Emma G. Gallegos

It might take a second, but once you see what's lurking under this bus bench, you can't unsee it. This photo of an unsuspecting woman playing with her phone was taken shortly before 9 a.m. recently in Palms at the intersection of Sepulveda Blvd. and Charnock Road.

Yesterday was the first day that fireworks went on sale in California, and they'll be on sale until July 6 at noon. But they're not legal everywhere in the state. In fact, it's illegal to both buy and set off fireworks in Los Angeles city limits, and you could face a $1,000 fine or six months in jail for setting off even smaller fireworks.

In tonight's Extra, Extra, a liberal arts student talks about being white, Metro plans to spend more on CicLAvia and cops' rights to search are limited. Plus: Keep up with us on Facebook, and follow us on Twitter: @LAist @LAistFood @LAistSports. You can also find us on Pinterest, Storify, Foursquare, and Instagram (laistpics).

There's a bump in the road for the company that is rolling out Los Angeles' first bike-sharing program. Bike Nation said it was hoping to roll out its program this summer, but Angelenos are going to have to wait a little longer for the program that is similar to New York City's Citi Bike program.

Wave good-bye to June gloom, and say hello to a really big heat wave. Things will start heating up Friday morning and it's only supposed to get worse through the weekend. As usual, the heat will be worst in the valleys and mountains. The National Weather Service has put out an excessive heat warning.

In tonight's Extra, Extra, how Occidental College deals with rape, Orange County deals with the fake and LAUSD deals with Miramonte. Plus: Keep up with us on Facebook, and follow us on Twitter: @LAist @LAistFood @LAistSports. You can also find us on Pinterest, Storify, Foursquare, and Instagram (laistpics).

Daredevil, aerialist and seventh-generation member of a circus family Nik Wallenda will attempt to cross a Colorado River gorge on a high-wire a dizzying 1,500 feet above the rapids below. The Discovery Channel will air his stunt tonight June 23 at 5 pm PT. The footage will be streamed live—except for a 10-second delay just in case the stunt doesn't go according to plan.

In tonight's Extra, Extra, we examine the point of oral sex, comedians battle a fly and a guide to the supermoon. Plus: Keep up with us on Facebook, and follow us on Twitter: @LAist @LAistFood @LAistSports. You can also find us on Pinterest, Storify, Foursquare, and Instagram (laistpics).

In case you were wondering, everything is pretty much business as usual in the city of Angels, despite the fact that a plane wrote a chain of SOS's in perfectly straight skywritten letters in our perfectly blue skies yesterday. It turns out the SOS letters have nothing to do with a distress call, but are in fact a lame (but probably effective) publicity stunt for a local theme park that is trying to promote their attractions for the summer.

Once upon a time, Justin Bieber was a fresh-faced teen with a squeaky clean image but these days he's acting more like the global pop star that he is: he drives fast cars and hangs out with a faster crowd.

It sounds like the child of Kim Kardashian and Kanye West will have a strong sense of direction. TMZ reports that the birth certificate from Cedars-Sinai says they've named their baby girl North.

Shortly before he died in a fiery single-car accident, Michael Hastings sent an e-mail to his colleagues at BuzzFeed that alarmed a close friend. Just hours before the crash, he wrote that the FBI was interviewing his "close friends and associates" and that he was going to "go off the radar for a bit" to work on a "big story."