Lindsay William-Ross

A driver who may be facing DUI charges crashed his vehicle through the front of a restaurant in Long Beach, leaving customers injured. Among those whose Mexican meal was dramatically interrupted was a 3-year-old girl, who was briefly trapped beneath the sedan before "being freed by bystanders," according to ABC7. The toddler was hospitalized, while one adult male on the scene was treated for minor injuries. The crash happened when the driver "ran a...

Photo by Lisa Brenner/LAist (Do not republish without written consent) When rumors swirled that Urban Outfitters in Westwood wanted their brand new Banksy painted over, the internet cried foul. Now Urban Outfitters is responding, and explains that it is not the store, but rather the property management of their retail space in Westwood, who wants the "Crayola Shooter" colored over. Urban Outfitters shared with us the following statement: "We love Banksy and have been...

Theriault-Odom It was no dice today for Rianne Theriault-Odom, the woman who set an exotic dancer on fire outside a Tarzana bikini bar in 2009, who lost her appeal on her conviction, according to the Daily News. Theriault-Odom received a life sentence for dousing then-27-year-old Roberta Busby in gasoline and setting her on fire after an argument. Theriault-Odom had tried to use her intoxication at the time of the altercation to explain her actions,...

Teachers, students, and the students' parents were shocked yesterday to learn that their principal, Timothy Guy, had been put on paid administrative leave, and that there was some sort of "investigation" taking place. Word of Guy's suspension was spread to staff via their mailboxes, says Chatsworth Patch, and some heard his leave was triggered by a "paperwork problem." Today comes word that the investigation surrounds the financial accounts to which Guy had access "at...

Route 66 Nursery in Upland is fighting for their right to add a crop to their rotation. Trouble is, the law says they can't grow what they want to. That crop, of course, is medical marijuana, explains the AP (via CBS2). The business has been denied a license by the city of Upland "because the city zoning ordinance doesn’t allow medical marijuana dispensaries." But Route 66 is taking it to the next level and...

Everyone's input is welcome! (Photo by pmarkham via Flickr) Pleased or displeased about plans to make improvements to the 710 Freeway corridor? The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) announced plans today to take advantage of the broad reach of social media platforms like Twitter and Facebook to get people connected to conversations about their proposed plans. Called the "SR-710 Conversations" digital program, Metro will use their website, webcasts, interactive virtual meetings, and...

The Splendor, stranded at sea (AP Photo/U.S. Navy, Seaman Mikesa R. Ponder) Hey, who wants to take a cruise to a country beleaguered by violence and kidnapping and risk catching one of those ship-board illnesses that often grip cruisers on a boat that caught fire in the middle of the ocean the last time it sailed? If this sounds like you, you'll be happy to know Carnival's Splendor is arriving back home in Long...

The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department is turning to the public to ask for help in locating a suspect in the kidnapping and sexual assault of a teenage girl that took place this weekend at the Green Line station in Hawthorne, according to LA Now. The 14-year-old victim was grabbed at around 9 p.m. Saturday as she was "walking up a stairwell at the station in the 11900 block of South Crenshaw Boulevard." The...

Photo by Gamma Infinity via the LAist Featured Photos pool on Flickr During the battle to tame a blaze that broke out late last night at a home in the 1500 block of North Viewsite Drive, near the Sunset Plaza area of the Hollywood Hills a ceiling collapse left several LA City firefighters injured, including one veteran of the Department who is "battling for his life" today, according to LA Now. Of those injured,...

Photo by Lisa Brenner/LAist. Do not re-publish without obtaining written permission. Urban Outfitters, who have made a few bucks off the work of street artist Banksy through the years, now allegedly want his "Crayola Shooter" piece, on the wall behind their Westwood store, to be painted over. A Facebook event page has already popped up summoning folks to protest the rumored removal. Says one poster on the page, the retailer's store management is "claiming...

Teens and young adults have done it (and been put in the pokey), but it's a bit unexpected to learn that a grown woman, namely 34-year-old Kelly Ann Smith, has been arrested on charges she pointed a laser beam at "an LBPD helicopter and at a Los Angeles County Sheriffs Department helicopter," reports the Press-Telegram. Smith was arrested on February 5th in conjunction with a January 29th incident in which she allegedly trained her...

Four Los Angeles chefs are among those in the running to be named "Food & Wine's The People's Best New Chef 2011." Determined by the public's vote from regional lists of nominees, the honors have been bestowed on rising kitchen talent by the popular magazine since 1998. The innovative chefs hailing from Los Angeles are Mo Chica's Ricardo Zarate, The Laxy Ox Canteen's Josef Centeno, Beechwood's Jamie Lauren, and Tasting Kitchen's Casey Lane. Lane's...