The Los Angeles Fire Department will open all its fire stations to the public from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday in celebration of "Fire Service Recognition Day" in Los Angeles.

The department hosts this annual open house to increase community awareness, particularly during fire season, officials said. This year’s celebration includes station tours, displays of firefighting equipment and a "hands-only" CPR demonstration at the following fire stations:

Fire Station 5 8900 Emerson Ave. Westchester Fire Station 27 1327 North Cole Ave. Hollywood Fire Station 34 3661 7th Ave. Jefferson Park ...

In 16 L.A. neighborhoods, crime reports are up significantly for the latest week, according to an analysis of LAPD data by the Los Angeles Times’ Crime L.A. database.

Nine neighborhoods reported a significant increase in violent crime. Mid-Wilshire (A) was the most unusual, recording 11 reports compared with a weekly average of 2.6 over the last three months.

Exposition Park (J) topped the list of eight neighborhoods with property crime alerts. It recorded 29 property crimes compared with its weekly average of 17.4 over the last three months.

Mid-City (B) triggered alerts for both...

This week, a suburban Washington, D.C.-area mom packed up her three daughters’ Abercrombie & Fitch clothes and returned them to the firm’s chief executive, Mike Jeffries, with a note explaining that she wouldn’t be letting her kids shop at his stores anymore.

Why was she so ticked off?

Last week, Business Insider reported that Abercrombie refuses to make large-sized clothing. Retail analyst Robin Lewis told the website that Jeffries wants “thin and beautiful” people shopping in his store. "He doesn't want his core customers to see people who aren't as hot as them...

Chris Brown's attorney is slamming neighbors who are demanding the star remove street art-style murals from his Hollywood Hills home.

Neighbors claim the monsters are scaring neighborhood kids and ruining the hillside aesthetic of the area below Lake Hollywood.

"There are lots of babies, lots of children, and they're literally frightened. It's like devils on the wall — big scary eyes and big scary teeth, and just the whole vibe is not what we're used to," said Patti Negri, president of the Hollywood...

A 45-year-old Northern California man suspected of gunning down his wife and two young daughters may be heavily armed, police said.

Authorities are searching in and around the town of Petrolia for him.

Shasta County Lt. Dave Kent said the pursuit of Shane Franklin Miller was especially dangerous because it was suspected he might be heavily armed and because he knows the area well.

“We’re going into a vulnerable situation where we’re trying to search for him in a dense forest he knows very well and that we know adequately,” Kent said.

Miller is the only suspect in the...

The systemwide leader of the University of California’s faculty said Friday that he hoped that the announced move of prominent neuroscience researchers from UCLA to USC reminds government leaders in Sacramento of the importance of research at UC.

Robert Powell, chairman of the system Academic Senate, said that much of recent proposed legislation and rules from state lawmakers and the governor stress undergraduate graduation rates, online education and upping teaching loads without recognizing UC’s strong international role in scientific and academic research.

While it is important...

The boat that capsized in San Francisco Bay, killing an Olympic gold medalist nose-dived as it was changing direction and later broke into many pieces, America’s Cup officials said Friday.

In a news conference at Pier 27 in San Francisco, officials provided new details on the apparent accident that killed British Olympic gold medalist Andrew "Bart" Simpson.

Simpson was part of an 11-man crew aboard Artemis Racing's AC72 vessel, training for the upcoming America's Cup. The boat flipped northwest of Treasure Island about 1 p.m. Thursday, officials said. Simpson, 36, served as the Swedish...

SAN DIEGO -- The apparent shark bites found on the body of a surfer came from an attack after the 42-year-old man had drowned, the San Diego County medical examiner ruled late Friday.

Brandon Beaver died while on a surfing outing off Pacific Beach. His body was discovered floating offshore early Thursday.

Medical examiner investigators who responded to a call from San Diego lifeguards had reached a tentative conclusion that the bites came in a "post-mortem" attack. But a final ruling was delayed until a more detailed examination could take take place Friday.

A woman had reported to authorities...

Wendy Greuel called on Eric Garcetti on Friday night to stop all negative advertising in the last 11 days of the Los Angeles mayor's race, a challenge that her rival instantly dismissed as "disingenuous" for a candidate whose campaign is effectively "bankrupt." "OK, my campaign consultants are probably not going to like this, but I say no more negative ads," Greuel told Garcetti in a debate aired live on KABC-TV Channel 7. Garcetti said he had already endured "eight weeks of pummeling" by Greuel, including an accusation that he was "causing cancer for children" with his lease of oil drilling...

