About a year ago, just after the first COVID-19 lockdown, The Corsair published photos of an almost deserted Venice Beach (Spring 2020, Issue 4). Now the crowds are back and Venice Beach is jumping again.

As the pandemic has continued on through 2021, choices for safe and fun entertainment are more limited than ever. COVID-19 and social distancing policies have made public fun and entertainment scarce. Fortunately, people and businesses have learned to adapt by taking classic events and forming them in new innovative ways.

Since the early 1980s, the city of Santa Monica has been making arguments to close down the Santa Monica Airport — with some citing that the airport causes increased pollution and incessant noise. The city plans to shut down Santa Monica Aiport as early as 2028.

Texas is currently suffering from one of its worst climate crises in state history. While The Lone Star State is no stranger to blackouts due to weather emergencies like tornados and hurricanes, Winter Storm Uri was a uniquely dangerous incident. Millions of Texans went without power and were freezing in their homes without safe drinking water.

The Corsair: Issue 1 (Spring 2021)

The ability for students to experience the growing technology and resources involved in the interactive design industry is at their fingertips. Santa Monica College (SMC), students have the opportunity to fully apply themselves to their passions by engaging in the Interactive Design Program housed in the newly remodeled Center of Media and Design. The deadline to apply is March 1 for the Fall 2021 semester.

The city of Santa Monica's newest recreational facility, Historic Belmar Park, will be officially opened on February 28th. The park honors the memory of the black community that lived in the area, and who were displaced in the 1950s to make way for the Santa Monica Civic Center.

As the great American philosopher George “Dubya” Bush once said, “Either you are with us, or you are with the terrorists.”

Pokémon GO Tour: Kanto marks the 25th anniversary of The Pokémon Company. Millions of fans around the world joined together to catch the original 151 Pokémon from the first generation.

Santa Monica College recently joined over 1,500 schools, organizations, and local governments across America, in reaffirming its commitment to tackling the climate crisis alongside the incoming Biden-Harris administration.

On Saturday, Feb. 13, the Broad Stage of Santa Monica is presenting a virtual screening of “Breathing Free: A Visual Album,” by the critically acclaimed and world-renowned indie opera from New York, Heartbeat Opera.

Santa Monica College has announced that classes for the Summer 2021 semester will be remote only.

On Jan. 11, The University of California announced plans to resume in-person classes this fall at all 10 campuses.

Democrats in Georgia are projected to flip both Republican-held U.S. Senate seats, according to the Associated Press, consolidating a unified government for the incoming Joe Biden administration. Democratic candidate Raphael Warnock defeated incumbent Republican Sen. Kelly Loeffler, and Democratic candidate Jon Ossof defeated Republican incumbent Sen. David Perdue.

The reverberations of the 2020 election are still being felt into the new year.

With the constantly evolving COVID-19 related regulations, small businesses have been hit monumentally hard, unable to operate as usual. Many Los Angeles fitness centers, including indoor cycling studios, have been effectively shut down for over eight months.

...To Know Which Way The Wind Blows

In the documentary, “Francesco,” Pope Francis spoke on how he believes there should be protection for same-sex civil unions saying, “What we have to create is a civil union law — that way, they are legally covered." Though the Vatican has confirmed that the doctrine remains unchanged, Pope Francis’s comments have made it evident that the Catholic Church’s understanding of the family is evolving and becoming modernized.

The Broad Stage hosted its second event of the IN FOCUS virtual series where leaders of the L.A. arts community discussed the innovations their programs have made to continue their craft amid the pandemic.

COVID-19 has greatly impacted small businesses across the U.S. -- Black-owned businesses in particular. Garden of Her is a women’s wellness collective founded amid the pandemic by two young Black women who were able to beat the odds.