Permission

Garrett Jackson, who became a starting forward for USC this season after a rash of season-ending injuries decimated the Trojans, was granted permission to contact other schools about transferring, USC announced. Jackson, a sophomore who played high school basketball in Oregon, started the final 14 games and averaged 10.8 points and 4.1 rebounds. For the season, he averaged 6.9 points and 3.1 rebounds. “Garrett did a great job here for two years,” USC Coach Kevin O'Neill said in a statement.

Barbara De Maria received calls from her local CVS store in Glendale recently saying that her son's prescription had been automatically refilled, as per his instructions. Problem was, De Maria's son had given no such instructions, and the prescription was for a temporary skin problem, not any type of chronic condition. No refills were needed. Even worse for CVS: De Maria, 60, works in the drug industry and knows a thing or two about how the game gets played. "These automatic refills have become a standard industry practice," she told me. "They have become very prevalent.

Borders is seeking permission to sell 30 to 35 of its stores to bookstore chain Books-a- Million. Border said previously that an unnamed bidder was seeking to buy the leases and assets of 30 Borders stores. It named Books-a- Million as the bidder during a hearing at the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York on Thursday. A judge is expected to rule on the matter as well as Borders plan to liquidate its remaining stores later on Thursday.

When I think about Chinua Achebe, who died Thursday in Boston at age 82, I remember an event, five years ago, at Manhattan's Town Hall. The occasion was a commemoration, sponsored by PEN American Center, of the 50th anniversary of Achebe's first novel, “Things Fall Apart,” which opened the territory of African literature for many readers around the world. I listened as, one after the next, novelists Colum McCann, Edwidge Danticat and Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie took the stage to pay homage to Achebe.

A yearlong probe has failed to determine if Los Angeles County sheriff's deputies moved, without permission from the coroner, the skeletal remains of a woman who went missing after being released from the department's custody. Mitrice Richardson, 24, drew national media attention in 2009 when she disappeared after being released from the sheriff's Lost Hills/Malibu station around midnight, without her car, purse or cellphone. Nearly 11 months after her disappearance, her remains were spotted in a remote Malibu Canyon ravine.

The Dodgers have granted third base coach Tim Wallach permission to interview for the Boston Red Sox's managerial position. Wallach confirmed he has an interview scheduled, but wouldn't say when it would take place. "It's the Red Sox," Wallach said. "It's one of the top organizations in all of baseball. We all know how last year went. It's not a picture of who they are. They were a top organization for a long, long time. It's certainly something I'm not afraid to be a part of. " A five-time National League All-Star, Wallach has been the Dodgers third base coach for the last two seasons.

Who gave smokers permission to use Mother Earth as their ashtray? MARC JACOBS Burbank

Matt Roe, a two-year starting basketball guard for the University of Syracuse, has asked for and received permission from the athletic department to contact other schools about transferring.

The 131-character dispatch arrived mournfully within two hours of sunrise May 4, at 7:58 a.m. to be exact. "When u give Give GIVE and they take Take TAKE at wat point do u draw a line in the sand?" Kobe Bryant wrote on his Twitter feed, adding the hashtags "hurt beyond measure," "gave me no warning," and finally, "love?" Bryant's career with the Lakers has often been pushed aside by internal family matters, the recent court battle over his memorabilia the latest in a string of cheerless events.

Consumers are getting their first glimpse at what health insurance will look like in California as the state prepares to implement the federal healthcare law. On Wednesday, state officials will spell out the details on policies available next year to people buying their own coverage. In January 2014, most Americans will be required to have health insurance or face a penalty. Federal law established four broad plans of coverage - Platinum, Gold, Silver and Bronze - whose benefits vary based on the level of out-of-pocket expenses that consumers are required to pay. A Platinum plan, the most expensive, would require policyholders to pay about 10% of the cost of care, while the Bronze plan, the least expensive, pegs the patient share at 40%. Document: Details of California's healthcare plans Now for the first time, California is laying out the specific co-pays and deductibles that many policyholders will face when going to see a doctor, get a lab test or visit an emergency room.

To any viewer who thinks "Sons of Anarchy" is too violent, consider the bright side: At least the castration scene got … um … deleted. Kurt Sutter, creator of the drama about a California motorcycle gang, presented the idea of showing a character getting the unkindest cut early in the run of the show, now FX's highest-rated. But he backed off after the network's chief objected. "I have no filters," Sutter said with a laugh. "I just assume everyone feels the way I do about things.

