Lindsay William-Ross

Photo by Lucyrk in LA via the LAist Featured Photos pool on Flickr Can't part with your cellphone while having a meal in a restaurant? Using cellphones for conversation, texting, or engaging in social media while at the table has become what Zagat co-founder Tim Zagat calls "part of the changing culture of restaurants," according to CBS. The most recent survey of Zagat diners indicates that 67% of Angelenos think that "texting, checking e-mail...

Photo by AnnaBananna Veggie Girl via the LAist Featured Photos pool on Flickr The LAUSD is facing a $268-million budget gap for the 2011-2012 school year. A 46-year-old OC man died early this morning from drowning in his backyard fishing pond. After the success of the first prescription pill drop-off event, the DEA says they'd like to hold more of them in the future. Over the weekend The Militant Angeleno checked out the 37th...

Mid-City, Culver City, Downtown...The Valley? Next! Chef Ludovic Lefebvre will be popping up with LudoBites 6.0 later this month at the former Max/Marche space in Sherman Oaks. Running in two blocks--from October 20th to November 11th (Monday through Fridays) and again from November 30th through December 5th--this time there will be two seatings offered, a 6 p.m. and an 8 p.m., according to Squid Ink. Can't get a res? No worries! "Max's patio will...

After yesterday's rainstorm, crews worked through the night and continue to work this morning to get thousands of Los Angeles Department of Water and Power customers' service restored. As of 6:30 this morning, about 13,500 of the LADWP's 1.4 million customers were still experiencing "power service interruptions" according to their latest report. The outages are distributed as follows: South Los Angeles: 6,000; Koreatown: 1,800; Hyde Park: 1,500. They anticipate having another update available around 11 this morning.

A pair of Bouchon-trained culinary pros will open FARMSHOP later this month in the former City Bakery spot at the Brentwood Country Mart. While Chef-owner Jeff Cerciello and Restaurant Director Michel Darmon got their chops in fine-dining, FARMSHOP is described as a "straightforward [...] restaurant-cum-market" focused on "community dining." Exec Chef Joshua Drew and Pastry Chef/Head Baker Brittainy Turnquist also hail from Bouchon and Bouchon Bakery, respectively, and will be the folks putting FARMSHOP's...

A Burbank neighborhood was evacuated late yesterday afternoon when deputies from the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department's bomb squad were on hand to remove "what appears to have been an old military explosive" from inside a home, according to LA Now. Residents of the home on the 1100 block of Rose Street "found the heavy metal object" in the attic, which they thought belonged to the previous occupant, who neighbors say "was related to...

Photo by aghrivaine via Flickr Costumed superheroes set a new world record yesterday in Downtown at L.A. Live, according to CBS. The Guinness Book of World Records' count was 1,580, now the "largest number of costumed crusaders gathered in one place, at one time," and a toppling of the previous record by 79 people. "They came from Arizona. They came from New York. They came from places like Metropolis and Gotham City, and, allegedly,...

Photo by lostlosangeles via the LAist Featured Photos pool on Flickr There were at least five victims of reported and unrelated violent crimes last night in Pasadena. A hit-and-run driving suspect has been arrested for fatally striking a bicyclist in Pacoima. Meg Whitman's illegal immigrant ex-housekeeper was the big focal point of today's gubernatorial debate. A memorial service was held today for the Tehachapi teen who hanged himself after being taunted about his sexuality....

A travel alert has been issued by The State Department for Americans who are in or headed to Europe, reports abc7. "Law enforcement and intelligence sources in Europe said terrorist teams have possibly devised a plan to attack European tourist attractions, airports and hotels." This morning at Los Angeles International Airport, however, "travelers went about their business as usual despite the alert." Flights remain operational, and groups, such as the LA Lakers who are...

The Kaiser Permanente Los Angeles Triathlon is tomorrow, which means that once participants get out of the water at Venice Beach, they'll be hitting the streets on bike and foot to complete the race that will take them from the West side to Downtown's L.A. Live. The race starts in waves (no, not those in the Pacific, but rather by sets of participants); the first group begins T1, the swimming, at 7:10 a.m., however...

A streetcar in Toronto, Canada (Photo by bobolink via Flickr) A fundraising event held at L.A. Live brought in $200,000 for the non-profit group who is working to get a streetcar system implemented in Downtown, reports the Downtown News. The money will be used to help fund administrative costs for the group. Los Angeles Streetcar Inc. brought in about twice as much funds as they'd hoped to at the event that was "co-hosted by...

via Franklin Ave. Birds and tied-up tennis shoes are the domain of the wires that dangle over our streets. A few years ago one artist who calls himself Berd began dangling colorful paper birds "on a lark," but now, as Franklin Avenue points out, celebrity heads are popping up on the wires above us. They've spotted a Tom Selleck, and commenters on their post on the topic said they'd seen similar heads of Cher,...