Rural can look different from town to town That can be said not just for the scenery and local cuisine but also for the health care challenges people face Perhaps no one knows this better than Catalina Yepez a town of roughly 6,000 people in Central Washington where she grew up acting as translator for her family at medical appointments In her largely Spanish-speaking agricultural community seeking medical care often comes as a last resort people hesitate to go to the doctor,” said Yepez “That delay can turn a manageable condition into something life-threatening.” now 32 and a mother of a four-year-old son she’ll begin a pharmacy residency at the Yakima Valley Farm Workers Clinic in Toppenish One of the first five graduates of the Washington State University College of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Science’s Rural Health Initiative Yepez aims to improve health outcomes by building trust especially among Hispanic men who she found in her research often go untreated for conditions like high blood pressure I want to focus on building relationships and consistent follow-ups so that checking your blood pressure or getting a physical becomes routine,” said Yepez who spent the last few years commuting more than 45 minutes every day from her home in Prosser to take classes at WSU’s pharmacy program in Yakima Pharmacy deserts typically have higher rates of uncontrolled chronic disease and lower life expectancy pharmacists often serve as frontline providers More than 800,000 people in Washington live in areas lacking adequate access to health professionals and over 450,000 reside in designated pharmacy deserts — low-income regions where the nearest pharmacy may be more than 10 miles away in her research Yepez found that men were three times more likely to have high blood pressure when they did not have a medical provider you often don’t get care,” said Julie Akers a professor of pharmacy at WSU who helps lead the Rural Health Initiative “Pharmacy deserts typically have higher rates of uncontrolled chronic disease and lower life expectancy.” That growing need is exactly what the initiative set out to address when it launched three years ago thanks to an anonymous $2.2 million gift and the vision of the college’s Dean Mark Leid The program recruits students from rural backgrounds and provides up to $10,000 in annual scholarships if they spend three years working in rural areas after graduation It also provides specialized training and helps place graduates in underserved communities where they can do much more than dispense medication During her residency at the Yakima Valley Farm Workers Clinic in Toppenish Yepez will be able to treat minor ailments like coughs and evaluate and manage medication therapy for chronic diseases like hypertension and diabetes Rural pharmacists—who often know their patients by name—are also particularly well-positioned to catch emerging health problems early and refer patients to physicians when needed “Our pharmacists don’t just fill prescriptions,” said Marc Murdock clinical pharmacy director at Yakima Valley Farm Workers Murdock added that rural pharmacists often develop strong relationships with their communities “They could go elsewhere and maybe make more money but they choose to make their impact here,” he said the decision to stay in the area was never in doubt She’s lived the barriers her patients face — lack of transportation and language obstacles — and sees how much relief it brings when patients hear Spanish at the pharmacy counter “They can finally tell me exactly what’s wrong.” One of Yepez’s goals is to use data she gathered as part of the Rural Health Initiative to develop a community health effort focused on reducing hypertension among Hispanic men but follow-up and consistency — building the kind of rapport that changes habits over time accessible — something that belongs to everyone not something you wait for until you’re in crisis,” she said and more — listen to podcasts from Washington State University About WSU: A selection of programs about Washington State or will the Aggies live up to the moniker of “Texas 8-4” yet again Brian Hadad welcomes Tony Catalina of the Austin American-Statesman to the pod for a preview of what feels like it could be a big year in College Station Copyright 2025 SuperTalk Mississippi Media Subscribe to our newsletter to get our newest articles instantly SuperTalk Mississippi Media is Mississippi’s leader in news SuperTalk Mississippi Media covers every inch of the state Catalina Santana Hernandez stood beneath the skies of Rome reliving moments from one of her favorite Disney Channel original movies She had no idea that years later she'd be living out another kind of dream and a rising career at the very place that helped make her childhood so special - The Walt Disney Company But that’s the magic of full-circle moments Catalina’s story started years before at age 13 when she her mother and older sister left their home in Colombia for Miami she was excited for new beginnings in a new home with new adventures ahead that hope was tested when doctors diagnosed Catalina with a rare autoimmune blood disorder While classmates and peers enjoyed beaches and summer camps Catalina’s summer became a blur of hospital rooms “I remember feeling so overwhelmed,” Catalina recalls And it wasn’t just me going through it Catalina’s condition finally stabilized simultaneously attacking her red blood cells and platelets and lab checks were once again part of her regular routine That’s when Catalina’s doctor nominated her as a candidate for Make-A-Wish® a non-profit organization that grants the wishes of children with critical illnesses Catalina wrestled with the limitless possibilities she ultimately wanted her family by her side “I remember thinking: What can we do together What place brings me joy and would be perfect for my family too?” Catalina says.   “I was obsessed with 'The Lizzie McGuire Movie' I wanted my Lizzie moment in Rome!”   She penned a wish letter overcome with joy and excitement even adding comparisons between her soon-to-be high school graduation and Lizzie’s coming-of-age journey in the film And Make-A-Wish delivered the trip of a lifetime for Catalina and her family and we didn’t have to worry about anything Catalina’s wish reminded her what it feels like to live “You go through challenges like that and realize what truly matters I have overcome things I never thought I could “It reminds me of how much I can do for someone else.”  and hope to her thriving career as an employee communications specialist at Disney Catalina makes every interaction a joyful moment and inspires anyone she comes across to do the same Catalina’s story is a reminder that wishes don’t end when the trip is over the magic that once uplifted her during her hardest days found its way back to where it all started I’m going to anonymously sponsor a wish for someone else I know what that one act of kindness can do—it gave me hope and it changed my life.”   Even the smallest act of kindness can change a life. Join Catalina in giving hope to kids who need it most and learn how you can become a WishMaker for Make-A-Wish at Wish.org/Disney.   In a move that signals both continuity and transformation in American yacht manufacturing marks a significant new chapter for two of the most respected names in U.S With more than five decades of heritage and hundreds of thousands of boats on the water Catalina Yachts has long been synonymous with quality the storied brand—and the Downeast-style True North powerboat line—are poised to evolve under a new but deeply aligned vision well-built boats that deliver real sailing pleasure,” said Patrick Turner and we’re confident he’ll carry them forward while positioning the brand for the future.” who launched Daedalus Yachts with a focus on sustainable brings a modern sensibility rooted in innovation and environmental responsibility His acquisition of Catalina and True North reflects a commitment not just to legacy “We’re not just preserving the legacy—we’re building upon it,” said Reardon “Catalina and True North are iconic American brands I’m honored to lead them into the next era of growth and innovation.” Both companies will continue operations from their current base in Largo and Reardon has pledged to retain the existing workforce and dealer network while investing in new model development across both lines The transition also carries a strong emotional note wife of late Catalina founder Frank Butler voiced her confidence in the new direction “Frank believed in building boats that brought families together and gave people joy on the water,” she said “I believe Michael Reardon understands that spirit Frank would be proud to see Catalina and True North in the hands of someone who values the people the message is one of stability and optimism There will be no immediate disruptions in support or service and Reardon’s track record suggests a fresh round of energy and ideas could soon shape the future of both brands Catalina remains one of the largest sailboat manufacturers in the U.S. with a focus on building high-quality boats that strike a balance between cruising comfort and responsive sailing known for their classic Downeast aesthetics and offshore-capable hulls has expanded Catalina’s reach into the powerboat market with a similarly hands-on approach to design and build quality and Reardon’s leadership there has been marked by bold design choices and a commitment to sustainability The coming months will likely reveal how these three brands—each with its own DNA—will integrate and influence one another But one thing is certain: American boatbuilding has a fresh breeze on the beam you see a Catalina Crunchy Muddy Buddies recipe on TikTok and think “I’m going to do that just because I can.” If you buy something from an Eater link, Vox Media may earn a commission. See our ethics policy Wikipedia also calls it “candy”; IDK about that why is it candy and not just a dessert or sugary snack it is not the healthiest thing you can eat As I’ve previously mentioned in the Eater archive We are a Chex family; it was an omnipresent cereal in my childhood cabinets and to this day my dad feeds individual Rice Chex to our 15-year-old dog because he “likes the sound it makes when he crunches on it.” This is a particularly strange breed of boomer ASMR I’m going to do that right now as an exercise of free will Muddy Buddying it could be the solution to enjoying its protein and fiber benefits albeit at the cost of sacrificing its low-sugar or no-sugar status Please enjoy some imagery I took with my digital camera from 2010 higher-fiber Muddy Buddies using Catalina Crunch Something I really enjoy about Muddy Buddies is that when you’re making them (it?) at home you can really operate fully intuitively in terms of the amount of each ingredient to add but if you use more or less chocolate or peanut butter here’s the recipe (using that term loosely): Dump a bunch of powdered sugar on top and shake profusely until all of the little cereal pieces are coated in a beautiful dusting of sugar If you are a real sugar-hater (or can’t have it for health reasons), you can also follow the lead of TikTokers who are making Muddy Buddies using Catalina Crunch, sugar-free chocolate, and powdered monkfruit I will not be doing this because I like things to taste as good as possible Catalina Crunch cereal is available at Catalina Crunch The freshest news from the food world every day Share on FacebookShare on X (formerly Twitter)Share on PinterestShare on LinkedInLEXINGTON (WKYT) - A man was sentenced Thursday morning in connection with a murder at a Lexington motel in 2022 Danny Sims was sentenced to 20 years for murder and five years for evidence tampering In March, Sims pleaded guilty to murder and tampering with evidence in the death of Bill Ashby Sims was one of two people accused of attacking and killing Ashby at the Catalina Motel in April 2022 pleaded guilty to facilitation of murder last year Sims’ sentence will run concurrently with no possibility of parole SDSU professor Eunha Hoh is featured in the film’s premiere at the San Diego Asian Film Festival under the pristine waters off the coast of Catalina Island A toxic graveyard of half a million barrels filled with decades-old manufacturing waste products It sounds like the start of a sci-fi horror movie, but the shocking reality is exposed in a powerful documentary, “Out of Plain Sight,” which opens the San Diego Asian Film Festival on Friday San Diego State University’s School of Public Health professor Eunha Hoh is featured in the film for her groundbreaking research on alarming levels of the insecticide DDT—short for dichloro-diphenyl-trichloroethane—in Southern California's marine animals and ecosystems “These chemicals have entered and biomagnified through the marine food web,” said Hoh “We are seeing impacts not only in marine mammals but also in endangered species like the California condor which feeds on marine mammal carcasses along the coast DDT poses a health risk to humans through seafood consumption.”  Dumping chemical waste was legal until the 1970s with several sites along Southern California's coast Although DDT and its ocean dumping were banned over 50 years ago “DDT can persist in the environment for many decades the degradation of DDT is significantly slower in deep ocean environments due to the lack of oxygen and sunlight,” she said.  Hoh’s team detected some of the highest levels of DDT ever recorded in marine mammals throughout the Southern California Bight in 2015 Hoh said they also discovered “a range of previously unidentified DDT-related compounds—up to 45 distinct substances including potentially harmful degradation products and byproducts.” The Southern California Bight is a 430-mile stretch of curved coastline that runs along the West Coast of the United States and Mexico from Point Conception in California to Punta Colonet in Baja California including the Channel Islands of California and the Islas de Todos Santos of Baja California reported finding the same toxic compounds in sea basin sediments Valentine and Hoh began collaborating on the research project “Our findings strongly suggest an ongoing source of DDT contamination linked to offshore dumping,” said Hoh This chilling discovery and the magnitude of a looming environmental catastrophe set off a cascade of scientific and journalistic inquiries The Los Angeles Times published an investigative report followed by the LA Times Studio’s documentary “Out of Plain Sight,” which visually exposes the severity of the environmental hazard submerged for decades Out of Plain Sight reveals details of an ongoing investigation of DDT’s impact just miles off Southern California’s coast. It can be seen at the San Diego Asian Film Festival on opening night the documentary won the Audience Choice Award at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival and the Shared Earth Foundation Award for Advocacy at the 2025 Environmental Film Festival in Washington San Diego State University’s School of Public Health and the SDSU APIDA Center are partners in the SDAFF.  The April 16 event showcase’s sustainability efforts for students Please select what you would like included for printing: Copy the text below and then paste that into your favorite email application She was a dedicated mother of Eucelyn Parker (Larry) Lina was a special Lola (grandmother) to Mardy She is survived by her siblings Benjie Mausisa (Bella) Lina will be fondly remembered by her nieces and nephews friends and colleagues here in the US and the Philippines If desired donations to the Alzheimer's Association would be appreciated by the family.   Enter your phone number above to have directions sent via text This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply Service map data © OpenStreetMap contributors According to Pima County Sheriff’s Department Tommy Alexander was found late Saturday night and is safe The Pima County Sheriff’s Department is asking for the public’s help in locating a missing 13-year-old boy near North Swan Road and East Sunrise Road in Tucson and jeans at the time of his disappearance Tommy is described as a 13-year-old male with brown hair and light-colored eyes His height and weight are unknown at this time Authorities urge anyone who has seen Tommy or has information regarding his whereabouts to call 9-1-1 immediately KGUN 9 will continue to provide updates as more information becomes available Report a typo Who has the right-of-way on a California freeway on-ramp that merges two lanes into one was riding with her in the front seat of the family’s nine-passenger 1965 Pontiac Catalina Safari station wagon Older sons Erik and Craig and daughter Krista occupied the middle row After aiming the big Starlight Black wagon up a 101 Freeway on-ramp Connie spotted a Corvette closing in the mirror and attempting to cut her off.    [Welcome to Original Owner the Hagerty series showcasing—you guessed it—people who bought a vintage car when new and still own it The cars don’t need to be factory-original Email tips@hagerty.com with the subject line “Original Owner:” —Ed.] “My mom was having none of it,” Erik recalls I just remember being pushed hard into the back seat and the dog lifting into the air disappearing and then being pinned to the tailgate Mom did not get cut off by the Corvette that day You wouldn’t believe something that big could move so fast.” This was no ordinary Pontiac station wagon But the Fleischner family wagon was indeed a 100% stock It just happened to have Pontiac’s high-compression 338-horsepower 421 cubic-inch V-8 with a four-barrel carburetor and dual-exhaust And a four-speed manual transmission with the Hurst shifter.  had special-ordered the high-powered Poncho as a replacement for the worn 1959 Oldsmobile 88 Fiesta station wagon he’d bought used some years before The unusually equipped Pontiac was in regular use until 2002 accumulating about 130,000 miles in the process The engine was rebuilt in the mid-1970s at around 85,000 miles.  