Quitting smoking isn't easy, but thankfully, once you put down the cancer sticks you can swap out your habit for a patch, one of those newfangled air cigs, or chew on some nicotine gum. Unfortunately for one Mission Viejo man, his gum habit was actually a shoplifting habit that has now found him arrested on multiple charges of theft, according to the OC Register. more ›

The increased potential for retaliation by Al Qaeda operatives, as well as those with anti-American sentiments, has prompted the U.S. State Department to issue a travel alert following the announcement of the death of Osama Bin Laden, according to Reuters. The State Department issued the following warning: "Given the uncertainty and volatility of the current situation, U.S. citizens in areas where events could cause anti-American violence are strongly urged to limit their travel outside of their homes and hotels and avoid mass gatherings and demonstrations." more ›

Target is suing a group San Diego pro-gay marriage activists to stop them from canvassing -- or talking to patrons about gay marriage -- outside its stores, specifically the Poway location. The trial between Target and Canvass for a Cause was set to begin today. But, once again, it's not an anti-gay thing, Target assures. more ›

Construction at Downtown's 7+Fig complex that means the arrival of a Target store means that restaurants on the lower level have had to shutter temporarily, leaving local lunch-seeking workers hungry for midday options. Now there are plans between the property and the Southern California Mobile Food Vendors Association (MFVA) to call in the food trucks to rescue, reports Blogdowntown. more ›

Grief-stricken family members and angry Riverside residents might be one step closer to getting some answers in the Sunday slaying of Riverside police officer Ryan P. Bonaminio, 27, as a suspect was arrested outside a Target Store at about 8 p.m. last night, according to the LA Times. more ›

Long desired, and more recently rumored, residents and workers will soon have a Target store in downtown Los Angeles. The big box retailer this week finalized its agreement with Brookfield Properties for an approximately 100,000 square foot space -- that's one-third smaller than their typical size -- at the 7th+Fig mall... more ›

Big changes are coming to downtown Los Angeles and for the 7+Fig mall, that could be a Target store. Numerous tenants at the complex have been given notices to vacate their stores by January to make way for a renovation project, according to the Downtown News. more ›

Target is not just taking heat for its large political donation to an anti-gay candidate, its plan to bring a store to Hollywood and Western has drawn enough fire that it's going back to the drawing board, despite approval by the L.A. City Council in June. Facing lawsuits, the company will develop en environmental impact report (EIR), which was never done for the 74-foot store at Hollywood and Western, according to Curbed LA, which digs deep into the issue. more ›

Before Target's funding of an anti-gay candidate became a controversy, a new one to be built in Hollywood was approved. Now, two slated for construction in San Francisco could see trouble, finds the LA Times. more ›

This week Los Angeles design studio Poketo debuted a new line of fun and colorful accessories, available exclusively and for a limited time only at Target. Twenty-one artists created the designs for this fifty-two piece collection. Accessories include totes, messenger bags, laptop cases, umbrellas, wallets and more. On the weekender bags, Dan Funderburgh's detailed patterns in black and white and Mike Perry colorful and cheery hand drawn geometric shapes are sure to be snapped up by collectors and new fans. more ›

Following uproar over a large donation from Target to a anti-gay Minnesota candidate this month, CEO Gregg Steinhafel apologized Thursday to employees. He said the $150,000 donation was meant to be for Republican gubernatorial candidate Tom Emmer's business stance, not his anti-gay one. more ›

A donation of $150,000 from Target to a Minnesota gubernatorial candidate who supports Arizona's controversial immigration law, wants to rid the country of minimum wage and a longtime supporter of anti-gay issues has fueled discussion over a possible national boycott of the retailer. more ›

As Target plans new stores throughout the Los Angeles area, they've come upon controversy and it's not about city planning. Thanks to a recent Supreme Court ruling that allows companies to make campaign contributions, the hipper alternative to Wal-Mart recently made a direct $150,000 donation to a Minnesota Political Action Committee backing the state's Republican Candidate. more ›

The City Council has given their approval to a development project that would put a controversial 3-story Target at the corner of Sunset and Western in Hollywood, according to CurbedLA. The strip mall property is currently home to a vacated Farm Fresh Ranch Market and a CVS Drugstore. 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 ›

As authorities look into why a woman stabbed four people inside a West Hollywood Target store yesterday afternoon, her family has stepped forward saying she suffers from bipolar disorder and schizophrenia, according to the LA Times. more ›

Afternoon shopping at Target in West Hollywood this afternoon turned into a nightmare of a situation when a woman allegedly took a knife and began randomly stabbing people. In all, four were injured--at least one of them was left in critical condition. more ›

