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As soon as you step into Niky’s Sports’ Pico Union store, it’s clear they’re ready for the FIFA World Cup.With the World Cup approaching sales have risen about 30% across Niky’s stores in L.A. County since the start of the year, according to manager Cynthia Molina, who adds that the Pico Union location is helping drive that trend.
The biggest demand has been for national team jerseys, particularly Mexico, Argentina and Colombia. Most national team jerseys typically cost between $100 and $150. “I feel like, with the excitement going around now, we have a lot of people coming in just asking for jerseys,” Molina said. “So, it’s moving.”The boost in sales at Niky’s Sports is just a small piece of the economic impact expected when the first World Cup game is held in Inglewood on June 12. The tournament is projected to generate around $892 million in total economic activity across the county, according to the Los Angeles World Cup 2026 Host Committee. Most of this is expected to come from visitor spending on housing, dining, and retail – an estimated $515 million, according to forecasts. A boost is also expected from businesses increasing their purchasing and hiring more workers. When longer-term tourism gains from global exposure are factored in, total benefits could exceed $1.1 billion. As soon as you step into Niky’s Sports’ Pico Union store, it’s clear they’re ready for the FIFA World Cup. Soccer jerseys from all the national teams who have qualified for the tournament are displayed front and center, especially Mexico’s “El Tri” home kit featured on a mannequin. Colombia’s, Argentina’s, Germany’s and Spain’s jerseys complete the colorful arrangement, with a picture of Spanish player Lamine Yamal holding onto his Adidas shoes.As soon as you step into Niky’s Sports’ Pico Union store, it’s clear they’re ready for the FIFA World Cup.Sales have risen about 30% across Niky’s stores across L.A. County since the start of the year, according to manager Cynthia Molina, who adds that the Pico Union location is helping drive that trend. The biggest demand has been for national team jerseys, particularly Mexico, Argentina and Colombia. Most national team jerseys typically cost between $100 and $150. “I feel like, with the excitement going around now, we have a lot of people coming in just asking for jerseys,” Molina said. “So, it’s moving.” As soon as you step into Niky’s Sports’ Pico Union store, it’s clear they’re ready for the FIFA World Cup. Customers are buying gear as a way to connect with family, often making the visit to the store a memorable trip, Molina said. “They’re wanting to support their teams. They’re coming and uniting with their families, sharing that whole experience all together,” Molina said. “People from all over the world are coming in sometimes and checking out the items we have.” The boost in sales at Niky’s Sports is just a small piece of the economic impact expected when the first World Cup game is held in Inglewood on June 12.across the county, according to the Los Angeles World Cup 2026 Host Committee. Most of this is expected to come from visitor spending on housing, dining, and retail — an estimated $515 million, according to forecasts. A boost is also expected from businesses increasing their purchasing and hiring more workers. When longer-term tourism gains from global exposure are factored in, total benefits could exceed $1.1 billion.The purchase of at least one jersey can be attributed to Janeth Diron, a local resident and longtime customer of Niky’s Sports, who visited the retailer’s Pico Union location on a recent March afternoon. Diron, 34, played soccer in high school and would always get her gear from the Pico Union shop, but on Wednesday she went in to buy her husband a Brazil away jersey. He plans to root for the team in the tournament. Diron is looking forward to the tournament, even as she prepares to have a baby around the same time.Other shops are also beginning to feel the early effects of the World Cup. At Sportsland in Westlake, staff are seeing a jump in sales, but at nearby Pepe’s Sports, sales have remained steady. “For now, everything is staying normal; there’s still a lot of time,” co-owner Diego Ángel Gómez said, noting that demand usually spikes closer to the start of the tournament. The business has been in Westlake for nearly three decades and based on past World Cups, sales can jump dramatically depending on team performance, Gómez said. As soon as you step into Niky’s Sports’ Pico Union store, it’s clear they’re ready for the FIFA World Cup.