LAUSD has a long road ahead to deal with the aftermath of the Miramonte scandal, and it would probably help if the tide of sexual abuse allegations against their employees began to stem. But unfortunately, that doesn't seem to be happening: another teacher has been arrested on charges of lewd acts against children, this time at Telfair Elementary School in Pacoima. more ›

Miramonte Elementary School teacher Mark Berndt, 61, has been arrested and his highly questionable teaching methods are under scrutiny following an extensive investigation into accusations he blindfolded students and had them tasting his semen fed to them by spoon. more ›

A 32-year-old Rowland Heights woman has been sentenced to death for the brutal 2007 murders of her husband and two young sons. Manling Tsang Williams was convicted in 2010 on three counts of first-degree murder for taking the lives of her family members while they slept so that she could be free to be with her lover. more ›

When one of the world's biggest sperm banks announced they were no longer taking donations from redheaded men, it unleashed perhaps at first a fury of "ginger" jokes, and probably left a few gentlemen feeling unloved. Christian Lander, author of "Stuff White People Like" is a redhead. He also has an opinion piece up on CNN about the undesirability of his sperm. more ›

A couple driving through Arcadia was arrested yesterday after they were seen tossing bags of meth out their car window, reports the Pasadena Star-News. Christopher Meza, 22, and Laura Pienda, 21 were pulled over near 5th Avenue and Genoa Street after an officer heard "loud fighting" coming from the car. With two children, ages one and two, in the car with them, the pair then proceeded to throw the baggies out the window in view of the cop. more ›

You hate to say I told you so when it comes to children, but the fact that Nadya Suleman is getting burned out from caring for her brood of 14 seems like kind of a no-brainer. The Daily Mail reports that Suleman, a.k.a. Octomom, told InTouch magazine in a recent interview that she can tolerate neither her youngest eight kids nor her older six. more ›

The cause of death for a newborn found inside a Redondo Beach trash can in early March has been deemed asphyxia and classified as a homicide, the Los Angeles County coroner's office has announced, via the LA Times. more ›

L.A. Councilmember José Huizar and his wife, Richelle Rios, were ecstatic at the birth of their baby girl, Aviana Rose, who was born at 11 a.m. this morning. She weighed in at 8 lbs, 1 ounce and measured 20 inches and is reported to be healthy. Aviana is the fourth child in the family, joining siblings Emilia, 8, Isabella, 5 and Simón Luis, 23 months. Huizar represents parts of downtown, northeast L.A. and the eastside. more ›

Police have found that a man with a similar motive and description is approaching young girls in an attempt to sexually assault them after enticing them into apartment buildings. The most recent attempt was partially caught on a security video (embedded below). more ›

One frequent question that lingered on many people's mind following the sudden death of Michael Jackson last Thursday was the fate of his three children, Prince Michael (12), Paris Michael Katherine Jackson (11), and Prince Michael II aka "Blanket," (7). This morning a Los Angeles County Superior Court judge granted temporary guardianship of the Jackson children to Michael's mother Katherine, 79, reports LA Now. Mrs. Jackson filed the papers this morning, and a hearing is scheduled for July 6th. The two older children were borne to Jackson by his then-wife Debbie Rowe, but "attorneys for Katherine Jackson said in court papers that [she] does not have a relationship with them and that if she won custody, it would be 'detrimental' to the minors." The youngest child was born via surrogate, who could, in fact, claim custody, as could Rowe. "Some legal experts believe the [...] Rowe is most likely to receive final custody of the two elder children." more ›

What happens when you travel to Argentina to learn how to play Polo? You start a sustainable and socially conscious shoe company. Of course. more ›

In 2004 the documentary buzz was all about Born Into Brothels, a stark look at the Calcutta prostitution ghettos that are a part of daily life for eight unassuming and wonderful children. The level of humanity, depth, and sorrow found in the crowded streets and scenes inside Born Into Brothels earned it the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature in the year’s awards, not to mention global notoriety. Well, as one might imagine the producers of such a groundbreaking and charitable film weren’t content to sit around and shine their accolades, so they went out and worked on a project that hits much closer to home: misogyny in the art world. more ›

Nadya Suleman didn't like the idea to begin with: Non-profit Angels in Waiting would help out the mom of 14 by providing in-home care for her newborn octuplets and her six older children. What wasn't so appealing about that? more ›

The non-profit group Angels in Waiting thought they had an offer "OctoMom" Nadya Suleman couldn't refuse: "round-the-clock nursing care to her 14 children, while allowing her entire family to live in a home together," according to the Press-Telegram. more ›

The mother who gave birth to octuplets last week has finally gone public. Nadya Suleman, 33, of Whittier appeared on NBC's TODAY for an exclusive interview revealing a lot more about her: more ›

