Lisa Brenner

Rock On The Block: The Silver Lake Conservatory is holding a charity auction at Amoeba Music this afternoon with with rare and collectible memorabilia, concert tickets, promo items and more up for bids. All proceeds will benefit the Silverlake Conservatory of Music, a non-profit organization based in...

Photo by Ack Ook via Flickr Investigators found "widespread cracking" on the skin of the Sacramento-bound Southwest Airlines Boeing 737 that dramatically broke open at 36,000 feet causing depressurization and forcing an emergency landing in Yuma, Arizona on Friday, said the National Transportation Safety Board, reports CNN. The flight data recorder indicated the plane was cruising at 36,000 feet when it depressurized, but it dropped to 11,000 within four-and-a-half minutes, Sumwalt said. The pilot...

Photo by corrieb via Flickr Van Nuys police are asking for help identifying one or more vandals responsible for a rash of tire slashing around the city. Reports KTLA, "Between March 19 and March 22, one or more suspects have targeted at least 15 vehicles primarily in the Sherman Oaks area, LAPD said in a statement." Incidents typically occur overnight between 10:30 p.m. and 7 a.m. Detectives remind residents to park in well-lit areas,...

Los Angeles Downtown News has put together a 2011 Power List of the city's top players based on a quasi-scientific scenario-based ranking system that goes like this: "Pretend you’re a Downtowner with a modicum of power (though not enough for this roster). One afternoon you’re talking on the phone with, for example, the 18th most powerful person on the list, developer Jim Thomas.

Giant dogs are not currently a threat to Southwest. (Photo by bravoinsd via Flickr) A Southwest Airlines Boeing 737 Phoenix-to-Sacramento flight carrying 118 passengers made a "rapid, controlled descent" emergency landing on Friday afternoon after the aircraft's fuselage cracked open at 36,000 feet causing an explosion-like sound and sudden loss of cabin pressure, reports LA Now. According to Southwest Airlines, the passengers on board Flight 812 have received a full refund along with an...

Sporty Wizards: The International Quidditch Western Cup is happening. Really it is. Today and tomorrow in Cheviot Hills. The IQA, Inc is "a magical nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting the sport of Quidditch inspiring young people to lead more physically active and socially engaged lives," notes the official website. Moorpark College, Occidental College, UCLA and USC all have teams competing. POOF! Here's Saturday's schedule of events:

Photo by It'sGreg via Flickr Ralphs parent company Kroger released a statement that someone outside of the organization gained "unauthorized access" to a list of shopper names and email addresses on Friday, reports KTLA. Authorities have been alerted, and according to the Ralphs website, no personal data or financial information was revealed. The company asserts it has, "taken steps to minimize this type of exposure in the future," and asks shoppers to be cautious...

via USDA Approximately 54,960 pounds of Jennie-O frozen, "raw turkey burger products" may be contaminated with Salmonella prompting a nationwide recall, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS). The products subject to recall include 4-pound boxes of Jennie-O Turkey Store® "All Natural Turkey Burgers with seasonings Lean White Meat" -- each package containing 12, individually-wrapped, 1/3-pound burgers. The products were packaged on November 23, 2010 and distributed nationwide...

41-year-old Bryan Stow, a Santa Cruz paramedic and father of two, has been identified as one of three Giants fans viciously attacked in the Parking Lot 2 of Dodger Stadium at the end of Thursday's home opener by two unidentified men wearing Dodgers clothing, reports LA Now. Stow hit his head on the pavement during the unprovoked attack and has been placed in a medically induced coma, according to family members. He is reportedly...

Photo by Jerry Gunner via Flickr A Marine F/A-18C Hornet exploded aboard the carrier John C. Stennis about 100 miles off Southern California on Wednesday injuring ten people. The pilot of the F/A-18 was not hurt, however four sailors are listed in stable condition after being airlifted to Naval Medical Center San Diego according to the Navy said, reports the LA Times. Other injured sailors were treated aboard the ship by medical personnel. The...

Last week, Arnold Schwarzenegger's reps declined to comment on a story that "the former California Governor may be doing an animated series with producer Andy Heyward based on a superhero character created in partnership with comic book icon Stan Lee," reports Deadline. It seems the hush hush was preparing for the big Entertainment Weekly magazine cover reveal -- Meet The Governator, a Schwarzenegger post-Governor superhero crime fighter set to run his do-goodery operations from...

Photo by José Goulão via Flickr Despite West Anaheim Medical Center being under state and federal investigation for an alarmingly high rate of blood infections, the Southern California hospital has been named one of the Top 100 facilities in the United States, reports the OC Register. For the second time, Thomson Reuters, a business information services company, put West Anaheim on the list based on federal data including death rates, safety, profitability and patient...