The explosive opening in the first episode of HBO’s “Watchmen,” with citizens of a black Tulsa, Okla., neighborhood being gunned down by white vigilantes, black businesses deliberately burned and even aerial attacks, has brought new attention to the nearly buried history of what the Oklahoma Historical Society calls “the single worst incident of racial violence in American history.”

Though it looked like something made up for the series inspired by Alan Moore’s original “Watchmen” stories for DC Comics, the Tulsa race massacre of 1921 was an all too real incident that decimated 35 city blocks, including the business district of Tulsa’s Greenwood community, which Booker T. Washington once called the “Black Wall Street of America.” The official death toll was 36, but more recent estimates say that as many as 300 may have been killed; 800 were treated for injuries and more than 6,000 black citizens were interned at the city’s convention hall and fairgrounds for up to eight days. A search for mass graves has been undertaken in recent years.

The incident began with an encounter between 19-year-old Dick Rowland, a black shoeshiner, and elevator operator Sarah Page, who by some accounts was as young as 15. For reasons that are still unknown, Page screamed when Rowland entered the elevator. Police were called and Rowland was arrested for attacking Page, though later accounts say Rowland may have simply tripped and fell onto Page. An inflammatory newspaper account stirred up the white community and crowds gathered outside the courthouse. With thoughts of protecting Rowland from lynching, members of the black community also appeared but were outnumbered and after fights broke out retreated to the city’s Greenwood neighborhood, where most black businesses and homes were located. The mob followed, and the massacre began in full force, aided by members of the Ku Klux Klan.

“Vigilantes … under the color of law, destroyed the Black Wall Street of America,” said former state Rep. Don Ross in the 2001 “Tulsa Race Riot: A Report by the Oklahoma Commission to Study the Race Riot of 1921.” “Some known victims were in unmarked graves in a city-owned cemetery and others were hauled off to unknown places in full view of the National Guard.

In the aftermath of the killings, attempts were made to cover up the events. Stories were removed from newspaper archives, and some official accounts were destroyed. It took decades for historians and Oklahoma officials to unearth the history and begin to teach it in schools. But the years of silence took a toll on the truth — and even on how to label the incident. Many, for instance, question whether to call the events a “riot” or “massacre.” “Designating it a riot prevented insurance companies from having to pay benefits to the people of Greenwood whose homes and businesses were destroyed,” said a report by the Tulsa Historical Society and Museum.

High school history teacher Seymour Williams, explaining why there was largely silence in the black community following the violence, told Ross: “Blacks lost everything. They were afraid it could happen again, and there was no way to tell the story. The two Negro newspapers were bombed. … [People] were too busy just trying to make it. … The killers were still running loose, and they’re wearing blue suits as well as Klan sheets.”

For more reading on the Tulsa race massacre:

The overdue state report: Many credit journalist-turned-politician Don Ross with bringing attention to the events of 1921. He wrote three Oklahoma Eagle columns in 1968 about the riot and in 1971 published an account of the violence in an issue of Impact magazine, where he was then the editor. “Both blacks and whites got on my case for causing trouble,” he told the Kansas City Star in 1999. “I had violated the conspiracy of silence going on for 50 years.”

Ross went on to become an Oklahoma state representative and was on the commission that in 2001, 80 years after the destruction of America’s “Black Wall Street,” produced “Tulsa Race Riot: A Report by the Oklahoma Commission to Study the Tulsa Race Riot of 1921.” It includes a discussion of the disputed death toll, the use of airplanes to drop bombs on civilians, and the still unresolved issue of reparations.

The nearly forgotten initial Red Cross report: The Tulsa Historical Society and Museum has a section of its website devoted to the Tulsa race massacre. Among its archives are audio recordings of survivors, photos and one of the first historical documents on the violence, a Red Cross report issued December 30, 1921, by Maurice Williams, the director of relief operations in the area of destruction. “Disaster Relief Report: Riot 1921″ begins with a clipping of the Tulsa Daily World article blaming the “battle between the races” on the arrest of shoeshiner Dick Rowland. Williams, however, writes, “The consensus of opinion, after six months intervening time, places the blame upon ‘the lack of law enforcement.’ ‘Race riot’ it has generally been termed, yet whites were killed and wounded by whites in the protection of white property against the violence of the white mob. The elements of ‘race rioting’ were present from all evidence … but the wholesale destruction of property, life and limb in that section of the city occupied by [blacks] … testifies to a one-sided battle.”

The eyewitness: “I could see planes circling in mid-air. They grew in number and hummed, darted and dipped low. I could hear something like hail falling upon the top of my office building. Down East Archer, I saw the old Mid-Way hotel on fire, burning from its top, and then another and another and another building began to burn from their top.” These are the words of Oklahoma lawyer Buck Colbert Franklin, from a 10-page typewritten manuscript that was discovered in 2015 and donated to the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture. Smithsonian magazine details the story and excerpts parts of the account: “The side-walks were literally covered with burning turpentine balls. I knew all too well where they came from, and I knew all too well why every burning building first caught from the top. I paused and waited for an opportune time to escape. ‘Where oh where is our splendid fire department with its half dozen stations?’ I asked myself. ‘Is the city in conspiracy with the mob?’”

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There’s a reason the parable of the prodigal son deeply resonates with us, regardless of our relationship to the Bible.

It’s the story of a lost son who has squandered it all and returns home to be met with unconditional love instead of scorn.

By human nature, we are inspired by narratives of redemption. And there’s no public figure toying with redemption more than Kanye West.

The idea of restoring one’s self — in West’s case, that’s meant becoming a born-again Christian — is at the core of the artist’s new gospel-influenced album and accompanying IMAX film, “Jesus Is King.” The projects, released Friday, arrived after months of West traveling the country with his Sunday Service church revival, which followed, in whiplash fashion, his MAGA-hat-wearing embrace of President Trump and public rhetoric that seemed to apportion some blame on blacks for slavery.

“Jesus,” his ninth record, finds West rapping and singing profane-free lyrics about his newfound spirituality over soulful, immaculately produced hip-hop. He plans on touring the music immediately and has denounced the multi-platinum Grammy-winning work that made him the most influential rapper and producer of his generation.

