Zach Behrens

Just like last week, the Vandenberg Air Force Base is planning a launch tonight. This time it is anticipated to be the AtlasV rocket, which will be sent into the sky a little after 9 p.m. tonight (listen to live updates here from). There should be no noise, but the Los Angeles Fire Department said it will "likely be quite visible." They say there is no need to call 911....

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....

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....

After spending 563 days in jail for contempt of court, Richard Fine has been freed. In fact, Fine broke the L.A. County record for a lawyer held in contempt. He was officially jailed for not adhering to a court order: pay $46,329 or release details of personal finances, but he believes it was in "retaliation for exposing Los Angeles County's practice of paying judges an annual bonus of $57,000 in addition to their state...

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...

The LAPD is back this weekend with another sobriety and drivers license checkpoint as part of its effort to deter people drinking and driving. Tonight's location will be in the Cahuenga Pass neighborhood, outside Universal Studios, at Cahuenga and Bennett between 8 p.m. and 2 a.m. The LAPD does not have to announce all checkpoints so there could be more out there. Another checkpoint is scheduled for Saturday evening in Azusa, according to the...

Photo by jeffkingla via LAist Featured Photos on Flickr It was a little more than a year ago that Clifton's Cafeteria in downtown Los Angeles went up for sale. Owners, who had bought the 47,000 square-foot building at 7th and Broadway for themselves, planned to keep the eatery running despite a tenuous economic environment. If there was ever a worry that the classic restaurant, which has been open since the 1930s, would go wayside,...

Photo by Jonathan Alcorn (Sundogg) via LAist Featured Photos on Flickr Amoeba Records, along with its two other California locations, took top honors this week on Rolling Stone's list of 25 top U.S. record stores for unique vinyl and CDs. No surprises there and no other local stores were listed (Chicago garnered three spots!). The news is bittersweet with the news we learned last month that Fat Beats on Melrose Avenue is closing its...

There are plenty of Jesus sighting around town, but what's with those two neon "Jesus Saves" signs in downtown Los Angeles? They sit atop the United Artists Theatre, but that's not their original spot, says blogdowntown's Eric Richardson, who details their history, which includes moving it from downtown to La Mirada, a scrapeyard and back....

A test missile is scheduled to launch from a Southland air force base early Friday morning. While the unarmed Minuteman III ICBM from Vandenberg Air Force Base in Santa Barbara County will make no noise, it may be visible in the sky sometime between 3 and 9 a.m. In order to decrease call volume, the Los Angeles Fire Department says there's no need to call 9-1-1....

Photo by guamafro via Flickr This creepy headline comes courtesy of the LA Times. At about 2 a.m. on Wednesday, sheriff's deputies say a man broke into a Rancho Palos Verdes home and began stroking the teenage daughter's hair and whispered something into her ear. She was never hurt during the incident, but when she awoke and screamed, her parents chased him out. The suspect is described as a 20 to 25-year-old Latino, 5-foot-10...

Photo by jimmay bones via LAist Featured Photos on Flickr 1 in 7 people are living in poverty, concludes the latest census report. And flu season has arrived. The stage vacated by "The Tonight Show With Conan O'Brien" will soon be home to KNBC Channel 4's news operation and the Los Angeles bureau for NBC News. A visit to the set of internet show "Young Hollywood," which has 3 million unique viewers a month,...