Photo by Jay Dugger via Flickr Not a surprise, right? Not only do we have some of the worst freeway intersections, but we have the the highest percentage of urban pavement in poor condition according to a report released Tuesday by TRIP, a national transportation research group. Their report, “Keep Both Hands on the Wheel: Metro Areas With the Roughest Rides and Strategies to Make Our Roads Smoother,” found that 65% of Los Angeles......

Federline family values: Fading pop diva and the ex-Mrs. K-Fed who sent law enforcement and the paparazzi into a tailspin last night has lost visitation rights to see her two sons, a court ruled today. Sole custody has been temporarily award to her babies' daddy, meanwhile, Britney remains involuntarily hospitalized. What is it going to take to get Ms. Spears back on track? The homicide tally for 2008 moves up another notch with the reporting......

So, you know how MTA is considering ridding our freeways of carpool lanes? One outraged blogger blames Bush because, "local officials in the MTA are being forced to take a more free-enterprise approach to freeway management in order to qualify for federal transportation dollars." In a move designed to empower local Iraqi municipalities, the US Army is planning on concentrating its forces in Baghdad as the army continues to draw down its forces after......

The state says the Mayor should get an automatic $8,283 salary increase retroactive to July 1. The mayor says not so fast: “With the City of Los Angeles facing a tough budget year, I do not believe now is the time for me to accept an automatic and retroactive pay raise. Being Mayor of Los Angeles is reward enough, and I’m committed to working twenty-four-seven to protect essential services.” (via a press release) The......

Nicole Kidman reveals details about her previous miscarriages and subsequent adoptions- Metro More Anna Nicole baby daddy drama - Explosive accusations in Rita Cosby's new tell all book of Larry Birkhead and Howard K Stern being lovers is setting off defamation lawsuits...I personally can't wait to read it - NY Post Jerry Lewis pulls an Isaiah Washington, using the "F" word during his live annual telethon for muscular dystrophy - TMZ Bill Murray explains his......

Anastasia Griffith plays the hot, and somewhat indiscreet drug-using and slutty restauranteur Katie Connor in "Damages" (FX, Tuesdays, 10:00pm) - you might also remember her from "Alfie" and "Dirty Rotten Love". The story so far as we know it shows Katie getting played by both corporate scumbag Arthur Frobisher (Ted Danson) and no-holds barred harpie lawyer Patty Hewes (Glenn Close). Sorry about the pigeonholing stereotypes - everybody plays there characters well beyond those cookie-cutter......

- Approximately 40 tenants of an Echo Park landlord - who also happens to be a UCLA professor who teaches at the business school - protested yesterday outside of his classroom in Westwood for illegally evicting Section 8 renters - Daily Bruin - Phil Spector's driver who once said that he heard the famed producer say that the thought he might have killed someone, today testified that sometimes he misunderstands what Spector says -......

The nicer the weather gets, the busier we get across the Ist-A-Verse. But we like being busy. Here's a peek at what we've been up to since last week! Chicagoist had an interview with Audrey Niffenegger, whose popular book, The Time Traveler's Wife, was based in their fine city. They also had a heated discussion about Rush Limbaugh's controversial Barack Obama parody, talked about whether Uncle Julio's Hacienda is a good place to get......

After requesting a waiver from the Environmental Protection Agency to increase regulations on vehicle emissions in 2005, (so California might implement a law, passed in 2002 requiring reduced emissions for 2009 cars, light trucks, and S.U.V.’s) Governor Schwarzenegger decided waiting was for sissies, and today in Beverly Hills, pulled out a lawsuit. The five year delay was caused by the E.P.A., claiming it didn’t have jurisdiction over auto emissions, and lawsuits from automobile manufacturers......

- List of Major League baseball players who wore 42 today - Yahoo - Best headline about Chicago getting the nod by the US Olympic committe: "Gone with the Wind" - LA Daily News - How a Hollywood blockbuster could earn over $200 million but still lose the studio $78 million - LAT - Local businesses, companies, and even malls are writing big checks to the LAPD for extra protection - LAT - An......

The story was just too good to ignore: good-looking UCLA doctor allegedly hooking up with his thirtysomething supervisor and bopping around LA in a sportster breaking hearts, taking names, and then being sued for slander. Meanwhile the doc was suing the world famous university for losing his job as chief resident once he had dumped the supervisor. Yesterday a jury found that Dr. David Martorano who now has a private practice in Malibu, did......

