Zach Behrens

The Batcave | Photo by Caveman 92223 via Flickr Stranded hikers in Griffith Park's Bronson Canyon--famous in TV history for being Batman's batcave--are common enough that the Los Angeles Fire Department has a well-rehearsed rescue plan. "We've done at least a dozen identical rescues," explained Brian Humphrey, a veteran public information officer with the department. Today, that three-tiered plan went into effect--an aerial ladder was extended to to rescue the hiker, some 50 feet...

Beginning January, installation of a new water line will occur on West Silver Lake Drive between Rowena Ave. and Angus St. Although only affecting a short stretch of road, the temporary closure will go on for an "extended period of time," according to The Eastsider LA. "Silver Lake Drive will remain open to local traffic but it not clear yet how local residents will be identified."...

A 20-food-wide sinkhole developed in Historic Filipinotown this morning after a water main broke, reports the LA Times. At 12:48 a.m., an eight-inch cast iron pipe broke, cutting off service to about 30 homes, near Council and North Park View streets in HiFi. Water was shut off at 2 a.m. There are no reports of damage and crews hope to have everything fixed soon....

Photo by Eheartsart/LAist Featured Photos on Flickr As the federal court case about Prop 8, which banned gay marriage last year, nears, lawyers representing two gay couples are seeking internal communications from campaign proponents in order to prove the law was proposed and established with "discriminatory intent." A San Francisco-based federal judge approved such a discovery for the case, which begins on January 11th, but Prop 8 proponents appealed, citing a violation of their...

The Great Balloon faded and decked out in Halloween garb this year | Photo by Kelson via Flickr Lately, Orange County Great Park's balloon has been looking a bit sad, faded and, well, not so great. This is not the condition you want your symbol and main attraction to be in. But not to fear, a new envelope--this one with UV protected pigment--will be installed over the next few days by a crew of...

Today's end-of-day links: Sarah Palin and her book's UCLA error, a denser West Hollywood, LeAnn Rimes to appear at L.A. Live's tree lighting ceremony, LADWP employee bonuses, the possible reopening of the Hall of Justice, a new bike path in Bellflower and a new website for location scouts.

More little quakes to get you thinking about being prepared. A minor 3.1 magnitude earthquake struck near Trona, some 30 miles from Ridgecrest, in San Bernardino County at 4:59 p.m. Thus far, there have been no reports of damge or injuries and one reported aftershock, a 1.4 shaker, less than 10 minutes later. Earlier at 2:14 p.m., a 2.6 magnitude microquake struck off the coast of Orange County, near Laguna Beach and Dana Point....

A 1.4 magnitude earthquake struck 9 miles south of downtown Los Angeles in the Willowbrook area at 7:44 a.m. this morning. That low magnitude of a quake is probably equivalent to feeling like someone shut the door with force in the house next door. Nothing to worry about hear, just a constant reminder about being prepared. Yesterday, a 2.4 struck the Hawthorne-Lennox area....

Come December 15th, a new burger truck is expected to hit L.A.'s streets. Grill Em' All pays homage to Metallica and other rock n' roll bands through their rotating menu. For example, the Molly Hatchet, described by Grub Street Los Angeles as "seared fennel sausage gravy, bacon, and maple syrup" or the...

Crispy Bacon | Photo by rick via Flickr The ever-so progressive and eco-friendly city of Santa Monica is at it again, this time with sewer clogging fats, oil and grease (FOG), which now can be collected for a new future as biofuel. In parking structures 2 through 6, restaurants can jettison their FOG for free, the city announced today. Similarly, residents can recycle their FOG at the city's Household Hazardous Waste Facility at 2500...

Since the Chatsworth Metrolink crash that left 25 dead and 135 injured last year, train engineers have run red lights three times with a possible fourth incident occurring last week, reports the LA Times. This comes despite new safety measures prompted by last year's deadly crash. Last Tuesday a train with passengers inside headed east from downtown when it may have ran a red light. Luckily it stopped a few hundred feet from an...

Photo by biskuit via Flickr Should this be one of those "that's so L.A." moments or a "why wasn't this done years ago" moments? For those of you who always carry plastic and never cash, this should be convenient, at least when you visit Nancy Silverton, Mario Batalli & Joe Bastlanich's Osteria and Pizzeria Mozza restaurants. "Some guests don't carry cash, so it made sense to establish this hassle-free way to pay the valet...