Email Author Simone Wilson

Awards

• 2011 - Southern California Journalism Awards/LA Press Club, published December 16, 2010

  "Culture of Cruelty"

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2011 Stories by Simone Wilson

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  FEATURED STORY

  Occupy L.A. Costs Will Mean More Budget Cuts, Says Mayor Villaraigosa -- $400K for Lawn Damage, $700K for Police Raidr

  published Dec 21, 2011

  Update, December 23: A preliminary report from City Administrative Officer Miguel Santana says Occupy L.A. cost the city $1.7 million. Update: Santana says City Hall park repairs will likely cost eve... More >>

• VIDEO: TSA Agents at LAX Terminal Double as (Really Good) Christmas Carolers

  published Dec 21, 2011

  LAX may be the least popular airport in the country -- with infuriatingly long security lines and, uh, NO FREE WI-FI -- but every year around Christmas, our local Transportation Security Administratio... More >>

• Mike Vitar, 'Sandlot' Star Turned Los Angeles Firefighter, Adored by Internet

  published Dec 21, 2011

  It's hard to hate a man in uniform. Especially when he gets caught by news cameras casually saving a kitten from smoke inhalation, emerging from a car explosion unscathed, etc. Add a starring role in... More >>

• Michael Downs, High-School Senior From Santa Clarita, Charged With Raping 14 Girls He Met on Facebook, at Parties

  published Dec 21, 2011

  Updated at the bottom with creepy details from Downs' Facebook and Formspring profiles. No, this is not a scene from that Clive Owen movie about what your tween daughter is really doing on her smartp... More >>

• Calvin Charles, Compton High-School Student, Killed While Crossing the Street; Hit-and-Run Driver Still M.I.A.

  published Dec 21, 2011

  Detective Chris Bronowicki at the Lakewood Sheriff's Station says there are no leads in a tragic hit-and-run accident that took the life of young Compton high-schooler Calvin Charles last week. "Nobod... More >>

• Shooting at Southern California Edison Takes Multiple Victims; Baldwin Park Schools on Lockdown

  published Dec 16, 2011

  A shooting at the Irwindale branch of Southern California Edison -- located at 4900 Rivergrade Road -- has taken multiple victims, KTLA reports. And the San Gabriel Valley Tribune identifies "multiple... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  Sarah Mason, TIME's Protester of the Year: More Photos, Details Behind Occupy L.A. Cover

  published Dec 16, 2011

  Update, December 28: Occupy L.A. photos by Ted Soqui, the LA Weekly photographer behind the TIME cover, are going on exhibit at the gallery where Sarah Mason works. Updated on second page with even m... More >>

• Roderick Wright, Inglewood Senator Accused of Sexual Harassment, Pays Woman $120K in State Money to Shut Up: Report

  published Dec 16, 2011

  The most infuriating part about the California State Senate's reported $120,000 payout on behalf of Senator Roderick Wright (D-Inglewood) last year -- just now revealed by the Los Angeles Times -- is ... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  Pepper-Spraying Cops 'Occupied' by Hot Models in L.A. Fashion Shoot by Tyler Shields

  published Dec 16, 2011

  Update: Tyler Shields says a cop who saw the photos told him, "I guess if I had to be mased, I wouldn't mind being mased by those girls." Full interview with the photographer at the bottom. After the... More >>

• Video: Angela Trimbur, B-List Actress, Hosts Post-Breakup White Girl Dance Party in Echo Park Laundromat

  published Dec 15, 2011

  Hollywood hopeful Angela Trimbur has had her MTV ups ("Road Rules") and IMDB downs (stripper on "Reno 911"; girl on "Hannah Montana") -- but no one can accuse her of dancing like somebody's watching. ... More >>

• Is 'Teflon' L.A. County Sheriff Lee Baca the Next Sheriff Joe Arpaior

  published Dec 15, 2011

  Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio has become the posterboy of tough, rogue immigration policing in the age of Bush/Obama. (And don't think for a second that conditions have improved for America's hud... More >>

• Rachel Bruner, Long Beach 27-Year-Old, Killed in Bizarre Apartment Shooting With Boyfriend

  published Dec 15, 2011

  A young woman who died Monday night in a domestic Long Beach shooting has been identified as 27-year-old Rachel Bruner. Her 26-year-old boyfriend, with whom she apparently lived in an apartment near O... More >>

