Outdoor

The showcase Winter Classic became the latest casualty of the labor dispute between the NHL and players, canceled by the league a day before it was to make an additional payment for staging the New Year's Day outdoor game between the Detroit Red Wings and Toronto Maple Leafs at the University of Michigan's "Big House. " The Hockeytown Winter Festival, featuring an array of hockey events at Detroit's Comerica Park, also was canceled Friday. The league said in a statement the next Winter Classic and Winter Festival will be held at the same sites but didn't specify when.

The showcase Winter Classic became the latest casualty of the labor dispute between the NHL and players, canceled by the league a day before it was to make an additional payment for staging the New Year's Day outdoor game between the Detroit Red Wings and Toronto Maple Leafs at the University of Michigan's "Big House. " The Hockeytown Winter Festival, featuring an array of hockey events at Detroit's Comerica Park, also was canceled Friday. The league said in a statement the next Winter Classic and Winter Festival will be held at the same sites but didn't specify when.

City planners, nutritionists and others have been pushing urban farming in recent years, but the movement appears to have taken a different twist in Chicago. Police there have seized about 1,500 plants worth as much as $10 million from an outdoor marijuana farm. The plants were growing on an area the size of two football fields near Bishop Ford Freeway on the city's far South Side. A police helicopter spotted the bright green plants from the air and, by Wednesday, authorities had confirmed the finding and taken control of the plants.

Actors Tori Spelling and Dean McDermott have flown the coop in Malibu, selling their 1.73-acre fowl-friendly property for $2.3 million. The 2,300-square-foot renovated house features century-old oak floors, three bedrooms and 21/2 bathrooms. Custom-built sliding doors lead to multiple decks, an outdoor fireplace and sitting areas. There is a chicken coop, a horse corral, an organic garden and fruit trees on the gated lot. Spelling, 39, played Donna Martin in "Beverly Hills, 90210" (1990-2000)

This steel, glass and concrete two-story by designer Amit Apel takes a page from modern architecture with its open floor plan, floating stainless-steel staircase and indoor-outdoor living space. A 6-foot-deep pond in the backyard is home to koi valued from $3,000 to $7,000 each. Location: 1115 Sierra Alta Way, West Hollywood 90069 Asking price: $15 million Year built: 2012 House size: Seven bedrooms, 71/2 bathrooms, 10,000 square feet Lot size: 20,000 square feet Features: Gates, family room, media room, gym, 1,000-gallon saltwater aquarium, 1,000-bottle wine cellar, retractable walls of glass, Italian-made bathroom vanities, glass elevator, home automation system, solar panels, water-recycling system, cabana, swimming pool, spa, guest house About the area: During the first half of the year, 86 single-family homes sold in the 90069 ZIP Code at a median price of $1.475 million, according to DataQuick.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Raindrops might be falling on their heads - occasionally, in drenching sheets - but Democrats here are still expected to listen to President Obama's acceptance speech under open skies later this week. Obama's Thursday address at Bank of America Stadium will go on “rain or shine,” campaign manager Jim Messina said Tuesday - at least as long as it doesn't pose a safety hazard. Convention planners said that Tuesday morning, when the decision was made, was the last possible point at which they believed they could pull off a relatively organized switch to an indoor venue.  Weather forecasters say there is a 40% chance of thunderstorms Thursday night, and scattered showers have bedeviled those who arrived early for this week's convention.

For those who take decorating their outdoor rooms as seriously as their interiors, Niche has long been a resource for big-ticket European designs. The store, which represents the work of Milan-based Italian designers Patricia Urquiola, Paola Lenti and Rodolpho Dordoni, recently moved to an indoor-outdoor space at 8770 Beverly Blvd. Now Niche owner and designer Robina Benson is discounting all the merchandise at her former location with savings by 25% to 60% in a sale that starts Monday morning.

Set on a corner lot with the San Gabriel Mountains as a backdrop, this board-and-batten and stone-facade house in Upland by noted local architect Boyd Georgi was designed for entertaining and indoor-outdoor living. A large swimming pool sits at the center of a courtyard dotted with mature palms. Location: 2121 N. Laurel Ave., Upland 91784 Asking price: $788,000 Year built: 1965 Architect: Boyd Georgi House size: Three bedrooms, four bathrooms, 4,352 square feet Lot size: 38,000 square feet Features: Glass walls, terrazzo flooring, wood paneling, built-ins, fireplace, atrium with waterfall, formal dining room, library/media room, circular driveway.

In a state with nearly 38 million residents, it's inconceivable that there's a county with a peewee population. But Alpine County, with just 1,102 residents, is by far California's smallest. But what this county, in the Sierra Nevada about half an hour south of Lake Tahoe, lacks in numbers, it more than makes up for in recreational opportunities. The bed Although Markleeville (population 210) is the county seat, the best bet for cozy lodging is about 15 miles north at Sorensen's Resort (14255 Highway 88, Hope Valley; [800]

Five years in the making, this custom Mediterranean takes advantage of ocean views from its perch in Manhattan Beach's Hill Section. Designed for indoor-outdoor entertaining, it also features a swimming pool, a two-story pool house with a game room and an outdoor kitchen with grill. Location: 250 S. Dianthus St., Manhattan Beach 90266 Asking price: $9.995 million House size: Five bedrooms, seven bathrooms, 9,000 square feet Lot size: 14,368 square feet Features: Den, library/study, media room, gym, craft room, sauna, breakfast bar, walnut floors, antique fireplaces, stone counters, faux painted walls, murals, stenciling, koi pond, waterfall.