Now moving into the afternoon, but it's been that kind of day ...
- Johnny Otis, one more time: Erin Aubrey Kaplan at KCET's website writes about Johnny Otis: "Johnny Otis was white. But he was unquestionably a race man, more so than many black people of his time."
- Etta James, "At Last": and this great singer, whom Johnny helped discover, died this morning in Riverside, age 73.
- Police explorer graduation: Sheriff Lee Baca will preside at the graduation ceremony Saturday for 215 new law enforcement Explorers from several stations, including Altadena. He will be joined by the San Bernardino County Sheriff and police chiefs from many agencies who will present diplomas to their graduates. The ceremony takes place at 10 AM at Whittier High School Auditorium, 12417 Philadelphia St., Whittier.
- Cookies? There's an app for that: It's Girl Scout cookie season, and we received a press release about two high-tech changes they've made: (1) They now take credit cards (we've seen this -- it's a little attachment for your phone or iPad to swipe the card), and a Girl Scout Cookie Locator app that lets you know where the nearest cookie booth is. The app is free through iTunes or simply dialing **GSCOOKIES (**472665437) from your mobile phone (iPhone Blackberry, Android).
- Recreation leader slots open: LA County is looking for recreation services leaders for the summer. The REAACH program is aimed at high school juniors and seniors and college freshmen and sophomores, ages 16-24. Full details are in the bulletin after the jump.