LA Times: Los Angeles


Divided court rejects Proposition 8
The 9th Circuit panel declares that California's gay-marriage ban is unconstitutional.

Reporting from San Francisco and Los Angeles -- A federal appeals court has declared California's 2008 voter-approved ban on same-sex marriage unconstitutional, concluding that the prohibition served no purpose other than to "lessen the status and human dignity of gays and lesbians."



8 Feb 2012 at 12:00am

California was ahead of the curve on gay marriage — for a while
California's early granting of same-sex marriage licenses led to the backlash culminating in Proposition 8, banning the unions. Meanwhile, other states have passed the state by on the rights issue.

California's turbulent relationship with gay marriage can be traced back eight years, almost to the day, when San Francisco abruptly began issuing marriage licenses to gay couples. So many people showed up, they had to say their vows three and four couples at a time under the dome of City Hall, some in matching gowns and tuxedos, many spilling into the streets in buoyant celebration.



8 Feb 2012 at 12:00am

200 new photos found in L.A. teacher sex abuse case
Detectives investigating a Miramonte Elementary School teacher accused of lewd acts against students this week discovered 200 new photos he allegedly took of students.



8 Feb 2012 at 12:00pm

Second accused South Los Angeles teacher fired, charged
The three felony counts against Miramonte Elementary School teacher Martin Springer involve one girl. A second had said he fondled her, but she recanted, a source says.

One of two teachers accused of abusing students at Miramonte Elementary School was charged Tuesday with three felony counts and fired by the Los Angeles Board of Education.



8 Feb 2012 at 12:00am

FBI investigates bribery allegations at Department of Building and Safety
Multiple complaints were lodged against an inspector assigned to the Koreatown area who quit after being placed on leave.

FBI agents probing allegations of bribe-taking at the Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety have obtained records and questioned individuals about a soft-spoken building inspector who retired from his post nearly a year ago.



8 Feb 2012 at 12:00am

Parents, teachers protest plan to scrap transitional kindergarten
Gov. Jerry Brown wants to eliminate the new grade to save money, but opponents call it unfair to 4-year-olds and a hardship on parents.

The children painted Valentines, formed hearts with Play-Doh and made their own books in a colorful classroom at Long Beach's George Washington Carver Elementary School.



8 Feb 2012 at 12:00am

Media gain access to L.A. County children's courts
Some judges and lawyers embrace the change; others object as reporters observe proceedings formerly cloaked in strict secrecy.

Just days into an unprecedented effort to open Los Angeles County children's courts to the press, Judge D. Zeke Zeidler weighed the case of a young boy whose abuse injuries raised concerns that he might never be able to run again and have confined him to a medical facility for many months.



7 Feb 2012 at 10:21pm

Miramonte aide's love letters to pupil investigated
The student's mother says school officials and sheriff's deputies ignored her complaints at first. L.A. Unified officials say they are having trouble finding any record of the employee, saying she no longer works for the district.

In June 2009, the mother of a fourth-grader made a discovery that is now the latest incident under investigation at Miramonte Elementary School: a teacher's aide was allegedly writing love letters to her 11-year-old son.



8 Feb 2012 at 12:00am

Will L.A. Unified's response to abuse allegations pass muster?
Administrators removed Mark Berndt from the classroom last year, long after complaints were first raised. Now, parents are mixed on transferring the entire staff as the investigation continues and upset that information was kept from them.

Did detectives move quickly enough?



8 Feb 2012 at 12:00am

Los Angeles City Hall grounds to get a modified makeover
Council votes for a plan with less grass, more native and drought-tolerant plants in the wake of the destruction by the Occupy encampment.

The park surrounding Los Angeles City Hall will soon be getting a California makeover, with less green grass and more native and drought-tolerant plants.



8 Feb 2012 at 12:00am

LA Times: San Fernando Valley


Teacher accused of calling student ?Jew boy? to be fired
After months of controversy, the La Caņada Unified school board voted unanimously Tuesday to begin dismissal proceedings against a high school math teacher accused of calling a student a "Jew boy."
8 Feb 2012 at 9:17am

Unlicensed driver at wheel in crash that killed 3, authorities say
Three women have now died following a fatal car crash in South Los Angeles last week involving an unlicensed driver, authorities said Tuesday.
7 Feb 2012 at 12:29pm

Man walking on Hollywood Freeway fatally hit by car
A man walking across the Hollywood Freeway was struck and killed Tuesday morning, authorities say
7 Feb 2012 at 7:08am

LAPD seeks information in slaying of Sun Valley man
Los Angeles police Monday were looking for leads in the killing of 26-year-old Travis Solorio after an argument in Sun Valley.
6 Feb 2012 at 7:00pm