“Argentina saved our business,” he said. Argentina jersey sales nearly doubled, and he ran out of stock. He expects a similar pattern this year, with a big rise in sales about a month before kickoff and even more once the matches begin. At Sports, a shop near MacArthur Park that has been operating for over two decades, sales associate Luis Sánchez said business has remained flat compared with six months ago. He attributes the slower buildup to broader economic and political factors. “The situation with the government, rising gas prices, lack of jobs, immigration,” Sánchez said, listing what he believes is keeping customers away. Still, he remains optimistic that sales will pick up as the tournament approaches.Two pilots were killed and dozens of passengers injured when an Air Canada regional jet collided with a fire truck at New York's LaGuardia Airport late Sunday night.Air Canada Flight 8646, operated by regional airline Jazz Aviation, was landing in New York around 11:30 p.m. when it struck a Port Authority Aircraft Rescue and Firefighting vehicle, said Kathryn Garcia, executive director of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which operates the airport. Officials say 72 passengers and four crew members were on board the flight from Montréal-Trudeau International Airport. The pilot and first officer, who have not yet been identified, were both killed. Forty one passengers and crew members were transported to the hospital.from the time of the incident, archived on the website LiveATC.net, an air traffic controller can be heard granting clearance to the vehicle to cross the tarmac, then quickly and repeatedly calling on it to stop. Not long after, a different voice says they have just gotten word the airport will be closed for a while, adding,"that wasn't good to watch." "I tried to reach out to them, I stopped them," the original voice says."We were dealing with an emergency earlier and I messed up."Two pilots were killed and dozens of passengers injured when an Air Canada regional jet collided with a fire truck at New York's LaGuardia Airport late Sunday night. Air Canada Flight 8646, operated by regional airline Jazz Aviation, was landing in New York around 11:30 p.m. when it struck a Port Authority Aircraft Rescue and Firefighting vehicle, said Kathryn Garcia, executive director of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which operates the airport.early Monday that the pilot and first officer, who have not yet been identified, were both killed. She said 41 passengers and crew members were transported to the hospital. "At this time we understand 32 have been released, but there are also serious injuries," Garcia said early Monday.She declined to elaborate on the condition of the nine people who remained hospitalized at the time of the press conference. Air Canada said in aGarcia deferred many of the reporters' questions to the National Transportation Safety Board , the federal agency that investigates civil transportation accidents, which quicklytransportation safety officialsThe collision crumpled the front of the passenger jet, tilting its nose upward and forcing passengers to evacuate through emergency exits. Photos from the scene show debris hanging from the exposed cockpit and scattered across the tarmac, as the damaged emergency vehicle lies on its side nearby. The damaged Port Authority fire truck sits near the runway on Monday. Officials said the two people on board were hospitalized but in stable condition.Garcia said the two officers on board the Port Authority vehicle were in"stable condition with no life-threatening injuries." The firetruck had been on the runway at the discretion of air traffic control, responding to a separate"odor" incident involving a United Airlines plane, she said. "Anytime anyone is moving on any of our runways or taxiways, they have to get clearance from the tower," she added.from the time of the incident, archived on the website LiveATC.net, an air traffic controller can be heard granting clearance to the vehicle to cross the tarmac, then quickly and repeatedly calling on it to stop. Not long after, a different voice says they have just gotten word the airport will be closed for a while, adding,"that wasn't good to watch." "I tried to reach out to them, I stopped them," the original voice says."We were dealing with an emergency earlier and I messed up."All flights into and out of LaGuardia Airport were cancelled on Monday morning. It's one of three main airports serving the New York City area.that it will automatically rebook affected passengers"to the next best itinerary," and that"additional schedule adjustments are possible if the closure extends."in the U.S. in 2024, according to Federal Aviation Administration data. It saw about 900 inbound and outbound flights per day in January 2026, according to a It is one of the three main airports serving the New York City metropolitan area. Another, Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey, brieflyAir travel has recently been fraught for many Americans, due to the partial government shutdown affecting the Department of Homeland Security, which is now in its sixth week. Many Transportation Security Administration officers, forced to work without pay, have either quit or called out from work, resulting in longer security lines at many airports. The Trump administration said over the weekend that it would bePublished March 23, 2026 5:00 AM A rendering depicts the Avalong Bridge Project and Gateway. It's one of three projects meant to help harbor residents access L.A.'s waterfront.The project’s construction underlines how the harbor’s massive industrialization in the 20th century limits residents’ full access to new public spaces.Residents say the 