Redevelopment reality:increased tax revenue generated by their projects

For decades, community redevelopment agencies have targeted blighted areas and encouraged investment in them by allowing developers to keep the increased tax revenue generated by their projects. The successes have been notable: One need look no farther than the south end of Los Angeles' downtown, where Staples Center and the surrounding commercial area sit atop what once were parking lots and crack houses.

But abuse of the system has been a proble...

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Let police pursue criminals, not immigrant

California reached a milestone late last month when federal immigration officials quietly announced that all 58 counties in the state are now participating in Secure Communities, a controversial program created to track and deport dangerous criminals.

Unveiled in late 2008, Secure Commun...

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Movie Projector: 'Battle: Los Angeles' will rule, 'Mars Needs Moms' will bomb

"Battle: Los Angeles" is expected to wipe out the competition at the box office this weekend, leaving "Mars Needs Moms" searching for any signs of life.

Sony Pictures' "Battle," an alien invasion story starring Aaron Eckhart, should open to domestic ticket sales of $30 million to $35 million, according to people who have seen pre-release audience surveys.

But the biggest news at the box office this weekend will likely be the disastrous debut of "Mars Needs Moms," a big-budget animated movie from Walt Disney Studios that is on track ...

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Darren Aronofsky returns to the drug world

Darren Aronofsky cemented his auteur status a decade ago with "Requiem for a Dream," a dark story of a murky drug underworld. Now he could be returning to that milieu in a different capacity.

The director of "Black Swan," along with that movie's producer, Scott Franklin, are putting their weight behind "Intricate," a story of a promising young athlete who finds himself caught up in the drug trade in 1990s New York, according to the new film's dire....

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'American Idol' results: One goes home, and one goes missing

Even before one finalist was eliminated on Thursday night's "American Idol," as the top 13 was about to shrink to an even dozen, one contestant was missing: Casey Abrams, who had been hospitalized for stomach pains just two weeks ago, was apparently back in the hospital. (Fox is not saying why, or whether Casey is expec...

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Public consequences of pop stars' private gigs:Mariah Carey

When pop stars Mariah Carey, Beyoncé, Nelly Furtado and 50 Cent recently said they'd renounced millions of dollars they'd received for performing for members of Libyan strongman Moammar Kadafi's family, they drew attention to a growing and controversial cultural phenomenon: celebrity artists being hired by rich, powerful and sometimes disreputable clients to play at private or sem...

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Wisconsin Assembly passes union proposal

The Wisconsin Assembly on Thursday gave final approval to a GOP measure that sharply limits collective-bargaining rights for most public employees.

By 53-42, the Assembly passed the measure, an expected step after the state Senate OKd the propo...

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$6-billion solar industry logs another record year

The solar industry seems to have turned in yet another record-breaking year in 2010, as the total market value of the sector spiked 67% to $6 billion from $3.6 billion in 2009, according to an annual report.

Companies installed 878 mega...

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Rep. Gabrielle Giffords' condition improves by 'leaps and bounds'

Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, shot in the head in a Tucson parking lot in January, "is making leaps and bounds in terms of neurological progress," doctors say, and there is "a good possibility" she will be able to attend the final launch of the space shuttle Endeavor, which her husband, astronaut Mark Kelly, will comma...

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Obama to address Japan quake at news conference

Obama to address Japan quake at news conference

During a news conference today, President Obama is expected to detail the U.S. response to the major earthquake in Japan. Other likely topics are gas prices and the violence in Libya...

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LIBYA: Dutch marines captured in Libya appear headed to Athens

Thanks to a deal brokered by Greek officials, the Libyan government has agreed to allow three Dutch marines captured after a failed evacuation mission in Libya last month to leave Tripoli for Athens Thursday, according to the Associated Press, quoting a Greek defense ministry official.

The official, who was not identified, said a Greek milit...

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LIBYA: Ras Lanuf still controlled by anti-government forces, rebel leaders say

The oil port of Ras Lanuf in eastern Libya was under heavy bombardment Thursday but remained in the hands of anti-government forces, according to leaders of the rebels, who were quoted by the Reuters news agency.

The information contradicts reports that Reuters sai...

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LIBYA: International Criminal Court's chief prosecutor willing to hear Kadafi's side of story

The International Criminal Court’s chief prosecutor, who is investigating Libyan leader Moammar Kadafi and members of his inner circle for possible war crimes, told the Reuters news agency Thursday that he would welcome hearing Kadafi’s version of events as part of his probe.

In an exclusive interview with Reuters, Luis Moreno-Ocampo said the United Nations Security Council needed to start thinking about how it would pr...

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LIBYA: Aid agencies hindered in attempts to get medical supplies to areas most in need

Ongoing insecurity continues to hinder aid agencies from reaching areas of western Libya that are in urgent need of medical supplies and assistance, officials from Doctors Without Borders said Thursday.

Teams of the agency’s medical staff have managed to reach health facilities in Ajdabya and Brega, but were unable to proceed to Ras Lanuf, about 270 m...

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LIBYA: Government forces preparing for full-scale attack on rebels; West should butt out or face defeat, Kadafi's son says

Seif Islam Kadafi, son of Libyan leader Moammar Kadafi , said Thursday that forces loyal to the government were preparing for a full-scale attack on anti-government forces and that Western countries would face defeat if they chose to support the uprising, according to a report from Bloomberg Ne...

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8.9 quake kills hundreds in Japan

The quake triggers a tsunami that threatens much of the Pacific. Up to 300 bodies are found in the city of Sendai in northeastern Japan, an area believed to have been hit hardest by the massive waves....

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Japan nuclear site declares state of emergency after quake

Japan nuclear site declares state of emergency after quake

The cooling system fails at the Fukushima No. 1 power plant. No radiation leaks, but the plant has shut down...

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Tsunami waves hitting Hawaii not unusually high

Tsunami waves hitting Hawaii not unusually high

Authorities say more waves are expected and it's too early to tell whether the islands would escape harm....

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Japan earthquake, tsunami kill hundreds, cause crippling damage

Reporting from Beijing and Tokyo — After years of preparation for the killer earthquake that would clearly one day strike, Japan found itself crippled Friday by floods, power failures, fires, shuttered airports and paralyzed transit systems from an 8.9 earthquake that struck off the Pacific coast, killing hundreds of people and sett....

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Earthquake and tsunami hit Japan

A magnitude-8.9 earthquake struck off Japan’s northeastern coast Friday, triggering a 13-foot tsunami that washed away cars and tore away buildings along the coast north of Tokyo.

In various locations along Japan’s coast, TV footage showed severe flooding, with dozens of cars, boats and even buildings being carried along by waters. A large ship swept awa...

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