barney was the first automobile racer to achieve a mile a minute

William Nolan, in his book “The Barney Oldfield” story, states that Oldfield took money earned from barnstorming to form a partnership with a former railroad conductor by the name of Jack Kipper. They took over the location and opened the Oldfield Kipper Saloon in late 1912.

Finally tiring of the saloon trade, Oldfield sold out in 1920 to the Rappaport Brothers, who operated a hattery business out of the building. In 1923 they changed their name to the New York Hat Co., continuing to operate through 1939

By the late 1940s, a Western Union Telegraph Office operated at 534 S. Spring St. Over the next ten years they would be robbed seven times.

https://www.crescent-news.com/special/entertainment/barney-oldfield-day-at-museum-of-fulton-county/article_48cdd6a7-7be0-43ba-8df4-e7742d46debf.html

https://ladailymirror.com/2016/09/26/mary-mallory-hollywood-heights-barney-oldfield-sets-up-shop-in-downtown-los-angeles/

https://www.thehenryford.org/collections/explore/articles/detail/articles/2022/03/29/barney-oldfield-america-s-racer

LAPD impounded 72 vehicles and issued trespassing citations after responding to a car meetup inside the Los Angeles River

https://www.facebook.com/reel/1553982759484885

The event they were there for was advertised as a photo shoot, https://fordauthority.com/2026/06/ford-mustang-drivers-among-those-arrested-in-la-river-operation-video

The Los Angeles City Council unanimously approved a plan to install 125 speed cameras. Some are on interstates, most aren't

Automated citations will trigger for drivers traveling at least 11 mph over the limit, with fines ranging from $50 to $500.

The program, authorized by state law AB 645, marks a shift toward data-driven, non-police enforcement aimed at reducing the city's rising rate of pedestrian and traffic fatalities.

https://ladot.lacity.gov/speed-safety-system#locations

SF Gate newspaper just posted the origin story of the taco truck!

In 1969, Mexico City-born husband-and-wife team Raúl and Lupe Martinez arrived in Los Angeles by way of Tijuana. After a few years, the couple grew a fledgling street taco operation that centered around MacArthur Park into a true business, converting an ice cream truck into a fully operational kitchen in 1974. The pair promptly launched the rebuilt rig on the streets of greater LA, setting up curbside to quickly serve smaller, more compact tacos to people at bars or events.

King Taco was able to pump out from its truck. Here, carne asada, cabeza and al pastor ruled, served with simple additions and salsas for a more discerning Mexican customer base around LA.

The truck’s unique setup, with an ordering window, flattop grill inside and tremendous mobility, was more than a novelty of the age — it is today widely regarded as the first taco truck in the county, including by Los Angeles Times columnist Gustavo Arellano in his book “Taco USA: How Mexican Food Conquered America.”

Within a decade of King Taco rolling out on wheels, there were more than 500 different taco trucks in the LA area.

According to L.A. in a Minute, the truck sold $70 worth of tacos on its first night in 1974, doubling that number on its second evening of service. The Martinezes would later grow King Taco into a fleet of trucks and more than 20 standalone brick-and-mortar locations across Los Angeles and San Bernardino counties.

https://www.sfgate.com/la/article/first-taco-truck-la-22075020.php

https://kingtaco.com/

King Taco sponsors a Nascar team, and a 24 Hours of LeMans team

A violent five-vehicle pileup in Covina injured four people Wednesday morning was the result of attempted vehicular manslaughter, when a husband chased his wife’s vehicle before the crash around 5:50 a.m. near the intersection of North Hollenbeck Avenue and East Cypress Street

A witness who helped the trapped woman described the harrowing scene.

"The car that was flipped over, somebody kept on yelling ‘help!’ She was just screaming the whole time that her husband was trying to kill her and that he was after her. He was chasing her in another car."

https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/domestic-dispute-leads-5-car-134000053.html
https://www.facebook.com/ABC7/posts/the-violent-crash-involving-at-least-five-vehicles-stemmed-from-a-domestic-viole/1349708593964438/
https://www.foxla.com/news/covina-5-car-crash-injuries

https://hoodline.com/2026/03/covina-husband-s-chase-turns-quiet-intersection-into-5-car-smashup/

https://www.facebook.com/groups/1310115422351233/posts/26963998713202885/

I read the headline and KNEW this was some ghetto shit

the Hassan Brothers, tow truck company owners, were busted for defrauding workers’ compensation insurers of nearly $6 million in premiums.

