Columnists

We’re always told growing up that we can do anything we set our minds to, no matter how outrageous it may seem. Well, two Eagle Rock teens with a passion for live music and the persistence to match took the advice to heart and, last month, pulled off a punk rock show with three bands and a hundred fans – on Loleta Avenue in Eagle Rock.

Be True to Your School

04/01/201904/01/2019 Lani Tunzi1517Leave a Comment

If you happened to see groups of high school boys in pleated skirts and makeup out and about in Eagle Rock last month, this may be why:On Friday, March 8, Eagle Rock High School held its annual “Dustbowl,”

Lani Says: Where the Wild Things Are

03/02/201903/02/2019 Lani Tunzi1334Leave a Comment

by Lani Tunzi Once upon a time, it was rare to see a coyote. Now, coyotes are a common sight in Eagle Rock and other NELA neighborhoods, often seen isolated trotting down the sidewalks or heard howling in packs. And we’re about to see and hear more of them. After a mating month in February, […]

Lani Says: Surfin’ Bird – Bird Is the Word

02/02/201902/02/2019 Lani Tunzi14921 Comment

Birds – rentable, dockless, electric scooters -– have descended upon Eagle Rock. They dot sidewalks, rest on corners and tend to congregate at the intersection of Colorado Blvd. and Eagle Rock Blvd. when they’re not scattered along residential streets. They’re reasonably inexpensive and convenient. You use a downloadable phone app to find and rent a […]

Lani Says: When I Grow Up

12/31/201812/31/2018 Lani Tunzi1563Leave a Comment

“What do you want to be when you grow up?” Even when I was a little girl, I found that to be a weighty question. I would come up with answers – a veterinarian, a teacher, a spy, or maybe all three at the same time. But I never had a single answer that […]

Ask Lionel: Mixed Feelings in the Fight Against Homelessness

11/03/2018 Lionel Shockness1026Leave a Comment

At dinner the other night, my wife, Wanda, my son and I were taking turns reviewing the day’s events. Wanda, said she was feeling terrible about her handling of an earlier incident. Wanda had started the day as she always does, with a morning ritual that includes a daily affirmation. This particular morning, she had […]

Place of wonder: The Pyramid of the Sun, Mexico

What I Saw in Inner Space

11/02/2019 Christopher Nyerges1713Leave a Comment

“What was I destined to do?” I thought at the top of the pyramid. Who hasn’t asked this question?

The Wilderness Workshop of Janice Cooney

09/28/2019 Christopher Nyerges1729Leave a Comment

Hiking and backpacking require gear – boots, sleeping bags, tents, tarps, packs of all sizes – which all eventually require repair. Wilderness Workshop, in Eagle Rock can fix it all.

A Music Samurai Plays in Highland Park

09/01/201909/01/2019 Christopher Nyerges1497Leave a Comment

Goh Kurosawa, a singer-musician-artist born in Maebashi, Japan and now residing in Highland Park, is known for one-man shows he performs with his guitar, nicknamed “Honey Beast.” He’ll be back playing at the Highland Park Farmers Market. For more at Goh, read on.

John Zender at one of his murals in Highland Park. | Photo by Christopher Nyerges

Muralist John Zender Seeks “Triunity” in His Current Work

07/27/201908/31/2019 Christopher Nyerges1578Leave a Comment

Highland Park muralist John Zender studied fine arts at Otis Art Institute and produced many works over decades. Here he is with one of his murals. Check out one of his fine oil paintings here too.

Nuts and Berries of California

06/29/2019 Christopher Nyerges14721 Comment

A Voice in the NELA Wilderness by Christopher Nyerges NELA’s landscape has an amazing mix of native and non-native vegetation. Both types have had important roles in our rich horticultural and agricultural history. For example, native nuts and berries – black walnuts, pine nuts, blackberries, wild strawberries, to name a few – have long histories […]

Photo | Google Image

The Longest Straw: A Film by Samantha Bode

06/01/201906/01/2019 Christopher Nyerges1351Leave a Comment

When filmmaker Samantha Bode learned that a 338-mile aqueduct brings water into Los Angeles, she decided impulsively to see it for herself by walking its entire length – from the Cascades in Sylmar at the southern terminus of the aqueduct to Mono Lake, 338 miles to the north. The result is a documentary film, The Longest Straw – a close-up look at the environmental impacts of what it takes to keep L.A. alive.

