Lisa Brenner

Photo by Elise Thompson for LAist A brave LAist operative sent in a photo of a fire in Burbank on N. Buena Vista Street and Victory. Early reports suggest a metal balloon hit the power lines around 3:30 p.m. blowing a transformer and igniting trees. Power is reportedly out in the area and there is some concern about the fire spreading to local businesses and properties. More as the story develops. Or (hopefully) doesn't....

Photo by @sevenphoto via LAist Featured Photos pool on Flickr Authorities report that a woman in Laguna Niguel was fatally struck by two cars on Sunday while trying to save a dog that was running through lanes of traffic at the intersection of Moulton Parkway and Crown Valley Parkway. A spokesman from the Orange County Sheriff's Department said the woman was jogging around 11 a.m. with her teenage son, when they spotted the dog,...

Photo by RobeRt Vega via LAist Featured Photos pool on Flickr According to the National Weather Service's 7-day forecast things are gonna get a little gloomy next week in and around LA. Today is probably the best time to get those outdoor chores done before expected fog and rain moves in on Tuesday or Wednesday. Have a beach day planned this fine Sunday? Enjoy the heck out of it because it looks like a...

Tonight in Extra, Extra! Road Rage suspect identified, Barbra Streisand Grammy tribute, 3 dead in Whittier, 80 involved in NoHo club brawl, Tractors take over Sunset, Guitar Hero RIP, LA hearts Steve Martin and Feds release new information on '07 tiger attack in SF. Plus: Keep up with us on Facebook, and follow us on Twitter: @LAist @LAistFood @LAistSports.

Accused of having an affair with a cadet in the department, San Fernando police chief Anthony Ruelas, who was promoted in August, has been put on administrative leave. A former police explorer and cadet, 22 year-old Maria Barajas reportedly sent a letter in January to the city council claiming that she had a sexual relationship with 49-year-old Chief Ruelas, reports ABC Local.

Photo by BanyanTreeProductionsy via LAist Featured Photos pool on Flickr DtLA businesses are hoping to score big in the profit game when the 2011 NBA All-Star weekend slam dunks the Staples Center next weekend "drawing thousands of big-spending celebrities, professional athletes and die-hard hoops fans for four days of basketball, dinners and parties," reports the LA Times. This year's event is expected to generate more money than LA's last hosting gig seven years ago....

In San Diego's popular Gaslamp District, more than two dozen people were hurt exiting a nightclub when a taxi drove onto a crowded sidewalk around 2:00 a.m. on Friday night. Bouncers reportedly came to the rescue of the driver "after angry bystanders attacked his cab," reports ABC Local. According to police, the driver claimed to have blacked out before to the accident. Officials have confirmed that alcohol was not involved and that the crash did not seem to be intentional.

Photo by R.E.~ via LAist Featured Photos pool on Flickr Glendale Boulevard businesses in Atwater Village may be getting a break on parking. According to the Los Feliz Ledger via EastsiderLA, "The Los Angeles Planning Commission recently approved a parking credit program that if enacted would ease parking requirements for new businesses along Glendale Boulevard." Businesses required to have a specific number of parking spaces would no longer have to to pay fees for...

According the USGS, at 9:30 and 43 seconds this Saturday morning, the Inland Empire got a minor 3.7 magnitude morning jolt with their coffee. Preliminary reports center the quake in the mountains about 7 miles WSW of Idyllwild with Palm Springs folk reporting the a strong shake about 19 miles to the east.

An early morning street race down Wilshire Boulevard ended at approximately 3:00 a.m. when one of the drivers, a 23-year-old male from Santa Monica, crashed his vehicle into a tree at the intersection of 20th Street and Wilshire. Reports KTLA, "police responding to the crash found the driver had lost control of his vehicle and clipped the other vehicle he was racing before colliding into a tree." The driver, who has not been publicly...

(Photo: Drug Enforcement Agency) Lisette Lee, the Beverly Hills socialite and actress who left on a private jet from Van Nuys airport in June and was subsequently arrested in Columbus, Ohio for smuggling more than 500 pounds of marijuana inside 13 suitcases, has pleaded guilty. At the time of the arrest, authorities also confiscated cocaine, marijuana, drug paraphernalia, three cell phones and suspected drug ledgers from Lee's bag. Authorities say Lee acted as the...

Photo by Renee Rendler-Kaplan via LAist Featured Photos pool on Flickr The city, attempting to settle a parking dispute between the Los Angeles Film School and the Hollywood Farmers Market, was surprised to learn of the school's plans for major development at the intersection of Ivar and Selma where the market has been held every Sunday since 1991, reports the LA Times. Two weeks ago at a meeting with the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce...