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Events in Los Angeles County on Monday to mark World AIDS Day will include an evening of reflection in Lincoln Heights, a gathering in West Hollywood and a commemorative event aimed at the Latino community in East Hollywood. The 32nd annual Noche de las Memorias in Lincoln Park will run from 6:30 to 8 p.m and include family testimonials, music, prayer and the unveiling of newly inscribed names at The AIDS Monument during a candlelight ceremony.     The event will highlight “the urgent need to restore HIV testing, prevention and education services after recent federal funding cuts,” organizers said. The first World AIDS Day gathering at STORIES: The AIDS Monument will honor lives lost to AIDS-related illnesses and uplift the voices of those living with HIV and AIDS. The program beginning at 5:30 p.m. will feature readings by the APLA Health Writers Group. The monument in West Hollywood Park and was unveiled Nov. 16. A reception will take place at ONE Gallery at 626 N. Robertson Blvd. from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. showcasing the newly opened exhibit, “Herb Ritts: Allies & Icons” — portraits of artists and activists who shaped the fight against AIDS. The Alliance for Housing & Healing, a program of APLA Health, formerly AIDS Project Los Angeles, will lay flowers Monday on the bronze plaques embedded in the sidewalk along the West Hollywood AIDS Memorial Walk on Santa Monica Boulevard. The Memorial Walk runs from Crescent Heights Boulevard to Robertson Boulevard. It was created in 1993 to honor people who died in the AIDS pandemic. New plaques are added regularly.     A panel of the AIDS Memorial Quilt will be on display at the West Hollywood Council Chamber at 625 N. San Vicente Blvd., beginning Monday and through Dec. 15. The 33rd UNIDOS by BIENESTAR will honor resilience, celebrate lives and seek to build a future without stigma, organizers said. It will be held from 6 to 10 p.m. at the Ukrainian Cultural Center, 4315 Melrose Ave., with doors opening at 5:30 p.m. Reservations can be made on Eventbrite. The event was nearing capacity Sunday night. The event is organized by Bienestar Human Services, a community-based social services organization focusing on identifying and addressing emerging health issues faced by Latino and LGBTQ+ populations. It has centers in East Los Angeles, Hollywood, Long Beach, Pomona, San Fernando Valley, and South Los Angeles. The Los Angeles LGBT Center and AIDS/LifeCycle will hold a rooftop reception at 6 p.m. at the center’s Anita May Rosenstein Campus Rooftop at 1118 N. McCadden Place. World AIDS Day originated at the 1988 United Nations World Summit of Ministers of Health on Programs for AIDS Prevention. It is held annually on Dec. 1. The theme for 2025 is “Overcoming disruption, transforming the AIDS response,” calling for sustained political leadership, international cooperation, and human-rights-centred approaches to end AIDS by 2030.     There were an estimated 40.8 million people living with HIV at the end of 2024, 65% of whom are in Africa, according to the World Health Organization.     An estimated 630,000 people died from HIV-related causes in 2024 an estimated 1.3 million people acquired HIV.

The last supermoon of the year will shine soon in December skies. The moon’s orbit around the Earth isn’t a perfect circle so it gets nearer and farther as it swings around. When a full moon is closer to Earth in its orbit, a so-called supermoon happens. It makes the moon look up to 14% bigger and 30% brighter than the faintest moon of the year, according to NASA. Supermoons happen a few times a year in clusters, taking advantage of the sweet spot in the moon’s elliptical orbit, and Thursday night’s event is the last of three in a row in 2025. The supermoon can be glimpsed in clear night skies without any special equipment. But it can be tough to discern the subtle change with the naked eye. Whether a supermoon or not, the moon also appears bigger when it’s close to the horizon because of what’s called the moon illusion. It’s a strange visual trick that experts can’t yet explain. “When you have a supermoon, that effect is just slightly more striking,” said astronomer William Alston with the University of Hertfordshire. Tides could be slightly higher during a supermoon because the moon is closer to Earth, but again, the difference isn’t very noticeable. ___ The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Department of Science Education and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.

