Zach Behrens

Texting + Driving = bad | digitaljournal.com/Flickr A crash involving four vehicles prompted a SigAlert on the eastbound 118 Freeway during rush hour this morning. A witness told police that a driver of black honda was text messaging prior to hitting a bus, spinning out and hitting other vehicles. Another bus and a box truck were also involved in the crash, which was located before Reseda Boulevard. "[The alleged text messaging] will be part...

One day before the Station Fire began, the Morris Fire ignited in the Angeles National Forest above Azusa and Glendora, prompting the closure of Highway 39 and a handful of evacuations of camping areas. Today authorities said that a 13-year-old boy started the fire, but did not say how it was started, according to the LA Times. The case was presented to the district attorney's office, which will decide if there will be any...

A fire that began around 6:30 a.m. this morning reportedly destroyed a home in the Hollywood Hills. Arson units are currently on scene after the blaze was attacked by firefighters predominately on the attic and first levels of the four-level home at 2047 North Sunset Plaza Drive, according to an LAFD spokesperson on the phone. The owner was on scene and no injuries were reported. Firefighters called a knockdown at 7:10 a.m., stopping the...

Photo by JeremyRyan via Flickr Considering the recent flooding in Studio City, a fire truck consumed into a Valley Village street and various other floods throughout the city--Melrose Ave., South LA, Exposition Ave.--Los Angeles Department of Water and Power officials said today that in order to repair the city's older infrastructure within the 7,200 miles of piping, they will ask the City Council to increase water rates, according to the LA Times. “They have...

Attorney General Jerry Brown may officially not be running for Governor yet, but he's raised a lot more money than San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom, who aggressively has been holding town hall meetings across the state. Today Newsom'e campaign announced that Former President Bill Clinton will join him at two events in Los Angeles, one of which that will be a fundraiser. A look at the first half of 2009's filings with the Secretary...

Photo by Alan Heitz via LAist Featured Photos/Flickr Facing a $405-million budget deficit, Mayor Villaraigosa earlier this summer asked city employees to share the sacrifice. A major deal was struck with civilian union employees by letting 2,400 employees retire early within five years. That plan needed City Council approval and with months of no action, things have changed. Mostly, $75 million in projected tax revenue did not come in meaning early retirement at this...

Dog walkers at Leo Carillo State Beach this weekend | Photo by Zach Behrens/LAist California State Park officials last week said the list of parks to close could be announced sometime this week. "Possibly by the end of the week, but nothing is for sure," said Sheryl Watson, a state parks spokesperson, over the phone today. Word on the street among parks activists concur, but some speculate next week will hold D-Day. And with...

Not that normal means no more smog, but the daily Station Fire-related alerts from the Los Angeles County Public Health Department took a turn for the better today. "According to the South Coast Air Quality Management District, the air quality in Los Angeles County has returned to 'moderate' to 'good' levels, except for in the areas immediately around the still-burning portions of the Station Fire in the San Gabriel Mountains," the agency announced in...

Just like every time a space shuttle lands at Edwards Air Force Base, the Los Angeles area is rocked by twin sonic booms. And every time, you can perk your ears up and listen to neighbors outside ask if it was an earthquake or big crash on the street. Luckily, the Los Angeles Fire Department, who faithfully warned the public through Twitter, reports no 911 calls, but someone did flag out an LAFD unit...

If there was a weekend where you wanted to check out art, this is it. No, it's not a coordinated event or festival, it's just good timing. This happens every year as the art season is very much like back to school. Everyone has been gone for a month or two so it just happens that all the fall shows open the same time. "This weekend people are driving cross town to see as much as possible," explained Bettina Korek, Founder of ForYourArt, which lists the best of best for the weekend on its website.

It was supposed to be produced in 1969 at an exhibition about Earth Art, but it never happened, “perhaps for lack of funds or because it was not taken seriously," artist Bruce Nauman once wrote. But tomorrow, 40 years later, Nauman will have his chance to correct that when Untitled, 1969/2009 will be seen by thousands in the Pasadena area. The skywriting, which will mischievously say “Leave the Land Alone," will commence sometime between...

We've seen, smelt and been saddened by the destruction of the deadly Station Fire in the Angeles National Forest. Containment is expected next week and soon after a new phase will be entered into: rebirth. "After we get in there and assess what damages need to be repaired, there will be opportunity for volunteers to help the Forest Service repair some of this stuff," explained Howard Okamoto, the Recreation Officer for the Los Angeles...