Dorothee Burkhart, the 53-year-old German mother of arson spree suspect Harry Burkhart, made another appearance in court today, and also made a spectacle of herself as she spouted off about her son and her treatment by authorities. more ›

Dorothee Burkhart, the mother of suspected spree arsonist Harry Burkhart, is "wanted in Germany on 19 counts of fraud, most stemming from allegations that she bilked apartment renters out of security deposits," reports City News Service. more ›

It's the 14th time at bat for Charles "Tex" Watson, one of convicted killer Charles Manson's family members, as he goes before a parole board for a hearing today at Mule Creek State Prison. Watson, incarcerated for the crimes for 42 years now, has previously called himself Manson's "right-hand man." more ›

Does your four-legged canine companion like to express him or herself? As in, does your dog bark...a lot? If so, you may want to start stashing some extra cash in your piggy bank, because the Los Angeles City Council voted unanimously yesterday to impose fines "on the owners of dogs that bark excessively — even if the canines are not licensed by the city." more ›

When millions of people in Southern California, and neighboring Arizona and Mexico, were plunged into the dark and left without power for several hours in early September, everyone wanted to know how such a massive outage could happen. When the lights came back on, it seemed to be just one worker's fault, but that employee's error doesn't explain how widespread the blackout was. more ›

Bicyclists, if you can safely ride with no hands, go ahead and clap them for a few seconds. L.A. County has released its 2011 Final Bicycle Master Plan. About 816 miles of new bikeways throughout L.A. County are proposed in The Plan, as are recommendations for various bicycle-friendly policies and programs. more ›

Documents filed in court reveal the approach defense attorneys for Dr. Conrad Murray, accused of administering a fatal dose of a surgical anesthetic to pop legend Michael Jackson, will take in the trial. The tactic is to paint Jackson as a "desperate drug addict," says the L.A. Times, and to indicate the music icon was always "on the hunt" for his next fix of propofol. more ›

Check your channel lineup to make sure you know where to find California Channel, if you're interested in watching the live broadcast of the next hearing of the same-sex marriage ban (aka Proposition 8) case. The court date, September 6th, is when "a crucial procedural issue in the legal battle over Proposition 8 will go before the California Supreme Court in San Francisco," explains SFAppeal. more ›

An attorney for jailed Bryan Stow beating suspect Louie Sanchez is expected to ask a judge today to lower his client's bail from its current $500,000. Gilbert Quinones, Sanche'z lawyer, told reporters last week that his client "doesn't seem like the type of individual who would do this," in reference to the near-fatal beating given to Stow outside Dodger Stadium on March 31, according to the Daily Breeze. more ›

The LAPD have their man, but right now it remains for parole violation. A parole commissioner ruled today that there is probable cause to believe Giovanni Ramirez violated his parole, but there is not enough evidence to charge him with the beating of Giants fan Bryan Stow at Dodger Stadium. more ›

The prime suspect in the Bryan Stow beating case, Giovanni Ramirez, is expected to make an appearance in court today, but not directly for the Stow case. Ramirez, who remain is Los Angeles Police Department custody, is due to show up briefly today for a parole hearing. more ›

Employees of the Los Angeles United School District set to be laid off are speaking out Monday at a "Reduction in Force" hearing about the impact of budget cuts on students and whether the district followed policy when handing out layoff notices, reports ABC Local. more ›

During a hearing today before a three-judge panel before the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco, arguments were presented in an effort to determine what the next steps are in the legal battle to uphold, or strike down, California's controversial same-sex marriage ban, Proposition 8. The hearing was broadcast over C-SPAN, an usual instance of cameras allowed in a Federal court. more ›

Monday, December 6th is a date long-awaited by those following the ongoing legal battle over California's Proposition 8, which ostensibly banned same-sex marriage in the state back in November 2008, as that is the date when oral arguments for the appeal of the controversial prop will be heard by a three-judge panel on the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals. more ›

While on the stand to give testimony in his medical license hearing today, Dr. Michael Kamrava says that Nadya Suleman, aka OctoMom was "implanted with 12 embryos as part of a human study on fertility methods," reports KTLA. Kamrava claims that Suleman heard about the study, and volunteered to take part, and that she "signed a consent form listing the risks involved." more ›

After a 93-day impasse, California lawmakers and Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger reached an agreement last night on a budget, according to the Sacramento Bee. more ›

