Lindsay William-Ross

Photo by Gamma Infinity via the LAist Featured Photos pool on Flickr Carmageddon is coming, so get ready to get you and your Dodge the heck out of Dodge, or at least as far away from the 405 Freeway near the Sepulveda Pass in the middle of July. While we're still in good spirits about the massive shutdown next month, we're enjoying LAist Featured Photos pool contributor's Gamma Infinity's photo postcard inspired by Carmageddon....

The City of Angels' leader, Antonio Villaraigosa, is poised to become a big fish in a little pond tomorrow, when the title of President of the U.S. Conference of Mayors will be bestowed upon him at an event in Baltimore. The move is expected to "raise the city's national profile," according to ABC7. It has been over half a century since a Los Angeles mayor has received the title. In Baltimore, Villaraigosa will preside...

Photo by Joey Maloney, Used with permission Known as the "Big Man," Clarence Clemons, talented saxophonist for Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band, has died. He was 69. Clemons died following complications from a stroke he suffered last week at his home in Florida. Springsteen issued a statement about Clemons' death: "Clarence lived a wonderful life. He carried within him a love of people that made them love him. He created a wondrous and extended...

Rapper Tone Loc spent most of his Saturday afternoon in the slammer in Burbank, after being hauled in on suspicion of "felony domestic violence against his girlfriend," according to KTLA. The 45-year-old two-hit-wonder ("Wild Thing," and "Funky Cold Medina,"), whose real name is Anthony Smith, was arrested yesterday afternoon at a Burbank apartment complex, and was released about three hours later. The incident that led to his arrest has been described plainly by the...

In today's Extra, Extra we've got a dancing kid gone viral, poop in a backpack, cell phone towers in our parks, BBQ-ing it up, and more news bites of the day. Plus: Keep up with us on Facebook, and follow us on Twitter: @LAist @LAistFood @LAistSports.

Bryan Stow, the San Francisco Giants fan brutally beaten by Los Angeles Dodgers fans in the parking lot of Dodger Stadium on opening day, remains hospitalized and in a coma. This weekend, his two children are facing a sad Father's Day, and are speaking to the press for the first time.

Photo by AMagill/Flickr A house fire in the Bel Air area claimed the life of an elderly woman early this morning. The Los Angeles Fire Department reports that the blaze was reported at around 3:30 this morning at a 53-year-old two-story home on North Basil Lane. The LAFD describes the scene: Firefighters made their way up narrow windy roads to find a [the structure] well involved in fire. Additional resources were immediately requested to...

One of our favorite Farmers Markets, the seasonal Yamashiro Farmers' Market up in the Hollywood Hills has been named one of the Top Night Markets in the world by Travel + Leisure magazine in their July 2011 issue.

Black Kelp Fly If you're headed to the shores of Redondo Beach, Torrance, or Hermosa Beach, get ready for some gross-out potential: "An invasion of insects has turned a trip to the beach in parts of Southern California into a major summer bummer," explains the Associated Press. Those insects are black kelp flies, which are hanging out on trash cans and lifeguard stands. It's a bigger group of flies than usual this year, experts...

Spring is turning into summer, and there's a big weekend-long fest in Lincoln Heights happening as celebration. Plus: Neutra home tour fundraiser, two films by Ingmar Bergman, and a performance by the Salastina Music Society...with ice cream!

A copy of the check (Image via Zev Yaroslavsky's site) What would you do if you got an anonymous check for $10,000? If you're one of the top money folks for Los Angeles County, well...you'd cash it. You know, to see if it was real. In the case of a check that arrived recently to the County from Washington state, it was, in fact real. So why would someone do this? According to L.A....

For those who like their goodie-getting to do some good, save room in your belly and budget for a visit to the fifth annual No Cookie Left Behind bakesale which is happening this Sunday, June 19th, from 2-5 p.m. at the original Scoops at Heliotrope and Melrose. The money goes to Share Our Strength, the organization that works to fight childhood hunger in the U.S. This year, among the many treats for sale will...