A change to the Digital Millennium Copyright Act that makes it illegal for consumers to unlock their mobile devices without the permission of their carrier goes into effect Saturday. Carriers lock smartphones -- which they typically subsidize in the U.S. -- as a way to prevent their customers from getting a cellular plan with a different company. 10 tech companies to watch in 2013 Users unlock phones when they want to switch carriers, sometimes after the phone's original contract has run out, or so they can use it when going abroad.

HOMEWOOD, Calif. - She was born under a house on the west shore of Lake Tahoe and quickly became a beloved fixture in this rustic community. She rambled through backyards and climbed into open windows to snack. She swam in the lake's impossibly blue water and sunned herself on the beach as if on an extended vacation. Residents nicknamed her Sunny. She was one of Lake Tahoe's "celebrity bears" - animals so familiar, so seemingly at ease around humans that they've become de facto residents of this forested idyll where the boundary between wilderness and civilization has all but disappeared.

A Los Angeles zoning official refused to throw out building permits issued for a hotly contested Wal-Mart grocery store in Chinatown, handing the retail giant another victory at City Hall. In a 24-page report, Associate Zoning Administrator Maya Zaitzevsky found the Department of Building and Safety did not err or abuse its discretion when it gave Wal-Mart permission to upgrade an existing retail space at the corner of Cesar Chavez and Grand avenues. The decision, issued Dec. 20, was praised Thursday by Wal-Mart spokesman Steven Restivo, who said it would send "a clear message to those who seek to block economic development only to serve their own special interests.

The Dodgers have granted third base coach Tim Wallach permission to interview for the Boston Red Sox's managerial position. Wallach confirmed he has an interview scheduled, but wouldn't say when it would take place. "It's the Red Sox," Wallach said. "It's one of the top organizations in all of baseball. We all know how last year went. It's not a picture of who they are. They were a top organization for a long, long time. It's certainly something I'm not afraid to be a part of. " A five-time National League All-Star, Wallach has been the Dodgers third base coach for the last two seasons.

In response to a recent investigation that found "substantial" levels of arsenic in rice and many rice-based products, a group of Democrats proposed legislation that would impose federal limits on the dangerous element. Reps. Rosa De Lauro of Connecticut, Frank Pallone of New Jersey and Nita Lowey of New York said in a joint statement that their bill would require the Food and Drug Administration to set a maximum amount of arsenic permissible in foods containing rice. The move Friday is based on a Consumer Reports finding this week urging consumers to cut back on rice ingestion after researchers said they discovered "worrisome" traces of inorganic arsenic in products including brown and white rice and rice-based infant cereals, pastas, drinks and crackers.

Want to fool merchants with a fake ID? Hack someone's text messages? Or how about tracking where your co-workers are, without their knowing it? There's an app for that. The explosion in smartphone and tablet applications that enable people to check the weather, follow their stocks and play Words With Friends has a dark side: apps that facilitate questionable if not outright illegal behavior. Apple's App Store, for example, offers Drivers License software that promises "unlimited access to realistic-looking licenses" for all 50 states.

In ground-breaking action, the Los Angeles Unified school board voted Tuesday to ban suspensions of defiant students, directing officials to use alternative disciplinary practices instead. The packed board room erupted in cheers after the 5-2 vote to approve the proposal, which made L.A. Unified the first school district in the state to ban defiance as grounds for suspension. The action comes amid mounting national concern that removing students from school is imperiling their academic achievement and disproportionately harming minority students, particularly African Americans.

In a city that touts itself as today's small-town America with a beautification campaign complete with "curb appeal" awards, a slaughterhouse would seem an ill fit. But for two decades, Chinese American Live Poultry has offered freshly killed birds on Garvey Avenue in Rosemead and, after a contentious fight with city leaders, there it will remain. The slaughterhouse and the city have agreed to settle a federal lawsuit, clearing the way for Chinese American Live Poultry to continue serving chicken with head and feet intact - the kind of fare that has its mostly Asian clientele lining up at sunrise during holidays.

Question: I have rented a room in my house to a woman and her young daughter. After she moved in, she changed the lock on the door to her room without my consent and had male companions in her room who were very noisy and disruptive. If she continues to make me uncomfortable in my own home, can I just change the locks to force her to leave? If I can't get rid of her, can I at least force her to give me a key to her room? Answer: Unilaterally locking out a tenant is never legally permissible, no matter the justification.