Lindsay William-Ross

They call it "Operation Boo" and it's been happening since 1994: On Halloween night, California's sex offenders out on parole are "rounded up and kept indoors" from 5 p.m until 5 a.m. November 1. Additionally, while inside, the parolees may not turn on external lights or decorate their residence's exterior for the holiday.

Tsk, tsk. Los Angeles' foremost ambassador should know better than to smack talk our nation's capital. And yet, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa has managed to go on record with his disdain for DC. DCist doesn't mind calling him out on it one bit, but, hey--no apologies necessary from our sister site...Angelenos love to call him out, too.

UPDATE: 1:43 PM The LAFD report that the "stubborn" fire has been put out. No injuries were reported. The Los Angeles Fire Department is on the scene at the famed Magic Castle in Hollywood, where a fire broke out in an attic space.

Halloween revelry is about to hit West Hollywood with its usual force of costumed madness. The party is on Halloween proper, and to accommodate what will surely be city streets packed with fun-seekers decked out to the nines, WeHo will have street closures and special parking considerations on October 31.

Likeohmigod, okay! The Valley is about to be "Occupied." Protesters on the other side of the hill are sick of corporate greed and are going to camp out to show their frustration with the 1% who they say controls our nation's finances. Occupy San Fernando Valley is destined for the Van Nuys Civic Center on Saturday.

They call this burger the MNO, which is short for "Money is No Object." What else would you call a $100 hamburger? It comes from Umami Burger, who tell us this pricey plate of high-end "junk" food is owner Adam Fleischman's variation on his truffle burger.

Three Los Angeles-area Congressional representatives were in Washington D.C. Thursday to testify before a House panel about a proposed bill that would put federal restrictions on low-flying helicopters.

The Los Angeles Police Department wants to remind revelers this Halloweekend that there are few things scarier than drunk drivers. In addition to issuing a reminder about ways to stay safe while celebrating, they will be operating at least two DUI checkpoints this weekend.

Five suspects have been arrested for their alleged roles in the burglary of a Los Angeles Police Department SWAT training facility. The burglary, which happened earlier this month, resulted in nearly three dozen non-operable weapons getting into the hands of crooks the authorities feared would easily re-convert them into active use.

Oh noes! This Halloween could find your treats laced with tricks! And in this case, tricks are not for kids. Yes, we're talking about drugs. The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department's Narcotics Bureau is cautioning unsuspecting Angelenos to be on the lookout for candies, soda, freezer pops and other snack foods "containing untested amounts of concentrated marijuana." Zoinks!

BlackBerry users were outraged over a recent service outage that left customers out of touch for three days, and now consumers in the U.S. and Canada are filing class action lawsuits against Research in Motion, the telecommunications company that makes the popular smartphones. Are you among the deeply inconvenienced who want their money back?

When a law enforcement officer tells you to get out of the car, if you've ever seen even just one episode of "COPS," you know you'd damn well better get out. But what if you are a disabled motorist? Should you be treated any differently?