Zach Behrens

A Thursday night water main break in the Hollywood Hills left about 20 people without water through this morning, reports the Daily News. The six-inch main burst in the Mount Olympus area in the Hollywood Hills affecting about 20 customers. No streets were closed. Then around 4:20 a.m. this morning, an eight-inch pipe broken near Paramount Studios, says the LA Times. The break on Van Ness between Melrose and Lemon Grove has prompted the...

This is entirely strange, bizarre and truly frightening. A 6-year-old Colorado boy apparently climbed into a hot-air balloon (of sorts) that floated away. Commentators on CNN predict it's going 40 miles per hour at 10,000 feet elevation. There is also speculation that the boy (his name is Falcon Heen) may have fallen out, according to a sibling who said the balloon's door was left open as it took off. Craig Kennedy, a hot air balloon expert, agrees, hypothesizing that if the boy was actually on board, it wouldn't be flying so topsy-turvy like.

As we have been saying, if you're not heading up to Mammoth to ski, you'll be down here for the expected hot temps this weekend. The moderate rainstorm of the past couple days is creeping away and the heat is coming back. Expect temperatures from the 70s to even maybe the low 90s, depending on where you live (beachside, valleyside?). And as nice as the weather will be, is it a good idea to...

Is Menchies going to overtake Pinkberry in Los Angeles? It was not that long ago when it was a franchise of one in Valley Village. Now they're opening it's 19th location in Chatsworth, which is the 11th for the L.A. area (and there are plans to open five more from Granada Hills to Beverly Hills to Santa Monica). In celebration, the self-serve yogurt shop will be giving away free yumminess (up to 12 ounces)...

After the legality of Prop 8 was upheld in May, protesters took to the streets (more photos here) | Photo by Tom Andrews/LAist Foes of gay marriage tried to get a U.S. District Judge to dismiss a case against Proposition 8, a voter-approved initiative that reinstated a ban on gay marriage last November. As expected, Judge Vaughn Walker denied the motion, which means a court case could begin as early as January, according to...

It was January 26th, 2005 when Juan Alvarez parked his gasoline-drenched Jeep Cherokee on train tracks in Glendale. He said it was an attempt to commit suicide before he changed his mind the last minute. He jumped out of the way before "a fast-moving Metrolink train struck the SUV, derailed and struck a parked Union Pacific locomotive before colliding with another Metrolink train traveling in the other direction," as the Associated Press describes. 11...

Photo by blmurch via Flickr Because rain continued to drop today, the Los Angeles County Department of Health extended an advisory that warned beach goers to stay away from swimming near discharging storm drains, creeks, and rivers. That's because "bacteria, debris, trash, and other public health hazards from city streets and mountain areas are likely to enter ocean waters though these outlets," they said. However, the nonprofit supergroup Heal the Bay recommends just staying...

"Breaking News" photo courtesy of TMZ After being caught not once, not twice, but thrice, California's First Lady Maria Shriver apologized today for breaking the cell phone while driving law. Her brief statement: I’m sorry. I will be donating my favorite old cell phone to my Women’s Conference partner Verizon through their HopeLine program that helps domestic violence shelters. I invite anyone else who wants to recycle their old phone to join me. That’s...

The slopes at Mammoth, as seen last December | Photo by puliarf via Flickr After receiving at least two feet of snow over the past 24 hours, Mammoth Mountain officials decided to move their opening date from November 12 to this Friday, they announced this morning. It is the second earliest opening for the resort ever. That means some L.A. snowbirds will be leaving the warmer temperatures expected this weekend for the snow. SoCal...

The Los Angeles Department of Power & Water have updated the number of customers without power this morning. Here are the latest numbers, as of 10 a.m.: South Los Angeles: 3,370 Venice/Mar Vista: 1,970 Highland Park: 2,650 Crenshaw: 1,960...

A midnight fire on the west side of Los Angeles International Airport is causing some delays this morning. Terminal 6 is experiencing minor delays and officials are asking travelers to give themselves enough time as light signals around the airport have been affected. Other than that, the outage is mostly affecting administrative (non-essential personnel) and tenant buildings. There is no estimate of when the power will be restored....

A non rainy day | Photo by the1withtheeyes via LAist Featured Photos on Flickr Census worries: "California has cut its census funding to $2 million from $24.7 million a decade earlier, and a Pew Charitable Trusts study released this week found that L.A. funding has also plunged." What's the latest in the courts with cases that involve vehicles and cyclists? The suspect in the UCLA stabbing/slashing pleaded not guilty today in court. The people...