Downtown Los Angeles was the scene of protests over the death of George Floyd, on Thursday, May 28, 2020, in Los Angeles, Calif.

Amid the rising concern of the coronavirus outbreak, changes have been implemented that put restrictions on the way daily life is lived including how people are now celebrating their birthdays.

Parks and Rec fans got a treat early into US quarantine when the sitcom returned for a special new episode that was filmed via video chat.

The already-vulnerable world of the arts is taking more hits per COVID-19. Viruses thrive from crowds, as do arts and culture.

In response to the COVID-19 Social Distancing Order, The Broad Stage in Santa Monica, SMC’s shared performance Hall, began their Broad Stage at Home initiative, which includes weekly live music performances and Poetry readings streamed on the The Broad Stage Facebook page.

As stay-at-home orders ease, California Governor Gavin Newsom has given Californians an indication of when professional sports can reopen. In a statement by Gov. Newsom, he announced that pro sports could make a return as early as the first week of June without the attendance of fans.

When Santa Monica College (SMC) made the decision that the spring semester was going to be completely remote through the summer, some international students made the decision to travel back to their home countries whereas others decided to stay. International students in the United States now lead an uncertain future as SMC among other schools, announced the fall semester will be online and the US borders are still closed due to COVID-19.

As people across the country are searching for ways to stay active in quarantine, Santa Monica based fitness studio, BoxUnion, has found a way to bring their classes straight to their community members homes.

The PPE shortage has inspired community innovation. CrashSpace is a collection of volunteer hackers, programmers, builders, makers, artists and people who generally like to break things and see what new things they can build with the pieces.

When socio-political issues come in the form of a tragedy, such as the evolving Ahmaud Arbery case, colleges and universities often provide a breathing ground for expression and discussion.

For the first time in 98 years, the Hollywood Bowl is cancelling its summer season.

The SMC Nursing Program will continue virtually during Fall and the clinical classes that were previously cancelled during spring, will resume gradually. Incoming applicants will remain on hold until further notice, as safety is prioritized amid pandemic. Both the administration and students face unprecedented challenges.

A question on many California State University (CSU) transfer and current students' minds about what is going to happen for the fall semester was answered on Tuesday, May 12. CSU Chancellor Timothy White announced that CSU institutions will be holding most of their fall classes online and keeping nearly all their classrooms closed, with a few exceptions.

California Community Colleges (CCC) filed a federal lawsuit this past Monday against the Department of Education and Secretary of Education Betsy Devos over the eligibility requirements of receiving emergency funds provided to educational institutions through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act.

After nearly a month of lighting up shores from Baja California to Santa Cruz, the bioluminescent waves have faded. The phenomenon, which drew national media attention, entertained thousands of people eager to see the rare spectacle despite California’s beaches being closed due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Along several beaches, some local police gave up trying to enforce beach closures due to the large crowds.

Do you know how the Ringling Brothers Circus used to train elephants?

I didn’t, until about a week ago. For the first six months of their lives, baby elephants would be restrained with steel chains and forced to stand on concrete floors for up to 23 hours a day. After months of attempting to escape these tethers to no avail, the elephants would give up and assume they would forever be restrained. As they reached adulthood, much weaker tethers were put in place; however, the elephants did not attempt to break free from them because of the traumatic failures they ensued when trying to escape previously.

Does this resonate with anybody else right now?

It's hard enough living in a world that already has such a racial prejudice against you. People of color, including myself, are making conscious decisions everyday about the way that we present and show up in the world and how we are perceived by others, especially the police.

Snake oil selling is nothing new here in America, but the country’s dramatic descent into a public health epidemic has highlighted the dangers of disinformation and the rejection of scientific facts. With deaths from COVID-19 climbing into the tens of thousands across the country, new attention is being focused on the dangers of misleading the American public.

The first saliva at-home test for COVID-19 has been approved by the FDA, as it becomes available online to many states throughout the country including California. Rutgers Clinical Genomics Laboratory is able to return results after approximately 48 hours by the time received. Tests are available through Vault Health company online, as it offers its virtual medical supervision.