Photo | Google Image

Low Cost Ways to Prepare for the Big One

04/28/201904/28/2019 Christopher Nyerges1418Leave a Comment

There have been no major earthquakes in Los Angeles in quite a while. But the danger is ever present. The way to cope is to be prepared.At WTI, a local nonprofit that teaches survival skills, earthquake preparedness has been in the curriculum for nearly 40 years.

The drainage pipe installed on Yosemite Drive prevented flooding, but also caused the creek that once ran there to disappear. USC Digital archive

Water in NELA – Where Water Once Flowed

04/01/201904/07/2019 Christopher Nyerges1537Leave a Comment

Much of our recent rainfall has flowed out to the ocean, uncaptured and unused. But it was not always this way. Up until the 1930s, water flowed throughout the area we now know as Northeast Los Angeles.

Recycling the Rain

03/02/201903/02/2019 Christopher Nyerges686Leave a Comment

by Christopher Nyerges During the recent rains, my neighbor, Carol Kampe, collected enough water to irrigate her fruit trees and other plants clear through August. She estimates the savings on her water bill to be about $300 a month. “But I don’t do this for economic reasons,” says Kampe. “I do it because we live […]

The Allure of Wild Mushrooms

02/02/201902/02/2019 Christopher Nyerges784Leave a Comment

A Voice in the NELA Wildernessby Christopher Nyerges With the recent rains, I have gone in search of mushrooms in wild and not-so-wild spots in NELA and the Arroyo Seco.My study of mycology began in the ’70’s. I wanted to try every wild mushroom I could find until I learned the meaning of the phrase […]

Zero Waste: An Idea Whose Time is Now

12/31/201801/02/2019 Christopher Nyerges911Leave a Comment

A Voice in the NELA Wilderness by Christopher Nyerges It is sad but true that only a small fraction of discarded materials is recycled, while the rest goes to landfills or incinerators or winds up as immense floating plastic islands in the ocean. Leslie VanKeuren Campbell, a regular at the Old L.A. Farmers Market in […]

A Voice in the NELA Wilderness: Flamenco-Fusion Out of Highland Park

12/02/201812/02/2018 Christopher Nyerges874Leave a Comment

I’ve observed what happens when David Holguin, 27, starts to play his guitar. People stop and listen – and then they stay, waiting for another song. “That’s the kind of music we need more of,” said one man who recently stopped to listen to Holguin at the Old L.A. Farmers Market in Highland Park. Holguin, […]

A Voice in the NELA Wilderness: One Man’s Quest to Revive the Dying Art of Basketmaking

11/03/201811/03/2018 Christopher Nyerges7791 Comment

Some 20 years ago, I saw a photograph of Justin Farmer in the Southwest Museum in Highland Park. In the photo, Farmer is holding a traditional long bow. I have never forgotten it. Farmer is not primarily known for his bow-making, though that is one of his many skills. Farmer is best known for his […]

Lani Says: On the Street Where I Live

12/02/201812/02/2018 Lani Tunzi9114 Comments

A new family has moved onto the street in Eagle Rock where I have always lived, into the Simmons’ house. It’s the same house, but with a new family who will create their own experiences and memories just like Melvin and Joyce Simmons did for 50 years before moving recently to Glendora to be closer […]

Lani Says: Vote Your Choice

11/03/2018 admin719Leave a Comment

I was in the first grade when I began to catch on to elections and voting – and six-year old me was absolutely offended that I couldn’t vote until I turned 18. Later in life, when I found out that some people choose not to vote, I couldn’t understand why they would sit out something […]

Lani Says: Sympathy for the Devil

10/07/201811/03/2018 Lani Tunzi614Leave a Comment

Every year when the holidays roll around, it seems that everyone has something to say about each and every detail of each and every holiday. As for me, I have something I want to say about Halloween. With every passing Halloween, there’s been a creeping decline of crazy, creepy spirit in the air. Candy bowls […]

