Homes

MIAMI - The large black-and-white signs were very clear. "Interview in Progress. Quiet Please!" So it was strange to hear an unseen somebody yell "Hurry up!" while Dwyane Wade was talking to media members Saturday. It turned out to be the voice of LeBron James, playfully irritated that Wade was only seven minutes through his scheduled 10 with reporters. James was on deck. A few seconds later, James appeared on the stairs next to a dais, stepping toward Wade in mock anger.

Rookie sensation Yasiel Puig gave Dodgers fans more to cheer about Saturday night, but it wasn't enough for the Dodgers to overcome the Atlanta Braves. Atlanta starting pitcher Kris Medlen held the Dodgers scoreless in 62/3 innings of work and helped his cause with a solo home run as the Braves defeated the Dodgers, 2-1, at Dodger Stadium. Medlen's homer off Dodgers starter Stephen Fife in the fifth inning came one out after the Braves' Dan Uggla hit a solo home run into the left-field pavilion.

Are you ready to bet that the great housing recession is finally over and that values are rising again? If so, some of the nation's largest institutional investors are ready to roll the dice with you. Pension funds, endowment portfolios and the like don't typically invest in residential real estate, which is the world's largest asset class. But given their long-term horizons, housing is considered a natural fit. And now there's a new investment vehicle that aligns their stash of cash with creditworthy home buyers.

This Yasiel Puig craziness is getting so out of hand, Friday night the Dodgers managed their first walk-off victory of the season. Without a hit. While Puig the Amazing was busy working on his legend with his fourth home run in five games, the Dodgers edged the Braves, 2-1, in 10 innings when pinch-runner Skip Schumaker scored from third on a wild pitch. BOX SCORE: Dodgers 2, Atlanta 1 All routine and everything. Ramon Hernandez led off the bottom of the 10th with a base hit and took second on reliever Anthony Varvaro's first wild pitch.

Los Angeles County Dist. Atty. Jackie Lacey is considering whether criminal charges should be filed against officials at Teens Happy Homes, a foster care contractor with a long history of financial improprieties and substantiated instances of child abuse, according to spokeswoman Jane Robison. The review by prosecutors in the department's Public Integrity Division follows a recent examination in The Times detailing allegations of financial misconduct involving evidence that employees may have used taxpayer money intended for abused children for their own personal gain.

This modern-style home in Los Feliz takes advantage of surrounding hillside and canyon views. In addition to glass pocket doors and open air plazas, dual decks off the master bedroom create a 360-degree panorama. Location: 4625 Dundee Drive, Los Angeles 90027 Asking price: $5.2 million Year built: 2004 House size: Five bedrooms, 5.5 bathrooms, 4,796 square feet Lot size: 31,751 square feet Features: Three fireplaces, breakfast bar, craft room, saline swimming pool, spa, outdoor shower, three-car garage About the area: In the first quarter, 44 single-family homes sold in the 90027 ZIP Code at a median price of $943,000, according to DataQuick.

Michael C. Hall of "Dexter" fame has bought a restored home in Los Feliz for $3.825 million. The updated 1920s Spanish Colonial and guesthouse have killer views of the surrounding hillsides and cityscape. Features include archways, beam ceilings, wrought-iron work, French doors and wood floors. There are six bedrooms, six bathrooms and more than 5,600 square feet of living space. The gated grounds contain a swimming pool. Hall, 42, has starred as the murder-minded main character on "Dexter" since 2006.

Builders are eyeing the next wave of potential home buyers - the so-called millennials - but whether this rising generation will embrace big mortgage debt remains an open question. These 95 million people ages 10 to 32 outnumber their baby-boomer parents by 10 million. The young adults among them, sobered by the recession, have relatively modest material expectations; many say they'd be happy with smaller living spaces. The housing industry will have to convince the next generation that home loans are as necessary and prudent as the student debt so many of them already carry.

Authorities on Thursday significantly increased the number of homes destroyed by the Powerhouse fire to 24, more than double the previous estimate. Los Angeles County Fire Inspector Anthony Akins attributed the rise in damage to a survey by ground crews that were able to explore the burn area more fully mid-week. All 24 of the destroyed homes were in or around Lake Hughes. Atkins said the newly discovered destruction was in a nearby canyon. The fire also claimed 29 outbuildings when erratic winds drove the flames toward the hamlets of Lake Hughes and Elizabeth Lake and surrounding areas overnight Saturday.

I remember the first time I walked into the Palms. It was late and packed; there were women everywhere, and the music was blaring. Through the haze of smoke, I could just make out the DJ booth in the back as the crowd moved to the beat of the music. Struggling to get to the bar, I was both nervous and amazed at the sight. This was the first lesbian bar - first openly gay place, period - I'd ever been to, full of women just like me. I'll never forget the rush of that feeling. I finally noticed the bartender trying to get my attention, and I ordered the most sophisticated thing I could think of: an amaretto sour.