Zach Behrens

A major decision to extend L.A.'s small subway system is coming in late October and before that, officials must meet with the public to gather input. That starts tonight with a series of meetings that continue tomorrow, Wednesday and twice next week. Environmental documents were released earlier this month detailing what the five alternatives -- down Wilshire to the Santa Monica, perhaps with a West Hollywood spur, etc -- under consideration would be like....

Photo by mrJasonWeaver via Flickr For the second year in a row, national statistics show that distracted driving had led to 5,474 deaths and 448,000 injuries on U.S. roads in 2009. That represents 16% of traffic fatalities across the country, the U.S. Department of Transportation announced today (.pdf). “These numbers show that distracted driving remains an epidemic in America, and they are just the tip of the iceberg,” said Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood. “Tomorrow,...

Usually when LAX is placed on a rankings list, it's about being one of the worst airports. Today, however, officials are tooting a different horn. "Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) is ranked No. 7 among airports worldwide with the number of followers on the social media site Twitter," officials announced in a press release this afternoon.

Summer is about to end and that signals a new academic year at UCLA. Nearly 40,000 students, mostly undergrads, are attending the university this year, according the school. That means more traffic, but also a more lively Westwood Village. 9,500 students moved on campus over the weekend. Other stats include 4,700 freshman, 3,400 new transfers and 3,000 international students. 57,651 had applied for Fall 2010 admission. Classes begin Thursday....

When it comes to farmers' markets, this is one of the behemoths of the Valley. Open from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. off Laurel Canyon and Ventura Boulevard along Ventura Place (map), the Studio City Farmers' Market covers the basics thoroughly -- all the veggies and fruits, including from organic farms -- but also boasts a variety of extras -- think farm-to-freezer popsicles to vegetarian Korean food -- which makes this market a must for...

Actor and comedian Russell Brand today was put under citizens arrest after allegedly pushing a photographer at LAX. TMZ caught the incident on video, showing a mad rush of paparazzi surrounding Brand and his fiance, singer Katy Perry. At one point, it appears Brand pushes one of the photographers leading to a complaint to police. Brand was taken into custody and brought to LAPD's Pacific Division where he posted bail, according to the celebrity blog....

The good people from the Hollywood Community Studio took today's Park[ing] Day concept to new heights. Instead of taking over a parking space and transforming it into a park, they took a whole street and made it into a pedestrian plaza of sorts. Tables, chalk, board games and benches made up 200 feet of Hudson Street just off busy tourist-heavy Hollywood Boulevard (map). Unlike the over 15 parking spaces that were found around the city...

Loera (LAPD) Police yesterday and today searched hiking trails around Studio City for a murder suspect that has eluded police since July. The LAPD earlier this week released the photo of 34-year-old parolee Omar Armando Loera, who they believe killed a woman in Valley Village before burning the house down. Based on that photo, a hiker -- some media reports has said it was a city employee -- saw someone that looked like Loera...

The sunset as seen from the Griffith Observatory | Photo by Mark Luethi via Laist Featured Photos on Flickr More than 33,000 patient records at MLK Hospital in South L.A. have been breached. Whooping cough on the rise: at least 4,017 cases reported in California and nine have died. Expect delays on the Red and Purple lines this weekend due to safety inspections. Earlier LAist told you state unemployment figures, here's how it plays...

Police are searching for a man who violently robbed a Subway store earlier this week. On Tuesday around 6:25 a.m., a man entered the store in the downtown area at 155 W. Washington Blvd near Los Angeles Trade Technical College, pulled a gun and jumped over the counter. “The video is quite graphic in the way this suspect jumps the counter and pushed the employees around,” said Lt. Paul Vernon, commanding officer of the...