Lani Says: Cut My Hair

09/01/201809/01/2018 Lani Tunzi743Leave a Comment

About a year ago, I woke up one morning with a surprisingly urgent thought: “I want to shave my head.” Now, before I delve any further into this tale of impulsive behavior, let me say that my hair has always been a defining feature of mine — long, thick and nearly unmanageable. In fact, when […]

A Voice in the NELA Wilderness: Local Pioneer of Self-Reliance Practices What She Teaches – and Teaches What She Practices

09/01/201809/01/2018 Christopher Nyerges6961 Comment

Recently, Prudence Boczarski was at the Highland Park Farmers’ Market, showcasing her natural bakery business and representing WTI, the local nonprofit founded in 1971 to teach urban dwellers how to live better with less. And since there is no better way to teach than to give a hands-on demonstration, Ms. Boczarski was also using her […]

Lani Says: Everybody’s Got to Learn Sometime

07/28/2018 Lani Tunzi529Leave a Comment

For 103 incoming juniors at Eagle Rock High School, myself included, the first day of school on Aug. 14 will be the start of a rigorous, two-year academic journey known as the “International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme,” or IBDP. Begun in 1968 in Switzerland, IBDP stresses intercultural understanding, inquiry and analysis through immersion in English language […]

Lani Says: T-A-C-O B-E double L

06/30/2018 Lani Tunzi11121 Comment

Summer in Eagle Rock has always been a time of fun, ease and possibility. School is finally out and students can spend the time that had been taken up studying for finals on seeing their family and friends. They can sleep into the afternoon, procrastinate on starting their summer reading lists and maybe (maybe) even […]

Lani Says: In the Summer Time

06/02/2018 Lani Tunzi616Leave a Comment

by Lani Tunzi Summer in Eagle Rock has always been a time of fun, ease and possibility. School is finally out and students can spend the time that had been taken up studying for finals on seeing their family and friends. They can sleep into the afternoon, procrastinate on starting their summer reading lists and […]

A Voice in the NELA Wilderness: Soil from Coffee Grounds, Water from the Air Conditioner

07/29/2018 Christopher Nyerges5651 Comment

I recently noticed a new flower bed behind Antigua Bread, the coffeehouse/bakery at 5703 N. Figueroa St. Where there once had been weeds and trash was a beautiful wood-framed garden bed, approximately 6-by-6 feet, with colorful flowers, some vegetables – and a five-gallon plastic bucket strapped to a tall wooden pole and connected by a […]

A Voice in the NELA Wilderness: The Art and Craft of Sharpening a Knife

06/30/2018 Christopher Nyerges652Leave a Comment

I met Julio Toruno recently at the Old L.A. (Highland Park) Farmers Market, where he works on Tuesdays from the back of his truck, sharpening knives on a whetstone. Just by watching him, I could tell he epitomizes “old school” craftsmanship. I approached him as he was sharpening a large kitchen knife and I could […]

A Voice in the NELA Wilderness:Grow Your Own Oyster Mushrooms

06/02/201806/02/2018 Christopher Nyerges553Leave a Comment

Matt Heidrich of Highland Park loves oyster mushrooms – so much, in fact, that he has mastered the intricate art and science of home cultivation. I visited him recently and learned a lot. Oyster mushrooms grow on the sides of old and dying trees; in the Arroyo Seco, they commonly grow on willows and cottonwoods. […]

Lani Says: Wildflowers

04/29/2018 Lani Tunzi5801 Comment

by Lani Tunzi Among all the flowers of spring, the sky lupine, a California native, is near and dear to my heart. And I know I am not the only person in Eagle Rock with a special fondness for the lupine, with its bursts of blue, pink and purple, its height (as tall as two […]

A Voice in the NELA Wilderness: The Delicious Nettle

04/29/2018 Christopher Nyerges5901 Comment

This spring, I have collected a lot of chickweed, mallow, hedge mustard and nettle. Most of it I dry. I use the powdered chickweed in an insect repellent, the mallow for a mild cough remedy and hedge mustard to make a spicy powder to add to dishes. But nettle is the plant I can never […]

Ask Lionel: Heal the Past, Improve the Future

07/28/201807/28/2018 Lionel Shockness568Leave a Comment

I recently received an email from a reader, a 47-year old man about to turn 48, asking for advice. With his permission, the email is summarized below, followed by my reply. The man reported deep loneliness from never having had a girlfriend. He said he had sought help from counselors to no avail. “I am […]

