Plans to expand the Long Beach airport have cleared a long-standing hurdle, as a Superior Court judge ruled yesterday that "that the city did not violate state law when it approved an environmental report for the expansion." There has been tremendous tension between the city and residents regarding the potential harm to air quality and noise in the area if the airport receives the addition of a new parking garage and an expanded terminal. The......

As we reported in January, Robert Culp wants the LA Zoo's current elephant enclosure shut down and all construction on the new enclosure halted, due to alleged pachyderm cruelty. Yesterday, the judge's ruling in the case was made public and he issued a big "no." Despite claims from former zoo employees and animal activists that LA zoo elephant handlers have a history of abusing the elepehants, Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Reginald A. Dunn said......

The fountain at the LA Central Library is rather strange and fantastical "I'll have a footlong Subway club on white, hold the mayo, and GIVE ME ALL YOUR MONEY!" Police are looking for the man who held up a Subway sandwich store at gunpoint Monday on Beverly in the Wilshire area. The owner and manager of a Burbank apartment building was found liable for their role in the murder of one of his tenants, who......

A man who kidnapped, raped, tortured and stabbed a woman dozens of times with a screwdriver while holding her captive last February was apprehended today in Riverside. Raul Carillo Alderete, 28, had dodged authorities for nearly a year despite allegedly kidnapping his infant daughter last month, soon after being profiled on America's Most Wanted. Alderete was captured this morning by U.S. Marshals who were staking out a Riverside apartment, according to the Daily Bulletin. He's......

Tomorrow is the first day California residents can apply for an absentee ballot - the 29th is the last day to submit a request. (Click here for the online absentee application). The first wave of Stormwatch 2008 has largely faded into nothingness today as sun peeked through clouds and puddles began to dry. But another storm of equal or lesser value could follow soon. Downtown received about 5.3 inches, well above its total last......

California Highway Patrol Officer Joshua Blackburn, charged with stealing $1 million worth of cocaine being held as evidence, has had his arraignment postponed at his lawyer's request until early next month, KTLA is reporting. The 32-year-old Murietta man (pictured) has been with the CHP for six years, and remains in the Orange County Jail on $4 million bail. His arraignment had been scheduled for yesterday, but the alleged drug nabber's attorney has stated that he......

The robbery spree of an OC couple in their twenties came to an end this week after a purse-snatching and pepper-spraying incident at a Wal-Mart. The two are also suspected of a robbery in Santa Ana, and were taken into custody after police stormed their Surf Cove home. Yesterday in Pomona Superior Court, the three white men accused of attempted murder, assault, and hate crime against a black man in Claremont last year were convicted......

Although it might be "understood that Hollywood sells Californication", the boys who wear tube socks on their magic johnsons are headed to court to argue that you can't just steal it. Showtime has found itself on a little roll with "Weeds", "Dexter", and now the sexy/dickish David Duchovny series "Californication", but someone forgot to ask the Red Hot Chili Peppers if it was kosher to use their word for the show. The Hollywood Reporter's......

Cornell Greathouse was shot in the throat with a stray bullet from a gangster's gun in 1993 that left him paralyzed. He was dancing at the time. The injury made him a quadriplegic and confined him to a wheelchair. In January of 2005 while he was being arrested by four Pasadena police officers, he was removed from his chair and hung across a concrete wall so he could be searched. Because the quadriplegic are......

As development wraps up on the first of two major redevelopments above subway stations on Wilshire, the reviews are begining to come in. The Wilshire/Vermont station is just about complete and tomorrow the LA Times will give the design of the complex a negative review, complaining, among other things that it just doesn't fit in with what else is going on with the legendary boulevard. During the many decades that architects enthusiastically celebrated the......

- The heatwave that has graciously broken could have lead to 25 deaths here - Republican congressman Paul Gilmour of Ohio found dead in his apartment in DC - Shaq is filing for divorce from his wife of five years. Together the couple had four children: Shareef, 7, Amirah, 5, Shaqir, 4, and Me'Arah, 1 - 400 court interpreters are on strike from San Luis to Santa Barbara to LA counties, any chance they're......

Last month an LA jury agreed that Chester Turner should suffer the death penalty. The 40 year-old Turner had been found guilty of killing ten people including one woman who was 6 1/2 months pregnant. Today Superior Court Judge William R. Pounders agreed with the jury. [Turner] was convicted April 30 of 10 counts of first-degree murder, plus one count of second-degree murder for the death of one victim's fetus. That victim, Regina Washington,......

- Jimmy Kimmel's Jake Byrd, the fake fan who howls "nooooo" at the end of the announcement that Paris is going to go back to jail fools the AP - TV Tattle - Barry Manilow, Superior Court spokesman, separated at birth? - LA Observed - Local tv news websites overwhelmed with Paris coverage - Franklin Ave. - Famed forensic scientist Henry Lee accused of talking to the Chinese press as the Phil Spector trial,......

Tears, shrieks and wails broke out in the LA courtroom where Paris Hilton was sent back to jail just moments ago. Crying, "MOM! MOM! MOM!" the heiress was lead out of the downtown court, the nexus of mayhem, hordes of press, and gaggles of paparazzi. L.A. Superior Court spokesman Allan Parachini told the media that Judge Michael T. Sauer had heard from the County Council's office (representing the Sheriff's Dept.), the city attorney, and......

Paris Hilton Ordered To Court For Allegedly Violating Probation A judge on Tuesday ordered hotel heiress Paris Hilton to appear in a Los Angeles courtroom on May 4, when she could face jail time for allegedly violating her probation in a reckless driving case. After a lengthy private conference with attorneys from both sides, Superior Court Judge Michael T. Sauer said Hilton would be "required to attend" the next court date. Los Angeles 2016 Reacts......

