Extra Extra: It's Hammer Time!

• North County just can't catch a break lately: another fatal freeway pileup near Antelope Valley today, this one involving eight vehicles and at least one fatality. The freeway has been closed in both directions.
• Things Not Worth Beating Someone With a Hammer For: six dollars? A group of males accosted and hammered a man in Canoga Park last night; then they blew the cash on penny candy and stamps. Not really, but six bucks??
• The effort to recall councilman Jack Weiss is collapsing due to a lack of needed signatures. the recall campaign was sparked by controversies centering around transit and development projects in Hollywood, Century City, and the Mid-City area.
• Don't forget about Lights Out this Saturday! The LA Times reminds us to turn off all non-essential power from 8pm to 9pm on Saturday night.
• Reluctant to rely on voluntary light conservation as the only solution, electric companies are developing technologically advanced electric circuits that will help prevent major blackouts in the future. Tests are currently being run in San Bernardino County.
• Fuck you Ticketmaster, but fuck the ticket brokers too: a Pennsylvania court handed down a ruling granting Ticketmaster the right to prosecute ticket brokers who use automated computer programs to buy up huge swathes of tickets before actual consumers can get to them.
• One more way to start reducing our carbon footprints: Richard Branson announced that Virgin Airlines will begin developing and testing biofuel for its fleet of jets.
• Federal prosecutors have charged the Latino Florencia 13 gang with racially motivated crimes against African Americans; arrests are being made after almost three years of investigation.
• What Mozza? Los Angeles barely makes a dent in Esquire Magazine's yearly Best New Restaurant Rankings. All'Angelo does make the list.
• The Writers Guild drama continues: the studios announced today that they will be "withdrawing the cost-recoupment proposal in the hopes of achieving a breakthrough in the contentious negotiations."

Zach Behrens also contributed to this report.

Photo by Sundogg via the LAist Featured Photos pool on Flickr