SM PIER — The fundraising drive to save the summer concert series at the Santa Monica Pier is now focusing on a new demographic — the youngsters who drag their parents to the pier to ride the popular carousel. The Pier Restoration Corp. wants to double the cost of a ride for those 15 years old and up — from $1 to $2 —... Read more →

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

CITY HALL — Arguing that existing laws aren’t enough to protect parents and their children from being swarmed by the paparazzi at one local nursery school where some celebrities take their kids, Councilman Richard Bloom is again pushing his colleagues to accept an ordinance aimed at curbing photographers’ access to their... Read more →

To commemorate 20 years of movie magic, AMC Theatres this week is hosting charity screenings of hit movies from 1990, with all proceeds benefiting Variety — The Children’s Charity of Southern California and the Santa Monica Police Activities League (PAL). The movie theater giant celebrated last week 20 years on the Third Street... Read more →

Dear EarthTalk My husband and I want to start a garden this year. I really want to make compost from leftover food scraps and yard materials. He says it will attract unwanted animals, and refuses to agree to it. Is he right? If so, how do we deal with that issue in a green-friendly, non-lethal way? Carmen Veurink Grand Rapids,... Read more →

DOWNTOWN — In a field of 25,000, there were bound to be some characters. Among them were Patrick McDonagh and five friends who ran the race dressed up in full Elvis Presley regalia, complete with wigs and white spandex jumpsuits, blaring rock ‘n’ roll from a stereo on a pushcart and drinking beer instead of... Read more →

SM AIRPORT — The Hump, the high-end sushi restaurant facing federal charges for allegedly selling endangered whale meat, closed its doors Friday and does not plan to reopen, according to a statement on its Web site. The phone number to the restaurant was no longer active as of Saturday evening and an employee at The Hump's sister... Read more →

For the first time, the L.A. Marathon is coming to Santa Monica on Sunday, March 21. Taking off from Doger Stadium, racers will be following a new route dubbed “Stadium to the Sea” through Beverly Hills and West Hollywood before heading down San VIcente Boulevard in Santa Monica and reaching the finish line on scenic Ocean Avenue... Read more →

CITY HALL — Following a two-month delay, the City Council is again set to approve a “deal in principle” to bring billionaire philanthropist Eli Broad’s proposed art museum to Santa Monica’s Civic Center. The council had been scheduled to vote on the outline of a deal with the Broad Foundations in January before... Read more →

DOWNTOWN — This year’s L.A. Marathon represents something old and something new for runner Julia Mallon. She is considered one of the 14 elite female runners in this year’s race, but for her, the running part is old hat. A recent transplant to Santa Monica, Mallon said that she’s using this race to accomplish two... Read more →

SM PIER — Police reopened the Santa Monica Pier around 7:30 p.m. Saturday after determining that two suspicious packages found near the finish line of Sunday’s Los Angeles Marathon did not contain explosives. Santa Monica Police Sgt. Jay Trisler said police officers found a duffel bag and a cooler underneath the pier during a... Read more →

SM PIER — During a sweep before Sunday’s Los Angeles Marathon Santa Monica Police officers found two suspicious packages, forcing them to evacuate the area and call in the bomb squad. Officers discovered the packages around 6 p.m. Saturday and set up a 1,000-foot buffer zone, said SMPD Sgt. Jay Trisler. Thousands are expected to... Read more →

SM AIRPORT — The Hump, the high-end sushi restaurant facing federal charges for allegedly selling endangered whale meat, closed its doors Friday and does not plan to reopen, according to a statement on its Web site. The phone number to the restaurant was no longer active as of Saturday evening and an employee at The Hump’s sister... 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, March 8, at 6:53 p.m. A traffic officer requested assistance in the 500 block of Santa Monica Boulevard. As police personnel arrived, they... Read more →

The Santa Monica Pier Restoration Corp.’s fundraising drive to pay for its annual Twilight Dance Series has raised $30,000 since pier officials announced two weeks ago that they were $92,000 short of the sum they need to put on the summer concerts. The City Council last week contributed $35,000 to the effort from its discretionary fund,... Read more →