Andy Sternberg

A woman filed an anonymous civil lawsuit in LA Superior Court Wednesday asking that Match.com cease new registrations until the online dating site has a system in place to screen new signups and exclude registered sex offenders from its membership. The woman, an Ivy League graduate who works in film and television, according to her attorney Mark L. Webb, was the victim of an alleged sexual attack after meeting for a second date with a man she had met via Match.com.

Photo at the scene by Alice Oestreich. Authorities are investigating a fire and reported burglary at a Hollywood synagogue today. Workers reported the incident upon arriving at Temple Israel, 7300 W. Hollywood Blvd. (at Fuller), around 9 a.m., according to authorities. "Because it is a house of worship, we're taking every precaution to be sure we know we are not underplaying the situation," said LAPD Capt. Beatrice Girmala, according to L.A. Now. LAPD issued...

Authorities are asking the public for help in an animal cruelty investigation after gruesome discoveries of the remains of four cats at El Monte's Rio Vista Park (map). All of the animals had been duct taped and tortured in a similar fashion, leading El Monte police to believe there may be a serial cat torturer at large.

via Carting Away the Oceans report. Greenpeace's latest scorecard measuring various supermarket chains' commitments to sustainable seafood may come as a surprise. The polesitter is not Whole Foods and certainly not Bristol Farms... it's one of the largest grocery chains in the United States. Safeway, which owns and operates all VONS and Pavilions supermarkets (among others), captured the top spot in Greenpeace's fifth update of its Carting Away the Oceans rankings. Safeway has made...

Prince is in town. We wouldn't know about this, of course, if not for George Lopez and his late-night show on TBS -- y'know, the one that comes after Conan. On Monday night his purple majesty called in to Lopez Tonight to announce a 21-night stand at The Forum in Inglewood. But Wednesday night Prince got down with Team Loco, performing three songs (including new ones) and rapping with George about everything from Olive...

Charles Laufer, the founder of legendary teen mag Tiger Beat among other fanzines and publications has died. Laufer, who co-founded Tiger Beat with his brother Ira in 1965, died of natural causes at Northridge Hospital Medical Center on April 5th, according to a family member who notified the L.A. Times. He was 87.

Coordinating set times for nearly 200 bands over three days on six stages is no simple task. It's one aspect of Coachella that always creates tension among festival-goers who've had fingers-crossed that none of their favorite acts would have conflicting set times ever since the nonspecific daily schedules were released in February. And you only get 48 hours to figure out what band is playing at what time and on what stage.

You are in control of the patterns and designs you encounter (at least within the confines of the cubicle or office). Instead of zoning out on the desktop wallpaper that you never change or the series of cacti that has occupied prime real estate on your desk for years without requiring much water, perhaps it's time for action. Today is the day for discourse -- if not action -- according to design advocacy organization AIGA's One Day for Design campaign.

A 7.1-magnitude aftershock struck off northeast coast of Japan this morning, roughly 50 miles east of Sendai, Honshu, the same area that was devastated in last month's 9.0 earthquake and ensuing tsunami, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. Earlier this morning a 6.5-magnitude earthquake struck Southern Mexico, in the state of Veracruz. There were no immediate reports of injuries or damage.

Photo by Atwater Village Newbie via LAist Featured Photos Pool. The Dodgers have retained the services of former LAPD Chief William J. Bratton in response to increasing pressure from community and civic leaders to tighten security at Dodger Stadium in the aftermath of an Opening Day post-game beating which left one man critically injured. For the first time since 2005, the Dodgers opened the season without a full-time head of security, according to the...

An L.A.-based street artist known as 2wenty can't seem to get enough of the social network that he's related to metaphorically as cancer sticks in his work. But Facebook has already gotten the relative street art newbie into local gallery shows as well as attention from across the pond. “I make pieces about what’s bothering me,” said 2wenty, who is actually turning 30 this month and is employed in the media industry, according to...

Exene Cervenka performing at SXSW on March 16, 2011 (photo by nickmickolas via flickr) Exene Cervenka cancelled the remaining dates on her solo tour citing health concerns, according to a statement by her label, Bloodshot Records. The 55-year-old singer, songwriter and artist has continued touring with her bandmates of 35 years in X and in support of her latest solo album in spite of being diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis in 2009. She discussed her...