For years, West — the son of a scholar and a former Black Panther and photojournalist turned pastoral counselor — was a powerful, pro-black artist. He famously declared that then-President George W. Bush didn’t “care about black people” after Hurricane Katrina. He criticized the music and fashion industries for their treatment of black creatives, blasted homophobia within hip-hop and disrupted Taylor Swift’s acceptance speech at the MTV Video Music Awards after she won over Beyoncé (nominated for her groundbreaking “Single Ladies” video).

His actions, messy as they were, always appeared in service of advocating for the betterment of his people, black people. And it fell in line with his music, which veered far away from gangster posturing in favor of thoughtful, relatable observations on family, sexuality, religion, education, prejudice and wealth.

“He had one of the best hip-hop runs of all time,” says veteran hip-hop journalist Keith Murphy. “Kanye comes from black intellectualism and black excellence. But you can’t go around wearing a MAGA hat saying it’s God’s practical joke. What he’s doing, mixing politics into religion, sounds like a combustible cocktail.”

West has never been far from the teachings of Christ. The gospel church and its songs of praise and worship — born from the bellies and lungs of enslaved Negros — have informed his work from the start. Beyond 2004’s jubilant, Grammy-winning “Jesus Walks,” records like “Spaceships,” “Touch the Sky,” “Amazing,” “The Glory” and “Ultralight Beam” show an artist consistently crafting rap hymnals.

His performances also transformed into grandiose houses of worship. On his Yeezus tour, he was presented as an apostle, with Jesus rising from atop a glowing pyramid; supporting “The Life of Pablo” album, he floated across arena floors, literally hovering above his loyal flock.

Since the release of 2013’s “Yeezus,” West’s work has increasingly hinted at a man who sees himself as a god among men, a feeling shared among critics and fans when he started holding Sunday Service at his Calabasas estate in January.

The invite-only gatherings were described by his wife, Kim Kardashian West, as a “musical ministry” and featured faith-based reworkings of West’s repertoire, plus spirited takes on R&B, soul and traditional gospel records.

“There’s no praying, there’s no sermon. There’s no word,” she told Jimmy Kimmel. “It’s just music, and it’s just a feeling.”

For those not on the guest lists, Sunday Service was experienced through Kardashian West’s Instagram account or from those in attendance unbound by NDAs, lending the affair a level of viral exposure that hasn’t always felt pure — particularly when taken with Kardashian West’s reduction of gospel as “just music.”

Sitting on a circular mound West had installed atop a nature preserve in the Santa Monica Mountains in the spring, I witnessed the glory of bodies deeply lost in praise as the performer and the Sunday Service choir prepped for their biggest showing yet, an appearance during April’s Coachella festival to celebrate Easter.

It was impossible not to be moved by the splendor of the choir joyfully singing reworked soul classics and traditional worship music, or later, by 50,000 fans swaying together as Teyana Taylor pushed her voice to its edges on Marvin Sapp’s “Never Would’ve Made It.” There was something striking in the earnestness of West huddled in a corner, away from center stage, dancing alone.

But that’s the beauty of gospel music and exactly why West’s commodification of it continues to be a thorn in the sides of African Americans who have found his behavior and his comments harmful. Aside from his comments on slavery echoing common revisionist Civil War history, he’s compared himself to Nat Turner, questioned why Harriet Tubman should be on the $20 bill (why not Michael Jordan, he asked) and said black people were too focused on racism.

This month in Queens, N.Y., some churchgoers walked out of a service after West descended upon its pulpit. At Howard University, one of the country’s historically black institutions, the rapper baffled the audience by advising, “If they throwing slave nets again, how about we don’t all stand in the same place.” A video of his guitarist’s confused reaction immediately went viral.

At the Forum in Inglewood on Thursday, fans slid their phones in magnetic pouches and filed into a nearly dark arena that had been transformed into a field — replete with tall, bristling vegetation and the sounds of crickets chirping — to hear “Jesus Is King” and see its complimentary IMAX documentary. Some onetime supporters expressed skepticism about his motivations.

“I found Sunday Service exploitative and opportunistic,” says Josh Briond, a West fan since his debut and cohost of the Millennials Are Killing Capitalism podcast. “It’s narcissistic, as everything is with Kanye: It’s about Kanye.”

“This is really for his followers. There is no spirit,” says Dominique Zonyeé, an L.A.-based marketing strategist who grew up in the church. “The message of God is not translating. They are praising a man who is embodying God. That’s not what the gospel is. It’s for worshiping the Lord, not a man.”

“Jesus Is King” has been met with largely tepid reviews. Critics have called the album lyrically lazy, not very good and undercooked. West knows how to craft bangers, and there are plenty on “Jesus Is King”: “Follow God” and “On God” fall in line with the heady foot-stompers he’s been making for years. The Sunday Service Choir’s jubilant performance on opener “Every Hour” is a highlight, as is West stretching his raspy voice on “God Is” and the reunion of the Clipse on the frosty, minimalist “Use This Gospel.” But “Jesus” doesn’t appear to say much beyond surface-level devotionals, and silly lyrics like “What if Eve made apple juice?” and “Closed on Sunday / You’re my Chick-fil-A” certainly don’t do any favors.

So, what are we to make of the new Kanye? The Kanye who says he’s spiritually reborn, yet espouses rhetoric that’s hurtful to the people who have followed him? The Kanye who wants to spread the word but appears to be in search of his purpose?

In a piece on the Christian hip-hop site Rapzilla, Elijah Matos wrote: “For the sake of argument, say that Kanye West’s ‘reawakening’ is an opportunistic business scheme, but maintains a strong faith-based tone with a push towards Christ. In this case, West would fall under those who are ‘not against you,’ and Christians would fall into the same category as the disciples. Although Yeezy may not fit the mold of a conventional Christian artist, using his talents to proclaim Christ, even if it is just for a moment in time, ‘Jesus Is King’ can be a vehicle for the advancement of the Gospel.”

What’s certain is that West’s spiritual journey — whatever it may be — isn’t for us to judge. That lies between him and his god. But if his awakening has shown us anything, it’s how far we are from the Kanye West we once believed we knew.

