Photo by fauxen via Flickr As weather in Los Angeles is still normal, Central and Northern California could be in for another round of dry lightning storms. There are two areas of thunderstorms across the West over the next day or two that have potential to create new wildfires over California. "The combination of hot air and relatively high dew point temperatures will allow a few thunderstorms to erupt over the Sierra Nevada of......

The LA County Fire Dept. announced that it will renew its lease on two "SuperScooper" airplanes to fight wildfires from September through December. The fixed-wing, amphibious Bombardier CL-415 is capable of scooping up to 1,620 gallons of water from lakes, injecting it with fire-resistant foam (in 12 seconds) and dropping it on wildfires. The LACoFD also leased an Erickson Helitanker, capable of dropping up to 2,200 gallons of water. Click here for video of a......

Southern California may be getting the extreme heat, but NorCal has it worse with fires -- over one hundred by the Associated Press' count.......

On the Pier in Santa Monica Mr. Lincoln, we like your pennies, says the US Postal service, just a day shy of his birthday. To celebrate, they announced today that postage will go up by 1 cent to 42 cents, effective May 12th. A 15-minute car chase had CHP officers trying to catch up with a woman wanted in a forgery case today. The pursuit began in El Monte and ended in Sylmar, reaching......

You can't be assured of getting the proper assistance and funding from the unbelievably-not-renamed-since-Katrina Federal Emergency Management Agency (they even faked their press conference while SoCal was burning). But if you live in LA or Orange County and suffered damages in the October wildfires, you have until 6 p.m. to apply for federal and state assistance. FEMA reports that 19,000 requests have been filed to date. Applications can be filed, and their status checked,......

Foothill Ranch, Orange County, CA. Santiago Canyon Fire. Canyon hills behind homes on Viaggio Ln. Alex Miroshnichenko is a freelance photojournalist who shared his neighborhood with some nasty wildfires this past week. As a photographer, he naturally snapped shots of the fire in and around his house and community. But he didn't want to try to profit off these photos. "This wasn't just another photojournalism job," he wrote in an essay he posted online.......

Orlando Bloom will not be prosecuted after an October 12th incident in which he injured his two passengers in a car crash involving parked cars. He said he was avoiding a photographer who suddenly changed lanes. Seeing these paparazzi in action, we suspect it was them who caused the crash, most likely on purpose for some higher dollar photo sales. Starting from last week today, the San Jose Mercury News has a great timeline......

There are 14,000 firefighters our there right now helping protecting us. 3,000 of them are prison inmates who began working the front lines yesterday.A spokesman for the corrections department says it's close to the most the state has ever used. The inmates go through a four-week training program. They must be physically fit, have no history of violent crime and have between four months to three years remaining on their sentences. They're paid $1......

These photos were taken by amateur photographer Chris Mesaros of Santa Clarita, who submitted them to us. We think they're brilliant! Their local government has also posted a neat google map of all the fire incidents. Donation to the rescue efforts can be made here. More great photos after the jump! (photos have been posted with permission from artist)......

It's too hot for C-SPAN: Bush rocks out -- slightly -- to a band playing “Guantanamera” at a Hispanic heritage month event. "It's time to end the tradition of holocaust denial that has only deepened the pain of those whose parents and grandparents suffered the unspeakable horror of ethnic cleansing," Mayor Villaraigosa said about City Council's calling the 1.5 million Armenians killed a genocide. "When we don't speak up, when we are silent, what......

Larry Himmel is CBS8 San Diego's neighborhood guy -- the personable reporter with the know-how, the hip tips, and just enough wackiness to make any story interesting -- a sort of Huell Howser of the deep southland. But in nearly 30 years of entertaining San Diegans with stories of local and human interest, nothing could have been more personal -- or painful for Himmel than his on location report this afternoon, from the site of......

Wildfire Erupts in Los Angeles Fires erupted in the hills above Los Angeles, damaging or destroying several homes, as dangerous north winds swept dry Southern California. Farther inland, a blinding sandstorm triggered a deadly highway pileup. Wind speeds of more than 50 mph were propelling a 15-acre blaze in grass near expensive homes above the city of Beverly Hills, Los Angeles Fire Department spokesman Ron Myers said. Emmy-winning actor Roscoe Lee Browne dies at 81......