Maria Elena Ramirez says that after living in an Eagle Rock encampment for more than two years, she's "really excited" for a fresh start in the neighborhood's new tiny home village. | Photos by Joel Sappell

Big hopes for tiny homes, but the reality on the ground: ‘It’s Messy’

By Joel Sappell and Dominic Massimino   Maria Elena Ramirez has found purpose in her community along the street.   Wearing surgical gloves, she gently picks up syringes around her Eagle Rock encampment, drops them into a plastic container and gives them to a nonprofit healthcare provider that rolls up every Friday at 11 a.m. with a […]

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Glenn Tritch holds the Kiwanis Distinguished Service Award presented by Linda Allen (in red blazer) to the Tritch Family of Eagle Rock. Members of the Tritch family (from left) George Jimenez, Barbara (Tritch) Jimenez, Teresa Tritch Hendrickson, Kim Barnett, Glenn Tritch, John Tritch, Gail (Tritch) Hase and Bill Hendrickson.

Kiwanis International honors three pillars of the NELA community

By Bill Hendrickson Raul Macías, Founder of Anahuak Youth Soccer Association, Carl Matthes, President of the Uptown Gay and Lesbian Alliance (UGLA), and the Tritch family, whose members own Eagle Rock’s Tritch Hardware and the Boulevard Sentinel, were honored this week for their service to Northeast Los Angeles at a luncheon given by Kiwanis International. […]

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Young Nyerges, in front, in a family photo with his four brothers, sister, Mom and Dad | Photo courtesy of Christopher Nyerges

What my mother taught me about complaining: Don’t!

By Christopher Nyerges

My mother used to tell us, “Quit your complaining!”  

Maybe we wanted something the family couldn’t afford. “Quit your complaining and go out and earn some money,” she’d say. 

Because of my mother, we learned to find creative ways to be youthful entrepreneurs. And, they learned a lot more from her. Read on to learn more.

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A demonstration in Glendale in 2019: The movement for clean energy in Glendale and NELA has grown larger and more impassioned as climate change has worsened. | Photo by Bill Hendrickson/Boulevard Sentinel

Another chance to stop Glendale from polluting the air in NELA

By T.A. Hendrickson

In a tactical victory for clean-energy advocates in Glendale and Eagle Rock, the Glendale City Council voted unanimously on Tuesday to delay the purchase of five new gas engines for the Grayson power plant in Glendale.
“The climate emergency is a clear and present danger, and the public is demanding we do better,” said Glendale Councilmember Dan Brotman. L.A. Councilmember Kevin de León is helping to achieve a solution. Read more about it here.

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Eagle Rock’s Ella Wagner, a senior, (at right) won the individual wrestling championship in the CIF L.A. City Section. | Photo by Dave Abbott/NELA Sports One

Winter season wraps up in NELA High School Sports

By Dave Abbott of NELA Sports One

Highlights of 2021/2022 winter season for the Eagle Rock Eagles include an individual city championship in wrestling and league championships in girls basketball and boys soccer. For the Franklin Panthers of Highland Park, highlights include playoff runs as far as the city semifinals in boys basketball and the quarterfinals in boys soccer.

For the season in more detail, click the photo above and read on.

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Activities in NELA this weekend kick off on Saturday morning at 10 a.m. with the start of the York Blvd. Art Market.

11 fun things to do in NELA this weekend and beyond

By Pablo Nukaya-Petralia  [Editor’s note/Mar. 15: The Ty Segall performance at Zebulon on Mar. 18 has been cancelled.] Don’t stay home, but don’t leave town either. Here are 11 fun things to do in and around Northeast Los Angeles this weekend and in the week to come.  The York Blvd. Art Market returns to Ave. […]

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A memorial for Gabriel Estrada, 38, at the homeless encampment where he lived on N. Figueroa St. in Eagle Rock. | Photo by Jane Demian

Rest in peace: Gabriel Estrada, age 38 and unhoused, dies in his tent in Eagle Rock

By Jane Demian

An unhoused resident of Eagle Rock, Gabriel Estrada, 38, died in his tent on N. Figueroa Street under the 134 Freeway overpass on February 19, 2022. 

