Shutdown

The 405 shutdown By midnight Friday, all lanes and ramps will be closed along a 10-mile section of the northbound 405 Freeway, between Interstate 10 and the 101 Freeway. Southbound lanes will be closed from the 101 Freeway to Getty Center Drive. The freeway and all ramps are not scheduled to fully reopen until 6 a.m. Monday, July 18. Additional information on the closure and alternative routes can be found at latimes.com and http://www.metro.net/405. Traffic condition updates are available at http://go511.com

If you're going to the Louvre Museum anytime soon, watch your wallet. The world's busiest museum reopened Thursday with the presence of uniformed police officers aimed at deterring aggressive gangs of pickpockets who target visitors and staff, Agence France-Presse reports . About 200 museum workers walked off the job Wednesday and forced the museum to shut down, leaving disappointed visitors without a chance to see the Mona Lisa, Venus...

Officials at Arab satellite broadcaster Al Jazeera have proclaimed their "utter disappointment" with the Egyptian government's shutdown of their Cairo bureau and vowed to continue their reporting. In a Sunday statement, officials at the Qatar-based network described the Cairo shutdown as "a further attempt to hinder and obstruct" reporting on opposition protests and a reaction to how widely its coverage has been watched. Al Jazeera officials said they have more reporters on the ground across Egypt than any other network.

CHICAGO - After months of suspense and anxiety, Chicago school officials announced this week that they planned to close 61 school buildings, nearly 13% of the total number of schools in the district, in what shapes up to be one of the largest mass school shutdowns in U.S. history. In addition, six other low-performing schools will get complete staff turnovers, but the facilities will remain open. "It's like a death in the family. It's that sad," said Irene Robinson, 48, after the announcement Thursday.

WASHINGTON -- A stopgap measure to keep the government funded at a new, lower level cleared a final hurdle in Congress on Thursday and is headed for President Obama's signature, ending the threat of a government shutdown. The House quickly approved the measure, 318-109, following passage in the Senate on Wednesday, as both parties -- and the administration -- sought to avoid a disruptive closing of federal offices. Legislation is needed by March 27 when a temporary measure expires, and Obama is expected to swiftly sign it. The bill locks in the amount of the so-called sequester cuts on federal agencies, the across-the-board reductions that have begun crimping lawmakers' priority projects and home-state industries.

Three California State Parks of the 70 slated to be closed next year because of the state's budget crisis have been given a reprieve for at least a year. The National Park Service has agreed to step in and operate these state parklands that fall within national boundaries: --Tomales Bay State Park in Point Reyes National Seashore and Golden Gate National Recreation Area; --Samuel P. Taylor State Park in Golden Gate National Recreation Area; --Del Norte Coast Redwoods State Park within Redwood National Park, near Crescent City.

The Hostess Brands Inc. shutdown is still leaving consumers reeling as they ponder a potential future without Twinkies, Ding Dongs and Ho Hos. The 82-year-old company is blaming its closure -- which will affect 565 distribution centers, 33 bakeries and 570 bakery outlets -- on a labor strike by members of the Bakery, Confectionery, Tobacco Workers and Grain Millers International Union. The union has accused the Texas business of slashing workers' wages and benefits while awarding substantial pay raises to its top brass.

WASHINGTON -- Lawmakers are returning to their day jobs after a month on the campaign trail, and will try to accomplish one of Congress' key tasks: funding the government. But they won't be here for long. The House is set to work eight days this month, and the Senate about a dozen. After that, lawmakers will resume the season's primary activity of campaigning to get reelected. The one must-do item on Congress' work order is passage of a bill to keep the government running past Sept.

Congress averted a threatened shutdown of the federal highway program but continues to face a bumpy ride in crafting a multi-year transportation bill that seeks to create jobs and ease traffic congestion. The Republican-controlled House on Thursday approved a three-month extension in highway spending, and the Democratic-led Senate grudgingly followed suit, maintaining the government's authority to collect gasoline taxes and fund projects beyond Saturday. As has become all too familiar, lawmakers acted at the last minute to prevent the loss of $110 million a day in tax revenues, the slowing down of projects and the furlough of thousands of federal workers.

Charlie Sheen rants and rants and rants, and finally CBS cancels the rest of "Two and a Half Men's" season. ( Los Angeles Times ) And Sheen can probably forget about starring in another "Major League. " ( TMZ ) But no worries, Charlie says he's getting his own show on HBO. ( Radar Online ) And that he's showing up to work on the "Two and a Half Men" set anyway. ( Los Angeles Times ) Mickey Rooney's stepson has been ordered to turn over all of the 90-year-old actor's ID cards and passport.

