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Bryan Stow’s friends spoke publicly for the first time last night about the day their friend was attacked outside Dodger stadium. In an interview with NBC , Corey Maciel and Jeff Bradford described what happened. more › Follow this link: Bryan Stow’s Friends Speak Out About Witnessing His Attack
After about four years of closure, the historic First Street Bridge has finally reopened as of last Thursday. Los Angeles city officials will gather on the viaduct in celebration Tuesday morning. Closed to accommodate the construction of the Metro Gold Line extension to East L.A., the 82-year-old bridge is one of the L.A. River spans linking Boyle Heights to downtown L.A. more › Read the original post: Historic First Street Bridge Reopens, Commuters Rejoice
The winter solstice will arrive Wednesday night, marking an astronomical turning point observed since ancient times that also presents a chance to consider the long-term winter weather forecast. The solstice will occur Dec. 21 at 9:30 p.m local time, signaling the moment when the North Pole is farthest away from the sun. For those of us in the Northern Hemisphere, it marks the shortest day and the longest night of the year. For many ancient and indigenous cultures throughout history, the winter solstice was a critical time for survival. “It was really regarded as a time of potentially great crisis,” said Ed Krupp, an astronomer and director of the Griffith Observatory, who specializes in ancient traditional astronomy. It used to be necessary for people “to engage in ritual activity in order to help the cosmos go the way that benefits people,” Krupp said. Many of these rituals involved lighting candles or fires to symbolize the return of the sun and ensure the survival of a people. The winter solstice, on the bright side, marks the point at which the North Pole begins its steady but inevitable return towards the sun. The days will get longer after the winter solstice and the sun will appear to climb higher in the sky. The weather, unfortunately, takes considerably more time to catch up with the warmth of the sun. This season’s long-term winter weather forecast, according to the National Weather Service, calls for below normal temperatures and below normal precipitation. “So far, we had a cool summer and a cool fall,” said Stuart Seto, a weather specialist with the National Weather Service. “If La Niña plays out, we’ll have a colder winter, too.” La Niña is a weather phenomenon involving cooler sea surface temperatures in the central and eastern tropical Pacific Ocean that interact with eastward trade winds to affect global weather patterns. For Southern California, La Niña makes the winters colder and drier. Last winter’s onslaught of rain and snow storms in Southern California made it an atypical La Niña winter. The Old Farmer’s Almanac agrees with this winter’s weather predictions for a cooler and drier climate in Southern California. Although the weather may be unpredictable, winter solstices have served to remind humans of the natural cycle of things; that every winter eventually turns into spring and that darkness eventually succumbs to light. Be sure to follow Beverly Hills Patch on Twitter and “Like” us on Facebook . Read the rest here: Winter Solstice Is Wednesday
Awaiting trial, he claims he is due his lavish public salary. Photo Credit: Getty Images Continue reading here: Ex-Bell Official Sues for $1.5M City Salary
The Beverly Hills Unified School District’s effort to oppose a subway going under Beverly Hills High School is kicking into gear just as the Metropolitan Transportation Authority plans additional public forums on the topic. The MTA will hold three “community update” meetings this month, including one Jan. 31 at the Roxbury Park Community Center to discuss work on the final environmental impact report of two possible routes for the Westside Subway Extension. One route would entail tunneling under the high school and the Beverly Hills Unified School District office, while the one favored by the school district and city officials would go under Santa Monica Boulevard. BHUSD officials and many residents feel that the MTA has unofficially decided in favor of the route under the high school because of an alleged fault line under Santa Monica Boulevard. “The Beverly Hills board of education plans to continue to demonstrate that viable alternatives exist and hire our own experts to refute the false seismic claims being advanced by the MTA experts regarding tunneling under the original and locally preferred route, Santa Monica Boulevard,” board Vice President Brian Goldberg said last week in an e-mail to constituents. As part of these efforts, the BHUSD board voted 5-0 on Thursday to hire national law firm Alston + Bird to oppose any decision to tunnel under the high school. Alston + Bird specializes in environmental and land development law, as well as public policy issues, according to its website . The firm has nine offices, including locations in Los Angeles, New York and Washington, D.C. The board is also likely to hire a lobbying firm, President Lisa Korbatov told Patch in an e-mail. Under consideration is Englander Knabe & Allen , the same firm behind efforts to put Measure 2P —a two-hour free parking proposal—on the March ballot. Englander has offices in Los Angeles and also Sacramento, where BHUSD wants state officials to become involved. Meanwhile, the subway issue is becoming front and center in the upcoming City Council elections. All three candidates running for council seats oppose the proposal to tunnel under the high school. Two of the three— Dr. Julian A. Gold and Councilwoman Nancy Krasne —specifically mentioned the issue at their Jan. 9 campaign launches. Patch urges readers to attend one or more of the three upcoming MTA community update meetings. The first is Jan. 24 at LACMA West on the fifth floor, according to the MTA’s website . The next meeting will be Jan. 26 on the third floor of Westwood United Methodist Church, 10497 Wilshire Blvd. The last one will be Jan. 31 at the Roxbury Community Center. The meetings begin at 6 p.m., with the public comment period from 7:15-8 p.m. Those planning to attend the Beverly Hills meeting are advised to get there early, as prior MTA meetings held at Roxbury were so crowded that an overflow room was needed. Read this article: BHUSD Increases Efforts to Oppose Subway Route
The sun just keeps rising, no matter how many times he checks the math. Photo Credit: AP View original post here: Wacky Rev: Failed Doomsday Predictions “Embarrassing”