three years after Erik had taken the wagon with a promise to have it fully restored His father had signed the title over to him in 2006 Erik entrusted the restoration to Scott Tiemann’s Supercar Specialties in Portland “The restoration started in September 2019,” Erik says “My only regret is not starting it earlier so Dad could see it finished reminds me that it was ‘her’ car and that she loved driving it and the sound it made.” Tiemann’s shop completed the full body-off restoration just in time for the wagon’s 60th birthday and a debut at this year’s Detroit Autorama The super-rare muscle wagon won first place for Restored 1958–1967 as well as awards for Outstanding Restored and Outstanding Display.  The many roads the Fleischner Pontiac wagon traveled between 1965 and the 2025 Autorama show were jam-packed with family vacations that included skiing “If the car could talk … you would not believe some of the stories it could tell,” Connie Fleischner says.  If you guessed that full-size Pontiac wagons specced like muscle cars were rare Erik spent several years researching the wagon’s rarity and 455-powered models through the Pontiac Oakland Club International.  “How many of these 421 wagons were made in 1965 with most being the upscale Bonneville version. My belief is that most did not survive as their powerplants were pulled for GTO and Firebird project cars in the 1970s and ’80s Erik has verified only three 1965 421/four-speed wagons still in existence including two Bonnevilles and his Catalina He has also verified two 1965 421/automatic wagons—a Bonneville and a Catalina “I was also told of a third possible 421/four-speed Bonneville in Southern California None of these wagons has been restored yet and are at different condition levels with one automatic wagon in the best shape of the bunch.” and convertible rode on a 124-inch wheelbase both the Bonneville and Catalina Safari wagons used the Catalina’s 121-inch-wheelbase chassis and differed only in standard equipment and trim Only the Catalina trim offered the third-row seat to make the car a nine-passenger model What would possess a surgeon and father to order a family wagon that could burn rubber with ease had often reminisced about riding in his parents’ 1930s Packard as a child sitting on the floor and even falling asleep to the smooth hum of the straight-eight engine.  Dreams of owning his own powerful car came true so he appreciated the thrill of piloting a high-performance car a ’59 356 Convertible D 1600 Super and then a ’63 356 Super 90 he belonged to the SCCA Central Illinois Region,” Erik says.  He and Connie married on May 28, 1960 saw no reason that family needs should exclude a fun-to-drive car It helped that the same things that made a family hauler fun helped it haul a trailer Chevy and Dodge sales literature showed a four-speed available with a big-block V-8 in a full-size station wagon “Dad found that only Pontiac allowed him to order exactly what he wanted and he thought the Pontiac was the best-looking wagon he bought a ’77 Trans Am with the 400/four-speed combo (the genuine Pontiac motor) and then a ’79 Trans Am Special Edition with the 400/four-speed The big wagon would also have a lasting impact on the Fleischner brothers who became Pontiac enthusiasts and collectors striking J.R.’s 1930 Packard on the right front fender Street versions of the 421 could easily go wheel-to-wheel with the Chevy 409s, and of course Pontiac sparked the “muscle car” segment with the 1964 GTO sell on Monday” credo helped vault Pontiac to #3 in U.S The Pontiac full-size models were redesigned for 1965 Powertrains carried over from earlier models The three-speed Turbo-Hydramatic automatic transmission introduced on Cadillacs and Buicks in 1964 was now available for Pontiacs and some Chevys and value Pontiac offered for 1965, Motor Trend magazine gave its Car of the Year award to the entire line full-size Pontiac production totaled nearly 500,000 cars After thoroughly studying the Pontiac sales literature which gave highly detailed specs for the cars and powertrains a Pontiac dealer on East 47th Street in Chicago He specced out a nine-passenger Catalina Safari in Starlight Black with a red Morrokide (Naugahyde) vinyl interior.  Among the Catalina options were 389 and 421 V-8s with four-barrel or Tri-Power (3×2) setups and exhaust manifolds and 376-horsepower rating He settled for the 338-hp four-barrel version for what seemed a good reason at the time “The service manager advised my dad that the four-barrel version was more reliable and better suited for a family car,” Erik says ‘You don’t want your wife stranded somewhere with three little children.’” The engine featured 10.5:1 compression and dual exhausts with special straight-through mufflers instead of the quieter reverse-flow mufflers on other models.  The 421 four-barrel pounded out 459 lb-ft of torque vs In addition to the performance options that basically replicated the Catalina 2+2 Sport option package chose comfort and convenience options that would have impressed a Grand Prix buyer.  financed $3519 of that at 4.5% for 36 months “He always regretted not getting the 421 Tri-Power and eight-lug rims,” Erik says “He said the sales manager told him he could not order those wheels with the Catalina trim I found him the Tri-Power setup and eight-lug wheels.” surely would have applauded Erik’s changes to the wagon’s engine Supercar Specialties pushed it beyond even the 421 H.O.’s specs Compression was dropped by a point to 9.5:1 to run easily on pump gas and Dave Bisschop’s SD Performance in Canada tweaked the Tri-Power intake and original heads His porting work yielded the 238-cfm intake flow rate which exceeded even Pontiac’s experimental 1969 400 Ram Air V (233 cfm) and exceeded the 193 cfm of the 1973 455 SD The engine also gained a custom-grind roller camshaft and the 421 H.O The dyno result was a staggering 468.6 horsepower at 5300 rpm and a massive 556.4 lb-ft peak torque at 3700 rpm still with smooth operation for the vacuum-powered accessories and the family soon moved from Ogden Dunes Years of adventures with the wagon would follow On a summer 1968 vacation trip to Two Harbors the family confronted a tornado while traveling secondary roads through Illinois boys?’ When we told him it was getting closer Craig recalls that the Fleischner kids got their time behind the Pontiac’s wheel as teenagers It wasn’t until we started driving that we truly recognized the motor’s power and the thoughtful choices Dad made to create his supercar family hauler.”  The Fleischner boys certainly exploited the Pontiac’s power in some street action on Saturday nights starting from a bank parking lot on Van Nuys Boulevard the major artery through the San Fernando Valley “The four-speed made it easy to leave rubber from first and second gears with an occasional tire chirp into third,” Craig fondly remembers “We would challenge other drivers by saying Want to race?’ When we did get a favorable race the other drivers never knew what hit them when they saw the big black wagon pull away into the night.” Erik adds: “We all learned to drive stick-shift in the wagon the transmission countershaft broke on Hans in 1984 I guided him through the removal and the reinstall. He learned how to rebuild transmissions and then he ended up getting a job from the shop that rebuilt the wagon’s transmission We must be nice to him now in case we need transmission work.” gave him permission to answer a challenge from another driver another hunter who had a 390 Ford wagon asked him ‘My 390 is faster than your 421.’ Dad shrugged it off and said I don’t want to suck you up my exhaust pipe.’”  Erik was behind the wheel when the Ford owner drove up alongside and signaled that he wanted to race “Our Catalina was fully loaded with three adults and hunting gear and the gentleman in the Ford wagon was alone,” he says and we ended up walking him by several car lengths.” “The wagon was central to our family adventures,” Erik explains we drove 2038 miles up California Highway 1 and then through Oregon and Washington to Vancouver took his sons on numerous Boy Scout camping trips “We hiked and camped many of the California national forests until Erik sent it to Tiemann for restoration 20 years later Craig sums up the Pontiac’s impact on the family: “Dad got it right passing on the tradition of no substitute for cubic inches and manual transmissions The wagon will always hold fond memories for Mom Car: 1965 Pontiac Catalina Safari 421 four-speed Miles on car: 130,000 (before restoration) Are you the original owner of a classic car Send us a photo and a bit of background to tips@hagerty.com with ORIGINAL OWNER in the subject line—you might get featured in our next installment In the late ’50’s and early ’60’s Automotive News would publish what they called “rear wheel horsepower’ and as I got older and drove a variety of cars a ’64 GTO with Tri-Power was for many years the fastest I had personally experienced Anyone with familiarity of these figures I would sure like to hear the explanation as to how they measured their numbers That GTO is still in my lifetime top 10 and I am way past retirement age Just for context another GTO this time a 365 Colombo 12cyl is my No.1 I love the idea of mom downshifting and flooring it to keep ahead of the Corvette It’s a very cool wagon and a great story Some of the most magnificent vehicles ever manufactured were Pontiacs it’s a shame that they were removed from production by general motors which I always think cared more about Chevrolet than Pontiac a sad mistake My Mom had a ’65 Catalina Safari wagon thank you so much for sharing this fantastic story The Bank Of America parking lot in Van Nuys was Street-racing Central for the Valley…just sayin’… That car was ordered very well with the 4-speed and even a factory tach I prefer the “after restoration” appearance where the fender skirts were removed Thank you for sharing this heartwarming narrative about a car and website in this browser for the next time I comment Δdocument.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value" Sign up to receive our Daily Driver newsletter Over 1,200 runners participated in 48th annual event over 1,200 participants took part in the Catalina Island Marathon Race day featured four different events all taking place on the island including California’s oldest trail 26.2-mile marathon Participants of the marathon experienced an on-foot scenic tour through Catalina Island’s famous trails starting in Two Harbors and finishing in Avalon The one-of-a-kind vistas and challenging climbs have been enjoyed by thousands of runners for close to five decades The 10K and 5K courses took participants on a journey through historic areas and scenic viewpoints on the island starting and finishing their race in the city of Avalon “We couldn’t have asked for a more beautiful day on the island for this year’s race,” said Mike Bone President and CEO of Spectrum Sports Management which produces the Catalina Island Marathon “The Catalina Island Marathon was created to help showcase the beauty of this island and the high spirits of participants and volunteers mixed with the perfect Southern California weather really showed off all Catalina Island has to offer.” the men’s marathon champion and overall first-place finisher followed by the men’s marathon second-place finisher Michael Borowski took the third-place spot for the men’s marathon The women’s marathon course was led by Natalie Irwin an impressive 13 minutes ahead of second place Second and third-place finishers for the women’s marathon were Rachael Banton and Liz Chamiec-Case The men’s 10K division was led by Jonathan Rios and Gianna Sbarbaro led the women’s division with a time of 42:55 First-place finishers of the men’s and women’s 5K were Helman Sosa with a time of 23:03 This year’s event benefited the Catalina Island Conservancy and Avalon Lions Club which supports numerous local causes and non-profit organizations the Avalon Lions guarantee a scholarship to all graduating students from Avalon High School who wish to continue their education The Catalina Island Marathon is a part of Run Catalina Island’s Triple Crown Challenge The challenge involves completing all three Run Catalina Island events within a 12-month period Catalina Island Marathon and Catalina Island Half Marathon Runners may begin their Catalina Island Triple Crown journey with any one of these races but all specified distances must be completed within a 12-month period meaning they must finish all three races consecutively once they begin Athletes who complete the challenge receive a Triple Crown finisher jacket Hi-Tec shoes and a one-of-a-kind belt buckle For more information on The Catalina Island Marathon Follow the event on Instagram and Facebook About Catalina Island Marathon and Spectrum Sports Management the Catalina Island Marathon provides the opportunity to run one of Southern California’s most popular natural attractions and participate in California’s oldest trail marathon A recognized leader in endurance and sporting events in Southern California Spectrum Sports Management & Timing Services creates a wide range of events and has over 50 years of collective industry experience Log in to leave a comment savory snack is Cheddar-flavored Chex Mix — but there’s a new sheriff in town and it’s this high-protein Catalina Crunch version The Eater staff recently had a spirited exchange about our favorite gas station snacks is cheddar-flavored Chex Mix (ideally purchased with a York Peppermint Patty and an ugly pair of wrap sunglasses from the rack near the checkout stand) There’s just something about the umami explosion of cheesy flavor crystals coating a medley of crunchy textures from pretzels to little sourdough crostinis This is how I ended up addicted to Catalina Crunch’s cheddar-flavored Protein Snack Mix I am literally eating a bag of it as I type this the latter of which is basically way healthier Chex Mix Look, Chex Mix isn’t terrible for you to begin with, but if you could eat a version that has five times as much protein and fiber, significantly fewer carbs the short answer is because you’re worried it might not taste as good But this “better-for-you” snack mix honestly tastes just as good It also happens to be keto-friendly and gluten-free Take a look into a bag We’ve got the quadrilateral crispy little Chex-like thingies made out of chickpeas and still extremely pretzel-y the only nut I genuinely enjoy eating whole With Easter 4/20 (I think we can just acknowledge it) this weekend and a forecast of heavy snacking it seems like an opportune time to share my obsession with this stuff if you’re going to gleefully plow through a bag of Cheddar snack mix it might as well help you hit your protein and fiber quotas Catalina Crunch Cheddar Snack Mix is available at Catalina Crunch Catalina Island Health and the city of Avalon will present the semi-annual Island Resident Resource Fair on Thursday More than 30 organizations and agencies will participate This free event is set up exclusively to help island residents learn about and navigate various assistance programs from agencies around Los Angeles County CIH’s Case Manager Pauline Acherman will share information about her role and the acute transition care program that is designed to help you recover closer to home a social worker and other staff will answer questions about its services harm reduction information and to hand out free Naloxone and Fentanyl test strips The city of Avalon will provide information on city recreation programs Other participating organizations and agencies and what they offer: LA Care Health Plan – Info on Medi-Cal eligibility and materials to help you understand your health coverage Elements Pharmacy – Vaccinations for children and adults: Flu and isolated seniors in LA County with inclusive programs Hemophilia Council of California – Promotes access to care and improves quality of life for those with bleeding disorders through advocacy Southern CA Association of Governments (SCAG) – Info on regional issues This April they are focusing on broadband access with a survey to improve high-speed internet for Catalina Island residents LA County Department of Social Services – Supports island residents with vital services LA County Department of Mental Health – Offers island residents in-person Órale – An immigrant-led organization focused on justice and wellness for BIPOC and undocumented communities Centro Cha – Assistance with DACA and citizenship They are taking appointments at City Hall on April 24 LA County Registrar-Recorder and County Clerk – Offers island residents services such as marriage licenses Avalon Fire Department – Conducting a survey by the local hazard mitigation officer Pleitez Dental Corporation – Offers dental care support and will be assessing the local need for dentists and whether they can provide those services on island LA County Department of Aging & Disabilities – Helps older adults and people with disabilities access housing LA Homeless Services Authority (LAHSA) – Coordinates housing and supportive services to help individuals and families experiencing homelessness American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP) – Provides crisis support and community programs to prevent suicide and support those affected The California Employment Develop.m.ent Department (EDD) – Provides unemployment Worksite Wellness LA – Provides culturally tailored health education insurance enrollment assistance including Medi-Cal and referrals to improve access to care for underserved LA workers Housing Rights Center – Educates about and advocates for fair housing helping all people access and afford the housing they choose – free from discrimination They will be offering a “Know Your Rights” Workshop for renters and landlords from 3:30 p.m Tarzana Treatment Centers – Offers substance use counseling plus virtual mental health support and inpatient treatment in Long Beach NAMI Los Angeles – Offers free mental health resources Southern California Edison – Provides information and support on utilities and programs Disability Rights California (DRC) – Offers legal help and advocacy to support and empower people with disabilities CORE Center – Offers substance use disorder screenings Our House Grief Support Center – Offers hybrid Spanish grief groups and grief education workshops for professionals and the community and information on other perks of your library card Tarzana Treatment Centers College – Offers training and certification for individuals with lived experience to be substance use disorder