He seemed to be on the path to greater stability when he died.  It’s a tragic story. You can read it here by clicking on the photo above.

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This Highland Park home, under contract after only nine days on the market, sold in January for $1.15 million, fully $155,000 over the asking price.

Paying a million dollars or more for a home in NELA is now the rule, not the exception

By Jeffery Marino At $1.1 million, the median price of a house in Northeast Los Angeles was unchanged from December 2021 to January 2022.    But the pause in price increases looks temporary for the simple reason that there are still more buyers in NELA than houses for sale. The dearth of homes on the […]

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This Spanish Colonial in Eagle Rock sold in January for $2.45 million, the highest price paid that month for a house in NELA.

Before-and-after pictures of a multi-million-dollar flip in Eagle Rock

The highest price paid in January for a home in Northeast Los Angeles — $2.45 million — was for a 4-bed, 3.5-bath Spanish Colonial on Wawona St. in Eagle Rock.

The home was listed for sale in November 2021 for $1.649 million. It was off the market in just under two weeks — and sold for $801,000 over the asking price.

Check out the rare before-and-after pictures in the slideshow. Click the photo to do that.

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EAPD's President, Hans Johnson, addresses concerned residents and L.A. officials about the health hazards coming from the School Dump and calls for Glendale to stop its waste policies at a gathering in August 2014 - the start of 5 years of EAPD advocacy for closing the dump.

Sponsored: EAPD advocacy stops Scholl Canyon expansion

It was a foul-smelling, raw deal then for nearby residents. It is even more rotten today. Community organizing WORKS. After 5 years of advocacy, East Area Progressive Dems WON withdrawal of the dump expansion scheme. For more about that click the photo here.

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Sponsored Content: Make Music at Home with This DIY Homemade Guitar by MiniBop Music

There’s nothing like exploring and enjoying music with your children. Whether you’re showing them your favorite songs on those things called CDs, or you’re letting them sing karaoke, music facilitates amazing bonding and development. That’s why we started MiniBop Music, and we’re excited to announce the grand opening of our new studio at Verdugo Plaza […]

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à bloc cafe in Highland Park plans to exhibit the work of student artists.

New opportunities to create and display art in NELA now

By Pablo Nukaya-Petralia Update: We have expanded our art and culture listing for the month of March with the following three new opportunities to exhibit and view art in Northeast Los Angeles.  Display your artwork à bloc cafe on York Blvd. currently seeks local student artists who are interested in having their work featured in […]

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Part of a line of people waiting to get a COVID-19 vaccination at the Glassell Park pop-up | Photo by Bill Hendrickson/BoulevardSentinel

On the Road to Immunity in Northeast Los Angeles

By Bill Hendrickson

Nearly 3,000 people in Northeast Los Angeles received their first Covid-19 vaccine shots at recent pop up vaccination sites in Highland Park and Glassell Park.

The sites were sponsored by NELA’s city councilmembers: Kevin de Leon of Council District 14 and Gil Cedillo of Council District 1. (Click the photo above to read more.)

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Andres “Andy” Sierra, shown here in a photo from 2019, died recently in the tent encampment on W. Broadway in Eagle Rock. | Photo by Joel Sappell/Boulevard Sentinel

Homeless man dies in his tent in Eagle Rock

By T. A. Hendrickson
Andres “Andy” Sierra, a longtime unhoused resident at the homeless encampment on W. Broadway in Eagle Rock, died in his tent on February 23. He was 62.

Sierra suffered from severe arthritis of his knees and other health conditions, said Jane Demian, the co-chair of the Eagle Rock chapter of the SELAH anti-homelessness coalition. Click on photo above to read more.

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Rendering of the proposed development at the corner of N. Avenue 64 and Garvanza Street in the Garvanza section of Highland Park | Rendering by SKYA Ventures.