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SERIES

The Neighborhood In a new episode Dave and Tina (Max Greenfield, Tichina Arnold) attend a concert together, where they discover a common bond. Back home, Gemma (Beth Behrs) seeks help when an unwelcome visitor takes up residence in her home. Cedric the Entertainer also stars. 8 p.m. CBS

The Voice Taylor Swift serves as a mega-mentor to all of the teams as the battle rounds conclude and the knockouts begin in this new episode. 8 p.m. NBC

All American Things don’t go as Spencer (Daniel Ezra) had hoped when he tries to get Leila (Greta Onieogou) to open up to him. Also, the 25th high school reunion of Billy, Corey and Grace (Taye Diggs, guest star Chad Coleman, Karimah Westbrook) dredges up lots of memories. Michael Evans Behling and Monet Mazur also star. 8 p.m. CW

Dancing With the Stars The couples perform a spooky opening number and an additional round of two Halloween team dances. 8 p.m. ABC

9-1-1 Athena (Angela Bassett) and the team find themselves responding to a barrage of bizarre calls on Halloween, including one from participants on a field trip who report that a flock of crows is terrorizing them in this new episode. 8 p.m. Fox

Jeremy Wade’s Dark Waters: Uncovered This new episode documents the disappearance of Alaska’s king salmon in the heart of grizzly bear country. 8 p.m. Animal Planet

Halloween Baking Championship John Henson hosts as the remaining four bakers create tasty grave-robber desserts. 8 p.m. Food Network

Bob Hearts Abishola Bob and Abishola (Billy Gardell, Folake Olowofoyeku) finally go on a proper date, which is interrupted by Dottie’s (Christine Ebersole) medical emergency in this new episode. 8:30 p.m. CBS

All Rise Lola (Simone Missick) contends with a fame-hungry defendant (Bianca Santos) and a circus-like courtroom atmosphere while presiding over a celebrity’s murder trial. 9 p.m. CBS

Prodigal Son Malcolm (Tom Payne) uncovers a photo of himself and Martin (Michael Sheen) from when he was a kid, sparking memories. Bellamy Young, Halston Sage and Lou Diamond Phillips also star in this new episode. 9 p.m. Fox

The Deuce This absorbing adult drama about the sex trade in New York’s Times Square from 1971 to the mid-’80s concludes as Gene Goldman (Luke Kirby) sees a way to turn the city’s public health crisis into an opportunity. James Franco, Margarita Levieva and Maggie Gyllenhaal also star. 9 p.m. HBO

Rock the Block The four designers take on their kitchens in two new episodes of this home improvement competition. 9 and 10 p.m. HGTV

Independent Lens Filmmaker Beth Aala’s documentary “Made in Boise” takes a look at a new industry that has emerged in this idyllic Idaho city, where nurses, nail technicians and stay-at-home moms are choosing to become paid reproductive surrogates for people from around the world. 10 p.m. KOCE and 11 p.m. KPBS

Ultimate Survival WWII Hazen Audel takes on swamps, caves and deadly predators as he retraces the treacherous journey of 11 U.S. soldiers who escaped a prisoner-of war-camp in the Philippines. 10 p.m. National Geographic

Catherine the Great A victorious Potemkin (Jason Clarke) returns from war to find Catherine (Helen Mirren) preoccupied in part 2 of this new four-part miniseries. 10:15 p.m. HBO

SPECIALS

Outrageous Pumpkins Casey Webb hosts as four of America’s best carvers come together for a Halloween pumpkin carving competition judged by Marc Evan, Terri Hardin and Ray Villafane in this unscripted competition. 10 p.m. Food Network

TALK SHOWS

CBS This Morning Ben Horowitz; Cyntoia Brown-Long; Ed O’Keefe. (N) 7 a.m. KCBS

Today (N) 7 a.m. KNBC

KTLA Morning News (N) 7 a.m. KTLA

Good Morning America Reese Witherspoon and Jennifer Aniston; Queen Latifah. (N) 7 a.m. KABC

Good Day L.A. Dr. Ruth; Gabriel Iglesias: physician Jeri Caudle. (N) 7 a.m. KTTV

Live With Kelly and Ryan Queen Latifah (“The Little Mermaid Live”); Randall Park (“Fresh Off the Boat”). (N) 9 a.m. KABC

The View (N) 10 a.m. KABC

Rachael Ray Steve Schirripa and Vincent Pastore (“The Sopranos”). (N) 10 a.m. KTTV

The Wendy Williams Show (N) 11 a.m. KTTV

The Talk Sheryl Underwood’s birthday; Morris Day and the Time perform. (N) 1 p.m. KCBS

The Dr. Oz Show Appropriate avocado portion size; how to choose an avocado at the store. (N) 1 p.m. KTTV

The Kelly Clarkson Show Little Big Town; “Lucifer” set visit. (N) 2 p.m. KNBC

Dr. Phil A 19-year-old dropped out of college and left her job to spend 24/7 with her rageaholic boyfriend. (N) 3 p.m. KCBS

The Ellen DeGeneres Show Jennifer Aniston (“The Morning Show”); Bob Iger, Disney. (N) 3 p.m. KNBC

The Real (N) 3 p.m. KTTV

The Doctors Hyperbaric and PRP treatments for tendonitis; hand sanitizer and the flu; retail therapy. (N) 3 p.m. KCOP

To the Contrary With Bonnie Erbé Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.). (N) 6 p.m. KVCR

Amanpour and Company (N) 11 p.m. KCET; midnight KVCR; 1 a.m. KLCS

The Daily Show With Trevor Noah Beto O’Rourke (D); Michelle Yeoh (“Last Christmas”). (N) 11 p.m. Comedy Central

Conan (N) 11 p.m. TBS

The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon Emma Thompson; Joel Kinnaman; Liam Gallagher performs. 11:34 p.m. KNBC

The Late Show With Stephen Colbert Queen Latifah; Radhika Jones; Wu-Tang Clan performs. (N) 11:35 p.m. KCBS

Jimmy Kimmel Live! 11:35 p.m. KABC

The Late Late Show With James Corden John Lithgow; Louis Tomlinson performs; Rebecca Ferguson. (N) 12:37 a.m. KCBS

Late Night With Seth Meyers Kamala Harris; Gloria Steinem; Omar Apollo performs. (N) 12:37 a.m. KNBC

Nightline (N) 12:37 a.m. KABC

A Little Late With Lilly Singh 1:38 a.m. KNBC

SPORTS

NFL Football The Miami Dolphins visit the Pittsburgh Steelers, 5 p.m. ESPN

NBA Basketball The Clippers host the Charlotte Hornets, 7:30 p.m. FS Prime

For more sports on TV, see the Sports section.