#95 A 6th grader protecting himself from two 8th grade bullies, pulls out a paring knife and stabs one of the boys three times. No one is seriously hurt, but the 6th grader now faces felony charges for possessing a knife on school grounds. - Miami Herald #96 Jacksonville woman given 15 years for her role in a labor camp and selling crack and beer to the laborers - Fox 21 #97 Man kicked......

#46 St. Augustine Motherhood Maternity agreed to settle lawsuits with would-be employees who were not hired because they were pregnant, and with a woman who was fired when she was suspected to be pregnant - Miami Herald #47 Palm Beach County's violence reminds some of Miami in the 70s & 80s: "Today, Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw says we are on the cusp of becoming another Miami. The gang names have changed —......

photo excerpt of "Washing Out" by our common - You know you're old and worthless when you close up shop after 20+ years and no one notices for over a week. Buh Bye Hard Rock Beverly Center - Eater LA - How was your Christmas bonus? Howard Stern got $83 million in his envelope - Reuters - The end of LA Rent Control? - Mayor Sam - "We are the modern equivalent of the......

By now much hay has been made over "Borat", both as a box office smash and as a mockumentary in which the innocent bystanders who participated in it were duped and cheated. When Borat opened over a week ago Fox booked it in about 800 theaters nationwide, that's less than one-fourth the number of theaters that "Santa Clause 3" opened in and still Sacha Baron Cohen crushed Tim Allen (Yes! There is a God!).......

Simple, clear purpose and principles give rise to complex and intelligent behavior. Complex rules and regulations give rise to simple and stupid behavior. ~ Dee Hock Tunnel vision the keywords “Los Angeles city council” in the past few months and one might think LA is corrupt beyond belief. Sure, sketchy things happen: term limits on tomorrow's ballot attached to an ethics reform proposal, Brown Act questions, raised fees and raised salaries. But try this:......

Convicted of poison pen writing, one of L.A. High's first graduating class, Yda Hillis Addis was married to a former CA governor as well as to Thomas Storke. Nothing in her life was without drama, intrigue and never-ending lawsuits. Some say she hit the wall during her attempted murder trial where she was accused of breaking into Teddy Grant Jackson house, a man she claimed to be entwined in a "contract marriage" with, and......

Loma Linda gears up to build a $41 million citywide fiber optics network. Residental and business buildings will be required to obey a new building code law that will require fiber. - Gigaom "Every bathroom stall on the (Google) company campus holds a Japanese high-tech commode with a heated seat. If a flush is not enough, a wireless button on the door activates a bidet and drying." - Washington Post For the man who......

LAist never expected the Intelligent Design to make its way here but last week while we (ed. note: well, me, mostly) were on the East coast, the Association of Christian Schools International filed a civil rights suit against the UC system for refusing to certify high school science courses that use text challenging the theory of evolution and Darwinism. The Daily Bruin editorializes that the UC policy is effectively saying that students who are......

Hollywood studios filed a new batch of lawsuits against file swappers on Thursday mostly targeting those who frequently use Bittorrent technology. And, for the first time, the studio's lawsuits used the peer-to-peer file sharing companies' own data to track down individuals accused of trading movies online. The Motion Picture Association of America said it filed 286 lawsuits against people around the United States based on information acquired from file-trading sites shut down earlier in......

The legal world in Los Angeles conjures up images of shiny glass Bunker Hill skyscrapers populated by Arnie Becker-type sharks shuffling around in perfectly tailored Hugo Boss suits and Gucci loafers, all the while servicing their big-money, high-profile clients. Some might also think of the sleazy Larry H. Parkers of the world who guilelessly peddle their personal injury services on daytime television. Los Angeles is also home to many of a special breed --......

Last week's tragic loss of life on the Metrolink system has, perhaps inevitably, led to a discussion of whether the cost/benefit ratio of LA's commuter train service justifies the huge taxpayer subsidies needed to keep the trains rolling. Approximately 40,000 riders board Metrolink trains on any given day, but the rail line, like almost all transit systems, comes nowhere close to paying for itself. As the Los Angeles Daily News reports: "The average fare......

Governor Schwarzenegger has built a solid reputation on a foundation of bipartisanship and a tough attitude towards the budget. This week, however, some cracks have begun to appear. The LA Times reported yesterday that Arnold's agreement with the powerful prison guard lobby included tons of concessions and minimal cutbacks. While the Governor managed to delay some pay raises, he delivered a costly new benefits package and more institutional power for the union in return. Early......