CALIFORNIA | LOCAL
October 18, 2013 | By KTLA
Authorities this week released photos of a man and woman suspected of stealing two duffel bags during a private party at Raging Waters for Los Angeles County sheriff's deputies and their families. The bags contained hundreds of dollars worth of personal items, including two sheriff's deputy badges and sets of identification. Dozens of families were at the San Dimas water park on Sept. 22 when the bags disappeared, KTLA reported. “When badges are stolen it's very concerning to us because people can use these things and they can pose as deputy sheriffs,” said Sheriff's Deputy Johnie Jones.
CALIFORNIA | LOCAL
October 10, 2013 | By Ari Bloomekatz
Beginning Friday, thousands of rainbow "ally" badges will be passed out to Los Angeles Unified teachers and staff members that they can wear to identify themselves as allies of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender students. The "Out for Safe Schools" initiative coincides with National Coming Out Day on Friday and was announced Thursday by leaders of the L.A. Gay & Lesbian Center and the school district. "We want all our youth and staff to know that it is safe to be you in LAUSD," Supt.
OPINION
October 3, 2013 | By Charles Taylor Kerchner
Under the Los Angeles city charter, the mayor has no formal power over the Los Angeles Unified School District. But this has not stopped mayors - including Richard Riordan and Antonio Villaraigosa - from using the bully pulpit and the power of office. With his recent appointment of veteran Superintendent Thelma Melendez de Santa Ana as his deputy for education, Mayor Eric Garcetti has signaled that he, like his predecessors, is going to take a keen interest in education. However, instead of using all of his political energy on the school district, Garcetti and the city would be further ahead by connecting schooling to out-of-school learning, making Los Angeles a more educational place to grow up. As David Rattray, senior vice president of education and workforce development at the L.A. Area Chamber of Commerce, told me in an interview, "The mayor is perfectly positioned to connect the schoolhouse to the community and link what students know to high-paying jobs.
ENTERTAINMENT
June 26, 2013 | By Susan King, Los Angeles Times
Over the past few years, James Badge Dale has quietly and effectively become one of the most versatile young actors working today. He was brilliantly sleazy as Michael Fassbender's womanizing boss in Steve McQueen's 2011 drama "Shame. " Last fall, he stole a brief but memorable scene from under the nose of Denzel Washington as a gaunt, cynical hospital patient dying of cancer in "Flight. " And this summer, he's demonstrating his skillfulness as Guy Pearce's ruthless henchman in "Iron Man 3," as the no-nonsense U.S. Army Ranger stationed in Korea who falls victim to zombies in "World War Z," and as the strong, silent and tough Texas Ranger Dan Reid, older brother of the lawyer (Armie Hammer)
WORLD
June 13, 2013 | By Mark Magnier, Los Angeles Times
KABUL, Afghanistan - - Mohammad Aziz Ayob adjusts his Boy Scout scarf, leans over and settles a sapling into the dry Kabul soil as two NATO helicopters pass overhead, the clack-clack of their blades echoing off the neighboring mountains. Bobbing green shirts and matching caps may seem a bit incongruous in a war zone, but organizers of Afghanistan's nascent Scouting program say its emphasis on community service and self-reliance is sorely needed in a society scarred by decades of violence.
NEWS
April 4, 2013 | By Patt Morrison
Her father was a fireman, her mother was a teacher, and her brother was a sheriff's deputy. It's hardly a surprise that Terri McDonald would follow the family and wind up working in California government, in her case moving up the ranks through the prison system and now as the "assistant sheriff for custody," the woman brought in to clean out the Augean stables of the L.A. County jail system. Out of high school, earning her way through college, a friend told her about “a pretty good job that pays a little better than Burger King,” and she she began working in a mental health facility.