Nothing unusual going on. Yesterday saw a mid-morning 1.4 magnitude quake in Gorman and Loma Linda is still having small quakes here and there -- a 2.0 in the afternoon. Tip of the day: If you live or work in Encino, the local chamber of commerce has begun to work on educating the community about earthquake preparedness.......

Photo by hiddedevries via Flickr COMEDY It's the last week of the Los Angeles Comedy Festival in Hollywood. There are two shows tonight (one at 8:00 p.m., another at 9:30 p.m.) that include 18 Mighty Mountain Warriors, Dry Hump and The Comedy Jesus Show. 8:00 p.m., 9:30 p.m. // McCadden Theatre // 1157 N. McCadden Place, Los Angeles // $12/show CHEAP EATS Whether you're over the hill on the East or Westside, or even......

Photo by phogel via Flickr After a one year hiatus, one of the best green festivals, Worldfest, is back. Two years ago, the solar-powered festival scheduled near Earth Day was a gem among the numerous green events around the city. Located at Woodley Park in Encino, steps away from the eponymous Metro Orange Line station, a slew of eco-friendly vendors showed off their wares, vegan chefs shared their creations and music and recognizable faces......

Photo by delera-photos via LAist Featured Photos on Flickr There were a lot of earthy things to do this weekend, but the true Earth Day is tomorrow. And after that, Earth Day-like events continue through May 10th with one of the best Earth Day festivals around -- WorldFest in Encino. Tomorrow and as previously mentioned, Wilshire Blvd. is being closed down between Western and Harvard. Since it's also Car Free Day, the event abut......

There are many ways to handle a tough break-up with a girlfriend, but torturing and injuring a little puppy isn't one of them. The Daily News reports that a 22-year old Encino man, Steven William Butcher, was arrested yesterday in the 6400 block of Bertrand Avenue for animal cruelty. After a break-up with his girlfriend, Butcher was reportedly distraught and had threatened aloud to harm his small puppy. Worried about the man's mental state, a......

Photo by Zach Behrens/LAist *Update 5:00 p.m.* A beige Lexus SUV attempting to enter into the neighboring commercial building couldn't complete the turn, and mistakenly hit the accelerator rather than the brake. The motion sent the driver on a diagonal path through the awning of Barry's Tickets, then through the patio and front of Tokyo Ice, a sushi restaurant at 16161 Ventura Blvd. The business was preparing for its 5 o'clock opening and was......

The ground lifted at the back right corner of the garage | Photo by Zach Behrens/LAist UPDATE, 11:30 A.M.: The Daily News reports there was no water main rupture as originally indicated in the early alerts by the fire department. "... we believe we have water that has seeped below this residence on the upper street going down to the lower street and, unfortunately, has dislodged the foundation and the solid ground and is......

View Larger Map UPDATE, 1:58 A.M.: This story has been updated and can be read in full here. UPDATE, 11:28 P.M.: The LA Fire Department is reporting that a total of four homes with seven people have been evacuated with no injuries. They are currently working to stabilize and protect the homes below.At 9:57 p.m. tonight, a large hillside water main break was reported to the Los Angeles Fire Department. Possibly threatening homes in the......

Taken at 4:15 on Saturday afternoon in Balboa Park in Encino Photo by DrTran via Flickr......

Sherman Oaks has a lot going for it. From movie and TV stars to community activism, from dingy Valley corner strip malls to high-end boutiques, this neighborhood of nearly 52,000 residents is never a bore (come on, Desperate Housewives films a bunch here). It is named after General Moses Hazeltine Sherman, a well known real estate developer who bought a good amount of land in the area and sold it off. The community was......

When you drive north on Balboa from the 101, you may notice a constant stream of joggers and runners passing on the right. If you turn in the driveway there, you will stumble upon one of the valley's hidden gems. Lake Balboa was built in the 1990s (in Encino) and attracts a surprising array of birds and other small wildlife. Just before sunrise, a heavy fog blankets the area. As the sunrise approaches, the......

For 36 years, The Wiener Factory has been serving hot dogs out of their Sherman Oaks stand to loyal and new customers alike. Good for hot dog lovers, bad for residents craving Pinkberry:Officials with Pinkberry, a nonfat frozen-yogurt chain, were expected to tell a Sherman Oaks Neighborhood Council panel Monday night that they wanted to raze the small hot-dog restaurant and build another Pinkberry store. "Historically, many things come and go. But we have......

"This historical landmark will be subdivided" a sign said in 1945 during the postwar building boom in the San Fernando Valley. Thank god for PTA mothers, who saw this sign and saved it by raising money according to the Daily News. The '94 earthquake destroyed Los Encinos State Historic Park's centerpiece, the De La Ossa Adobe, originally built in 1849. Tomorrow, after 13-years of rehab and discovery, it reopens with a celebration of bands,......

We're pretty stoked this summer to be on an ultimate frisbee league team with the Los Angeles Organization of Ultimate Teams, or LAOUT (get it? LAyout?). This week was the first week for the summer league where games are played at Balboa Park in Encino and Oakwood Park in Venice. It's fascinating to see a group of strangers from all over LA get together, play, win (of course, go Team Tan!) and hang out......

Why focus on what seemingly and maybe a random street (to some) in the south rim of the Valley? Why look into the food, the drinks, the people, the graffiti artists and the neighborhoods along this street that one might call a collector, but these days, could easily be called an arterial street. Stuck between the 101/134 freeways and Ventura Blvd., Moorpark is just a way to avoid traffic for many. Ventura Blvd. gets......