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Cunard is known for corralling of-the-moment talent for its onboard programs. Style icon Iris Apfel once joined a sailing in honor of New York Fashion Week. Director Wes Anderson once helmed a transatlantic crossing that also featured a mini festival of his films. Now veteran “Star Trek” actor, author and LGBTQ activist George Takei will be signing books and speaking aboard a Caribbean cruise over Christmas and New Year’s Eve.

Takei, 82, will give two presentations on the ship: one about his childhood as an interned Japanese American during World War II and one about his time in Hollywood with celebrity friends such as Tom Hanks, Lucille Ball, Cary Grant, Brad Pitt and “Star Trek” cast mate Leonard Nimoy, among others. Takei’s books include his autobiography, called “To the Stars,” and a graphic memoir published this year, “They Called Us Enemy.”

“Some know me as Mr. Sulu [on “Star Trek”], but I hope all know me as a believer in, and a fighter for, the equality & dignity of all human beings,” Takei’s Facebook page says.

The cruise from Dec. 22 to Jan. 3 aboard the Queen Mary 2 travels from New York City to the islands of St. Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Islands, Roseau in Dominica, Bridgetown on Barbados, Basseterre on St. Kitts, Philipsburg on St. Maarten and back to New York. Prices start at $2,589 per person, excluding tax and port fees, for a cabin with an ocean view (inside cabins are sold out).

Takei played Hikaru Sulu in the 1966 “Star Trek” TV series and the first six feature films that followed. These days he’s known for being a community activist and reminding people of the time during World War II when his family and 120,000 other Japanese Americans wound up in internment camps. The actor continues to appear on TV shows.

Info: Caribbean Celebration cruise with George Takei

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Before it burned to the ground during the 2017 wildfires, the tasting room and headquarters for the Signorello Estate winery in Napa was an ivy-covered, two-story edifice on a hillside, overlooking an expanse of oak trees and vineyards.

Although a new tasting room and adjacent business offices have yet to be built, the winery has continued to grow grapes, make wine in an off-site facility and host wine tastings under nearby tents and in a mobile facility.

“The silver lining is we lost some buildings but we didn’t lose any vines,” said Ray Signorello Jr., proprietor of Signorello Estate. “The grapes and winemaking has been largely uninterrupted.”

But like many of his fellow winemakers, shopkeepers and restaurateurs who survived the 2017 wildfires in Napa and Sonoma counties, Signorello struggles to get the word out that one of the world’s premier winemaking regions remains open for business and eager to host visitors.

That effort has been hampered lately by a wildfire that broke out in northern Sonoma County last week and by the decision by Pacific Gas & Electric to shut off power in the region intermittently during high-wind days to help prevent another fire disaster.

The stakes are high.

In both Napa and Sonoma counties, tourism ranks among the top industries, with more than 40,000 combined jobs directly dependent on visitors. Spending by tourists generated more than $4 billion to the economies of the two counties last year, with most of the money spent on lodging.

In Napa County, tourism ranks second only to the wine industry as a top employer.

The challenge, local tourism leaders say, has been crafting a promotional message that encourages visitors to return without reminding them about the current fire threat or the 2017 conflagration that killed at least 43 people, destroyed about 8,400 buildings and charred more than 245,000 acres.

“We have been trying to showcase what a beautiful spot this is,” said Linsey Gallagher, chief executive of Visit Napa Valley, the tourism organization for Napa County.

The 2017 fires made headlines and generated dramatic television footage across the country, but fewer than 20 of the 900 or so wineries in Napa and Sonoma counties suffered significant damage. Most restaurants, shops and hotels also survived unscathed and many of those that were damaged or destroyed have been rebuilt.

The latest visitation numbers and hotel occupancy rates suggest that some areas of the wine region have rebounded from the disaster, while others continue to suffer.

Napa County welcomed 3.8 million visitors in 2018, an 8.9% increase compared with 2016, while visitor spending rose 15.9% to $2.2 billion, according to an economic impact study released in May. Gallagher said her organization has not collected economic data for 2019 but anecdotal evidence suggests the business climate remains strong.

“That tells us that people are staying longer and spending more,” she said.

In neighboring Sonoma County, the tourism industry has suffered. Hotel occupancy rates in the county are about 4% below the levels of 2018 and retail sales figures have dropped about 5% in the same period, said Claudia Vecchio, chief executive of the Sonoma County Tourism agency.

“I believe we are still impacted by those fires,” she said.

As a result, Sonoma has had to rely on a more direct message.

Before the 2017 fires, Sonoma County promoted the natural beauty, food and relaxed atmosphere of the region, with the campaign tag line “Life opens up.” Now, the region is turning to less-subtle appeals, with promotions that list visitation packages, she said.

The organization is conducting a survey of potential visitors throughout the state to gauge what type of new marketing campaign Sonoma County should launch in the coming months.

“That will be telling, for sure,” she said.

Crisis management experts suggest local tourism leaders in the wine country should consider embracing the 2017 fire disaster as a reason for tourists to visit.

Dan Hill, chief executive of Hill Impact, a crisis management firm in Washington, D.C., said the region could try to appeal to the charitable nature of tourists. He noted that was a primary reason why Puerto Rico has enjoyed an uptick in tourism in the two years after Hurricane Maria struck the island.

“People will go to that region because it has been devastated,” he said. “I can see a fraction of the public going specifically to help them recover.”

Napa County has no plans to try such a campaign, Gallagher said.

“That is not the direction we would be heading in,” she said. “Consumers need to move on from that and feel the safety of the destination.”

Winery owners and restaurateurs in both counties say they are sticking to advertising and social media campaigns that promote the positive elements of the region without hearkening to images of the fire.

