Callie Miller

The top portion of Taco Bell's new ad in the New York Times today It looks like Taco Bell's PR team has been working overtime after a how legit-is-your-meat lawsuit alleged that the meat in your Chalupa is full of "extenders" that add fake volume. The Huffington Post reports that a new "Thank You for Suing Us" campaign hit today's editions of the Wall Street Journal, USA Today, New York Times and other papers....

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...

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...

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.

Three flu deaths in Los Angeles County and another in Orange County have health officials singing from the "get your flu shot" songbook once again, according to CBS Los Angeles. In addition to the recent deaths, 10 people under the age of 65 (5 are children) have been recently hospitalized in intensive care for severe flu cases. Health officials are letting area residents know that it's "not too late to get vaccinated." You can...

Big Windmill by Christian Moeller / Photo by Koonisutra via Flickr TANGIBLE CARTOONS Christian Moeller, known for his large robotic sculptures in public spaces, will be sharing his perspective on how cinema, music and physical space collide to create art at a SCI-ARC lecture tonight at 7:00 p.m. The lecture is free and if you can't make it downtown tonight for what promises to be an excellent art/sci chat, you can watch the livestream....

The "offensive" store name in question / Photo via KTLA A sexy new lingerie-love shop is opening next week on Melrose Avenue and its neighbors are none too happy, according to KTLA. Though opening a new business in these tough times should be a positive sign for the local economy, many simply can't get past the name of the shop: FUK U. Neighbors want the sign bearing the store's name to be removed because...

The Product Manger for Google Books spoke at Digital Book World yesterday and shared that Los Angeles is among the top five cities that have most embraced Google's eBookstore, according to Mediabistro. Does this bolster our belief that L.A. is truly a literary city or simply prove that L.A. is a tech-savvy city? Either way, we're pleased to be at the top five of a literary list for once and we'll take it! As...

After years of threats from the plastics industry, Santa Monica has finally passed a single-use plastic bag ban, according to the Santa Monica Daily Press. The council voted 4-0 to approve the ban which will go into effect this September. Plastic bags will no longer be available at any retailers in Santa Monica except for take-out restaurants and food delivery.

Photo by @sevenphoto via the LAist Featured Photos pool on Flickr LADOT announced two new bike lane projects yesterday which is welcome news after the PR problems of April 2009 when it was believed LADOT planned to remove bike lanes - not add to them - to allow for more car traffic. LA Streetsblog is pleased to see that not only is the Valley getting a better bike network, but "it's also good to...

Though recent projections show that Santa Monica's budget deficit could top $30 million in the coming years, City Manager Rod Gould approved $1.4 million in bonuses for Santa Monica municipal employees, according to the Santa Monica Daily Press. Gould believes the big payout, noted to be "far less" than the bonus amounts employees grew "accustomed to" before the current recession hit, "struck the right balance between appropriately rewarding employees who are entitled to bonus consideration under their contracts and helping reign in City Hall's expenses."

The LAX police department has "stepped up its own levels of vigilance" and is on "heightened alert" today after the suicide bombing at a Moscow airport that killed 35 people and wounded 180, according to CBS Los Angeles. The terrorist bombing in Moscow and several recent shootings at U.S. law enforcement officers, including two officers killed in Florida, have added to the increased awareness at the airport. The TSA has not issued any new...