Saint Anne School, a local Catholic school, has been selected for the 2009 Best of Santa Monica Award in the Religious Schools category by the U.S. Commerce Association (USCA). The award, given annually to small businesses throughout the country, recognizes companies that have achieved exceptional success, while maintaining a high quality of... Read more →

With August comes Jazz on the Lawn. The free concert series presented on the City Hall lawn offers residents a chance to kick back in their favorite beach chairs for a picnic with cool breezes and the smoothest jazz, with a lineup that features Tony Award nominee Valarie Pettiford and composer and saxophonist Geoff “Double G”... Read more →

CITY HALL — While city officials just last month celebrated the upgraded bond ratings for two local redevelopment zones, the mood has changed substantially in the days following the state’s budget adoption. The Santa Monica Redevelopment Agency (RDA), which finances neighborhood revitalization projects, is expected to take a... Read more →

SMMUSD HDQTRS — Irma Lyons, the principal of Will Rogers Learning Community and 17-year veteran of the school district, died on Thursday at the UCLA Medical Center after a long battle with cancer. Lyons began her career as a teacher at Will Rogers and was later promoted to assistant principal and then principal, replacing Maureen... Read more →

MAIN STREET — A woman hops out of a black car as it pulls over outside the Edgemar building on Main Street. It’s 9 a.m., and she’s in a hurry to get to work. One important errand comes first, however. Inside Peet’s Coffee and Tea, her foot twitches as she waits in line. Finally, she hurries to the counter. “How... Read more →

DOWNTOWN — It was like any other negotiation, the seller starting with their asking price, countered with an offer by the buyer, parting ways if neither can agree. That’s exactly how it was for Michael Kurt when two women walked into his Wilshire Boulevard store earlier this month to sell a necklace and matching bracelet set... Read more →

Crime Watch is a weekly series culled from reports provided by the Santa Monica Police Department. These are arrests only. All parties are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Monday, July 27, at 5 p.m., Santa Monica police officers were on routine patrol in the 1100 block of Alley 2 when they observed a vehicle driving away at... Read more →

DOWNTOWN L.A. — The fate of two imprisoned gang members charged with murdering two brothers at a Santa Monica clothing store 10 years ago is now in the hands of a jury. Jurors began deliberating Wednesday afternoon in the murder trial of David Robles and Jessie Garcia, who face two counts of murder and two counts of attempted murder,... Read more →

CITYWIDE — Since Measure Y took effect in July, 2007, the Santa Monica Police Department has not issued any citations for offenses involving the adult, personal use of marijuana inside private residences. Supporters of the “lowest law enforcement priority” measure said that means it’s served its purpose. Bill... Read more →

SM PIER — The 25th Annual Twilight Dance Series is bringing a unique blend of traditional African music with western instruments back to the Santa Monica Pier with Thomas Mapfumo and the Blacks Unlimited. In their third visit to the pier, tonight Mapfumo and his band will perform new music from their upcoming album,... Read more →

MID-CITY — More than a dozen years of fundraising, planning and construction culminated in jubilation on Wednesday when Saint John’s Health Center unveiled what its officials deemed as the capstone of the new hospital. The completion of the Howard Keck Center is considered a landmark milestone in the medical center’s... Read more →

CITY HALL — The Los Angeles Marathon on Tuesday got a preliminary nod from the City Council to locate the final leg of its 2010 race in Santa Monica, a course that’s been dubbed the Stadium to the Sea. The council instructed its staff to return with an ordinance or policy change that would allow marathons to be held in the city... Read more →

SM BAY — With sea life being threatened daily, environmentalists, fishermen and other interest groups proposed competing visions this week of a network of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) slated for establishment off the coast. “MPAs function a lot like national or state parks,” said Sarah Sikich, Heal the Bay’s coastal... Read more →

WILMONT — As the lack of parking spaces continue to haunt residents living in perhaps the most densely-packed neighborhood in the city, the focus is now turning to a church-owned garage to provide some relief. Located across from the Santa Monica First United Methodist Church at 11th Street is a three-level structure that holds... Read more →

CITY HALL — Just more than half a year into his second term on the Rent Control Board, Joel Koury, who commanded the most votes in the November election, resigned from his post last week citing the desire to spend more time with his young family. Such time with his wife and two children — ages 9 and 6 — has become even more... Read more →