Latest news with #JamesT.Butts
Yahoo
07-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
It's Showtime at Cosm, the Latest Immersive Entertainment in Inglewood
During the Great Depression, the federal government funded a massive, 240-foot-long terrazzo mural called 'History of Transportation' in Inglewood's Grevillea Art Park. Until recently, that monumental artwork was probably the closest thing to immersive entertainment this town of just over 100,000 residents enjoyed. Today, the revitalized city is home to some of the most innovative and lavish new pleasure palaces in Southern California. Following the loss of the Lakers, Kings and Hollywood Park racetrack, and after a downward economic spiral decades in the making, the 'City of Champions' bounced back in a big way after landing huge development deals just over 10 years ago. 'When I took office in 2011, we weren't going to make payroll. We were going to be bankrupt,' Inglewood Mayor James T. Butts, Jr. tells Los Angeles. 'What happened? I happened.' Inglewood mayor James T. Butts, courtesy City of Inglewood Butts, who has a background in both business and law enforcement, helped revitalize the city by turning around high crime and unemployment (35% of the jobs generated by the new developments are local hires), and balancing the budget. 'The city has evolved,' Butts says. 'And our brand is entertainment.' After a decade of construction that brought the stunning SoFi stadium and Intuit Dome to life, and restored the historic Forum (which hosts legends including Gladys Knight and Chaka Kahn this month), a new class of unique performance venues have arrived in the city. 'Let me put this very humbly,' Butts says. 'Everything that's new and everything that is cutting edge is coming to Inglewood.' The world's second-largest movie exhibitor, Mexico-based Cinépolis, built L.A.'s first dine-in IMAX with leather recliners inside their new luxury cinema on the site of the old racetrack. Showtimes haven't been announced yet, but screens like this were made for movies like the latest installment of Mission: Impossible, opening May 23. CineVita in InglewoodLina Lecaro A baroque Belgian tent houses CineVita, a theatrical concert experience launched at the end of last year. Their tribute to the films of Quentin Tarantino has been extended to the end of this month. Future shows will honor directors John Hughes, Baz Luhrmann and Martin Scorsese. Taylor Shechet, a musician and technical artist who spent four years working on the Sphere in Las Vegas, recently moved to Inglewood and was wowed by Cosm. The new 1,500-seat venue has a 180-degree, 87-foot diameter, 8K+ LED dome screen that recently debuted The Psychedelic Mixtape, a new show by DJ Chris Holmes. 'It's an immersive, multi-sensory experience,' Shechet says. 'It's basically a mini-Sphere. You sit there with your friends and anywhere you look, there are trippy visuals and all this cool stuff is happening.' The Experience at CosmPhoto courtesy Cosm Shechet says his parents were concerned about Inglewood's reputation when he bought his house. 'Historically, it's been a less well-to-do area,' he says. 'It's just now at a stage of gentrification where there's an opportunity to do cool things.' Equally enamored by Inglewood's small-scale charms, he loves the new Asteroid Vinyl Café, a record shop on La Brea Avenue. 'It's also immersive,' he says. 'You listen to records and look through them with your fingers while you drink the coffee. It's all the senses combined.
