Lisa Brenner

Photo by Atwater Village Newbie via LAist Featured Photos pool on Flickr About 6:30 a.m. on Sunday, a man walking his dog found the body of 30-year-old Gabriel Aron Benmeir on the sidewalk on Packard Street between Stanley and Spaulding avenues, according to Los Angeles police, reports LA Now. Neighbors on the "quiet Mid-Wilshire street" who were questioned by authorities reported hearing a gunshot at about 1 a.m., leading police to determine that "the...

The blog Failed Messiah was the first to post an image from a story in a Hasidic newspaper, Der Tzitung (or Der Zeitung depending on which Bubby you ask), showing an altered reality of the newly iconic Situation Room photo taken during the Osama bin Laden strike.

Photo by SandyMazza via Twitpic Approximately two-thirds of an adult humpback whale washed up onto the rocks at White Point Beach in San Pedro this weekend after being killed by a "ship strike," said officials. Missing its head and torso, the animal most likely was hit by a large vessel and sucked into a propellor that severed the ocean giant. A 30-foot section of the mutilated creature (believed to have been a full-grown male,...

A reduction in state funding has already forced tuition increases, class option decreases and layoffs in the University of California system. Now, leaders of the 10-campus education chain are considering a proposal to allow undergraduate tuition to vary by campus, reports the L.A. Times. Advocates say that "the change would raise funds the schools could share...

Tonight in Extra, Extra!! A person killed by a train, a whale killed by a boat, demonstrators chanting at Pink Taco, and the best record collection possibly ever. Plus: Keep up with us on Facebook, and follow us on Twitter: @LAist @LAistFood @LAistSports.

Photo by Peggy Archer via LAist Featured Photos pool on Flickr Rampart Division police have reportedly confirmed that the man shot in the back Friday night while fleeing attackers on Sunset Boulevard has died, according to The Eastsider LA. No additional details about the victim or the incident have been released. The man was reportedly being chased by a group of suspects when he was shot in the back. The shooting was described as...

Tonight in Extra, Extra!! Gambling on the brain, Kentucky Derby day, not that Steve Jones and a new park? Plus: Keep up with us on Facebook, and follow us on Twitter: @LAist @LAistFood @LAistSports.

A young man celebrates outside of the White House following Osama bin Laden's death. (Photo Credit: Jeff Martin) DCist started its week, as the rest of the country did, with news that Osama bin Laden had been killed in Pakistan. A spontaneous celebration broke out at the White House, though we wondered if the hundreds of people who borrowed one of the city's shared bicycles to get to the celebration would be able to...

Photo by Tracy O via Flickr They're being called "millionaire cops," because in the last ten years at least "17 officers have won million-dollar-plus jury verdicts or settlements from the city in lawsuits in which they leveled accusations of sexual harassment, racial discrimination, retaliation and other workplace injustices," reports the L.A. Times. Many more have also won five-figure and six-figure payouts. City records show that from 2005 to 2010, officers have sued the department...

Pinky, Pink Taco's mascot, seen tied up outside the chain's Century City location on Cinco de Mayo. (via TwitPic) A PETA-packed punch to Pink Taco has yielded a pledge from the restaurant to never again use animals in events or promotions after the Century City location painted a live donkey pink and tied it to a post in 90-degree heat to promote Cinco de Mayo specials on Thursday. Harry Morton, the restaurant's owner, was...

Photo credit: Thousand Oaks Police Department The FBI and local authorities are searching Sunday for suspects wanted in connection with two separate robbery incidents within four days of each other at the same Thousand Oaks bank. Chase Bank at 148 W. Hillcrest Drive was robbed first on May 4 and again on May 7, according to the Thousand Oaks Police Department, reports CBS Local. Police said in both cases, no weapons were seen, and...

Photo by Loren Javier via Flickr Hats For Bats: Nocturnal? Not today. Born in 1999 of the goth/deathrock/industrial scene, Bats Day In The Park is an outing of and for the highly costumed kind. Picture Mickey ears clipped into bat wings, and so forth. "The annual spooky trip to Disneyland is just a park meet during a normal operating day at Disneyland. Please use discretion regarding the length of shirts and skirts and language...