A small brush fire broke out tonight in Val Verde, northwest of Santa Clarita Valley (LAist penned a history piece on Val Verde this summer). It was quickly put out by firefighters, but "several fires have been reported in the area recently," CBS2 reports on a homepage alert banner. A National Weather Service red flag warning is in effect until 8:00 p.m. Wednesday night. more ›

Although Los Angeles is by most standards a young city, it is a city full of history, regardless. In LAist's past we've looked at the mysterious Spider Pool ruins, the life of James M. Wood, and Campo de Cahuenga, but have barely scratched the surface. Today we're introducing a new feature on the site, LAistory, which will take us on a journey to what came before to help us understand where we are today. more ›