Andy Sternberg

Early voting line in Norwalk, Oct. 30, 2008 at 12:30 p.m. | Photo by Greg Leeper for LAist. The Los Angeles County Clerk's Office in Norwalk is the only place to vote between now and Tuesday, Nov. 4. If you want to vote early, it's advised that you arrive early, give yourself at least an hour, and be prepared to wait. But with early voting at record levels nationwide, LA is feeling the crunch...

... as long as it's just a goofy doll in a Neiman Marcus coat dress and it's Halloween in WeHo. "We're not treating it as a threat," said Deputy Special Agent in Charge Wayne Williams on Tuesday. "Halloween presents some interesting challenges for us with the masks and costumes." The effigy was up "for weeks" before being called out on LAist (and elsewhere) earlier this week, according to LAT....

digg_url = 'http://digg.com/2008_us_elections/Sarah_Palin_Effigy_Hangs_in_West_Hollywood'; How's this for bad taste? If you are not a fan of Sarah Palin, we recommend ignoring her existence entirely. Not only is this lame attempt at a joke in poor taste -- and not only in light of reported Obama effigies (most recently at a Christian university in Oregon) -- but acknowledging Palin in such an extreme way (or any way) only gives her more credibility / recognition. As it...

Mahalo CEO Jason Calacanis hosts a session on The Economy at BarCampLA-6. "The best investment right now is in yourself," he advised. | Photo by Vaughn Hannon The sixth BarCamp Los Angeles is underway, with discussions, presentations, drinks, games, and more for -- and by -- the nearly 300 freaks, geeks, techies, and media mavens who registered for free via the BarCampLA wiki. Sessions continue through Sunday night at Mahalo / Causecast headquarters in...

Voters get registered at a Naturalization Ceremony in Los Angeles in late-August | Photo by Korean Resource Center 민족학교 via Flickr Click here to download a voter registration form from the California Secretary of State At this late date, please do not place your registration form in the mail. To ensure that your form is received before the deadline, you must submit your completed voter registration form to one of the "Close of Voter...

The Los Angeles Times went against its recent tradition of not taking sides in presidential elections and endorsed Sen. Barack Obama, calling him "the competent, confident leader who represents the aspirations of the United States." It marked the Times' first presidential endorsement since 1972 and was the paper's first endorsement of a Democratic presidential candidate in it's 127-year history. The Chicago Tribune editorial board also published its first-ever endorsement of a Democratic presidential nominee today....

Santa Ana winds whipped up the Marek / Little Tujunga Canyon Wildfire this morning, forcing school and freeway closures. More than 3,000 acres have burned from Lakeview Terrace to Sylmar including a mobile home park in Lopez Canyon. The 210 Freeway is closed from the 2 to the 118 and LAUSD announced the closure of four schools: Broadous Elementary in Pacoima, Hubbard Elementary in Sylmar, Harding Elementary in Sylmar and Fenton Charter School in Lakeview...

Silver Lake's Pazzo Gelato is promoting its newly expanded hours (they used to open at 11 a.m.) with 2-for-1 coffee and tea items from 7-11 a.m. While you're there, sample the homemade treats -- it's never too early for gelato. Pazzo Gelato / Sunset & Hyperion / 90026 | photo by e-ta-i via flickr....

The inaugural performance at Palm Desert's McCallum Theater featuring Boz Scaggs was canceled last night after a letter containing a suspicious substance and a threatening message directed at Bill Maher arrived at the venue. Maher, whose pointed, yet hilarious cynicism is now on display at a theatre near you (his deity-doubting documentary Religulous opened Oct. 3) performed at the McCallum Theater tonight as scheduled. The substance was deemed unharmful. An FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force...

A firefighting helicopter makes a water drop near Kagel Canyon on Sunday October 12, 2008 | © Jonathan Alcorn At least two residences and three motor homes were destroyed this morning in the Marek Wildland Fire, which broke out around 2 a.m. in the rugged Angeles National Forest about 20 miles northeast of downtown LA. More than 1,000 people have been evacuated from Lopez and Kagel Canyons and 900 firefighting personnel are on the...