~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

From the LA Times:

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

'Nest' Is Not Just Empty -- It's Gone
Sued by L.A., the owner of a housing complex that police called rife with drugs, prostitution and violence opts for demolition.
<full story>

MTA Restarts Embattled Busway Project
The Metropolitan Transportation Authority board called contractors to return to work on the Orange Line across the San Fernando Valley on Thursday even as lawsuits over the east-west busway's environmental impact report continued.
<full story>

Judge Rejects Land Deal in South Gate
The preliminary ruling orders that the city get money and 11-acre site back. It had sued to undo a pact that recalled council members set up.
<full story>

Audit Finds New City Equipment in Storage
L.A. controller says an inventory of warehouses shows motor vehicles and computers aren't put into service until months after purchase.
<full story>

LAPD Officer Is Accused of Extortion
A Los Angeles police officer caught in a sting was charged Thursday with extorting $500 from a merchant to report a case of immigration fraud, authorities said.
<full story>

Bus Riders' Bid to Extend U.S. Oversight of MTA Is Rejected
Advocates for bus riders have failed to prove their claim that the Metropolitan Transportation Authority is doing too little to reduce overcrowding and other bus-line problems, a U.S. District Court official in Los Angeles ruled Thursday.
<full story>

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

From the Daily News:

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Child poverty soars in L.A.
The number of children living in poverty in the city of Los Angeles rose by more than 10 percent last year -- to nearly one in three children -- outpacing a national increase in the ranks of poor and uninsured Americans, the Census Bureau reported Thursday.
<full story>

Orange Line work quickly resumes, pending lawsuit
After a 23-day shutdown, construction of the Orange Line busway across the San Fernando Valley resumed Thursday, but a residents group fighting the $330 million project vowed to go to court as early as today to try to get it stopped again.
<full story>

Reward offered for Arleta rape suspect
A $50,000 reward was offered Thursday for information leading to the capture of the suspected "Arleta Rapist," accused of kidnapping and sexually assaulting three females in the northeast San Fernando Valley.
<full story>

Airport police at full strength
BURBANK -- The Bob Hope Airport has a full complement of 30 in-house police officers for the first time since stricter security standards were put in place in the wake of the 9-11 terrorist attacks.
<full story>

LAPD stores 157 new cars for 5 months
Dozens of Los Angeles police cars have been languishing in warehouses for months before being put into service, and other city vehicles and computer equipment also are sitting around for weeks, months or years with little accountability, according to a report issued by City Controller Laura Chick on Thursday.
<full story>

Working poor find help at food bank
WOODLAND HILLS -- Maria Marquez picked up two bags of groceries and a pile of bread from the food bank Thursday with a sunny air of relief.
<full story>

L.A. cases among e-crime crackdown
A dozen criminal cases targeting everything from bogus eBay sales to illegally blocking customers from conducting Internet transactions were filed in Los Angeles as part of a nationwide crackdown on computer crime, federal authorities announced Thursday.
<full story>

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

From other sources:

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

From the LAPD
$50,000 Reward Offer for the Apprehension and Conviction of The Arleta Rapist
<full story>

Vicious Home Invasion Robbers Sought
<full story>

Sobriety Check Point To Raise Community Awareness
<full story>

From Mayor Hahn
Mayor Hahn Launches Work Safety Campaign
<full story> (pdf format)

Mayor Hahn, Councilmember Smith Launch West Nile Virus Website
<full story> (pdf format)