Los Angeles mayoral candidate Wendy Greuel said Friday that she has raised money at “a very fast pace” over the last week and insisted that her campaign would be able to compete, even though her opponent reported 10 times as much cash on hand for the final stretch.

Appearing with civil rights activist Dolores Huerta and Los Angeles Unified School Board President Monica Garcia to celebrate Mexican Mother’s Day, Greuel told reporters she had no regrets about the way her campaign had spent its money and said the team strategically targeted voters who will cast their ballots...

Jurors said overwhelming evidence against a 16-year-old girl charged with killing her mother and stepfather left them with little choice but to find her guilty Friday of first degree-murder.

Several members of the Compton jury said they were unconvinced by Cynthia Alvarez's testimony this week that she was helpless to stop her parents from being killed by her boyfriend.

The jurors, who declined to give their names, said notes that Alvarez wrote to her boyfriend while he was hiding inside her Compton home shortly before the October 2011 killings showed she played an active role in the crimes....

The union representing nearly 13,000 University of California patient-care workers announced plans Friday to strike later this month, but UC officials said they would seek a restraining order to prevent any such action.

The American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees3299 issued a 10-day notice to the UC Office of the President and set the strike date for May 21 and 22. The union represents respiratory therapists, licensed vocational nurses, pharmacy technicians and other workers at both the campuses and the medical centers.

Union officials said the university is putting...

With the Los Angeles mayoral runoff election now 11 days away, rivals Wendy Greuel and Eric Garcetti will face off in a live televised debate Friday night at 7.

The debate, to be broadcast on KABC-TV (Channel 7), comes a day after Cal State L.A. released a poll showing the candidates virtually tied among likely voters in the May 21 runoff, with Greuel at 46% and Garcetti at 45%.

With the campaign entering its final stretch this week, the candidates and their allies are running a series of hard-hitting TV ads that portend a confrontational debate between Greuel, the city controller, and Garcetti,...

After its two-year, $45-million makeover, Echo Park Lake will soon shed the green tarp-covered fence that lines its circumference, revealing to the public a similar-but-spruced-up version of the neighborhood’s landmark.

“Welcome to 29 acres of paradise,” L.A. City Engineer Gary Moore said at news conference Friday, where officials announced the lake would reopen June 15.

Before it was refilled and restocked with plants, the lake was completely drained and cleaned. During the clean up, Moore said, workers found two guns, one toilet, 20 Frisbees and a pay telephone. But, in a...

Although it's Mother's Day this weekend, some small recognition does need to go out to some fathers out there who go the extra mile, also — including wearing their daughter's child-sized backpack around town so she doesn't have to. Photographer Candice C. Montgomery caught this special moment between a man and his daughter on the Metro Red Line with her Canon 40D.

Each week, we're featuring photos of Southern California submitted by readers. Share your photos on our Flickr page or reader submission gallery. Follow us on Twitter or visit latimes.com/socalmoments for more on this photo...

Councilman Tom LaBonge says that like most Angelenos, he appreciates artistic murals. But in the appropriate place. And brightly-colored monster characters tattooed from Chris Brown's curb to the 2nd floor of his Hollywood Hills designer home isn't one of them.

The perpetually-embattled singer's art work garnered him a citation from the city of Los Angeles for alleged "unpermitted and excessive signage" on his home near the Cahuenga Pass. The fanged, cartoonish demons painted by the singer on his Jay Vanos-designed modernist home have cost Brown a fine of $376.32 to pay for the inspector sent...

While the man who was carjacked by Christopher Dorner is getting most of the attention in his bid for a piece of a $1-million reward, little attention has been paid to nine other parties who also unsuccessfully staked a claim to the cash.

If Richard Heltebrake -- who saw Dorner and called authorities while the wanted former police officer was exchanging gunfire -- can’t get a portion of the reward, what chance did they have?

Based on most of the claims, not any.

A dozen parties filed claims under the Los Angeles Police Department’s revised guidelinesseeking a portion of the money...

Los Angeles mayoral candidate Eric Garcetti said Friday that Wendy Greuel’s dwindling campaign treasury would only bolster his argument that her campaign is being sustained by the independent spending on her behalf.

