Email Author Simone Wilson

Awards

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

  "Culture of Cruelty"

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2012 Stories by Simone Wilson

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  FEATURED STORY

  VIDEO: L.A. Sheriff's Deputy Punches Special-Needs Woman on Bus

  published Jan 11, 2012

  Updated at the bottom: Sheriff's officials try to justify the use of force. The L.A. Sheriff's Department is up to its neck right now in allegations of gang-like behavior and beatings by deputies gon... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  Insane Superbreed of 'Vapor Wake Detection' Bomb Dog Now Patrolling LAX

  published Jan 10, 2012

  Underwear bombers and Lieutenant Brodies of the future, beware. The LAPD has recruited a new class of canine to help hunt terrorists at LAX, and their nose muscles are as hot and rippling as Schwarze... More >>

• Mark Gold Steps Down as 'Heal the Bay' President, Moves Inland to UCLA

  published Jan 10, 2012

  It's hard to imagine the Los Angeles County coastline without Heal the Bay, defender of marine life and official housecleaner for our world-famous beaches/waters since 1985. And it's hard to imagine ... More >>

• TSA Jokes About 'Cupcakegate' Confiscation in Vegas on Its Super Hip Blog

  published Jan 10, 2012

  OK, who out there knew about the Transportation Security Administration's frighteningly hip news blog, and didn't tell us about itr Or have we just crossed over into some creepy parallel universe, wh... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  'Occupy,' 'Occupy LA' Trademark Applications Filed by SoCal Entrepreneurs

  published Jan 10, 2012

  Here on the Internet news circuit, the Occupy boom has more or less settled. Don't bite our heads off -- we're not saying the movement itself is over, by any means -- but it's nearing the end of its s... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  Mormon Temple Fire in Westwood Sparks 'House of Worship' Arson Investigation

  published Jan 10, 2012

  A midnight fire on the grounds of the Los Angeles California Temple -- the gargantuan Mormon structure that can be seen from all over the city -- has given the Los Angeles Fire Department's arson inve... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  Dawn Hudson, Academy CEO, Thrashed by Anonymous Old White Men in LA Times Roast

  published Jan 09, 2012

  Half a year into her stint as CEO of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, Dawn Hudson got a cutting performance review from the Los Angeles Times last weekend. The Times piece is not, at ... More >>

• This Is What Happens to Your Mansion When You Keep Your Christmas Tree Too Long

  published Jan 09, 2012

  We've all heard the warnings: No matter how it pains you to say goodbye to the holidays for a long, loveless January, do not leave your Christmas tree up as a symbol of denial. L.A. County and City of... More >>

• L.A. County Moviegoer Arrested for Recording 3 Minutes of 'The Devil Inside' on Cellphone

  published Jan 09, 2012

  Low-budget horror film "The Devil Inside" made a killing (har har) on its opening weekend: $34.5 million. But that didn't stop employees at the AMC Santa Anita 16 from tattling on a man who whipped ou... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  Los Angeles Has Highest Gas Prices in America Right Now

  published Jan 09, 2012

  What a fine way to kick off 2012: with some apocalyptic gas prices to sucker-punch an already battered economy. Over the last three weeks, California company Lundberg Survey Inc. finds that gas price... More >>

• Palmdale Thief Dresses Up as Walmart Employee, Walks Out With 4 Flat-Screens

  published Jan 06, 2012

  On the night of New Year's Eve, a man dressed top-to-bottom in the Walmart employee uniform took off with four flat-screens at the superstore's Palmdale branch, CBS LA is reporting. That's one way to... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  Occupy L.A.'s Octopus Mural Declared an 'Artifact,' Auctioned off by City

  published Jan 06, 2012

  Los Angeles city officials are so weird and flip-floppy about graffiti. On the one hand, they act all precious about our status as "mural capital of the world"; on the other, it's taken them over a de... More >>

• Tim Donnelly's 'Stop the DREAM Act' Measure Won't Go on California Ballot

  published Jan 06, 2012

  Assemblyman Tim Donnelly has been on somewhat of a lucky streak, what with his laughable non-charges for carrying a loaded gun through airport security. That's probably because, as noted by LA Weekl... More >>