counselors or peer support specialists The Department of Rehabilitation – Helps disabled job seekers of all ages prepare for and advance in employment through vocational rehabilitation and support services Representatives from the offices of LA County Board of Supervisor Janice Hahn and Senator Adam Schiff will be on hand to provide information and support for County At City Hall: Centro Cha will provide assistance with DACA and citizenship forms for individuals and families by appointment on 4/24 Appointments should be made ahead of time by calling 562-612-1407 they may take additional appointments on Friday The Resident Resource Fair will also feature a variety of giveaways Special thanks to Olivia and the team at Vons for providing water and other items for the participants and attendees visit CatalinaIslandHealth.org/resident-resource-fair or call 310-510-0096 « Back When I met with Catalina Ouyang at Lyles and King in early May for a walkthrough of their third solo exhibition at the gallery they were days away from going on the Camino de Santiago "Kinds of Water." Not only a guide for pilgrims walking the ancient route the pilgrimage has been a conceptual anchor for years accompanied by their best friend as opposed to Carson taking stock of their own life's triumphs and losses Ouyang reflected on the symbolism of faith and suffering with a mixture of restraint and reverence who translates ancient texts and ideas into contemporary reflections Raised in a secular home with limited exposure to religious tradition recontextualizing familiar objects and symbols while maintaining enough distance to preserve the work’s autonomy when I know that there remain a hundred other things I could still do to a piece I want to stop before the point where my interventions start preventing the piece from acting in and of itself,” they explain So tell me about this pilgrimage you’re going on I first read Anne Carson's essay “Kinds of Water,” which is her account of walking the Camino de Santiago I’d say that this piece of writing has most influenced my own as well as the ways I think about research and citation So the pilgrimage to Compostela is something that I’ve held in my mind for years as a poetic abstract Anne Carson did her pilgrimage with a man she loved who did not love her back while she was dealing with the slow loss of her father to dementia I am doing my pilgrimage with my best friend of ten years while trying to take stock of my triumphs and losses as an artist The undertaking is formidable but straightforward I grew up in a secular home; my parents did not grow up with organized religion because they were in Communist China So my limited exposure to religious practice was more social and textural as our weekend activity we went up the mountain to the temples where we lit incense and prayed for wealth I was not familiar with any kind of devotional or spiritual practice I vaguely understood that some people went to church or synagogue on the weekends It was not until I was in second grade that I learned that Christmas — which I understood only to signal time off from school and a conifer in the foyer — was a religious holiday that had to do with something called Jesus Those stories about saints and the material manifestations of Catholic belief — the sensual I think that arose from both my interest in Anne Carson but also the period of my early twenties where I was working a lot with Chinese mythology and thinking about the impulses behind the creation of these belief systems They were ways of lending structure to overwhelming longing and fear While I could not necessarily understand a literal belief in God or the cruelties of organized religion and the ecstasies of self-flagellation and martyrdom perhaps in an attempt to apprehend something I am not yet aware is within me It’s interesting hearing you speak about Catholicism from this perspective — removed enough to recognize its aesthetic and symbolic meanings and its relation to desire It reminds me of this one line in Carson’s “The Truth About God”: "My religion makes no sense and does not help me we will trash ourselves." Are desire and suffering all that different if one can lead to the other Is it the pursuit of a thing that gives meaning There’s the line in the press release about your show: "I have never felt guilt Is suffering a central tenet of Trick and what does that mean in your practice more generally Rapture and pleasure are inextricable from suffering and horror; it's about extremity Trick reminds me of the use of irony in Anne Carson's work in that she's revealing how these different feelings can be superimposed among other structures In its popular deployment as facetiousness when it comes to irony in its literary applications there is a lot to be said for slipperiness and foiled expectation and maybe that is where it coincides with a writer like Anne Carson that I speak in a monotone and that my affect is very deadpan I think the prevailing tone in my work is also one where things are as they occur I try not to make things too atmospheric in the way that some cinema manipulates emotion or affect with formulaic editing and scoring I try to keep the work in a space of restraint and strangeness And I think — without trying to prescribe the term irony in ways that don't fit — in thinking about what I disclose and withhold about the work’s origin and associations I'm always trying to make decisions that maximize the work's autonomy It’s about stopping before foreclosing possibility — when I know that there remain a hundred other things I could still do to a piece I want to stop before the point where my interventions start preventing the piece from acting in and of itself As for how I decide where that terminal point is I'm always trying to work just a little beyond my existing skill set So there is also the condition of where I reach my physical or technical limit What does this intuition feel like — especially as it concerns the pieces you finalized while setting up the show I think a lot about resourcing and not wanting to waste things before they're ready and hand-sculpted elements I wanted to put in this show or any of the group shows leading up to it I was balancing my resources and trying to be strategic because I don't want to use a carved wooden limb or an expensive display case for a piece too early and then realize I wanted to save it for this other situation I think that is part of the reason that I work very slowly I grew up in the home of an immigrant hoarder and we did not organize the things we saved Our house was enveloped in urgency and paranoia It takes wealth to be able to throw things away; you have to know that you can replace them So I moved through the world carried by this undercurrent of scarcity But I think that also allows me to recognize the agency and majesty of everything that I make or collect then I am responsible for handling it with great purpose that has the scythes inside the display case — I think I tried out at least ten different objects or situations in the display case before I knew it would be the scythes And each of these ten possibilities lived inside the case for weeks It was probably only two months before the show opened that I manically ordered all these scythes on eBay and I thought I was going to use them in a different sculpture but then I ended up storing them in the display case because there wasn't any other room in my studio at the time And I realized that that was where they had to live And the papier mache figure that’s mounted sideways on the wooden pedestal in that piece I originally made that figure to sit on top of the expanded steel structure in Trick But once I had the steel object in the studio and saw the figure on top of it I realized that my original idea doesn't work They're being wasted in this configuration Can you tell me about the thought process behind that one That piece originally began as two separate works The dog with the long leg on the cart was originally part of a much larger piece that was built around a found auto part that I draped in a resin-soaked piece of fabric I realized there was not enough space for it but I knew that the dog with the long leg and the high heel had to stay Let me amputate that element from the existing work The painting verso featured in the final work was originally a standalone piece with a legible image painted on a piece of shellacked gauze stretched over the wooden support from a pet staircase The original reference image for the painting is of me and a friend frolicking naked in a waterfall I had that painting propped backward against the wall suddenly during install I had this dog element excerpted from the larger piece I had stained the wood of the dog almost the same color as the pet staircase in the painting version even when I don’t realize it at the moment all of these things are visually and haptically feeding into each other almost like putting together the pieces of a puzzle with pieces that can fit in multiple places and while I can be decisive and spontaneous with these last-minute decisions I think about the ways that writers or poets reorder their lines on flashcards I made everything with sincerity and urgency so I have the freedom to rearrange those things and have the result be Writers like Carson and Clarissa Pinkola Estés who we spoke about a bit during the walkthrough bring to the present very primordial ideas having to do with the divine feminine and making sense of these ideas in a modern context Would you say you’re attempting something similar with your work I like rule-breaking not for the sake of rule-breaking but rule-breaking that emerges from a true kind of self-knowledge I think that has to do with spiritual immanence in which you feel connected to some kind of truth Or where you feel truly connected to the unknown Women Who Run With the Wolves is interesting because on the one hand the book saved my life at a time when I was young The book’s almost utopian framing of empowerment and the text upholds gender essentialist and overly affirmational tropes about femininity in ways that I find less compelling I am more drawn to the long tradition of melancholic almost sickly white woman writers like Marguerite Duras and Jean Rhys and who write with a kind of spikiness and unbridled anger that really courts conflict — not purely as an impotent mirror to the sufferings of the world but as a mad grasp for transformation that finds gratification but does not pretend to find resolution you see that very clearly in Rhys’ Wide Sargasso Sea This unbridled anger that bleeds into her story from the other book somehow reminds me of what you tried to do with Brank a tool of suppression transformed to one of voice and housing a poetry reading series on the opening night we take from ancestors that we either choose or are delivered to us Monumental sculpture in itself carries a macho connotation of taking up space deploying certain kinds of weight and rigidity Brank is laden with these signifiers at the same time as the piece itself is a transgressive space of active congregation There was a time when I felt opposed in my practice to reifying the very things that I was critiquing and that was when I veered most toward the toothlessly affirmational But I think now I'm much more interested in letting evil exist with its own volition and refraining from placing my judgment or projection upon the form or feeling of evil It was maybe 10 years ago that we suffered through that trend of revisionist Hollywood films like Maleficent with Angelina Jolie Snow White and the Huntsman with Kristen Stewart and other stories that tried to instate humanizing origin stories for classic villains and peripheral characters That was something that I was once interested in in my work as well — the humanity and motivation of historically vilified women or Othered and queer characters I find that even in those revisionist narratives the villain is sanitized into a misunderstood being of kind the miasma that exceeds morality or redemption Even the desires that are foundational to our living drive — of accumulation and community building — are necessarily concurrent with the impulses of the death drive You have to find a way for them to coexist which I think is what I am always trying to be attentive to in the signposts that I create with decontextualized references to historical figures My intention specifically is not to explain the gaps between them and rather to let them be generative in their unruly junctures How do the living and death drives show up in your work With my invocation of the famous artist and courtesan Sarah Bernhardt I am trying to address the act of selling sex as both an empowering and also a survival industry that has trapped Sarah Bernhardt is an iconic example of someone for whom it allegedly worked out But there's also a lot of antagonism in my relationship to that kind of work and value-making Part of my impulse to show paintings in this exhibition reflects how I feel similarly in some ways about painting as I do about my sexuality; it is this asset I possess that can be deployed toward some kind of value exchange that is efficient but is in conflict with the fact that I want to make objects I want to share my life with a lover and be loved without the raw threat of my sexuality and line of work getting in the way There are things that painting takes for granted — the picture plane a painting’s objecthood or lack thereof — that I take issue with There are things that my commodification as a sexual being takes for granted but still I am intent on engaging with the practices of making paintings and selling sex in honest So it's about going into the thing that already feels doomed Sometimes I hear from other people that they're concerned about being a good person “good person,” because you either do things that are not harmful to other people and you act with compassion and accountability Protestant ideals often equate "goodness" with diligence and labor your work seems to challenge these structures by granting autonomy to your creations How does this perspective shape the narratives you build It has always interested me because of how Protestant ideals often equate "goodness" with diligence and labor your work seems to challenge this by granting autonomy to your creations I have been characterized by others as cynical and pessimistic because I would not have continued making art all these years if I were a pessimist that doesn't get the recognition I hoped for or even expected or simply is an artistic failure — I have to be basically stupid with optimism that the next time will work out better The painting Deed is based on stills from the Catherine Breillat film Anatomy of Hell playing a gay man who gets entangled with a suicidal straight woman that his having this heterosexual psychodynamic encounter brings him to some kind of salvation he pushes her off a cliff and it ends in this violent rupture — is it refusal but something unpinnable is exchanged and transformed between these two characters you need to believe that you can move mountains with all the wrong tools and the most ambiguous intentions Diving into the mess and expecting to reemerge with a revelation — it is hubristic At Marta in Los Angeles, artist Minjae Kim has built a strange and playful world for his new show Phantom-22 and a mountain lion named P-22 who once roamed Griffith Park and small clay figures frozen mid-thought or in quiet conversation others like odd but inviting furniture you can actually use It’s the kind of space that invites you to slow down The show takes cues from Buster Keaton’s 1920 film One Week that chaos turns into creativity—offering a view of LA that’s both dreamy and broken Kim’s work blurs the line between fantasy and reality and myth into something you can walk through Phantom-22 is open at Marta through May 31 The old normal has since resumed its throne you can see the imprints of that unprecedented moment The upward consolidation of wealth that went down is still holding steady Scores of people who found their purpose during the pandemic are still working—like Anne Verhallen and Barbara Pollack who co-founded Art at a Time Like This on March 17 “I worked with an artist that had several shows in Asia and Barbara has a long standing career working with Asian contemporary artists so we both felt that canceling a little bit earlier,” Verhallen recalled over the phone animated by artist-activists such as Helina Metaferia who has since joined the organization’s advisory board Part of ATLT’s staying power stems from its timeless central question: “How can we think of art at a time like this?” Turns out that’s always valid “We're throwing the question back to artists,” Pollack “How can we rethink art at a time like this How does crisis make us think about art differently What kind of art can we make in response to crisis?” Verhallen told me ATLT considers artists thought leaders “We wanted to create a space where we can view their works in a nonprofit setting and really let their works speaks for themselves.” These days, ATLT is going coast to coast, taking on mass incarceration and climate change—and harnessing collaboration. In 2023, they partnered with the Natural Resource Defense Council to present “How On Earth” at EXPO Chicago In this beat between ATLT’s blowout anniversary bash PUBLIC hotels' ART SPACE last month and their first gallery show (around censorship this Autumn) I caught up with with three repeat conspirators to debrief on what they’ve learned these past five years You first connected with ATLT when Barbara invited you to stage an online solo show How did you choose which five paintings to put on digital view JUDITH BERNSTEIN - I chose them because they are all iconic works!! equate human birth with the birth of the universe and puts women at the center (where they should be!) Birth of the Universe was shown a few times and was the centerpiece for my solo exhibition at the New Museum in 2012 Golden Birth of the Universe was a commission for Studio Voltaire London where it served as a humungous altar piece in the church turned exhibition space and Money Shot/Blue Balls have been shown under blacklight for maximum impact Online exhibitions have pretty much faded away since the old normal returned did participating