Andy Sternberg

A solar panel array proposed by Occidental University that would cover a Northeast Los Angeles hillside was approved by Eagle Rock neighborhood council on Tuesday night. The council board voted unanimously to approve the proposed 1-megawatt solar array project which could provide about 11 percent of the university's annual energy.

A man in his 20s with a fake police badge allegedly approached at least two girls outside Lawrence Middle School in Chatsworth claiming he needed to place a tracking device inside their bra, according to a safety alert issued Tuesday night by the LAPD's Devonshire Division.

Paramount partnered with Twitter to offer not-so-secret screenings of "Super 8" in over 300 theaters nationwide this Thursday -- one day before its official release. Fueled by the promoted trend #Super8Movie (i.e. ad) on Twitter, anyone who wishes to see the J.J. Abrams and Steven Spielberg flick on Thursday can purchase advance tickets now. The movie officially opens nationwide Friday.

Officials opened a 7-mile stretch of Angeles Crest Highway on Friday that had been closed for nearly 18 months. Much of the 66-mile highway that extends north from the 2 freeway in La Canada-Flintridge through Angeles National Forest to Wrightwood had been closed after January 2000 mudslides in the Station Fire area badly damaged sections of the road.

Rape. Murder. Regret. It all happens on top of a Caribbean beat in the latest video from 23-year-old Barbados-born pop sensation Rihanna. Since its premiere on Wednesday, "Man Down" has drawn ire from the likes of the Parents Television Council and others for its suggested violence.

A six-count indictment was filed against 2008 Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards by a federal grand jury Friday morning and it ain't pretty. An arrest warrant was issued charging the former senator for conspiracy and false statements in association with illegal campaign contributions and he's expected in U.S. District Court in North Carolina Friday afternoon.

The son and daughter of Carmen Montenegro, the woman seen wheeling a trash can full of body parts around an Ontario neighborhood last weekend, were arrested and charged as accessories to murder on Wednesday night.

The L.A. Times made a big step toward boosting its bottom line without laying anybody off today. In fact, Los Angeles Times Media Group announced a significant hire, naming Emily Smith its first ever Senior Vice President of Digital.

On June 21, KCRW is presenting MMJ live for 250 members and guests at The Village studios in West L.A. Tickets are available for $125 exclusively for KCRW members at 10 a.m. today. If you have any doubt about dropping the cash, clearly you are not aware that My Morning Jacket puts on as good a live show as any touring band today, as evidenced by last night's YouTube stream from Louisville, produced by Todd Haynes.

While we can leave the future of foreskin up to city government (thanks San Francisco and Santa Monica), it appears that what our children can and cannot do with their mobile devices while in class will be determined not on a case-by-case basis or by school principals but in Sacramento -- by the California State Legislature.

52,000 first generation Priuses sold in the U.S., model year 2001 - 2003, are part of a global recall of 106,000 cars, Toyota announced on Wednesday. The voluntary recall will fix a steering problem that could make it difficult for drivers to maneuver the car when turning left.

Community Coalition has a simple ask today: Give your vote on this Facebook page and Community Coalition could win a van to help transport after-school program participants to its center in South L.A. The contest runs until midnight and there are only a few other non-profits in the running (all ex-L.A.) so go on and give a click!