SM PIER — If it’s one thing that local officials are certain when it concerns the pier’s century mark on Wednesday, it’s that a large turnout can be expected to ring in the next 100 years. Just how big that crowd will be remains to be seen. Regardless of the size, public safety agencies say they’re prepared.... Read more →

OCEAN AVENUE — A new finish line has emerged for the L.A. Marathon in 2010. Responding to the request of the City Council that an ending point in Santa Monica be considered for the 26.2 mile race, marathon officials have reportedly began exploring the intersection of Ocean Avenue and Santa Monica Boulevard as a possible candidate after... Read more →

SMC — An unusual surge in enrollment at the local community college because of the economic downturn might be evident in not just the crowds on campus but the traffic off of it. That’s what neighbors near Santa Monica College have seen in the first few weeks of classes, reportedly observing a higher volume of buses and cars... 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. Sunday, Aug. 30, at 8:50 p.m., Santa Monica police officers responded to the 1300 block of 17th Street regarding a suspicious person in a subterranean... Read more →

 ANGELES NATIONAL FOREST — As firefighters battle to bring the gigantic Station fire and others under control, Los Angelenos are left to wonder what the state can do to protect homeowners from the next hellacious conflagration. Our ancient forests in California are living museums, rich with detailed records from the past. All the... Read more →

SMC — As students return to campus for the first week of school, they might notice their classes are in what feels like tighter quarters. That’s because enrollment has risen at Santa Monica College this semester by 8 percent, drawing in students turned away from the tapped out University of California and California State... Read more →

Tonight, a repeat performance won’t fail to impress as Patti Smith, progenitor-empress of punk rock, Rimbauld and Verlaine’s spiritual poet child and 2007 Rock Hall of Fame inductee returns to the Santa Monica Pier for the Twilight Dance Series’ last concert of the summer. The 62-year-old rocker, sometimes hailed as the... Read more →

DOWNTOWN — The widow of professional wrestling pioneer Baron Michele Leone, an ardent fan of the city and one of its most popular residents and flamboyant personalities, donated $100,000 to the Santa Monica Historical Society Museum, it was announced this week. Billie Leone presented the check to the museum in her husband’s... Read more →

SM PIER — When the fireworks are launched in one week into the dark evening sky, celebrating 100 years of the city’s most recognizable landmark, there could be an environmental price to pay. That’s according to a recent city staff report that explored possible issues related to the highly anticipated pyrotechnics display... Read more →

DOWNTOWN — While on a recent tour of the Downtown parking structures, Bayside District Corp. CEO Kathleen Rawson passed by a sticker slapped onto a wall and began to peel it off with her fingernail as if she was at home cleaning up after one of her children. It was a simple act that may have gone unnoticed if not for the fact that... Read more →

SMMUSD HDQTRS — They may only be in the 10th grade but graduation is clearly on many of their minds. The state Department of Education on Tuesday released results of the 2009 California High School Exit Exam (CAHSEE), showing students in the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District continuing to post high marks in the subject areas... Read more →

DOWNTOWN — As the nearly week-long Station fire continues to burn its way through the Angeles National Forest, scorching more than 105,000 acres and threatening a half-dozen communities, a group of local firefighters and volunteers are joining the battle. The Santa Monica Fire Department on Saturday deployed a team of seven fire... Read more →

DOWNTOWN — There’s a trio of former Santa Monica businesses that are on a list of the state’s most wanted, accused not of committing heinous crimes but rather skirting hundreds of thousands of dollars in tax payments. The California Board of Equalization announced recently it added 19 new businesses to its list of the... Read more →

As a new-to-town resident, I have found fewer things more refreshing than the weather. (I came from Fresno, in the Central Valley of California, with averages topping 100 degrees during the summer months.) That said, it is amazing to find that the issues surrounding environmental sustainability are woven into the framework of this place. A... Read more →

Dear EarthTalk What are the pros and cons of feeding babies formula versus breast milk? And if I purchase formula, should I spend the extra money on the organic variety? Suzy W. via e-mail It is generally acknowledged within the medical community that breast milk is the ideal first food for babies, though modern formula brands can get the... Read more →