Former Orange County Superior Court judge, Ronald Kline, who pled guilty to four counts of having hundreds of images of child porn on his computers was given over two years in prison yesterday in an LA federal court. When the decision was delivered the 66 year-old passed out, prompting emergency personnel to rush into the courtroom. Kline had unsuccessfully petitioned the US Supreme Court to rule out the evidence found on his computers because......

- The Police will play Dodger Stadium on July 23. There's that number again - NBC 4 - Gov. Schwarzenegger's killer plan to export California prisoners out of Cali and let other states deal with our problem was declared "unlawful" by Sacto County Superior Court judge - The Merc - "Homeboy Goes to Harvard" founder speaks to Reseda's Cleveland High thanks to people like Fluke Fluker - LA Daily News - Over 28,000 people......

Next for the New York Times in LA: Gangs "At twilight on Friday, in the heart of the territory of the latest notorious Los Angeles gang, a woman in a passing car calls out a tip to Officer Dan Robbins, sending him racing toward a corner and a man he believes is a member of the 204th Street gang." (New York Times) Occidental College claims Obama "U.S. Sen. Barack Obama is usually described as......

Los Angeles based blogger and advice "goddess," Amy Alkon, was featured on last night's Nightline about Blog Slapping. (Nightline) Who are the Chandlers? They are a famous Los Angeles family and you should know something about them. (Morning Edition, NPR) LAist parent company Gothamist, LLC is featured on CNN about NYC 911 callers being able to soon send pictures and video when reporting a crime. The CNN video is unlinkable (ZDNet) Muslims are protesting......

The old man hit a Mercedes, steered around it, headed through the Santa Monica Farmer's Market killing ten innocent people, injuring 63, and plowed his way to probation and no jail time. George Weller didn't go to court to defend himself, he didn't go to court to hear his judgment, and today he didn't go to his sentencing to hear that the judge let him off the hook. Superior Court Judge Michael Johnson today somehow......

At the top of CNN.com is a big Breaking News banner that reads: "Britney Spears files for divorce from her husband Kevin Federline, citing irreconcilable differences." That's all we know for now, but that sentence pretty much sums it up in a nutshell, doesn't it. And really, is anyone surprised? ***There's more: Looks like TMZ.com got the scoop faster than you can say "firecrotch." TMZ obtained the legal papers, filed today in Los Angeles......

It took two weeks for the Santa Monica jury to reach its decision on the old man who ended the lives of 10 in 2003, but this morning they agreed that yes, he was guilty of vehicular manslaughter. The 89-year-old Weller was accused of 10 counts of vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence after he plowed through the crowded Santa Monica's Farmer Market killing 10 and injuring 63 three summers ago. On Wednesday the jurors,......

Who needs football when all three area pro baseball teams are so much fun? Long Beach Armada Steroid-slinging slugger Jose Canseco, oh yeah former steroid-slinging slugger... took to the mound for the first time as a starting pitcher Wednesday in Long Beach. Canseco fluttered a knuckleball for 4 1/3 innings, giving up five walks and hitting four batters while striking out only one as the LB Armada lost 8-2 against the Reno Silver Sox.......

Flights into Los Angeles International Airport were disrupted this morning after an instrument landing system failed on one of the airport's runways, authorities said. - LA Times The Los Angeles Police Department is asking for the public's help in locating 19-year-old Jessica Edwards, who is autistic and has the mental capacity of a 7-year-old child. - LAPD Blog Hospitals in Los Angeles County overall lag behind the statewide average when it comes to in-hospital......

music for a Valley high American Idol top 3 finalist Katharine McPhee visited Notre Dame High School, her alma mater, and got an official welcome from Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and Councilwoman Wendy Greuel. She also drove some high school boys to the brink when she sang "God Bless the Child" (check out the guy on the right). young love The LA Times finds a modern Romeo & Juliet at the racially divided Jefferson High......

Has one of our favorite D-listers gone too far, even for us? Kathy Griffin is suing her elderly neighbors, 78-year-old Bernard Subkoski and his 71-year-old wife Celeste Dickinson. Suboski built his dream home in the Hollywood Hills but, when health problems made the couple want to downsize, they sold it to Kathy Griffin and moved across the street. The house is reportedly worth $2.85 million. Now, despite an agreement that says any issues with the......

Courtney Love's last words to Kurt Cobain seem to capture our feelings towards the whole Anaheim Angels vs. Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim fracas perfectly. For those of you not keeping up with petty sports politics, Angels owner Arte Moreno is being sued by the City of Anaheim for changing the team's name. The city claims that by calling the team "The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim" he is violating the terms of his......

Getting a traffic ticket in LA County is a pain in the butt. No doubt about it. But thanks to the Internet, dealing with snail mail, the telephone, heck, even people is a thing of the past. We heard a promotional plug last night on KFWB 980 about the online traffic services available at Los Angeles Superior Court. It seems that the Superior Court kicked off this educational campaign in October (though we're not......

Excuses like, "My dog ate my summons," "I'm agoraphobic," and even the credible, "I'm not compensated for time off," are all useless. Unless you're a septuagenarian or perhaps an officer of the peace, there's no escaping. Yes... Despite our best efforts, even LAist was subject to jury duty. We took a deep breath and realized if fellow journalist and media guru Oprah could do it, then we would cherish our spirit and perform our......

Cynics of the world will not be surprised to find out that divorce became a whole lot easier thanks to a Los Angeles case. Citizens of this city of exes have a bad rap for treating marriage like, well, a bad wrap – chucking it easily into the nearest trash can. Yet, the legal decision that makes divorce doable evinces nothing but the highest respect for institution of marriage. It’s a case worth revisiting,......