Lindsay William-Ross

In tonight's Extra, Extra we've got the origin of "The Pineapple Express," tips for passing time on the bus, Census data and California's congressional districts, and more news bites of the day. Plus: Keep up with us on Facebook, and follow us on Twitter: @LAist @LAistFood @LAistSports.

The gunman who barricaded himself inside a Long Beach motel room Monday morning was in fact the prime suspect in the shooting death of a man in Arleta the night before, says the LAPD. Following a standoff with Long Beach police and LAPD SWAT officers, 58-year-old Antonio Meza was taken into custody and transferred to the LAPD and charged in the murder of his stepson, 31-year-old Marco Hernandez, who had been shot multiple times...

Andrew Gallo, the 24-year-old man convicted in September of killing Angels pitcher Nick Adenhart and two others in an April 2009 drunk driver crash in Fullerton, "has been sentenced to 51 years to life in prison," according to KTLA. Gallo's attorney asked for leniency on grounds he was "immature and the product of a broken home," which was also the root of his alcoholism. Gallo is likely to appeal his sentence....

Photo by LU5H.bunny via the LAist Featured Photos pool on Flickr As part of a package deal, Los Angeles' historic Union Station will soon have new owners, the Fort Worth, Texas-based TPG Capital, according to CurbedLA. The deal was announced yesterday, involving Denver-based ProLogis selling Union Station and "numerous other properties for $505 million" to TPG. "Yes, They Have Trains And Buses In L.A.," quips the headline of the Wall Street Journal article about...

Are these real or fakes? (Photo by Andres Rueda via Flickr) City Controller Wendy Greuel is working hard to stamp out counterfeiters, whose fake DVDs, CDs, and clothes glut the streets of Los Angeles and represent theft from hardworking Angelenos, explains a press release issued by her office regarding "Operation Chimney Sweep," the crack down by the Los Angeles Anti-Piracy Task Force hailed as "the largest raid on counterfeit goods in Los Angeles history."...

Photo by nathanielperales via the LAist Featured Photos pool on Flickr Authorities in Los Angeles, Burbank, and Glendale are standing by in case they need to perform a swift water rescue from the LA River. The Los Angeles Fire Department reported at around 7:30 this morning someone may have been swept away in the runoff channel at White Oak Avenue and Coldwater Canyon Avenue. In the OC, a motorist who "veered off the rain-slickened...

The City of Bell's financial troubles--namely the sky-high salaries of their top officials--were not unknown to their auditors, according to a review published today by State Controller John Chiang. In his quality-control review of the audits conducted by Bell's audit firm, Mayer Hoffman McCann (MHM), Chiang found that the auditor "appears to have been a rubberstamp rather than a responsible auditor committed to providing the public with the transparency and accountability that could have prevented the mismanagement of the City’s finances by Bell officials."

Metro has announced service suspensions and delays on the Gold Line for Pasadena to East Los Angeles due to the weather. They've suspended service between Mariachi & Maravilla Stations because of a power outage, and have requested a bus bridge; "Alt Rte: Use Line30 on 1st or Montebello 40 on 3rd/4th," they Tweeted. "Gold Line btwn Mariachi Plz & Pasadena SMV should see only minor delays. Major disruption is only affecting travel thru Soto...

In 2009 there were 580 hate crimes reported in LA County, down from 730 in 2008, according to LA Now, however, "such crimes against Jews spiked almost 50%." One Jewish group points to a series of "relatively minor" vandalism incidents "in which the word 'Jew' or some variance was sprayed onto a number of buildings and trash cans." More than half the reported incidents were focused on race, with African Americans the top target....

Paul Lawrence Wadley, the former Huntington Park police chief who is accused of flashing women and leaving sexually explicit photos of himself in a popular Orange County park, appeared in court yesterday for the first time, entering a plea of not guilty in his case, according to KTLA. Wadley, 56, was linked to a series of photos left on cars and trails at Anaheim's Toyon Park by the fingerprints on the images.

The heavy rains pounding the hillsides and concrete of Los Angeles has a very specific trickle-down effect when it comes to the Pacific. Called "urban runoff," the rush of water spewing into the ocean from storm drains puts beach-goers at risk because of high bacteria levels. Not that you were likely planning to take a dip down at the beach this week, but, just in case: "A Rain Advisory has been declared for all Los Angeles County beaches. The advisory will be in effect until 2:00 p.m. Thursday, December 23."

You know what rhymes with "bragging rights" (mostly)? SNOWBALL FIGHTS! Up at Mammoth, this recent weather system has left a dumping of snow on the resort and town, and today it's official: Mammoth is "the ski resort with the most snow in the world," per The Beach Blog. Skiinfo.com tracks resorts around the globe, and Mammoth tops the charts right now with a 488cm snow depth. The popular ski and snowboard destination has already...