Zach Behrens

Photo by Benjamin Page via LAist Featured Photos on Flickr Fresh & Eash, the grocery store that wants to eventually be a dominating force with a location in every neighborhood, has announced a slew of news spots, including its 100th in California. Nine of them will open in September with four of them located in the Los Angeles region. Stores will open in Los Angeles (specifically Sylmar in the Northeast San Fernando Valley), Oxnard,...

Angelenos are reacting to the hotter temperatures today by using more energy. So much, in fact, the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power sent out a note urging conservation. "Any time energy demand exceeds this level we need to begin conserving wherever possible, while not jeopardizing anyone's health or safety," said Raman Raj, LADWP Chief Operating Officer. "Saving power not only conserves energy but also reduces the possibility of strain on power system...

Get thee to the beach! | Photo by red.dahlia via LAist Featured Photos on Flickr The National Weather Service has issued an excessive heat watch for many areas of Southern California, including the valleys and mountain areas. With a very large high pressure system building over the next few days, monsoonal moisture -- that's a plume or flow of moist unstable air channeling into a particular area -- from the Gulf of Mexico has...

Photo by djjewelz via LAist Featured Photos on Flickr In addition to a brush fire in Ventura County's Camarillo Heights, two other ones are burning. A 2,700-acre blaze is 60% contained at Camp Pendleton and smaller one is burning in Walnut. Major U.S. cities, such as Los Angeles, "may be among the last entities to feel like they've emerged from the recession." Burglars hit three apartments in Silver Lake last week, taking almost everything...

A performance at The Echo | Photo: carlos ※ rossi/LAist Featured Photos Police this morning arrested an alleged biker gang member who is suspected of shooting three people shot outside a popular Echo Park music venue on June 21st. Around 2 a.m. that morning, a crowd was leaving The Echo on Sunset Boulevard when bullets were fired into the crowd. "The suspect arrived at the Echo Park club after being informed that a member...

L.A. City Councilmember Paul Krekorian who represents a large swath of the San Fernando Valley -- from Sherman Oaks to Shadow Hills -- has been in office for six months now. Today the Valley-based Daily News today gave him good ratings: "In City Hall, Krekorian has proven to be a thoughtful leader. He hasn't been a grandstander or a go-along voter. He was willing to buck the City Hall machine by voting against the DWP electrical rate increase..."

A 58-year-old middle school teacher in Hollywood was arrested last week for alleged possession of child pornography, the LAPD announced today. Barry Klein, who has been teaching at Bancroft Middle School since 2001, became subject of an investigation in April and was immediately removed from campus to be put to work in a non-school location, according to Robert Alaniz, LAUSD's Director of Communications & Media Relations. In addition to the charges, which so far...

Former G4 geek vixen and current Daily Show correspondent Olivia Munn (LAist Interview) is no fan of Ringling Brothers, which is in town this week. She even got nude for a billboard earlier this year to bring attention to the circus' apparent abuse of animals. Now that they're at the Staples Center, she's organizing a protest. "BOYCOTT Ringling Bros tonight at 630pm with me at Staples Center. If u have the time, it would...

With hopes of being in service by 2015, soil testing on the second phase of the Expo Line has begun, finds the Santa Monica Daily Press. Drilling for soil, which will occur through July 20th, is a step the authority overseeing the project must do before construction can begin, expected to start later this year. Phase 1 between downtown and Culver City is already in progress and may be completed by the end of...

Traffic came to a halt on Sunset Boulevard this afternoon after a head-on crash prompted authorities to close all lanes. Shortly after 4 p.m., a UCLA police unit responded to a crash on the busy artery between Veteran and Bellagio, finding multiple victims trapped. "All lanes of Sunset Boulevard closed by head-on crash. Avoid this afternoon if possible," warned UCLA's Newsroom on Twitter. The road is closed for about 3/4ths of a mile between...

via In the VIP This time it's not news of the music industry suing college students or trying to cut your internet service, it's those who use Justin Timberlake's "Sexyback" to get down and dirty on film. A number of record companies have filed lawsuits against some porn production companies alleging copyrighted songs were used in films, according to Reuters. The claims could run into the tens of millions. In some films produced by...

A sunset in Griffith Park | Photo by Renee Silverman via LAist Featured Photos on Flickr The first openly gay chief for the Riverside County Sheriff's Department will be in charge of Coachella and La Quinta. A Los Angeles-city agency on Thursday will decide on a $10.5 million parking garage in downtown that would be the foundation for Eli Broad's art museum. Former L.A. County District Attorney Gil Garcetti, father of L.A. City Council...