LAist

L.A. to Seattle for $39 on United? Yes, it's Cyber Monday

Zach Behrens — 2009-11-30T12:59:42-08:00

For those who like to travel--and come on, don't we all?--today is the day to pick a city and go, go, go! United, Jet Blue and Virgin are all offering some nice deals to get out of Los Angeles. $39 will get you to San Francisco or Seattle on United and with $30 more, Virgin will do the same to Seattle. Plenty of more deals, thanks to the info at Cheap Flights.

Police Seek Parolee in Series of Westside Home Burglaries

Zach Behrens — 2009-11-30T12:40:14-08:00

A spike in daytime residential burglaries on the Westside during October had detectives scratching their heads. That was until October 16th when a fingerprint from a recovered cell phone taken in a Santa Monica burglary led back to parolee Daniel Perez. Later that day, another burglary in West Los Angeles was connected to Perez.

In all, he's believed to be involved with at least 21 burglaries, according to the LA Times.

After a burglary conviction, Perez was paroled in 2004 from state prison and has twice violated parole. He is described as twenty-eight year old male Hispanic, with black hair and brown eyes. He stands at five feet nine inches tall and weighs one hundred and eighty-five pounds.

Anyone with information about this investigation is asked to call (213) 444-1523 or after-hours and on weekends at 1-877-LAPD-24-7 (527-3247)

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Tiger Woods Drops Out of Thousand Oaks Tournament

Zach Behrens — 2009-11-30T12:20:44-08:00

This photo taken Nov. 27, 2009 and provided by the celebrity Web siteTMZ.com shows a Cadillac Escalade that Tiger Woods crashed into a tree outside his home in Windermere, Fla. (AP Photo/TMZ)

Citing injuries from his solo car crash on Friday, Tiger Woods has bowed out of 2009 Chevron World Challenge, an event that benefits his namesake charity and scheduled to begin tomorow in Thousand Oaks. Friday's incident was they lynchpin for a series of news about Woods' personal life, something he rather keep private.

To that, ESPN's Jemele Hill says "Good luck with that."

Speculations about domestic violence, drug prescription use, an affair and a lawsuit-- the alleged mistress met meeting with Gloria Allred this weekend--are running ramped in the news.

3 Boys Arrested for 'Kick a Ginger Day' Classmate Attacks

Lindsay William-Ross — 2009-11-30T11:25:01-08:00

Three boys have been arrested, following an ongoing investigation of a series of attacks against redheaded classmates November 20th at a Calabasas school, abc7 is reporting. 7 students, four girls and three boys, were victims of "Kick a Ginger Day" attacks at A.E. Wright Middle School. A LA County shefiff's spokesman said "Two 12-year-olds were arrested for suspicion of misdemeanor battery, and a 13-year-old was booked for misdemeanor cyberbullying." The attacks are thought have have sprung from a plot point in a 2005 South Park episode, and propagated online via a Facebook group advocating redheads be targeted.

Lessons from South L.A.: Market Makeovers' New Website Teaches Youth How to 'Green' a Food Desert

Lindsay William-Ross — 2009-11-30T10:30:07-08:00

Earlier this year, as part of a talk about food and community held at the California Endowment, we learned about the teens in South Los Angeles in a group called HEAC who had been working with Market Makeovers. Their mission is to encourage their peers to try snacking on healthier, fresh alternatives to chips and candy bars, and to help owners of area corner stores convert the space to make the healthy options more appealing and accessible to the clientele.

Good profiles the Market Makeovers team in their blog today, providing readers with more information about the amazing work local high schoolers do in their communities to help "green" the "food desert." Now they have set up an online space that can help others do what they do: "Last week, they launched a new website containing a fun, user-friendly toolkit with amazingly creative ways for teenagers to green the food deserts around them." The site breaks down what a food desert and market makeover are, and explains the benefits.