With 11 days left before the May 21 runoff election, City Councilman Garcetti’s latest campaign finance report shows that he has 10 times as much cash-on-hand as his rival, who reported $275,000 in her bank account and debts of nearly $535,000.

“She’s now broke,” Garcetti said after appearing at a Mexican Mother’s Day event at San Antonio Winery...

Michael Jackson’s makeup artist testified Friday that although the singer once asked her if she had painkillers, she never broached the subject of his addiction with him.

Karen Faye said that during Jackson’s 2005 molestation trial in Santa Maria she would spend a lot of time with the performer, arriving at 3 a.m. to help him get ready, and felt it was not appropriate to confront him about his misuse of prescription drugs.  

“I was a place of safety for him, and peace,” Faye said. “And I didn’t want to bring up the allegations in my time with him. I wanted...

A Compton jury found a 16-year-old girl guilty of murdering her mother and stepfather, capping a two-week trial in which the teen admitted buying party supplies with her mother's corpse decomposing in the back of her Jeep.

Jurors spent a few hours deliberating late Thursday and Friday morning before finding Cynthia Alvarez guilty of first-degree murder in both killings.

Alvarez, who was 15 at the time of the killings but was tried as an adult, denied carrying out the crimes but admitted writing incriminating notes to her boyfriend and handing him a knife that she says he used to stab her...

A nonprofit healthcare group announced Friday that they filed enough signatures with election officials to qualify a ballot measure that would let Los Angeles residents vote on whether the city should have a Public Health Department separate from the county's.

Officials with the AIDS Healthcare Foundation, which has long been critical of the L.A. County Department of Public Health, said they turned in roughly 70,000 signatures (50,000 of which they believe are valid) from residents who think voters should decide the issue, which would likely be in June 2014.

"We are heartened that...residents...

Heavily armored law enforcement agents pushed their search Friday through forestlands near the tiny Northern California town of Petrolia in their pursuit of a 45-year-old man suspected of gunning down his wife and his two young daughters.

Shasta County Lt. Dave Kent said the pursuit of Shane Franklin Miller was especially dangerous because it was suspected he might be heavily armed and because he knows the area well.

“We’re going into a vulnerable situation where we’re trying to search for him in a dense forest he knows very well and that we know adequately,” Kent said....

A Pico Rivera man convicted of fatally shooting a 19-year-old gang member and burying the body in his backyard has had his murder conviction reduced to voluntary manslaughter, authorities said.

Robert Charles Redd, 53, was sentenced Thursday to 10 years in prison rather than the mandatory 40-years-to-life term he would have received for second-degree murder with the use of a firearm, said Los Angeles County Deputy Dist. Atty. Brandon K. Wong.

Wong said Superior Court Judge Raul A. Sahagun reduced the conviction, saying he disagreed with the murder verdict that Norwalk jurors reached in April...

A seven-car pileup had drivers trapped on the northbound 5 Freeway in Santa Clarita on Friday afternoon, after a crash that authorities said began with a hit-and-run left four lanes of the roadway blocked for an hour.

California Highway Patrol officials said that about 11:12 a.m. they began receiving calls concerning a multi-car pileup on the freeway north of Gavin Canyon near Calgrove Boulevard.

Seven cars were involved in the crash, which clogged the highway between downtown L.A. and the canyon communities, officials said.

Three people suffered minor-to-moderate injuries, the CHP said, and...

The investigation this week of a high school student in San Bernardino County for allegedly posting photos of nude underage girls on social media shed light on a problem that law enforcement says is widespread.

About a year ago, as many as four teenage boys who were friends and played on a high school sports team were arrested in the San Fernando Valley for selling digital albums with images of naked juvenile girls, said Los Angeles Police Department Lt. Andrea Grossman, commander of the regional Internet Crimes Against Children task force.

In 2008, the task force received about 500 cyber-tips...

She has been described as dependable and steady, a hard-working Army veteran just a couple of weeks away from graduating college with a degree in criminal justice. Maribel Ramos would not simply walk away.

But authorities say Ramos, 36, has been missing for more than a week, seen last on surveillance footage the night of May 2, turning in her rent check at her apartment complex at the 1800 block of East Rose in Orange.

She left behind her car and her small dog, a Chihuahua mix, she always had at her side. It appears that she had her cellphone and wallet with her at the time of her...

Jurors have reached a verdict in the trial of a 16-year-old girl charged with murdering her mother and stepfather, whose bodies were discovered more than a year ago in separate shallow graves, authorities said.