Doctor Conrad Murray has been charged with the death of pop icon Michael Jackson, but he will have to wait until 2011 to see his legal proceedings get underway. Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Michael Pastor scheduled a preliminary hearing in which "prosecutors will lay out some of the evidence" against Murray for January 4th, according to the AP. more ›

The City Council is expected to vote today on the appointment of Brenda Barnette as the head of the Animal Services Department, according to the Daily News. The vote follows yesterday's Public Safety Committee hearing, during which she continued to provoke concerns among animal rights activists regarding her stance on issues and her plan to handle the challenging role of heading up a department that has seen five previous directors in just the last decade. more ›

The woman accused of stabbing four people inside the Target store at Santa Monica and La Brea in West Hollywood will have a pre-trial mental health evaluation hearing next month, according to the WeHo News. more ›

In a groundbreaking move, the City Attorney's office is seeking an injunction against the members of a tagging crew thought to be responsible for about 500 pieces of graffiti all over the city, according to the Daily News. One such piece is the massive "MTA" tag on a quarter-mile-long section of the L.A. River near Downtown "that cost nearly $4 million to remove." more ›

Today marks the start of a whole other kind of drama for Dodgers owner Frank McCourt, as he and wife Jamie begin to battle it out in the courtroom as part of a contentious divorce. Day one in Los Angeles Superior Court will be a hearing regarding Mrs. McCourt's request to receive just a few thousand shy of $1 million per month in temporary spousal support, according to the LA Times. more ›

Naming the movement the "Food & Flowers Freedom Act," urban farming advocates went before the City Planning Commission this morning at a hearing in Van Nuys to put forth a proposed ordinance amending outdated and unclear language on record in Los Angeles since 1946. Following the hearing, the CPC voted unanimously in approval of the proposed amendments. more ›

Think you can grow fruits, veggies, and flowers in your yard and sell the surplus to your friends, neighbors, and strangers? Think again. more ›

Stephanie Lazarus, "a veteran Los Angeles police detective," faces murder charges with a special circumstance in the "1986 shooting death of Sherri Rasmussen, a hospital nursing director, at the victim's condo in Van Nuys," according to an AP report in the Huffington Post. The 49-year-old was arrested in February, and is scheduled to appear at a hearing today to determine "whether there is enough evidence against her in connection with the decades-old murder of her ex-boyfriend's wife." DNA evidence linked Lazarus to the crime, which also involves her alleged "personal use of a handgun." She "was arrested by detectives who worked across the hall from her," and now could face the death penalty. more ›

With only months to live, Susan Atkins was denied parole for the 13th and most likely final time yesterday. The San Gabriel-born 61-year-old Charles Manson follower has been behind bars for 38 years after being convicted of murder over a 1969 killing spree left eight people, including Sharon Tate, dead. She has been diagnosed with brain cancer, prompting her and family to ask for a "compassionate release," which was also denied last summer. more ›

It's just after 10 a.m. and case against the unconstitutionality of Prop 8, which banned gay marriage in California, is being heard for the second time in a federal district court in San Francisco. Before the first hearing in July, Judge Vaughn R. Walker said "given that serious questions are raised in these proceedings ... the court is inclined to proceed directly and expeditiously to the merits of plaintiffs' claims. ... The just, speedy and inexpensive determination of these issues would appear to call for proceeding promptly to trial.” more ›

As mentioned last week, a congressional subcommittee tomorrow will hold a hearing on the impact of climate change on National Parks in Twentynine Palms, CA. This is something that should be important to those living in the Los Angeles region because three major national parks units--Santa Monica Mountains, Channel Islands and Joshua Tree--are so close to millions of people. more ›

On the heels of a state climate report that said California will have "less water and more frequent and intense wildfires, heat waves and bad-air days throughout this century," a congressional field hearing next week near Joshua Tree National Park will take on similar issues. more ›

On Thursday, the Hollywood music venue, Knitting Factory, will be at a morning hearing that could revoke the Conditional Use Permit that allows the space to operate. The hearing was prompted by a petition circulated by an employee of the neighboring Scientology building and signed by a total of 31 people, according to a Knitting Factory spokesman. The two complaints listed say that the venue is a nuisance to the community and challenges their adherence to the permit. Rumors are also floating around that there are tensions between the venue and landlord, CIM Group, but the Knitting Factory says they hear the developer may "go at bat" for them. more ›

The city of Anaheim's challenge to have the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim remove their northern neighbors local from their name will have to wait until the pennant race heats up even more. The hearing has been postponed until September 11. more ›