WASHINGTON - Sending President Obama a bill Thursday that averts a government shutdown, Congress proved that it can, in fact, function. Not long ago, this was considered an unlikely outcome. Republicans in the House, trying to force Obama to accept deep cuts, had come close to shutting down the government before and appeared primed to do so again. But House Speaker John A. Boehner (R-Ohio) has united his rambunctious majority ever so tenuously around a strategy that, for now, sets aside the cycle of crisis politics to aim for long-range objectives.

WASHINGTON -- A stopgap measure to keep the government funded at a new, lower level cleared a final hurdle in Congress on Thursday and is headed for President Obama's signature, ending the threat of a government shutdown. The House quickly approved the measure, 318-109, following passage in the Senate on Wednesday, as both parties -- and the administration -- sought to avoid a disruptive closing of federal offices. Legislation is needed by March 27 when a temporary measure expires, and Obama is expected to swiftly sign it. The bill locks in the amount of the so-called sequester cuts on federal agencies, the across-the-board reductions that have begun crimping lawmakers' priority projects and home-state industries.

WASHINGTON - It was bound to happen: As the sequester budget cuts are felt around the country, lawmakers are having second thoughts - and trying to tinker with them in a way that could lead to a full-scale government shutdown. Senators want to load up a routine spending bill with provisions to reopen the White House to tours, shield meat inspectors from furloughs and keep air traffic control towers staffed, among other changes that would rearrange the across-the-board cuts. Nearly 100 amendments have been filed by senators on both sides of the political aisle, stalling the measure that is needed to keep the government running after March 27. Without approval, the government would shut down, a prospect lawmakers and President Obama have said they want to avoid.

WASHINGTON - It was bound to happen: As the "sequester" budget cuts are felt around the country, lawmakers are having second thoughts - and are trying to tinker with them. On a routine spending bill, senators filed more than 125 amendments that would have reopened the White House to tours, shielded meat inspectors from furloughs and kept air traffic control towers staffed, among other moves. The attempts to rearrange the across-the-board cuts filed by senators on both sides of the political aisle had stalled the measure, which is needed to keep the government running after March 27. Without approval of the stopgap spending bill, the government would shut down, a prospect lawmakers and President Obama have said they want to avoid.

WASHINGTON - Signaling a cease-fire of sorts in Washington's bitter budget wars, Republican leaders in Congress and a senior White House official expressed optimism Sunday that they can reach a deal to avoid adding a painful government shutdown this month to the deep budget cuts that just began.  “I'm hopeful that the House and Senate will be able to work through this,” House Speaker John A. Boehner (R-Ohio) said on NBC's “Meet the Press.” He said he was “absolutely” committed to keeping the government running.

A woman who complained about the Indian city of Mumbai shutting down for the funeral of divisive Hindu nationalist politician Balasaheb Thackeray was arrested for "hurting religious sentiments," local police told reporters amid public anger over the case. Indian media identified the woman as Shaheen Dhada, 21, who reportedly wrote, "People like Thackeray are born and die daily and one should not observe a bandh [shutdown] for that.” Police also arrested a friend of hers who "liked" the comment.

If budget talks in Washington fail and the federal government is forced to shut down this week, Office of Management and Budget officials report that a broad spectrum of services would be affected. Other services deemed important to public safety would continue. Question: How would a shutdown affect the Internal Revenue Service? Answer: Processing of refunds for paper-filed returns would be suspended, as would tax audits. The deadline for filing tax returns &mdash this year April 18 &mdash would not be affected.

The Hostess Brands Inc. shutdown is still leaving consumers reeling as they ponder a potential future without Twinkies, Ding Dongs and Ho Hos. The 82-year-old company is blaming its closure -- which will affect 565 distribution centers, 33 bakeries and 570 bakery outlets -- on a labor strike by members of the Bakery, Confectionery, Tobacco Workers and Grain Millers International Union. The union has accused the Texas business of slashing workers' wages and benefits while awarding substantial pay raises to its top brass.

Stable markets, subdued trading volume and concerns that the U.S. markets are too complex caused net income at NYSE Euronext, owner of the world's largest stock exchange, to tumble 42% in the third quarter. The New York-based corporation, which owns the New York Stock Exchange along with several exchanges in Europe, said it is trying to slash $250 million in expenses over the next few years. The effort, called Project 14, resulted in NYSE Euronext reassessing some of its investments and cutting some staff during the quarter, trimming $82 million in costs.