The Compton jury spent only a few hours deliberating late Thursday and Friday morning before reaching a verdict in the double-murder trial of Cynthia Alvarez.

Alvarez, who was 15 at the time of the killings but is being tried as an adult, denied carrying out the crimes but admitted writing incriminating notes to her boyfriend and handing him a knife she says he used to stab her...

Authorities on Friday identified the 63-year-old woman who died after being mauled by a pack of pit bulls in the Antelope Valley as Pamela Maria Devitt, of Littlerock.

L.A. County sheriff's homicide detectives were continuing to investigate whether several pit bulls seized from the residence of a man, whose home contained a marijuana growing operation, are responsible for the fatal attack.

Alex Jackson, 29, is a "person of interest" in Devitt's death, said Sheriff's Department spokesman Steve Whitmore.

Jackson was arrested on suspicion of cultivating marijuana at a house near 115th Street East...

The costume designer who worked with Michael Jackson was alarmed by the music legend’s frail figure during his last days, a makeup artist testified Friday.
 
Michael Bush -- who created much of the singer’s wardrobe for 25 years and wrote a book about the experience -- appeared upset after he finished up a June 2009 fitting inside Jackson’s bathroom at Staples Center, Karen Faye said.
 
“He said 'Oh my god, Turkle. I could see Michael’s heartbeat through the skin in his chest,'” Faye recounted.

Turkle was Jackson’s nickname for Faye, who worked as his...

Investigators are looking into whether a dispute over drugs led to a quadruple shooting Friday in Harbor Gateway that left three people dead, sources said.

Officials have said the incident appeared to be isolated.

“There is no additional danger to the community members in the area,” LAPD Capt. Nancy Lauer told reporters Friday morning.

Officials said police received a 911 call about 5:35 a.m. from a resident reporting hearing eight or nine gunshots in an apartment building in the 1600 block of West 205th Street, where officers found three victims.

About a block away, police found a...

An Orange County man who killed his father in a dispute over whether he could keep a gun in their home was sentenced Friday to 50 years to life in prison.

A jury in March found Jeremy Martin, 37, guilty of murder in the May 20, 2011 shooting death of 62-year-old Frederick Martin in his Huntington Beach home.

Early that day, prosecutors said, the two got into a “verbal and physical argument” because the elder Martin was unhappy that his son was keeping a gun in their home.

Frederick Martin called 911 and asked that police “evaluate” his son but did not mention the...

An Irvine tennis instructor who lined up potential pupils over the Internet has been arrested on suspicion of lewd conduct with a 13-year-old student, police said Friday.

Jarrid Thomas Baldogo was arrested late Thursday at his residence in the Westpark community after Irvine police detectives obtained a search warrant.

The 29-year-old tennis instructor has worked as a tennis instructor for several years and allegedly had access to children, though police said there is no immediate information that indicates there are additional victims.

For the past 2 ½ years, police said, Baldogo worked at a...

As police seek to determine if pit bulls they've seized are the ones that killed a woman Thursday in the Antelope Valley, neighbors said the dogs have a history of attacking humans and other animals.

Police also found a marijuana-growing operation during their search for the  dogs, authorities said.

A 29-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of cultivating marijuana at a house near 115th Street East and Avenue S in the community of Littlerock after police conducted a search of the property related to the  mauling of a 63-year-old woman Thursday morning.

Sheriff's Capt. Mike Parker said...

Bumble Bee Foods has been fined nearly $74,000 and cited for six safety violations after an employee was cooked to death after being trapped in an industrial pressure cooker.

The citations come seven months after state regulators began investigating the accidental death of Jose Melena, 62, of Wilmington. The father of six had been employed with the company for five years.

According to a 25-page report by the state Division of Occupational Safety and Health, Melena was responsible for loading the 54-inch by 36-foot ovens with 12 rolling metal baskets full of tuna cans. The ovens are used to...

A Los Angeles judge on Friday denied a request by a camp ranger carjacked in Big Bear by Christopher Dorner to block the release of $1 million in reward money.

Richard Heltebrake, who unsuccessfully sought the reward, contends he deserves it because his call to 911 helped tip off authorities.

But on Friday, Judge Luis Lavin declined to grant a temporary restraining order that would have stopped authorities from disbursing the money to four people.

Lavin made his decision citing lack of irreparable harm and because Heltebrake had not properly served several parties who may have opposed the...

