Recently in Torrance Category

Readers, let's roll:

A teenage boy was killed in San Pedro after a fight this weekend. Check out pictures of the scene afterward.

Nearly 30 years after buying some coastal land from its school district, Rancho Palos Verdes is finally getting ready to build a park that isn't sitting so well with neighbors.

South Bay unemployment rates stayed mostly stable in October, bucking a downward trend across the county and state. Poor Torrance was the only city in the area to see an increase in the statistics released last week.

Local nonprofits are gearing up for record holiday needs, beginning with a massive food drive that starts Tuesday. Meantime, one San Pedro-based group is working on its first effort to give Thanksgiving baskets to families who have lost children to violent crimes.

What's that stench coming from the Walteria Sump in Torrance?

Rancho Palos Verdes city officials ponder why its hotel tax increase failed at the polls earlier this month, and what the possible ramifications could be.

Three former Hermosa Beach surf buddies are busy brewing beer.

Readers, coming at ya:

A proposal to build a light rail line through the Crenshaw corridor that would also improve South Bay mass transit made it through a  Metropolitan Transportation Authority committee Wednesday.

Remember the owners of Hermosa Beach's Club Sushi who were on the lam for allegedly absconding with investors' cash? Turns out, they quietly turned themselves in at the Torrance courthouse last week.

El Segundo has finally approved revisions to its filming regulations this week.

Looks like Redondo Beach dog owners will face an uphill battle in getting the city to overturn a ban on pooches in city parks.

Our South Bay History blog recalls when residents at a Torrance apartment complex had a, um, swinging good time.

West High's Dan Henggeler says he's a bruiser on the football field. Check out pictures of the running back.

Readers, we are brimming with news:

A large swine flu clinic in Carson saw a low turnout Monday, but workers at the Home Depot Center were prepared just in case.

Speaking of which, did you see this weekend's story about an otherwise strapping Redondo Beach man who nearly died of H1N1?

Los Angeles County Superior Court jurors found a man guilty of murdering an airport police officer, but now they must decide if William Sadowski was insane at the time of the 2005 crime.

A burglar  jumped from rooftop to rooftop to evade Hermosa Beach police, but was caught hiding under a tarp Monday. Whoops.

Movie industry groups are opposing El Segundo's proposed revisions to its filming ordinances, ironically designed to be looser and attract more production to down.

Check out this pretty public art installation in Redondo Beach.

Robinson Elementary student Dalton Phillips won a ride in a Manhattan Beach fire truck for his entry in a safety contest.

I don't know about you, the last things I wanted to be called in high school were "pit bull" and "beast," but these Bishop Montgomery volleyball players like their nicknames.

Readers, let's hop to it:

Torrance will hold a swine flu vaccination clinic, but the city won't take any chances of a repeat of last month's high-traffic clinic in Redondo Beach.

The Los Angeles Conservancy hopes to raise awareness of local landmarks nearing their 50th birthday with "It's a Mod, Mod, Mod, Mod City" tour of the area's 1960s era architecture.

A Redondo Beach man has built in his garage an exact replica of a Pan Am 747 first-class cabin. The aviation enthusiast has spent 20 years collecting materials from 1960s and 1970s versions of the aircraft. Check out pictures of the set-up.

Get your skate on starting Tuesday at Redondo Beach's seaside ice skating rink. In its second year, the temporary facility will include more dine-and-skate nights, 80s night and a swimsuit weekend. Only in L.A., right?

A South Bay surf legend celebrates 50 years of board shaping with a special tribute. Check out pictures of Dewey Weber's son, Shea.

Three jurors who recently convicted a Lomita great-grandfather of molesting two neighborhood girls say they made a mistake and want to help the man get a new trial.

Carson city leaders have really muffled gadflies of late: Mayor Jim Dear has reinstated use of the mute button at City Council meetings, and the body voted to only allow government content on the city's public access channel, which used to feature activist programming that was often critical of the city.

A Rancho Palos Verdes man is working to compile a list of local charity, in hopes of increasing holiday giving and preventing scams.

Coming at ya, readers:

Lomita's City Council race has ended in a tie for the third seat, a relative rarity in local elections. Also, check out our post-election coverage.

Say goodbye to bikini-clad baristas in Torrance. The controversial Bikini Espresso is closing.

The family of a man killed in a shootout that also injured a sheriff's deputy this week in Lawndale said the incident could have been avoided had a parole agent arrested Juan Carlos Aguilar for drug possession earlier that day. Check out pictures of the aftermath.

John Bogert opines about a rite of passage -- school dances.