The scheme involved underreporting payroll by over $13 million and using "shell companies" to hide employee wages and avoid tax withholdings.

a California Department of Insurance investigation revealed they reported only $3 million in payroll when the actual figure was over $16.7 million.

Mark Hassan, who operated numerous towing businesses across Los Angeles—including Hadley Tow, Courtesy Tow, and California Coach Towing—held active contracts with several Southern California law enforcement agencies at the time of his arrest.

https://www.foxla.com/news/hassan-brothers-california-towing-insurance-fraud-arrest.amp

A driver in Los Angeles was ticketed for using a jacket carefully wrapped around the front seat with the seatbelt fastened across it to resemble a person to cheat carpool lane laws

CHP pulled the driver over on the 10 Freeway on March 3 for using the HOV lane without a passenger. $500 dollar ticket minimum

https://ktla.com/news/local-news/l-a-county-driver-caught-using-phony-passenger-in-carpool-lane-chp/

The Whisky A Go Go, 1964. The first ever live music venue to be inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame (thank you Capt Doug!)

https://whiskyagogo.com/calendar/history/

The Whisky had to spell its name without the ‘e’ in whiskey because Los Angeles city zoning laws didn’t allow any club to be named after alcohols

Apparently the morons in city hall had no understanding of the word Whisky/Whiskey is the same alcoholic beverage, but spelled with an E in the Irish and American version, and without the E in the Scottish version

the Go Go dancer was a term coined here, when they got the dancing going by the DJ between songs by the featured artist, Johnny Rivers, later they got dancers to dress in the similar costume of a typical "go go" dancer

Johnny Rivers is best known for a string of 1960s hits, including his #1 single "Poor Side of Town," the iconic theme "Secret Agent Man," and popular live covers of "Memphis," "Mountain of Love," and "The Midnight Special". Other notable hits include "Summer Rain," "Baby I Need Your Loving," and "Rockin' Pneumonia And the Boogie Woogie Flu"

pretty stupid of the city to arrest the guy painting the cross walk BEFORE he was finished.... think of the savings to the taxpayer if the city waited for the work to be completed first!

the street safety activist was arrested for misdemeanor vandalism charges after Los Angeles police arrested him in December for painting unauthorized crosswalks in Westwood.

a group of volunteers, known as Peoples’ Vision Zero, were painting the third of four crosswalk legs at the Westwood intersection. As of Tuesday, the city has not repainted, eliminated or finished the crosswalks at the intersection.

https://laist.com/brief/transportation/vision-zero-jonathan-hale-la-westwood

Ansel Adams, Burbank

 

https://petapixel.com/2026/01/14/ansel-adams-photos-of-pre-war-los-angeles-feature-in-new-exhibit/

1953 on the southeast corner of Hollywood and Cahuenga Blvds, and Figueroa St. and Sunset Blvd

https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=1425688885785632&set=a.181986760155857

https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=1133363408351516&set=a.181986760155857

terrific roadside ice cream stand idea for instant visual identification without signage!

https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=1300114775009711&set=a.181986760155857

Volkswagen of America said it offered to restore the 1977 microbus that survived the Palisades fire and made the news in this photo

Though the microbus appeared unscathed, the vehicle in reality was a basket case and in need of more than 900 replacement parts, Volkswagen of America said in a statement on its restoration.

That iconic photo eventually reached VW enthusiasts and, finally, Volkswagen of America, which tracked down Weinraub, received permission to tow it from the otherwise off-limits fire zone, and trucked it to its makeover at VW's Oxnard facility

Body panels were handled by a Porsche specialist, while VW technicians replaced anything needed to make the microbus roadworthy, the company said.

