Did you catch this one on Facebook? There's a serial killer on the loose in the South Bay and he's targeting women! Don't panic, say local authorities, because it turns out that's just an online rumor, and it's totally false. Where's the dislike button?! more ›

The company that owns nine Los Angeles-area newspapers, including the Los Angeles Daily News, Long Beach Press-Telegram, The Daily Breeze and the Pasadena Star-News will be filing "a pre-packaged Chapter 11 bankruptcy" according to the OC Register. Affiliated Media Inc. announced their plan to reorganize yesterday, and that "the holding company’s lenders have agreed to swap debt for equity." As part of the deal their debt will be reduced "from $930 million to $165 million." Affiliated's CEO said the solution is part of their "search for a new model that reflects the realities of today’s changing newspaper environment," and gives them "breathing space to create a new model for the newspapers [they] publish.” more ›

An interview that former vice-presidential candidate Geraldine Ferraro made to a the Southbay local paper, the Daily Breeze, is causing a stir in the Barack Obama campaign. Ferraro, a supporter of Hillary Clinton, told the Breeze reporter, "If Obama was a white man, he would not be in this position. And if he was a woman (of any color) he would not be in this position. He happens to be very lucky to be who he is. And the country is caught up in the concept." more ›

Speaking of that 14-car pile-up this morning on the 101 freeway, how about this fact via the Daily Breeze? There's a near $11-billion price "cost to society" due to car crashes according to a study called "Crashes: What's the Cost to Society?" more ›

Jamiel Shaw, a star athlete at Los Angeles High School, was gunned down near his West Adams home on Sunday on the 2100 block of S. 5th Street. While on the phone with his girlfriend, Shaw, 17, was allegedly approached by two Latino men and asked what gang he was affiliated with. When he didn't say anything, they shot him. more ›

The Daily Breeze has the low-down on the latest from Super Tuesday's ugly non-partisan voting mishap where nearly 50,000 votes went uncounted because of a tricky "double bubble" on ballots. Los Angeles County registrar Dean Logan has announced more than 50% of uncounted votes will be counted. Here are the technical details: more ›

The Daily Breeze headed out to Wednesday's Crenshaw/Prairie Transit Corridor Study meeting (two more left) and found themselves in what we would consider a very disappointing night of transit development: more ›

The Daily Breeze is reporting that police were searching earlier this morning for a possible gunman at California State Dominguez Hills in Carson:

Two students apparently reported around 8:30 a.m. they saw a gunman carrying an AK-47 assault rifle and wearing a green jacket and no shirt, according to news reports. more ›

• Happy 5th Birthday Gothamist!!
• A "possible" security breach at the Department of Water and Power Monday may result in more than 8,300 employees wondering, why are there two me's? The lifted information included stats on active DWP employee's names, Social Security numbers and dates of birth and could result in a massive case of stolen identity.
• The gig is up for all you stingy, free-loading kids who like to use their school's gym for league sports. "Soccer leagues, volleyball clubs and basketball groups that have had gratis access to LAUSD facilities from the Harbor Area to Carson will need to pony up beginning March 1 to defray usage costs and raise revenue," the Daily Breeze said. And it's about time. I'm sick of hearing the joyful laughter of kids who should be out getting a real job or doing drugs. Thankfully, they now might have to turn some tricks to pay for what was once free.
• Yahoo is planning to lay off nearly 500 employees in the next couple of months, including 111 in Burbank and 52 in Santa Monica. Yah-poo is more like it for the jobless.
• The LA Times offers a scathing editorial of the state assembly's efforts to cut down the $14.5 billion deficit. Wait, that's not an editorial at all. That's a news story with sentences like, "their move would not actually reduce spending" and "lawmakers' measures would put taxpayers on the hook for more debt." Most (not all) of the stuff is attributed, but I can find ten people right now to tell me I look great though I have a bag over my head.
• In an effort to clean our smoggy image, Los Angeles officials are proposing tighter green building standards that would require large, privately built commercial and residential projects to use environmentally sound practices. This is a great step, but you know what would actually reduce smog? Less driving! And more public transportation!
• Do you love Los Angeles? Do you want everyone to know how much you love this city? Monopoly is giving you the opportunity as it prepares to unveil its first global board where you can vote for the city (ahem, Los Angeles) of your choice to appear on the coveted square. Right now, Montreal is first, followed by Istanbul and L.A. is sitting not so pretty in the 43rd spot. Vote here.
• One smart bastard from Long Beach turned his collection of 301 rare pennies into a $10.7 million pay day. Dallas-based auction house Heritage Auction Galleries, which held the sale in Long Beach Friday night says that coin and a 1794 cent with tiny stars added to prevent counterfeiters each raised $632,500. People make fun of me for picking up pennies, but this seals it: I am never throwing away anything ever again.
• Hey Momma, you have two more days to enter the Kanye contest on LAist. Who loves you? We do.