The death of a British Olympic gold medalist during an America's Cup sailing practice on Thursday has prompted new concerns about the high-speed catamaran that capsized in the San Francisco Bay.

An America's Cup chase boat pulled the sailors from the water, but Simpson was trapped under the 72-foot catamaran for up to 15 minutes before he was reached, San Francisco Fire...

With under two weeks to go until election day, the race to become the city’s next mayor is extremely volatile.

A new poll shows Wendy Greuel and Eric Garcetti in a virtual dead heat, a vast improvement for Greuel, who was down by double digits in a USC Price/L.A. Times poll a month ago. The new poll also shows a growing gender gap as Greuel has increasingly emphasized that she would be the first female mayor of Los Angeles. A new television ad by a union representing city employees trumpets the historic nature of Greuel’s bid.

Simultaneously, new financial disclosure reportsshow...

Los Angeles police said residents in a Harbor Gateway neighborhood where three people were shot to death Friday morning have nothing to fear.

“There is no additional danger to the community members in the area,” said LAPD Capt. Nancy Lauer.

Officials said police received a 911 call about 5:35 a.m. from a resident reporting hearing eight or nine gunshots in an apartment building in the 1600 block of West 205thStreet, where officers found three victims.

There was a dispute inside an apartment there that led to the shooting, Lauer said.

About a block away, police found a fourth...

Is it possible for the Michael Jackson story to become more lurid, pathetic or extreme?

You bet your sweet Jesus juice.

Jackson’s mother and three children have sued Anschutz Entertainment Group, blaming the promoter of what was supposed to be the singer’s 2009 comeback tour for his death.

So far, the trial in downtown Los Angeles has offered a parade of horror stories, thanks to witnesses who can finally speak freely about Jackson, an entertainer whose heavenly talents were pulled down by his hellish addiction. One thing is certain now: his death came at the hands of the very...

Singer Chris Brown has been cited and ordered to remove large monster-like graffiti on the walls of his Hollywood Hills home or face a fine.

Brown's neighbors complained after the large graffiti appeared outside his house. They also said he has disturbed them with crazy parties, entourages and fast driving.

“Children are frightened. Adults are mad,” Negri said.

City Councilman Tom LaBonge told CBS2that Brown has been...

Challenger Mike Feuer continues to lead Los Angeles City Atty. Carmen Trutanich in fund-raising, reports filed late Thursday showed.

According to documents the campaigns sent to the city Ethics Commission, Feuer, a former city councilman and past member of the state Assembly, raised $208,753 during the latest reporting period, April  7 through May 4, bringing his total for the upcoming general election to $524,776. Trutanich brought in $109,897 during the same period, for a total of $313,497.

Both candidates have received an additional $350,000 in public matching funds for the May 21 general...

Wendy Greuel had roughly one-tenth of the cash on hand of her rival Eric Garcetti as she headed into the final two weeks of the mayoral election, according to new campaign finance reports.

Greuel, the city’s controller, reported raising nearly $937,000 in the four weeks ending Saturday and loaning her campaign $100,000, putting her over the $1 million edge in documents her campaign filed with the city ethics commission late Thursday. Her campaign reported spending $2.6 million in the same time period, leaving it with just under $275,000 cash on hand and debts of nearly $535,000.

A top...

VISTA -- Heavy metal singer Tim Lambesis must wear a GPS monitor and stay away from his immediate family if released from jail after pleading not guilty to soliciting the murder of his estranged wife.

Lambesis, lead singer of the Christian-themed band As I Lay Dying, entered his plea Thursday.

San Diego County Superior Court Judge Martin Staven set bail at $3 million. If he is released from jail, he must wear the monitor and follow the stay-away order, Staven said.

In...

Three people were found dead Friday morning from a shooting in Harbor Gateway.

Los Angeles police received a 911 call about 5:35 a.m. from a resident reporting hearing eight or nine gunshots in an apartment building in the 1600 block of West 205^th Street. Police found three victims.

A fourth victim was discovered more than a block away, near Del Amo Boulevard and Western Avenue, covered in blood, said LAPD Officer Christopher No. That person, whose condition was unavailable, was taken to a hospital.

Authorities said a red Dodge Charger and a gray Ford Explorer were seen speeding away from the...

A camp ranger, carjacked in Big Bear by Christopher Dorner and who then called police, is expected to ask a judge Friday to block the release of $1 million in reward money.

