Yvonne Braithwaite-Burke doesn't trust you to pay your Metro fare; NPR reports on moves to make Metro's honor system history. Is the city of LA feeling the writers' strike in its wallet? Today reps from the WGA and SAG will talk with LA economist Jack Kyser and the City Council Housing, Community and Economic Development Committe about the economics of the strike. (The MPAA has been invited, but hasn't RSVP'd yet). A lil' shake......

Three people were injured and dozens evacuated after an apartment fire in Sherman Oaks gutted at least two units at 2 a.m. this morning. It was cold last night, but there are better ways to stay warm people. Australian police arrested a man in Melbourne who threatened to attack The Grove Friday. There is no evidence the man, who has never been to the United States, intended to carry out the attack. Still, days......

This Saturday is September 22nd. So dust off your lederhosen, iron your dirndl and brush up on your chicken dance because Oktoberfest officially gets underway. Don’t worry if you can’t make it to Germany this year because you can still get your fill of beer and bratwurst here in LA. Here is a short list of Oktoberfest locations and events. Alpine Village- In Torrance Ca. Fri- Sun., Sept. 8th – Oct. 28th . The......

A dead blue whale washed up on the shores of a beach near Ventura today; scientists from all over the state are at the scene to examine the body and determine why it beached. Lucille Ball and Larry King had streets renamed in their honor this week: the block surrounding the CNN building in Hollywood will now be known as Larry King Square, while the intersection of Melrose and Plymouth Boulevards has been rechristened......

Some fresh AIR would be really great right about now. Har har har!!! I'm such a card. Now, really, how about Air at the Greek this month, courtesy of LAist: head on over to enter our Labor Day Weekend Air Contest. In the category of Thank God It Hasn't Happened to Us Yet: over twenty thousand homes and businesses have lost power this weekend. If you're on the roads tonight, please drive safely, use......

The following is written by my roommate who would like to stay anonymous for obvious reasons. Our friends always say that our "girl talks" should be in LAist or somewhere, so my roommate took me up on the dare to explain how she returned from Big Bear after a weekend with a Little Johnson and a huge smile. Ladies: have you ever been so excited about finally hooking up with your dude, that you’re......

- Hey it's Adoption Saturday, so go downtown, and... well... we think they want us to adopt today - Met News - Dude who said he should have been in the plane that crashed with Yankees pitcher Lidle in NY crashes in Big Bear - Daily Bulletin - Wait, the Victoria's Secret models were in town and we were busy worrying about kids getting tased in a library?!?! - CBS - Dudes who arent......

Jana Pants is visiting our city from out of town. We have invited her to go to as many club-sized concerts as she could tolerate. She dipped her pinkie toe into the scene last weekend, and is returning tonight after a brief respite at Big Bear. This was her dispatch that should have been posted on Monday. Whoops. A weekend of music and drinking is aces in my book. What better way to ring......

Close access to respites from urban intensity is another one of L.A.’s great advantages. A weekend in Big Bear or up the coast is needed every now and then, but far less so in comparison to east coasters’s desperate summer escapes to the Catskills or the Cape. Lucky for us Angelenos, urban hikes with a modicum of peace can be found just a couple miles north of some of this city’s busiest thoroughfares. Why......