"...And the ancient empty street's too dead for dreaming" by kpe II via LAist Featured Photos Pool on Flickr Newly elected state speaker, a Democrat named Karen Bass who was raised in Los Angeles, has made friends on both sides of the aisle, the LA Times said. She is the first African-American to assume the top spot and has some pretty lofty goals, including providing healthcare and improving education. Wait, those are things EVERY......

It could be a better day for Metro. The second Metro incident within the city limits of Los Angeles of the day occurred at 8:50 p.m. tonight when a Gold Line train crashed into a vehicle near the Highland Park station. The motorist, a 30-year-old male, was transported to an area hospital with non-life threatening injuries, reported Brian Humphrey of the Los Angeles Fire Department. Two Gold Line vs. car crashes occurred in September......

Now here's the quote of the day via the Daily News: ""I think if there were laws that required mayors to take transit, you'd see transit systems improve remarkably." That's Ted Balaker, a policy analyst for the Reason Foundation who spoke to transit beat writer Sue Doyle, who wrote a piece on Mayors across the country and their public transit use. Locally, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa vowed to take public transit once a week last month......

While the remaining Republican candidates converged on Simi Valley yesterday to debate who was most like Ronald Reagan and the two Democratic candidates still standing in the race meet in Los Angeles later today to hash out who is most unlike Reagan, other political news sent shock waves through Washington D.C. that did not portend well for the Grand Ol' Party. Congressman Tom Davis, a Republican who represents the suburban 11th District of Virginia, said......

As firefighters sought to contain the smoldering remains of California, officials are keying in on how the fires started. One of the largest fires, the Santiago fire that burned 22,000 acres was, reportedly set by an arsonist. President Bush toured parts of California and declared, "We're not going to forget you in Washington D.C." I guess he didn't visit any poor children. There's at least one good story to come out of this tragedy.......

Visiting Washington D.C. during the summer is like reliving all your high school field trip nightmares. Every snotty-nosed kid and their mother was there. Despite the heat, humidity, and the rampant smell of Republican carcass, I had a great time. When Maryland and Virginia donated some land for Charles L'Enfant to build Washington D.C., as a capital city for this nation, I don't think they envisioned the polarity and contrast that metropolitan east coast city......

Nationally, a new Bin Laden tape appears, a bomb scare at a U.S. Military base in Germany, William Saffire looks into how the meme 9/11 has taken hold in the language (A meme is “a unit of cultural information”) and NYC tries to move on. Here is a smattering of local September 11th news: There are four city events taking place today between 7 a.m. and the Dodgers Game tonight. More info at the Fire......

After graduating high school outside of Chicago, most peers of mine got jobs as lifeguards at the beach, day camp leaders or book worms at Borders. For me, I went straight back to the place I was so excited to leave... to be a janitor for the summer. My high school was not just any public school, it was New Trier, a well tax-funded North Shore suburban institution, standing four stories high (five if......

At least one Southern California city has the courage to step it up and say "no" to Washington D.C. politicians according to the LA Times. "West Hollywood was the 80th city or township in the nation to pass such a declaration, following similar actions in Michigan, Ohio and Vermont as well as six cities in Northern California, including Arcada and Eureka." Peter Thottam, executive director of the Los Angeles National Impeachment Center, brought the idea......

The LA Film Festival returns to Westwood tonight with the world premiere of Kasi Lemmons’ Talk to Me (not Talk To Me) at the Mann Village Theater. The film stars Don Cheadle and Chiwetel Ejiofor and tells the story of Ralph Green, an ex-drug addict and convicted felon who became one of Washington D.C.’s most prominent disc jockeys and community activisits in the 60s and 70s. A sure to be congested after-party follows the......

Few new businesses get me as excited as new used bookstores. For a city this large, L.A. can certainly afford some new additions. I was happy to hear about Kulturas Bookstore at the corner of Ocean Park Boulevard and 17th Street in Santa Monica. The shop was opened in January by Andrew MacDonald and Irene Coray, who moved here after running the store in downtown Washington D.C. for 20 years. I went in there......

Artist: Antelope Album: Reflector Label: Dischord Release Date: 03/27/2007 There are people who are wholeheartedly devoted to the Dischord Records label, who will buy, nay, devour with a kind of religious fervor anything and everything that founder Ian MacKaye has deemed worthy. What's not to like or respect? Ian MacKaye has been a visionary for almost 30 years, ever since playing in the seminal D.C. punk band, Teen Idles. Full disclosure: I don't think......

As we discussed last week, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa is in Washington D.C. today telling the rest of America why LA and its surrounding area is getting ripped off from federal investment. If we get jammed in traffic, we can't deliver for the rest of the U.S. Here are some facts: This delegation is part of the kick off of Access Washington, D.C. 2007, a trip sponsored by the L.A. Chamber and Mobility 21. Southern......

Every morning at 6am we will be posting a video of someone singing or playing the "Star Spangled Banner". Back in the day television stations would end their "broadcast day" with an instrumental of the National Anthem with video of jet fighters tearing through the skies and corn fields, and images of Washington D.C. The Internet, though, never goes to sleep, it only wakes up. And when you wake up, you should have something......

In the LA-based movie Collateral, Max (played by Jamie Foxx) had only one way of taking a vacation: vicariously, through a photo of a tropical island in his taxi cab sun visor. Now, in two weeks, Max will have another choice. From National Geographic's All Roads Film Project comes (bet you can't guess it) the All Roads Film Festival. Los Angeles is the first stop of this traveling Film Festival, which goes to various......

A plot to explode several airplanes, mid-flight, originating from London's Heathrow via carry-on luggage was foiled this morning as British police arrested 18 terror suspects in London. Flights are being canceled in and out of London, and other European and International flights are being delayed up to two hours. In Washington D.C., Reagan National and Dulles International have announced that they, like seven british airports have done, are banning liquids to be brought into......