Today around 12:30 p.m. at Nogales High School in La Puente, a call came into 9-1-1 -- there was a gun on campus. Sheriff Deputies responded and found out it was a prank. "Apparently unsupervised students in a classroom there called 9-1-1 to report someone with a gun," reported Frank Girardot of CrimeScene Blog, which covers San Gabriel Valley area crimes. He says at least two students were in custody. One week ago today, a......

Today the small town of Montrose, known first as "Glendale's first suburb," hits the big 9-5, and the Founders Day Celebration is expected to be a big draw. Founders Day festivities will include awards presented to community members for service, a nine-tier birthday cake, historic photos on display, and "the ringing of the bell from the last of the Glendale & Montrose Railway Cars." The event is scheduled to run from 9 a.m. to 2......

I'm for feeding birds all year, but as we're celebrating it this month, stop a moment and be grateful that our warm-blooded friends live in the California climate. As the Wild Bird Centers of America reminds us: - A typical backyard bird doesn't weigh as much as two nickels. - Birds spend most of their waking hours searching for food -- without the help of "hands" and "fingers". - They may consume 15% of their......

Yes, kids, Clinton took the state for the Dems, and McCain nabbed a GOP victory here in California, but the rest of yesterday's ballot had some very important propositions and measures on the line. Here's how things shook out:Proposition 91 (Gasoline Tax): DEFEATED Proposition 92 (Community College costs lowered): DEFEATED Proposition 93 (Term Limits): DEFEATED Propositions 94-97 (Indian Gaming): PASSED LA City Proposition S (the "phone tax" prop): PASSED Area-specific Measures: Measure B, a communications......

Be careful who you root for. L.A. County Federation of Labor's leader Maria Elena Durazo is taking some heat for her recent endorsement of Barack Obama, and her subsequent decision to take a leave from her post to work on his campaign. Speaking of labor...today was the launch of the Los Angeles County Business Federation, a coalition of local businesses hoping to emulate--and perhaps defend against--the organizational power of unions. The group "so far......

Untitled by discarted via the LAist Featured Photos pool on Flickr To update our avalanche story from yesterday, 3 have now been confirmed dead after the snowy storm struck near the town of Wrightwood in the San Gabriel Mountains. One missing person was located Saturday, after apparently walking out of the snow encrusted mountain. Another missing person was located Friday, but died on Saturday morning. Remember when Fred Thompson was running for president and NBC......

*UPDATE: Saturday, 2:45 p.m.* 3 people are now confirmed dead in the aftermath of Friday's avalanches -- LAT. *UPDATE: Friday, 8:50 p.m.*One person was killed and at least one other was missing after avalanches struck near the town of Wrightwood in the San Gabriel Mountains. The victim, 23-year-old Michael McKay, was an employee of the Mountain High Resort ski patrol. Around noon, an avalanche struck as McKay and two friends were skiing in the backcountry......

Welcome to the bizarre world of 'Weird Los Angeles', where shaggy-haired man-beasts roam the back roads, eerie phantoms drift through the night and peculiar objects move silently across the zenith. We'll be taking you on a weekly tour of the cities anomalies, beginning with sightings of Bigfoot, where it seems reports date back to the 1970s. Two witnesses out hunting in the San Gabriel mountains observed an eight-feet tall hairy humanoid through their rifle......

The Pasadena Star-News is looking for you. Or if there are problems to rant about in general throughout the SGV, then the San Gabriel Valley Tribune might be where you go. Or hey, same goes for Whittier and the Whittier Daily News. "It's a new year and we are on the lookout for letters to the editor. If you have a person that wants to write one, or is expressing an opinion on an......

You Me and Iowa Things are starting to get back to normal here, after the holidays -- it's a great night in music for Los Angeles. For one, two major arts institutions are hosting some excellent concerts tonight. At the Natural History Museum's popular music and discussion series, First Fridays, Dr. Antonio Damasio, M.D., Ph.D. (Director of Brain and Creativity Institute, USC) will cover how the brain processes memory, language, emotions and decisions. And......

