Two people attempted to commit suicide Monday by leaping from freeway overpasses, and both victims survived their jumps. A 50-year-old woman jumped from the Sunset Boulevard overpass onto the northbound Hollywood (101) Freeway Monday morning and is expected to survive her injuries. more ›

With the release of her sixth solo album, "101," Keren Ann uses her deft sound-weaving skills to give the listener a glimpse into the lives of others. This is film noir folk-pop that sticks with you long after the music has stopped. Although she has also released French material in the past, this all-English record proves that her voice is hypnotic no matter which language she chooses. more ›

The driver of the big rig hauling two sand-filled trailers that crashed into the center divider of the 101 freeway in Studio City this morning hitting oncoming vehicles and landing on top of an SUV has been arrested on suspicion of drunk driving, reports the California Highway Patrol. The early morning accident backed up traffic in both direction for miles causing an extended SigAlert during rush hour until 10:00 a.m. According to officials, the driver of the big rig and the driver of the SUV were both hospitalized, reports LA Now. more ›

You may actually have a legitimate excuse for being late to work today. An accident eastbound on the 101 freeway just past the Hollywood / 170 split involving a sand-filled big rig and several other vehicles ha shutdown nearly all lanes of the 101 freeway near Laurel Canyon Blvd in both directions reports KTLA. more ›

*UPDATE: 4:30 p.m. After six hours the 101 eastbound at the 405 was reopened. No witnesses have come forward with information about the incident, which is believed to be a car-to-car shooting that took place following a dispute. Police are asking for any witnesses to come forward to help the investigation. This is the second post-argument car-to-car shooting on the 101 in the Valley this year. more ›

Hollywood: A man was shot to death early this morning near the southbound 101 freeway off-ramp at Van Ness Avenue and Harold Way. Yesterday, a man lying on the sidewalk allegedly attacked officers with a knife, prompting them to shoot him after one officer was cut. more ›

With the near completion of the Central Los Angeles High School #9, or the LAUSD High School for the Visual and Performing Arts, on Grand Avenue more folks are talking about the architecture stylings of Coop Himmelblau and the monument to the arts that they’ve created. Driving along the 101, people have speculated as to the meaning and purpose of the tall structure that creates an entry along with the Cathedral bell tower across the 101. more ›

*Updates as of 10:53am: The LA Times is now reporting: "Witnesses described a man approximately 64 years old leaping from the Wilton Place crossing over the northbound Hollywood Freeway near Sunset Boulevard at about 8:30 a.m."

">then on the westbound 101 in Tarzana, snarled morning commuters today. Needless to say, traffic backed up to the 101/405 interchange which is the busiest freeway interchange in the United States. more ›

A new blog has appeared on the blogLAsphere called ditch the car, take the metro and blogger, John, has created, revised and tweaked his idea on LA's future subway transit. "My LA subway plan is based upon latent but unrealized relationships that organize Los Angeles," he explains in an early post. "The core of the system is built upon two parallel corridors (the Red and the Purple Lines) connecting three central business districts (Downtown,... more ›

A lonesome L.A. cowgirl got stuck in the most horrendous traffic this side of Thanksgiving at LAX, and missed a Halloween party last night. Costumed, eyeliner freckles and all, the cowgirl sat in a parking lot that stretched from before the Sunset Strip all the way to Thai Town—traffic that had even the 5-0 leaning out of their windows, sirens blaring, and begging drivers for a little help. That cowgirl was me. Yes, I... more ›

Did you notice anything different on your commute through the Valley at the 405/101 interchange yesterday? Was it faster, smoother, safer or none of the above? In any case, it should have been after 2 years and $46-million. This is what they did: Widened the northbound freeway in the area to six lanes Added an onramp from Sepulveda Boulevard to the northbound 405 The Sepulveda onramps to the 101 freeway were reconfigured At yesterday's... more ›

Don't forget to enter our Arcade Fire ticket giveaway contest for their Thursday appearance at the Hollywood Bowl. Lobster Festival in San Pedro continues through tomorrow, as well as WIRED Magazine's NextFest at the convention center. Immigrant experience, community and the "delirious noble dream." LAist Editor-At-Large Carolyn Kellogg reviews 'The Last Chicken in America: A Novel in Stories' by Ellen Litman for the LA Times. Long Beach is the first to begin mandatory water... more ›

"We live in the Valley ourselves,” Panorama City based ADJ Finishing president Alexander Orantes said today after being cleared 16 counts of illegally dumping pollutants into city sewers. Apparently, it's not the first time for USC student Holly Ashcraft to dump her baby in a trash bin. A man in his 30's was shot outside Belmont High this afternoon. He stood his ground and fought for his strip club in La Habra. Then the... more ›

Loyal LAist reader Evan Price caught this photo of a water main of some sort (we hope that's water) shooting out of the In-N-Out over by Universal City near the Vivid building today around 1:30pm. This is where a lesser blog would make some sort of childish sexual innuendo about liquids gushing in the vicinity of the world's largest porn company, working in a punchline of "Now that's what we call Animal Style", but... more ›

- Sunday Morning Travel Alert: Caltrans will close the northbound San Diego Freeway (I-405) connectors to the east and westbound Ventura Freeway (U.S. 101), Sunday from 6 a.m. to 11 a.m. for maintenance work. -UK based Tesco will launch Fresh & Easy Neighbourhood Markets in Los Angeles stocking healthy, chilled food in 10,000 sq. ft. spaces. - The Parker Center, LAPD HQ, was evacuated today over a bomb scare. It was just a suitcase.... more ›

In an unexpected change of heart and funding at Metro, this past week has shown us public transportation can get an edge in LA. After announcing the LAX Green Line extension and the promised completion of the Subway to the Sea by 2011, Metro will announce next Friday night the Red Line Owl Service. With only 15-minute headways throughout the night, drunkards can stumble to their car in North Hollywood rather than at the Hollywood/Highland... more ›

What would get traffic moving faster at the Valley's busiest intersection of Ventura and Sepulveda (or shall we say the nation's busiest freeway intersection of the 101/405)? 1. Finishing 101/405 interchange construction for once and for all? 2. Limiting construction hours to 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., therefore extending construction by months. The LA Daily News reports that the delay of the Northbound 405 on-ramp at Greenleaf St. in Sherman Oaks (just south of Ventura... more ›