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From political upheaval to expanding freedom movements, from freeing political prisoners to a pandemic that exposed the institutionalized white supremacy that threatens Black lives from all corners, 2020 has been a year of change, witness, trauma, grief, joy, healing, and reckoning. There are many stories that made us all sit up in our seats, stare at our phones, protest inside and outside the halls of powers and in streets across the United States and around the world. I present just a few of them here. As we carry the residual impacts of 2020 into the new year, we do so...

As in so many aspects of our lives, COVID-19 and President Trump played major roles in Southern California’s top environmental headlines for 2020. Overall, environmentalists won some and lost some — as did the Trump administration’s efforts to reduce burdens on businesses by trying to rollback more than 100 environmental regulations, ranging from California’s emissions standards to protections of natural preserves. Many of the administration’s proposed changes spurred legal challenges, some already successful. And President-elect Joe Biden, whose victory was celebrated by environmentalists, is expected to reverse many of those that remain. “Biden’s cabinet is going to spend a lot...

s I got a call on a Wednesday morning from a number with a Long Island area code. Long Island? I picked up, because why not. “Emma? This is Santa speaking.” My caller, it turned out, was not just Santa but the National Santa™, a.k.a. Santa Tim Connaghan, the Big Daddy of American Saint Nicks. Santa Tim’s website features pictures of him posing with Giada De Laurentiis, Dr. Phil, and Jewel; he’s the guy Melania Trump called for help at a Toys for Tots event. In normal years, he runs a roving school for Santas and Mmes. Claus and supplies...

A month’s worth of stricter restrictions on restaurants, gyms and other types of businesses because of the COVID-19 pandemic has taken a heavy toll on the Colorado economy as new unemployment filings continued to climb at an alarming rate last week. The Colorado Department of Labor of Employment reported Thursday that 52,386 people filed initial claims for unemployment during the week ending Dec. 19. That’s a 29.4% increase over the week ending Dec. 12. It’s the single worst week for new claims since April, and roughly a five-fold increase over weekly claims volume seen as recently as October. Of those...

Gents, I thought so too. When it comes to shoes, a higher cost usually means a superior construction. So where does that leave guys who can't splash out $300 on a new pair of shoes for work? Are these men doomed to wear cheap, faux leather shoes for the rest of their lives? Of course not. Guys, I'm here to offer you some advice. Believe it or not, it's actually very possible to find a great pair of quality dress shoes for less than $100. You've just got to know what you're looking for. As I've always said, there are...