Zach Behrens

Homemade Curried Chicken Pita (chicken, thai curry, ginger mango chutney, grapes, cashews, lettuce, scallions, whole wheat pita) | Photo by Zach Behrens/LAist This Trader Joe's-inpsired cookbook has been out since 2008, but when spotted on a bookstore shelf last night, we got a bit giddy inside. It's L.A.'s favorite grocery store (based on the amount of comments Trader Joe's posts receive), so maybe this will be our favorite cookbook. So far, we're loving it....

The Belmont Shore Pier in Long Beach | Photo by ljp1150 via Flickr Unfortunately, sewage spills in the Long Beach area are all too often. The latest began this weekend when a sewage line began to leak on Saturday night. The waste entered the storm drain system and headed towards Shoreline Village at the mouth of the L.A. River. Now, after 1,400 gallons of raw sewage, 2 1/2 miles of coastline are closed between...

The Metro Eastside Extension Map | Download a larger version here Metro this morning finally announced the long-awaited opening of the Gold Line's Eastside Extension between downtown Los Angeles to East L.A. After the traditional inaugural ride with government officials and media in tow the day before, the six-mile line will be open to the public with free rides on Sunday, November 15th. Metro estimates that ridership will grow to 13,000 average weekday boardings....

Tracks left in the sand at the Imperial Sand Dunes | Photo by dionysia via Flickr The largest mass of sand dunes in California just became more accessible with the opening of a new road today. The Bureau of Land Management opened the newly constructed Wash Road in the Imperial Sand Dunes near the southeastern corner of the state. The 15 MPH corridor, which leads to camp sites, parallels a road on a Union...

Police have set up a large perimeter in the Carthay Circle neighborhood as they search for an armed suspect thought to be hiding in the area. Shots were fired around 2:20 p.m. and at this point, there are no reported victims, according to LAPD's media relations. The perimeter is focused in the area around Fairfax and Olympic....

The LAPD is setting up two sobriety & drivers license checkpoints this weekend. As always, just don't drink and drive and you'll be fine. Between 8:00 p.m. and 3:00 a.m. tonight, police will set a checkpoint up on Figueroa Street between 8th and 9th streets. Tomorrow in Cahuenga Pass between Hollywood and the Universal City area, a checkpoint will be set up...

For an airport that looks horrible, operates terribly and still has no train connection, who would be surprised at the latest poll results? Based on an online survey taken by 14,000 members and world travelers of Priority Pass, LAX came in number three behind London's Heathrow Airport and Charles de Gaulle International Airport in Paris.

Will these be filled by digital graphics? Downtown residents discuss at blogdowntown | Photo by Eric Richardson/blogdowntown In the process to make L.A. Live a reality, AEG has been going through the city for permits and approvals for eight years. Now with a moratorium on billboards upheld by a judge, City Attorney Carmen Trutanich is fighting the installation of six digital billboards at the new 14-screen Regal Cinemas theatre, set to open on Wednesday....

KABC-TV is reporting a shooting death in front of a Van Nuys apartment building that has left one person dead. Two suspects, one reported to be a female, were apparently seen running eastbond on Vanowen towards Sepulveda. LAPD Media Relations has few details at the moment. Also: The Los Angeles Fire Depatment is reporting the death of a man in his 60's who was apparently was killed in a trash compactor at 8201 N....

Get ready for some breakfast street food. Eater LA confirms that "Team Buttermilk Truck has officially confirmed the mobile vendor's November 11 launch date." And it won't just be pancakes and applewood sausages. At night, look out for chicken and waffles and the Buttermilk Brick....

Irvine's effort to turn the former 4,700-acre El Toro Marine Corps Air Station into the 21st Century's famed park just got a major boost. $65.5 million in construction projects were approved yesterday, paving the way for facilities to open in 2010 and 11. Those projects include a sports park, an arts and culture exhibition space, a 100-acre working farm, an agricultural pavilion (described as an “upscale” roadside farm stand), a 1.5-acre Community Garden, a...

"Union Station" by hatehills via the LAist Featured Photos pool on Flickr The Angels beat the Yankees, 7-6, in Game 5 tonight. New York still leads in the American League Championship Series at 3-2. Oh, really? TMZ finds that two girls, aged 18 and 19, have been arrested in connection to burglaries at the homes of Lindsay Lohan and Audrina Patridge. They also might be connected to similar incidents at Paris Hilton, Orlando Bloom...