The Kendall-Jackson Wine Estate and Gardens in Santa Rosa, which had lost no buildings or vineyards in the fire, has been promoting its “farm-to-table” dinner offering, plus a new boccie ball court and picnic areas.

Kristoffer Miller, the tasting room manager at Kendall-Jackson, acknowledges that sending out a positive message has been difficult, especially with PG&E shutting off power during windy days in hopes of preventing another wildfire.

“It does remind people of the fire and it makes people scared, and that is impactful to the business,” he said.

In Santa Rosa, Willi’s Wine Bar reopened in May in a new site after the previous location burned during the 2017 fire. Business has rebounded and about 70% of the previous staff has returned, said Terri Stark, who along with her husband, Mark, owns six restaurants in Santa Rosa and Healdsburg, both in Sonoma County.

The message to visitors and locals, Stark said, is “we are back and picking up where we left off.”

But she conceded that the power outages and the latest fires are making it difficult to stick with a positive message. “For me, moving on is the best coping mechanism,” Stark said.

At the Cardinale Winery in Oakville, visitation numbers have reached pre-fire levels, said Ross Anderson, the winery’s estate director. None of the vineyards were damaged in the 2017 fire, he said, but about a quarter of the grapes were lost because workers couldn’t get access to some of the vineyards.

Anderson said he is troubled that people still ask him about the 2017 fire, adding that he plans to focus on promoting his wines, not on past disasters.

More fire coverage

At Signorello Estate, the fire that burned the headquarters and tasting facility miraculously spared the vineyards and the fermentation tanks.

Before the building was destroyed, it hosted wine tasting events and five-course lunches, whipped up by an in-house chef.

For Signorello, it is difficult to send a positive message to wine lovers when the winery can no longer host large groups or offer the same services as before.

“We used to host people on our property and had a chef and very nice hospitality experience on the property,” he said. “We lost the ability to have that.”

A timeline for rebuilding the destroyed facility is still uncertain, said Signorello, because of a backlog of rebuilding projects for construction contractors. But, he added, his workers were able to harvest nearly all the grapes in 2017 and the wines that resulted from that harvest are exceptional.

“We made some very good wine in 2017,” he said.

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Actor Ralph Garman has listed his Studio City house for sale at $2.595 million.

The Spanish home, built in 2007, has the requisite red-tile roof, arched doorways and wrought ironwork associated with the style. A two-story entry, a formal living room, a formal dining room and an eat-in kitchen with a butler’s pantry, a walk-in pantry, and a center island occupy the ground level. The family room opens to the backyard.

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1/10

The two-story house in Studio City has a tile roof, arched front door and wrought ironwork in keeping with its Spanish style.  

(Redfin.com)

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The two-story house in Studio City has a tile roof, arched front door and wrought ironwork in keeping with its Spanish style.  

(Redfin.com)

3/10

The two-story house in Studio City has a tile roof, arched front door and wrought ironwork in keeping with its Spanish style.  

(Redfin.com)

4/10

The two-story house in Studio City has a tile roof, arched front door and wrought ironwork in keeping with its Spanish style.  

(Redfin.com)

5/10

The two-story house in Studio City has a tile roof, arched front door and wrought ironwork in keeping with its Spanish style.  

(Redfin.com)

6/10

The two-story house in Studio City has a tile roof, arched front door and wrought ironwork in keeping with its Spanish style.  

(Redfin.com)

7/10

The two-story house in Studio City has a tile roof, arched front door and wrought ironwork in keeping with its Spanish style.  

(Redfin.com)

8/10

The two-story house in Studio City has a tile roof, arched front door and wrought ironwork in keeping with its Spanish style.  

(Redfin.com)

9/10

The two-story house in Studio City has a tile roof, arched front door and wrought ironwork in keeping with its Spanish style.  

(Redfin.com)

10/10

The two-story house in Studio City has a tile roof, arched front door and wrought ironwork in keeping with its Spanish style.  

(Redfin.com)

One bedroom suite with a separate entrance sits on the first floor, while there are four upstairs suites, including a master bedroom with a covered patio and a walk-in closet. Wood floors, beamed ceilings and three fireplaces are among details within the nearly 4,300 square feet of living space.

Outside, there’s a swimming pool with an elevated spa.

Garman, 54, starred as the host of Spike’s faux reality series “The Joe Schmo Show.” The comedian, radio host and podcaster has done voice work for “Family Guy,” “Robot Chicken” and “American Dad!”

Caroline Berkman Lewis of Douglas Elliman is the listing agent.

The property previously sold in 2008 for $1.865 million, public records show.

Through Oct. 27
“Carved,” Descanso Gardens’ new nod to Halloween, features more than 1,000 professionally carved, glowing pumpkins along a one-mile walk through the garden’s Camellia Forest and Oak Grove. The event is designed to be family friendly, with special jack-o’-lanterns — some 100-pounds-plus — carved to look like superheroes and famous movie monsters. The event also includes pumpkin carving demonstrations and seasonal snacks. Tickets include general admission to the gardens; $25 for members, $30 for nonmembers. descansogardens.org

Oct. 26
14th Desert Garden Community Day sponsored by the Desert Horticultural Society of the Coachella Valley offers free classes, clinics and information booths about growing native desert plants, and a plant sale for those who want to stock up. Kids’ activities are offered too, 8:30 am. to 2 p.m. at UC Riverside Palm Desert, 75080 Frank Sinatra Drive, Palm Desert. deserthorticulturalsociety.org

California Native Plant Society Membership Day includes a buckwheat giveaway at the Tree of Life Nursery, 33201 Ortega Highway, San Juan Capistrano, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., while supplies last. This is the last of four giveaways planned in October to distribute about 1,500 4-inch Dana Point California buckwheat plants grown by the Tree of Life Nursery. The free plants are available to Orange County homeowners. CNPS members get 10% off all native plants purchased on Membership Day. buckwheatbringsbutterflies.com

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The Witches Garden: Herbalist Juliet Totten discusses the history of folk medicine, plants that have been used to heal and protect through the ages and how to plant a “witch’s herb garden” of your own, at Fig Earth Supply, 3577 N. Figueroa Ave. in Mount Washington. 11 a.m. to noon. figearthsupply.com

