Callie Miller

After a lengthy investigation, 27-year-old Akop Tadevosovich Changryan of Glendale is in custody on suspicion of using a credit card skimmer at a Shell gas station in Laguna Beach, according to Glendale Press News. The skimming devices Changryan placed on gas pumps allowed him to steal customer information, produce fake credit cards and make unauthorized purchases with them. To date, nine victims have been identified and thousands of dollars worth of merchandise was charged...

Construction begins in Long Beach today on the first-ever separated bikeway in Southern California, according to ABC. The new bikeway, modeled after a similar design in New York City, will be in downtown Long Beach along Broadway and 3rd Streets between Alamitos Avenue and Golden Avenue. It will have a painted median and a curb next to street parking to separate bikes from cars.

The highly anticipated restoration of the "History of Highland Park" mural began on Saturday as over 100 volunteers devoted their time to start the clean up process on the much-loved but recently much-maligned neighborhood artwork. Using biodegradable soap, elbow grease and a healthy dose of neighborhood pride, community members helped kick-off the vision of years of work by the Highland Park Heritage Trust, the Historic Highland Park Neighborhood Council and Councilmember José Huizar.

The Los Angeles City Council has voted to file a lawsuit against Jeffrey Stenroos, the LAUSD police officer who pretended he was shot by an on-the-loose-assailant when he really wasn't, according to LA Now. The council, led by a proposal from council member and former police officer Dennis Zine, was unanimous in their decision to demand that Stenroos reimburse the city for the costs of the extensive police manhunt.

Photo by ricardodiaz11 via the LAist Featured Photos pool on Flickr Downtown residents and visitors know the tell-tale signs: motorcycle cops standing next to their bikes at key locations, cones blocking streets, fake police cars for a city we don't live in whizzing by, star wagons clustered a parking lot away, detours a-plenty and no parking for blocks means there's yet another film shoot taking place. Filming in DTLA is up 20% and old...

Ray Patel wants to hold on to his Golden Key Hotel. Rick Caruso wants to buy the land, raze the hotel and erect an Americana at Brand expansion in its place. Patel refused Caruso's $6M offer to buy the property and was given a 45-day deadline by Glendale City Council to revamp it or sell it to Caruso. The plans are in and a hearing will usher in the next stage of the showdown, according...

The California Institute for Regenerative Medicine awarded UCLA and Cedars-Sinai researchers $5.6 million in grants aimed at bringing stem-cell research projects to clinical trial more efficiently, according to the Daily Breeze. CIRM was established in November 2004 as California's stem cell agency after voters passed Prop 17.

Photo by JessicaLA via the LAist Featured Photos pool on Flickr To celebrate their 3400% growth in 2010, Foursquare has put together a cool infographic on last year's check-ins and our own Hollywood Bowl made its way into the Top 3 Music Venue check-ins list, according to HubSpot. So what were the Top 3 Music Venue check-in spots last year? -Terminal 5, New York -Hollywood Bowl, Los Angeles -Mercury Lounge, New York Foursquare's check-in...

The area near Third Street and Wilshire Blvd. in Santa Monica was evacuated after a suspicious package was found in a dumpster between 3rd and 4th Streets, according to Santa Monica Patch. Several other streets were closed off while Santa Monica Police Department and the Los Angeles Bomb Squad investigated further. Nick Wilson, writer for LAist, was part of the nearby lockdown and said police tape was up when he arrived to work at...

A twin-engine jet skidded off the runway during takeoff today at Van Nuys airport, according to CBS Los Angeles. The aircraft is a Mexican-registered Falcon jet that aborted its takeoff and skidded into a dirt area 100 feet off the runway before coming to a full stop. LAFD spokesman Brian Humphrey said the incident was reported at 1:14 p.m. and that were no injuries and no fire. No details have been released on why...