Welcome to a two-part review of the year’s best cookbooks. In part one, I’ll list five new books that inspired me in the kitchen in 2007…part 2 will include five rediscoveries that you might want to add to your shelf. Chocolate & Zucchini: Daily Adventures in a Parisian Kitchen by Clotilde Dusoulier A cookbook by a blogger! (with another book in press!) Inspired by a two-year stay in San Francisco, Dusoulier developed the blog......

Last week Monday, Metro released a series of service enhancements and additions including the new Gold Line schedule. In the additions bucket came two new Metro Rapid lines, both starting in Downtown. The 728 runs between Downtown and Century City, mostly along Olympic Blvd. A ride review by Wad at MetroRiderLA finds that the busy thoroughfare "has a cross-cultural crosstown aspect" as it runs through Central American community of Pico-Union, Koreatown, Little Ethiopia, South Carthay......

Making sure that many have a safe holiday, fire fighters will be on watch because of SoCal's low humidity and high winds, a perfect mixture for wildfire. As of this posting, the Los Angeles Fire Department has not issued a Red Flag Warning. Mountain and pass areas should expect 25-30 mph winds with "gusts up to 60 mph or more..." In the coastal mountains, the winds will be lighter, about 15-25 mph, with gusts up......

Are you lazy? A terrible cook? Don't care about Christmas? Where are you going to find someplace to eat that's open during the holidays? Chinese food is a great option, of course -- and Gayot lists some other fine dining places that are serving up deals on Christmas Eve. Looking for a last-minute book buy for the chef in your life? The LA Times lists the year's top cookpook picks. JGold celebrates the opening......

Trying to avert a state fiscal disaster, Gov. Schwarzenator is considering major cuts to the state budget that could result in the release of tens of thousands of inmates and $1.4 billion in cuts to schools, among other things. But he might meet some resistance from advocacy groups who object to the deep cuts. Boys and Girls, looks like we gonna have a good ol fashioned Sac town brouhaha. You guys remember Boy Meets......

1812: A major earthquake struck Southern California, destroying the church at Mission San Juan Capistrano and damaging the San Gabriel Mission. 1873: J. R. Toberman, Mayor approved a franchise for a street railway which have a run "commencing at Temple and Spring Streets, and along Spring to First; First to Fort Street, (now Broadway); Fort Street to Fourth Street, Fourth to Hill Street, on Hill to Fifth Street; on Fifth to Olive Street; on......

Judges, Queen Hopefuls, and ALL the Doo Dah Parade Entries! Let’s PACK the place for a blast of a party and COME AS YOU ARE to the… DOO DAH DAY PARTY AND QUEEN TRYOUTS! SUNDAY, November 18th from 1:00pm till ? TRYOUTS begin at @ 2:00pm, Crowning @ 5:30pm. Your Gracious Hosts and Performing LIVE! SNOTTY SCOTTY AND THE HANKIES HORSES ON ASTROTURF Your Host, ANDREW DUKE OF DOO DAH Queen Hopefuls and Judges, please......

BOO-ya! There's still time to check out some Halloween events, including the Hollywood Hell House and Bordello's Voodoo Vixens Burlesque show tonight at 10p. This accident on the 5 may tie up traffic until tomorrow: authorities are still counting only 3 casualties, but who knows how drivers will react to the construction and clean-up now taking place. First the water, then the power, now the phones? Mayor Villaraigosa is proposing a 9-percent phone tax.......

One of the things I love most about LA is the depth of its cultural diversity. I don’t love the fact that it’s so segregated, but I appreciate the fact that in contrast to the outsider view that LA is simply a vapid, endless string of cookie-cutter communities, every neighborhood has its own character and identity (witness our Neighborhood Projects). Which means that no matter what you’re into, you can find a place that......

If you don't get yourself to a festival this weekend, we're really going to question your priorities in life. Andy Sternberg lists the highlights, while Caroline on Crack narrows in on the awesome food festivals also happening this weekend. We have spent the entire month eating our way through Thai Town. We're winding down our series with Thai Town Express, Sanamluang Cafe, Thailand Plaza, and Thaitown Noodle. New Zagats are out! New Zagats are......

