Westchester mom expands her mission to save lives and invites the community to take action
When Westchester mom Marisa Peters first shared her story of surviving Stage IIIb rectal cancer with the Hometown News in 2024, her message was simple but urgent: listen to your body and get screened. Today, that message has evolved into a growing movement and a clear...
Karma Companions aims to help seniors find connection and friendship
In a city as connected as Los Angeles, loneliness can still quietly take hold, especially for older adults whose lives have shifted after retirement, loss, or major life transitions. For Playa del Rey neighbors Kat Hatayama and Sarah Kolenik, that realization didn’t...
Feeling Stuck? Why it happens and how to get moving again
You know the feeling. You wake up, start going through your day, but somewhere in the back of your mind the thought keeps returning: something needs to change. But you’re not changing it. You’re doing the dishes, answering emails, watching one more episode, scrolling...
A life grounded in helping others
Dawn Decker has found her calling in empowering students with disabilities and supporting her neighborhood. In the quiet, tree‑lined streets of Emerson Manor, neighbors know they can count on Dawn Decker. Whether she’s walking her Boston terrier, Sully, checking in on...
El Rincon Criollo: Where Cuban comfort food and community come together
Owner Jason Graff loves welcoming the community into his restaurant and recommending dishes to try, like the classic Cubano or the popular lechon asada. If you’ve lived in Playa del Rey long enough, you begin to recognize the places that become part of the...
Therapy Corner with Ann O’Brien
By Ann O’Brien Opinion: At a recent family dinner, my teenage son drolly quipped, “Why are old people so afraid of AI?” (He also likes to remind me that “old” includes anyone born “way back in the 1900s.”) His comment made me smile–and pause. Today’s teens will...
WDRLL celebrates spring season with visit from Los Angeles Mayor
The Westchester Del Rey little league (WDRLL) kicked off their 52nd season with a memorable opening ceremony on Saturday, February 21 at Nielsen Field. Not only were 16 girls’ softball and 10 co-ed T-ball teams represented during...
Therapy Corner with Ann O’Brien
Opinion: This month, I’m choosing to write about narcissism. After last month’s column on managing politics and the news cycle, a reader asked (paraphrased): Is a rise in narcissism a core reason for the increasing social and...
Strength training is crucial while taking Glp-1s
Opinion: According to a survey published by RAND, approximately 12% of Americans had used a GLP-1 for weight loss as of August 2025. Another 14% said they were interested in trying them in the future. Nearly one quarter of the American population has...
From Westchester to a global sensation: How LMU helped shape the writers of ‘KPop Demon Hunters’
For Hannah McMechan and Danya Jimenez, the journey to writing Netflix’s biggest animated hit of all time didn’t begin on a studio lot or in a pitch meeting. It began in the Loyola Marymount University campus’s classrooms, dorm rooms, and...