Making over a market isn't easy; the project involves being educated about why the area is considered a food desert, as well as the politics of business that create a climate for sponsored displays (as in "The Great Wall of Doritos") and why selling fruits and vegetables isn't as profitable. Good explains how their initial makeover worked:

The first store to be converted, the Coronado Market in South Los Angeles, happened to be owned by one of the student’s godparents, so personal connections made it easier to approach the owner. But the response from the community has proved there’s a business opportunity there. “He has seen the sales of the fruits and vegetables increase and heard the customers like it,” says [Market Makeovers founder Mike] Blockstein. “He’s actually going to open a second store and carry over these concepts into another place.”

The work Market Makeovers' teens do is helping address the very serious issues of health in a neighborhood where obesity and diabetes proves both rampant and deadly.

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World Cup to L.A.?

Zach Behrens — 2009-11-30T09:45:16-08:00

Photo by Katie@! via Flickr

Los Angeles may have lost its bid to Chicago for the 2016 Olympics (not that they won, anyway), but two City Councilmembers would like to see the 2018 or 2022 FIFA World Cup come here, should the U.S. be selected as the host country. 27 U.S. cities are considered potential host venues--the Rose Bowl in Pasadena was a venue in 1994--but that doesn't mean Los Angeles is a shoe-in.

Cities must soon submit a bid package to the USA committee. Today a council committee will consider a motion, which includes additionally being named as the International Broadcasting Centre. If chosen, that would mean some 9,000 media and staff descending upon the city to cover the games across the country.

For the city's tourism, it's an obvious boon. Just hosting the media center means an estimated $80 million direct impact to the local economy. If games are played here, one study suggests that host cities would see $400 million to $600 million "from the events, including the creation of 4,000 to 8,000 new jobs during the event," according to the motion.

The 2010 and 2014 World Cups will be hosted in South Africa and Brazil, respectively.

(via blogdowntown)

Early Morning Earthquake Slightly Shakes Los Angeles Area

Zach Behrens — 2009-11-30T09:29:10-08:00

You probably didn't feel it, but if you did, you weren't dreaming it. A magnitude 2.4 microearthquake struck 11 miles southwest of downtown in the Hawthorne-Lennox area at 2:41 a.m. There have been no reports of damage or injuries, just a bunch of people on Twitter freaking out. These little shakers happen everyday and are nothing to worry about. However, they are a good reminder to get prepared.

Video: Aerialist Falls During Holiday Show at Beverly Center

Lindsay William-Ross — 2009-11-30T09:00:28-08:00

Amateur cellphone video shows performer's fall

Onlookers gathered on multiple levels of the Beverly Center to watch the holiday-themed acrobatics of "Hunky Santa and the Candy Cane Girls," yesterday witnessed a 26-year-old female performer take a nasty fall from her suspended metal hoop. The aerialist "managed to turn herself right side up before falling into a video projection cube and injuring her wrist and pelvis. She was not wearing a harness, and there were no nets to break her fall," according to LA Now.

Her fall is estimated to have been about 40 feet, taking her from the third level to the first in an instant. The performer, described as "a total pro," has been evaluated in the hospital and is doing well, according to a mall spokesperson, who attributes the fall to "human error."

Winds, Falling Rocks Keeping Part of Angeles Crest Hwy Closed*

Lindsay William-Ross — 2009-11-30T08:55:23-08:00

Photo by GarySe7en via the LAist Featured Photos pool on Flickr

Weekend winds brought rocks and debris down the mountainsides up on Angeles Crest, which meant that this morning motorists eager to resume their commute on portions of the Highway that have been closed since late-August have to wait until the danger has passed, according to LA Now.

40 miles of roads in the Angeles National Forest were due to re-open at 5 this morning, having been closed for repairs due to damage from the Station Fire. L.A. County Department of Public Works has been hard at work fixing the roads "including replacing road signs, guard rails, road markers, drainage culverts and road striping."

K-rails are in place now to hold back the rocks, but heavy rains could bring about continued or further closures. Keep up-to-date with LA County road closures online.

*UPDATED: As of mid-morning the road is open, however "officials are urging drivers to use caution because crews are working to remove debris and the area remains windy."

