A mama duck and her brood tried to cross the freeway not once, not twice but three times this afternoon.
Make Way For Ducklings: CHP Sends Out the Best Traffic Alert
Extra, Extra
In tonight's Extra, Extra, we bring tides of a naked photobomb in the LA Times, duck adoptions in Santa Clarita, and censorship in Glendale. Plus: Keep up with us on Facebook, and follow us on Twitter: @LAist @LAistFood @LAistSports.
State to Enforce Foie Gras Ban Next Year, Some Chefs Say They'll Break the Law
California became the first state to ban foie gras back in 2004, but the law will not be enforced until next year. In July 2012, "duck liver cannot be served throughout the state if the duck was force fed, which is the method used by duck raisers for the liver to become fatty," explains AHN.
Not all chefs are on board with the ban, though.
Family of Ducks Halt Traffic on the 405 Freeway
A family of ducks attemping to cross the southbound lanes of the 405 Freeway caused some traffic around Sunset Boulevard. Based on caller logs, here's what happened. At 8:27 a.m., a caller notified the California Highway Patrol of the family on the right side of the freeway. Three minutes later, someone tried to slow down traffic by using their hazard lights as the carpool lane came to a complete standstill.
Traffic Alert: Heavy Traffic Expected in Anaheim Tonight
If you're live, work or play in Anaheim, take heed! Tonight has two big events happening in the area. First is National Hockey League Stanley Cup Playoff game (Ducks vs. Detroit) at the Honda Center. Mix that in with the Anaheim/LA/Whatever vs. Boston game at Angel Stadium. The killer? Both begin at 7:00 p.m. so officials at both are warning of heavy traffic on the surrounding streets, freeways and freeway exits between 5 and 8:00 p.m.
Kings 4 - Bobby Ryan 3
The Kings were riding a comfy 3-0 lead late in the second period on Thursday night, and were ready to cruise to a victory, but they didn't account for Anaheim's Bobby Ryan. The rookie who began his season in the minors and was called up in November put on a clinic, scoring a hat trick (three goals) against Kings goaltender Jonathan Quick in the span of 2:21 to set a new franchise record and also tie the game.
LAst Night's Action: A New Year
New Orleans Hornets defeat LA Lakers 116-105. Seriously. Wake us up when the playoffs arrive.
Kings Lose Two in Two Nights
The Los Angeles Kings were only able to muster one lone goal in their two games over the weekend, which resulted in a pair of losses. On Saturday night they dropped a home game against the Nashville Predators by the score of 3-1, and on Sunday they went scoreless to lose to the Anaheim Ducks, 2-0. Their next test comes on Thursday, when superstar Alexander Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals skate into Staples Center at 7:30.
Kings Crown Ducks 6-3
The Los Angeles Kings fell behind by two goals in the opening period of Tuesday night's meeting against their crosstown rivals, the Anaheim Ducks. A fight between tough guys Raitis Ivanans and George Parros seemed to spark Los Angeles, who came storming back with five unanswered goals to eventually win the contest by a 6-3 margin.
LAst Night's Action: No Magic Answer for Clips
Magic 110, Clippers 88 - Chris Kaman missed his second straight game with a sore back as Los Angeles got mangled in Miami. Without their big man, the Clips allowed Dwight Howard 22 points and 13 rebounds.
LAst Night's Action: Clips Can Win, Kings Can't
Clippers 99, Heat 98 - With Shaq in Phoenix and Dwayne Wade injured for the season, the Clippers had an opportunity to beat somebody -- and actually took it. Cuttino Mobley hit a pair of free throws in the final three seconds to seal the deal. He led the way with 29 points.
LAst Night's Action: Double Overtime Wins
#3 UCLA 77, #7 Stanford 67, OT - The Bruins clinched their third consecutive Pac-10 hoops crown with their victory over the Farm. It looked bleak for awhile, but they managed to come from behind. More from Jimmy later this morning.
LAst Night's Action: Clips Beat Kings without a Cassell
Clippers 116, Kings 109, 2OT - Down by 17 points, it looked like Los Angeles was about to give Sacramento their first win this year against a Pacific rival. Anybody seen Sam Cassell. Two overtimes later, the Clips pulled off a wild victory and send the Kings to 0-9 in the division. LA led the entire second overtime. Al Thornton led the game with 27, Chris Kaman had 17 points and 11 rebounds, and Dan Dickau scored a season high 20.
Sing the National Anthem at a Ducks Game
The defending Stanley Cup champion (and recently reassembled) Anaheim Ducks are holding a contest tomorrow for a chance to sing the national anthem at one of their upcoming games.
LAst Night's Action: Kaboom Goes the Kobe
Lakers 108, Mavs 104, OT - The Laker's season just keeps getting sweeter. This time, it was all Kobe Bryant -- who managed to score even when triple-teamed. End result? 52 points, including 22 in the 4th quarter and 8 in OT. It was the first game between the refurbished Laker's (Pau Gasol had 17 points and 14 rebounds) and the refurbished Mavs (Jason Kidd had 15 points and 11 assists).
LAst Night's Action: Lakers Alone in First
Lakers 111, Sonics 91 - Seattle had no chance against the surging Lake Show. Kobe was ejected in the third and it didn't matter (double technical after arguing a call -- not a huge deal). LA has won 11 of their last 13 and all but one was on the road. The Lakers got double digit contributions from seven players, led by Pau Gasol's 22.