2-year-old Wilmington Waterfront Promenade remains inaccessible to many residents because of heavy truck traffic and railroad tracks. The bridge will help.The bridge project is the third public access undertaking by the Port of L.A. after designating some operating budget income for development that helps residents access the waterfront.Contractors are expected to get the green light Monday from the Port of L.A. to start transforming 12 acres of densely industrial land next to the Wilmington waterfront into a green space called the“Right now, it's not safe to walk from downtown Wilmington all the way to the waterfront,” said Salvador Lara, who’s lived in Wilmington for 35 years and works for a nonprofit that does clean-ups in the neighborhood. Until 2024, most Wilmington residents had little reason to walk to the waterfront. That year, officials unveiled the Wilmington Waterfront Promenade, a 9-acre open space with picnic areas, grass and a public dock.Lucia Moreno-Linares, a Wilmington resident and former L.A. Harbor Commissioner, points to last year’s Shakespeare-by-the-sea event as a good example of the challenge. “Most people used their car to get there, especially because it was in the evening,” she said. Yet for many residents, it would not have been a long walk, if there was a way to get through the industrial area safely."“When the bridge is finished, I think we'll have a better turnout for that event,” she said.The 380-foot bridge will give pedestrians and bicyclists a way to safely cross over working rail lines and avoid port traffic to get to the promenade. The concrete bridge will feature a cable-stayed arch structure.A rendering of the Avalong Bridge Project and Gateway. It's meant to help people avoid train tracks and truck traffic to walk to a watefront park.whose roots go back to the mid-19th century. But the harbor grew massively in the 20th century, with railroad tracks and heavy container truck traffic popping up between those residents and the water. Now that the waterfront promenade includes places for people to walk, ride their bikes and grass on which to lay a picnic blanket, the industrial area acts as a barrier.— Gene Seroka, Port of L.A. Executive Director The Avalon Bridge Project gives pedestrians a way to safely skip over those hurdles. It's designed to improve the quality of life of residents, who for generations have sacrificed a lot for being on the doorstep of the massive Port of L.A. “What makes this project special is that it's all about more than just building infrastructure,” said Port of L.A. executive director Gene Seroka at a recent briefing. “It's about giving Wilmington residents direct access to their own waterfront and creating spaces where the community can gather and connect.”If you're enjoying this article, you'll love our daily newsletter, The LA Report. Each weekday, catch up on the 5 most pressing stories to start your morning in 3 minutes or less.Honoring Dolores Huerta through art, two silent movie screenings, Regarding Her cooking class, Broadway sing-a-long night and more of the best things to do this week.’s in-house pianist? Say no more. Sign up to sing with pianist Michael Orland or just sing along with other Broadway fanatics.This group exhibit honoring Dolores Huerta, the trailblazer, survivor and farmworkers’ rights activist, could not be better timed. South Central native Lauren Halsey had a vision to create a sculpture park in her home neighborhood for years, and it’s finally a reality. Sister Dream, the artist’s “architectural ode to tha surge n splurge of south central los angeles” is a new monument, attraction, gathering spot and homage to innovation to be enjoyed by all.I went to get my hair cut last week, and when I pulled into the driveway of the salon, I saw the biggest lizard I've ever seen in Southern California — and this was in West Adams, nowhere near a hiking trail! Turns out I’m not alone. As Jacob Margolis reported last week,. And while I was sufficiently freaked out by my sighting in our urban jungle, the real risk of the early warm weather is to them, not us.’s music calendar. On Monday, K-pop girl group Hearts2Hearts will be at the Grammy Museum as part of the museum’s Global Spin Live program, while Lady Blackbird, aka the “Grace Jones of jazz,” is at the Blue Note. On Tuesday, there’s a very special show at the El Rey with the Dirty Three, featuring Warren Ellis of Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, while country-pop troubadour Lindsay Ell is at the Troubadour. On Wednesday, L.A. garage band ALEXSUCKS plays the El Rey, misleadingly named folk singer Skullcrusher plays the Lodge Room and there will be a rebirth of slick with alternative hip-hop legend Digable Planets at the Blue Note . Also on Thursday, metal band Bad Omens plays the Forum, and veteran indie band Voxtrot is at cool new Chinatown venue Pacific Electric. — projected from 16mm Kodascope prints, with live accompaniment by Jon Mirsalis. The two films are both part of a celebration of the DeMille Pictures Corporation ; the first is a comedy starring Rod LaRocque and Mildred Harris; the second is not about Joe DiMaggio, but is an adventure about