Lindsay William-Ross

What happens when a Taiwanese blogger gives a restaurant a bad review, why families are fleeing San Francisco, Boston's Whitey Bulger comes home, and PETA protests in DC, along with other hot topics covered elsewhere in the ist-averse this week.

Photo of a wedding cake topper sold in West Hollywood by Sundogg via the LAist Featured Photos pool The third-highest percentage of same-sex couples in California call West Hollywood home, according to data from the 2010 Census, reports the Daily News. The SoCal city comes in behind Palm Springs and Guerneville, which is located north of San Francisco. "The 1,502 households in West Hollywood that identified themselves as same-sex couples represent about 7 percent...

Holmes (Photo courtesy LASD) An elderly man was arrested yesterday in Palmdale and charged with the attempted kidnapping of a 12-year-old girl. 81-year-old Keith Holmes, a registered sex offender, spotted the victim as she walked alone, but in the sight of her parents, in what the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department describe as "a business district at Pearblossom Highway and 85th St., in Littlerock." Holmes pulled alongside the victim in his vehicle, and offered...

It's just a few hours by car or practically the blink of an eye by plane--Las Vegas has long been one of Angelenos' favorite escapes for a night or two (or more for the brave) of great food, drink, gambling, and entertainment. LAist is taking a look at some of the great reasons to be lured to the Nevada desert for some sun and fun in Sin City. First up: A 4th of July Weekend BBQ & Beer event at the Bellagio.

A few things worth getting out & checking out today in L.A.

Photo by bbones1 via the LAist Featured Photos pool We're still wrapping up June, but the 4th of July is looming, and the celebrations will be underway in full force next weekend. Although some local communities are having to scrap public fireworks displays due to budget concerns, there are still plenty of places around the region where you can join in the festive fun and see the rockets' red glare and bombs bursting in...

Photo by Jo Martin Pix via the LAist Featured Photos pool on Flickr Downtown Los Angeles' homeless population won a battle with the City this week, after an injunction reaffirmed Thursday guaranteed that a homeless person's property cannot be seized and destroyed if left unattended on the street. The restrictions imposed on the City of Los Angeles stem from a case "filed by eight homeless individuals who say that the city took their belongings...

Photo by aalorber via the LAist Featured Photos pool on Flickr These days, a $3 meal of Mexican food is either a couple of tacos from your favorite old school truck or a bag of mystery meat from Taco Bell. For one day next week, though, Valley classic Casa Vega is celebrating their 55th anniversary by rolling back the price on their House Combo to $2.15, which is what it was on June 28,...

When Orange County-based band Imperial Stars suddenly brought their bus to a halt on the 101 freeway in Hollywood one October afternoon, it didn't result in getting the musical group more any airply, or in raising awareness for homeless children. It just resulted in a really nasty traffic jam. It did, however, result in criminal charges.

Giovanni Ramirez (AP Photo) Giovanni Ramirez, the 31-year-old "prime suspect" in the brutal beating of San Francisco Giants fan Bryan Stow in the Dodger Stadium parking lot, may not be the right guy after all. Today, Los Angeles Police Chief Charlie Beck said that Ramirez could ultimately be cleared, reports KFI News. Beck spoke very carefully about the current status of Ramirez, a gang member who has long asserted he is not the man...

Shopping at Trader Joe's in Hollywood (Photo by Peggy Archer via the LAist Featured Photos pool on Flickr) Los Angeles-based director Jeremy Seifert has launched a campaign via change.org to gather signatures of concerned consumers who want to let Monrovia-based grocer Trader Joe's to quit wasting so much food. Seifert is the man behind a documentary called Dive!, which focuses on food waste. His change.org campaign aims to "tell Trader Joe's to stop wasting...

Members of the Bus Riders Union will be present at today's City Council meeting to speak out about their objections to the most recent round of Metro service cuts to bus lines. Those cuts will go into effect this weekend, and find numerous lines eliminated, shortened, or merged with other lines.