in your own alter how you looked at your work—or art in general—at all JB - In person viewing is always much more impactful There is a lot that is lost online: the scale online still allows for engagement with the art and democratizes the viewing by providing more access Your art has been political for more than 50 years now It feels like the same issues won’t go away Has your opinion about art's role in society shifted JB - Making art is my passion and obsession I make art for my own needs and not for the popular market Art for me is a calling and not just a business but there are many underlying issues that remain the same—economic and social inequity These gestural paintings feature heads that appear at once transfixed in awe and in a state of active alarm reflecting the tension fundamental to the poetic dyad of life and death—my contemporary response to Edvard Munch’s scream This series addresses the horrific moment that we’re in The current timeframe is a reenactment of the 30s and we are now on the precipice of World War III Since your practice often involves talking to people and going places and ATLT’s debut billboard installation took place during the pandemic I was wondering—did you select an artwork you'd already made or was this something that you produced during lockdown HELINA METAFERIA - I adapted something that I had made the year before I've been making this work prior to the 2020 uprisings and so it felt like a service of my work to utilize it for social justice and art spaces and public spaces I've been working at the intersection of art and activism with a focus on women and non-binary people and thinking about ways in which archival research often doesn't fully encompass our labor within activist histories I've been working with that theme for a while some people feel like it might not be a pressing issue for them the work is there and accessible and ready for those moments we're in another moment where the question of ‘Art at a Time Like This’ is very pressing And we never know when we'll be called upon but we should always be prepared and ready I love that you created a social practice rubric for your students at Brown to use How would you evaluate this particular billboard activation HM - As if we're looking at a sculpture or a painting There can be ways we can organize a conversation For the social practice element to this public art project I would consider thinking about the ways in which it used the limited resources that were available in a way that’s its own creative pursuit An organization was developed and was formed Many social practice projects start with one show to have some sort of structure to support it If you look at the work of Rick Lowe or Theaster Gates and then it quickly emerged into organizations and nonprofits and they become institutions within themselves I think Art at a Time Like This has kept its grassroots feel but it's quickly growing as an organization that is here to meet the needs of artists and cultural producers and art workers when there is precariousness—and there's always precariousness—so their value will always be there the scaling up of it reminds me of a lot of great social practice work People wonder if every original idea’s been had I do think social practice is it—especially because there's such a disconnect between the values the art world alleges to espouse versus the values it actually practices Do you have thoughts about how social practice might grow in art over the next 50 years or so HM - The term itself is new—only like 20 years old—coined in 2005 through institutions It takes art historians a decade or more to really articulate what artists are doing and we won't be able to define it readily until years to come It's gonna be related to what happens with our nation We respond to our environments and our conditions and we have a platform—a privilege—that allows us to speak to the most challenging aspects of society I think there are people who don't want to see contemporary art flourish because it has a critical voice but the future of any art form will be determined by the greater geopolitical circumstances It'll be determined by freedom and democracy and ability for free speech Whether it'll be concentrated in Europe or in Asia or in Africa or in the US will be determined by governments I think the beauty of any art form is that so much is unknowable HM - I'm in a group exhibition that Barbara Pollack curated at Jane Lombard Gallery in New York City I have a solo exhibition at Project for Empty Space That’s open May 6 through the end of August and it’s curated by another powerhouse curator group The title of that show is “When Civilizations Heal.” It's an interdisciplinary exploration of 60 years of activist archives led by women of color I'm premiering a work in progress of a feature film and showcasing new collages and sculpture and video and installation I’m in some group shows now at Palais de Tokyo in Paris and at the Knoxville Museum of Art called “States of Becoming.” whether things are going to slow down for you when there's political turmoil or if things are going to speed back up because people want the work But my overall message to any artist who works at the intersection of art and activism is just to keep going All you can do is remain consistent and authentic and work through the studio practice Work through that from a place of integrity because that is more of an inner work that supersedes the outer circumstances It's a continuous dialogue between you and you I love that you helped plant nature in the white cube at EXPO last year Did conceptualizing “MOTHERFIRE” for the environmentally taxing fair context lend any new angles to your explorations around art and climate justice LILY KWONG - I have always felt that my mission is to reconnect people to nature and their community My focus is to bring plant life to some of the most challenging environments in the hope of sparking awareness my team and I have built mountains in Grand Central Station created a jungle in industrial Brooklyn and created urban greenspace in downtown Los Angeles EXPO was the same—my intent was to plant the seeds of an ecosystemic and spiritual awakening to consider the more-than-human world I focused on the circularity of what I could control and our saplings were re-homed and the Shou Sugi Ban posts were returned to the fabricator for re-use Which plants did you pot in the work’s 55 Shou Sugi Ban posts How did you choose and source them—and keep them alive throughout EXPO’s run LK - I worked with the incredible horticulture team at Theodore Payne Nursery whose mission is to educate about the beauty and ecological benefits of California native plant landscapes I’ve learned about wildfire resilience and California's fire ecology and wanted to create a monument to the regenerative possibilities of native plants in fire-prone regions We contract grew saplings with Theodore Payne’s team: Ceanothus spinosus Pinus sabiniana and kept them alive through the loving care by our project manager Shannon Lai Some of these trees are not only incredible food resources for mockingbirds but they are also fire retardant like Toyon and Lemonadeberry Others are considered fire-responsive like the ghost pine which is actually highly flammable but its seed regeneration is favored post-burn and its germination increases with fire Native plants are uniquely adapted to survive and thrive following a burn since they have co-evolved with fire for millennia I wanted to honor fire as a core element of our local ecology both as a contributor to our rich biodiversity as well as an ever-looming threat You had your first show at LA’s Night Gallery last fall and debuted a public artwork in New York’s Madison Square Park this month organizer—do you see “artist” growing fastest of all LK - I would say Mother is the fastest growing—a role that I have found fundamentally transformative to my psyche Though ‘artist’ has expanded immensely alongside motherhood Having two children in three years has given me much more confidence as a creator—what is more artistic than growing a spine My show Solis with Night Gallery emerged from my maternity leave with my daughter an explosion in a new medium created largely with her by my side was in many ways my first artistic collaboration with baby Gaia mother & artist are inextricably linked LK - Gardens of Renewal at Madison Square Park is truly a dream project It’s been an aspiration of mine to build something for the iconic park since I first took landscape design courses at New York Botanical Garden over a decade ago Our Meditation Garden and Children’s Garden has been almost two years in the making a prayer for humans to be brought back into harmony with nature and for balance peaceful co-existence and reciprocity to be restored to our society and ecosystem Brooklyn-based artist Ross Knight makes sculptures about the conditions of visual pleasure viewers experience when encountering his works A Knight sculpture typically could be a body or a household object Knight’s works decenter the figurative impulse of sculpture the artist delights in abstracted gestures toward libidinal overcharge and its exhaustion His first solo exhibition at Off Paradise Continuous Squeeze further explores these perceptive anticipating that we could be scandalized and seduced by apparatuses that remain familiar and foreign to us Continuous Squeeze is your first solo show in a decade How have you been working on your sculptural practice without the pressure of making a show It seems that there is a mystery or privacy to your works that does not fall into trends or categories whether I have an immediate deadline or not generally does not determine how offer I’m working in the studio Studio time for me is split between different activities or “work/labor” I usually have at least one thing that is progressing well and moving towards completion one that appears or feels like it’s stuck or stalled and then there is something or new material I’m experimenting with or trying to further understand and whether it has any future place in my work It is this last endeavor that is the slowest process with no guarantee that anything will be accomplished meaning I do not have a staff of studio assistants with a definitive set of tasks to perform I generally work alone which allows for risk and discovery no audience to watch me have a bad day in the studio or fail The studio for me is a very private head and body space which I think allows me to be less inhibited As to the 10-year period two of those ten were effectively surrendered to the COVID pandemic when it came to studio visits and public venues This was also when both of my galleries (Team Gallery and Richard Telles Fine Arts) effectively closed which looking back on it proved to be somewhat liberating for my studio activity At the time it was a lot of what I thought was bad news all at once however it all probably came at the right time for me A central part of your practice is exploring how inorganic materials can become organic-looking Tell me more about your interest in creating this kind of visual effects Thinking and talking about the space between the organic and inorganic is a curious thing There might have been a period when we lived in a world where these two were clearly defined Now I know scientifically they still are and mutually exclusive But I I’m not so sure that’s haw we as a species experience the two We seem to live in a time and space where the two slip in and out of their ontological categories or definitions The “organic” and the ‘non-organic” are increasingly becoming conflated How else would you describe our fledgling relationship with AI or CGI Now I’m still working with “real” materials and fairly 20th century methods of object making/ rendering and the un-natural join or intersect or maybe just collide I am especially fascinated by how you combine erotic imagery with visual perspectives A sculpture that seems clinical can appear to be ludicrous at a different angle How do you think through shifting interpretations in your work I love thinking about the phenomenology of objects Their shapes and possible meanings through association Sometimes a thing can be both familiar or understood and then quickly shift into alien obscurity or the abstract A lot of what humans do or to be more precise invest in is kind of ludicrous Over designed fetishism can be found everywhere we (humans) have had complete control over Look no further than the kitchen gadgets and high-end bathroom architecture/design that is venerated It seems to me that most of our production values are born out of the act of arousal Value has extended beyond basic needs or task completion We live in a period when corporeal arousal is value dominant Your earlier works seem to be more interested in tensions of mutual dependency or thresholds whereas your recent works are more about how the human form can be evoked in the absence of a human body What motivates this shift from constructing an intricate system toward hybrid structures between bodies and functional objects whenever you have two or more things (objects) coupling up to form one dependency as a subject is always present in the narrative What I’m interested in is that space or gap between the surrogate (stand in) and the accoutrement (ornament/equipment) Another dimension of your exploring hybridity is that your recent sculptures often play with surface and depth I am curious as to how you think about dimensionality I would consider myself a sculptor in the truest sense of the word Which means I find myself thinking about fundamental attributes that define both an object/sculpture and how we coexist with it The motifs of wellness culture often recur in your sculptures What attracts you to the culture of self-optimization wellness culture and our pursuit of self-optimization If we look at Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs diagram wellness culture of self-optimization might find itself positioned at the top of the pyramid under the heading “self-actualization” but with a sometimes-weird twist to it because this wellness culture end game seems to try and cheat mortality Which is the most un-human thing I can think of Please confirm that you are at least 18 years old Catalina Museum for Art & History is set to bring the community together once again with the Annual Cinco de Mayo Celebration This year’s celebration will feature live music by island favorites Mariachi Las Catrinas and cultural performances by Ballet Folklorico Quetzal and Avalon School grades TK-5th Attendees of all ages can enjoy face painting an engaging art project for kids and delicious Mexican dishes from local food vendors beer and other refreshments will be available for purchase and food will be served until supplies run out More information about upcoming events at the museum can be found at catalinamuseum.org/calendar The museum is open Tuesday through Sunday and closed on Mondays For more information about the Catalina Museum for Art & History follow the museum’s social media platforms @CatalinaMuseum on Facebook Local art business supplies marathoners a unique trophy Robin Cassidy’s impact on Avalon can be seen all over town Most might not even realize they are looking at it her shop’s work has been used to revive much of the aging tiles all around town Her work has become a fixture in Avalon and it also travels the world when participants of the Catalina Island Marathon take their finisher medals home with them Robin and Silver Canyon Pottery have been making the unique finisher medals for the marathon and other races on the island giving participants a chance to take a little Catalina Clay home with them This year’s medal features the finish line scene with Avalon Bay and the Wrigley Fountain in the distance when she realized she had never done the finish line scene “It’s always been a picturesque scene somewhere along the race,” Robin said This year’s design also holds a special feeling for Robin since the Wrigley Fountain also features a lot of her tiles that were used during its refurbishing she said they can produce about 100 medals per day Robin has made medals for the Triple Crown Challenge races – the Catalina Island Marathon Avalon 50K/50-Mile race and the Catalina Island Half-Marathon “They keep me busy all year long,” Robin said Robin moved to Catalina in 1977 with her family After graduating from Avalon High School in 1982 she ventured off to college at San Francisco State She returned home after college and began the Silver Canyon Pottery business in 1988 The business has hung around and so has Robin she is essentially a self-taught pottery artist But she also notes that despite it’s ancient beginnings working with clay is always a challenge and people are always finding new ways to do it “You’re never going fully figure it out,” Robin said of the art She also said she’s been proud to be able to contribute to the revitalizing of the town she has called home for most of her life She feels like it’s been her way of contributing back to the community of Avalon For more about Robin and Silver Canyon Pottery Ted Apodaca is the editor of The Catalina Islander and can be reached at editor@thecatalinaislander.com Editor’s Note: The islander would like to hear from residents who run the marathon Send your names and photos to us at the above email From Tubes To Turns, Jai Glindeman's Surfing is a Treat to Behold Gerry Lopez Goes Deep With Justin Jay On The Plug Podcast Spot Guide: Rincon Queen, of the Coast NewsAll NewsEventsBig Wave NewsWorld Surf LeagueEnvironmentalIndustryWave PoolsPosts List Hawaiian Big Wave Icon Clyde Aikau Passes Away at 75 Winners of SURFER's Emerging Brands Grant Announced Catalina Island (Video)Historic (and destructive) Santa Ana winds fuel wildfires on mainland novelty waves off the coast of California on Catalina Island Southern California has been experiencing an extreme weather event – Santa Ana winds have fueled some of the worst wildfires in Los Angeles County history Our hearts go out to all those affected by this terrible tragedy the same Santa Ana Winds whipped up the ocean and sent waves to the leeward side of Catalina Island Surfers scored the novelty waves in Avalon Harbor Since the wind and waves don’t have an entire ocean to traverse the waves look similar to the freshwater surf scenes – like the waves aren’t necessarily “good” by any standard of measurement Boats anchored just outside the breaking waves the iconic Catalina Casino in the backdrop It's a once-a-year kind of wave – if you're lucky An Instagram post The recent high winds created a surfing spot in our normally calm harbor.