Lindsay William-Ross

FILM It's the holiday classic, on the big screen. Instead of suffering through the broadcast and the commercials, pony up the grown up cash to see A Christmas Story at the ArcLight in Hollywood. 8:00 PM. Plus more film, and a food plus reading event in Culver City you might want to make plans to check out tonight.

No plastic bags in the LBC, too? (AP Photo) With a ban on plastic bags approved for unincorporated areas in Los Angeles County, other local cities are moving towards adopting similar bans, including Long Beach, where the City Council will consider a motion on the matter tomorrow, according to the Press-Telegram. As in LA County, in Long Beach, under the proposed ordinance, "plastic bags would be banned, paper bags would be available for 10...

There will soon be two new ways to get yourself a scoop or two of the delicious artisanal ice cream made by Carmela. The small local company is poised to open a storefront in Pasadena, and are launching a cool retro ice cream truck.

Run, don't walk, to your cupboard if you've got a stash of Bumble Bee's "Lunch on the Run" Chicken Salad packages waiting for your next midday meal. You could have items subject to recall "for possibly containing hard plastic," according to ABC7. "Bumble Bee is recalling 8.2-ounce packages of Lunch on the Run Chicken Salad Complete Lunch Kit with a best-by date of August 2011" and "Bumble Bee Chicken Salad with Crackers with a...

Photo by jasonsrobb via Flickr Pho Citi, a local chain of Vietnamese eateries serving bowls of salty, steamy noodle soup, is fighting for your right to Pho all night long in West Hollywood, according to West Hollywood Patch. With 24-hour Pho Citi outposts already in operation in Silver Lake, Burbank, Glendale and Westwood, the owners are hoping to obtain a permit to serve up pho 'round the clock on Santa Monica Boulevard. West Hollywood...

In today's Extra, Extra we've got a garden growing in the SCV, cocktails to mark on your calendar, angry Compton voters, tips for not getting burned with your holiday decorations, and more. Plus: Keep up with us on Facebook, and follow us on Twitter: @LAist @LAistFood @LAistSports

The Los Angeles Police Department will be running a sobriety and driver's license checkpoint tonight in the Cahuenga Pass/North Hollywood area. The checkpoint will be set up on Cahuenga Boulevard between Broadlawn Drive and Fredonia Drive and will run from 8 p.m. to 2 a.m. For folks heading out tonight who will be traveling through the Cahuenga Pass, consider using a designated driver, taking a cab, or using the Metro. Have a safe Friday night, Los Angeles!

AP Photo/Cathleen Allison Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-California) published her take on the current debate about tax cuts in today's Huffington Post. "I don't know a single millionaire who needs a tax cut right now," begins the Senator. "But I know plenty of middle class Americans who desperately need every extra dollar in these tough economic times." Feinstein is putting her support behind the "Middle Class Tax Cuts Act." She says "extending the current tax...

The prank wars continue between USC and UCLA a day ahead of their football meetup. After UCLA fountains were dyed a distinctly Trojan crimson the other day, this morning USC students awoke to blue and gold paint newly added to their Cromwell Field, according to LA Now. Large letters spelling out UCLA were on the turf, while nearby flagpoles also took on new hues. Clean-up crews were already eradicating traces of Bruin vandalism from...

A Rapid 720 bus in traffic on Wilshire near Westwood (Photo by TinCanOrange via LAist Featured Photos pool on Flickr) Westwood condo-dwellers who object to converting lanes on busy Wilshire Boulevard into Metro Rapid bus-only lanes twice daily during rush hour periods insist a one mile segment of the proposed 8.7 mile stretch be exempted. Now the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority says that exemption won't render the project ineligible to receive federal...

It's a tough time to be running an upscale grocery chain in Los Angeles. Economic troubles have pushed the operators of HOWS to shut down all but one of their stores, reports the LA Times. The flagship Granada Hills location is selling off their stock, Torrance has been sold off, Malibu is gearing up to shut down, and North Hollywood closed months ago (and is still vacant). Only the Pasadena location will remain in...

Blame California Pizza Kitchen: "Airport Commission President Alan Rothenberg resigned Friday, saying his ties to a food and beverage concessionaire at Los Angeles International Airport was slowing down the airport’s modernization," reports CBS2. Rothenberg is on the board of CPK, whose LAX eateries are run by HMS Host, who are bidding to keep their concession contracts. The battle for who will get your food bucks at the airport has been long and ugly, and...