Zach Behrens

A 62-year-old woman lost her life when crossing the street in West Adams last night. Annette Marie Carter was struck by a car at Normandie Avenue and Adams Boulevard around 11 p.m. The driver, apparently in a black Toyota Corolla, fled the scene northbound on Normandie, according to the LAPD. "Hit and run killers pose a grave menace to South L.A. residents, “said Earl Ofari Hutchinson, President of L.A. Urban Policy Roundtable, in a...

Lines at the new food truck lot in Santa Monica | Photo by Zach Behrens/LAist Lunchtime crowds grew to about 500 people at today's debut of the Santa Monica Gourmet Food Truck Corner. Although some were disappointed with the four options--India Jones Chow Truck, Border Grill, Barbie's Q and Fishlips--organizers said this is only the beginning, as today was a soft opening. Here are some quick tid bits about the property: Steve Taub, who...

It's been shaky down at the border with the biggest earthquake, a 5.8 magnitude one, occurring last week. The LA Times today notes that the region down at the border continues to shake, meaning only one thing, use of phrase "earthquake swarm." We've seen swarms before in 2009: One in Inyo County in early October and the most notable in March around the Salton Sea....

After the Governor tried to raid public transit funds and was stopped by the courts, he's after the money again, but with a different shell game. As pointed out by Damien Newton at Streestblog LA, the LA Times reports that "the governor would eliminate the sales tax on gas and, at the same time, impose a new per-gallon excise tax. Drivers would pay about 5 cents less per gallon at the pump. The excise...

An LAist reader just sent in this iPhone shot from the debut of the Santa Monica Food Truck Lot at Santa Monica and 14th (it's official title is the Santa Monica Gourmet Food Truck Corner). Food trucks parked on Santa Monica streets haven't always mixed well (cops vs. food), but parking a truck on a private lot solves that issue. We announced the lot yesterday, so read more about it here. Related: An updated...

For those who love a good burger, more new places are revving up for an opening. Tasha Nita Adams at Blackburn and Sweetzer finds that Surya India on West 3rd Street is set to become The Burger Factory, according to a public notice posted in the restaurant window. Also, word on the street is that a gastropub will be taking over the old Largo space on Fairfax, a few storefronts down from Golden State....

A DUI Checkpoint in the NoHo Arts District on New Year's Eve | Photo by Zach Behrens/LAist New Year's Eve has come and gone--with DUI arrests up but fewer fatal accidents along California's freeways compared to last year--but past experiences point toward the whole weekend being a scary one on the roads. That's why police are keeping up their strict and saturated presence on the streets through Sunday evening. Tonight, we know of at...

The holiday weekend continues and the LAPD keeps setting up DUI Checkpoints in an attempt to discourage everyone from drinking and driving. There have been less fatal accidents since New Year's Eve, but more DUI arrest, reports the California Highway Patrol. Tonight, there will be one checkpoint located near the Staples Center because of a high occurrence of DUI related incidents in the last three months, explains the LAPD in a press release. The...

Looks like Fox programming won't go to the wayside. Time Warner's Director of Digital Communication, @jeffTWC on Twitter tweeted: "Attn Time Warner Cable customers: We have a deal with Fox. Your programming is safe. Please RT" Fox programming was supposed to be cut for Time Warner Cable customers at midnight last night, but the two companies extended talks. At issue was that Fox wanted more money per subscriber....

A quiet way to end the decade | Photo by BokehBunny via LAist Featured Photos on Flickr Happy New Year's Eve to everyone! Just a quick reminder of what to watch out for on the streets and some last minute things to do. Netflix vs. the Hollywood Studios. As the federal court case over Prop 8, which banned gay marriage in California, approaches, big media wants full access to the trial. Today is the...

At Cabrillo Point | Photo by dc9000 via Flickr We're no snowy Chicago or any other place with a traditional winter. But that doesn't mean we can't have our polar bear swims on New Year's Day! Here's what's happening: 8 a.m., Hanson Dam in Lake View Terrace: Anyone age eight or older can enter this 1.5-acre swim lake for some cold fun. The free event, now in its 10th year, is run by the...

California health officials today are warning of high levels of lead in Chen PiMei Candy imported from China by a Rosemead-base company. "Recent analysis of this candy by CDPH determined that Chen PiMei Candy contained as much as 0.14 parts per million (ppm) of lead," explained the state's public health department in an e-mail notice. "California considers candies with lead levels in excess of 0.10 ppm to be contaminated." They say lead is especially...