Nov. 2
Fig Earth Supply explains how to grow a vegetable from seed, including instructions in how to decipher a seed packet. Attendees get a free seed tray. Admission is free at 3577 N. Figueroa Ave., Mount Washington. 11 a.m. to noon,. figearthsupply.com

Nov, 5
The Pacific Rose Society welcomes longtime rose hybridizer Tom Carruth, who introduced at least 125 roses through his breeding work at Weeks Roses, including 11 All-American Rose Society winners such as Julia Child and Scentimental, and is now the E.L. and Ruth B. Shannon Curator of the Rose Collection at the Huntington Library, Art Museum and Botanical Gardens. In the Lecture Room of the L.A. Arboretum, 301 N. Baldwin Ave., Arcadia. Enter via the main gate. Potluck dinner at 7 p.m., program begins at 8 p.m. Free. pacificrosesociety.org

Nov. 8
Sherman Library & Gardens Lunch & Lecture series presents “The Art of Gardening at Chanticleer,” a public “pleasure garden” in what was once the suburban Philadelphia home of the Rosengarten family. Bill Thomas, Chanticleer executive director and head gardener, will discuss the plant choices, unusual containers and imaginative furniture at what the Washington Post called “one of the most interesting and edgy public gardens in America,” 11:30 a.m. at 2647 E. Coast Highway, Corona del Mar. $25 for members, $35 nonmembers. Lecture only: Members free, nonmembers pay $5. slgardens.org

Nov. 10
“Dudleya: Succulent Diversity in Our Own Backyard” is the topic of November’s meeting of the South Coast Cactus & Succulent Society. Speakers John Martinez and Nils Schirrmacher will share their photos of the 11 species and six subspecies in the Santa Monica and San Bernardino mountains. 1 p.m. at the South Coast Botanic Garden, 26300 Crenshaw Blvd., Rolling Hills Estates. southcoastcss.org

Nov. 12
What’s eating your garden plants? The Orange County Organic Gardening Club is offering answers from Laura Krueger Prelesnik, a vector ecologist and board-certified entomologist with the Orange County Mosquito and Vector Control District, at its November meeting at the Orange County Fairgrounds, 88 Fair Drive, Costa Mesa. Krueger Prelesnik will discuss her efforts to control mosquitoes, rats, fire ants, flies and other garden pests, and identify mystery pests in your garden. Bring a sealed jar with an insect and/or leaves that have been damaged for identification. (Bugs can eat through plastic bags.) 7 p.m. Free. facebook.com

“Butterflies, Birds and Bees, Botanical Bedfellows” is the topic of the West Valley Garden Club’s monthly meeting at Orcutt Ranch Horticulture Center Park, 23600 Roscoe Blvd., West Hills. Speaker Sandy Massau, conservationist, author and editor, begins her talk at 11 a.m. At 9:30 a.m., Jennifer Lee-Thorp will focus her floral design workshop on preparing for the holidays. westvalleygardenclub.org

Nov. 13
“The New American Garden” is this month’s topic at the monthly meeting of the Claremont Garden Club at the Napier Building, 660 Avery Road in the Pilgrim Place neighborhood of Claremont. Agriculture scientist Nicholas Staddon, director of new plant introductions at Monrovia Growers, will talk about the Chelsea Flower Show, gardening trends in the U.S. and abroad, climate-related changes in gardening and regionally appropriate plants. Refreshments at 6:30 p.m.; program 7-8:30 p.m. Free. claremontgardenclub.org

Nov. 17-Jan. 5
Descanso Gardens’ Enchanted Forest of Light is a gentle one-mile walk through the gardens highlighting some of the most popular locations with large-scale light displays. New this year is a “magical ‘stained-glass’” creation at Mulberry Pond by contemporary sculptor Tom Fruin. This year’s exhibit also features updated versions of the popular “Celestial Shadows” display of spinning polyhedrons, the “Lightwave Lake” light show and Jen Lewin’s flowing interactive landscape of meandering pathways called “Aqueous.” Students from California School of the Arts will perform Dec. 6-7 and 13-14. Member-only nights Dec. 20-23 and 26-28. General admission tickets start at $30, members pay $5 less. Children 2 and younger, free. Tickets must be purchased in advance. descansogardens.org

Nov. 23-24
Landfill to Landscape in Altadena: Hands-on Hugelkultur/Bioswale Workshops These two-day rain garden and bioswale workshops by Shawn Maestretti Garden Architecture are $20 a day, with a $10 refund on Day 2 if participants attend both days. Hugelkultur is a technique for creating raised garden beds using logs, branches and other clippings covered with soil. Rain gardens and bioswales are techniques for collecting, filtering and storing excess water. Specific location to be announced Nov. 20. 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. each day. smgarchitecture.com

Dec. 5-8, 12-15, 19-22
The sixth Nights of 1000 Lights at Sherman Library & Gardens celebrates the holidays with a 12-night garden light show Thursdays through Sundays. The event, which includes music, has been expanded this year. Ticketed guests get free photos with Santa, a chance to make a traditional Scandinavian Julehjerter (heart-shaped Christmas decoration), complimentary coffee, hot chocolate and s’mores around a bonfire, along with beer, wine and other food on sale. Tickets on sale now; $15 members, $25 nonmembers, children 3 and under free. 6 to 9 p.m. slgardens.org

I’m never getting married. I’m never having kids!

That was my dating mantra.

I always knew I was destined to be the perpetual, quintessential bachelor, and I made no apologies for it. My house — complete with arcade-style pinball machines and video games, a Jacuzzi and a fully stocked bar — screamed: I’m single and plan to stay that way. I was a young, successful attorney, and my bachelor pad in Anaheim was a revolving door of women, parties and excess.

I saw my two older brothers, married, with children. And I chose my freedom.

I was always upfront with the women in my life. On every first date, I revealed that I was dating multiple women, that I had no intention of settling down and that I loved my single life. It was inevitable that they thought I would change or they could change me. But they always realized sooner or later that trying to change me was an exercise in futility.

Still, many tried. In particular, friends’ wives were always trying to set me up with someone they knew. (Probably so I’d be a better influence on their husbands.)

