Deasy wants 30% of teacher evaluations based on test scores

L.A. schools Supt. John Deasy announced Friday that as much as 30% of a teacher's evaluation will be based on student test scores,...

Read More..

Judge sets May trial date for Kardashian divorce

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Kim Kardashian has a due date for her baby and now a trial date for her divorce from NBA player Kris Humphries.A judge on Friday set a May 6 trial for the reality TV star who wants to end her marriage before July, when her child with Kanye West is due.Kardashian filed for divorce on Oct. 31, 2011, after she and Humphries had been married just 72 days. Their lavish, star-studded...

Read More..

Livestrong Tattoos as Reminder of Personal Connections, Not Tarnished Brand

As Jax Mariash went under the tattoo needle to have “Livestrong” emblazoned on her wrist in bold black letters, she did not think about Lance Armstrong or doping allegations, but rather the 10 people affected by cancer she wanted to commemorate in ink. It was Jan. 22, 2010, exactly a year since the disease had taken the life of her stepfather. After years of wearing yellow Livestrong wristbands, she...

Read More..

L.A.'s 'Urban Outlaw' selling his custom Porsche 911 accessories

Magnus Walker steps between the scarred carcasses of Porsche 911s lining his garage wall. He pauses and points to a gaping hole...

Read More..

Former Bell official says he voted for pay raise out of fear

One of the former Bell city leaders accused of plundering the town's treasury by taking oversized salaries testified Thursday...

Read More..

Rapper 2Chainz arrested in Maryland on drug charge

EASTON, Md. (AP) — Rapper 2Chainz has been arrested on drug charges in Maryland where he was to perform at a college event.Maryland State Police spokesman Sgt. Marc Black says troopers stopped a van Thursday night for speeding near Easton, Md., and smelled marijuana in the van. A backpack in the van was found to have a marijuana grinder and trace amounts of marijuana.The rapper, whose real name is...

Read More..

Fat Dad: Baking for Love

Fat DadDawn Lerman writes about growing up with a fat dad.My grandmother Beauty always told me that the way to a man’s heart was through his stomach, and by the look of pure delight on my dad’s face when he ate a piece of warm, homemade chocolate cake, or bit into a just-baked crispy cookie, I grew to believe this was true. I had no doubt that when the time came, and I liked a boy, that a batch of...

Read More..

Consumer sentiment bounces back in February

Consumer sentiment rebounded solidly early in February after a disappointing showing the previous two months, according to a...

Read More..

Oscar Pistorius arrested in slaying of model Reeva Steenkamp

Paralympian Oscar Pistorius charged with murder ...

Read More..

'Sesame Street' nears 1 billion views on YouTube

NEW YORK (AP) — Nearing 1 billion views on YouTube, "Sesame Street" is headed for Justin Bieber territory.The children's program is closing in on the kind of rarified digital milestone usually reserved for the likes of pop stars and cat videos. "Sesame Street" will soon pass 1 billion views on YouTube and it's celebrating the mark with a campaign to put itself over the hump."Sesame Street" on Thursday...

Read More..

Well: Afraid to Speak Up to Medical Power

The slender, weather-beaten, elderly Polish immigrant had been diagnosed with lung cancer nearly a year earlier and was receiving chemotherapy as part of a clinical trial. I was a surgical consultant, called in to help control the fluid that kept accumulating in his lungs.During one visit, he motioned for me to come closer. His voice was hoarse from a tumor that spread, and the constant hissing from...

Read More..

Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway is buying Heinz ketchup company

Warren Buffett has been very publicly casting about for a big deal – and he's found one in the Heinz ketchup company.Through...

Read More..

Dorner manhunt: Investigators work to ID charred human remains

After what LAPD Chief Charlie Beck called "a bittersweet night," investigators Wednesday were in the process of identifying...

Read More..

Eric Church leads ACM Awards nominations with 7

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — They don't call him Chief for nothing: Eric Church is the top nominee at this year's Academy of Country Music Awards.The rising country music star has seven nominations for the April 7 awards show in Las Vegas. Hunter Hayes is next with six, followed by Taylor Swift and Miranda Lambert at five apiece.Swift and Lambert are up for the academy's top honor — entertainer of the...

Read More..

Phys Ed: Getting the Right Dose of Exercise

Phys EdGretchen Reynolds on the science of fitness.A common concern about exercise is that if you don’t do it almost every day, you won’t achieve much health benefit. But a commendable new study suggests otherwise, showing that a fairly leisurely approach to scheduling workouts may actually be more beneficial than working out almost daily.For the new study, published this month in Exercise & Science...

Read More..

Global mobile phone sales decline for first time since 2009

A new report says the global mobile phone market declined by 1.7% in 2012, down from 1.78 billion devices sold in 2011 to 1.75...

Read More..

Ex-Bell officials defend themselves as honorable public servants

Less than three years ago, they were handcuffed and taken away in a case alleged to be so extensive that the district attorney...

Read More..

Back to New Orleans: Beyonce to perform at Essence

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Beyonce is coming back to New Orleans and back to the Superdome.After entertaining a huge television audience in a packed dome during the Super Bowl halftime show, Beyonce is now scheduled to perform at the Essence Festival.Festival officials said Monday that she will return to the dome to headline one of three night concerts during the festival, which is set for the Fourth of July...

Read More..

Personal Health: Getting the Right Addiction Treatment

“Treatment is not a prerequisite to surviving addiction.” This bold statement opens the treatment chapter in a helpful new book, “Now What? An Insider’s Guide to Addiction and Recovery,” by William Cope Moyers, a man who nonetheless needed “four intense treatment experiences over five years” before he broke free of alcohol and drugs.As the son of Judith and Bill Moyers, successful parents who watched...

Read More..

Apple CEO on shareholder lawsuit: 'It's a silly sideshow'

Apple chief executive Tim Cook criticized a rebellious shareholder for creating a "silly sideshow" by filing a lawsuit...

Read More..

Grammys 2013: Fun., Mumford, Gotye lead a newer generation

Grammy Awards voters gave their top honor to British roots music band Mumford & Sons for their album "Babel" on Sunday at...

Read More..

Grammy audience down, still 2nd highest since 1993

NEW YORK (AP) — It's back down to earth for the Grammy Awards in the television ratings.The Nielsen company said Monday that music's annual awards show was seen by 28.1 million people on CBS on Sunday night. That's the second-largest audience for the program since 1993.It was way down from last year, when just under 40 million people tuned in during extraordinary circumstances. The 2012 show came...

Read More..

Personal Health: Getting the Right Addiction Treatment

“Treatment is not a prerequisite to surviving addiction.” This bold statement opens the treatment chapter in a helpful new book, “Now What? An Insider’s Guide to Addiction and Recovery,” by William Cope Moyers, a man who nonetheless needed “four intense treatment experiences over five years” before he broke free of alcohol and drugs.As the son of Judith and Bill Moyers, successful parents who watched...

Read More..