Richard Heltebrake, who unsuccessfully sought the reward, contends he deserves it. He is expected to show up in a downtown L.A. courtroom Friday to ask an L.A. County Superior Court judge to grant a temporary restraining order stopping authorities from disbursing the money.

Heltebrake called 911 after he was carjacked in the Big Bear area Feb. 12 by Dorner, who took off in Heltebrake's white pickup.

FULL COVERAGE: Sweeping...

An 18-year-old father was scheduled to be arraigned Friday on charges in connection with the alleged beating of his daughter when she was less than a month old.

Sean Michael Beard was arrested Wednesday, about a month after police said he and the baby’s mother first took the child to the hospital with bruising to her face, the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department said.

Doctors there recommended they take the 25-day-old baby to Loma Linda University Medical Center, where doctors discovered additional trauma allegedly caused by abuse, Sheriff's Department officials said in a...

Police found a marijuana growing operation during their search for a pack of pit bulls that mauled a woman to death in the Antelope Valley, authorities said.

A 29-year-old man  was arrested on suspicion of cultivating marijuana at a home near 115th Street East and Avenue S in the community of Littlerock after police conducted a search of the property related to the  mauling of a 63-year-old woman Thursday morning.

Sheriff's Capt. Mike Parker said detectives with a warrant working with animal control took eight dogs, including six pit bulls.

An 18-year-old father was arrested on suspicion of beating his infant daughter, who is less than a month old, authorities said Thursday.

Sean Michael Beard was arrested Wednesday, the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department said.

Beard and the baby's 16-year-old mother took the child to a hospital, where she was treated for bruises to her face. The baby was transferred to Loma Linda University Medical Center, where doctors discovered additional trauma allegedly caused by abuse, department officials said in a statement.

Beard, a Hesperia resident, was  booked into the Central Detention...

A shallow magnitude 3.4 earthquake was reported Thursday evening four miles from East Foothills, Calif., according to the U.S. Geological Survey. The temblor occurred at 10:12 p.m. at a depth of 3.7 miles.

According to the geological survey, the epicenter was four miles from Alum Rock, Calif., eight miles from San Jose, nine miles from Milpitas, Calif. and 84 miles from Sacramento.

In the last 10 days, there has been one earthquake magnitude 3.0 and greater centered nearby.

Read more about Southern California earthquakes.

Oxnard police are seeking the public's help in finding a 13-year-old girl who was reported missing Saturday.

Samantha Torres was last seen leaving a relative's apartment about 7 p.m. Saturday in the 2400 block of Alvarado Street in Oxnard, police said Thursday night.

Samantha lives at the Royal Dukes Mobile Estates and attends Rio Del Valle Middle School, Det. Luis McArthur said in a statement.

She has brown eyes, long reddish hair and is 5 feet 7 inches tall. 

Anyone with information is asked to call McArthur at (805) 385-7662 or Ventura County Crime Stoppers at (805) 222-8477.

Fund set...

Authorities seized six pit bulls and two other dogs Thursday evening, but said they were unsure if the animals fatally mauled a 63-year-old woman earlier in the day.

Deputies saw the woman as she was attacked in Littlerock by a pack of pit bulls Thursday morning, the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department said. 

One of the deputies fired rounds toward the dogs, causing the animals to flee, department officials said in a statement.

The woman died en route to a hospital. Her name was not released.

Deputies in a helicopter and in patrol cars launched a search after the mauling near 116th Street...

Evening shower made for a dramatic sunset in the Los Angeles area Thursday.

The National Weather Service said the sporadic rain will continue through the night. A flood warning was issued for parts of the Inland Empire near creeks and rivers. Friday will see low clouds in the morning with sunny skies in the afternoon, according to the NWS. The weekend will be much the same, with highs in the 70s in the basin and the 80s in inland valleys.

Here are some photos of the dramatic sunset, which included purples, oranges, reds and even rainbows:

State regulators have fined Bumble Bee Foods nearly $74,000, citing several safety violations in connection with an employee who was burned to death when he became trapped in an industrial pressure cooker at a Santa Fe Springs facility.

The state Division of Occupational Safety and Health issued six citations with various fines against the tuna company in April, according to a report obtained Thursday by The Times.

The citations come seven months after state regulators began investigating the accidental death of Jose Melena, 62, of Wilmington. The father of six had been employed with the...