A friend’s wife offered to introduce me to Janet, saying she’d be perfect for me. I told her I’d pass. I was too busy partying with the women I already knew; who needed to be bothered with going on a blind date?

Then a few years later, a friend called me to refer a client who needed help with a legal matter. It turned out it was a man who had become engaged to Janet in the years since our would-be date. Always eager to take on a new client, I set up the consultation and, since it was a referral from a friend, I offered to make a house call. The door opened. As I laid eyes on Janet for the first time, I thought back to the day I passed on the opportunity to meet her, and I was instantly filled with regret. She was stunning. A tingling sensation started at my feet and was making its way up to my heart.

I shook it off and introduced myself, and proceeded to meet her fiancé, who, after all, was my new client.

Six months into the case, I got an emergency call about Janet’s fiancé. He had died suddenly of a heart attack while playing basketball. After an appropriate period of time, I reached out to Janet and offered my condolences. I apologized for bothering her, and told her I would need a death certificate once all affairs were settled.

Several weeks later, Janet called to set an appointment to bring the death certificate, which I needed to supply to the court so my client’s case could be properly dealt with. We met at TGI Fridays in Torrance. What was meant to be a quick meet and exchange of documents, turned into a three-hour conversation unlike any I had had before.

I felt such a strange connection to her. Inside, I was telling myself to stop. This woman had just lost her fiancé two months ago. But on the drive home, I could not get her out of my head. Over the next several months we talked regularly and formed a platonic friendship, something that had been completely foreign to me when it came to women.

I even invited her to my grandmother’s 90th birthday bash.

And that’s when I blew it. I got drunk and professed my love for her and apparently said, “I love you, I want to marry you and I want to have kids with you.”

Now, I must confess that I have no memory of that blackout-drunk moment, but many witnessed it, so I know it happened. The very next day, Janet and I had plans for lunch. She didn’t show. She didn’t return my phone calls. She cut me off. I deserved it.

I also had no idea why I would say I wanted to get married. Must have been the alcohol.

It was nearly three years later that I was driving home on the 5 Freeway and passed the building where Janet worked in the City of Commerce. On a whim, I called her and the next thing I knew we were talking again. She was dating someone, I was dating several people, and we struck up a nice friendship. My bachelor ways continued and included my annual Halloween costume party. I invited Janet. That year I was Wolverine, and she came as one of Charlie’s Angels.

And she also came alone.

She no longer had a boyfriend.

I can’t say we started dating because in my mind a date meant there would be sex or at least some fooling around. We hung out together, had dinner and saw movies, but there was absolutely no touching, kissing or anything of the sort. Around Valentine’s Day, I decided to make a grand gesture and invited her to dinner at my home. When she arrived, rose petals led the way to a living room with more than 100 candles illuminating a gourmet dinner that which had just been prepared by the gourmet chef I’d hired.

She just looked at me and said, “We are not having sex.”

I protested that I just wanted to do something romantic for her. However, I was still dating several other women, which Janet knew about it. But I told her she was special: No matter what I was doing or who I was doing it with, if she wanted to go out, I would drop everything. She put this to the test. One night while I was out with another woman, Janet called and said she was getting off work early and wanted to have dinner.

I apologized to my date and jammed out of there to meet Janet.

This went on for several weeks.

Finally, Janet gave it to me straight: “I feel like you can be the man for me, the one I want to be with for the rest of my life.” I froze. “I know you have always said you never wanted to get married and have kids, but I do. If you don’t, then I need to walk away from you right now and move on with my life.”

In the past, when faced with this conversation, my canned response was: “I completely understand. Have a nice life. Goodbye.”

As I tried to release those words from my mouth, I just couldn’t. Something would not let me. Instead I said, “Can you please give me some time to think about this?”

I will admit: The next seven days were filled with debauchery.

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And when it was over, I’d come to the realization that I wanted more out of life then just an endless party and string of sexual encounters, and Janet was the woman who opened my eyes to the possibility. I think the kicker was the close knit relationship she has with her her enormous Filipino family, which paralleled the relationship I have with my Jewish family.

One week later, I met her for dinner at Tony’s on the Pier in Redondo Beach. We didn’t touch our food as we talked. I told her a truth about myself: As a young, wild attorney, I made a lot of money but spent even more. I confessed I had only $200 in the bank, not enough to buy a proper engagement ring. She was OK with that as long as I was seeing her exclusively.

A week later, on a cliff overlooking the ocean, I popped the question exactly at sunset. She said yes and we shared our first kiss.

That’s correct. You read that right: Our first kiss was after I proposed.

Janet and I have been happily married for 15 years and have three children, Jonah, 14, Mason, 10, and Julianne, 6.

What made me finally give up my partying ways and stop drinking altogether? And why Janet? Those are questions I will never be able to answer.

But what I do know is that, apparently, I wanted to get married and I wanted to have kids.

The author is an attorney with Pot Brothers at Law & co-host of the FM radio show, Cannabis Talk 101.

Straight, gay, bisexual, transgender or nonbinary: L.A. Affairs chronicles the search for love in and around Los Angeles — and we want to hear your story. You must allow your name to be published, and the story you tell has to be true. We pay $300 for each essay we publish. Email us at [email protected]. You can find subscription guidelines here.

MOSCOW — 

Vladimir Bukovsky, a prominent Soviet-era dissident who became internationally known for exposing Soviet abuse of psychiatry, has died. He was 76.

Bukovsky died of cardiac arrest on Sunday after a period of ill health in Cambridge, England, where he had settled after being deported from the Soviet Union in 1976, according to the Bukovsky Center volunteer organization.

Bukovsky spent a total of 12 years in Soviet prisons or psychiatric hospitals for his fierce criticism of the Communist government, becoming a symbol of Soviet persecution of dissent.

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In 1961, he was expelled from Moscow State University, where he studied biology, for writing a thesis critical of the Komsomol, the Soviet Union’s communist youth organization.

Bukovsky was first arrested in 1963 for possession of books banned in the Soviet Union, declared mentally ill and sent for treatment to a psychiatric hospital where he spent almost two years — the first of several stints in Soviet psychiatric institutions. He was arrested again and handed a prison term in 1967 for a street protest.