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/classic-blue-vw-bus-azul-palisades-fire-gets-full-restoration-rcna245553

there is a Carl in LA who has made it his mission to stop people from using the orange cones and pylons to reserve public street parking along Los Angeles' busy roads. This desperate for attention seeker, is going to get shot.

Morales turned into a vigilante parking enforcement officer after struggling to find street parking himself.

"A lot of people would say it's a Karen move," Morales said. "It is, but at the end of the day, you can't pick up a public parking spot and assume that because it's in front of your house, it belongs to you."

https://www.cbsnews.com/losangeles/news/la-man-cracking-down-on-people-using-cones-to-reserve-street-parking/

the 66-mile Angeles Crest Highway was built between 1929 and 1956 with the use of prison laborers using 1,000 pounds of dynamite a day

The occasionally deadly highway as a whole is a favorite for motorcycles and speeding sports cars

the highway’s highest point around 7,900 feet, Dawson Saddle, opens up to views of Palmdale and Lancaster to the north and nearly the entirety of the San Gabriel Mountains to the south. 

https://www.sfgate.com/la/article/angeles-crest-highway-open-21141111.php

an 8-mile bike path planned along the Los Angeles River a decade ago would close a crucial gap between existing paths lining LA’s concrete channelized waterway, and was supposed to be completed in time for the Olympics... then - politics happened

But, as the year nears a close, the bike path still isn’t open. In fact, construction hasn’t even started, and the environmental review process is still in the early stages. In the meantime, rising construction costs and other factors have increased the total project cost to approximately $1 billion. 3 times the original estimate

When completed, LA Metro’s LA River Path Project is slated to close “the largest remaining gap in the LA River Path network,” covering a crucial 8-mile stretch of the river that runs alongside downtown Los Angeles and neighborhoods that include Chinatown, the Arts District and Boyle Heights. The new path would serve key destinations such as Union Station and Los Angeles State Historic Park. Plans for the project include a path that’s 16 to 20 feet wide to accommodate walkers and bikers, new bridges, and paths along both the west and east sides of the river.

The bike path was initially touted as part of LA Metro’s Twenty-Eight by ’28 initiative, a list of 28 priority transportation projects the transit agency aims to complete before the 2028 Olympics come to Los Angeles. But the project has since been quietly removed from the list and replaced with other projects,

Approximately 76,000 people live within a half-mile walk of the Los Angeles River along the project corridor, and 1 million people live within biking distance of the project.

A key factor in the delay is bureaucratic wrangling over who will be in charge of operating and maintaining the path after it’s built. While LA Metro is handling the design and construction tasks related to the project, the agency doesn’t plan on being in charge afterward, and instead wants one of the agencies that holds a larger share of the project’s right-of-way (such as the city or county) to take charge.

https://www.sfgate.com/la/article/la-river-bike-path-delay-21141103.php

stunned... I am watching the John Candy biography, and at the end, learned that they shut down the 405 for his funeral procession... I didn't know that until now.

 

amazing art of street scenes by Robh Ruppel, an Art Director at Sony Pictures Animation, Disney Studio Animation, and Dreamworks and also instructor at the Art Center College of Design

https://robh_ruppel_design.artstation.com/projects/elLJzJ

https://medium.com/@conceptrootsocial/robh-ruppel-uncharted-tron-uprising-tarzan-gnomon-instructor-art-director-8d0f702cbd25

https://medium.com/@conceptrootsocial/robh-ruppel-uncharted-tron-uprising-tarzan-gnomon-instructor-art-director-8d0f702cbd25

https://robh_ruppel_design.artstation.com/projects/lVR04o

http://www.robhruppel.com/

Mick Jagger honking the horn of a '69 Rambler American, license plate XXK 332 I think... anyway, if you know of that Rambler still on the road with that license plate.... get Mick to sign some part of that car while he's still alive. Thank you Steve!

The photo was taken by Robert Altman outside Elektra Records on La Cienega Blvd. in Los Angeles, while Mick was honking the horn while it was being recorded for beginning (and end) of the song "Country Honk" on the Rolling Stones’ 1969 album "Let it Bleed." 

 "Country Honk " is a country version of "Honky Tonk Women" and while it was recorded first, it was released later than "Honky Tonk Women."