 A camp ranger who unsuccessfully sought a $1-million reward in the Christopher Dorner case is asking a judge to temporarily block the release of any funds, according to court records.

Richard Heltebrake, who contends that he deserves the reward, will ask a judge in Los Angeles County Superior Court in downtown L.A. on Friday to grant a temporary restraining order to stop authorities from disbursing the reward money.

Authorities on Tuesday announced that four people would receive a share of the reward for helping law enforcement officers track down the rogue ex-Los Angeles police officer.

FULL...

Los Angeles County sheriff's investigators seeking four pit bulls believed to have mauled a woman to death Thursday morning in the Antelope Valley community of Littlerock searched a home late in the day, taking away six dogs and detaining a man on suspicion of narcotics possession, authorities said.

Sheriff's Capt. Mike Parker said detectives with a warrant working with animal control took six dogs, including some pit bulls, from the home and were conducting a search of a property near 115th Street East and Avenue S.

Parker said the resident was detained on narcotics allegations during the...

Los Angeles firefighters Thursday evening were rescuing workers trapped in scaffolding on the side of a 27-story building in Century City.

The two workers were not injured but were stranded outside the building in the 10100 block of Santa Monica Boulevard, the Los Angeles Fire Department said. 

Firefighters were placing the workers in rescue harnesses and hoisting them one at a time to the roof, where other firefighters were waiting to render assistance.

It was not immediately clear how the workers came to be stranded.

ALSO:

Fund set up for victims' families, survivors of Bay Area limo fire

Los Angeles County sheriff's deputies and animal control officers were searching Thursday afternoon by air for a pack of pit bulls believed to have mauled a woman to death earlier in the day in the Antelope Valley community of Littlerock.

Hours after the attack, Los Angeles County Supervisor Michael D. Antonovich offered a $25,000 reward for information leading to the four dogs' capture.

The 63-year-old woman was out for her morning walk when she was mauled by the dogs. Her name has not been released. She died en route to the hospital.

Sheriff's Capt. Mike Parker said a motorist saw the dogs...

A teenage girl plotted the murder of her parents and helped her boyfriend execute the killings, giving him a hand signal when her mother was heading to bed and helping him ambush her stepfather with a baseball bat, a prosecutor told jurors Thursday.

Deputy Dist. Atty. Kristin Trutanich urged the Compton jury not to feel sympathy for the girl, who testified that she suffered years of abuse at the hands of the victims and watched helplessly as a controlling boyfriend carried out the October 2011 killings in the family’s mobile home.

Trutanich said Cynthia Alvarez was far from a meek,...

A janitor at a Santa Ana elementary school was convicted Thursday of hiding a video camera in a girl's restroom stall at the school, prosecutors said.

Angel Rojas, 25, was found guilty by a jury of one misdemeanor count of disorderly conduct for secretly filming and for child annoyance. He faces a maximum sentence of one year and six months in jail, a $6,000 fine and having to register as a lifetime sex offender, according to a statement from the Orange County district attorney's office.

Rojas, a Corona resident, is set to be sentenced Tuesday.

Prosecutors said that on July 16, Rojas -- who...

Los Angeles County prosecutors have launched an investigation into allegations of voter fraud in Little Armenia, part of a Los Angeles City Council district where two candidates are waging a bitter battle for an open seat.

According to a spokeswoman for L.A. County Dist. Atty. Jackie Lacey, prosecutors are trying to determine whether backers of one candidate illegally filled out mail-in ballots for dozens of voters in an Armenian enclave in East Hollywood. The May 21 election will decide who succeeds Eric Garcetti, who is running for mayor.

In a complaint sent to Lacey's office, an attorney...

SAN FRANCISCO -- Condolences from around the world poured in to the Swedish racing team Thursday after its 72-foot catamaran capsized in the San Francisco Bay, killing one sailor during a training run for the America’s Cup.

On the Artemis Racing Twitter site, the U.S. Sailing Team tweeted: “A tremendously sad day for the sport of sailing. Our thoughts are with the family of Olympic Champion Andrew Simpson, and Artemis Racing.”

Sail Canada, formerly known as the Canadian Yachting Assn., tweeted: “Tragic news. Our condolences to the Simpson family and Artemis team.”...

VISTA -- At a court arraignment attended by his friends and fans, heavy metal singer Tim Lambesis pleaded not guilty Thursday to a charge of soliciting the murder of his estranged wife.