CBS News
04-05-2025
- CBS News
2 people wounded in shooting at Spartan College in Inglewood; suspect in custody
A suspect has been arrested in connection with a shooting at the Spartan College of Aeronautics and Technology in Inglewood, California, Friday afternoon that left two people wounded. The shooting happened at around 3:40 p.m. Pacific Time on the school campus, which is located in the 8900 block of Aviation Boulevard, according to the Inglewood Police Department. Inglewood is part of the Los Angeles metropolitan area. Firefighters arrived to find two victims suffering from wounds, according to the Los Angeles County Fire Department. Both were taken to a nearby hospital with critical injuries. The victims were believed to be female employees of the college, Inglewood Mayor James T. Butts told CBS News Los Angeles. He said that the alleged gunman was possibly seen wearing a security uniform as the shooting happened. Police conducted a thorough search of the campus and no suspect was found, but they were able to determine his identity and the car he was driving. Just after 6 p.m., Butts reported that a suspect was arrested. He later identified the man was 40-year-old Jesse Figueroa. "It is our understanding that the suspect was a former employee of the college," Butts said. The male suspect was located near Berendo and Twelfth streets in Pico-Union after emergency dispatchers received a 911 call about the shooting that brought them to that location, police said. Police said the suspect's family made the 911 call in order to report that he had shot two women. They told officers that the gun he used was in the backseat of his car, where he was located and taken into custody without further incident, police said. Dozens of people, believed to be staff and students, were seen on the street outside of the school as the preliminary investigation began. There was also a large police presence, many of whom could be seen wearing tactical gear. L.A. County firefighters initially reported that there were three gunshot victims, but later clarified that number once details became more apparent.
Yahoo
23-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
After people mover plans fall through, Inglewood pivots to dedicated bus lanes for transit connections
The city of Inglewood is making a detour in its plans to increase connectivity between local transit hubs and the city's burgeoning sports and entertainment district. On Tuesday, city officials announced it would be reimagining the Inglewood Transit Connector from an elevated, fully automated people mover concept into a smaller scale improvement project highlighted by dedicated bus lanes. 'Over the next few years residents and visitors can expect new mobility hubs, bus-only lanes, new bike infrastructure, improved traffic flow, and walkability upgrades to serve events,' the city's dedicated project website reads. LA Metro continues to make life hard for fare evaders The Inglewood Transit Connector project, in its people mover form, was meant to connect the Downtown Inglewood Metro station on the K Line with the bustling and rapidly developing area where SoFi Stadium, YouTube Theater, Intuit Dome and the Kia Forum can be found. But challenges from local officials, potentially displaced business owners, owners of the Los Angeles Rams and Clippers, and U.S. Rep. Maxine Waters, stopped the project from getting off the ground, leading to its ultimate cancellation. Now city officials say there's a new plan that will come with a lower price tag and fewer affected businesses. 'With the world watching us as we prepare to host the 2028 Olympics, we're also looking inward—listening to our community and taking strategic steps to deliver on what matters most to the people who live and work here,' Inglewood Mayor James T. Butts said in a news release. Butts said the community response was clear that Inglewood residents and business owners want traffic relief and connected, walkable neighborhoods that revitalize the downtown area. But now the focus is on an 'incremental' approach to improve city connectivity. Phase 1 of the revamped project will focus on improvements along downtown Market Street, with storefront upgrades, mobility hubs linking to Metro's K and C lines, shuttle services, bus-only lanes and 'enhanced smart traffic technology.' The phasing strategy, officials said, will help provide traffic relief and neighborhood improvements ahead of the 2028 Olympics, while minimizing construction disruption near Prairie Avenue. While those improvements are meant with the Olympics in mind, the city hasn't entirely ruled out its original plan. City leaders said the first phase would lay the groundwork for expansion, including, possibly, a high-capacity automated people mover in the future. This new phased plan reduces the number of potential businesses affected from 44 to 23, and those displaced could receive relocation assistance and other grant funding for their trouble. Inglewood City Councilmember Alex Padilla said the goal of the revised plan isn't just to 'minimize disruption,' but also provide resources and tools to help businesses 'stay rooted right her in Inglewood.' A contract has been authorized with Elevate Inglewood Partners to begin design activities. Public engagement on the project, including design elements, pedestrian safety and mobility hubs will continue throughout 2025, officials said. The original plan for the Inglewood Transit Connector was awarded more than $1 billion in federal funds from the Biden Administration. It's unclear if those funds will still be awarded to Inglewood with the project's revised blueprint, or with the Trump Administration canceling previously allocated grants for select transit projects across the country. The latest updates can be found here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