"The surf was so big, no one was surfing here and the Pier was closed. Apparently, all the surfers were in Redondo," explains LAist Featured Photos contributer, Jake Rome, about yesterday's surf. LA Times: No big waves yesterday. We beg to differ. [LAist] Lure of waves draws many from workaday world [LA Times] The Day of Waves [Daily Breeze] Photo by jakerome via the LAist Featured Photos pool on Flickr... more ›

The LA Times is reporting this morning that "the big waves predicted for Southern California beaches failed to materialize Tuesday afternoon." Photographer Jonathan Alcorn, an LAist Featured Photos contributer on Flickr, shot these large waves yesterday in El Segundo at El Porto. These surfers seem to be riding waves in that 7-12 ft. range the Times predicted yesterday morning. Hrmmmmm? Yes, throughout the region waves were not as high as many hoped to be,... more ›

- David Garcia, KNBC's environmental reporter died of liver failure yesterday in Palm Desert at 63. Adios, Earthman! - KNBC - If you are an illegal alien and you got pulled over, and the LAPD discovered that you didn't have a drivers license, your car would be immediately impounded. That practice might be illegal, somehow, so the LAPD are stopping that. The Sheriff's Dept., however, is a different story - LAT - Frisco man... more ›

- EMI announces that it will offer MP3s on iTunes without the dreaded DRM and a blogosphere rejoices - boingboing - Two bald eagle chicks were born on Catalina Island over the weekend - Daily Breeze - Beverly Hills Unified School District gets nearly $1 million for accepting 159 students into Beverly Hills High who don't live in the district, but are enrolled under a diversity program. Only problem, most of those being brought... more ›

- Mack Reed steps down from LA Voice, hands over the reigns to two new editors, Ryan Knoll and Scott Schmidt. Congratulations, Mack for your years of dedication and great blogging - LA Voice - Ozzfest will be free this year, and it will kick off in LA - Ozzfest - LAPD's story is different than witnesses stories in the death of a 31 yr old who some say was beaten while handcuffed -... more ›

- Jeffrey Brett Goodin, an Azusa man who was found guilty Friday of sending emails to people to "update their AOL account," might get 101 years in the federal pen for "phishing" - Daily Bulletin - Snow in Malibu still wont slow drivers on the PCH - Daily Breeze - Lindsay Lohan checks into rehab even though she hasn't called anyone a dirty Jew - AP - First commercial jet with anti-missile technology leaves... more ›

- Bono checked out two burlesque sets at Ivan Kane's Royal Jelly this week - Net Music Countdown - Jason Schmidt to the Dodgers, best signing all winter? - Fox Sports - How to turn forgotten election signs into anti-government freeway signs - Freeway Blogger - LA Councilman stands on the corner of Venice & Lincoln to shout out traffic cures - Daily Breeze - Spike Lee to direct film about the '92 LA... more ›

- "It turns out Silly String is a great way to find the micro-thin tripwires that set off improvised explosive devices, a constant killer in Iraq." - NJ.com more ›

Stock up on Doritos before New Year's, LA, because there's a man who's planning on rolling and smoking a three foot jay on December 31, which means there are going to be some people with the world's largest case of munchies soon afterwards. Brett Stone, the brains behind DaBronx News, a website that claims to contain "All the 'dope' on marijuana in the news", recently heard about a group of Dutch pot smokers who... more ›

- Hey it's Adoption Saturday, so go downtown, and... well... we think they want us to adopt today - Met News more ›

- Marc Brown always seemed a little shady to me - Defamer - Cheney doesn't think that waterboarding is torture, therefore waterboard-away fellas! - McClatchy - MVP Pujols is a surly bitch - Chicago Tribune - Human Rights group fires employee for outting child predator Foley - NTY - ABC political director agrees with Bill O'Reilly that the "media" has a "liberal bias" - ThinkProgress - Why won't Dems back Angelides - Daily Breeze... more ›

$18,000 worth of City Hall-sponsored Happy Endings - LA Observed more ›

I'm glad to see that the trial of 89-year-old George Russell Weller is finally getting underway. Like a lot of people you might be asking, who's George Weller? Though he hasn't gained the notoriety he so richly deserves, he's the genius who plowed his Buick LeSabre through the Santa Monica Farmers' Market killing 10 people and injuring 60 others in July 2003. I'm not normally a hang-'em high kind of gal, but there's something... more ›

Dahm, who is a triplet, was accompanied by her bridesmaid sisters Jocelyn and Nicole, while Dr. Phil served as his son's best man. - hollywood.com A pair of Los Angeles transit buses collided today near a downtown parking structure, injuring 11 people, including two seriously, authorities said. - Daily Breeze To hype her forthcoming debut album, Paris, Paris Hilton will be making a few in-store appearances to meet and greet fans. - IGN Supernova,... more ›

Flights into Los Angeles International Airport were disrupted this morning after an instrument landing system failed on one of the airport's runways, authorities said. - LA Times The Los Angeles Police Department is asking for the public's help in locating 19-year-old Jessica Edwards, who is autistic and has the mental capacity of a 7-year-old child. - LAPD Blog Hospitals in Los Angeles County overall lag behind the statewide average when it comes to in-hospital... more ›

We all handled this business of Shaq winning the championship with the Heat thing differently. LAist wrote an open letter to Kobe. Some readers of the LAist told us where we could stick our open letter to Kobe. more ›

Anaheim Mighty Ducks destroy the best two things going for themselves: their name and their logo. more ›

+ Neither Nicole nor Paris fared well with the GoFugYourself gals on Tuesday's Sidekick3 red carpet in front of the Palladium more ›

Liquid Nitrogen + Hotel Swimming Pool + Nerds = oooooooo - via Boing Boing more ›

John Klima of The Daily Breeze today said it all:

They sent Jered Weaver, the rookie right-hander who won all four of his decisions and posted a 1.37 ERA, helping to stabilize the pitching staff of the last-place team in the AL West, to triple-A Salt Lake.

as far as El Segundo - Despite high gas prices, the RV park at Dockweiler State Beach was booked solid for the holiday weekend. RV owners there told the Daily Breeze that their recreational vehicles get about 8 miles per gallon. more ›