Extra, Extra - Post Meal Coma Leftovers Edition

Manny — 2009-11-29T19:30:00-08:00

Playing "Catch" at Zuma Beach | Photo by rchiba via the LAist Featured Photos pool on Flickr

More of the same... A water main break in Highland Park wreaked the usual havoc.
A trick so old its been made fun of on "The Simpsons"... A fake sweepstakes pulled in some gullible criminals in La Mirada.
Another elderly driver accident. This time an LAPD officer was the victim in Van Nuys.
A little unexpected perhaps? Snow in LA... in November! The Grapevine had a little of the white stuff falling.
An oil tank containing 20,000 gallons of crude oil exploded in Ventura County. It is not known just how much of the oil was spilled before authorities could contain the incident 45 minutes later.
If you had trouble getting around in Hollywood today... Blame Santa.
Finally... A feel good story in the "giving spirit" of the season. A "retired" mathematics teacher decided to keep giving lessons at an LA middle school... FOR FREE. Why? Purely out of his love of teaching. Thank you.

LAist-CS: If I Were a Trojan, I Wouldn't Be That Happy

Jimmy Bramlett — 2009-11-29T13:00:00-08:00

Don't they look so happy? AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill

Before I start talking about real football, I have to get a word in about last night’s awful football game that was played in the Coliseum. While Bruins fans are bitching about that last touchdown pass and Trojan fans are rebutting with, “Well you shouldn’t have taken that timeout,” all of that is moot.

The game was awful.

A game between Cal Tech and Occidental probably would have been more entertaining.

Both teams played pretty evenly on offense which meant they punted the ball away about the same amount of times. The only difference was the UCLA turnovers which made the final score look somewhat compelling.

USC fans are now running amok in the streets of Los Angeles with their chests puffed out in the glory of victory. But there should be no struts from the fans. Paper bags would be more appropriate. One week after the best Pac-10 games, these two teams brought the Pac-10 down a notch.

It was embarrassing to watch, even more so that inane timeouts and taunts had to occur for anyone to talk about this game.

Not so embarrassing to watch: Stanford running back Toby Gerhart. Notre Dame went to Stanford Stadium with much more fight than anyone could have anticipated. The Fighting Irish were leading throughout much of the game.

But Gerhart had what should be a Heisman clinching game running for 205 yards on 29 carries with three touchdowns putting him on top of the Football Bowl Subdivision in touchdowns scored. In fact in the fourth quarter down 38-30 Gerhart even threw an 18-yard touchdown pass to Ryan Whalen for the game tying score after the two-point conversion.

Not only is Gerhart the soul of the Cardinal, his bruising running style has given him 1,736 rushing yards this season - second in the FBS.

If his performance on Sunday wasn’t impressive, then his back-to-back demolitions of Oregon and USC should impress.

Now on to the rankings!

1. Florida Gators (12-0, 8-0 SEC)
2. Alabama Crimson Tide (12-0, 8-0 SEC)
2. Texas Longhorns (12-0, 8-0 Big 12)
4. TCU Horned Frogs (12-0, 8-0 Mountain West)
5. Cincinnati Bearcats (11-0, 6-0 Big East)
6. Boise State Broncos (12-0, 7-0 WAC)
7. Oregon Ducks (9-2, 7-1 Pac-10)
8. Ohio State Buckeyes (10-2, 7-1 Big Ten)
9. Iowa Hawkeyes (10-2, 6-2 Big Ten)
10. Oregon State Beavers (8-3, 6-2 Pac-10)
10. Penn State Nittany Lions (10-2, 6-2 Big Ten)
12. California Golden Bears (8-3, 5-3 Pac-10)
13. Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (10-2, 7-1 ACC)
13. Pittsburgh Panthers (9-2, 5-1 Big East)
13. Virginia Tech Hokies (9-3, 6-2 ACC)
16. Stanford Cardinal (8-4, 6-3 Pac-10)

Also receiving votes: Arizona, LSU, BYU, USC

Jimmy’s Bowl Picks

BCS Championship: Florida vs. Texas
Rose Bowl: Oregon vs. Ohio State
Fiesta Bowl: Boise State vs. Iowa
Orange Bowl: Georgia Tech vs. Cincinnati
Sugar Bowl: Alabama vs. TCU

