Lisa Brenner

(Photo by Dusty & Polly via Twitter) Sunset Blvd was closed for about 30 to 45 minutes in both directions last night while the Los Angeles Fire Department put out a small electrical fire at The Roxy, reports WeHo Daily. Smoke was reportedly spotted near the marquee out front, started by a neon transformer box. Everything was rock business as usual by 11:04 p.m. when The Roxy sent a Twitter message saying, “All is...

Grape Date: A wine show about art tasting is RIPE, a exhibition at Crewest Gallery of wine barrels, bottles and corks transformed by urban and graffiti artists. At this weekend’s closing reception the art of wine comes to life with the help of City Sip Wine Bar and Robert Plata Wine Company who'll be pouring the most recent vintage of Plata Wine and artist Chaz Bojorquez signing labels. Crewest Gallery, 110 Winston St., Los Angeles, CA 90013, 6-9 p.m., RSVP

Students are being asked to watch for suspicious activity after police at Loyola Marymount University received an email threat last Thursday about a "Virginia Tech style" mass shooting on the campus, reports KTLA. School operations are proceeding as usual, however the university is taking the threat seriously, alerting students and faculty and adding extra LAPD patrols on campus.

Persistent heavy rain has overloaded Southern California sewage systems causing it to barf sewage in three locations around the region. Long Beach closed its beaches on Monday after 250,000 gallons of sewage spilled into the Los Angeles River near Studio City, an overflow that occurred on Sunday, says the Los Angeles County Bureau of Sanitation, notes the Long Beach Press-Telegram.

Photo by Jose and Roxanne via Flickr Capistrano Beach resident Forrest Lunsway celebrated his 100th birthday with a party on Saturday, surprising attendees by marrying his girlfriend of nearly thirty years, 93-year-old Rose Pollard, reports the OC Register. The couple met in 1983 while looking for dance partners after the passing of their significant others. Friends set them up on a blind date: It was a Christmas party at the Long Beach Senior Center...

Photo by x-ray delta one via Flickr A video lunch collection for the ages, today we celebrate the 80th birthday of Studio City resident William Shatner!! From the Twilight Zone to the sexy reaches of Star Trek space, from dramatic readings of Elton John to musical covers of Pulp, from TV legal council to online negotiator, Shatner is as Shatner does and we love the $#*! you say. We salute you, sir. Live long,...

Photo by Lisa Newton via LAist Featured Photos pool on Flickr Benedict Canyon residents are uniting against a mystery landowner who plans to develop 5.2 acres on Tower Lane into an 85,000-square-foot compound complete with megamansion, villa, guest house, gate house, staff quarters, and more. Neighbors believe the project "pushes the bounds of common sense and decency," reports the LA Times. If the owner continues as planned, his 90210 complex -- located in the...

Photo by Andrew Meyers Photography via LAist Featured Photos pool on Flickr With all the bus and rail projects mandated by Measure R and all the bus and rail service changes currently being evaluated, Metro wants to make sure the public doesn't forget about its massive highway program of 18 new projects worth nearly $1.4 billion aimed to largely to improve commuting. While highway construction may seem to go against the mission of mass...

Photo by karmadude via Flickr Los Angeles company WorldVariety Produce, Inc. is recalling Serrano Peppers that may be contaminated with Salmonella. The questionable peppers were isolated to 300 cases contained in Lot # 69073901, product of Mexico, sold from bulk displays between the dates of March 1, 2011 through March 18, 2011, posts the recall details on the FDA website. No illnesses have been reported to date and the recall reportedly extends only to...

Photo by LA Wad via LAist Featured Photos pool on Flickr It's been five years since the federal consent decree alleging Metro "violated civil rights by favoring rail over buses" was lifted, and "ambitious" plans are underway to make the system more efficient, reports the LA Times. Combined with last year's changes, the latest plans "mark the most significant overhaul of L.A.'s bus system in more than a decade and would slash overall bus...

Photo by jthetzel via Flickr Authorities say a woman and two children were killed in Sunday's fiery plane crash of a Cessna 210 near a San Bernardino County airport, reports the OC Register. Said a spokesman for the FAA, the small single-engine aircraft departed John Wayne Airport and for Henderson Executive Airport in Las Vegas when it crashed. The bodies of those aboard the plane that was fully engulfed in flamed have not yet...

Tonight in Extra, Extra! LA Marathon runners are treated for hypothermia, Wyclef was shot in the hand in Haiti, a body washes ashore in Ventura, gas prices rise another 7 cents, sardine composting, rescue in Japan after nine days trapped, West LA hit-and-run and fatalities in a Barstow plane crash. Plus: Keep up with us on Facebook, and follow us on Twitter: @LAist @LAistFood @LAistSports.