Garvanza development hits a roadblock

By Bill Hendrickson The proposal to build an imposing, three-story apartment building at N. Avenue 64 and Garvanza Street failed to win a crucial approval on Tuesday. The developers of the project, Skya Ventures, were seeking a “Certificate of Compatibility” with the Highland Park-Garvanza Overlay Zone (HPOZ), a set of  guidelines on historic preservation and […]

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The Academic Decathlon team from Franklin High School, left to right: Julian Martinez, Henry Reyes, Egon Trujillo (coach), Raquel Alegria, John Bermudez, Bienn Viquiera, David Coronilla, Benicio Rivera and Michael Sanchez | Photo by Regina Marquez-Martinez

Franklin’s Academic Superstars

By Mary Lynch A team from Franklin High School in Highland Park has qualified to compete in Sacramento for the California state title in the Academic Decathlon, the nation’s premier scholastic competition for high school students. The team, four seniors and four juniors, advanced to the state level on February 8, when they defeated 50 […]

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Grant Money Will Fund Auditorium Upgrades at Eagle Rock Elementary

A pair of back-to-back competitive grants totaling $34,109 will allow Eagle Rock Elementary School (ERES) to buy and install a state-of-the-art lighting and projection system for its auditorium. The upgrade is some 50 years overdue, give or take a decade or so. Teachers and students are wary of even turning on the current equipment and when they do, it often malfunctions, if it […]

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NELA Real Estate in 2018: Want to Buy a Fixer-Upper? Good Luck. 

  It’s no secret that many houses for sale in NELA in recent years have been flipped by investors who buy, remodel and quickly re-sell them for big profits. What is (somewhat) surprising is that investor buying remains strong even at today’s high prices – and that homebuyers are still paying up for recently rehabbed […]

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A Voice in the NELA Wilderness: How Does Your Drought-Resistant Garden Grow?

State water officials recently toyed with the idea of reinstating drought-era water rules and making them permanent. In the end, they didn’t act. But rules or no rules, it behooves all of us to find and practice a lifestyle of water conservation. Northeast Los Angeles is part of a coastal desert plain, with enough local […]

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Kudos to The Math and Science team at Luther Burbank Middle School

The Math and Science team at Luther Burbank Middle School in Highland Park, coached by Ben Feinberg, the school’s 8th grade math teacher, aced several brain twisters at the recent Middle School Science Bowl at Cal State L.A, including, for example: What is the name for the apparent force that causes hurricanes to be deflected […]

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Kudos to Gabriela Serrato-Lone

Gabriela Serrato-Lone, a member of ChicanxUnknown, a photography collective, secured a nearly $1,000 grant from the Highland Park Neighborhood Council to help pay for the “Divine Energy: Herstory Block Party,” on Saturday, Mar. 10, from 1 p.m. to 10 p.m. on Ave. 52 between York Blvd. and Meridian St. The block party, which will be […]

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Dig This!

A free, fascinating family event, the 60th annual Gem and Mineral Show of the Pasadena Lapidary Society will offer stunning displays of gems, minerals, fossils and jewelry as well as demonstrations of lapidary techniques like wire wrapping, cabochon grinding and other jewelry making skills. There will also be raffles, a silent auction on both days, […]

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Choosing the Next LAPD Police Chief

The City of L.A. wants your imput on the next LAPD police chief to replace Chief Charlie Beck, who is retiring. Your answers to a new survey will be used to develop interview questions and evaluate the candidates’ knowledge, skills, abilities and personal characteristics. One section asks you to list the top five priorities for […]

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Art and Historic Architecture

The gala of the Highland Park Heritage Trust, to be held at the historic Abbey San Encino in Highland Park, will celebrate 35 years of effort to preserve the heritage of the Arroyo Seco communities. The gala includes the opportunity to tour the historic house, an artisan fair and a silent auction Sunday, Mar. 18 […]

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