Los Angeles Times • 24th April 2024

L.A. sees a surge of billboards for personal injury lawyers. You'll never guess why

Among the myriad side effects of the pandemic: a surge in billboards and bus ads for personal injury law firms.

They seem to have sprouted all over Los Angeles.

Morgan & Morgan’s blue-and-yellow billboards proudly declare “Size Matters,” Jacob Emrani’s ads with red cursive writing direct readers to CallJacob.com, and Pirnia Law’s silhouette designs say, “We didn’t meet by accident.” Billboards and bus ads for personal injury law firms have become a bigger part of the landscape.

Along with the

Los Angeles Times • 18th April 2024

'Scammed on the worst day of my life': Pet owners say cremation service took their money, ghosted them

Robert Balog holds an image of his late cat, Stewie, in his home in Van Nuys.

On a Monday night in early March, Robert Balog and a friend made the hour-and-a-half drive from Van Nuys to Oxnard to meet an elusive man in a Best Buy parking lot.

The man, 35-year-old Anthony Nuñez Jr. of Oxnard, emerged from an old-model red Ford Ranger and handed Balog a thick black bag. Inside were the decaying remains of Balog’s beloved pet, a short-hair American tabby cat named Stewie.

Balog drove Stewie home

Los Angeles Times • 16th April 2024

Suspect in brutal Venice attacks charged with rape and attempted murder

Two women were brutally attacked near the Venice canals on April 6.

Prosecutors have charged a 29-year-old man with multiple counts of forcible rape and one count of attempted murder after attacking two women near the Venice canals earlier this month, Los Angeles County Dist. Atty. George Gascón announced at a news conference Monday.

Anthony Jones, 29, was arrested in San Diego last week after police identified him as a suspect in the violent attacks. He was brought back to Los Angeles and tak

Los Angeles Times • 15th April 2024

LAFD recruit killed on 101 Freeway while responding to collision

Firefighters place a flag over the body of a Los Angeles Fire Department recruit killed Monday morning on the 101 Freeway.

A Los Angeles Fire Department recruit was killed Monday morning on the 101 Freeway in Studio City while rendering aid at the site of a traffic collision.

Jacob Fuerte, 22, was fatally injured shortly after 5 a.m. near Vineland Avenue. He was on his way to routine academy training in his personal vehicle when he stopped to assess the scene of a crash, said LAFD Capt. Erik S

Los Angeles Times • 12th April 2024

'I can't focus on anything but rage.' Pro-Palestinian protests roil elite Pomona College

Hundreds of pro-Palestinian students doubled down on protests at Pomona College Thursday as the elite liberal arts campus is roiled by an intensifying Israel divestment campaign that even harsh disciplinary action against protesters has not deterred.

The demonstrations come less than one week after the campus was rocked when riot-gear-wearing local police arrested 19 people who had occupied the college president’s office.

“It is the worst on campus that it has been in a while,” said Ken Wolf,

Los Angeles Times • 2nd April 2024

L.A. Metro's D Line hits a milestone: Tunneling is complete for expansion to the Westside

A construction worker at the future Wilshire/Fairfax stop on Monday as L.A. Metro celebrated completion of tunneling for the subway’s D Line extension into the Westside.

After five years of construction and numerous delays, crews have finished tunneling operations for the 9-mile westward expansion of the Metro D Line, which will stretch from the current terminus in Koreatown to a new Westwood/VA Hospital Station.

The will add seven Metro stations and a high-speed connection from downtown Los A

Los Angeles Times • 29th March 2024

License plate readers and video cameras are coming to Orange to fight crime, officials say

A Flock automated license plate reader camera in Costa Mesa. The city of Orange plans to add similar readers and cameras to fight crime.

Joining other Southern California municipalities, Orange has announced plans to add dozens of license plate readers and video cameras to its streets in an effort to catch criminals traveling through the city.

The move represents a significant step forward for Orange, which is “a little bit behind the curve” in crime-fighting technology, Police Chief Dan Adams

Los Angeles Times • 15th March 2024

Animal welfare activists pressure City Council to make changes amid shelter crisis

A dog waits to be adopted at the Chesterfield Square Animal Services Center in Los Angeles.