• No Pants Metro Ride 2012 in L.A. on Sunday: To Celebrate, Some Bomb Pics From Last Year

  published Jan 06, 2012

  It's that time of year again, when freak winter heat waves start hitting L.A. and pants start dropping on the Red Line. Say whatr This Sunday marks the 11th annual No Pants Metro Ride, that liberatin... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  Campaign to Ban the Word 'Awesome' Launched by L.A. Poet, Echo Park Bookstore

  published Jan 06, 2012

  Local poet John Tottenham hates the word "awesome." Not in that passive, party-annoyed sense where he's like, please stop being so dull, you overstoked American, or there's a small possibility I'll f... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  Glass of Red Wine a Day Could Keep Breast Cancer Away, Says New Cedars-Sinai Research

  published Jan 06, 2012

  Does drinking wine affect a girl's odds for breast cancerr Battle of the studies! Just a couple months ago, Harvard University released some buzz-killing stats showing that "women who drink just four... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  Angelo Bowers, L.A. Comedian, Killed by Drunk 21-Year-Old in Attempted Hit-and-Run

  published Jan 04, 2012

  The lone fatality of an early-morning DUI pileup on January 3 has been identified as 26-year-old Angelo Bowers. According to comedy site LaughSpin, Bowers -- who didn't have a Twitter or Facebook acc... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  L.A. Heat Wave: 'I'm Very Tired of It Being Constantly Warm,' Says Ungrateful Resident

  published Jan 04, 2012

  Update: A record high of 91 was set in the San Gabriel Valley today. (As well as highs in the upper 80s at LAX and UCLA.) Pity party at our house! Los Angeles journalists think any shift in the weath... More >>

• Lynwood Parents Fight Back Against Nasty, Anti-'Parent Trigger' Newsletters From Teachers Union

  published Jan 04, 2012

  At a heated press conference in Lynwood today, a group of parents whose children attend the Lynwood Unified School District are trying to clear up some recent rumor-mongering by the local branch of th... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  California's $100B Bullet Train 'Not Feasible' at This Time, Says Peer Review Group for the High-Speed Rail (Surprise, Surprise)

  published Jan 04, 2012

  How many more warnings will it take for starry-eyed California politicians to realize the voter-approved $100 billion Bullet Train is a budget disaster waiting to imploder On top of skepticism from t... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  Joe Torre Wants to Buy the Dodgers With Developer Rick Caruso; L.A. Rejoices

  published Jan 04, 2012

  If Frank McCourt is the most hated man in baseball -- and in Los Angeles in general -- Joe Torre might be the most loved. Which makes Torre's surprise resignation as executive vice president of the ... More >>

• L.A. City Controller Wendy Greuel Finally Gets to Grit of Housing Authority Probe: Its Profitable 'Non-Profits'

  published Jan 03, 2012

  Through the end of 2011, the Housing Authority of the City of Los Angeles (HACLA) received a thorough spanking from press and politicians alike. L.A. City Controller Wendy Greuel scrambled to play ca... More >>

• Edwin Johns Jr, Jefferson High Football Star, Killed in South L.A. Drive-By

  published Jan 03, 2012

  The 18-year-old victim of a South L.A. drive-by yesterday afternoon has been identified as Edwin Ray Johns Jr., a recent graduate of Jefferson High School. He reportedly died after being shot multiple... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  New California Law Bans Minors From Buying Cough Syrup (Happy New Year!)

  published Jan 03, 2012

  It'll be a sobering 2012 for the sizzerp-sipping teens of California. As of January 1, state minors can add cough syrup -- alongside porn and cigarettes -- to the list of novelties to buy from the dru... More >>

• Brandon Olterman, Young L.A. Artist, Goes Missing After Runyon Canyon Hike

  published Jan 03, 2012

  A young children's book illustrator and graphic artist from Los Angeles has gone missing after taking off for a hike in Runyon Canyon on Sunday afternoon. Brandon Thomas Olterman, 26, is currently be... More >>