Valley school janitor accused of lewd act on student
A janitor at a Chatsworth elementary school was arrested early Monday on suspicion of performing a lewd act on a student at the school, police said.
6 Feb 2012 at 12:53pm

Neighborhood argument ends in fatal shooting, LAPD says
Travis Solorio, a Sun Valley man, was shot and killed Sunday after a dispute with a neighbor turned deadly, police said.
6 Feb 2012 at 11:50am

Homeless man found stabbed to death in Valley storm drain channel
A man who was apparently homeless was found stabbed to death Saturday evening in a San Fernando Valley storm drainage channel, police said Sunday.
5 Feb 2012 at 1:32pm

Police await autopsy on baby who stopped breathing at daycare
Burbank police officials are awaiting autopsy results in the case of an 11-month-old baby who died after experiencing breathing problems at a daycare center.
3 Feb 2012 at 7:11am

'Home Improvement' actor arrested on suspicion of DUI in Burbank
Former child actor Taran Noah Smith, who played the youngest son on the TV show "Home Improvement," was arrested early Tuesday on suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs after being pulled over in Burbank.
1 Feb 2012 at 11:30am

Ex-volleyball coach accused of shooting 'upskirt' photos at mall
A 49-year-old man has been arrested for allegedly using his cell phone to take "upskirt" photos of a woman on a Glendale Galleria escalator.
1 Feb 2012 at 11:30am

CBS 2 - KCAL 9: Los Angeles


Santa Monica Community Groups Wage Publicity War Over Hotel Overhaul
Two opposing community organizations are waging a public relations war over a major overhaul of the Fairmont Miramar Hotel & Bungalows, which will top the agenda of the Santa Monica Planning Commission Wednesday night.
8 Feb 2012 at 2:38pm

Behind The Pages Of The ?Billionaires Guide To Foreclosure?
Mishael Ondieki, the author of "Billionaires Guide to Foreclosure: A Step-by-Step Guide to Getting Out of Trouble," is working with chambers of commerce and other trade organizations to educate small businesses how to raise capital from private lenders, regardless of their credit history or rating.
8 Feb 2012 at 2:30pm

LA County OKs $1,000 Fine For Throwing Football, Frisbee On Beaches
When you head down to the beach for a little fun this summer, county officials want you to leave the pigskin at home.
8 Feb 2012 at 2:27pm

Romanian Indicted For Hacking Into NASA Computers At JPL
A Romanian citizen has been indicted on federal charges of hacking into NASA computers at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, causing more than $500,000 in damage.
8 Feb 2012 at 2:14pm

Pick-A-Side: Who Should Win The Grammy For?
Who had the best album last year? What was the best song? Who was the best new artist? Grammys nominees and also-rans square off on Pick-A-Side. And you pick the winner.
8 Feb 2012 at 1:53pm

Deputies Discover 200 New Photos Allegedly Taken By Miramonte Elementary Teacher
Los Angeles County Sheriff's deputies have discovered approximately 200 new explicit photos reportedly taken by a teacher at Miramonte Elementary School.
8 Feb 2012 at 1:29pm

Study: After-School Programs Can Reduce Alcohol Use Among Middle School Students
A voluntary substance prevention program held after school and presented by trained facilitators can help reduce alcohol use among young adolescents, according to a new study.
8 Feb 2012 at 1:12pm

Former Hawthorne Mayor Gets Probation For Stealing Commercial Food Mixer
Former Hawthorne Mayor Larry Guidi pleaded guilty Wednesday to a taking a commercial food mixer from the Hawthorne School District, where he worked as a warehouse operations manager.
8 Feb 2012 at 1:05pm

Disabled Upland Army Vet, 87, Leads Legal Fight After Health Benefits Alleged...
Dr. William Hall claims he and several other seniors were the victims of "abusive documentation practices".
8 Feb 2012 at 12:41pm

Hip-Hop Visionaries Return For 8th Annual ?Roots Jam Session?
Returning on the eve of the Grammy Awards, the 8th annual Roots Jam Session is back at the House Of Blues.
8 Feb 2012 at 12:33pm

Los Angeles Daily News: Most Viewed


L.A. County worker arrested in police prostitution sting on Lankershim Boulevard
While on duty and driving a government truck, a Los Angeles County Department of Public Works employee was arrested Thursday during a police sting targeting prostitution along Lankershim Boulevard in Sun Valley.
6 Feb 2012 at 11:00pm

UPDATED: Man shot, killed in Palmdale identified
PALMDALE - Authorities today identified a man who was shot and killed in Palmdale. The shooting in the 38000 block of 20th Street East was reported to authorities at 8:50 p.m. Tuesday, said Deputy Peter Gomez of the Sheriff's Headquarters Bureau. | POLICE NEWS
7 Feb 2012 at 11:00pm

