Friday desk clearing

Selected items from the media, our in box and other LA Observed sources. Posted occasionally — often in the morning.

The Village at Westfield Topanga, the Valley's newest outdoor megamall, opened Friday and by noon 25,000 visitors had checked it out. Perhaps 80,000 are expected over the weekend. Daily News

Clifton's Brookdale Cafeteria reopened on Broadway after a thorough renovation. A look back at founder Clifford Clinton: KPCC

Brain disease was found in 87 out of 91 former NFL players tested in a study of concussions in football. PBS Frontline

Democratic presidential hopeful Bernie Sanders rolled out 128 celebrity endorsements, among them Will Ferrell, Mark Ruffalo, Margaret Cho, Jackson Browne, Belinda Carlisle, Steve Wozniak, Shepard Fairey, Susan Sarandon and Sarah Silverman. BuzzFeed, Artists for Bernie

Carly Fiorina was seen by some as the winner of the Republican presidential candidates debate at the Reagan Library. But questions remain about whether the Californian can translate this attention into lasting momentum. LAT

Ted Cruz Depicted as 'Mockingjay' Rebellion Leader in L.A. Street Art. Hollywood Reporter

The poisonous politics of homelessness, a three-part series by Bill Boyarsky. Truthdig

United Teachers Los Angeles plans to picket Sunday's opening of The Broad museum over Eli Broad's support for charter schools. LA School Report

Gov. Brown attended a ribbon-cutting ceremony today at The Broad. City News Service

New City Councilman David Ryu wants the Ethics Commission to look at a ban on contributions by unions and business groups, but it's unclear if he will even get a second. LAT

The body of Leonard Neft, a former San Jose Mercury News reporter and obituary writer, was found in the burn area of the Valley Fire in Lake County. Mercury News

Jon Christensen dared to be rightfully skeptical about the unproven Hyperloop vision and was dinged by the enthusiasm journalism cheerleaders at CBS Morning News.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar profiled in the New York Times Magazine as "at once deeply revered and misunderstood." NYTM

Saturday is the final Sabado for "Sabado Gigante." LAT

The long, slow death of an American newspaper: Inside the publishing tragedy of the Los Angeles Times. Salon

Reality TV star Caitlyn Jenner filed a petition in Santa Monica Superior Court, asking to legally use the name Caitlyn Marie Jenner instead of William Bruce Jenner. SM Mirror

Brett Hennessey talks about moving Hennessey + Ingalls downtown to the Arts District next year, to a small bookstore space in a more strategic location. A/N Blog

How audience engagement editors are guiding online discussions at media sites. CJR

Dodgers broadcaster Jaime Jarrin aims for 3 more years. DN

Doug Kriegel is doing a series of stories on Dodgers history for Sportsnet LA. YouTube

Paul Haddad's book "10,000 Steps a Day in Los Angeles" offers "insight into trail adventures hidden in Los Angeles as part of the effort to help keep America healthy through walking." ABC7

California’s wildfire problem is turning into a smoke problem. Wired

Tom Gilmore, the downtown re-developer, was named chairman of the board of SCI-Arc. Via release.

The Getty Research Institute announced the acquisition of the archive of Maurice Tuchman, the first full-time curator of modern art at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art from 1964 to 1994. Via release.

A dead gray fox in the Santa Monica Mountains near Agoura Hills may have poisoned by household toxics. NPS

Keeping my Mid-City neighborhood together, one baseball bat at a time. Zocalo

Trying to predict the next neighborhoods for hipster flipping and gentrification. Curbed LA

An interview with typewriter collector Steven Soboroff. Just Collecting

Spot Gallery on Sunday will debut a new exhibition by photographer and film director Melodie McDaniel entitled ‘American Spectator.’ Washington Post

"East LA Interchange," Betsy Kalin's documentary on the evolution of Boyle Heights, screens next Thursday at the Hollywood Film Festival. Info

Why are people more outraged over what one of Trump's supporters said about Obama than over what Trump himself said about vaccines?

— Nate Silver (@NateSilver538) September 18, 2015

U.S. Office Machines in Highland Park has just the cure for writer's block: http://t.co/rlbDO0Ybvh @KCETDepartures pic.twitter.com/i8YJcfXDFL

— SoCal Connected (@SoCalConnected) September 18, 2015

@LAObserved's Iris Schneider did not want to be photographed but as she had a camera I told her she couldn't say no. pic.twitter.com/YJfRMSO1ss

— Off-Ramp (@KPCCofframp) September 16, 2015

"Tomorrow is no longer another day. It has arrived." - Vin Scully

— Kevin Roderick (@LAObserved) September 16, 2015