Zach Behrens

It was the City Council and without their thinking caps, says the LA Weekly. The City owns the marathon and contracts it out to the McCourt Group (yes, the same McCourt who owns the Dodgers). "Everyone seemed happy — until the first 'pre-planning' meeting" at Councilman Tom LaBonge's office, wrote Tina Dupuy. "There, somebody thought to ask senior transportation engineer Aram Sahakian about the street logistics of holding the marathon on President’s Day, February...

In a pretty shocking move last month, the Los Angeles Unified School District cut summer school for elementary and middle students along with some high school level classes in a move to save $34 million from its dwindling budget. Overall, this affects 225,000 students. So what are the kids to do, asks the Daily News? Are they at risk? Will they run amok throughout the city? How about getting a job? The latter is...

A $1.50 tax increase to packs of cigarettes sold in California was approved today by the state's Senate Health Committee. Yesterday, a legislative budget committee approved the increase, among various other deficit related moves, all supported by Democrats, which Schwarzenegger promises to veto. It's estimate that it would provide $1.2 billion in new revenues. "A statewide poll by David Binder Research in the wake of the May 19th Special Election demonstrates that a strong...

Mr. Brainwash is at it again at his usual spot on La Brea at San Vicente. This time celebrating along with the rest of Los Angeles. "It might be an understatement to say Mr Brainwash polarizes opinion," wrote the unnamed blogger at unurth, a street art blog. "While some people love his work, and he sells prints and originals at blazing speed, others criticize him for lacking originality and being overly commercial. I like a lot of his work, but to me this piece doesn’t make it any easier to defend him."

Photo by inocuo via Flickr Get ready to splash! Come Saturday, 34 pools will open to the public for the summer season, including the new family Aquatic Center at Jackie Tatum (Harvard) Recreation Center in South LA. Additionally, 16 year-round pools will begin their summer schedule. An affordable $2.50 gets you in for a swim. Show your city library card and it's fifty-cents less. Children age 17 or younger, seniors age 65 or older,...

To find the apps, go to iTunes or the Apps store and search for KCRW or click here to open up iTunes KCRW today officially launched three iPhone apps connecting listeners with live streams, calendars, videos and archived shows. Each cost 99-cents, which "will help offset costs for future iterations of this app and future apps," says a station spokesperson. The main app lets you tune into the internet channels, which include the live...

"Just look at that picture. Look at how that cheese is melting, you know it belongs in your fucking face." That's vegan blogger Quarrygirl for you on her above photo from Chango in Echo Park. The coffeeshop is now offering grilled cheeses with that new vegan cheese that some pizzerias have started to use. Is this a trend that we'll see continue across the city? Is this Daiya vegan cheese so good that chefs...

About 500 employees were slashed from MySpace's company roll call, CNET reported today. "Simply put, our staffing levels were bloated and hindered our ability to be an efficient and nimble team-oriented company," Owen Van Natta, CEO of the News Corp.-owned social site, said in a release. "I understand that these changes are painful for many. They are also necessary for the long-term health and culture of MySpace. Our intent is to return to an...

LA Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa today speaks at a news conference to announce plans for the Los Angeles Lakers' NBA championship victory parade (AP Photo/Reed Saxon) Under pressure not to spend nearly a million dollars in city money for the Lakers parade tomorrow, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa raised $850,000 from private donors to offset costs. "If we hadn't had a parade, you've have had a whole bevy of other people criticizing," he said. Those who helped...

Several lanes remain closed on the southbound 405 freeway as police search for burglary suspect who hid in a storm drain near the Roscoe on- and off-ramps. The suspects--one was arrested--were apparently trying steal copper wiring from a nearby warehouse when someone reported the burglary, according to the LAPD. The closure began around 3 a.m., snarling morning traffic on one of the busiest freeways in the world....

As seen Sunday night in downtown (AP Photo/ Philip Scott Andrews) Despite the unruly celebratory behavior witnessed, the crowd control Sunday night after the Lakers win was considered a success by the LAPD, reported the LA Times. A new tactic was to "remove the rabble-rousers, push larger crowds into marginal areas and chase smaller groups until they disperse" in order to limit injuries and property damage all while not reviving the horrid use of...

LA Wad Blue Line trains will run every 6 minutes from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. tomorrow to help move the hundreds of thousands of people expected at tomorrow's Lakers victory parade. Additionally, the Red and Purple Lines will carry extra train cars and Gold and Green Lines are prepared to add more trains to service if needed. "Metro Bus services will be significantly impacted in the event area, especially bus lines that either...