Tuesday, January 20, 2026

Author Taleen Voskuni Brings ‘Our Ex’s Wedding’ to Vroman’s

Bay Area novelist joins multimedia journalist Nona Melkonian at Pasadena’s landmark bookstore for a free January 22 talk and signing

An Armenian American wedding planner, a smugly charming winery owner and what one reviewer calls “the record level of awkwardness” come to Pasadena when author Taleen Voskuni visits Vroman’s Bookstore to discuss and sign her new romantic comedy “Our Ex’s Wedding.” Kirkus Reviews calls the novel “Voskuni’s best yet” and praises it as “raucous and riveting.”

The free event, “Taleen Voskuni, in conversation with Nona Melkonian, discusses & signs ‘Our Ex’s Wedding,'” is set for Thursday, Jan. 22 at 7 p.m. at Vroman’s Bookstore, 695 E. Colorado Blvd. in Pasadena. Voskuni will be joined by moderator Nona Melkonian, a multimedia journalist, red carpet host, event host and content creator who is her middle school friend and founder of Melkoni Media.

“Our Ex’s Wedding” is Voskuni’s third romantic comedy, following “Sorry, Bro” and “Lavash at First Sight.” Her debut earned starred reviews from Kirkus Reviews and Booklist,

Tuesday, January 20, 2026

Don’t Just Endure Life. Love It Again.

Late January is a challenging time of year. The dark days, coupled with pressures of self-improvement and waning new year resolutions, can lead to feelings of failure or being “stuck” in life. Licensed Clinical Psychologist Dr. Shannon Clark, PhD, focuses on helping her clients love their lives again.

“Feeling stuck isn’t a failing,” says Dr. Clark. “It’s a call to dig deeper and understand what you need to feel joy again.”

Dr. Clark explains that when someone feels stuck, it takes an exhausting amount of endurance to get through the day, the week, and the year. While this feeling can strike anyone at any age, Dr. Clark finds it to be especially prevalent for millennials in their thirties and forties. It’s a unique stage in life where focus is shifting from checking boxes to wondering if those were even the right boxes to be checking. Whether it’s career stress, relationship challenges, growing families, or broader issues, those dealing with this feeling often suffer in silence and shame.

Tuesday, January 20, 2026

Altadena Town Council Sets First 2026 Meeting for Tonight, With Fire Recovery, Public Safety on Agenda

Residents can attend in person or watch on YouTube as officials report on Eaton Fire Recovery Fund, land use, and wildlife conditions

The Altadena Town Council convenes tonight at 7 p.m. at the Altadena Community Center with a packed agenda that includes reports on public safety, fire recovery efforts, and land use.

The meeting serves as the primary civic forum for this unincorporated Los Angeles County community, which continues to rebuild after the Eaton Fire destroyed more than 9,400 structures one year ago.

Tonight’s session includes an update on the Altadena Eaton Fire Recovery Fund Advisory, a Land Use Committee report, and presentations from Sheriff’s deputies, California Highway Patrol officers, and Los Angeles County Fire Department officials.

Captain Marquez of the Altadena Sheriff’s Station, Officer Keller of the California Highway Patrol, and Maria Grycan, community services liaison for LA County Fire Department Division 3, will deliver public safety reports.

The council will also hear from Brian McGinnis, a senior planner with the LA County Department of Planning,

Tuesday, January 20, 2026

Pretrial Hearing Set Tuesday for Altadena Man Charged in 2021 Double Stabbing

Robert Cotton faces two murder counts in the deaths of his mother, a Pasadena City College employee, and uncle

A pretrial hearing is scheduled for 8:30 a.m. Tuesday at the Pasadena Courthouse for Robert Cotton, the Altadena man charged with fatally stabbing his mother and uncle at their shared home nearly five years ago.

Cotton, 36, faces two counts of murder with an allegation of using a knife as a deadly and dangerous weapon in the March 22, 2021, deaths of Carol Anne Brown, 67, and her brother Kenneth Wayne Preston, 69, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office. The hearing is scheduled in Department B of the courthouse at 300 E. Walnut St.

The case gained attention because a colleague of Brown’s partially witnessed the attack during a Zoom call with other Pasadena City College employees. The colleague saw a man dragging another man into the living room and called 911 to report a possible kidnapping, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.

Tuesday, January 20, 2026

Walkout Demonstration Brings Pasadena Into Nationwide Protest Tuesday

Participants plan to gather at The Paseo at 2 p.m. and walk Colorado Boulevard as local part of an estimated 1,000 protests nationwide marking one year since Trump’s second inauguration

A demonstration is planned for this afternoon along Colorado Boulevard sidewalks as locals join over 1,000 coordinated walkouts across the country, organized by Women’s March and the 50501 Movement to mark the one-year anniversary of President Donald Trump’s second inauguration.

The “Free America Walkout” asks Pasadena-area participants to leave work, school, or commercial activity at 2 p.m. and gather at The Paseo, the open-air shopping center at 300 E. Colorado Blvd. From there, demonstrators intend to walk the sidewalk between Raymond Avenue and Lake Avenue, organizers said.

Participants are instructed to stay on sidewalks, allow pedestrian traffic to flow, and obey all street signs and signals. Organizers said they have invited Pasadena Police Department to maintain a presence and facilitate the demonstration. “This is a peaceful walk,” according to promotional materials distributed by the organizers.