San Diego County Superior Court Judge Martin Staven set bail at $3 million. Once he is released from jail, Lambesis must wear a GPS monitor and stay away from his wife and their three children.

Lambesis, 32, lead singer for the Christian-themed band As I Lay Dying, is charged with trying to hire a hit man to kill his estranged wife, who filed for divorce in September.

In divorce papers, she alleged that he has...

A former UCLA physics professor has agreed to plead guilty to federal fraud charges and pay almost $1.7 million for turning in false invoices related to nanotechnology research he was performing for the Department of Defense.

Alfred Wong, 75, of Westwood was charged Thursday morning with making a false claim to the United States.

Wong had been given a contract to do work for the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency and other government entities.  But Assistant U.S Atty. Daniel J. O’Brien said the longtime professor ended up creating fake billings through one of several companies he...

A Northern California teacher was arrested at school Thursday after officers found drugs and a gun in his car.

William Jepson Middle School officials got a tip that the teacher’s car contained marijuana and a gun while parked on school grounds.

The teacher, Bobby Chambers, consented to a search of his car by a Vacaville police officer, according to Fox 40.

Inside they found a loaded gun, ammunition, cocaine and marijuana.

Chambers was arrested in the parking lot and booked into Solano County Jail.

Having a dinosaur hang out on a rooftop can be great for advertising, but it can also provide a unique opportunity for photos. The Ripley's Believe It or Not Museum on Hollywood Boulvard provided such an opportunity for photographer Archie Tucker, who snapped this photo of a bus passenger with his Nikon D7000 — all without noticing the dinosaur at the time of the shot. Surprise!

Each week, we're featuring photos of Southern California submitted by readers. Share your photos on our Flickr page or reader submission gallery. Follow us on Twitter or visit latimes.com/socalmoments for more on...

Authorities were alerted to an Antelope Valley woman walking in Littlerock being mauled to death Thursday by a pack of pit bulls when a passing motorist saw the vicious attack, officials said.

The 63-year-old woman was walking when she was mauled by the four dogs. Sheriff's Capt. Mike Parker said a passing motorist saw the dogs attacking the woman, who was on the ground, and immediately dialed 911.

Deputies shortly after 9:30 a.m. responded to Avenue S between 110th Street East and 113th Street East to a report of four vicious pit bulls.

The first deputy at the scene found the woman on the...

A Swedish racing team identified a British Olympic gold medalist as the sailor killed when a catamaran capsized during training for the America's Cup on Thursday on the San Francisco Bay.

Artemis Racing confirmed that Andrew "Bart" Simpson was trapped underneath the AC72 vessel and could not be revived after he was pulled from the water.

“The entire Artemis Racing team is devastated by what happened,” Chief Executive Paul Cayard said in a statement. “Our heartfelt condolences are with Andrew’s wife and family.”

Simpson joined the team in late February and was...

At least one high school student in San Bernardino County could be charged with a crime after photos of nude juvenile girls ended up on social media, police said.

Detectives are investigating how nude photos of four girls -– at least two are juveniles –- were reportedly spread on Twitter by a high school student.

“It appears that the females took the pictures of themselves and sent them to the male who allegedly may have shared the photos,” said San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department spokeswoman Cindy Bachman.

The male is a student at Etiwanda High School,...

A gun battle in San Bernardino County between murder suspects and law enforcement officers after a high-speed chase Thursday left one suspect dead, one wounded and a CHP officer hospitalized, officials said

The shootout concluded a pursuit that had begun a short time earlier when San Bernardino County sheriff's deputies responded to reports of shots fired in Yucca Valley. About 11:41 a.m., they discovered a body inside a vehicle in a shopping center parking lot.

Witnesses alerted deputies that two men were seen fleeing the scene in a gray or silver sedan. Shortly afterward, deputies saw a car...

A 26-year-old man was arrested Tuesday after he and two other men allegedly beat up his neighbor outside a fast-food restaurant and stole his iPhone 4, police said.

Edvard Zograbyan, who was reportedly on probation for felony theft, was booked on suspicion of the May 1 robbery outside Burger King in the 1200 block of East Colorado Street, according to Glendale police.

The neighbor told police he had gone to a nearby gas station to buy a pack of cigarettes and was walking back when he was suddenly punched, knocked to the ground and kicked. At some point, he was knocked unconscious and his iPhone...