Adam’s Bowl Picks

BCS Championship: Alabama vs. Texas
Rose Bowl: Oregon vs. Ohio State
Fiesta Bowl: Cincinnati vs. TCU
Orange Bowl: Georgia Tech vs. Boise State
Sugar Bowl: Florida vs. Pittsburgh

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Chivas USA Season Recap

Angel Magaña — 2009-11-29T08:00:59-08:00

Chivas USA defender Jonathan Bornstein may soon be suiting up in Europe. (Getty Images)

Up-and-down, rollercoaster, frustrating; those are some of the words that would aptly describe Chivas USA's 2009 campaign.

Expectations were high for the red-and-white this year after the club finished last year's campaign in the top three in the Western Conference standings for a third year in a row. A notable accomplishment considering the frequency and proliferation of injuries the club sustained throughout the year. The offseason provided a time for healing and making adjustments that seemed to quickly be paying off once the 2009 season got underway.

Chivas USA seemed invincible out of the gate. A rejuvenated Zach Thornton coupled with a stingy defense powered them to a commanding lead in the overall league standings with only a third of the season behind them. Reaching the apex, however, proved to be a source of frustration. Once there, the team's offense stalled and they struggled to improve their standing. Breaks that earlier in the year were going the way of Chivas USA were now in short supply. Then Head Coach Preki Radosavljevic struggled to explain the team's inability to produce on the offensive side, but spirits remained high despite the rest of the league beginning to reel them in.

It would not get any easier as the season entered the summer months. Continuity would be difficult to achieve during the middle third of the season due in part to participation in the SuperLiga tournament. The team struggled to build the necessary momentum to keep pace with conference foes and gradually fell in the standings. As points became scarcer, criticism of midfielder Sacha Kljestan took an inexplicable turn upwards.

While Kljestan seemed to lack some of the dynamism observers had come to know last year, his contributions on the field were on par with the earlier phase of the campaign in which the team had rocketed to first place overall. Certainly more was expected of him this year, but some of the criticism seemed unwarranted. The team had earlier in the year been rather successful without significant contributions from Kljestan, yet when the team hit a rough patch, some quickly wanted to blame the downturn on his on field performance. In reality, his performance was no different during that span of time than when they were winning.

Mounting injuries (again) compounded the offensive struggles through the middle third of the season and the club's playoff prospects began to look less clear. However, Preki's troops would rally through the final third of the season to position themselves within striking distance of the Supporters' Shield and Western Conference Title. Despite their efforts, they were unable to reignite the offense and leverage the games in hand that had come by way of the SuperLiga participation and were unable to claim either prize.

A playoff spot, however, was secured and setup the first ever SuperClasico series versus the Galaxy. Chivas USA performed well, nearly taking the win in the first leg, but eventually were eliminated via a 1 - 0 loss in the second leg. Thus, for a fourth consecutive season, high hopes at the start were squashed in the first round of the playoffs.

It seemed almost a given that Preki would either voluntarily surrender his position or be relieved of his duties given he was at the helm for the last three years that yielded the same playoff result. Days after the red-and-white season ended, Preki and Chivas USA parted ways on mutual agreement. Preki has since moved on to become Head Coach of Toronto FC, while the red-and-whites continue to search for a suitable replacement.

Finding that person will be a difficult task. While some fans and other observers felt it was time for a change in leadership, there are important traits Preki brought to the club which helped them become a team that consistently made the playoffs. First, Preki demands the best from his players and will not settle for anything less. On a related note, he is not easily impressed and at the same time is one to reward hard work -- just ask Michael Lahoud and Jorge Flores. Ultimately these traits were not sufficient to carry the team deeper into the playoffs, but their absence in their next coach may spell trouble.

The rumor mill has already started churning out names of potential replacements, including Martin Vazquez and even Steve Sampson, but nothing has yet been made official. With the coaching change will come a number of questions: What will happen to promising youngsters like Gerson Mayen, Chukwudi Chijindu and Cesar Zamora? Will there still be a role for Mariano Trujillo and Eduardo Lillingston? Where does 'keeper Dan Kennedy fall into the mix next year (assuming he is healthy), given Thornton's Goalkeeper of the Year performance this year? Preki was a big fan of Bojan Stepanovic, will he make a move for him to get him out to Toronto?

