Kristy Pyke

Photo by Xtrah|KT via Flickr Teens may not be the only ones driving recklessly. A recent study showed that adults are much more likely to talk on the phone while driving and they text just as much as teens do at the wheel. Pew Internet & American Life Project surveyed more than 2,000 adults, 18 years or older, about their driving habits. Nearly half of the adults who admitted to knowing how to text...

Photo by aaronparecki via Flickr With each new iPhone application or technological advancement, new questions emerge regarding legality of using such devices in the car. A common habit, for example, is to use Google Maps while driving as a primary source of directions. But are drivers doing it legally? Because the law tends to be worded vaguely when referring to texting/talking/web surfing while driving, rumors float around about what is actually legal or illegal....

Photo by FeatheredTar via Flickr The Los Angeles City Council will decide Friday whether or not to officially support Santa Monica Assemblywoman Julia Brownley’s ban on plastic bags. The resolution (.pdf) formally supports the bill under the stipulations that legislators consider amendments that keep in-store recycle programs open. Already in effect, AB 2449 requires all California grocery stores to collect and recycle plastic grocery bags, provide bag reuse, and implement public education programs. Councilmembers...

Photo by pnknbx via Flickr There are still over 1 million smokers in Los Angeles County, but some cities are more to blame than others. The County of Los Angeles Public Health recently released a study (PDF) breaking down smoking rates based on geographical locations -- for example, West Hollywood has a lot of smokers; Malibu does not -- in hopes of encouraging individual cities to implement tobacco control policies. Los Angeles has one...

Photo by MervynMoskowitz via twitpic A business building in Simi Valley exploded today leaving one dead and two with minor injuries. The explosion was reported around 1:15pm today near E. Easy Street. Firefighters training near by were able to arrive shortly after, according to Public Information Officer for Ventura County Fire Department Bill Nash. Although fire fighters are still on the scene, officials have determined the atmosphere to be clear and safe for the...

Photo by Superfem via Flickr The legendary oil spill disaster in the Gulf Coast this April had people all over the world wondering what went wrong. And now a general consensus has determined it was a combination of BP cutting corners and a lack of governmental regulations. But with all eyes on the gulf coast some feel we now need to look back to our own waters and wonder what is going on here...

Mashup Dance Company Cultural arts in Los Angeles often bears the brunt of economic woes and this past year has been no different. The lights have been turned off at the Pasadena Playhouse. Concerts for the Pasadena Symphony have been canceled. The Getty has raised parking prices. MOCA came close to shutting down. So how is it that a small and relatively unheard of local dance company finds itself prospering these days? MashUp Contemporary...

On Melrose | Photo by el molino 12 via LAist Featured Photos A motion before a L.A. City Council panel could make pedestrian and bike traffic just as important as automobiles in comprehensive traffic studies. Los Angeles City is required by law to conduct these traffic studies in order to predict circulation, congestion, and flow of traffic around areas with new development projects underway. City Council may soon include bike and pedestrian traffic into...

Photo by foldablebags.com via Flickr With California on its way to being the first to implement a statewide ban on single-use plastic bags the key will be what to use instead. Californians have been creative with their plastic bags, using them for trash can liners, lunch boxes, travel laundry bags, dog poop dispensers, storage units, shower caps, and leftover containers. But with this ban, plastic bags might not be just lying around the house...

Not only is the Lake Hollywood Reservoir a historic monument, but so is the Hollywood Sign and the land underneath | Photo by maveric2003 via Flickr Los Angeles residents may be living in or around historical monuments and not even know it. With more than 950 “Historic-Cultural Monuments” in Los Angeles under the protection of The Cultural Heritage Commission (CHC) there are buildings or sites on the list (PDF) you would have never expected....