Callie Miller

Despite approval from the planning commission in September, council members have unanimously voted against the opening of a hydroponics and indoor gardening store in Old Town Tustin, according to the OC Register. While proponents view the hydroponics store as a good use of small space that would be difficult to lease to other tenants, councilman John Nielsen says selling hydroponics is "not compatible with Old Town Tustin businesses and homes" and suggests the store...

Photo by jessicamelling via Flickr As Thanksgiving gets closer and Beaujolais becomes ubiquitous in wine stores and supermarket check-out lanes all over Los Angeles, we're craving something - anything - other this holiday season. This is Los Angeles after all, land of secret doors leading to secret bars with secret drinks served by secret drink agents. Surely we can do better than standard Beaujolais this year. To point us in an entirely new direction,...

An officer responding to a domestic dispute call in Simi Valley arrived to find an armed man in the middle of the street and the office opened fire, according to KTLA News. The armed suspect was shot and pronounced dead at the scene. It remains unclear if the man in the street was connected to the disturbance call that brought police to the area in the first place. Neighbors and witnesses report hearing shots,...

File this under times when it's very smart to "just say no": Francisco Hernandez, 22, has been arrested for allegedly attempting to run his just-proposed-to-girlfriend over with his car, according to KTLA News. His now-ex-girlfriend was walking along a sidewalk and narrowly escaped injury as Hernandez's car jumped a curb, drove over a sidewalk, went through the bushes, landed in a parking lot and suffered two flat tires. Hernandez is being held on $30,000...

The remains of Lynsie Ekelund, a college student who vanished Feb 17, 2001 after a night out with friends in San Diego, have been positively identified after a two-day dig in a remote area near Santa Clarita, according to the LA Times. Christopher McAmis, Ekelund's assailant who claimed for years he was not responsible for the crime, confessed earlier this month to attempted rape and strangulation. McAmis led police to the dig site where...

The next time you head out to one of LA County's 33 Animal Shelters or one of the hundreds of pet adoption and rescue organizations in LA, The Los Angeles County Department of Animal Care and Control would like you to remember that it's National Adopt-a-Senior Pet month and that old dogs (and cats and rabbits) need love too.

Stormy downtown LA (Photo by Mark Luethi via the LAist Featured Photos pool on Flickr) While you're busy chiding your East Coast friends about how fantastic our LA climate is and making them all wish they lived here as they plod through their weekends battling rain and snow and very low temperatures, stormy weather is heading our way and it's going to strike soon. How soon? Tonight soon. The National Weather Service Forecast Office...

Tomorrow night, Tavin Boutique in Echo Park will curate an eclectic mix of vintage and designer clothing, literary stylings and wine. The fourth installment of their Little Birds Reading Series will showcase the work of three writers whose work is perfectly suited for this shop that feels both timeless and au courant all at once.