There are also a few additional questions to bear in mind: Is Jesse Marsch coming back? Will Jonathan Bornstein move to Europe next year? Does a chance at a World Cup appearance serve as a catalyst for Kljestan's performance and possibly a move to Europe?

Chivas USA has a lot of questions to answer. Stay tuned.

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LAst Night's Action: Hideous Mediocrity at Coliseum

Jimmy Bramlett — 2009-11-28T23:15:00-08:00

Kings goalie Jonathan Quick blocking a shot by Blackhawks' Jonathan Toews in the shootout for the Kings 2-1 victory. AP Photo/Danny Moloshok

LA Kings defeat Chicago Blackhawks 2-1 (SO). Goalie Jonathan Quick’s 32 saves kept the Kings in the game taking it to the shootout. Wayne Simmonds scored a goal 2:41 in the second period for the Kings while Jonathan Toews tied it for the Blackhawks with a power play goal 6:56 into the third period. In the overtime period Chicago had plenty of chances especially ending the period with a power play opportunity, but Quick did his job to help give the Kings the three points. Anze Kopitar and Jack Johnson scored in the shootout while Quick stopped two Chicago attempts.

LA Lakers defeat Golden State Warriors 130-97. The score should say everything about this game. Pau Gasol’s double-double led the Lakers with 22 points and 12 rebounds while all five starters and two bench players scored in double figures.

USC Trojans defeat UCLA Bruins 28-7. This game was an awful display of mediocrity and adolescent jocularity for the two teams. While there were some fireworks at the end to spice the game up (UCLA timeouts, USC touchdown, taunting from the USC bench and the confrontation at midfield before the game ended), if you sprinkle salt and pepper on dog shit it’s still dog shit. While Trojan fans should be happy about the win, no fan of either team should be happy about the quality of football that was played at the Coliseum. It made the Blackhawks-Kings game seem like a gem.

Tonight’s Action

New Jersey Nets at LA Lakers. 6:30 pm FSWest, AM 710 KSPN.

Memphis Grizzlies at LA Clippers. `12:30 pm FS Prime Ticket, AM 980 KFWB.

Phoenix Coyote at Anaheim Ducks. 5:00 pm AM 830 KLAA (Radio only).

UCLA Bruins at Long Beach State 49ers. 11:30 am ESPNU (or ESPN2).

Nebraska Cornhuskers at USC Trojans. 1:30 pm FSWest, AM 710 KSPN.

3.1 Earthquake Strikes San Bernardino County

Zach Behrens — 2009-11-28T23:14:32-08:00

A minor 3.1 earthquake struck near Loma Linda shortly before 11 p.m. While the immediate Los Angeles area has been relatively quiet--just a with few microquakes here and there--San Bernardino County has been active with 3.0-range shakers this month. Other active areas in Southern California have been around San Clemente Island and the US-Mexico border near Mexicali.

Extra, Extra

Lindsay William-Ross — 2009-11-28T17:30:00-08:00

Photo by S.C. Asher via the LAist Featured Photos pool on Flickr

Oops, it happened again: A water main break in the wee hours caused flooding, street closures, this time on Oakwood Ave near Normandie.
Black Friday, black eyes? Fights in two SoCal Walmarts broke out during the shopping madness yesterday.
The man accused of kidnapping and murdering teen Lily Burk could have been hauled in on a third strike violation a couple of years back, had prosecutors known of his record.
A fisherman in Marina del Rey managed to hold on for dear life when he was swept out to sea before being rescued by the lifeguards.
Anyone wondering where Mayor Villaraigosa is this long weekend: He's a guest of honor at an International Book Fair in Mexico.
Big Brother or good safety measure? "When you buy cold medicine, Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca wants to know about it." (via LA Times.)
Good news for bad television: Jay Leno's 10 p.m. show enjoying not sliding downward as of this week.