“We’re keeping all those affected by the weather winds and fires on the mainland in our thoughts.” any surfing seen on Catalina Island is done on the opposite side of the landmass that – if you’re willing to go the extra mile and/or have a boat – can play host to some of Southern California’s least crowded The staff and board of Catalina Island Health are focused on the health and wellbeing of this island community in the face of numerous challenges It is the only critical access hospital in Los Angeles County Of all the critical access hospitals in the entire state CIH is one of 15 that does not qualify for reimbursement and supplemental payments that are crucial for hospitals and clinics around the country to survive Those funds helped to sustain operations for the interim increase efficiency with new systems and policies while looking to partner with or to be acquired by a governmental The right partnership or acquisition would allow CIH to receive reimbursements and apply for special supplemental payments creating sustainability for its day-to-day operations CIH leadership has participated in multiple meetings with regional and state legislators to address financial inequity faced not only by CIH but also by the Catalina Island community In-patient transfer agreements have been signed with St Mary Medical Center and UCI Health Lakewood like the closing of The White Buffalo Thrift Store were carefully considered before action was taken This has not stopped CIH from caring for or assisting its community the emergency department had 2,400 visits and the physical therapy department had over 14,000 visits it hosted two Island Resident Resource Fairs and launched a community health talk series its emergency department and clinic were awarded the Human Experience Guardian of Excellence Awards by Press Ganey These awards are part of Press Ganey’s annual ranking of the top hospitals and health systems in the country according to performance in patient experience preparations for a new hospital have not slowed The state of California has mandated that all hospitals comply with stringent earthquake standards by January 1 With the property across from Joe Machado Field donated by the Catalina Island Company CIH has been working with engineering and architecture firms on the plans for a three-story hospital and clinic The area around the hospital also includes the construction of 12 apartment units The new hospital will have an onsite helipad a new and expanded medical clinic with a focus on patient privacy advanced machinery and diagnostic equipment CIH is compiling studies and documents to present to the California Coastal Commission It is also preparing documents for financing with the USDA Measure H funds continue to be collected and held by the city of Avalon A funds control/disbursement company hired by the city handles all CIH requests for reimbursement This process ensures all Measure H funds are secure and only spent on expenses related to the new hospital The Catalina Island Health Foundation is coming off its best fundraising year ever the majority of which is for the new hospital is held at the beginning of August each year All funds raised during this event will be used for the construction of the new hospital This year’s Catalinaville fundraiser will be presented by Gerald and Sue Vickers and Emerald Forest Products at Descanso Beach Club for an evening of music an entertaining live auction and much more Save the date and support the hospital on Saturday CI Health’s primary care physicians and family nurse practitioners provide the island community with a solid foundation of care The medical clinic is located at 100 Falls Canyon Road up the street from Avalon’s City Hall on the bottom level of the hospital Visit CatalinaIslandHealth.org or call 310-510-0096 for more information or to make an appointment The emergency room is staffed 24/7 with a UC Irvine Emergency Medicine Physician and supported by the CI Health’s laboratory and diagnostic imaging departments to meet the acute medical needs of Catalina Island’s residents and visitors With the use of patient satisfaction surveys patients consistently rank CI Health’s emergency services as one of the best in the nation The hospital’s main number is 310-510-0700 There was an error; please refresh the page or try again There are no events matching your selection The Phoenix Street Transportation Department is doing a feasibility and design study that looks at extending the two-way protected bike lane on 3rd Avenue north of Catalina Drive to Osborn Road as well as adding the city's first protected intersection for bicycle riders This section of 3rd Avenue is part of the Phoenix Sonoran Bikeway a long-standing bicycle route that was established in 2001 the Sonoran Bikeway is a loop that covers 75 miles of paved surface The 3rd Avenue segment starts at Washington Street and continues all the way up to Maryland Avenue Option 1: Two-way protected bikeway transition at Catalina Dr. Option 2: Two-way protected bikeway transition at Earll Dr Option 3: Two-way protected bikeway transition at Osborn Rd The video recording of the virtual public meeting viewable above was hosted via Webex on February 20 to present an update to the community about the feasibility and design study Submit a question to the project team by calling the project hotline at 623-825-3444 or emailing Project Communications Consultant Albert Gran​ill​o at agranillo@barnhart​​co.com.​ Subscribe to the monthly Phoenix resident newsletter for updates Contact Form • Phone Directory Do you require an accommodation to participate in a City program, service, or activity? Contact the ADA Compliance Program at least five business days before the event Documents are available in alternative formats upon request. Learn more about ADA Compliance Provide feedback about modernized Phoenix.gov City of Phoenix. All rights reserved. Review our privacy policy and statement of commitment. Print Catalina Island which has plenty of horses in its history but stopped offering rides to visitors in 2008 The fledgling, Avalon-based Catalina Horseback Adventures offered its first guided rides Feb Most rides take 45-90 minutes and include hills clifftops with ocean views and occasional encounters with deer and island foxes This move draws on island tradition that goes back to the 1930s, when Catalina’s owners, the Wrigley family, set up a ranch known as El Rancho Escondido, which grew into an Arabian horse-breeding operation. The working ranch continues, 12 miles outside Avalon, and is often open for Saturday tours. Catalina Horseback Adventures offers rides on the island. (Ryan Longnecker / Catalina Horseback Adventures) But the new guided rides are a separate business, owned by Jeff Skelton, with the Catalina Island Co. as landlord. So far the operation includes 12 horses, “but we have more coming in a few days,” Skelton said Friday. The stables also have one mini horse (not available for riding), dubbed Peanut in a community naming contest. All rides are led by guides and open to riders from beginner to advanced, ages 9 and up. The weight limit for riders is 240 pounds. Introductory prices for a 45-minute group ride are in the range of $125-$175, Skelton said, and may be adjusted as the operation settles in. Prices will be higher for private rides, which can include as few as two guests and as many as 10. (Catalina residents get discounts.) Travel & Experiences Public horseback rides were a feature of island tourism for about 60 years until 2008, when the Catalina Island Co. (which owns most of the island’s developable land) shut down the stables near Catalina Island Golf Course the company cited safety concerns over possible flooding after fires that had stripped vegetation from hills above which means golfers occasionally pause to let riding groups “play through.” Once they reach more rugged territory the riders sometimes encounter deer or island foxes but not the bison that are known for roaming other parts of the island Skelton said the idea of bringing back public trail rides came up in recent years while he was on rides with a group called Los Caballeros, which has organized private rides on the island since the 1940s. “I kept saying somebody should do it,” Skelton said, and as it turns out, “it’s me.” Born and raised in California, Christopher Reynolds has written about travel, the outdoors, arts and culture for the Los Angeles Times since 1990. Lifestyle Subscribe for unlimited accessSite Map Catalina Island Health will receive a one-time allocation of $3 million from LA County’s Measure B surplus funds a motion to approve the funding was brought forth by LA County Board of Supervisor Janice Hahn who represents Catalina Island as part of the Fourth District The funds will help to stave off the closure of CIH while it works with the county and other government agencies on a long-term and sustainable solution (Note: This article includes information from a press release issued by Supervisor Hahn’s Office.) it would not only be disastrous to the health and well-being of Avalon residents and visitors but it would also have a dangerous ripple effect across our county’s emergency medical response system,” said Hahn approved by taxpayers to preserve trauma centers and emergency rooms will keep Catalina Island Health’s doors open to patients while we work on a long-term solution to keep this hospital operating and saving lives long into the future.” Measure B is a special tax approved by voters in 2002 for the sole purpose of funding the countywide system of trauma centers This tax is levied on all property owners in LA County – including those on Catalina Island It currently raises about $350 million each year with the majority of the funds going to only a few hospitals and up until now the approval of surplus funds from Measure B also introduces the potential for the hospital to receive an annual allocation from this county fund “Catalina Island Health and our entire island community are deeply grateful to Supervisor Hahn and each member of the LA County Board of Supervisors for understanding our need and providing this critical support,” said Jason Paret “This funding will allow us to continue to protect lives with 24/7 emergency care ensure health equity for our underserved community and avoid a potential healthcare crisis for LA County.” Catalina Island Health’s emergency room currently treats an average of 770 trauma patients each year with just 50 trauma patients requiring aerial transport to the mainland The hospital’s closure would force more helicopter evacuations of trauma patients and cost the County an estimated $14 million each year There would also be massive delays in treatment and could risk additional injury The funding was also supported by LA County Fire Chief Anthony C the county would incur an estimated $14 million in costs each year to deal with the additional amount of helicopter evacuations of trauma patients and even those less severe the county is deeply concerned about delays in treatment and the risks for additional injury and even death to patients should CIH close “The closure of Catalina Island Health would be catastrophic creating a significant void for Catalina Island residents and visitors in need of essential healthcare and emergency care,” Marrone said “The closure would also require a comprehensive plan to address healthcare access as well as costly medical transportation logistics to the mainland creating a financial strain for taxpayers,” Marrone said “I strongly support the allocation of one-time Measure B funds to maintain essential medical care for Catalina Island’s 4,000 year-round residents and 1 million tourists that visit the island annually.” In addition to being the only emergency room for the island Catalina Island Health is also the only source for primary and mental health services for the island’s residents The approved motion by the LA County Supervisors included an amendment by Supervisor Kathryn Barger It directs the LA County Department of Health Services to engage with CIH and report back in writing within 90 days with an analysis of the hospital’s emergency department operations including a detailed breakdown of expenditures DHS has been asked to provide technical assistance regarding billing and other administrative and operational needs relate to the emergency department “We look forward to working with DHS and to deepening our engagement with the county,” said Paret “I’d also like to take a moment to thank the individuals and businesses who shared letters of support with each member of the Board of Supervisors Nieuw AmsterdamNieuw AmsterdamNieuw AmsterdamNieuw AmsterdamNieuw Amsterdam14 Nights Wine Country And PnwLeaving from: San Diego →+9 ports 2026Holland America LineZaandamZaandamZaandamZaandam7 Nights 7 Nights  Pacific CoastalWine Country & Pacific NorthwestLeaving from: San Diego →+5 ports 2027Holland America LineZaandamZaandamZaandamZaandam4 Nights 4 Nights  Pacific CoastalPacific Coastal CruiseLeaving from: San Diego →+2 ports EurodamEurodamEurodamEurodamEurodam19 Nights 19 Nights  Panama Canal & Central AmericaPanama CanalLeaving from: Fort Lauderdale (Port Everglades) →+11 ports 2026Holland America LineKoningsdamKoningsdamKoningsdamKoningsdamKoningsdam4 Nights 4 Nights  Pacific CoastalCalifornia RetreatLeaving from: San Diego →+4 ports 2025Holland America LineZaandamZaandamZaandamZaandam11 Nights 11 Nights  Mexican RivieraMexican Riviera & Pacific CoastLeaving from: San Diego →+6 ports 2026Holland America LineZaandamZaandamZaandamZaandam18 Nights Mexican Riviera & Pacific CoastLeaving from: San Diego →+10 ports 2026Holland America LineEurodamEurodamEurodamEurodamEurodam26 Nights 26 Nights  Panama Canal & Central AmericaEastern Caribbean Explorer & Panama CanalLeaving from: Fort Lauderdale (Port Everglades) →+16 ports 2026Holland America Line.css-ad1o0y{display:-webkit-box;display:-webkit-flex;display:-ms-flexbox;display:flex;-webkit-box-pack:center;-ms-flex-pack:center;-webkit-justify-content:center;justify-content:center;height:-webkit-max-content;height:-moz-max-content;height:max-content;margin-bottom:var(--chakra-space-6);}Cruise Critic FavoriteNieuw AmsterdamNieuw AmsterdamNieuw AmsterdamNieuw AmsterdamNieuw Amsterdam14 Nights 14 Nights  Mexican RivieraBaja Peninsula And Classic California CoastLeaving from: San Diego →+8 ports 2025Holland America LineEurodamEurodamEurodamEurodamEurodam27 Nights 27 Nights  Panama Canal & Central AmericaEastern Caribbean Explorer & Panama CanalLeaving from: Fort Lauderdale (Port Everglades) →+17 ports 2026Holland America LineEurodamEurodamEurodamEurodamEurodam4 Nights 2026Holland America LineKoningsdamKoningsdamKoningsdamKoningsdamKoningsdam7 Nights 7 Nights  Pacific CoastalClassic California CoastLeaving from: San Diego →+4 ports 2026Holland America LineNieuw AmsterdamNieuw AmsterdamNieuw AmsterdamNieuw AmsterdamNieuw Amsterdam25 Nights 25 Nights  HawaiiPacific Coastal & Circle Hawaii CollectorLeaving from: San Diego →+12 ports 2026Holland America LineEurodamEurodamEurodamEurodamEurodam20 Nights 20 Nights  Panama Canal & Central AmericaPanama Canal With History ChannelLeaving from: Fort Lauderdale (Port Everglades) →+12 ports 1fr));}@media screen and (min-width: 576px){.css-vz9jrm{grid-template-columns:repeat(1 1fr));}}@media screen and (min-width: 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the starting gun for the 48th Catalina Island Marathon goes off among the runners hitting the island trails will be 72-year-old Bobby Porter and when he crosses the finish line he will have completed the Catalina Island Triple Crown Challenge The award is given to a runner who completes the islands three big races but this will be his first time doing all three in a 12-month span until officials at Spectrum Sports Management (the race organizers) informed him of it he admits he’s a little excited to see the belt buckle but he’d be here even if the challenge wasn’t offered “I started running on Catalina in the mid ‘80s and I love every minute of it,” Bobby said He began running as a high school freshman at a school with a nationally recognized cross-country team He asked the coach if he could be on the team The coach asked him if he would be at practice every day and work hard Bobby never cracked the top varsity lineup And he has never wavered from that mindset He soon adopted his own personal mantra: “I don’t run because I have to I run because I get to.” In 58 years of running he has completed well over 60 races of marathon length or more he also spent most of that time working in Hollywood His height topped out at 4’10” and someone suggested early on that he might be in demand in Hollywood as a stuntman standing in for child actors and smaller statured adults He worked steadily through the early 2000s including 138 episodes of Malcom in the Middle but admits that ‘no one really retires from Hollywood Hollywood retires from you.’ Now he considered himself a professional grandpa And he says the friendships and community he has met on the trails has been one of the biggest rewards of the sport a world-class runner who once qualified for the Olympic trials He ran the Catalina 50K back in November because she was running her first ultra-marathon and he wanted to be here for support he saw some men cheering and yelling that he was almost there in pain and focused on the final stretch and trying to cross the finish line He didn’t realize the men shouting encouragement were his sons (two biological who he thinks of as a third son.) It wasn’t until they came up to him after he crossed the finish line that he realized who they were “I had no idea they were going to be there,” Bobby said They had a hand-made sign that read “You don’t have to be here he was part of a Boy Scout Troop that came over to set up a volunteer aid station for runners in the marathon The Catalina Island Marathon has been around for 48 years – longer than the Los Angeles Marathon Bobby has no plans of slowing down any time soon and he said the Catalina races offer some great experiences but the organizers and volunteers do a great job for the runners “It is a very special place to run,” Bobby said the Catalina Island Conservancy presented to the Avalon City Council on the proactive efforts it takes to mitigate wildfire risk across the 42,000 acres it protects Though no amount of planning could fully withstand a firestorm fueled by hurricane-force winds like the Palisades and Eaton fires the Catalina Island Conservancy works year-round with the Los Angeles County Fire Department elected officials and key partners to reduce fire risk brush was removed across more than 700 acres 150 acres of highly flammable invasive species were treated and 350 miles of roads were maintained—roads that act as critical firebreaks and ensure emergency personnel can respond effectively Our rangers serve as the first line of detection reporting fires directly to Los Angeles County authorities have been trained as wildland firefighters equipped to assist under county fire leadership water tanks and trucks for fire suppression and requires leaseholders of campgrounds and coves to maintain county-mandated defensible space that acts as cleared buffer zones to reduce wildfire risk While these efforts help reduce immediate threats science clearly shows that long-term wildfire resilience depends on restoring the island’s ecosystem to naturally protect itself Overgrazing—first by livestock and feral animals then later by feeding habits of invasive deer—has degraded soil and vegetation increasing erosion and reducing the Island’s natural fire resistance Our island ecosystem is especially vulnerable to deer because native plants have not adapted or evolved to resist herbivores making Catalina more prone to losing habitat Some have suggested alternative fire management strategies A recent letter to the editor in this newspaper proposed that the Conservancy purchase and maintain firefighting helicopters and cited a nearly 20-year-old memo from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) it will always fall under Los Angeles County Fire Department’s jurisdiction just as the City of Avalon’s Fire Department manages citywide fire response The Conservancy’s role in fire prevention is to support county and city efforts through land management Avalon narrowly escaped disaster in May 2007 when a wind-driven wildfire forced evacuations and came dangerously close to homes historic wooden structures and tourism-based economy make it especially vulnerable to wildfires While the 2007 memo from CDFW provides historical context wildfire threats have escalated dramatically due to accelerating climate change and increasingly unpredictable weather patterns The devastating Los Angeles fires of January 2025 underscore how extreme fire conditions have become reinforcing the urgent need for proactive land management Further understanding of deer browsing’s impact on Catalina’s recovery followed the 2007 Island Fire with independent studies and research by scientists only 11% of re-sprouting woody plants died—compared to 88% in deer-exposed areas Deer browsing habits on young trees has reduced the island’s tree canopy by 93% in peer-reviewed studies weakening erosion control and habitat stability Deer feeding habits have also created space for highly flammable invasive grasses to grow—known as “one-hour fuels”—that dry out and burn quickly This grass now covers over 35% of the island making it more vulnerable to catastrophic fires This loss of native vegetation has cascading effects The mule deer’s preference for native shrubs and seedlings disrupts habitat for key species Once a vibrant sea of blue in the springtime from California lilac our island has lost much of its native vegetation the Conservancy launched the Catalina Island Restoration Project in 2024 By restoring native vegetation and removing invasive species Catalina will be better equipped to combat climate change and reduce wildfire risk agencies and elected officials support this critical initiative We encourage dialogue and invite residents to our next Last Friday Lecture—a community conversation on wildfire preparation at the Trailhead Visitor Center (708 Crescent Ave Catalina Island is the last of the Channel Islands—including those extending into Mexico—to take bold action against invasive species Let’s not wait for disaster to prove the cost of inaction We have the address for the funeral home & the family on file If you're not happy with your card we'll send a replacement or refund your money The family of Catalina "Cathy" Aldana created this Life Tributes page to make it easy to share your memories Sign up for our daily email affirmations by entering your information below The Catalina Island Women’s Golf Club took a road trip recently and traveled to Buellton where they played golf at Zaca Creek Golf Course Elizabeth came from Florida and Teri came from Gilroy to join the group They’re already thinking about where next year‘s trip might take them Aoukar Brings Proven Expertise in Scaling Operations and Driving Efficiency for High-Growth Brands a leading innovator in better-for-you Snacks and Cereals announces the appointment of Elias Aoukar as Chief Supply Chain Officer (CSCO) Aoukar will oversee all aspects of the company's supply chain operations and excellence as Catalina Crunch® continues its aggressive growth trajectory "We are thrilled to welcome Elias to the Catalina Crunch leadership team," said Doug Behrens "His deep expertise in supply chain management food quality & safety and logistics optimization will be critical in fueling our next phase of expansion With Elias at the helm of our supply chain we are well-positioned to drive even greater efficiencies and innovation across our business." Aoukar brings a wealth of experience in supply chain and operations leadership within the Consumer-Packaged Goods industry he served as Chief Operating Officer at ByHeart where he played a pivotal role in enhancing operational capabilities and scaling production to meet growing demand Aoukar held key leadership positions at major food companies where he successfully led supply chain transformation initiatives optimized sourcing strategies and strengthened end-to-end logistics "I am thrilled to join Catalina Crunch during such an exciting period of growth," said Elias Aoukar "The brand has built a strong reputation for delivering innovative and I look forward to enhancing our supply chain operations to support its continued expansion." This appointment reflects Catalina Snack's commitment to building a best-in-class executive team to support its rapid growth expanding retail footprint and a mission to redefine healthy snacking Catalina Crunch continues to bring disruptive category innovation to meet the changing needs of today's health-conscious consumers About Catalina Snacks and Catalina Crunch® Catalina Snacks is a high-growth Snacking company producing better-for-you products that deliver uncompromised taste and a craveable crunch The brand's mission is to make healthier options that are accessible and convenient for a variety of lifestyles and occasions.  Today Catalina Crunch® offers a robust line of healthy and delicious products including Cereal which are low in sugar while providing positive nutrition like protein and fiber a leading innovator in better-for-you snacks and cereals is entering an exciting new chapter with a bold refresh of its flagship.. proudly announces the appointment of Sarah Van Houten as Chief Financial.. Food & Beverages Retail Personnel Announcements Do not sell or share my personal information: Long-time island visitor has put her memories into print entitled “ABC is for Catalina Island” has been gaining some traction at local stores who grew up taking family trips to the island Katie Carter Elia grew up in Pasadena and made her first trip to Catalina at the age of two They would come to relax and play in the waters off the island and along the way made friends with many locals The family continued their trips up through Katie’s adulthood “Our family’s decades-long Catalina tradition is such a pivotal part of our lives; we have met so many now-loved ones on the sands of Main Beach and rocks of Lovers Cove,” Katie said Katie wound up going to Notre Dame University She was also married at the campus and some island friends made the trip to attend the wedding Katie and her husband Mario joined her parents on another trip back to the island and they brought along their 18-month old daughter for her first trip to the place she spent some many childhood days “It was a dream come true to see another generation fall in love with the island that has meant so much to us,” Katie said While on the island she kept an eye out for a children’s book about the island but had no drawing experience A friend had sent her a children’s book about Hawaii with some beautiful illustrations of that island Katie took a chance and reached out to the illustrator – a woman named Alvina Kwong She didn’t have much money to offer for her services but decided to see if they could work something out including her own engagement on Catalina Island,” Katie said Their shared love of Catalina was a catalyst for a partnership on the book and in 2024 Katie brought some copies to surprise her mom that year and she also showed a few around town the Catalina Island Museum and Island Threadz agreed to put some on their shelves for sale and the book has had buyers Much of the satisfaction for Katie has been connecting with buyers around the country who share her and Alvina’s love of Catalina Island There are a lot of magical things about living in L.A. but my newfound favorite is jumping on a ferry for a quick 70-minute ride — accompanied by schools of dancing dolphins and the occasional whale — to arrive at the craggy shore of the paradise that is Santa Catalina Island The island has a rich history rooted in pirates and smugglers at least back then) and missionaries — long before it became a resort destination for well-heeled Angelenos seeking an Amalfi Coast-like locale.In the Golden Age of Hollywood Catalina Island became a hideout for Tinseltown celebrities who came in droves was quoted in an island newspaper saying that Catalina was “the only place where I can get away to work amid real inspiration.” As the charming town and its commanding view of the world-famous Catalina Casino built over the surf appears Some of Hollywood’s best films were shot in part on Catalina Island dating back to silent films in the ’20s Later movies with scenes set around Catalina Island include The Glass Bottom Boat which spawned a real-life Catalina Wine Mixer The Catalina Wine Mixer made famous by the movie "Step Brothers" is now a real event on the island  STAYI disembarked the ferry and rolled my suitcase over to the Hotel Atwater a charming 95-room hotel built in 1920 — a year after chewing gum magnate and Chicago Cubs owner William Wrigley Jr. fell in love with Santa Catalina and purchased control of the Santa Catalina Island Company which continues to be run by generational members of the Wrigley clan to this day The hotel has recently undergone a renovation and greets guests with vibrant oceanic hues that are immediately soothing to frenetic Angelenos (at least this one) The hotel is named for Wrigley’s daughter-in-law one of a long line of businesswomen in the dynasty that fought to preserve the island’s pristine natural state with the creation of the Catalina Island Conservancy — which manages 88 percent of the Island’s 48,000 acres of land framed by 60 miles of rocky waterfront A nod to Helen’s love of a nightly glass of bubbly before bed DOThere is no doubt that strolling over to the ultra-luxurious Descanso Beach Club a private beach where guests can sip a drink with toes in the sand is to experience an afternoon of respite in the sun The club’s food is an upscale spin on beach shack fare which can be enjoyed at a private cabana or at a table just feet from the soft waves of the bay The lounge chairs fanned by the ocean breeze invite a snooze But for the more active visitors to Catalina there are 165 hiking trails crisscrossing the island with stunning views and special guests: bison There’s also the Botanical Gardens and a zipline with panoramic vistas Aerial games in Santa Catalina Island  is an upscale steakhouse with impressive meat and fish dishes But the real draw to this spot is rooted in the rich history of the Wrigley family’s indelible imprint on Catalina Island: the Wrigley Martini which was made famous by ink-stained scribes and sports figures in 1950s Chicago where it was served in the Windy City’s landmark Wrigley Building the drink has been recreated by the mixologists at the Avalon Grille and it’s easy to see why it was a favorite of the old-school hard-bitten news gatherers of that era LOCAL LEGENDOn Thanksgiving weekend in 1981 Hollywood star Natalie Wood was found floating in the Pacific Ocean near the 60-foot yacht shared with her husband called “the Splendour.” The couple had set sail that weekend with Wood’s co-star in the movie Brainstorm Her death was initially ruled an “accidental drowning” but her case was reopened by the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department homicide division with the investigation focusing on Wagner after witnesses described a fight earlier that night The LASD cleared Wagner in 2022 and Wood’s death continues to be mulled over as an enduring Hollywood mystery._Side TripThe El Rancho Escondido or “the hidden ranch,” is where Helen and her husband Phillip once maintained a stable of prize-winning horses The ranch is now home to some of the most exquisite Arabian horses and serves as a small museum for the Wrigley family’s equestrian victories It’s also home to the family’s grapes for Rusack Vineyards Wild bison roam Catalina freely  _GETTING THERE The Catalina Express departs from Long Beach and the Catalina Flyer ferries from Newport Beach Thelma Golden will celebrate Lauren Halsey and U.K.-based singer Griff will take the stage featured A-list designers and Otis College standouts who earned scholarships for innovation in Fashion Design lawyers say Boston Police Officer John O'Keefe showed injuries consistent with a dog attack and plan to present a case against Chloe a German Shepherd who was re-homed by the owner's of the house where the cop's body was found in a snowbank Magazine’s takeaways on five notable topics from President Donald Trump’s first 100 days of his second term consumers are stocking up on household items and bites from THEBlvd and Hinoki & the Bird This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks. The action you just performed triggered the security solution. There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase, a SQL command or malformed data. You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked. Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page. knowing I had to utter a string of words that was totally ridiculous but absolutely true I approached the kindly lady working the window and as she looked up I spit it out: “Hello but turns out I was far from the first backpacker to fall victim to corvid-related crime on the island and it was probably ravens not crows that tore my map up and attempted to liberate my snacks from my backpack when I put it down for a single moment and a healthy distrust of all ravens everywhere dusty landscape to do what I had set out to do: solo backpack all 38.5 miles of the Trans-Catalina Trail Photo by Karl Hess for ThrillistLaying just off the coast of Southern California, Santa Catalina Island is mostly known for being a laid-back weekend getaway from LA; it’s a place to snorkel and sip an umbrella drink—but it’s also a sprawling backcountry playground for the adventurous As dolphins frolicked in the boat’s giant wake and the clear mid-December sun sparkled and danced off the sea-foam I was feeling good about my first solo backpacking trip since I was a kid at wilderness camp in the woods of Maine wander the interior of the island doing what they please Although I remembered reading that in 2018 a man camping at Little Harbor A new goal for the trip emerged in my mind as the ferry pulled into Avalon Bay: do not get gored by a bison Photo by Karl Hess for ThrillistMost people start the trail in Avalon but I had decided to hike it the other way Day One would see me ascending and traversing steep ridgelines with commanding panoramas then precipitously dropping down into the rocky coastal tip of the island to camp at Parson’s Landing one of the most dramatic and secluded campsites on all of Catalina Eight sites stretch along a gorgeous beach strewn with rocks as the lights of Los Angeles glimmer far off on the horizon underneath the winking stars and above the booming surf Over the next three days I would see very few people and would also have the unique experience of walking into an operational and ordering a bison burger and beer at the attached restaurant while taking in the sweeping scenery of mountain and sea After days of dehydrated backpacking food the bison burger tasted glorious and I decided that if I hiked by any of its immediate relatives later I would simply avoid eye contact The going on the Trans-Catalina Trail was certainly tough at times And there were more than enough jaw-dropping views to soothe the pain of the lung-busting When I re-emerged from the interior and slowly made my way back into Avalon but a smile was plastered on my face that would stay there for a long while Please enable JS and disable any ad blocker one-time payment would come from county Measure B funds Catalina Island Health will ask the LA County Board of Supervisors for a one-time payment of $3 million from the Measure B fund The supervisors will vote on the request on Tuesday “Measure B was approved by voters in November 2002 to provide revenue to support the countywide system of trauma centers trauma prevention and bioterroism response activities,” according to the LA County Auditor-Controller’s website “That property tax now raises $350M/year for a few hospitals in the county; CIH is not one of those hospitals They have a surplus of $25M this year and we are asking for $3M,” according to the Catalina Island Health website “CIH is a Trauma