Adolfo Guzman-Lopez

After years of graffiti tagging and futile restoration attempts, some observers say the end is near for dozens of Los Angeles’ once-glorious freeway murals.

One of the most visible Southland supporters of Arizona’s proposed illegal immigration enforcement law is longtime L.A. homeless activist Ted Hayes. He’s an African-American who aligned himself with national anti-immigrant groups about five years ago under the rationale that deporting all illegal immigrants would help solve the nation’s homeless problem. The group doesn’t have many followers, but it does hope to make a big presence in Phoenix this weekend with others to oppose a judge’s blocking of the main provisions of Arizona’s new immigration law.

Busloads of Southland protesters against Arizona’s new immigration law are headed to Phoenix tomorrow.

The fiscal problems of public schools have gotten plenty of air time, but private K-12 schools in Southern California have also had to trim their budgets. The prolonged economic downturn has many private school staffs wondering how long they can hold on.

After a year and a half in the job, L.A. Unified Superintendent Ramon Cortines says he's retiring from the school district in the spring. He says the long days and the workload during the budget crisis of the last few years has taken a toll on him.

Kanye West, Joe Satriani, Ozomatli and two dozen other major acts have signed on to a musicians’ boycott of Arizona. The coalition said today a Friday benefit concert could raise $350,000 for Arizona activists challenging that state’s new immigration law.

In a severe cost cutting move, Los Angeles elected officials closed all 73 libraries in the L.A. Public Library system today. The branches will close all future Mondays until further notice.

Lawyers and education activists who successfully sued to increase education funding in California a decade ago filed a lawsuit today alleging the state is not living up to the constitutional guarantee of providing children an adequate public education.

Most people knew the late Dennis Hopper for his acting and directing. During that career he constantly painted, photographed, and befriended well-known artists. A new exhibit at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles could go a long way toward cementing Hopper’s reputation as an artist.

After one month and 64 soccer matches, the World Cup ends with the championship match this Sunday. Plenty of Southern California fans have followed the series. For one L.A. fan passion and intellect go hand in hand with World Cup viewing.

The Los Angeles Unified School District followed through today on its pledge to make big changes at one of its lowest performing schools. South L.A.’s Fremont High School begins its year-round schedule with changes to its teacher corps, scheduling, and physical plant.

As high school seniors graduate, the ones on their way to college trust that the choices they’ve made will guarantee a good education and a secure future. A recent visit with high school seniors at two campuses sheds light on how they decided on the college of their choice.