Zach Behrens

Library hours and days may be cut, but parks in Los Angeles will remain open during regular hours this Summer, the Daily News is reporting. However, when the busy season ends and students go back to school in the Fall, that story might change. "We are committed to remaining open when we are the busiest," said Jon Mukri, who heads up the department, to the a city council parks panel. "But, with all the...

Amy Beck, the Burbank middle school teacher who was arrested for having sex with a 14-year-old boy, said through her attorney that she turned herself in because she felt "guilt-ridden and remorseful" and "couldn't live with what she did," the LA Times is reporting. Attorney Michael Williamson said he was unsure why she did what she did, but said he doesn't believe she had relationships with any other students. Beck, a mother of three...

Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa's plan to raise electricity rates to build L.A.'s renewable energy portfolio to 20% by the end of the year and avoid a downgrade in LADWP's bond rating was rejected by the City Counil today. Next Tuesday, the council's Energy & Environment Committee will discuss rate hike recommendations that should be considered in the second version of the plan. A motion by Councilmember Richard Alarcon will also be discussed. His 12-point proposal...

With nine city-owned arts & cultural facilities slated to be closed--thanks to a dwindling Los Angeles budget--the City Council today approved a move to save the centers temporarily. Public art money from public projects will now be extended to keep the facilities open for an additional 24 months while officials work towards finding sustainable ways to keep them open. "Releasing the restriction on this funding so that the department can be strategic in ensuring...

17-year-old McKay Hatch, the South Pasadena teen famous for founding the No Cussing Club and instigating a No Cussing Week here in L.A. County, is at it again, calling out Joe Biden out for swearing. The Vice President whispered into President Barack Obama's ear--and everyone else, thanks to a microphone--"This is a big fucking deal," at the health care bill signing on Tuesday (video). Hatch is planning a 3 p.m. press conference today to...

Across Figueroa from the Staples Center and catty-corner to L.A. Live is a property that could someday be L.A. Central. Originally set to be home of two towers--53 and 37 stories--over 850 market-rate units, a 222-room hotel and 250,000 square feet of retail, the project has seen trouble in past years, but plans are still afoot, even if a bit scaled back reports Eric Richardson at blogdowtown. Today, the property owner of the four-acre...

Photo by dreamyshade via LAist Featured Photos on Flickr Think movie tickets are expensive? Think again. Prices are going up nationwide this weekend.Fewer city staff, thanks to layoffs and early retirements, means construction projects are not getting approved fast enough, thus meaning less jobs in the private sector. Korean Air, which wants to build redevelop the Wilshire Grand hotel in downtown, is not happy. Meanwhile, a Chinese developer has bought the Los Angeles Marriott...

Officials at Long Beach City College are looking down the rabbit hole. Actually, many holes. The college's east campus has become a haven for dumping rabbits and the population is increasing... and fast (bunnies can have about 10 babies a month). Announced Wednesday, the school said how rabbit holes are be a public safety hazard--don't trip!--and that they are digging, well, a hole in the landscaping budget. Now the bunnies are being collected so...

Remember when CBS2 investigated crashes at intersections where red light cameras were installed? Their report concluded that incidents were up, citing the number of rear-end crashes when drivers stopped earlier than expected at yellow lights. But that report was faulty, in our opinion, ignoring the fact that red light cameras are not to blame, but people who tailgating are. It also said the lights were cash cows, which may have been true then, but...

At the Grand Opening of the new police station last September | Photo via the Boyle Heights Historical Society The L.A. City Council yesterday voted to rename an Eastside police station from the Hollenbeck Police Station to the Rudy de Leon/Hollenbeck Station. But it wasn't without a lenghty public comment period where an outpouring of residents spoke up on both sides of the issue. "It's very disrespectful," one resident told the council. "Mr. and...

The Japanese Garden at Huntington Gardens | Photo by delara-photos via LAist Featured Photos on Flickr Calling all science nerds: Friday and Saturday will be "JPL Climate Day 2010" at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Suge Knight is being sought after a rapper was attacked and robbed by 10 men in Woodland Hills. Get your walking shoes. The 15-mile Jefferson/Adams walk is this Saturday. The Venice Community Garden is coming soon! The death of the...

A recent study found L.A.'s literacy rank at 62 out of 75 cities | Photo by Matt McGrath Photography via the LAist Featured Photos pool on Flickr At yesterday's City Council meeting, City Librarian Martin Gomez said that although the library is seeing an increase in visitors--17 million people last year--and circulation--18 million items--that the budget could no longer sustain the department's system of 74 libraries and 1132 positions. The library's budget, which is...