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Boyle Heights Beat
Dr. Isabel Morales: traveling is her passion; bringing the world to Boyle Heights is her mission
BHB: Tell me a little bit about how Boyle Heights looked when you were growing up?. Isabel Morales: I’m talking to you from Mendez High School. This high school did not exist. When I was growing up [in the 90s], this was housing projects, one of my closest friends grew up here. There was a lot of fear of gun violence, but it was different. It was gang related gun violence, like drive bys and stuff. I’ve seen data where the amount of fear that parents had related to gun violence in the 90s, is similar to what it is now. But in terms of the source of the gun violence, that’s a little different. Now people are a little bit more scared about mass shootings, that really wasn’t a fear we had when I was growing up. We did grow up with more gang related violence.
First Street business owner arrested amid ongoing feud with Boyle Heights Community Market
The owner of a popular First Street taquería was arrested Sunday following an altercation with the new managers of the Boyle Heights Community Market, who claim the man assaulted them and used homophobic slurs against them. According to various sources, the altercation happened when the two brothers who own...
County residents must renew in order to continue Medi-Cal coverage
As the end of the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency approaches, the Los Angeles County Department of Public Social Services (DPSS) wants local residents to know that although emergency protections are ending, they may still qualify for Medi-Cal. The Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2023 marked the end of continuous health coverage...
Local students sought for Radiation Oncology Internship at LAC+USC
LAC-USC Medical Center is looking for local high school students interested in a unique internship opportunity this upcoming summer. A great way for students interested in the field of medicine to get a head start, the Radiation Oncology Internship is an eight-week volunteer program that allows rising seniors to shadow physicians who provide radiation treatment for cancer patients. Participants will also be able to participate in research and quality improvement projects with medical residents while connecting with possible future mentors at LAC-USC Medical Center.
Immigrant work ethic inspires Ear Ringers’ steady climb
Cramped in a friend’s garage near Whittier Boulevard in East LA, Miguel Angel Estrada strums his blue guitar. Ear Ringers’ front man croons in English and Spanish about love and heartbreak. “Regresarás a mi / Solo dime que sí / Te esperé y quiero saber si me arrepentiré...
Martha Ambriz: dance as a tool to improve Boyle Heights
Martha Ambriz has fond memories of growing up on Grande Vista Street –including an unexpected short visit by the Night Stalker in the mid 1980’s– and is lucky now to own a home in the same block, where she and her husband raised their three children. Known...
LAUSD, SEIU reach tentative deal following three-day strike
The union that represents school support staff in Los Angeles Unified has reached a tentative agreement with the district to increase wages by 30% and provide health care to more members. The deal comes after a three-day strike by bus drivers, cafeteria workers, classroom assistants and other Service Employees International...
SRLA students at Bravo Magnet run to build community
After being encouraged by his 10th-grade physical education teacher, Alexander Rodriguez joined the Students Run LA (SRLA) team at Francisco Bravo Medical Magnet High School. He was a bit hesitant at first, unsure if he would be able to run the LA Marathon, the culminating run for SRLA students. Now...
Leslie Montoya: the ‘B’ is all about Boyle Heights
Hoping to further her dance career, a young Leslie Montoya commuted ten miles every school day to a specialized middle school in the Valley. Since then, she knew she had to represent all the amazingness Boyle Heights has to offer. Now 22 and soon to be a local college graduate,...
At Casita del Barrio, urban gardening helps build community
Tucked away between the tough concrete of roads and sidewalks in East LA lies a sprouting patch of greenery. Walking in the garden, your eye catches the vibrant orange rows of cempazúchitl. The sounds of birds softly chirping fill the air while you try to avoid bumping into the numerous potted plants around your feet.
Candidate Gloria Molina
Editors Note: This week, former Los Angeles County Supervisor Gloria Molina said she was battling an “aggressive” form cancer. This interview was originally published on Feb. 6, 2015, when she was campaigning to return to the City Council to represent District 14. Less than a year ago, Gloria...
Three-day strike will shut down LAUSD schools
The two largest groups representing employees of the Los Angeles Unified School District said Wednesday they would hold a three-day strike starting Tuesday, and schools will remain closed during the workers’ walkout. The announcement was made during a massive rally at downtown Los Angeles’ Grand Park. The strike...
Bambi Alacran: Coming of age as a trans woman in Boyle Heights
A beautifully complicated, cultural coming of age. That’s how Bambi Alacran recalls her upbringing on the Eastside, a story of finding confidence and strength in spite of past traumas. As some states across the nation move to ban gender-affirming treatments for youth, Alacran says such support saved her life...
Benjamin Franklin Library continues to serve the community – even during ongoing renovation 
Emma Rojas and her 11-year-old son have relied on Boyle Heights’ Benjamin Franklin Library to check out books, use the computers, and access the Wifi. Even as the library building has been closed, Rojas took advantage of their outdoor activities which include crafts, “espooky” storytelling, and special performances from Center Theatre Group.
A new repurposing for a historic Boyle Heights building
A more than a century-old building with strong ties to separate controversial moments in the history of Boyle Heights’ Mexican-American and Japanese-American communities is about to begin a new chapter as a home for college students experiencing homelessness or housing insecurity. Built in 1914 as the Forsythe Memorial School...
Tonie Juarez: ‘Crazy’ about Boyle Heights
Behind weekend sounds of music, dance and heart-to-heart chit chat, there’s someone working behind the scene making the local community market uniquely Boyle Heights. Her name is Antonia Rodriguez Juarez. If you’ve gone to Mariachi Plaza on a weekend, you might know her simply as “Tonie”. A charismatic community...
Art and mindfulness combat the lure of gangs for Ramona Gardens youth
Gang Reduction and Youth Development (GRYD) programs are widespread throughout Los Angeles, but the one housed at the community-based, non-profit organization Legacy LA stands out in Boyle Heights. GRYD offers youth an alternative to gang involvement and incarceration by providing prevention and intervention services to youth ages 10-15 in 23...
Jimmy Gomez visits Bravo Medical Magnet to discuss school funding, college affordability
Congressman Jimmy Gomez visited Francisco Bravo Medical Magnet High School on Tuesday to talk with students about what stakeholders have described as a lack of funding for school improvements. Students and staff led Gomez on a tour of Bravo before meeting with the congressman in the school library to discuss...
‘Music by and for the neighborhood’ comes to the Paramount
Boyle Height’s own Eastside Rehearsal studio is taking the stage on Friday, March 3, for an eclectic night of punk rock cumbia, dark heavy rock and alternative beats. Eastside-based bands Spaghetti Cumbia, All Souls and Bastidas are set to perform throughout the night in the historic Paramount Ballroom at 2708 East Cesar E. Chavez Avenue. All three are regular patrons at the rehearsal studio just across the street, which is the show’s presenter.
There’s a lot to love and do in Boyle Heights this season
If you’re looking for something to do in Boyle Heights during the loveliest season of the year, we’ve got a guide of a few local businesses and organizations with special offerings this month!. Single this Valentine’s Season?. The House of Xelas is hosting an Anti-Valentine’s “I Might...
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