Pasadena Now’s New Sunday Read

This weekend, Pasadena Now will launch a new regular feature: The Sunday Read. Designed to be satisfying and thought-provoking, these long-form stories will dive deep into intriguing local subjects.

Not that long ago, Sunday newspapers were something special, jam-packed with special sections, color comics, and longer, more thoughtful feature stories. 

These “think” pieces, as they are called, were something that readers looked forward to with anticipation. Extra effort was lavished on these closer looks at myriad topics and their hallmarks were compelling research, great illustrations and the promise of an enjoyable, even entertaining, slow weekend read.

In the Digital Age, long-form stories have pretty much gone the way of newspapers themselves, most of which have become shadows of their former selves.

This weekend, Pasadena Now is introducing a new element to our already extensive milieu of community news reporting with The Sunday Read, a 1,200- to 2,500-word story on topics that intrigue us, and hopefully, you.

We start off with a look at a forgotten and unsettling chapter out of Pasadena’s history: the story of a Councilman — later, Mayor — who lead a drive in the 1930’s among white homeowners to sign contracts that would forbid their homes from ever being sold to anyone who wasn’t white.

The story is told by Rick Cole, himself a former Pasadena Mayor. To get a feel for this first Sunday Read, please take a look at our video interview of Cole with Aron Bender (below).

Future subjects in The Sunday Read being planned include robots, cold cases, fascinating people you likely never knew called Pasadena home, and a host of topics surprising, amusing, and captivating.

We believe that in a place like Pasadena, home to scientists, authors, professionals and artists, deep thinkers all, a good, long Sunday Read is just the thing to start the week. 

We hope you agree.

Look for the first Sunday Read this weekend on our front cover.