• Tanker Explodes on 60 Freeway in Montebello, Burns Through Overpass, Snarls Traffic

  published Dec 15, 2011

  Updated after the jump: The 60 will remain closed for days, and the Paramount Boulevard overpass will need complete reconstruction. Originally posted December 14 at 3 p.m. About two-and-a-half hours... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  Shepard Fairey Based TIME's 'Person of the Year' Cover on Occupy L.A. Image by Ted Soqui, LA Weekly Photographer

  published Dec 14, 2011

  Update: The covergirl's name is Sarah Mason. More photos and stories about Mason, here. It's ironic enough that TIME Magazine chose L.A. street artist Shepard Fairey to design today's "Person of the ... More >>

• Antonio Montejano, U.S. Citizen and L.A. Dad, Detained for Days on 'Immigration Hold'

  published Dec 14, 2011

  It's one thing to deport undocumented immigrants for non-crimes like selling ice cream or driving with a headlight out, even though they've lived here since they were kids. Awful, and inhumane, but te... More >>

• L.A. Bomb Squad Detains Man Named 'Bang' in Union Station, Detonates His Backpack

  published Dec 14, 2011

  The L.A. County Sheriff's Department took no chances yesterday afternoon, upon receiving word from passengers exiting a Red Line subway car at Union Station that somebody may have left a "package" beh... More >>

• Venice Shooting Behind Whole Foods: Young Victim in Hospital, Gunman on the Loose

  published Dec 13, 2011

  A shooting around sundown, in a dark back-alley near 7th and Rose -- just behind Venice's fancy Whole Foods shopping hub -- left one unidentified man with a gunshot wound to the torso. More than a do... More >>

• Jose Antonio Parra, Arcadia Father, Murdered by Home Intruder as Wife, 3 Kids Listen From Bedroom

  published Dec 13, 2011

  Updated with a composite sketch of the suspect (right). The L.A. Sheriff's Department describes him as "male Hispanic, light complexion, 5'7", 150 lbs., thin build, black hair, brown eyes, wearing dar... More >>

• L.A. Housing Authority Audit Shows Lavish Travel, Meals, Gifts -- City Controller Wendy Greuel Plays Catch-Up With KCET

  published Dec 13, 2011

  Flanked by L.A. City Councilmen Dennis Zine and Tony Cardenas at a press conference this morning, City Controller (and mayoral candidate!) Wendy Greuel "revealed" years of unchecked spending by Housin... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  LAPD Mistakes Hyde Park Library Cleanup for 'Occupy' Protest, Orders Youth Group to Disperse

  published Dec 13, 2011

  What should have been a warm 'n' fuzzy cleanup of the abandoned Hyde Park Library in South L.A. this morning went awry when responding LAPD officers reportedly mistook the Youth Justice Coalition for ... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  Video: Nude O.C. Thief Jumps From Smoking Hummer Limo, Fends Off German Shepherd

  published Dec 13, 2011

  Tustin resident Ahmad Mabrok, 29, may have just set a new standard for worst Saturday night ever. Or best, we suppose -- if you're into jumping from fiery stolen vehicles and getting your junk licked... More >>

• Boyle Heights High-Schoolers Plan 4-Mile Walkout to LAUSD Board Meeting Over School Bus Cuts

  published Dec 13, 2011

  A few hundred students from Bravo Medical Magnet High School in Boyle Heights will trudge over four miles through whizzing downtown streets today. Fittingly, the brave urban hike will end in a plea to... More >>

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  Lindsay Lohan Nude Playboy Photos Leak One Week Early: Oops.

  published Dec 12, 2011

  Editor's note: The photos of Lindsay Lohan previously published in this post have been removed at the request of Playboy Enterprises International, Inc. ("Playboy"), which did not grant permission for... More >>

• L.A. Housing Authority Scandal Blows Up: Mayor Villaraigosa Knew About CEO Payout, Despite LA Times Report

  published Dec 09, 2011

  KCET should sweep every journalism awards ceremony for 2011, in our opinion. The station's ball-busting coverage of the L.A. Housing Authority has completely unraveled the culture of Wall Street-esque... More >>

• Prop 8 Overturnedr Nope: Year-Old HuffPost Article on California Gay Marriage Goes Viral

  published Dec 09, 2011

  Come on, guys -- this is how rumors get started! A Huffington Post article from August 2010 (and updated in May 2011) was littered all over Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr and the rest of the Internet this... More >>