In 1971, Bukovsky smuggled out materials documenting the Soviet use of psychiatry for punishing dissenters. Their publication drew international outrage, and he was quickly arrested. The following year, he was sentenced to seven years in prison and labor camp to be followed by another five years of internal exile.

Bukovsky’s fate attracted global attention and in December 1976 the Soviet authorities agreed to trade him for imprisoned Chilean Communist Party leader Luis Corvalan.

His book of memoirs, “To Build a Castle,” has been widely published. After the 1991 Soviet collapse, he wrote “Judgment in Moscow,” a book that called for a trial of Soviet Communist Party and KGB officials similar to that of Nazi leaders’ trials in Nuremberg, Germany.

Bukovsky maintained regular contacts with Russia’s opposition leaders and frequently visited his homeland after the Soviet collapse. He became a fierce critic of President Vladimir Putin’s rule and aspired to run for president in Russia’s 2008 election, but election officials rejected his bid, citing procedural reasons.

In 2015, British prosecutors opened a case against Bukovsky over indecent images of children allegedly found on his computer. Bukovsky rejected the accusations and sued prosecutors for libel. His trial was repeatedly adjourned and in 2018 a judge ruled that Bukovsky’s health was too poor for him to testify.

ARIHAL, India — 

At this time of year, the fruit and vegetable wholesale markets of Kashmir are usually packed with people and overflowing with crisp red apples, the prize harvest of this rugged agricultural region.

But the markets, or mandis, stand deserted. A nearly three-month crackdown by Indian authorities has brought Kashmir’s economy to a standstill and taken a giant bite out of the lucrative apple harvest.

Orchards are filled with fallen and rotting fruit and half the harvest is feared destroyed since India imposed an unprecedented blockade in Kashmir in August — halting phone and internet communications, jailing political leaders and toughening its security presence in the disputed territory.

Hundreds of thousands of migrant laborers have fled the area, leaving crops to wither. Truck drivers have been reluctant to ply the rolling highways, fearing attacks by anti-Indian militants who have demanded an economic shutdown.

The collapse of the apple market followed India’s decision to strip its only Muslim-majority state of the special administrative status that has granted Kashmir partial autonomy since the 1940s. India’s Hindu nationalist government, led by wildly popular Prime Minister Narendra Modi, said the move would bring peace and boost economic development in a region that is also claimed by rival Pakistan and torn by a violent separatist insurgency.

But so far, the economic impact has been catastrophic.

On Thursday, police said that gunmen fired on three trucks carrying apple crates in the southern Kashmiri region of Shopian, a center of militant unrest. A driver and another worker were fatally injured, bringing to four the number of apple industry workers killed since September as suspected separatists try to bully traders and drivers to cease working to protest India’s crackdown.

With no one to pick them, “when apples are ripe, they start falling,” said Peer Muhammad Ashraf, whose family owns about two acres of orchards in Arihal, a village below the Himalayan foothills of southern Kashmir. “Almost 50% of our crop has fallen and has been destroyed.”

Ashraf, who’s in his 30s, is not a farmer — he recently completed a doctorate in English in India’s northern state of Uttar Pradesh and returned to Kashmir days before the lockdown to get married. Without laborers, he and his family members had to begin picking apples themselves.

Unaccustomed to the work, he had twisted his ankle while plucking and was laid up for a few days.

“Not only the business community has been affected but … common farmers, what will they eat?” he said. “They are entirely dependent on this harvest. This will not only affect us this year but its effects will be seen in the coming years.”

Analysts estimate that the apple industry provides livelihoods for 3.5 million of the region’s 8 million people and contributes $1.5 billion to India’s economy. Kashmir produced more than 2 million tons of apples last year, 70% of India’s entire total.

The Indian government has promised to buy up all of Kashmir’s apple crop to aid farmers. Sanjeev Kumar Chadha, managing director of India’s National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation, told the India Today network that it was “a golden opportunity” and that farmers would make 30% more than in past years because the government sales would cut out middlemen.

More than 40,000 boxes were reportedly purchased this month but many farmers say they still expect to sustain major losses because so much of the harvest has been lost. Some growers say they won’t sell to the government in protest of its policies.

One grower in Shopian who asked not to be identified, fearing reprisals by militants, said he managed to hire some laborers but they were unable to go out into the orchards to pick apples because of threats of violence.

Making matters worse is the statewide ban on cellphone service that was only partially lifted this month.

“The clampdown with no communication for over two months and now the fear of militants have made it impossible for us to do harvesting,” the grower said. “It’s a desperate situation.”

The Modi government insists that life in Kashmir has returned to normal, but critics slam such statements as disingenuous.

Days after scrapping Article 370 — the constitutional provision that granted limited autonomy to the state of Jammu and Kashmir — and refashioning the state into a territory ruled directly by New Delhi, the Indian government announced it would invite domestic and foreign entrepreneurs to the state in October “to showcase Jammu and Kashmir as a favorable investment destination.”

Government officials ignored requests by The Times and other news organizations to cover the event — foreign reporters have been effectively barred from Kashmir since August — and two weeks later called off the summit indefinitely.

Tourism, another pillar of the state’s economy, also ground to a halt after India asked visitors to leave in August. The government lifted the restrictions this month, but not before hundreds of tourism sector workers — from hotel employees to houseboat operators on the famed, crystalline Dal Lake — left their jobs or took drastic pay cuts.

“The losses we have incurred in the last two months, who will compensate us?” said Wali Muhammad Bhat, president of a Dal Lake houseboat association.

The deployment of thousands more troops — in what is already one of the most heavily militarized zones in the world — and the detention of Kashmir’s top political leaders have also soured even moderate Kashmiris on New Delhi’s intentions, said Maya Mirchandani, a senior fellow at the Observer Research Foundation, a New Delhi think tank.

“We’re now into the third month and your political leadership is still in detention — someone tell me why,” said Mirchandani, who visited the state last month. “How do you want to economically empower these people when you don’t have interlocutors to explain what your intentions are?

“The Kashmiri public doesn’t trust the Indian state now — that’s the reality.”

Special correspondent Khan reported from Kashmir and Times staff writer Bengali from Singapore.

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