For the past 16 years, as part of the Los Angeles Philharmonic's dedication to making music accessible to the widest possible audience, they have been presenting free neighborhood concerts in the community at churches, community centers and other local venues around Southern California. The series for this year begins this week in San Gabriel. The Latin-flavored program includes Bizet’s Suite No. 1 from Carmen; Falla’s Suite from El amor brujo; Villa-Lobos’ Bachianas Brasileiras No.......

Did you know today is the 226th birthday of El Pueblo de Nuestra Senora La Reina de Los Angeles -- aka L.A.? The old bitch is looking pretty good for her age! Although the city did not incorporate until 1850, September 4th, 1781 is the date that 44 Mexican pobladores set out from San Gabriel with a military escort to settle alongside a great river -- then called the Rio de Porciuncula, later to......

As the Sunday morning sunrise warmed the lawn of the San Gabriel Mission, dedicated celebrants gathered with the Pobladores 200 to recognize LA’s upcoming 226th birthday by retracing the steps of the original settlers who established El Pueblo de la Reina de Los Angeles in 1781. San Gabriel is quite proud of its contribution to the “birth” of Los Angeles and a significant contingent of enthusiastic San Gabriel volunteers were on hand to outfit and......

The story goes like this... On Friday night, police said, Hicks, 57, was driving home from visiting her sister in Whittier when she noticed a teenager spraying graffiti on a cinder-block wall two blocks from her house near San Gabriel River Parkway and Woodford Street. Hicks honked her horn and flashed her lights at the teenager. As he walked away, she followed him in her car. Suddenly, another car pulled up behind her and......

A dead body was found early this morning in Irwindale, KNBC is reporting. Backups in traffic that the investigation is causing will probably be substantial as rush hour quickly approaches, so plan accordingly. All lanes of the southbound San Gabriel River (605) Freeway were shut down in Irwindale early Tuesday following the discovery of a body. The body was found on the freeway just north of Live Oak Avenue at 3:57 a.m., according to......

Indiana Pacers star power forward Jermaine O'Neal wants to be traded to the Lakers. Bad. Even Southern California is starting to feel the pinch of congestion and overcrowding. Frustration with a lack of action at the federal level has prompted states to enact a raft of new immigration laws in the first 6 months of 2007 - more than twice the number that was passed during the same period last year. A North Hollywood......

Last night's free Zocalo program at the Central Library featured L.A. Weekly food writer Jonathan Gold in conversation with Variety's Monica Corcoran. Her first question: Did winning the Pulitzer Prize (for criticism, this year) blow your cover as an anonymous food critic? And if so, this evening won't help, will it? Gold sheepishly admitted that he can no longer be quite so anonymous. He went on to talk about topics ranging from the opening......

Dear People With Pot Houses, Four more houses whose sole purpose was to harvest marijuana were raided by police in the San Gabriel Valley. This means at least a dozen homes have gotten popped in a month out there. So either there are thousands of homes in the SGV growing weed, or the few who haven't gotten raided yet should learn from the mistakes of the others. Here are some things we've noticed. -......

- The #1 downtown landowner, and major contributer of Mayor Tony's sure has a curious history of allegedly doing some horrible things - LA Weekly - Homelessness up in Downtown! - LA Times - Verizon's "Unlimited" EVDO plan is actually 5 Gigs a month - Cybernet - Keith Richards is now flipflopping on his snorting of coke laced with dad story - MTV - Britney to KFed "You’re the biggest mistake I’ve ever made,......

Yesterday we asked. Today we answer. This statue can be found in the West Garden among an old wine vat, a grinding stone, two bells (cast in Spain and bearing the dates of 1686 and 1720) and the Archival Center for the Archdiocese of Los Angeles at the Mission San Fernando, Rey De Espana in Mission Hills, a neighborhood in The Valley. If you have not been, this is one of those times to......