Trial has started for the former Torrance plastic surgeon accused of working while on disability and double-billing for procedures.

Los Angeles city leaders have approved $1.3 billion worth of construction contracts to expand the Tom Bradley International Terminal at LAX.

Several South Bay cities and agencies will get nearly $13 million for various projects from Los Angeles County, Supervisor Don Knabe announced in his state of the county speech Wednesday.

Two Mira Costa High School girl volleyball players are glamming up the usually inglorious middle blocker position.

Readers, start your week off well-informed of local news:

The board that oversees Los Angeles International Airport is expected today to approve two contracts worth more than $1.1 billion to build nine new gates and add 1 million square feet to the airport's Tom Bradley International Terminal.

Did you see the Breeze's comprehensive look at the Marine Life Protection Act? Check out pictures of the South Bay marine area that has pitted environmentalists against anglers here and here.

Looming mid-year budget cuts for California State University, Dominguez Hills has students worried it'll take longer to graduate and faculty members concerned about job losses.

Loa Pele Faletogo is maintaining Samoan culture right here in the South Bay.

Hermosa is going old school in an attempt to save its Post Office branch.

Hey, did you know Torrance has a celebrity chef? Yeah, me neither.

Some Scottsdale Estates residents have collected enough signatures to take control of the board, until now under the control of a longtime board president.

Readers, let's roll:

A man was found dead with a single gunshot wound to his head in a Marina del Rey apartment Thursday.

Balloon Boy is safe, but remember Larry Walters, the San Pedro man who 27 years ago floated away on balloons tied to a lawn chair?

The man who killed an off-duty Los Angeles County police captain during an attempted robbery near Gardena was sentenced to death Thursday.

A 12-year-old boy accidentally killed himself while playing with a gun found kept in his Gardena apartment.

Longtime state legislator and Manhattan Beach resident Bob Beverly has died.

Did you duck and cover Thursday during the Great California ShakeOut like the folks at Providence Little Company of Mary Medical Center?

A Torrance acupuncturist will really stick it to you.

Narbonne and San Pedro High face off today on the football field.

Readers, all the cool kids know what's happening in the South Bay:

The Redondo Beach man arrested in connection to the killing of a Torrance waitress apparently lied to friends and co-workers about a storied career in law enforcement and military.

The former Hawthorne resident held for 14 months in the United Arab Emirates will be released soon.

A union dispute over getting Columbus Day as a paid holiday made lines extra long Monday at the South Bay's Department of Motor Vehicles offices.

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has signed and vetoed a bevy of bills with South Bay impacts.

San Pedro added a whole new batch of athletes Monday to its Sportswalk to the Waterfront. Check out pictures of the ceremony.

Meanwhile, Torrance this week will begin talks about redeveloping local sumps into athletic fields.

The head honchos of this El Segundo aircraft parts manufacturer aren't afraid to get their hands dirty.

Brothers Bryce and Jake Miller are working together to lead Mira Costa High School's boys water polo team to victory this season. Check out pictures.

Readers, we are just brimming with local news today:

A woman drove her car into a Lomita house this morning.

Former HUD secretary Henry Cisneros stopped by Carson this week to close a development deal on a 198-unit town home development in town. This was one item in a marathon meeting full of squabbling and politicking that endured until 3 a.m.

Finally, some good news in the housing market: State home prices are expected to increase next year by 3.3 percent -- meager, yes, but a big improvement over double-digit drops experienced in the last two years.

Deputies have arrested four men suspected of committing $10,000 worth of graffiti damage in Carson. Detectives found practice drawings in one of their homes. I don't know about you, but I like a well-prepared tagger.

Looks like Redondo Beach voters might have a say on new elements of the city's King Harbor rezoning.

A former Jiffy Lube worker will stand trial for allegedly raping a customer in the Torrance station's office. Oh, and then she got herpes.

Readers, let's hit it:

The non-profit South Bay Literacy Council, which has taught people to read for 28 years in the area and operates on $40,000 a year, could fold. Office rent has doubled for the agency and its 85-year-old fundraiser is retiring.

Centinela Valley Union High School District is facing a civil rights complaint alleging the agency unlawfully eliminated an English language learners program from Hawthorne High school.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has filed complaints against four companies operating at the Port of Los Angeles for alleged pollution.

Budget cuts have forced the Harbor-area animal shelter to pick up three more zip codes of coverage, further straining the San Pedro facility.

Between a massive expected recall and accusations of a patent violation, it's been a rocky year for former automobile golden child Toyota, whose U.S. marketing and sales arm is based in Torrance.