Angela Suleman, the mother of Nadya, who gave birth to octuplets last month, is talking, once again, about her daughter. And like last time, it's not as supportive as you would expect a grandma to be. However, it is realistic: "Her dad and I have told her she has six beautiful children. Why do you want more?" she told PEOPLE in its new issue that will hit newsstands on Friday. "She is a good person but a little misguided." Apparently, she thinks Nadya is trying to compensate for not having any siblings. "She was always upset about not having brothers and sisters," she said. "[Nadya] really is a good mother... I love these kids... I've been taking care of them since the first one was born, but I need a rest. I need a rest." 14 little kids = no rest! more ›

Whittier's headline-grabbing mother of newborn octuplets, Nadya Suleman, seems to be doing her part to give new meaning to 'pro-choice' after going through with a risky multiple birth that resulted from her being implanted with her 4 last frozen embryos. Medical experts have raised questions about the ethics of Suleman's last pregnancy, and with the news that the single mother of 14 (her previous 6 kids, all conceived in vitro, are aged 2-7) has obtained an agent and is seeking financial "sponsorship", some are flocking to defend the 33-year-old "professional student" and her parenting skills. Jessica Zepeda, a neighbor and friend whose children go to school with the elder Suleman kids, says she's "an awesome parent" and a "wonderful mother" according to ABC News. more ›

America is the land of opportunity, and here in Los Angeles County we have one woman who is ready to take any she can get. Nadya Suleman, the 33-year-old single mother of 14--including those headline-making octuplets born a week ago--has a proposition for the world: Make her a star...and pay for her children. more ›

After giving birth to octuplets last week at Kaiser Permanente Bellflower Medical Center, Angelenos, and people all over the country, wanted to know more about the babies' parents. 33-year-old Nadya Suleman tried to keep her identity a secret, but when it was revealed that the woman had six other children already, controversy began to swirl around the remarkable event. more ›

She gave birth to octuplets this week, but already had six kids, including twins. Little is still known about the Whittier woman who gave birth to the clan on Monday in Bellflower, but her father--who she lives with along with her mother--told the Associated Press that once the babies are released from the hospital, the media won't be able to hunt them down. "We have a huge house, not here," he said. "You are never going to know where it is." more ›

At 8:25 a.m. this morning, LAPD Harbor Division officers responded to a shooting call on the 1000 block of McFarland Ave. in the Los Angeles neighborhood of Wilmington. "At this point, it is looking like a possible murder-suicide," explained Officer Ana Aguirre to LAist over the phone. "There's anywhere from five to seven family members that were discovered in the home." more ›

13-year-old Brandon Zucker was found dead yesterday at home in Anaheim. In 2000, the then-4-year-old made headlines when he was pinned beneath the Roger Rabbit ride at Disneyland. As a result of the accident, he "suffered a torn liver, spleen and diaphragm, a collapsed left lung and a fractured pelvis," according to the LA Times. Zucker's accident left him brain damaged and he was in "a medically induced coma," says the Press-Telegram. Reports of the incident say the boy was trapped beneath his car and dragged for 5 minutes before the ride stopped and employees responded, prompting Disneyland to revise their emergency policy later that year. His family sued Disneyland and settled in 2002. Zucker spent most of his childhood in various care facilities. "An autopsy this morning failed to determine the cause of death, which is pending further tests." more ›

Back in October, the Yes on 8 "people" challenged California's Superintendent of Schools, Jack O'Connell, to a debate about gay marriage. According to Yes, even the remotest possibility of learning anything about gay marriage is harmful to children. Nothing hateful about that! more ›

Waking up early for Black Friday's "doorbusters" sounds like the anti-fun. So here are some of LAist's Holiday Picks for the philanthropist in you, none of which involve any malls, massive stores or long lines. All of these gifts have a charitable element to them, benefiting mostly local or national organizations so you're really giving two gifts and making lots of people happy. And you feel good. Everybody wins! Onto the gifts that keep on giving... more ›

Police twice responded to a Silver Lake residence where a domestic dispute took place last night, but the second visit found deadly results. more ›

A hearing on Proposition 8 today by a joint panel of the state Senate and Assembly judiciary committees became heated when proponents of both sides of the issue spoke on the issue, whether in turn or out of turn. Prop 8 seeks to eliminate gay marriage in California. The most interesting comment from the event was from the Los Angeles Unified School District, whose board voted against the prop last month. "We cannot support a proposition that promotes divisiveness and inequality," Judy Chiasson of the school district's Office of Human Relations and Diversity. The Daily News reported that "She dismissed arguments by initiative supporters that children would be taught about same-sex marriage in kindergarten. Those students learn shapes and colors and are taught to be nice to each other, not about who their parents should or shouldn't be." more ›

Three different news stories are making the rounds today, all of which involve cars and crimes, and all of which are best defined as "things that make you go hmm?" (Are we still allowed to say that?) more ›

In 2006 and 2007, 400 school children in the City of Los Angeles were injured in traffic collisions while being picked up or dropped off at school. more ›

Submitted and authored by Emily Lerman more ›