Jessica P. Ogilvie

If you were planning to swing by Irvine and buy a new puppy, you may need to rethink your trajectory: the Irvine City Council just voted to ban the sale of dogs and cats in retail stores. The vote happened last night, and also includes a ban on rodeos and circuses that feature exotic animals, according to CBS News.

Occupy LA isn't going anywhere; in fact, they're planning ahead. As part of the protests, the Progressive Jewish Alliance will build a Sukkah on the grassy area in front of City Hall on October 16. Sukkot, in case you didn't know, is a Jewish holiday that falls sometime in late September or early October each year (Jewish holidays take place in accordance with the Jewish calendar, not the Gregorian calendar). It lasts for seven days, and is intended to be a remembrance of the time that Jews lived in makeshift homes while crossing the desert out of Egypt.

Looks like all those pennies have added up to a profitable business plan: the 99 cent store announced today that it will likely be bought out for $1.6 billion, reports the AP. The company, which is based on the City of Commerce and has 214 stores in California, received the offer from affiliates of the investment firm Ares Management LLC and the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board.

Cher has been standing up for her son Chaz ever since it was announced in August that he was joining the cast of "Dancing With The Stars." And last night, she made a public showing of her support with a surprise visit to the show. And last night, she made a public showing of her support with a surprise visit to the show. The heart-warming video below features Chaz' performance on last night's episode, and more than a few close-ups of Cher in the audience.

A tape of an interview that Conrad Murray gave to police detectives following the death of Michael Jackson was played in court today by the prosecution during Murray's involuntary manslaughter trial, reports FOX 11 News. In the tape, which is over two hours long, Murray can reportedly be heard quietly claiming that he never intended to hurt Jackson, who died while under Murray's care.

A man who pulled his car off to the side of the 210 freeway was shot last night while sitting in the vehicle, reports KTLA. The car was stopped on the right side of the road and was sitting on the shoulder, near the San Bernadino Ave. exit.

As part of the LA Freewalls project, German street artists How and Nosm recently finished up a large-scale mural in DTLA's Arts District. The blog Brooklyn Street Art reports that the106 feet by 60 foot piece, called "Heartship," took six days to finish, and that its intention is to "entertain, elate, and educate about what self-taught artists with heart can produce and add to the man-made environment."

In North Hollywood, a man appears to have orchestrated his own death by calling in a disturbance to the cops, then aiming a gun at them, reports the Daily Breeze. The incident happened on Sunday at about 5:00 a.m. Julio Umberto Sandoval, 47, called the police to tell them that he had heard shots being fired into the air. Somewhere around that same time, he allegedly told a neighbor, "Goodbye, I'm waiting for the police to kill me. I love you."

Apparently the risks associated with being a flesh-eating monster aren't always make-believe.. TMZ reports that 16 actors dressed as zombies were injured when a set shifted during filming of "Resident Evil V." The accident happened on location in Toronto. A structure that was on wheels reportedly moved with the actors still on in, causing them to fall 20 feet.

In tonight's Extra, Extra, bad news for young tanning bed aficionados, Brad Pitt's movie set turns out to be extremely dangerous, and if you want, you can rent a grandmother. Plus: Keep up with us on Facebook, and follow us on Twitter: @LAist @LAistFood @LAistSports.

Privacy, shmivacy -- the Boston Globe has outed the woman who turned in Whitey Bulger and his longtime partner, Catherine Greig. Her name is Anna Bjornsdottir, and she's a former actress and Miss Iceland who also lived in the Princess Eugenia apartment complex in Santa Monica, where Bulger and Grieg shared a unit for 15 years.

Watch out, America -- our nation's moral fiber is unraveling with frightening haste. The latest proof? UCLA is reportedly considering allowing male and female students to room together. Suzanne Seplow of UCLA's office of Residential Life tells CBS News that the possible change comes on the heels of universities finding ways to accommodate transgendered students.