Antelope Valley

Cross-Dresser Secretly Videotaped Women In SoCal Macy's Restroom, Cops Say

In the annals of bizarre and desperate attempts to videotape women in the most private of moments, this one is a winner. A man dressed as a woman went into a Macy's restroom with a camera concealed in a paper bag and got to taping, L.A. County Sheriff's Department officials said last night:

Hate Crime in Palmdale? Black Kids Say They Beat Up 15-Year-Old 'Because He Was Hispanic'

Did a race-baiting Facebook post lead seven black teens to smash in the face of a random Latino 15-year-old on March 14? L.A. County Sheriff's Detective Chris Bergo says that while interviewing the seven suspects, one of them -- who attends Cactus Middle School in Palmdale -- "talked about a Facebo ... More >>

L.A. County Halts Section 8 Crackdown In Antelope Valley

Lancaster Mayor Rex Parris​Update below: Rex Parris pulls no punches in response. Lancaster and Palmdale have been at war with the Section 8 housing program for the last several years, fighting off what they see as an "inundation" of the urban poor into the Antelope Valley.But today they've lost t ... More >>

Blue Ivy OG Marijuana is Born

Eager to prove that they really are all about scientific, medical solutions for the ailing, as prescribed by state law, embattled area marijuana dispensaries have in the last week taken to naming a particularly potent form of cannabis after ... ... Beyonce and Jay Z's newborn baby girl, Blue Ivy Ca ... More >>

Defending Desert Rats

L.A. County's Private Property War

L.A. County's Private Property War (VIDEO)

Kevin Scanlon​In this week's print feature, Mars Melnicoff looks at Los Angeles County's war on desert rats in the Antelope Valley. Here we present a video from photographer Kevin Scanlon to complement Melnicoff's reporting.

Public Counsel Sues Lancaster And Palmdale Over "War" On Section 8 Housing

​Update: Lancaster Mayor Rex Parris calls the lawsuit "inflammatory bullshit." More below. Update 2: Palmdale Mayor Jim Ledford gives his own defense. A public interest law firm filed a racial discrimination suit today against Lancaster and Palmdale, charging that the cities have declared "war" on ... More >>

It's About to Get Crazy Cold in L.A. -- With Snow Again Creeping on the Hollywood Sign

The TelegraphHere we go again.​Just one week after the sexiest early-spring heat wave ever to hit L.A. (a record 92 degrees in March!), we're now looking at a two-day storm to rival that February 2011 killer. National Weather Service specialist Stuart Seto tells us to expect showers and thund ... More >>

Anthony Smith, Former Raider, Charged in 2008 Murder

sportsmemorabilia.comAnthony Smith.​Anthony Smith, a former L.A. Raiders defensive end, was charged with murder, the District Attorney's office announced today. The 43-year-old from Fontana was charged along with two "associates," 41-year-old Charles Eric Honest and 32-year-old Dewann Wesley ... More >>

L.A. County Sheriff Busts Pitbull Fighting Ring, Confiscates 17 Dogs, 4 Kids, 1 Ounce of Cocaine

Antelope Valley's finest​There have been some major shenanigans going off in Lake Los Angeles -- that soulless (and ironically lake-less) unincorporated no-man's-land in the Antelope Valley, backdrop to many a meth lab and our worst "Hills Have Eyes" nightmares. Now, the bumpkin community can ... More >>

L.A. Homeless Count Gets Off to Morbid Start: Dead Guy Found Outside Criminal Court

Dennis RomeroRV dwellers included​Ever wondered how many bums live in Los Angeles County? (That is, if the number's changed since 2009, when the Los Angeles Homeless Service Authority last released its biennial count. At that time, the total was about 48,000, with only one-third living under s ... More >>

Monuments to Me

Legacy-obsessed L.A. politicians are covering buildings and parks with their names

Flash Flood Warning Issued For Parts Of Antelope Valley, San Gabriel Mountains

​Those towering cumulus clouds to the east? They're pregnant with precipitation, and the National Weather Service on Wednesday issued a "flash flood alert." The areas affected are the southeastern Antelope Valley and the San Gabriel Mountains, including the communities of Big Pines, Pearblosso ... More >>

