Lindsay William-Ross

Swept up in the good time-y vibes surely prevalent during last night's heavily-touted U2 concert at the Rose Bowl, Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa took a couple of opportunities to share his exuberance over the occasion via Twitter. Villaraigosa and his girlfriend, KTLA reporter Lu Parker, were among the approximately 96,000 fans who packed the Pasadena stadium to see one of the last engagements in the rock band's "360 Tour" with support from the...

Photo by nanooksvinyl via the LAist Featured Photos pool on Flickr Figures are in this morning for newspaper circulation nationwide, and the numbers reflect the downward trend symptomatic of a changing media landscape. Here in Los Angeles, the Times' circulation for a six-month period ending September 30th, "was at 657,467 for the Monday-Friday run," notes LA Observed, which shows an 11.05% drop from the same period for 2008. Nationally, data from the Audit Bureau...

Attention all young guys who are fond of older ladies: The first-ever California Cougar Convention hits town on November 6th [Press Release]. In addition to the fine assortment of mature women who enjoy the company of younger men, attendees can enjoy dancing, a RapidDating Mixer, a competition for the title of Miss Cougar California, and a keynote address from Lucia "Queen of the Cougar Jungle." For those who are uninitiated in the means and ways of this murky relationship jungle, may we offer these helpful Urban Dictionary entries to serve as tour guides...

Photo by nathanielperales via the LAist Featured Photos pool on Flickr H1N1, aka The Swine Flu, has been declared a National Emergency; President Obama made the proclamation earlier today. An apparent gang shooting last night near Compton Avenue and East 92nd Street has left three people wounded. Eight people in Long Beach have been treated for a rare form of typhus, but health officials say all the patients have recovered. Oopsies! Actor Brad Pitt...

Photo of the new building by Alberto Cueto via the LAist Featured Photos pool on Flickr The Los Angeles Police Department's new home in Downtown is a state-of-the-art facility that has been the topic of much praise and scrutiny since construction began in 2007. Today, however, the building, which has yet to be graced with an official name, will be opened in a public ceremony helmed by Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and outgoing Chief William...

Fabio Viviani (Photo via Bravo TV) Former Top Chef contender Fabio Viviani has left his Moorpark restaurant and moved quickly into a new spot, Firenze Osteria. The eatery has taken over the North Hollywood space formerly occupied by Barsac Brasserie, and underwent a quick turnaround to transform the restaurant. Now in a "soft-open" phase, Firenze Osteria is set to officially open this Saturday, with a public (with RSVP) cocktail reception, and the phone line...

The Flying Pig Truck / Photo by R.E.˜ via the LAist Featured Photos pool on Flickr Like sunny skies and Ugg boots, the current trend of gourmet food trucks remains in perpetual motion here in Los Angeles. Just a couple of weeks ago the Grilled Cheese Truck got people salivating with their cheesy "Pre-Melt" event held at the Farmer's Kitchen adjoining the Hollywood Farmers' Market in preparation for their roll out, and this week...

Great LA Walkers leaving Union Station for the '08 walk/Photo by Atwater Village Newbie via the LAist Featured Photos pool on Flickr They've done Wilshire, Pico, and Santa Monica, and this year the Great LA Walk will take you and your two feet from Downtown to the shore via Adams and Washington on Saturday November 21st. Organized by Mike and Maria of Franklin Avenue, this 4th annual "urban hike" is open to anyone who...

Photo by *Mike via the LAist Featured Photos pool on Flickr Turns out those "gunshots" heard this morning at an Oxnard courthouse was actually the sound of nearby construction. Talk about a "get off my darn lawn!" moment: A bobcat strolled through one Irivine yard recently. Yikes! The police have nabbed two suspects whom they believe are the duo using Craigslist to find targets for home-invasion robberies. Today was "Student Recovery Day" in the...

Stephanie Pratt can add one more dubious claim to fame to her resume after an early Sunday morning arrest that took place outside a Hollywood nightclub, according to On The Red Carpet. Pratt, 23, the blonde fashion-student and sibling of the notoriously unlikeable Spencer Pratt (one half of the "Speidi" duo comprised of him and his starlet wife Heidi; LAist Interview) was "booked at the Van Nuys jail" and "released a few hours later after posting $5,000 bail."

Inside the Bradley Int'l Terminal (Photo by Al Pavangkanan via Flickr) Times might be tough, but at LAX, making good use of the aging Tom Bradley International Terminal is proving to be tougher. Today, the Los Angeles Board of Airport Commissioners are "expected to approve $1.13 billion in construction contracts to revitalize facilities for international travelers at Los Angeles International Airport and build new gates to accommodate the next generation of large commercial planes,"...

Photo by seshingtons via the LAist Featured Photos pool on Flickr Gov. Schwarzenegger is expected to approve the environmental waiver that would allow a 75k-seat stadium to be built in Los Angeles. There was a 3.2 magnitude earthquake in the Oxmard-Port Hueneme area last night. Detectives in the Santa Clarita Valley are working to determine the cause of death and identity of the partially decomposed human remains found near a bike path near the...