Ask Lionel: What Growing Older Has Taught Me About Being Young

04/29/2018 Lionel Shockness562Leave a Comment

I recently told my physical therapist that until he brings it up, I often forget I have arthritis. The dreaded autoimmune disorder has very slowly taken residence in various parts of my body, occupying it as though it had squatter’s rights, but on days when I’m pain free, I feel like I did 30 […]

Ask Lionel : Compassion or Anger? Conflicting Emotions About Homeless People

04/01/201804/01/2018 Lionel Shockness5701 Comment

Witnessing the plight of the homeless is heartbreaking. But on days when the concerns of my life require my full attention, I can find myself becoming irrtated and then mad at the people in tents, on the sidewalks and offramps, or living in cars and RVs. One day I wish I could save them and […]

A Voice in the NELA Wilderness: Thinking About Public Space

04/01/201804/01/2018 Christopher Nyerges568Leave a Comment

Many years ago, a developer wanted to build a tall apartment at the base of the Eagle Rock that would have blocked the view of that local landmark. The town said “no,” and instead, the land was purchased by the City of Los Angeles and turned into a park. It was a dramatic example of […]

Looking Back: Moments in the History of NELA’s Parks

04/01/201804/01/2018 Joe Walker589Leave a Comment

When you consider the effort it is taking to build a dog park within the Eagle Rock Recreation Center, it is all the more remarkable to recall the effort that went into building the park in the first place. In 1954, the dream of establishing a park in the shadow of the Eagle Rock was […]

Lani Says: There’s Something Happenin’ Here

04/01/201804/01/2018 Lani Tunzi5601 Comment

One month after 14 students and three staff members were killed in the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., students and teachers across the nation joined together in protest and outrage, demanding change. On March 14, I stood with many of my peers at Eagle Rock High School in silence […]

Ask Lionel: When the Drug Epidemic Hits Home

03/13/201803/31/2018 Lionel Shockness7181 Comment

When I first entered the field of mental health in the early 1990s, I worked as an in-patient drug counselor in New York City. I led men’s groups for recovering drug addicts and alcoholics. At the time, crack cocaine was killing people, destroying families and communities, and straining our systems of health, justice and law […]

A Voice in the NELA Wilderness: How Does Your Drought-Resistant Garden Grow?

03/13/201803/31/2018 Christopher Nyerges6151 Comment

State water officials recently toyed with the idea of reinstating drought-era water rules and making them permanent. In the end, they didn’t act. But rules or no rules, it behooves all of us to find and practice a lifestyle of water conservation. Northeast Los Angeles is part of a coastal desert plain, with enough local […]

Lani Says: Put on Fresh Paint

03/15/201803/31/2018 admin6841 Comment

I am a bookworm, with a special place in my heart for studying. But my love for school extends beyond academics. In fact, extracurricular activities are really my favorite subjects. I have been active in the Associative Student Body, the Sophomore Class Club and the drill team. These activities are only a few of the […]

A Voice in the NELA Wilderness: Camping on Zero Dollars a Day

02/20/201803/31/2018 Christopher Nyerges710Leave a Comment

Camping in the hills of NELA was a big deal when I was a boy and looking back, I realize it was a no-budget activity. Today, I don’t mind spending money on an item if I know it’s the best and if my life may depend on it. But I still like to go as […]

Ask Lionel: Fearlessness in a Time of Fear

02/07/201803/31/2018 Lionel Shockness8451 Comment

My 11-year old son’s school hosted a day of service on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day in January. Current events cast a shadow on the event. President Trump had just tweeted that the Dreamers program was “probably dead.” Immigration agents had launched new raids. I read a news story about a Latino father of three […]

Lani Says: Who Are You? Who? Who?

02/08/201803/31/2018 admin1005Leave a Comment

Naima Corea,16, a student artist and musician who is my classmate at Eagle Rock High, has an exhibit on Feb. 3 at the Cactus Gallery L.A. in Elysian Valley. The exhibit will showcase the results of a project of Naima’s on self-image, in which she encouraged her peers to portray their self-image in poems, paintings, […]