CITY HALL ‚Äî After four years of glacial progress through public process, Saint John‚Äôs Health Center on Tuesday won its freedom from the expectation that it build a multi-million dollar parking garage. The City Council voted 5-0 to remove that requirement, which was part of a 1998 development agreement that the hospital signed... Read more →

DOWNTOWN — Water quality around the Santa Monica Pier continues to improve as the beach surrounding the historic landmark was taken off the Natural Resources Defense Council’s “10 Repeat Offenders” list, attorneys in the environmental advocacy group’s Santa Monica office said Wednesday. This comes on the heels... Read more →

CITY HALL — Carol Riel and her 6-year-old daughter Griffin lived in a rent-controlled apartment in Santa Monica immediately above another unit inhabited by heavy smokers. Conditions got so bad that Carol had to move the asthmatic Griffin from room to room in the middle of the night to try to keep her away from the toxic secondhand... Read more →

BOSTON — Prosecutors and James “Whitey” Bulger’s attorney sparred in court papers Wednesday about whether the government should be allowed to drop one of two pending federal cases against the former mob boss or whether those cases should be consolidated. Bulger’s attorney, Peter Krupp, said prosecutors are trying... Read more →

GULFPORT, Miss. — Michael D. Pottenger of Santa Monica has pleaded not guilty to five counts of wire fraud in a federal case alleging he accepted a grant of nearly $100,000 that he wasn’t eligible to receive. The grant was administered by NASA’s Shared Service Center at Stennis Space Center in Hancock County, Miss.... Read more →

CITY HALL — By the end of this week, Santa Monica will be operating under a new budget, which was approved last week by the City Council after hours of discussion and wrangling over process. But, while the fate of a $300,000 council slush fund received two hours of debate, a series of fees for everything from outdoor dining rent... Read more →

BOSTON — Federal prosecutors moved Tuesday to dismiss a 1994 racketeering indictment against mob boss James “Whitey” Bulger in order to focus on a later indictment that charged the newly captured fugitive of participating in 19 murders. But U.S. District Judge Mark Wolf told prosecutors during a court hearing that dismissal... Read more →

CITYWIDE — Police officers will be out in force this holiday weekend, patrolling areas statistically prone to motorcycle accidents and conducting a sobriety and driver’s license checkpoint. The checkpoint will occur on Friday evening. Traffic fatalities in California are the lowest they’ve been in six decades, yet the... Read more →

SM BEACH — Looks like Santa Monica Rep has new digs for the next few months. The local theater company, just a year in existence, has landed a plum gig this summer as the artists in residence at the Annenberg Community Beach House. The brain trust behind the local company will use that time to produce what they promise will be an... Read more →

LOS ANGELES — A Santa Monica man was sentenced Monday to seven years in federal prison for his involvement in a child pornography ring, authorities said. Kevin Kaller Wright, 44, was the fifth and final defendant to plead guilty. He received his 84-month sentence from United States District Judge Margaret M. Morrow. Wright and four... Read more →

PUBLIC SAFETY FACILITY — Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District officials welcome the coming police investigation into a racial incident that occurred at Santa Monica High School in May, said Board of Education President Jose Escarce. The statement came after an African-American juvenile filed a report with the Santa Monica Police... Read more →

WILSHIRE BOULEVARD — The UCLA senior struck and killed by a taxi cab June 18 spent nearly half an hour near the intersection of 24th Street and Wilshire Boulevard before the fatal accident took place, Santa Monica police said. Melissa Del Aguila, 24, arrived at the 2400 block of Wilshire Boulevard near Douglas Park by taxi, which had... Read more →

CIVIC CENTER — Perhaps playing on public works of art isn’t a good idea. After spotting children and visitors climbing and “interacting” with the iconic “Chain Reaction” sculpture located in the Civic Center, Building Officer Ron Takiguchi decided that it was time to take a closer look at the wear and... Read more →

Editor’s note: This story is part of an ongoing series that tracks the city’s expenditures appearing on upcoming City Council consent agendas. Consent agenda items are routinely passed by the council with little or no discussion from elected officials or the public. However, many of the items have been part of public discussion in... Read more →

It seems that Santa Monica’s public art is drawing national attention. Last week, City Hall’s public art program was recognized by Americans for the Arts, the leading national professional arts service organization, for all three projects submitted for the “Year in Review.” The projects were among the 47 the jury... Read more →