Lindsay William-Ross

Time to get your appetites for Korean BBQ fired up, as this Saturday, August 6, is the day for the 3rd Annual Korean BBQ Cook-off in Koreatown. Several of the city's best restaurants and food trucks will be on hand serving up their KBBQ dishes for attendees who can buy the different plates of grub priced from $5-$15.

It's time to check your fridge and freezer, turkey lovers: In the wake of an outbreak of salmonella in at least 26 states, resulting in dozens of illnesses and the death of one California resident, meat-maker Cargill has announced a massive recall targeting a whopping 36 million pounds of ground turkey.

Though singer Etta James has been confined to her Riverside home and seriously ill for some time now, she is not dead, no matter what you may have read online, reports L.A. Now. The 73-year-old blues singer's son Donto James attests: “She’s fine. I just saw her last night and she was fine."

In today's Extra, Extra we've got cocktail envy, an awesome abode, a Pasadena prostitute sting, a politico-turned pancake slinger, and more news of the day. Plus: Keep up with us on Facebook, and follow us on Twitter: @LAist @LAistFood @LAistSports.

The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power has announced their soon-to-debut retooled Solar Incentive Program (SIP) to help get more local customers set up for solar power, and reaping the benefits. Late last year, the L.A. City Council asked the LADWP (voted one of the nation's 19 most-hated companies) to come up with a revised plan.

Check your channel lineup to make sure you know where to find California Channel, if you're interested in watching the live broadcast of the next hearing of the same-sex marriage ban (aka Proposition 8) case. The court date, September 6th, is when "a crucial procedural issue in the legal battle over Proposition 8 will go before the California Supreme Court in San Francisco," explains SFAppeal.

Authorities are searching for a West Hollywood man thought to be at the core of an extensive cocaine distribution network that reaches from here in L.A. to New York State. An eight-month investigation has so far "netted 32 kilos of cocaine worth an estimated $3 million, nearly $900,000 in cash, illegal steroids, a cocaine press for drug street sales, money counters and two shotguns."

Dang, social networking has sure changed how we relate to each other doesn't it? Facebook users, take note. In one state, there's a kind of friendship that is verboten, but parents-to-be all over the globe can tell their friends the big news in just one convenient click.

Police in Long Beach are investigating a string of attacks targeting gay men that have taken place over the past 10 days. There have been three assaults, which the Long Beach Police Department say are unrelated, reports the Press-Telegram. Two of the three happened in the Broadway Corridor, a section of the city that is known for being particularly "gay-friendly." Those incidents are considered hate crimes.

There is most definitely such a thing as a free lunch once a year at the Atwater Village location of India Sweets & Spices. Owner Kumar Jawa has made the celebration of his son Raj's birthday a present to all of us by welcoming customers to enjoy a free lunch buffet. The party is on this Sunday, August 7th from Noon to 7 p.m.

Yesterday, California Governor Jerry Brown signed into law Senate Bill 39, which bans the importation, production, and sale of caffeinated beer beverages at retail locations throughout the state. The ban, passed in the state senate last month, goes into effect on January 1, 2012. Behind the law is local state senator Alex Padilla (D-Pacoima), who has been vocal about his concerns about the popular boozy drinks that mix stimulants with alcohol.

With August comes the start of a one-year program that finds the Metro Day Pass being sold for a "rollback" price of $5. As of yesterday, passengers could pick up their $5 pass at ticket vending machines and when boarding Metro buses.