Zach Behrens

Bowing to residents exasperated with rabbits eating gardens and grass, the Mission Viejo City Council has approved a request to allow residents shoot them with pellet guns, according to the LA Times. But the rules are... interesting: professional exterminators can only shoot a half hour before and after sunrise/sunset, it can only be an air-powered pellet gun, among other guidelines....

A proposal to shut Los Angeles libraries down another day of the week was reluctantly approved yesterday by the board that oversees them. Starting July 6th, libraries will be open five days a week, a move to keep the system of 83 libraries solvent during budget cuts and workforce reductions. This comes after the Board of Library Commissioners voted to shorten hours earlier this year from seven days a week to six due to...

At the Venice Beach Skate Park | Photo by Benjamin Heath via LAist Featured Photos on Flickr Sources tell the LA Times that Michael Jackson's medical records at UCLA were improperly accessed. A Mother living in Montclair checked Facebook and found her missing children, taken 15 years ago by their father to Mexico. "Things that aren't here anymore," as in things that have disappeared from Southern California, is back on KCET tonight. More TV...

Photo by U2Baja via Twitpic It's not just the Los Angeles Public LIbraries that are facing budget cuts, forcing reduced hours, but libraries across the region. At California State University, Los Angeles (CSULA), students were put into a bind when officials shortened hours from midnight to 8 p.m. That's bad news, but what makes it worse is that it was finals week. So a group called The Colektiva on June 1st decided to take...

Smoke as seen from LA Academy | Photo by avalonsensei via Twitter A large fire that caused an explosion at a South L.A. recycling facility this afternoon has officials warning about air quality in the region. The L.A. County Department of Public Health said people are "urged to avoid unnecessary outdoor activity where there is visible smoke or the odor of smoke." At about 11 a.m., the Los Angeles Fire Department responded to the...

At L.A. Pride 2009 (more photos here) | Photo by Tom Andrews/LAist Just days before closing arguments are to be heard in the federal Prop 8 trial, hundreds of thousands will descend upon West Hollywood for L.A. Pride, now in its 40th year. Events begin tonight with the free Dyke March at West Hollywood Park. On Saturday and Sunday, the main festival takes place with the culminating parade taking place on Sunday at 11...

Photo via unurth.com, used with permission A new piece of street art has appeared on Melrose. It's actually in the spot where Banksy put up his "out of bed" rat at Orange Avenue (one of several rats that he's done in Hollywood), which was recently taken down. Unsure if Banksy is actually back in Los Angeles or not, some believe it's not the elusive British street artist. Still, the art has been applauded because...

Photo by Synapped via LAist Featured Photos on Flickr Huntington Beach is not just Surf City USA, but now one magazine is claiming it has the best dog beach in the country. As pointed out by the Orange County Register, FIDO-Friendly magazine has published the top 10 dog beaches, finding Huntington Dog Beach at the top. Reasons include the amount of coastline, rules letting dogs be off leash and nearby pooch-friendly eateries. It's an...

Photo: CarbonNYC/Flickr A pedestrian was struck and killed by a big rig this afternoon, prompting police to close local streets. The woman was apparently walking on Hauser Blvd, just north of Wilshire when the incident happened at 1:06 p.m. Wilshire was closed in both directions between Ridgeley & Masselin, the LAFD reported. An LAist reader says traffic is backed up a few blocks. Traffic is also backing up on 6th Street, according to Google...

16-year-old Abby Sunderland apparently set off her emergency beacon this morning, prompting a search for the Thousand Oaks teen who is attempting to sail around the world solo. She was in the Indian Ocean -- the place she was warned to be the most difficult -- when she lost contact while talking to her parents over the satellite phone. An hour later, the Coast Guard called the family to say her beacon was set...

This weekend is the Big Parade, a two-day 35-mile walk urban hike between downtown L.A. and the Hollywood sign that goes up and down 101 public staircases. Today, the maps were released with extremely detailed instructions on how to join in on the fun at any staircase (they don't expect you to do the whole thing) -- even public transit notes are included. Organizer Dan Koeppel says Saturday will be shorter with more stairs...

Twitpic photo by kkboogie Westside traffic is slowly crawling back to its normal crawl after a morning crash involving a CHP motorcycle officer on the northbound 405 Freeway this morning that prompted both sides to be closed. "The northbound 405 is so eerily clear," noted an LAist tipster around 5 p.m. today, about 15 minutes after all lanes were re-opened. 52-year-old Officer Phillip Ortiz had pulled over a Honda SUV around 8:35 a.m. when...