Lindsay William-Ross

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...

After unearthing the body thought to be that of missing Lennox resident James Stein yesterday, authorities are looking in the same backyard for Stein's wife, Gabriela, who has been missing since early December, says ABC7. The home is thought to be a neighborhood "drug house," where multiple people lived as roommates. Neighbors have frequently witnessed fights and police on the property that is described as run down and dilapidated. One of a duo thought...

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...

A student at Smith Elementary school in Huntington Beach found one way to bring reading, 'riting, and 'rithmetic-ing to a halt today: By bringing an old grenade to class. According to Huntington Beach police, the incident was first reported around 10 a.m. says the OC Register. The device is thought to be a World War II era hand grenade. The grenade has since been removed from the presence of any school kids, though police...

Experts forecasting the future of the workforce climate in Los Angeles have a prediction as grim as today's wet weather. The Los Angeles County Economic Development Corporation’s 2011-12 “Economic Forecast and Industry Outlook” says that while there is going to be continued economic recovery here and around the nation, L.A.'s jobless rate will likely remain at around 11.7% through 2012, according to CBS2. The depth of our recession is making it harder for us...

Rep. Jane Harman (D-36th District) will likely serve her last day on the job on the last day of this month. From a release issued by the office of Jerry Brown: "At Governor Brown’s request, Congresswoman Harman has agreed to resign from Congress on February 28th. By resigning at the end of the month, the Congresswoman is increasing the possibility that the primary election to fill her seat can be consolidated into the statewide election that Governor Brown has requested for June."

Photo by VeryBadLady via Flickr The body investigators believe could be that of a man missing for two months has been excavated from the backyard of a home in Lennox, according to the Daily Breeze. The residence, says LA Now, is a "suspected drug house." 53-year-old James Stein was one of the tenants of the dilapidated home on 112th Street near Inglewood Avenue, and was reported missing on December 17th. An area resident described...

California's Secretary of State Debra Bowen is expected to announce her plans to run to replace departing US Rep. Jane Harman in the 36th District, says Politico. Harman recently shocked many by revealing she would step down to take a job "Bowen hails from Marina Del Rey, which is part of the district, and represented the area in the state Assembly and Senate from 1992 to 2006," noted the Sac Bee last week, when rumors of Bowen's interest in the bid first began to circulate.

Branson's CBS2 Headshot Local CBS affiliate KCBS-2's update yesterday regarding the condition of reporter Serene Branson after her now-world famous linguistic fumble during a live segment about the Grammy Awards does little to resolve the viewers' question: What really happened? In an addendum to the Emmy-nominated LA native's bio page on the CBS Los Angeles website, Branson's condition indicates there was no urgent medical trauma, however it does not explain why she lost the...

Lizura The "adjusting the window blinds" defense hasn't really panned out for former San Diego TV weatherman Joe Lizura, 49, who pleaded guilty recently on a misdemeanor charge of masturbating in the window of an office building in October 2010, according to the Union-Tribune. Lizura initially told investigators he was merely tugging the window coverings and not himself, in an incident that involved the veteran weather guy looking down at a twentysomething San Diego...

Photo via Lauren Conrad on Twitter Like Animal, we don't really want to talk about the chances of Banksy showing his "face" at the Academy Awards on the 27th. Come on, now. However, it does seem like the world-renowned street artist is in Los Angeles right now, after this likely piece of his cropped up. Who did the first spotting? None other than local "personality" Lauren Conrad, who Tweeted this shot of it last...

It's a double-shot of espresso kind of morning for commuters in Torrance this morning, after a 3-foot-deep sinkhole on Hawthorne Boulevard south of Sepulveda Boulevard is causing traffic delays and detours, according to the Daily Breeze. "Traffic is slow, and motorists should expect delays throughout the day as crews work to fix the street. Southern California Edison crews are on the scene, along with emergency personnel." The sinkhole was first reported at around 10:30...