A scorecard released today by Greenpeace examines American supermarket chains and to what extent their seafood business is practiced sustainably. more ›

Here's a curious e-mail from a reader. "Target is out of Christmas lights. ok..not totally out... but in the last 3 days..I have gone to the Target stores in Woodland Hills, Echo Park, Glendale, West Hollywood and Pasadena..and they have less than a dozen boxes of string Christmas lights and each store..(mostly blue lights). I have asked and been told that they will not be restocking before Christmas...so that's it." We checked in with Target's website, which lets you search the availability of stock in local stores. While not completely out everywhere, our tipster is right--lots of items are marked as "Out of Stock" and "Limited Availability." more ›

Life is really, really boring in the bubble that is the Santa Clarita Valley. Thankfully, running amock can fill the lack of things-to-do void. A large group of zombies attacked Valencia neighborhood businesses last night prompting an LAist reader who was shopping at Target to ask us what the heck was going on. "I did not appreciate looking at iPod headphones when some child running down the isle screamed 'THE ZOMBIES ARE HERE RUNN FOR YOUR LIFEEEEE.' Then there were forty 15-year-olds running at me," she wrote, explaining that the iPod gift card rack was knocked over and that apparently one zombie was hit by the car in the parking lot of Whole Foods (nutty video here of hundreds attacking Target and this one, too). Over 500 people confirmed attending Zombie Invasion SCV on Facebook and the valley's local radio station reported "several hundred" zombies seen around town. more ›

LA has a diverse cast of characters. Whether it's the characters with stirring stories or interesting occupations or the people who are just simply characters, this town has them all. In an effort to get to know some of those characters a little better, we've created "Seven Questions with..." If you have a suggestion for a future Seven Questions subject send us an email. more ›

If you've ever been curious about the NASCAR experience, it doesn't get any closer than this. On NASCAR's last visit to Auto Cub Speedway in Fontana last month, LAist got an exclusive, behind-the-scenes view from the pits of Indy 500 winner and Formula One crossover Juan Pablo Montoya. Montoya, driver of the #42 Target Chevrolet for Earnhardt Ganassi Racing, is currently battling for a spot in the Chase at 14th in the standings. There is plenty more of the 2009 Sprint Cup season to come, with NASCAR returning to Fontana in October. more ›

• In an attempt to avoid the voter confusion rampant in the state during this year's Super Tuesday balloting, LA County officials are doing their best to educate the public about the InkaVote Plus system, including the audio options for disabled and multilingual voters.
• It seems "fire season" in the Southland is now a year-round thing. After yesterday's Griffith Park fire comes news of another fire, this one in Pomona, which is burning over 25-acres and near to homes.
• LA's flat track Derby team, the Angel City Deby Girls have an intra-leaue bout tomorrow night at the Toyota Sports Center in El Segundo. See the photos from their last game.
• Metrolink riders commuting through Placentia this morning may have arrived to work late with a unique excuse: Their rides were delayed due to a despondent 18-year-old man's wish to commit suicide by laying down on the tracks.
• An accident this afternoon in North Hills involving a Metro bus and another vehicle sent three people to the hospital with injuries.
• Two men behind the illegal selling of body parts through UCLA's Willed Body Program have been indicted for their crimes, including "conspiracy to commit a crime, grand theft and grand theft of personal property."
• Residents of Monrovia angered over recently erected billboards as "part of a campaign by the Monrovia Police Officers' Association to gain support for its position during contract negotiations with the city" plan to rally in protest tonight at the police station.
• A toast to you, Mister Mondavi. Legendary California vintner Robert Mondavi died today at the age of 94.
• And for you fashionistas, today was day one of a three-day preview of designer Rogan Gregory's new line for the exclusive, upscale, sophisticated mecca of haute couture known as Target, hitting the racks at Barney's. Fashion Intelligentsia has the pics of the duds.

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Post-holiday shopping took a gruesome turn in the parking lot of the Target store in Gardena last month when three women robbed another woman of her earrings and slashed her face. more ›

The first time I was in Compton, I didn't even know it until later when I was at a restaurant looking at the menu and noticed the address. It appeared the world's stereotype was wrong, maybe gone or I just happened to be in the "right" part of town. "Compton is beautiful, there are horse ranches there," a co-worker who grew up there told me at a previous job a few years before my... more ›

Driving down La Brea today, I spotted a giant yellow Transformer. Let me guess, DVD release promotion? The Transformer towers over an MTA bus at the West Hollywood Gateway When I stopped to get a closer look I found several people standing around it, pulling out camera phones, and taking photos with a real Hollywood action character. More photos after the jump.... more ›