LAst Night's Action: Lakers #1!
Lakers 130, Suns 124 - So I'm like "OMG!" and then she's like "fer reelllllz!" And then I'm like "NO.WAY." and the she's like "totally."
LAst Night's Action: Lakers Obliterate Hawks
Lakers 122, Hawks 93 - Atlanta had a bad draw. They were coming into a pumped-up Staples Center that hadn't seen the Lakers play a home game in weeks. They were coming in against a team rejuvenated by Pau Gasol. They were coming in against a Kobe Bryant with something to prove. Before halftime, the Lakers had a 41 point lead.
LAst Night's Action: Just Another Night on the Ice
Ducks 2, Avalanche 1 - Teemu Selanne isn't back in hockey shape, but he did hit the back of the net for the first time this season. Anaheim is 5-0 since he returned from a lengthy personal debate over whether or not he should retire. The five wins balanced out a nine game road trip that started with three losses and a tie.
LAst Night's Action: Lakers Step on Gas
Lakers 106, Bobcats 97 - The Lakers are 4-1 since acquiring Pau Gasol, playing a little cat-and-mouse last night in Charlotte. After allowing the Bobcats to cut a 13 point lead to 3, Kobe put it away in the closing minutes. He had 31 points, his third game in a row over the 30 mark. Gasol contributed 26 despite a cold ... The Lakers wrap up an impressive road trip tomorrow in Minnesota. Pre-Gasol and with Andrew Bynum nursing an injury, they started their longest trip in franchise history looking like things were falling apart. With a win over the Timberwolves, they would finish 7-2 and set a new NBA mark for the best record on a trip of 9+ games (since the NBA dropped neutral-sites in 1974).
LAst Night's Action: Local Teams Slug Opponents
UCLA 67, Washington State 59 - The #5 Bruins returned a favor by knocking off the #17 Cougars on their home court. Darren Collison scored all 18 of his points in the second half and Kevin Love had 16 on 6-of-8 shooting from the field. UCLA improves to 21-2 overall, and at 9-1 in the Pac-10 hold on to first place by a game over Stanford.
LAst Night's Action: New York Loses, Fans Couldn't Care Less
Clippers 103, Knicks 94 - Los Angeles won on the road for the first time in nine games, beating up on one of the only NBA teams that may be worse than the Clips. Two key players, Correy Maggette (19 points) and Chris Kaman (15 points), returned for the first time in several games. Coach Mike Dunleavy, however, was sick and stayed in the team hotel. He did have enough energy to issue an apology for bashing the Knicks in a statement earlier in the week.
LAst Night's Action: Where's Everybody Going?
Clippers 95, Hawks 88 - The Clips got an unexpected performance from rookie Al Thornton, who exploded for a career high 33 points the day after a major stomach virus. Los Angeles fielded their 20th different starting lineup of the year, and are currently missing Chris Kaman and Corey Maggette. Next up, a seven game road trip. That's not so bad -- the Lakers have a 9 game trip lined up.
LAst Night's Action: Clips Clawed by Bobcats
Bobcats 107, Clippers 100 - As if they haven't had enough injuries this year, Los Angeles took on Charlotte without big man Chris Kaman (bruised shin) and leading scorer Corey Maggette (flu-like symptoms). Of course, the biggest loss for the Clippers might just be their biggest fan.
LAst Night's Action: Kings See Red
Red Wings 3, Kings 0 - The best hockey team in the NHL was in Staples Center on Tuesday night. Unfortunately for local fans, the worst team in the NHL calls it home. The Kings lost to Detroit for the 17th time in 18 games. Next up, LA hosts Anaheim, then gets some time off for the all star break. That means plenty of rest, since it's not like the Kings will have many players going.
LAst Night's Action: All Eyes Elsewhere
NFL Playoffs - It was almost the perfect Super Bowl match up. Instead of Brady-Favre, we get Brady-Manning -- but it's the wrong Manning, if you're going to have one. New England held off San Diego and New York stole it in OT from Green Bay to face off in the big game. Green Bay would have presented the better threat to the Pat's attempt at a perfect season (their secondary is better than the Giant's), and the QB showdown would have been epic. A lot of people also painted those teams as the "good" and "evil" of the NFL. It wasn't to be. Now, we get the team of destiny versus the team of a superstar's kid brother.
LAst Night's Action: LA Hearts Bynum, Now
Suns 106, Lakers 98 - Maybe Mitch Kupchak isn't a cupcake, but an evil genius. After mis-managing the Lakers in recent years, it turns out he was right about Andrew Bynum. He refused to trade the young center, and all of a sudden the kid got GOOD. Unfortunately, he's out with an injury and his backup was worthless against Phoenix (hence the evil part). Kwame Brown had seven turnovers and missed an open dunk. Bravo. He was already being booed in the first quarter, and was booed when he sat down for good in the third after committing his fifth foul. It's a tough cowd, and he's got large shoes to fill. Literally. As for the rest of the game, Kobe had a typical 30 point night, and Steve Nash had a typical 20 assist night.
LAst Night's Action: Good News All Around
Clippers 97, Suns 90 - LA picked up their second win in the past 12 games and snapped a 4 game losing streak on the back of Sam Cassell, who scored 32 ... In their previous three meetings, Phoenix won by an average of 15 ... The Clippers are the lowest-scoring team in the NBA (92.6 points per game) while the Suns are the highest (110.3 ppg).

