Lindsay William-Ross

Does the zip code influence how a crime is classified? City Councilman Tony Cardenas says yes, per the Daily News. He said recently: "If there is a dispute in Pacoima or Sylmar, they might call it gang-related. If the same things happens elsewhere in the city, it's just a dispute." This means gang crimes are inflated in certain areas, raising--or maintaining--the public's alarm about a given geographic region. Fellow Councilmember Greig Smith disagrees: "I...

Today Sprint is celebrating the upcoming launch of their 4G broadband service in Southern California, by having four of the area's beloved food trucks give out free lunch. Which means you can go out to lunch while they are out to launch! Between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. (or until they run out of lunch) find these four trucks in these four spots:

The Los Angeles Unified School District is considering curbing summer for its students in order to better prepare them for first semester exams, according to an AP report published by CBS2. The nation's second largest school district is theorizing that an August start will give pupils a better shot to succeed on tests, because the first semester would end before the calendar year and not be disrupted by the winter break.

A Sig Alert remains in effect for all Westbound lanes of the 10 Freeway at Crenshaw Boulevard this morning following a fiery car crash that left one person dead. The crash took place at around 4:46 this morning, according to the Daily Breeze, and involved two vehicles. "One person died at the scene, one person suffered serious injuries and three people suffered minor injuries," the LAFD is reporting.

The LAPD will be running a series of weekend DUI and drivers license checkpoints in order to continue their efforts to remove impaired drivers from the streets and to educate the public about the perils of driving while intoxicated. The scheduled checkpoints are as follows: Friday November 26th, 8 p.m. to 2 a.m. @Ventura Blvd. between Densmore Ave. and Haskell Ave., Sherman Oaks/Encino.Saturday November 27th, 8 p.m. to 2 a.m. @Figueroa St. between 48th...

A parking meter near GCC in Glendale (Photo by dreamyshade via the LAist Featured Photos pool on Flickr) Glendale already has some of the highest parking violation fine values in the area, and now the cost of a ticket is expected to go up, according to the News-Press. "The City Council this week approved a $3 increase to parking citations in response to an equal amount imposed recently by state legislators on cities to...

The California Highway Patrol reports one fatality "on Los Angeles County roads during the first 12 hours of the Thanksgiving holiday period, the same as last year, and drunken driving arrests fell slightly, from 65 to 54," according to the Daily Breeze. The fatality was a solo driving incident in City Terrace which involved a 31-year-old motorcyclist who struck a median on Eastern Avenue. Over the 4-day holiday the CHP will be cracking down...

Things got a little crazy overnight during the Los Cerritos Center's "Midnight Madness" shopping event, after reports of a fight in the food court, and possible gun shots, prompted authorities to put the mall on lockdown, according to LA Now. Few details have been made available regarding this possible shopping scuffle, however the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department confirms the incident took place around 2:30 this morning and the lockdown was "quickly lifted," and shopping during the advertised "craziest night of shopping" went on as planned.

Duff Goldman made a name for himself thanks to his artful, whimsical cakes and a foodreality show set at his Baltimore bakery, Charm City Cakes. But the Food Network gave "Ace of Cakes" the ax after 10 seasons, and now Goldman is California dreamin', says CBS2. The cake maker is hoping his creations will charm Angelenos; he says he has three TV projects in the works, including a new show about "moving to Los...

We hope you enjoy your holiday. And it's definitely a holiday here in L.A.: Schools, banks, government offices and services, post offices, and many businesses are closed. Metro operates a Sunday/Holiday Schedule today, and Metrolink will offer limited service on the San Bernardino and Antelope Valley Lines. We're going to take the day off here, too, and instead of our regular news and features, share with you some of what we at LAist are thankful for. We're definitely thankful to you, our readers, and wish you a very happy Thanksgiving.

This morning, LAFD personnel were called to the Los Angeles River at Balboa Boulevard in response to a call regarding a person needing rescue from the waterway. However, the "firefighters sent on a swift-water rescue in the San Fernando Valley this morning found only a mannequin," reports the Daily News. Oops! It is not clear if the non-human was actually removed from the water.

It's official, and it's a wrap before Thanksgiving: "Steve Cooley conceded defeat today to Kamala Harris in the political slugfest for California attorney general," the Sacramento Bee is reporting. It took 22 days to reach this point, and, after that many days of ongoing ballot counting, San Francisco District Attorney Kamala Harris (D) not only was named the victor by media outlets and prominent politicians, but she held on to a slim, but growing, lead over the Los Angeles County District Attorney Steve Cooley (R). It took 22 days to reach this point, and, after that many days of ongoing ballot counting, San Francisco District Attorney Kamala Harris (D) not only was named the victor by media outlets and prominent politicians, but she held on to a slim, but growing lead over the Los Angeles County District Attorney Steve Cooley (R).