Lindsay William-Ross

Students, faculty, and staff at the University of Southern California have dirt-y dreams and vegetable visions for their campus, and for all of Los Angeles. A panel convened yesterday to discuss "The Politics of Food," and how to grow and use food in the local community, reports the Daily Trojan. Among the goals of USC's food service are to implement "tray-less dining," and source more food locally.

Just how film producer Ilya Salkind came to be in a hospital in Mexico earlier this week is not yet known, however friends and family of the 63-year-old are now relieved to know their loved one--reported missing on Tuesday--has been located. A friend of Salkind would only confirm to NBCLA that the producer had been located, and that details would be made public shortly via the website set up to help encourage the public's involvement in the case.

The now-former Los Angeles County health inspector who groped a Pomona bakery owner has been sentenced to 115 days in jail after he was "convicted of sexual battery," says LA Now. 51-year-old Magdy Naiem Tawadros was caught on video assaulting the donut shop owner during an inspection, and the victim says he used his position to intimidate her during their March, 2010 encounter. Tawadros ultimately awarded the shop a 91% approval; he also lost...

City Controller Wendy Greuel posted an update to an online database today to include the 2010 calendar year earnings of about 37,000 City of Los Angeles employess. Greuel says “Angelenos have a right to know how their taxpayer dollars are being spent, which is why I thought it was important for Los Angeles to set an example and post the salary of every City employee online."

In tonight's Extra, Extra we've got the Stick Figure Bandit and the Drywaller Bandit, a Banksy video spoof starring a kitty cat, a ginormous cake for Ronald Reagan, two contests, and more news bites of the day. Plus: Keep up with us on Facebook, and follow us on Twitter: @LAist @LAistFood @LAistSports.

Photo by melloveschallah via Flickr Jeffrey Henderson of Redondo Beach got a house call from the California Highway Patrol to talk about his being the victim in a road rage incident, but he wound up being the alleged perp in a home growing marijuana operation, according to KTLA. Following up on the January 7th road rage episode, the CHP found over 600 marijuana plants and other paraphernalia at the home Henderson was renting. He...

Photo by jorizaga via the LAist Featured Photos pool on Flickr Do the drunks make the bar? In Huntington Beach, the city with the most DUI arrests in the state, one bar is now the subject of an investigation because of their "excessive problem with alcohol-related issues spilling over to the city's streets," according to the LA Times. Over a period of 22 months, 72 patrons from the Baja Sharkeez bar were arrested on...

Photo by August ? via the LAist Featured Photos pool on Flickr You've probably heard that in other parts of the country they are digging out from under massive snow banks and freezing their butts off. Hmm. Bummer, huh? We're enjoying a streak of temps in the low- to mid-60s right now, which is just about average for us. That's why Los Angeles is one of the cities picked by Gawker as a place...

The victim of what was likely a gang-related shooting last night in South Los Angeles managed to drive himself several blocks with a wound in the face, according to the Daily Breeze. The man, whose identity has not been released, drove his vehicle to the border of Inglewood, where he met paramedics and the police. He was then treated for "injuries that were not considered life- threatening" at an area hospital. The LAPD's 77th...

In tonight's Hump Day Extra, Extra we've got fewer babies havin' babies, transit execs with big paychecks, an unlikely school sponsor, and more news bites of the day. Plus: Keep up with us on Facebook, and follow us on Twitter: @LAist @LAistFood @LAistSports.

A male volunteer at the Someone Cares Soup Kitchen took a few hits to the face with a metal pipe Monday afternoon, after he stepped in to stop a fight between a female volunteer and a soup-seeking guest, says to the Daily Pilot. Joseph Athelstan Patterson, 61, pleaded not guilty yesterday to charges of "assault with a deadly weapon, battery with serious bodily injury and misdemeanor criminal threats." Patterson allegedly took "a 2-foot piece...

Photo of the Long Beach Convention Center by J. Rossier Photography via the LAist Featured Photos pool on Flickr The annual Women's Conference, grown, promoted, and made successful thanks to the participation of the now-former First Lady of California Maria Shriver, will not be returning to Long Beach in 2011, and, may in fact not be returning at all. Our new First Lady, Anne Brown, said in a statement she "will focus [her] immediate...