Past Stories
STILL WAITING – Mark Twain Middle School Principal Dr. Rex Patton is one of several local principals who are waiting to hear if their schools will be forced to share their facilities with a charter school in the fall.

Schools await Prop. 39 decisions from charter organizations

By Gary Walker Mark Twain Middle School in Mar Vista and Westminster Avenue Elementary School in Venice are still waiting to see if they have avoided a colocation with a charter school again, while such offers have been given a...


Mar Vista: Election experts examine feasibility of halting political mailers

By Gary Walker What some have called an innovative and creative solution to stopping the deluge of campaign mail during local, state and federal elections is being questioned by election experts for its plausibility. Members of...


Mar Vista: Middle school receives grant for new fitness center

A central building block in a sustained effort to create a foundation of good health and fitness has been acquired by Mark Twain Middle School in Mar Vista through a grant for a new fitness center. A ribbon-cutting ceremony is&...



Mar Vista woman to be inducted into Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame

Mar Vista resident Lisa Sanchez has been selected for induction into the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame more than three decades after she led her high school team to the state championship. Sanchez, who currently operates a sp...


Mar Vista: Community council to receive honor from city

Mar Vista is one of seven neighborhood councils that will receive the inaugural EmpowerLA Award from the Los Angeles Board of Neighborhood Commissioners Friday, April 26 at Los Angeles City Hall. The Mar Vista Community Council...


LAPD CHIEF CHARLIE BECK, seen here at an event in Mar Vista, has promised to have perpetrators of swatting “prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”

Lieu bill seeks to swat prank callers to celebrities’ homes

By Gary Walker State Sen. Ted Lieu (D-Marina del Rey) is spearheading legislation that would impose severe penalties on anyone who engages in a rapidly-growing practice of “swatting” that can not only be costly to local law...



MAR VISTA GREEN COMMITTEE CO-CHAIRS Melissa Stoller and Jeanne Kuntz ( first and second from left) submitted a motion asking the city to allow voters who are weary of campaign mailers the ability to “opt out” of receiving them. Also shown are Sharon Commins and Sherri Akers.

Mar Vista: Green committee offers motion to ‘opt out’ of receiving campaign mail

                      By Gary Walker A group of Mar Vista residents, weary of being bombarded with campaign mailers during elections, is seeking relief from materials sent ...


Mar Vista: School greening project set for April 20-21

The Walgrove Wildlands project, a community sustainability event, will take place at Walgrove Avenue Elementary School in Mar Vista from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, April 20 and 21. Event organizers say they plan to t...


AUTHORITIES have released this bank surveillance photo of the ‘Boom Boom Bandit,’ whom the FBI says has used written notes 
demanding cash along with other instructions for the bank teller.

‘Boom Boom Bandit’ sought in robbery of Mar Vista bank

Authorities are seeking the public’s help in locating a man suspected of robbing two Westside banks on Feb. 12, including a Chase Bank in Mar Vista. The suspect, dubbed the “Boom Boom Bandit” uses a written note demanding...



Students from China’s King Far Orchestra performed for their parents through videoconferencing at Mark Twain Middle School on Feb. 1.

Mar Vista: School concert spotlights ‘Kaleidoscope’ of colors, culture and languages

By Gary Walker                               It was East meets West in more ways than one when a group of Chinese musicians and singers arrived in Los A...