Lindsay William-Ross

New figures released today from the state's Economic Development Department show that the unemployment rate has stayed the same this fall, according to the Daily News. "The seasonally adjusted unemployment rate in Los Angeles County held steady at 12.6 percent between September and October," which is just above the statewide rate of 12.4 percent. Both figures show slight increases over the rates from October 2009. While there was an increase in local jobs by...

The LAPD will be running a sobriety checkpoint tonight near Los Feliz as part of their ongoing mission to educate the public about the dangers of driving under the influence, and to remove impaired drivers from the road. The checkpoint is slated to run from 8 p.m. to 2 a.m. at Los Feliz Boulevard and Riverside Drive. Designate a sober driver, have cab company numbers handy, or take public transit if you're heading out...

Today's gloomy skies weren't ordered up by Hollywood moguls to set the mood for your viewing of the new Harry Potter movie. Break out your umbrellas and trade your flip flops for some sturdier footwear, since we're heading for a wet weekend. For Saturday, cooler temps, with highs in the low 60s, and a 90% chance of precipitation should be expected, says the National Weather Service. On Sunday, temps will be about the same,...

Photo by Fabricio Val via the LAist Featured Photos pool on Flickr An Azusa man was arrested for stealing former Dodger Jimmy Campanis' 1988 Championship ring from his golf bag. Low-wage workers held a rally outside City Hall today in protest of employers who cheat them out of their pay. A cyclist was critically injured in an OC hit-and-run. Find out why the "Disney tattoo guy" is removing all 2,000 of his Disney-themed tattoos....

The California Highway Patrol hopes everyone has a safe and happy Thanksgiving holiday...but warns motorists in the Golden State that the extra-long holiday weekend happens to be a Maximum Enforcement Period (MEP). Between 6 p.m. Wednesday, November 24th, and 11:59 p.m. Sunday November 28th, the CHP will have all available officers on the lookout for motorists who are endangering themselves or other drivers on the road. They aren't just looking for drivers who take the wheel while under the influence of a bit too much holiday libation--the CHP is looking for people speeding and not wearing seat belts, too.

Before the Halloween candy bins are even broken down, retailers start to set up the Christmas trees and trimmings in their fluorescent-lit aisles. Yesterday, one more sign of the impending holiday blitz, and our society's possible insanity: KOST-FM has gone to their all-holiday music programming already. Franklin Avenue caught the flip: "The switch happened on Thursday mid-morning, with Barry Manilow's "White Christmas," which is apparently a station tradition. (Why? I dunno.)" Ready or not,...

Photo by Alex de Cordoba via the LAist Featured Photos pool on Flickr The Department of Public Health released a report recently that might make Angelenos rethink their next cheeseburger or day-long TV-watching marathon. "Type 2 diabetes, which is primarily caused by obesity, accounts for over 90 percent of all diabetes cases in the county. This coincides with rising rates of obesity which increased from 14.3% to 22.2% (1997-2007) in adults." There are other...

Authorities in North Long Beach are investigating the murder of a teenage boy who was shot and killed inside his home, according to the Press-Telegram. Neighbors report hearing multiple rounds fired on the 1600 block of East 53rd Street at around 9 p.m. last night. The shooter or shooters were outside, and the boy was inside, when the shots were fired.

Voltaggio in the Langham kitchen (Julie Wolfson/LAist) After Top Chef winner Michael Voltaggio left The Dining Room at the Langham Hotel, rumors swirled in torrents about what his next project might be. After months of speculation, Voltaggio has revealed he is preparing to open Ink. (yes, I-n-k-period) in the former Hamasaku spot on Melrose in West Hollywood, reports The Daily Dish. Aiming to open late February 2011, the celebrated young chef is looking forward...

The LAPD responded to a pair of shootings last night within miles, and minutes, of each other in the East Valley last night. The first incident took place at around 12:40 a.m. on Chiquita Street in Studio City, says Studio City Patch. The victim, a 50-year-old man, was shot multiple times in the torso and is in critical condition; it is not gang-related, says LAPD, and appears to have no motive. Minutes later, shots...

If you've got a cocktail lover on your holiday shopping list, we just heard about these amazing gift baskets at Silver Lake's Bar Keeper that put the city's best bartender's in your hands. Bar Keeper has selected some of the city's premiere mixologists to curate this gift basket series, like The Varnish's Eric Alperin and Chris Bostick, Rivera's Julian Cox, La Descarga's Steve Livigni, Roosevelt's Library Bar's Matt Biancaniello, Neve Ice's Michel Dozois, and more.

UCLA students (Photo by neonspecs via the LAist Featured Photos pool on Flickr) The University of California Board of Regents could approve a tuition increase today during their scheduled meeting, according to CBS2. The proposed 8 percent fee hike, which has already drawn protests, would see tuition go up for all students, and is expected to "raise an estimated $180 million in annual revenue, with $64 million set aside for financial aid." A protest...