Tuesday, January 20, 2026

Guest Analysis: Homelessness Crisis Remains One of Newsom’s Biggest Political Liabilities

By Dan Walters, CALMATTERS

While delivering his final State of the State address and proposing his final state budget last week, Gov. Gavin Newsom clearly sought to neutralize an issue that has haunted his political career for more than two decades and could torpedo his hopes of becoming president: homelessness.

First, a bit of history.

Just months after being elected mayor of San Francisco in 2004, Newsom unveiled a plan he said would clear city streets of homeless people in 10 years. Fourteen years later, while running for governor, Newsom declared that homelessness in San Francisco had “never been worse.”

He said eradicating homelessness would be a high priority and promised to appoint a homeless “czar” who could cut through red tape and intergovernmental friction to get the job done. Later, when pressed by reporters over the czar pledge, he snapped, “You want to know who’s the homeless czar? I’m the homeless czar in the state of California.”

Despite that self-appointment and devoting almost all of his 2020 State of the State address to homelessness,

Tuesday, January 20, 2026

Workshop at Altadena Library Offers Seniors Help With Technology Hurdles

For many older adults, the login screen has become a daily adversary. Remembering passwords, navigating government websites, and managing the paperwork that comes with digital services can feel overwhelming.

On Wednesday, January 22, the Altadena Library will host a free workshop aimed at helping seniors tackle these challenges. The session, titled “Passwords, and Portals, and Paperwork, Oh My,” will be led by Elisa Schwartz, who runs a consulting service called Elisa Can Help that focuses on assisting seniors with technology and paperwork.

The workshop is scheduled for 4 p.m. in the community room at the Altadena Main Library, 600 E. Mariposa St., Altadena, CA 91001.

According to research cited by the Benton Institute for Broadband and Society, approximately 22 million American seniors lacked home broadband access in 2020. Even those who do have internet access often report frustration with the constant updates, complex passwords, and confusing interfaces that define modern digital life. Government services, banking, and healthcare have increasingly moved online, leaving older adults who struggle with technology at a disadvantage.

Tuesday, January 20, 2026

Altadena Library Brings Movement and Story to Lunar New Year Celebration

Free interactive reading features dance educator Peggy Hongduc Nguyễn and her new children’s book inspired by Vietnamese Zodiac Calendar

One year after the Eaton Fire devastated Altadena, the library district welcomes families to celebrate Lunar New Year with two programs. On Thursday, January 29, from 4 p.m. to 5 p.m., storyteller Barbara G. Wong will share multicultural tales at Bob Lucas Library.

The centerpiece follows Friday, January 30, when dance educator and children’s book author Peggy Hongduc Nguyễn introduces her newly published book “Zodiac Animals for Movers” through an interactive reading combining movement-based activities inspired by the Vietnamese Zodiac Calendar.

“Peggy welcomes movers of all ages and backgrounds to engage in a community movement experience to charge into the Year of the Horse with intention and power,” according to the program description. Published in October, the 32-page hardcover is illustrated by Elliot Griffin and invites readers to embody the gifts of each zodiac friend through dynamic illustrations and movement concepts.

Monday, January 19, 2026

California Waives State Park Fees for MLK Day; Angeles District State Parks Free to Visit

More than 200 parks offer a free vehicle entry Monday, including sites accessible from Pasadena and Altadena

California will waive vehicle day-use fees at more than 200 state parks on Monday, January 19, giving Pasadena and Altadena residents free access to trails, beaches, and historic sites across the Angeles District. 

Governor Gavin Newsom announced the free entry day on Thursday. The California State Parks Foundation, a nonprofit, is funding the waiver — no taxpayer dollars are involved, according to the Governor’s press release. 

Parks accessible within an hour’s drive of Pasadena include Malibu Creek State Park, Topanga State Park, Kenneth Hahn State Recreation Area, Leo Carrillo State Park, and Point Mugu State Park. State beaches offering free entry include Santa Monica State Beach, Malibu Lagoon State Beach, Will Rogers State Beach, and Dockweiler State Beach. 

Free entry applies to one passenger vehicle with a capacity of nine people or fewer, or one highway-licensed motorcycle. Some parks will still charge fees,

Monday, January 19, 2026

Altadena Poets, Writers to Mark Eaton Fire Anniversary at Library Gathering

STAFF REPORT

Fifty-three weeks after the Eaton Fire tore through this foothill community and left it in ruins, the Altadena Library will host a gathering of local poets, writers, and community leaders on Tuesday evening to share reflections on memory, healing, and rebuilding.

The event, titled “Under the Stars: Voices of Resilience and Hope,” brings together 13 participants from across Altadena’s creative and civic landscape. Several of them lost their own homes in the January 2025 disaster, according to published reports.

Among the scheduled speakers will be Michele Zack, the historian and author of “Altadena: Between Wilderness and City,” who lost her 100-year-old home in the fire. Hans Allhoff, chair of the preservation group Altadena Heritage, will also participate; he lost his home on Sunny Oaks Circle. Sam James, CEO and co-founder of the Altadena Recovery Team, saw homes destroyed across her extended family, including part of her childhood home, according to UCLA.

James, a sixth-generation Altadena resident and first-year master’s student at UCLA’s Luskin School of Public Affairs,