Zach Behrens

In an expose about TV news ratings, Variety's Michael Schneider digs into the current landscape, finding some interesting results: "According to the Pew Research Center for the People and the Press, 52% of the public say they watch local TV news -- down from 64% in 1998. NBC affiliates in particular have been stung this fall; due to its low-rated 'Jay Leno Show' lead-in at 10 p.m., Los Angeles' KNBC has seen its late...

TMZ's latest Maria Shriver gotcha moment was published today after they observed her park an Escalade for one hour in a red zone while going to the doctor's office in Santa Monica. Miraculously, the aggressive parking enforcement people did not catch this. "Some advice 2 First Lady: TMZ isn't going away," twittered John Myers of KQED Capitol Notes, referencing the recent paparazzi crackdown on her cell phone driving habits. "Also..wondering abt carbon footprint of...

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...

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...

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...

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....

The Yellow-Legged Frog is one of the endangered species found within the Angeles National Forest. With the Station Fire now past and mudslides a concern, U.S. Fish and Wildlife service officials are relocating some of the frogs until their home is more stable, reports the Pasadena Star News. Other endangered species in the forest include the unarmored threespine stickleback (it's a fish), the Arroyo toad and the Santa Ana suckerfish. LAist covered the frogs...

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....

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....

After a hot mess of a meeting between the L.A. City Council, AEG and City Attorney Carmen Trutanich's office, the council unanimously approved sign permits for AEG. Attorneys with Trutanich say this action, an exception as they put it, will open the city up to more lawsuit fodder from the billboard industry. They're probably right. Nevertheless, this particular drama has ended, setting the path for the opening of Regal Cinemas, which will play the...