HyperLoop555

#Community #LaderaHeights #MagicJohnson #Starbucks LOS ANGELES – You might not think the closing of one Starbucks with two others literally only hundreds of feet away would make much of a difference. But in the predominantly black, high-income Ladera Heights neighborhood of Los Angeles, this Starbucks leaving is about more than having to get coffee somewhere else. “It hurts us because we’ve been patronizing them for 20 years,“ said Silas Braxton, 68, who works at the nearby restaurant The Serving Spoon and is part of a group of regulars who play dominoes at the Ladera Starbucks every day. “It’s like they’re plucking the heart out of our community.” This location is serving its last latte on Sunday. Since the Ladera Heights Starbucks opened in partnership with Magic Johnson in 1998, it has been a hub of activity. Grounded in community Most days, you'd find much the same scene among the tables dotted with cups of java and laptops: In the mornings, an overflowing table of elde...

#FrankVogel #MagicJohnson #LosAngelesLakers #Coach #NBA  During the hiring process, the Lakers told Frank Vogel something that was immediately reinforced in his first week at work: This ain’t Indiana. That manifested in topsy-turvy fashion on Monday morning, as Vogel spent most of his 26-minute introductory press conference as head coach of the Lakers silently listening as his general manager handled accusations of backstabbing from the outgoing team president. It didn’t throw the 45-year-old New Jersey native off his message – that he’s here to instill a positive, forward-thinking culture to a franchise in need of one – but even Vogel acknowledged it was a little outside his normal operating procedure. “It’s a little different,” Vogel said. “Definitely different than I expected and different than I’ve ever been a part of. But I understand the line of questioning, in light of the events of this morning, so you just roll with the punches.” If nothing else, Vogel rolled...