Lindsay William-Ross

Married couple Diane Olson and Robin Tyler, who brought forward the lawsuit that led to gay marriage being legalized in 2008. (Tom Andrews/LAist) LAist was among the many who waited eagerly to for Judge Vaughan Walker to issue his ruling that Prop 8--the ban on same sex marriage--is unconstitutional. SFist also covered the overturning of California's same-sex marriage ban. Shanghaiist debated whether or not Dior's campaign, "Shanghai Dreamers," was racist after certain people accused...

Photo by Benjamin Page via the LAist Featured Photos pool on Flickr Late this afternoon a man who "barricaded himself on the roof," of the W Hotel in Hollywood indicated via shouting that he had a bomb, according to KTLA. Authorities responded to the call, guests were evacuated, and the property "was reportedly surrounded by squad cars and a helicopter." By around 6 p.m. the man, who according to witnesses was behaving erratically and...

Photo by sam_frank via the LAist Featured Photos pool on Flickr A man jumped to his death today from the Santa Margarita Parkway Bridge in Rancho Santa Margarita. An 18-year-old man died of natural causes after taking a swim in the pool at a Juvenile Hall in Sylmar. The former chief of Burbank's schools died after a fall from a bridge in Northern California. He had just left his job here for a new...

Villaraigosa speaks during a November 2009 town hall-style gathering (Photo by alexbcthompson via the LAist Featured Photos pool on Flickr) Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa employs a staff that has "grown to be the largest mayoral staff in Los Angeles history," according to the Daily News. 206 people are on Villaraigosa's staff, and their "salaries account for $7.4 million of the $25.02 million budget for the mayor's office." The Mayor's office says that many of the...

Photo by RobeRt Vega via the LAist Featured Photos pool on Flickr Zsa Zsa Gabor's publicist says the actress went into shock; she will be released from the hospital on Monday to recuperate at her Bel Air home. The Civic Council in Ladera Ranch has rejected a teeneager's bid to serve on the board. Four people were sent to the hospital for treatment after an early-morning fire in an apartment building in the Harbor-Gateway...

A brush fire that has already grown to at least 10 acres is burning in Santa Clarita, according to cbs2.com. "The blaze was burning on Copper Hill and Haskell Canyon," say officials, and some structures are reportedly threatened. Crews are currently on scene "creating a perimeter for structure protection." No information has been made available as of yet regarding evacuations, if necessary, or the cause of the fire. *UPDATE 4:30 PM: The fire has...

A 6-inch water main ruptured early this morning in South Los Angeles, causing a loss of service to about 20 homes in the area of the break, reports cbs2. By about 4:15 the water was shut off and crews were actively working on repairing the line. No information about the extent of the damage or the cause of the break has been made available as of yet. On Thursday night a main break in...

The Crime Task Force/Driving Under the Influence (CTF/DUI) Detail of the LAPD's South Traffic Division will be conducting a DUI checkpoint tonight in order to curtail drunk driving and educate the public. The checkpoint is slated to run from 6 p.m. to 1 a.m. at Avalon Boulevard and Opp Street [map] in Wilmington. The LAPD explains that their " Harbor Division has experienced a 14 percent increase in Driving Under the Influence related traffic...

Arseller Curtis Scott, a 39-year-old ex-con, has received a life sentence in a bizarre and "completely random" attack that took place in 2008 and involved the use of a crossbow. The victim, 39-year-old Angel Martinez was struck and killed by Scott's arrow at Avenue K and 13th Street East in Lancaster. Martinez, 39, was a retired Edwards Air Force Base employee, and had no connection to his killer. Scott had been in an argument...

Raymond Easter, March 2010 (via LAPD) The LAPD release information regarding a suspect in the case of a robbery-murder that took place on June 24th at Higher Path Holistic Care, a medical marijuana dispensary in Echo Park. During the course of the robbery, the three suspects ransacked the business, and shot Matthew Butcher, an employee, and the store's security guard. Butcher died on scene, however the security guard, whose name is being withheld, is...

Photo by Slawsonator via the LAist Featured Photos pool on Flickr Going to Disneyland got a little bit more expensive today, as the theme park raised its ticket and parking prices. A single ticket is now $76, up $4 from the price hiked to $72 in August 2009. Annual pass holders found their prices raised last year, again in January 2010, and will see an increase in $15-30 as of today, depending on the...

Image of California High Speed Rail line traveling along freeway (via CHSRA) Residents in some San Gabriel Valley cities are voicing opposition to a high speed rail route that could cut through their communities near the 60 or 10 Freeways, according to the Star-News. The California High Speed Rail Project was approved by voters in 2008, and "will add 800 miles of new rail lines through the state," for a $45-billion price tag. Though...