More than two dozen Starlink Internet satellites will be sent into space when a SpaceX rocket launches Monday night from Vandenberg Space Force Base. The Falcon 9 rocket is set for liftoff between 6:10 p.m. and 10:10 p.m. from the Santa Barbara County base northwest of Los Angeles. The rocket and its exhaust plume might be visible, largely depending on weather conditions, in Southern California and northwestern Mexico. Apr 1, 2024 After delays, SpaceX rocket launch after sunset treats LA sky-watchers Mar 18, 2024 Watch: SpaceX rocket launch seen for miles around Southern California Launch times are subject to change, depending on factors like weather conditions. The rocket and spectacular exhaust plume are sometimes visible for hundreds of miles as it soars along the coast, if skies are clear and light conditions are right. Launches just after sunset and before sunrise usually provide the best views as the rocket reflects the sun’s rays against the backdrop of a darkened sky. Sunset Monday in Los Angeles is at 4:44 p.m., so the sun may not provide sufficient light to illuminate the rocket and exhaust plume. After separation, the first stage booster landed on the Of Course I Still Love You droneship in the Pacific. People in Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo, and Ventura counties may hear one or more sonic booms. The rocket will carry 27 Starlink satellites into low-Earth orbit. The launch is one of several planned for Vandenberg Space Force Base this month, including Falcon 9 launches scheduled for Thursday, Sunday and Dec. 10. SpaceX has a Starlink constellation of satellites orbiting Earth about 340 miles up, shuttled into space by the company’s rockets. The Starlink network is designed to deliver high-speed internet anywhere around the globe. If light conditions are right, the satellites appear in a train as they parade across the night sky. The satellites are sometimes visible in the first few minutes after sundown and before sunrise when the sun is below the horizon, but the satellites are high enough to reflect direct sunlight. Use the FindStarlink tracker to find the best upcoming viewing times.

A moderate Santa Ana wind event led to gusty conditions in some Southland mountain and valley areas Monday, with more blustery conditions expected later in the week. The National Weather Service issued a wind advisory that will be in effect through 3 p.m. for the Western San Gabriel Mountains and Antelope Valley (14) Freeway corridor, where northeast winds of 20 to 30 mph were likely, with gusts up to 50 mph. A wind advisory was also in place until 3 p.m. for the Santa Clarita Valley, western Santa Monica Mountains Recreational Area, Calabasas, Agoura Hills and the western San Fernando Valley, where gusts of up to 45 mph were possible. Forecasters warned that the winds could blow around unsecured objects and knock down trees or tree limbs, possibly leading to power outages. “This is a much cooler event than the Santa Ana last week and temps across (the) coast and valleys should top out in the mid 60s to lower 70s,” according to the NWS. “Winds will diminish in the late afternoon but with someoffshore breezes through the canyons into Tuesday morning.” Temperatures are expected to cool slightly on Tuesday as onshore flow returns. A freeze warning will be in effect overnight in the Antelope Valley, where temperatures as low as 24 degrees are possible. Another Santa Ana wind event is anticipated later in the week, possibly as early as Wednesday morning into Thursday.

The city of West Hollywood opened its ice rink to the public on Monday. The West Hollywood Park rink opened with a ribbon-cutting ceremony Monday afternoon., followed by a live DJ performance. “Even in Southern California, where there’s no snow, we want to bring that winter wonderland straight to the community,” Mayor Chelsea Byers said. Holidays Nov 4 Skate into the holiday season, starting in early November, in Santa Monica Holidays Nov 24 Hotel del Coronado's ‘A Holiday in Oz' has seaside ice skating and elegant teas Visitors can book 90-minute ice skating sessions every day until Sunday, Dec. 21. Tickets cost $15 for 3 to 14-year-olds and $20 for those 15 years or older. Skate rentals are included. The rink is open Monday to Thursday from 4 p.m. to 9:30 p.m., Friday from 2 p.m. to 9:30 p.m., and on Saturdays and Sundays from 12 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. Skaters can also visit the park’s general store, which will sell snacks and hot chocolate.  The city is also hosting several special theme nights at the park throughout the month. The city said the rink is made of real ice, and that its aluminium floor system will keep it that way even if temperatures reach 90 degrees. West Hollywood’s ice rink is not the only one in the Los Angeles area, as rinks in Pershing Square in downtown and Santa Monica are also open. This story uses functionality that may not work in our app. Click here to open the story in your web browser.