Stabilization Provider and should have been receiving some of the Measure B funds for the last 20 years,” according to the Catalina Island Health website The hospital is asking the public to send a letter of support for the proposal to the Board of Supervisors Love Catalina Island Tourism Authority (the local Chamber of Commerce) has encouraged the business community to send letters to the Board of Supervisors encouraging their support Love Catalina distributed a letter from Catalina Island Health and Catalina Island Health Foundation “CIH loses over $4M/year on Medi-Cal patients; that means that we have solid audited documentation that it costs CIH $5M to deliver Medi-Cal care we’d like to make a profit and get reimbursed $6M in reality we only get reimbursed $1M for $5M in services,” according to the CIH/CIH Foundation letter the board had received zero comments on the request CIH has historically been a financially fragile medical institution the closure of CIH would not only exacerbate local health inequities on the Island but would place an exorbitant financial burden on Los Angeles County (County),” Hahn wrote “There would also be a massive delay in treatment due to transportation accessibility and that delay in time could risk additional injury Due to the current financial status of CIH one-time cash infusion is necessary before CIH’s cashflow runs out in July of 2025 which was a special tax that voters supported in 2002 exists for the sole purpose of funding the Countywide System of Trauma Centers available funding through Measure B must be considered and approved for utilization for the County ’s goal of health equity for its over 10 million residents and decrease additional burden on the County ’s fiscal and workforce resources,” Hahn wrote Executive Circle Awards Kevin Catalina is Suffolk County’s new police commissioner Sign up for your daily digest of Long Island Business News Listen to this article Long Island Business News has announced that it has chosen this year’s winn[...] The financial landscape of Long Island continues to evolve through the leadership of the remarkable [...] Long Island’s business landscape contains a remarkable tapestry of organizations that have stood t[...] Celebrate International Women’s Day and Women’s History Month by showcasing the extraordinary wo[...] Listen to this article Lorraine Gregory Communications will be holding a blood drive at its Edgewood[...] Long Island lost 3,100 construction jobs year-over-year in March ending a 12-month streak of gains,[...] Kids Empire and My Gym are opening at Mayfair Shopping Center in Commack Chick-fil-A opens its 12th Long Island location in East Meadow creating 80 jobs and supporting loca[...] Realty Three plans $120M South Village at Station Crossings with 273 rentals Amazon plans to purchase 26.7 acres of Massapequa’s Sunrise Mall site to build a new South Shore d[...] Our mission at Long Island Business News is to be the vital business news and advertising source to Long Island’s most influential readers Get our free LIBN e-alerts & breaking news notifications Subscribe for access to the latest digital and special editions 04.15.2025 | Discoveries, News, Wild Life and it quickly becomes clear how out of place Santa Catalina’s ground squirrels really are Santa Catalina Island ground squirrels (Otospermophilus beecheyi nesioticus) with their adorable mottled coats of cinnamon aren’t found on any of the other seven Channel Islands which form an archipelago off California’s southern coast So how did the ground squirrels manage to get to one island that lies more than 40 kilometers (25 miles) from shore—yet skip all the others an archaeologist at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History the ground squirrel’s ticket to island life could have taken two routes: Either a pregnant female or a breeding pair rafted across from the mainland on floating debris the squirrels were brought over—perhaps intentionally—by the Indigenous Tongva (Gabrieliño/Gabrielino) the earliest known human inhabitants of the four southern Channel Islands and the Los Angeles Basin and codirector of the Pimu Catalina Island Archaeological Project (PCIAP) with archaeological evidence putting Tongva people there at least 8,000 years ago “It was the place where the most powerful people lived,” she adds That occupation persisted until around the 1830s when Spanish missionaries in the newly independent Mexico forcibly removed the last of Martinez’s ancestors as curator of the Smithsonian’s department of North American archaeology has spent the past 15 years studying how the Channel Islands’ ecosystem evolved independently of the mainland While working on a larger project exploring the islands’ iconic wildlife Rick approached Martinez and the PCIAP about getting to the bottom of the ground squirrels’ provenance the PCIAP has been trying to understand Santa Catalina Island’s Indigenous history through archaeology To ensure contemporary Tongva people have a voice in directing and producing research affecting their community PCIAP brought into the project a Tongva tribal council with connections to the island Acknowledging living Tongva perspectives was crucial because “we were always thought of as extinct—that we didn’t exist anymore.” To unravel the mystery of the squirrels’ arrival the scientists plumbed for clues in the Catalina Island Conservancy’s preexisting collections of ancient squirrel bones using radiocarbon dating to zero in on the timeframe of their island debut They also performed genetic analyses on modern squirrels to determine when the island population broke off from its mainland relatives The results While squirrel bones are common in Tongva archaeological sites “They’re all less than 2,000 years old,” says Rick The island’s modern squirrels and their mainland counterparts are also genetically quite similar “This is clearly all starting to point to a human introduction,” he says and their colleagues found the distinctive marks of burning and butchering along with the discovery of residual rodent protein in an ancient stone bowl suggests squirrels were on the menu for Tongva people many generations ago Martinez says she’s not aware of the Tongva community retaining any oral histories about the squirrels and she could imagine her ancestors intentionally bringing the squirrels over in their ti’at and the genetic analyses all suggest Santa Catalina Island’s squirrels were introduced at least 1,500 years ago “Having these multiple lines of evidence that all converge on the same conclusion is really important,” says Christina Giovas an environmental archaeologist at Simon Fraser University in British Columbia who was not involved in the study The fact that fossilized ground squirrels are almost exclusively found near sites  associated with humans further supports the idea of human introduction ground squirrels are still dinner—though not for people Pimu’s squirrels support a threatened population of Santa Catalina Island foxes It’s just one of the many ecological legacies left by Indigenous stewardship of the Channel Islands she reflects on her ancestors’ intimacy with the land—while sidestepping the abundant squirrels’ burrows She says traditional Tongva values about human responsibility to recognize and protect the land’s other inhabitants offer crucial messages for today’s changing world “We’re trying to strike a balance of how humans can coexist with everything that’s around us,” she says the study not only answers a scientific question about the Channel Islands’ distinctive wildlife but also provides an opportunity “to reinvigorate those relationships between Tongva and their island homelands,” he says that’s one of the most important things we can do with archaeology.” We’re a free multimedia magazine without a paywall or intrusive ads—and we’d like to keep it that way We believe these stories need to be told; that inspiring both a deep appreciation for life on Earth and hope for its future is a critical step toward a thriving planet please consider making a donation to help secure the future of bioGraphic Ashley Braun is an award-winning science and environmental journalist based in Seattle Her writing has appeared in publications such as The Atlantic and she has reported in locales from the United Nations climate summit in Morocco to Australia’s Great Barrier Reef @abraun3 @ashleybraun bioGraphic is powered by the California Academy of Sciences a renowned scientific and educational institution dedicated to regenerating the natural world through science INDIANAPOLIS, March 18, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Catalina Snacks is entering an exciting new chapter with a bold refresh of its flagship brand the update includes a transformational packaging redesign featuring a new brand logo and real food photography along with taste improvements to cereal and cookies making each bite even more flavorful and satisfying "As we broaden our appeal to a larger health & wellness audience while still delivering exceptional nutrition that consumers demand" Chief Revenue & Marketing Officer at Catalina Snacks "Our redesign will drive our impact at shelf powerful nutritional claims and mouth-watering product imagery increasing brand appeal for consumers seeking delicious satisfying snacks that support their wellness goals" The refreshed packaging features a new sunburst logo and bright colors designed to confidently highlight product macros and appetizing food imagery The new look will help shoppers quickly identify the nutritious options they crave Catalina Crunch has also introduced a "Love Every Bite Guarantee" across the portfolio Catalina Crunch has executed a high-impact recipe improvement across cereal and cookies delivering an even better eating experience we've always been dedicated to evolving our products to meet consumers' changing needs," said Wendy Behr we've taken that mission even further – enhancing the flavor profile and rebalancing the sweetness while maintaining our strong macro nutrients The result is a snack that appeals to an even broader audience making it easier than ever for people to enjoy our delicious Catalina Crunch's rebrand comes on the heels of a record-breaking 2024 during which the brand surpassed $100 million in retail sales expanded into over 22,000 retail locations nationwide and helped consumers cut more than 2.5 million pounds of sugar from their diets* The brand also secured its position as the highest-velocity better-for-you cereal brand in the space** The new packaging and recipes are already hitting shelves and will continue to roll out this spring at major retailers nationwide About Catalina Snacks and Catalina Crunch®Founded in 2018 by Krishna Kaliannan The brand's mission is to make healthier options that are accessible and convenient for a variety of lifestyles and occasions Catalina Crunch offers a robust line of healthy and delicious products including cereal *Based on '24 Volume: CC cereal has 0/1g of sugar per serving vs 12g in avg conventional cereal**Based on total $/TDP of top 5 natural/specialty brands in Total US MULO in latest 52 WE 1/26/2025 announces the appointment of Elias Aoukar as Chief Supply Chain Officer.. New Products & Services the Pontiac Bonneville and Catalina hardly ever get mentioned this is because they were the shortest-lived of these B-cars offered only from 1977 until the summer of 1981 When sales tanked thanks to the OPEC oil crisis in 1979 and a recession a year earlier but his future vision for Pontiac lay with cars like the Fiero Even fans of 1970s Pontiacs would usually rather discuss the Firebird the excitement brand’s biggest winners (and legends) of that decade and the relative scarcity of the Bonneville and Catalina has led to the perception that these Pontiacs weren’t all that successful Full-size Pontiac sales rose in 1977 and actually went up again in 1979 anything like the much-venerated late-1960s Pontiacs which might be why collectors don’t talk much about them today Growing up where everybody drove big Detroit iron when these cars were fairly new—Chicago and then the Bronx—I’ve always been fascinated by the Bonneville’s clean lines, bold colors, and fender skirts. It seemed the most distinctive “Project 77” car to me, and like the Buick LeSabre coupe, oddly similar to Paulo Martin’s Fiat 130 Coupe But no marque history or fan forum has ever really delved into how they were created or whatever happened to them—until now lead designer Terry Henline told me all about it this is the story of the Bonneville and the Catalina,” Henline started “but it’s really the story of how a Chevrolet became a Pontiac.” If you recognize Henline’s name, it’s probably because he played a key role in dozens of famous GM designs, even if he isn’t much interested in the limelight. He came up through the Fisher Body Craftsman’s guild and his list of hits stretches from the original 1970 Chevrolet Monte Carlo to the 1988 Pontiac Grand Prix as well as the Chevy Avalanche and Hummer H2 Shortly after the Monte Carlo went into production Henline was transferred to the Chevrolet Advanced Studio which was more about ideas than production cars “We never knew why we were moved around; that was something only VPs understood,” Henline told me [Design boss] Bill Mitchell hated facing [Chevrolet head] John DeLorean so he’d only come around when DeLorean wasn’t around and said ‘Kid’—he always called me kid—‘Over in Italy they’re doing this real sheer Put something like this together and show me what you can do.’” “Like the Fiat 130 Coupe?” I asked Henline “This may sound shocking but I can’t say I was truly paying attention to Italian cars then though the renderings I did were influenced by the roof of the Fiat 124 Coupe.” Henline soon produced two large airbrushed renderings of a spare muscular coupe with sheer sides and an airy greenhouse “Nobody at the design center had been doing anything like that He’d challenged us to figure out how to build a Chevy that captured that sheer planar look.” With fellow advanced designers Jerry Brochstein and Hank Cramer Henline then created a full-size clay model of the shape which wowed Mitchell and the other design leaders I think that’s it,’” and that look from Henline’s team set the direction for the 1977 Caprice and Impala I’m as proud of that illustration as anything I’ve ever done.” Chevy’s production studio designers then took the clay and concepts to flesh out the production cars they tended to get promoted.” Right after the success of the blue rendering and the clay “Somebody decided to promote me to lead Pontiac Studio One and re-interpret the car I’d just done for Chevrolet as a Pontiac.” For what it’s worth Henline was not a person who actually drove traditional big GM cars Around the time he started working on the Bonneville and Catalina he and his wife both drove Austin-Healey 3000s The promotion made one half of the team that would shape the two decades of Pontiacs While Schinella’s group handled specialty machines like Firebirds and Fieros Henline’s team worked on bread-and-butter models like the Bonneville so what was going on in Pontiac One was a secret to the rest of the building and it helped to set high standards and differentiate the cars Pontiac struggled mightily to reconcile its 1960s performance image with falling power outputs and the increasing customer focus on luxury or the appearance thereof The decade also coincided with constantly shifting leadership at the division with four general managers in less than 10 years each of whom had little history with Pontiac and struggled with the fast-evolving market challenges of the time They and Pontiac dealers wanted to sell cars that were in tune with the times so the shape that Henline’s team crafted wasn’t meant to be overtly muscular “We wanted to create a glamorous full-size sedan that had distinct Pontiac overtones I look back on it and I’m not 100% sure we were successful there but we did our best and we liked the car.” Many of its traits were also longtime Pontiac tropes from older Bonnevilles wasn’t necessarily a big fan of fender skirts “but what I was really doing was just trying to give the Pontiacs a more unique flair You’ll remember it had to share some panels with other cars We were also asked by marketing to do some things that we might otherwise not have done.” The Catalina which were more similar to Henline’s original concept Although Henline didn’t consider them perfect the designs were finished in a compressed time frame and they came out well GM dealers and executives fretted over the downsizing decision where big cars had been struggling as Oldsmobile swiped sales in the era of the Brougham sales rose from 137,216 big Ponchos in 1976 to 207,920 in ’77 with Catalina sales declining while Bonneville and flashier Bonneville Broughams boomed a few Catalinas used Buick’s 3.8-liter V-6 and a few (now highly prized) models got Pontiac 350 or 400 V-8s Oldsmobile’s burly 403 sometimes subbed in torque-surfing cruisers in an era of iffy quality They sold about as well as the Buick LeSabre GM updated the big cars again with formal-looking but more aerodynamic shapes while also shuffling around the engines The update had been planned from the start and work on the 1980 models had begun right around the time the ’77s had gone on sale They launched right into the teeth of the 1979 OPEC oil crisis and then a double-dip recession that did not abate until 1982 Sales of all traditional full-size cars cratered and the big Pontiacs had their worst year since 1942 though the drop was most pronounced on the Catalina GM’s archival photos show that a slightly more dramatic look was considered for the 1980 Pontiacs but they were essentially just evolutions of the ’77 Henline didn’t think it had anything to do with the styling there would have been no way of predicting that “One of the problems you have as a designer is that you finish your work and the car doesn’t come out for three years Most designers are not marketers; they focus on the next big idea.” Henline’s later Pontiac works would spin lots of money and positive press for Pontiac Around the time the Bonneville and Catalina were dropped his team was beginning work on what became the formal-roofed 1985 Grand Am Demand for it immediately outstripped supply and it soon became Pontiac’s biggest seller.  