Davan Maharaj

Ex-Compton fire official charged with arson, theft

latimes.com — Marcel Melanson was a hero in Compton. The fire battalion chief led teams that raced to help victims of car crashes and street violence. Three years ago, he got national exposure as a star of a BET reality TV program that followed Compton firefighters on emergency calls.

Facebook mogul Sean Parker's wedding not 'liked' by officials?

latimes.com — You can buy a lot of things when you're the founder of Napster and former president of Facebook, but a free pass from the California Coastal Commission apparently isn't one of them. The extravagant wedding Facebook billionaire and tech mogul Sean Parker is arranging June 1 is being investigated by Monterey County planners and the state Coastal Commission, the Carmel Pine Cone reported.

L.A. Philharmonic concerned about potential subway noise

latimes.com — Nothing in the Los Angeles Philharmonic's repertoire calls for 135-ton trains. The orchestra aims to keep it that way when Metro light rail cars start rumbling through a subway tunnel near Walt Disney Concert Hall.

L.A. Now Live: Paltry turnout forecast for L.A. mayor's race

latimes.com — More than 2 million people are eligible to vote for mayor of Los Angeles. But if history is a reliable guide, as many as 1.6 million of them, that's about 80%, will skip Tuesday's election. That low turnout could mean the winner will garner fewer votes than any newly elected mayor since the pre-freeway era of the 1930s, according to a Times analysis of L.A.

Angelina Jolie's choice is clear to one who faced it

latimes.com — Fear of cancer is a horrible thing. It stays with you all day long, and it wakes you up at night. I didn't want to live with that, especially when I knew I could do something about it. Like Angelina Jolie, I have a genetic mutation that increased my odds of getting breast cancer to nearly 90%.

Angelina Jolie's choice is clear to one who faced it

latimes.com — Fear of cancer is a horrible thing. It stays with you all day long, and it wakes you up at night. I didn't want to live with that, especially when I knew I could do something about it. Like Angelina Jolie, I have a genetic mutation that increased my odds of getting breast cancer to nearly 90%.

Kern County man dies after alleged beating by deputies

latimes.com — The sharp cracks echoing from the East Bakersfield street were loud enough to jolt Ruben Ceballos from a midnight slumber. Then he heard screams. The 19-year-old jumped from his living room sofa and hurried to the kitchen door, which offered a view of the violent scene outside - Kern County sheriff's deputies repeatedly striking a man in the head with batons as he lay on the pavement.

Despite economic woes, 9th District a hot spot for contributions

latimes.com — L.A.'s 9th City Council District is among the poorest in the city, taking in a stretch of South Los Angeles where the median household income is less than $30,000 per year. Yet despite persistent economic woes, the district has become a hot spot for expensive campaign contributions in this year's election, with special interests from across the state spending big in the race to replace termed-out Councilwoman Jan Perry.

Los Angeles Times

latimes.tumblr.com — Increasingly, Federal agencies (like us here at the Bureau of Land Management) are using Tumblr to share photos, science, events, initiatives, and other great content with the Tumblr community. Here's a list of some awesome Federal government blogs you should be following on Tumblr.