LAUSD tries to restore trust in Miramonte Elementary School
LOS ANGELES - When students return to the school where two teachers were jailed last week for alleged lewdness, they'll have new teachers in their classrooms, a new principal in the front office and new workers serving lunch.
6 Feb 2012 at 11:00pm

DRUG WAR: Mexico navy finds 10 bodies in mass grave
VERACRUZ, Mexico - A suspected member of the Zetas drug gang has led Mexican authorities to a mass grave site at two ranches in the Gulf coast state of Veracruz, the navy said Wednesday. | PHOTO GALLERY
7 Feb 2012 at 11:00pm

Blue Moon Nights, NoHo club, faces operating-hours limit
Blue Moon Nights, one of the few after-hours clubs in the San Fernando Valley, is facing an uncertain future amid increasing scrutiny by the city and complaints from neighbors.
6 Feb 2012 at 11:00pm

Name change may not be your dream
Question: My father has generously offered to buy my family the house of our dreams.
6 Feb 2012 at 11:00pm

LAKERS NOTEBOOK: Deal or no deal, is question for GM Kupchak
PHILADELPHIA - There are moves to be made, if Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak finds one he really likes.
5 Feb 2012 at 11:00pm

Teen who wanted to know what it felt like to kill gets life in prison
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. - A central Missouri teenager who confessed to strangling, cutting and stabbing a 9-year-old girl because she wanted to know how it felt to kill someone was sentenced Wednesday to life in prison with the possibility of parole.
7 Feb 2012 at 11:00pm

LAKERS NOTEBOOK: Bryant cares more about winning sixth than being fifth
BOSTON - Not long after he passed Shaquille O'Neal for fifth place on the NBA's all-time scoring list Monday in Philadelphia, Kobe Bryant said the points were nice but what he really wanted was a sixth title with the Lakers.
6 Feb 2012 at 11:00pm

Sun Valley chase ends with CHP knocking car into tree
LOS ANGELES - A chase that began on the Golden State (5) Freeway off Sheldon Street in Sun Valley at 5:40 p.m. Tuesday ended about an hour later in the Silver Lake area with a PIT maneuver.
7 Feb 2012 at 11:00pm

Topix News: Los Angeles



Body Found in Hollywood Hills Driveway

Police are investigating the death of a man whose body was found in the driveway of a Hollywood Hills home.


8 Feb 2012 at 12:26pm

Long Beach couple beaten in home-invasion robbery

Long Beach police said Wednesday they were looking for a group of men who beat up a couple in an early-morning home-invasion robbery.


8 Feb 2012 at 10:16am

Suspect in Goalie Killing Case Pleads Not Guilty

A Calabasas man pleaded not guilty today to a murder charge stemming from the shooting death of a popular El Camino Real High School student and soccer goalie.


8 Feb 2012 at 7:06am


Great Escape: Get Out of The Box with a Very Special Valentines Day Scavenger...

Get out your box, skip the generally over-priced dinner and do something different this Valentine's weekend.


8 Feb 2012 at 2:57am

Bite Mark, 'Broken Heart' Link Ex-LAPD Detective To Murder, Prosecutor Says

Three pieces of physical evidenceA - a bite mark, a bullet and a gun barrelA - and the motive of a "broken heart" will prove that a former Los Angeles police detective murdered the woman her ex-boyfriend had recently married, a prosecutor told jurors Monday.


7 Feb 2012 at 10:42pm


Los Angeles: El Taurino's Salsa Rojo, Better Than the Actual Tacos

Just around the corner from the King Taco outpost on Pico Boulevard sits El Taurino , an expansive corner taqueria that shares more than just a heritage with its nearby neighbor.


7 Feb 2012 at 6:22pm


Acting Auditions - Understanding the Director

Actors are constantly worrying about what is going on in the mind of the director at the auditionthey shouldn't. There are certain aspects of the audition process that actors control and certain aspects that they can't control.


7 Feb 2012 at 5:23pm


'Journey 2' a 3D thrill-ride for Newfoundland director Brad Peyton

Canadian film director Brad Peyton is shown in Toronto on Monday, January 30, 2012.


7 Feb 2012 at 2:23pm


PHOTOS: America Inducted Into Hollywood Walk of Fame

The rock band America - honored for such iconic hits asA Horse With No Name,A Ventura Highway ,A Sister Golden Hair andA Tin Man - A received the 2,459th star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame Monday.


7 Feb 2012 at 10:23am


Lifetime award for Ross to correct Grammy slights

Diana Ross has never won a Grammy, with or without the Supremes, which is probably why the Recording Academy is redressing that wrong this Sunday, honoring her with a Lifetime Achievement Award.


7 Feb 2012 at 6:13am

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