the U.S. and Great Britain’s seafaring rivalry.s in-house pianist? Say no more. I’m prepping my best rendition of “Defying Gravity” as we speak. Sign up to sing with pianist Michael Orland, or just sing along with other Broadway fanatics.This group exhibit honoring Dolores Huerta, a trailblazer, survivor and farmworkers’ rights activist, could not be better timed. While the news about César Chávez'sis harrowing, this show is a chance to honor Huerta and her work for the greater good of farmworkers and California writ large — and view the farmworkers’ movement through the eyes of artists of all stripes.Lauren Halsey, who's from South Central, had a vision to create a sculpture park in her home neighborhood for years, and it’s finally a reality. Sister Dreamer, the artist’s “architectural ode to tha surge n splurge of south central los angeles,” is a new monument, attraction, gathering spot and homage to innovation to be enjoyed by all.series about a Filipina woman’s relationship with her mother, her culture, her queerness and her love life recently opened at the Geffen Playhouse to rave reviews. The one-woman showand is written and performed by Sara Porkalob. It’s peppered with ghosts, Filipino gangsters and a '90s R&B soundtrack.Graffiti as a movement and as an art takes center stage at Secret Walls' first Wet Paint show in Los Angeles. It features graffiti artists including CAN2, MERLOT, JOSE MERTZ, JOSHUA VIDES, YES2 and many more.The writings and illustrations of Ralph Steadman is the focus of an evening on stage at the Actors’ Gang in Culver City. It will feature readings by Josh Brolin, Michael C. Mahon and Pat Healey; singing by Kim Chase; and an introduction by Steadman’s youngest daughter, Sadie Williams. Can’t make the stage show? Head to Torrance Art Museum through May 9 for an exhibit that features more than 140 drawings and other works of Steadman’s, including illustrations for Thompson’saround the L.A. area that the museum has created, which challenges users to a scavenger hunt for Steadman’s SoCal inspirations, and includes events like the Actors’ Gang show throughout the exhibition’s lifecycle.Rose Previte, the founder of new West Adams hotspot Maydan Market, joins women’s culinary organization Regarding Her for a cooking class and networking evening at the hip space. Several other big-name L.A. female chefs will join Previte for the event, which invites foodies to participate in an array of intimate cooking classes. You can make Guerrerense tamales with Heidie Irra fromJim Michaelian talks with Jim Liaw and Mayor Rex Richardson before a press conference as work begins on the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach racetrack in Long Beach on Thursday, Feb. 26, 2026.Grand Prix Association of Long Beach president and CEO Jim Michaelian died on Saturday, just four weeks before the street race was scheduled to roar again along the city’s shoreline, association officials said.Michaelian wore increasingly larger hats during the past 51 years of the annual race, serving first as the Grand Prix Association’s controller, chief operating officer and then being named president and CEO in December 2001. This year's race was to be the last race he would oversee before passing the reins to incoming CEO Jim Liaw.Grand Prix Association of Long Beach president and CEO Jim Michaelian died on Saturday, just four weeks before the street race was scheduled to roar again along the city’s shoreline, association officials said. It was to be the last race he would oversee beforeMichaelian wore increasingly larger hats during the past 51 years of the annual race, serving first as the Grand Prix Association’s controller, chief operating officer and then being named president and CEO in December 2001. “Jim didn’t just lead the Grand Prix — he lived it,” Mayor Rex Richardson said in a statement. ”His passion, warmth and dedication turned an event into a tradition, and a tradition into a source of pride for generations of Long Beach residents. Under his leadership, the Grand Prix became a global event and a defining part of Long Beach’s identity.” Michaelian graduated from UCLA with a BS in Physics and an MBA. He was a competitive sports car racer for more than 25 years and competed in endurance events at tracks including Le Mans, Daytona, Nürburgring, Dubai and Sebring.Penske Corporation chairman Roger Penske reflected on Michaelian’s contributions. “Jim was a leader of a small, passionate group who believed in the concept of bringing elite open-wheel competition to Long Beach in the 1970s, worked tirelessly to make it happen despite steep odds and then helped nurture the Grand Prix of Long Beach into becoming America’s premier street race,” Penske said. “His vision and energy surrounding this great event remained boundless for 50 years, as no task was too small for Jim, even while he served in numerous leadership roles.”“A loving and devoted husband, nothing meant more to Jim than his family,” the Grand Prix Association said in a statement. “He especially treasured the time he spent with his two boys, creating memories that will be carried forever.”
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