At an average age of 58, the kitchen equipment in many Santa Monica schools is almost old enough to collect social security and school officials have decided that early retirement might be best for everyone involved. The Santa Monica Malibu Unified School District agreed to move forward on a revision to its food and nutrition program at a... Read more →

Evolyn Brooks almost always has something cooking on the stove. Walking into her brand new shop on Fourth Street, wandering customers are hit with the sweet aromas of grapefruit, lavender, lemongrass or jasmine depending on the concoction brewing on her portable Black and Decker burners. Nearby, delicate cups hold seashells, dried petals... Read more →

Los Angeles is launching an initiative to give every child between the ages of 4 and 17 an opportunity to learn to swim. Mayor Eric Garcetti announced the SwimLA program Friday, saying it will give children a skill that will keep them fit and safe. The mayor's office cites statistics from the U.S.A. Swimming Foundation that 64 percent... Read more →

Beautiful Will Rogers State Historic Park in Pacific Palisades is offering a new volunteer training opportunity, starting July 14. The training will include all the volunteer opportunities at the park, as well as the “perks” that park volunteers enjoy, such as free parking for a year (after 40 hours of service) and reduced admission to... Read more →

A free Santa Monica Police Department event to etch license plate numbers onto catalytic converters was fully booked within hours this week, with fifty residents quickly reserving spots to have their converters distinctly marked to discourage thieves. The SMPD marked each converter with the driver’s license plate number and a coat of neon... Read more →

Don't miss the first lecture in the Summer Speaker Series at the historic Rapp Saloon! Illustrated with archival photos, noted film historian Marc Wanamaker will reveal the history of filmmaking in the early days of Santa Monica, highlighting movie techniques that set the standard for genre movies and characterizing early movie titans, such... Read more →

California's unemployment rate remained unchanged at 4.2 percent in May, while the state added 5,500 nonfarm payroll jobs. The California Employment Development Department said Friday the rate tied the record low set in April. In May 2017, California's unemployment rate was 4.9... Read more →

A woman hiking the Pacific Crest Trail north of Los Angeles says she fought off an attacking bear by stabbing it. The 25-year-old woman told Los Angeles County sheriff's deputies that she was in the Vasquez Rocks park on Thursday when a small black bear ran toward her. The woman says she pulled a knife from her backpack and stabbed it in... Read more →

The legal agreement allowing Santa Monica to close its airport in 2029 survived another protracted court battle this week when the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit rejected a challenge brought by aviation groups. The court rejected the argument that the Consent Decree between the City of Santa Monica and the FAA amounted to... Read more →

This Saturday, Santa Monicans are invited to the annual Juneteenth Celebration in Virginia Ave. Park. Santa Monica has recognized Juneteenth since 1993 thanks to the efforts of longtime resident Laverene Ross. Ross was born in Texas and after enduring harsh conditions for most of her childhood, the family moved to Santa Monica in 1957... Read more →

On June 7, at about 9:12 a.m. Officers responded to the 800 block of Ocean Park Blvd regarding a subject that threw a rock at a Big Blue Bus. Upon arrival, officers located the suspect sitting on a bus bench. As the officer approached the suspect, she stood up and tried to walk away. The suspect was detained for an investigation. Officers... Read more →

As a reporter, I have few if any job difficulties. Sure, there’s the occasional angry email, a typo slips through production, or I miss a deadline and get heat from my editor. Also, sometimes my back hurts. Privileged problems to have. What I don’t feel in my day to day life at work? Danger in delivering the daily news or risking my life... Read more →

A proposal in Congress to ease the U.S. ban on marijuana could encourage more banks to do business with cannabis companies, but it appears to fall short of a cure-all for an industry that must operate mainly as a cash business in a credit card world. Marijuana is legal in some form in about 30 states, but companies that grow or sell it... Read more →

Director X's "Superfly" transplants the 1972 Blaxploitation classic from Harlem streets to suburban Atlanta mansions, flips Curtis Mayfield's soul score for Future's hip-hop soundtrack and forsakes the original's politically charged grit for shallow music-video indulgence. "He's got a plan to stick it to the man," went the ads for Gordon... Read more →

An unsolicited proposal from Aerial Rapid Transit Technologies LLC (ARTT) for a privately-funded aerial tram between Los Angeles Union Station and Dodger Stadium has advanced to a Phase Two, the Los Angeles Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) announced Monday. The initial proposal from ARTT was received April 25. Metro’s... Read more →