Extra, Extra: Another Scandal-Plagued Tour Comes to an End

• Carole Meyers, the first female rabbi to lead a congregation in L.A., died at age 50 of bone cancer this past Thursday.
• A month-old wildfire in Santa Barbara County continued to grow and burned through another 1,000 acres, prompting evacuation orders for a dozen homes.
• An LAPD officer was killed earlier today after crashing his motorcycle on the 101 freeway.
• The Belmont Shore team won the 2007 ViewSonic Long Beach Dragon Boat Festival yesterday.
• This is for you hardcore Ikea lovers: the Oslo Ikea has just opened up a no-charge hostel (seriously) for shoppers who can't bear to part with all those tschotschkes and pieces of furniture.
• Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party got thrashed in today's election in the upper house of Parliament.
• Finally some good news from Iraq: the national soccer team clinches its first Asian Cup soccer championship by defeating Saudi Arabia.
• Alberto Contador, the 24-year-old Spaniard riding with the Discovery Channel team, won the 94th Tour de France in a long-shot bid.
• A showdown is looming between President Bush and the Congress over a proposal that would expand funding for the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP).
• Going to parties is getting riskier these days...

Photo by xxjetlab via the LAist Featured Photos pool on Flickr