Lisa Brenner

Photo by daniellelorenz via Flickr From fried chicken in a dead bush to moist hair clippings found on the sidewalk, gag-worthy grossness finds a home at Gross Stuff in LA. Want to see a picture of a gray-haired Barbie trapped in a gutter? How about an apple so badly decomposed that it looks like a toad? Those with a sensitive hurl reflex should take appropriate measures before clicking; chicken soup in a glass jar...

California reached a 5-year high with 11% percent of beaches reporting an increase in bacterial contamination. In Los Angeles County, Avalon Beach, Cabrillo Beach and Colorado Lagoon topped the list of dirty waters. Poche County Beach and Doheny State Beach were the OC's biggest offenders.

This is the true story... of thousands of strangers... living together in the Los Angeles Country Men's Central Jail. From the deeply 90s file of Where Are They Now And Why Do We Care?, David "Puck" Rainey, of the 1994 San Francisco installment of The Real World, has been arrested on domestic violence charges in L.A., according to the L.A. Times. David Edward "Puck" Rainey, who gained notoriety as a cast member on one...

Photo by @sevenphoto via LAist Featured Photos pool on Flickr Two area homes have been placed in the solar-powered spotlight this week -- a Santa Monica 1910 Craftsman that underwent a green transformation and a three-story Mount Washington house that connects to its natural landscape on at least two sides of every room. The house in Santa Monica, situated one block from the beach, boasts an organic garden of fruit trees and vegetables kept...

Screenshot of interactive Census return map With jobs at stake and nearly $450 billion in federal aid to be distributed to states based on population, U.S. cities are lining up to contest their 2010 census counts as being inaccurate and too low, according to the Associated Press. A decade ago, there were 1,200 challenges filed by cities and counties. Based on feedback so far, the U.S. Conference of Mayors is predicting a big jump...

Photo by carolyn.will via Flickr The County of Los Angeles Public Library and the Los Angeles Public Library have partnered with Library Ideas, a network of public library websites that "offer access to hundreds of thousands of songs from Sony Music’s catalog of legendary artists," to allow library cardholders free and legal music downloads beginning in July, according to a news release. The service, “Freegal” (“free” and “legal”), will be available starting July 1,...

Freedom! Liberty! Deodorant! High temperatures will creep through the week reaching triple digits in some LA-areas by holiday weekend time, according to the National Weather Service.

Second stop: El Cid. Unfortunately this was this particular Santa's last stop. Descending the lumpy, sub-sidewalk stairs into the courtyard of El Cid is often the beginning, or the end, of a fascinating evening in Silver Lake. Whether the flamenco-optional musical venue / bar / dance club / restaurant / screening courtyard / birthday-party-location-must-have-for-anyone-under-27 / Santa meet-up is packed tight like skinny jeans or awkwardly open with empty seats for a small touring act,...

Photo by stevendepolo via Flickr The New York Times and the University of Southern California have partnered to offer an online, continuing education program that combines the brainpower and outreach of journalists and faculty, according to a news release. The collaboration will launch with programs in seven areas of study, uniting the comprehensive continuing education catalogs from both USC and The New York Times Knowledge Network. Courses will feature USC faculty in addition to...

Photo by DaveReichert via LAist Featured Photos pool on Flickr Bowing to pressure from city leaders, Newport Beach lifeguards have agreed to a "scaled-down" pension benefits agreement, according to the Daily Pilot. Newport paid approximately $500,000 toward 14 full-time lifeguards' pension plans In 2010. The City Council on Tuesday is slated to approve a new contract with the full-time lifeguards that would establish a lower pension plan for new employees, and would require current...

Tonight in Extra, Extra! What's the deal with the Coliseum dealings, LAX accident injures motorcycle officer, baby stroller bandits ID'd, and where might Whitey's cash be hiding? Plus: Keep up with us on Facebook, and follow us on Twitter: @LAist @LAistFood @LAistSports.

The Richard Lillard Classroom is a trail on both sides of the LA River between Fulton and Coldwater Canyon | Photo by Zach Behrens/LAist One of seven cities selected, Los Angeles will be participating in the Urban Waters Federal Partnership Program with a focus on the LA River Watershed. The project, "intended to reconnect urban communities with their waterways," will run in alignment with President Obama’s America’s Great Outdoors initiative "which calls on agencies...