Federal Authorities Crack Down On Pasadena-Based Bloods Gang

streetgangs.com​Thirty-four members of the Pasadena Denver Lane Bloods gang were arrested Tuesday morning following a crackdown by a task force consisting of federal agents and local police. Eleven of the suspects were named in federal indictments of 23 of the members, who were charged with co ... More >>

Warm Enough For You Yet? 'Heat Alert' Issued For Los Angeles' High Desert

​The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health this week issued a "heat alert" for residents of the high desert -- namely Lancaster and the Antelope Valley, where high temperatures were expected to reach the triple digits through Saturday. The department warned that people prone to heat ... More >>

High Desert Paper Site Begins Charging

Antelope Valley Press​Say it ain't so! The Antelope Valley Press, that breathless spinner of news about meth-lab busts and County Fair fashions, has begun withholding its full online content for newspaper subscribers only. Now Web surfers are faced with story teasers that end with, "For complete s ... More >>

No Room at the Inn for Mongols

These are tough times for the High Desert's hospitality industry. Besides the recession-caused drought of tourist dollars felt nationwide, the city of Palmdale boosted its hotel tax from seven to 10 percent in May and yesterday Lancaster's mayor effectively shut down the struggling Desert Inn to pre ... More >>

Morning Sixpack: A News Roundup

Some Came Running Kenya's Wesley Korir set a finish-time record for the 24th Los Angeles Marathon, which got very lucky with cool weather despite its latest start yet in the calendar. L.A. TimesFootball Prospect Shot Dead Dannie Farber Jr., a promising football player who had just graduated from Nar ... More >>

Morning Sixpack: A News Roundup

Dolla Shooter: It Was Self-Defense Aubrey Louis Berry, according to his lawyer, says he shot Dolla at the Beverly Center because he felt threatened by the Atlanta rapper and his crew. L.A. TimesUCLA Prof Caught Plagiarizing School of Dentistry professor Dr. Doina Panaite resigned in February, it was ... More >>

Morning Sixpack: A News Roundup

Obama's Man in El Sereno Political newcomer Emanuel Pleitez, who's served on Barack Obama's transition team, is shaking things up in the 32nd District Congressional race. L.A. TimesMortgage Black Hole Located Ground zero for the nation's catastrophic mortgage meltdown was 4500 Park Granada, Calabasa ... More >>

Morning Sixpack: A News Roundup

Rabbinical Board Breaks Barriers Southern California's Board of Rabbis broke with tradition by selecting a woman and a lesbian as president. West Hollywood Rabbi Denise Eger is the first in both categories in the board's 72-year history. L.A. Times, Jewish JournalGood News But Not Great Cal State No ... More >>

Morning Sixpack: A News Roundup

Zero for Conduct L.A. Unified School District officials are calling for legislation to make it easier to fire incompetent, tenured teachers. State Senator Gloria Romero, formerly opposed to the idea, now seems to be on board somewhat. L.A. TimesNo Cash Flow The Palmdale Water District's cash reserve ... More >>

Morning Sixpack: A News Roundup

Maywood RFD California Attorney General Jerry Brown is seeking a court order to impose and monitor reforms on Maywood's troubled police department. L.A. TimesGetting the Lead Out The Department of Toxic Substances Control has discovered San Fernando warehouses containing jewelry that has higher than ... More >>

Morning Sixpack: A News Roundup

Count 'Em or Lose 'Em After L.A. lost out on $184 million of federal funds because it undercounted its population during the 2000 census, the city will make extra efforts to survey immigrants in 2010. L.A. TimesGOP Reps Change Tunes Obama budget critics Buck McKeon and Kevin McCarthy, two conservati ... More >>

Morning Sixpack: A News Roundup

They Vant to Be Alone! The D.A.'s office is examining "dozens" of secrecy-obsessed county agencies accused of violating transparency and open-meeting provisions of the Brown Act. L.A. TimesIt Was the Best of Times . . . After a long profit slide, Commerce-based 99 Cents Only stores are making out li ... More >>

Morning Sixpack: A News Roundup

Fewer Freshmen at UCLA The University of California confirms that, in a system already tightening the number of freshmen admissions, UCLA has the toughest 2009 entrance rates with the fewest number of new students admitted. L.A. TimesSupes Want Park The L.A. County Board of Supervisors approved desi ... More >>