After that came the 1988 Grand Prix and the 1990 Trans Sport minivan the former of which Henline is particularly proud of because it combined the artistic act of taking the Grand Prix in an entirely new direction with hundreds of hours of wind-tunnel testing to make it functional It then won loads of accolades and looked great on both the road and the track “I have an autographed poster from Rusty Wallace from when he was driving that Grand Prix I think everyone at GM Design Center was jealous of Schinella and me because of the work we were doing and all the racing events we got to go to.” Henline continued designing until 2001 and still drives GM cars today but I also have a 2013 Mini Cooper S that I love who spent only 18 months on the job before heading to Opel Pontiac’s popular Firebird and Grand Prix had not overcome the lack of direction from all those managers and Stempel had aimed to reconstitute Pontiac as the “small car” division even though more than 80,000 Bonnevilles were sold in 1980 The only product Pontiac had for this market in 1982 was the “Bonneville G,” a renamed lightly restyled version of the former LeMans sedan and wagon with the once-popular LeMans name and coupe axed product planner John Middlebrook explained to author Thomas Bonsall that the 1970s had been full of reactive decisions for previous managers “Why is Olds selling all those Cutlass Supremes I saw those years as trying to be all things to all people.” whom Henline describes as a dedicated manager had a long history with Pontiac dating back to 1964 and understood the brand he organized the “Pontiac Image Conference,” in which execs from all over the division brainstormed how to get the division back on track Euro-look models of the 1980s that began with the Firebird and 6000 and a new advertising slogan: “We Build Excitement.” Hoglund did not entirely forget about traditional customers Pontiac’s large Canadian dealer body refused to let go of the B-body and continued building their version of the car in Oshawa Midwestern Pontiac dealers liked Hoglund’s new direction but also pleaded for B-body models to sell as memories of the fuel crisis faded It was popular enough to justify having the 1980 Bonneville’s rear styling grafted back on for 1985–86 It was then replaced by the futuristic-looking That car distilled the new direction of the division into a totally fresh large car still sporting almost the same styling it had in 1977 carried on as the last vestige of the rear-drive big Pontiac faded away in 1989 when the Trans Sport arrived The burgundy ’78 Bonneville you see here is owned by Washingtonian Steve Marchese Meeting him at a local cars and coffee is what reignited my curiosity about these Bonnevilles Marchese is a big fan of Henline’s designs having bought the Bonneville because he missed his old 1977 Chevy Impala As we cruised up the Kitsap Peninsula en route to our photo spot it was easy to appreciate the car’s merits Marchese bought the car from its second owner and among the few things he did to it afterward was fitting the “turbine” original hubcaps Marchese’s fascination started early in NYC “I’m from Queens and I was a kid when these were new and you’d see all the neighborhood guys in Regals and Cutlasses and Coupe DeVilles “GM still knew how to make a big V-8 rear-drive car then one that was spacious and wouldn’t bankrupt you either at the gas pump or the mechanic’s shop I think they got a lot of things right with these cars at a time when many things were going wrong People often speak dismissively about Malaise Era cars but you have to remember the challenges they were facing.” and while Pontiac did bring back the B-body Parisienne in 1983 1980 was the beginning of the end for big two-doors It’s not as luxurious as a Buick Electra or something but it has lots of nice design details that my Chevy didn’t have You’d hardly know that the hardware is basically the same as the Impala’s you can tell a Pontiac of this era from an Olds I always loved these Pontiac coupes for their details,” he adds this was exactly the result Henline’s team hoped for In 1977 it was now the right size and you could still get a 400 Pontiac V8 not an Olds or Chevy I also like the model in the black and white photo directly under that in the article My family has owned nearly a dozen of the next-gen of these and being in Canada quite a few of them were Parisiennes I’ve always preferred the more base trim ones for looks plus the lower trims on these held the salt badly That blue rendering would built excitement today if made into a production model without ruining the proportions of it Would love to see more historical design photos from 71 to 76 with the sportier b body styles Compare these Ponchos with the (at best) bland or (at worst) downright ugly vehicles on the road today the price of these cars would have been very affordable today The glory days of the automobile are sadly over – guess I’m stating the obvious Nostalgia is one heck of a drug… I’d argue that cars today look the best they have in decades I think we get stuck in “the good old days” mentality and forget to look at things objectively they were either gorgeous or had the same style as a dog’s backside or the same way that the 90s-00s jelly bean era looks decent at the right angle I guess growing up in the 1970s was better than I realized at the time These cars used to make good winter beaters but now they’re too old to be reliable enough for that Put a 200r4 (no electronics needed other than a clutch converter lock up) in it Add fuel injection and you have a reliable efficient cruiser These cars are basically bullet proof and you can do brake upgrades and suspension if you want to for a lot less than the down payment on a new 30,000 new car “The story of how a Chevrolet became a Pontiac” Much of the reason why we no longer have Pontiac Buick (don’t even mention those ridiculous SUVs with Buick badges) at least the Chevy version: my Dad drove a Caprice wagon for years These B and C bodies were absolutely bulletproof and soundly engineered cars I only remember that the paint jobs were crap I still own a derivative (1994 Fleetwood) which I will never part with Too bad that the B bodies from this era got caught up in the badge-engineering sickness that others did Although the B body Pontiac was a nice looking car and you could get a Pontiac engine (in the early versions they were difficult to distinguish from their B Body cousins in 1977 and beyond Dad and his neighbor each bought new ’77 Catalina 4-doors Dad’s came with a 301 cid Pontiac engine and Mike’s came with a 305 cid Chevy engine Didn’t some of the Bonnies have an optional 455 V-8 which had the disastrous Aluminum timing gear like GM’s V-6 All of the BOP 455’s were gone after 1976 The best that you could have had after 1976 was a 403 Olds I believe most of the gm’s had them I had one go out on my ’69 GTO at around 40,000 miles It was a non interference motor so all that happend was it didn’t run No problem for a gear head to fix and back then parts were cheap less then 50 bucks to fix and back on the road in less than a day We bought a one year old 1978 Bonneville as our first 4 door car so we could get our daughter in and out of her car seat It was our first car with power windows and air conditioning (we did not have ac in our house!) and we drove it for over 100,000 miles the only problem we had was that living in upstate NY the aluminum support frame for the rear bumper corroded away but since that was part of the 5mph bumper system it was replaced under a recall the “full size” sedans were even smaller so we had to reluctantly switch to a minivan to hold our family of five I bought a 1973 Pontiac Grandville Convertible a year ago and I love the car it’s red with with white interior and a white top thinking of bringing it to some car shows soon 👍☺️ You don’t happen to live in Tustin do you Someone on my walking route has one fitting that description that appeared about a year ago and I’d love to get a closer look https://photos.app.goo.gl/zfYMceG4hj5DhCrT6 https://photos.app.goo.gl/fYRxkUHxrRLyCrF7A https://photos.app.goo.gl/7uVAxQfJaBYL96vW7 Enjoyed the article — is a reminder of what was a more positive era of automobiles than I remembered The first time I heard the word “Catalina,” it referred to a type of salad dressing and its main village of Avalon via a 25-mile makes for a satiating escape favored by sailors after cruising past the permanently docked ocean liner the Queen Mary I spotted dolphins soaring above smooth seas beside the Catalina Island Express Ferry I was relaxing with a drink in the ship’s Commodore Lounge headed for a one-night stay on the island and there is an airstrip on Catalina at 1,600-feet elevation.)  “The diving park at Catalina Island is amazing because the water is clear and the underwater kelp forest has strands as long as 40-feet high I have seen lots of fish and sea lions,” a young woman taking two dive-buddies for the first time told me as the ferry pulled into the scenic harbor My first impression was the tiny village of Avalon which is all most visitors to Catalina Island experience I rode the complimentary shuttle from the dock to the Catalina Canyon Hotel – a resort straight up the mountainside atop Avalon contemporary oasis is right next to the Catalina Island Golf Course Aside from the descent down the first hole and climb up after the ninth though power carts and rental clubs are available I confess my pal Paul Cavallero beat me by one shot but a local Mexican cantina right across the street behind the 9th green eased the pain Catalina Canyon’s shuttle also loops back and forth to the center of town I wandered around Avalon’s waterfront commercial district and Crescent Street beachfront promenade which is happily absent of any chain restaurants or stores I heard a big voice booming out of a speaker under the red and white-striped awning of “Original Antonio’s” pizza “Anyone out there: I will trade a slice of pizza for some cookies and cream ice cream…” Amidst the classier watering holes lining Catalina Avenue leading to the aquamarine-colored fish and chips window at the end of the pier one of two dive bar-style saloons I would darken the doors of that day – the other being The Locker Room Sports Bar at which a sign out front read: “cocktails and games.” Both bars were the kind of places with pool tables and darts and sawed-open beer kegs as urinals “Can I have the coldest light beer you have?” I asked the bartender at The Locker Room and started reaching for the Michelob Ultra tap handle I spotted a white flag bearing a blue “W.” I recognized that flag Wrigley Field flies that flag each time the Cubs win a baseball game The Cubbies held spring training on Catalina Island when owner William Wrigley was developing part of the island but preserving most of the mountainous desert land in perpetuity by donating the land to a conservancy facts I learned in the intriguing Catalina Island Museum gardens and a memorial are on Catalina – but not his remains The harbor and village of Avalon – from the dock to historic artistic casino building – is a scenic stroll Some people rent golf carts to follow a sign-posted panoramic path up onto the 8-mile-wide island’s interior for $85 per hour – guided tours are also offered Sipping a skinny margarita in the waterfront Bluewater Avalon restaurant I met a couple who lived on their sailboat in the harbor “Summers here and then we sail to Mexico for the winter We make our own water – we are ‘off the grid,’” said the gentleman He retired from being a sound producer on major motion pictures such as “Bridesmaids” and “The Heat.” Catalina Island served as a set for films such as “Jaws;” “Hunt for the Red October;” “Pearl Harbor; “Waterworld,” and many more Both Marilyn Monroe and Taylor Swift are among the luminaries who have left their footprints on Catalina Island Contact Michael Patrick Shiels at MShiels@aol.com  His new book: Travel Tattler – Not So Torrid Tales, may be purchased via Amazon.com Hear his radio talk show on WJIM AM 1240 in Lansing weekdays from 9 am – noon at the Catalina Island Golf Course and once again the event was a huge success Each year 60 junior golfers from all over California Nevada and our local junior golf contingent combine to be part of a wonderful experience for players and their family and friends who also join in on the fun This event would not be such a success if it weren’t for the Sewell family and their son Ryan form an amazing team who promotes and organizes the entire event with the great support of the Catalina Island Golf Course and its wonderful staff of workers especially those making the course and the greens so beautiful and playable players and family enjoyed mini golf at our local miniature golf course where our local high school golf team put on a nice pitching exhibition This was pretty impressive since they were on a putting course There is no doubt that our local boys represented their town in fine fashion throughout the weekend receiving many compliments from the spectators for their great attitude and performance in the two-day golf tournament Senior Jose Pedroza turned in the best 18 hole score for our local contingent on Sunday with an impressive 3 over par 67 His teammate Senior Aaron Meza turned in a nice score as well with a 69 Seventh grader Kevin Mulgado shot a 74 on Sunday serving notice that there is a bright future for Avalon Golf The overall champion of the tournament was Sam Bonzoumet from Riverside with an impressive even par score of 128 for 36 holes This is an outstanding score on a very challenging layout with difficult greens because of their slopes and angulations This year’s tournament attracted some of the best junior golfers of Southern California and is only growing in stature thanks to the hard work of the Sewells Our local junior golfers have benefited greatly from the generosity of Catalina Jr a non-profit organization formed by the Sewell family with a definite mission in mind Their purpose is to provide resources to our local junior golfers so that they can enjoy the wonderful game of golf and resources that the organization has provided Their mission is being accomplished and it is making a difference in our kids’ lives In addition to putting on an excellent junior golf tournament Bill also sponsors our local junior golfers at tournaments on the mainland and provides them with the necessary equipment so that they can compete equally with the other junior golfers of the world Bill’s son Ryan is a former champion of the tournament and the Sewell family’s goal has been to give back to Avalon what it gave to Ryan when he was a junior golfer back in the day They have accomplished their goal and even surpassed their own expectations The tournament is well organized and well run from beginning to end Throughout the two days there was constant excitement especially when the scores were posted on a brand new professional leaderboard designed and built by Ed and Chris Arnold Olivia Hernandez provided a great BBQ with hot dogs and hamburgers on Saturday took place on Sunday at the conclusion of the tournament The Catalina Junior Golf Tournament had disappeared for a few years and now the Sewell family with the support of the Catalina Island Golf Course has brought it back and it is thriving better than ever or their resources to make this event such a huge success and we’ll see next year around the same time I think on everyone’s mind are the disastrous and unprecedented wildfires which occurred over town We had a massive fire on Catalina Island in May five scientists from the State of California Fish and Wildlife Department (CDFW) surveyed the fire damage on the island and published their findings in a memo “The “emergency” described by CIC (Catalina Island Conservancy) is not related to deer The CIC (Catalina Island Conservancy) have no fire management or erosion controls currently in place Timing of fire and continued drought conditions are precluding a normal green-up (If every deer disappeared today off the island and rain occurred erosion would still happen for the next few years due to terrain and degraded habitat type (by previous livestock overgrazing) The current habitat condition throughout the island is a result of centuries of livestock damage to soil and vegetation not deer browsing.” Memo comments from CDFW site visit 2007 Extreme drought conditions continue to put our island at risk of another catastrophic wildfire The Catalina Island Conservancy’s lead scientist has publicly stated that the chance of another wildfire occurring on our island is not “if” but “when” But there is a way to help mitigate the risks to lives I am asking that Catalina Island Conservancy purchase fire suppression equipment – specifically two helicopters with water dropping capabilities This equipment could be based at Middle Ranch – next to Thompson Reservoir will be tasked with battling a wildfire over terrain covering approximately 88% of Catalina Island which is controlled by and the responsibility of the Catalina Island Conservancy Every resource to successfully fight a wildfire needs to be offered to our first responders Los Angeles County doesn’t have the money to purchase firefighting helicopters nor does the city of Avalon…but in my opinion and the opinion of many others jurisdiction and responsibility to purchase such equipment Orange County recently purchased two firefighting helicopters for $26 million I’m guessing the Catalina Island Conservancy will say they cannot afford to purchase firefighting helicopters or hire the staff necessary for maintenance and operation the Catalina Island Conservancy was willing to pay $10 million to shoot deer from helicopters and recently spent significant amounts of money in hiring new executive management a crisis management company and scientists to make their case for deer eradication … all with the knowledge that the CDFW put the blame for the 2007 wildfire on the Catalina Island Conservancy for lack of an adequate fire management plan I have not heard any news reports that the Palisades and Eaton fires were caused by deer browsing residents as well as visitors who love this island to pressure the Catalina Island Conservancy to purchase water dropping helicopters This needs to be accomplished – lives depend on it