Los Angeles Times

Two senior Los Angeles Times editors were given new responsibilities Thursday as part of an effort to create a 24-hour newsroom serving multiple mediums. Randy Harvey, The Times' sports editor since 2006, was named associate editor and will oversee the completion of a plan developed last year to create a news-gathering operation that serves print, the Times website, mobile devices, television, radio, Twitter and Facebook.

The Los Angeles Times has been publishing tributes to Independence Day on its editorial pages for more than 120 years. Mostly these have taken the form of paeans to the founding fathers or the Declaration of Independence, but in some years editorialists past strayed to other topics, such as fireworks, war weariness and, in at least one instance, a public appeal: On July 4, 1943, The Times urged Angelenos to buy war bonds to fund a warship named after the city.

This classic midcentury modern home in quiet northeast Altadena has the indoor-outdoor feel, simple lines and open living space that typify the style. Built in 1950 by architect Caspar Ehmcke -- whose Southland houses include Beverly Hills mansions -- the home was remodeled in 2004 by Los Angeles architect Barbara Bestor. She added 879 square feet for a garage, a bathroom, a utility room and an extra upstairs bedroom.

The Times and Orange County Register will together launch a weekly advertising supplement to be distributed in both papers. The supplement, OCSaver/Local Values, will be inserted into the Friday editions of the newspapers that will go to subscribers in Orange County beginning Aug. 28, said representatives of the Los Angeles Times Media Group and Orange County Register Communications on Tuesday.

The Los Angeles Times Media Group on Monday said three senior executives had been named to new positions that would focus on boosting advertising revenue. Scott McKibben, formerly executive vice president and chief revenue officer, will take a new post as executive vice president of strategic partnerships. In that role, he will be responsible for pursuing revenue opportunities from partnerships.

More than any other modern American city, Los Angeles' history is inextricably intertwined with that of its police force. John Buntin's "L.A. Noir: The Struggle for the Soul of America's Most Seductive City" makes an important and wonderfully enjoyable contribution to our understanding of that interplay. This is a highly original and altogether splendid history that can be read for sheer pleasure and belongs on the shelf of indispensable books about America's most debated and least understood cities.

What do the Los Angeles Kings, Los Angeles County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky and California trial lawyers have in common? All think the news media no longer cover the universe -- or their corner of it -- adequately and all have hired journalists of their own. Sorry I couldn't provide a snappier punch line. But the latest journalism innovation -- in a season of unending innovation -- is no joke: Those who once were merely subjects of news coverage increasingly will be looking for ways to write the story themselves.

Lisa Fung, who has overseen the Los Angeles Times' coverage of arts and culture for more than nine years, has been chosen to run its online entertainment operation. As online arts and entertainment editor, Fung will guide multimedia coverage including Calendar, the Envelope and Company Town. In addition to developing new online properties, she will oversee more than a dozen latimes.com blogs. "Lisa is as comfortable within the realm of social media as she is with Wagner, 'American Idol' and Warhol, perfectly preparing her for this challenging new position," Times Editor Russ Stanton said.

Hero Complex, the Los Angeles Times blog devoted to caped crusaders, zombies, wizards and all things superhero, won a nod from the journalism world Saturday, receiving the award for best online commentary among large websites from the Online News Assn. The judges praised the blog as "elegantly executed" and offering "an extremely well-rounded perspective on pretty much everything" in the pop culture areas it covers. The blog is the creation of reporter Geoff Boucher and includes contributions from Jevon Phillips, Denise Martin, Gina McIntyre, Chris Lee, Susan King and Linda Whitmore.

After I survived my first bombing, I said to myself, I won't see worse than this. Then I survived my second bombing and it changed everything. It was a Wednesday in August, and I was sitting at my desk in the Foreign Ministry doing routine paperwork. I can't remember what time it was. My colleague entered the room, and at that moment, there was a huge explosion. Glass flew in and the ceiling collapsed. Black smoke came through the window. I felt pain in my abdomen; blood stained my shirt.