Morning headlines today have not been an exemplary one for public safety, both accident and crime-wise. The big ticket item was the eastbound 10 Freeway being closed in Covina after a 4:45 a.m. accident between a van and motorcycle that left the two-wheeler dead. All lanes were closed and one was reported open at 7 a.m. Also in Norwalk, a five-car crash caused three soundbound lanes on the 605 to be closed shortly before 8......

This is where Digg got its start | Use the Google map to zoom in and play! 17 million people get their news monthly via Digg.com, a powerhouse social news site where the readers vote, ahem, digg, on stories, eventually pushing the popular and important ones to the homepage. And in 2004, it all started here in Los Angeles in the Westside neighborhood of Mar Vista according to a CNN Money Business 2.0 report. Digg......

Where are the best pickup soccer venues in the greater Los Angeles area? -- Bankole O Los Angeles is an enormous city, and soccer is a popular sport. You can find games being played just about everywhere! If you're looking to avoid organized leagues, there's soccer played on a regular basis at Rancho Park, Pan Pacific Park, the Westwood Rec Center, and Mar Vista Park (they have a new-ish turf field which is frequently booked,......

"Didn't you all feel really cool tonight driving over here?" Jeremy Townsend, founder of the underground supper club Ghetto Gourmet, posed this question to a diverse group of about forty foodies, all sprawled out on cushions on the floor of a beautiful Venice home. And as we opened our bottles of red wine, stretched out our legs, and gazed down at a beautifully crafted shooter glass filled with warm squash soup, we had to......

The LA Times has definitely had its fair share of scandals in the near past with firings and hirings. Yet recently, content wise, the watchdog coverage of scandalicious politicians has been riveting. There is Mayor V and then there was the daily pounding of Rocky Delgadillo. The newest politician in the ring is 74-year-old 2nd district county supervisor Yvonne Burke who represents Watts, Culver City, Compton, South LA, Hollywood, Marina Del Rey, Inglewood to......

Following up on a news item we told you about on Friday, apparently the residents of Venice are in alignment with those in Mar Vista who are pissed that Santa Monica has passed a law that only allows dogs with SM tags to legally play in their new park on Bundy and Airport Drive which is right next door to Mar Vista. In the letters section of yesterday's Times were two correspondences that we......

Paris gets 45 days. Watch out for the new video, Some Big Black Chick's 45 Days in Paris - Daily News Beware a woman scored - Jon Peters was minding his own business driving to Hollywood to get his star on Hollywood Blvd. yesterday and as soon as he got out of the limo he was served with legal papers - his wife, it appears claims he's a deadbeat dad - NY Post Southern......

We live in a beautiful part of the world, don't you think? Despite the fact that sometimes it feels like all we ever see are the taillights and inane vanity plates of the car we're stuck behind, if we take some time to check out all the flora and fauna that our soil produces, we might get that nice swift kick in the rear from Mother Nature we didn't even know we needed. On......

Here’s the thing: this book isn’t even out yet. But because we live in Los Angeles, and this book is about Los Angeles, you’re in luck. We’re all in luck. Denise Hamilton and the bevy of supremely talented noir writers that contributed stories to this book are signing all over town this week. And the book will be, yes, you guessed it – available for signing at the readings two weeks before the rest of......

Thankfully, we don’t mean the Steve Carrell US imitation of the hit BBC comedy, but unfortunately we do mean the workspace over in Santa Monica. TheOffice opened in March of 2004, promising a quiet, zen-like space for writers and artists to work in. The idea was very simple, and they pulled it off very well. There is no talking at TheOffice, no faxing, no copying, no chattering printers, no cell phones. The only sound......

Los Angeles, you have a new mayor: Antonio Villaraigosa. Little analysis is necessary: Villaraigosa had name recognition, three times the cash, and an LA record to run on (though there is MUCH debate about what he's actually done on the Council). Hahn had scandals, a horrific staff, and eroded his base in Secession and by firing Bernie Parks. What else do you need to know? The real question is this: What kind of mayor......

On Thursday May 5, LAist Sports Editor Phil Wallace interviewed Los Angeles Times Sports Columnist J.A. Adande. The two discussed everything from Adande's start in journalism to the future of the Los Angeles Lakers to the best column Adande ever wrote. Q: Age and occupation? A: 34. Los Angeles Times Sports Columnist Q: How long have you lived in Los Angeles, and which neighborhood do you live in? A: I’ve been back out here......

The Westmar Sun reports that Mar Vista neighbors lost the latest round in their fight to oppose the redesign of a Taco Bell franchise at the intersection of Inglewood and Venice Blvds when the City Council’s Planning and Land-Use Management Committee gave a quick green light to the plan on Oct. 27. The Los Angeles City Council also approved the new Taco Bell, 13-0, on Nov. 9. The Mar Vista district's Council Member Cindy......

Local political junkies are slowly turning their attention from last week’s election to the upcoming City Hall races. The Mayor’s race is attracting the most attention due to the high-profile challengers to Mayor Jim Hahn, though both of Hahn’s fellow City-wide elected officials—City Attorney Rocky Delgadillo and City Controller Laura Chick—are up for re-election. The seven eight odd-numbered Council districts will also hold elections, with six seven incumbents seeking re-election and Councilmember Cindy Miscikowski......

LAist has been too busy bombarding you with other notable happenings to give our readers the proper heads-up that the Los Angeles Conservancy Modern Committee 20th Anniversary event deserves. This is coming up next weekend, so get your tickets ASAP. (Order form here.) The ModCom 20th Anniversary Tour, billed as "20/20/20" 20 Years, 20 Sites, 20 Bucks, offers two days of tour itineraries with so many treats that LAist is already stressed about seeing......