Free Cash + Friends Return + Freeway Shootings + Pretender Prince

Friday is here, and, for the first time in a while, it doesn't feel like Wednesday thanks to ongoing museum, bar, restaurant, and concert venue reopenings across Los Angeles. Change is happening fast in LA, where vaccinated residents may soon be able to sashay maskless.

Here's what's going on around Los Angeles today:

Friday's Weather:
Residents can expect partly cloudy skies with a high of 70 degrees, a low of 59, and a slight chance of drizzle according to the National Weather Service.

Patch Pick: A French Bulldog puppy was stolen at gunpoint Wednesday, police said. Authorities are asking the public's help to find it. (More on Patch).

Here are the top 5 stories in Los Angeles County today.

1. The CDC caused widespread joy and consternation Thursday when it relaxed mask guidelines, allowing vaccinated residents to go largely unmasked. But the federal agency didn't offer any suggestions for telling the vaccinated apart from the unvaccinated. While state and county officials grapple with that thorny problem, the mask mandate in Los Angeles remains in place. (More).
2. Is it just me, or is now a perfect time for the long-awaited "Freinds Reunion?" The six co-stars got back together in Burbank recently for a reunion show set to be released May 27, HBO Max announced Thursday (More).
3. Just a month after Mayor Eric Garcetti announced plans for a Guaranteed Basic Income pilot to give $1,000 a month to 2,000 low-income families, county leaders followed suit. If their proposal to give $1,000 to 1,000 families comes to fruition, Los Angeles County would become the nation's largest county to have a Guaranteed Basic Income, the Los Angeles Times' Jaclyn Cosgrove reports. (More).
4. Prince Harry may be the most famous royal in Los Angeles, but a 'pretender prince' may dethrone him as the most interesting. If you ever noshed a pizza at the Prince of Venice restaurant in Westwood, you dined at the restaurant of Emanuele Filiberto, the self-titled Prince of Venice, heir to Royal House of Savoy (Italy’s no-longer royal family). He’s one of multiple cousins with a claim to the defunct throne, and as of this week, his Instagram influencer teen daughter has a very small shot at being the first woman to ascend to the throne in 1,000 years, the New York Times reports (More).
5. Authorities are investigating a recent series of BB or pellet gun shootings that damaged several vehicles and shattered windows across Southland freeways. Drivers from Los Angeles to Orange and Riverside counties have reported taking fire (More).

5 Featured Events going on in your neck of the woods:

Online Series: Huntington Landscapes in Watercolor, Fridays at 9 a.m. starting May 28

• "Join artist and instructor Robert Sherrill for an eight-week virtual course on landscape painting in watercolor.

Bug Fair Connected - Virtual 2021: LA Co. Natural History Museum, Saturday, May 15 at 9:00 am

• "We’ll share local stories from our own L.A. backyard, show off the most unique specimens in our collection, highlight entomologists from all over the globe and more."

Spring @ Descano Gardens - Bloom Boom 2021: La Cañada Flintridge, Friday, May 14 at 9:00 am

• "Colorful flowers are a sure sign of spring, but not the only one. The birds of Descanso mark spring by making their homes in the Descanso Gardens at 1418 Descanso Drive, La Canada Flintridge"

RSVPs Due For Gelson's Virtual Cheese Tasting

• Do you love all things cheese-related? Join in via Zoom 2021: Gelson's, SoCal Sunday, May 16 at 3:00 pm

Los Angeles Greek Film Festival - Virtual 2021: LA Saturday, May 15 at 12:00 pm

• The 15th Los Angeles Greek Film Festival is celebrating the breadth and depth of Greek Cinema

OPENING: 'Ai Weiwei: Trace' Exhibit 2021: Skirball, Los Angeles

• The Skirball Cultural Center will resume indoor museum operations Saturday with the Southern California debut of Ai Weiwei: Trace. "Created by Ai Weiwei, one of China’s most provocative and socially engaged living artists, the installation features portraits made up of thousands of plastic LEGO® bricks, each assembled by hand and laid out on the floor.

See more on the Los Angeles calendar!

Featured Businesses:

• Bicycle Film Festival - Los Angeles
• Skirball Cultural Center

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~Paige

Have a news tip or suggestion on how I can improve Los Angeles County Patch? Maybe you're interested in having your business become one of the latest sponsors for Los County Patch? Email all inquiries to me at paige.austin@patch.com.

About Paige Austin: I'm a SoCal native, a UCI grad, a mom, a news junkie, and a diehard Kings/Dodgers/Lakers fan, who's been covering the region my whole career.