Zach Behrens

Talk about a busy week! Zealous 36-year-old runner Marie-Louise Stenild of England is trying to break the Guinness World Record to to become the first woman ever to complete seven marathons in seven days on seven continents. On Monday, her third day of running, she and a support team will run L.A.'s Stadium to Sea marathon route that debuted earlier this year (nerdy fact: the Guinness World Records Museum on Hollywood Blvd. is around...

Conceptual regional connector map | Image via Metro After approving the Westside Subway Extension, the Metro Board of Directors this afternoon also voted in favor of another major public transit project: a fully underground regional connector in downtown Los Angeles. The 1.9 mile light rail line would fill a gap missing in Metro's transit network. Currently, to go from Pasadena to Long Beach, you take the Gold Line to Union Station, go down two...

Metro staff recommended Alternative 2, which terminates at the Veterans Administration | Map via Metro It's been on and off, delayed, banned and fought over for decades, but it has finally happened. The Metro Board of Directors this morning unanimously approved extending the Purple Line 9.5 miles to just past the 405 Freeway. It was one of five alternatives to choose from -- others included a West Hollywood spur and taking the subway all...

Photo by julie wilson world via LAist Featured Photos on Flickr In a city of four million people, how many come out to vote? Unless it's a historic election, not many. And sometimes turnout dwindles to a sad single digit number. That's why two Los Angeles City Councilmembers are trying to encourage more participation through four reforms nicknamed the Los Angeles Voters' Bill of Rights. Three of them must be approved by voters, likely...

Three tunneling options between the Wilshire/Rodeo station and the two Century City station options (click here to enlarge) | Image via Metro Today is a big day for Los Angeles. The Metro Board will vote on two key decisions about public transit in Los Angeles. One is about the Regional Connector in downtown -- a 1.9 mile light-rail route in downtown that will connect the Expo Line to Eastside Gold Line Extension and the...

Photo by Atwater Village Newbie via LAist Featured Photos on Flickr As "parking guru," UCLA's Donald Shoup is credited with influencing how cities shape their parking policies to improve mobility and neighborhoods. But today in the LA Times, he goes after a different angle in parking: tickets. Shoup notes that many of the total tickets given out during a year are given to the same people. "In Los Angeles, for example, 8% of all...

Photo by hall.chris25 via LAist Featured Photos on Flikcr In March, Angelenos will be asked to go back to the polls and vote again. Half of the Los Angeles city council seats are up for grabs, and current councilmembers are proposing more than a dozen ballot measures. This afternoon at a joint city council committee meeting (.pdf) they will be discussed. Here's a quick list of them, divided into two sections: Roads, advertising, oil...

Found on Olvera Street | Photo by annierobbins via the LAist Featured Photos pool on Flickr NPR takes a look at the rebirth of David Alfaro Siqueiros' controversial "America Tropical" mural at Olvera Street. In Orange County: An Irvine drugmaker says Botox is a great cure for migraine headaches. If Metro digs a tunnel to extend the 710 Freeway, how much will it cost? Opponents say past estimates have been so wildly variable, that...

Okay, that was fun. Gubernatorial candidates Jerry Brown and Meg Whitman sat down for a chat this afternoon at The Women's Conference in Long Beach. "The Today Show" host Matt Lauer led the discussion along with Governor Arnold...

A Hazy Glendale in Pastels | Photo by 27ray via LAist Featured Photos on Flickr The victim in the dumpling fracas that led to the resignation of San Gabriel's mayor cannot be found. And that's why charges have yet to be pressed. The wife of a man auditioning for "America's Got Talent" was found dead at the Biltmore Hotel in downtown. Yes, cargo ships have "streets" of sort -- shipping lanes -- and Yo!...