Morning Sixpack: A News Roundup

Chris Brown Deal in the Works? R&B singer Chris Brown's attorney, Mark Geragos, may be close to making a plea deal with the District Attorney's office regarding the charges Brown faces in the alleged beating of singer-girlfriend Rihanna. Brown's arraignment has been scheduled for 3 p.m. Monday. ... More >>

Morning Sixpack: A News Roundup

CalTrans Slammed in Flintridge Crash Laura Olhasso, the mayor of La Canada Flintridge, claimed that CalTrans has ignored her town's concerns about runaway trucks on Angeles Crest Highway. A big rig killed two people and injured 12 Wednesday when its driver lost control and struck several vehicles be ... More >>

Morning Sixpack: A News Roundup

Coroner: Leroy Barnes Shot in Back; Chief Seeks Probe A coroner's report has contradicted Pasadena Police Chief Bernard Melekian's claim that cops did not fatally shoot black motorist Leroy Barnes in the back last February. (Barnes sustained 10-11 bullet wounds.) Melekian has now called for a federa ... More >>

Morning Sixpack: A News Roundup

Film Composer Dies Maurice Jarre, whose haunting melodies for such films as Lawrence of Arabia and Doctor Zhivago captured the whimsy and grandeur of modern cinema, has died of cancer in Los Angeles. He was 84. BBC via L.A. Observed.Westside Lab Busted A West L.A. meth lab was discovered on a reside ... More >>

Morning Sixpack: A News Roundup

DiFi Says No to Alt-Energy Desert Corridor California Senator Diane Feinstein is readying legislation to keep a large swath of the state's desert region off-limits to solar- and wind-power projects. L.A. TimesKeach Returns to Do Nixon Actor Stacy Keach, whose mild stroke last week removed him from t ... More >>

Little Rock School Rumble: The Agony & the (Bad) Ecstasy

A quarter of a century ago they were flocking to the Antelope Valley -- Los Angeles residents, particularly those from the once safe and relaxed San Fernando Valley, who saw the High Desert as a haven of low-priced homes and good public schools. Over the years reality set in during successive waves: ... More >>

Morning Sixpack: A News Roundup

Mass Transit Becoming Mass? Figures show the MTA is keeping some of the ridership it won when gas blew past $4 per gallon last year. Are Angelenos finally embracing buses and trains? L.A. TimesLa Habra Site of New OctoHouse Prudential Realty claims Nadya Suleman's father has purchased a 2583-square- ... More >>

Morning Sixpack: A News Roundup

Brave New Archive UCLA will get the correspondence, speeches, papers and audio recordings of 20th-century author, seeker and drug experimenter Aldous Huxley. L.A. TimesSlay Case Man Still Missing Nearly nine months after the gruesome killings of four people in a Quartz Hill house, a fifth presumed v ... More >>

The Thomas Crown Affair, Lancaster-Style

Forget Philip Marlowe's line about a tarantula on a slice of angel food. The Antelope Valley Press is more like a crack pipe wrapped in a tea cozy. The newspaper's stories about life in the suddenly hardscrabble High Desert tend to be a mix of the homey ("Cheerleaders Show Spirit at Contest") and th ... More >>

Morning Sixpack: A News Roundup

Mayor Meets With Other Clinton Today Antonio Villaraigosa and former President Bill Clinton will make a joint City Hall announcement about replacing the city's current street lights with  energy efficient LEDs. L.A. TimesClear Channel Future Murky for AV The Antelope Valley might see a reductio ... More >>

Morning Sixpack: A News Roundup

Dead Letter Economy Seven hundred jobs could leave the San Gabriel Valley if Industry's mail sorting hub closes, according to the San Gabriel Valley Tribune.Starbucks Kills Decaf Non-buzz The L.A. Times reports that the java behemoth, wounded by the recession, will cut brewing decaffeinated coffee a ... More >>

The Breast of Times: Go Topless Protest Day

And other things to do in L.A., August 22-28

Fest-ish Fun

Metrolink Tries to Censor Bloggers

A paranoid transit agency spends public money threatening critical Web sites

Best Escape Vittles

Snake, gator and other edible critters at Charlie Brown Farms

Tenant Services

With Plenty of Water

Merging Artists

75 years of California highways and byways

What I Pinched on My Summer Vacation

Confederate Reunion

Early Times With Julie Andrews in Fishland

Athens of the Antelope Valley

Riding Out the Apocalypse

the best place to bike when the big one hits