Life changed for everyone in Pacific Palisades, Topanga and Malibu on January 7 2025. A year after the Palisades Fire those who live or work in its shadow still aren’t used to the endless roadwork, the delays, the road...
Originally published in the February 21, 2025 issue of Topanga New Times The Palisades fire is named for the Palisades Highlands, where the blaze erupted on the morning of January 7, 2025. The conflagration rapidly spread throughout Pacific Palisades...
Originally published in the March 7, 2025 issue of Topanga New Times The Malibu stretch of Pacific Coast Highway turns 100 next year. It’s strange to know its centennial will begin with a third of the houses, businesses, landmarks...
Villagers all, this frosty tide, Let your doors swing open wide, Though wind may follow, and snow beside, Yet draw us in by your fire to bide; Joy shall be yours in the morning! —Kenneth Grahame, The Wind in...
This tiny architect was spotted building her complex and elegant nest of interlocking hexagons on a patio furniture cushion in a Topanga garden. Although paper wasps resemble their cousins yellow jackets and hornets, they aren’t aggressive and will only sting if provoked. The paper used to build the nest is made from the cellulose fibers of plants, mixed with the wasp’s saliva to form a tough durable papier mache material. This type of wasp can be a good neighbor, preying on the kind of caterpillars that are a nuisance to gardeners. Just don’t sit on a nest by mistake! Photo by Bonnie Morgan