Animal welfare activists on Friday pressed the Los Angeles City Council to make changes at the Department of Animal Services, saying its network of shelters are facing “deplorable” conditions and an .

The activists called for stricter enforcement of the city’s mandatory spay and neuter policy, a moratorium on breeding permits and increased transparency from Animal Services.

Local groups, including , Wo

Los Angeles Times • 2nd March 2024

Iris Apfel, beloved style icon whose fame peaked in her 90s, dies at 102

Iris Apfel, the beloved fashion icon and interior designer whose eccentric style inspired individuality, creativity and joy, has died, according to a post on her official Instagram account. She was 102.

Known for her bold accessories, oversize round glasses and “totally mad” outfits, Apfel never let age slow her down. She was 84 when the Costume Institute of the Metropolitan Museum of Art launched an exhibition showcasing her extensive collection of garments and costume jewelry, earning her glo

Los Angeles Times • 1st March 2024

Disputed campaign mailer causes stir in City Council District 10 race

A political mailer that arrived on residents’ doorsteps last month near Baldwin Hills is stirring controversy in the Los Angeles City Council District 10 race and prompted action by the council this week.

The City Council Wednesday to crack down on fraudulent campaign materials and “deep fakes” after the Baldwin Hills mailer, which appeared to have been sent from council candidate and current Councilmember Heather Hutt, attracted attention. Hutt introduced the motion in early February, days aft

Los Angeles Times • 17th February 2024

City Council OKs $3.8 million to clean up and secure graffitied downtown skyscrapers

The City Council voted Friday to approve $3.8 million to clean up and secure the unfinished Oceanwide Plaza skyscraper project in downtown L.A. The city has said it will bill the building owner for the costs.

The Los Angeles City Council voted Friday to allot nearly $4 million to remove graffiti and secure unfinished downtown Los Angeles skyscrapers that have been heavily tagged in recent weeks.

Councilmember Kevin de León introduced a motion this week to allocate the funds to secure the prope

Los Angeles Times • 6th February 2024

Council lifts ban on vending near Hollywood Bowl, other popular L.A. locations

Jorge Cruz and his son Luis, 5, gather with street vendors and supporters on Hollywood’s Walk of Fame in 2022 to demonstrate against L.A.’s ban on vending in popular locations.

With nearly 100 street vendors sitting in the audience, the Los Angeles City Council voted Tuesday to lift bans on vending in seven high-traffic areas across the city, including the Hollywood Bowl and Dodger Stadium.

The no-vending zones were established by a 2018 ordinance that decriminalized street vending elsewhere i

Dallas News • 13th June 2023

Could Trump win the presidency from prison?

WASHINGTON — Donald Trump meets the constitutional requirements to become president — he’s a natural-born U.S. citizen over age 35 who’s been living in the country for at least 14 years.

Legally, his multiple indictments, including federal charges related to classified documents that could lead to prison time, wouldn’t stop him.

Trump could run for president from behind bars, and it’s been done before.

Eugene V. Debs made his fifth run for president as the Socialist Party nominee in 1920 whil

POLITICO • 2nd June 2023

New Jersey aims to be a safe haven for abortion. Crisis pregnancy centers stand in the way, leaders say

The Murphy administration is trying to crack down on these clinics as the governor seeks to make New Jersey a safe haven for women in the post-Roe era, but similar plans have had mixed results in other Democratic-controlled states such as California and Connecticut.

Although crisis pregnancy centers exist in many red states with strict abortion laws, blue states like New Jersey make a logical choice for the centers to establish a strong presence. They often outnumber abortion clinics in progres

Florida's favorite paper, Tampa Bay's favorite local news site • 9th September 2022

A Tampa Bay retirement community’s unwelcome guest: wild, destructive hogs

When Pete Pullen stumbled across three baby wild hogs on a patch of land near his home, he knew he had to back away immediately. The piglets were harmless, but he was sure their mother was nearby.

“If you get between a mother and her babies, you get attacked,” Pullen, 77, said. “And I can’t run as fast as I used to.”

Pullen was used to seeing wild hogs outside his home in Sun City Center, an expansive retirement community in Hillsborough County covering about eight square miles. The hogs hang