Now that Water Reed Middle School in North Hollywood unexpectedly and mistakenly has become part of the debate about John McCain (read the background on this story here), principal Donna Tobin posts a statement on the school's blog: It has been brought to the school’s attention that a picture of the front of our school, Walter Reed Middle School, was used as a backdrop at the Republican National Convention. Permission to use the front of......

An announcement for Labor Day (or it just happened to fall on it), John McCain's VP running mate Sarah Palin said that her daughter Bristol Palin, 17, is five months pregnant. Palin most recently gave birth to her down syndrome son Trig in April, but rumors spread on the internet that it was actually Bristol's. Today's announcement was in effort to debunk that rumor. Sarah and Todd Palin said they were proud of Bristol's decision......

John McCain's web people were a little busy this morning prepping the "Ticket for America." (Is it just us or does the photo have SNL skit written all over it?) Just for fun...let's play caption the photo.......

As we were watching The Today Show this morning, trying to wake up, Matt Lauer came on live with a bit of an eye opener: Sen. John McCain, the Republican presumptive nominee for POTUSA, took a little bit of wind out of Democrats' sails this morning with the announcement that Alaska Governor Sarah Palin has been picked as his running mate. Now we don't know a lot about the Alaska governor, but we do know......

Yesterday brought both presumptive Presidential nominees to Orange County to Pastor Rick Warren's Lake Forest mega-church for question-and-answer sessions that overlapped only briefly. It was the first time John McCain and Barack Obama shared the stage for quite some time. Warren posed the same set of questions to each candidate, and both seemed to frequently frame their responses in the context of Christianity in light of their audience, reports KNBC.com. The questions covered several of......

Tonight at 6pm, Adam McKay will talk to Larry King about the new Funny or Die video featuring Paris Hilton. In the 24 hours since the Paris for President video premiered, it has been viewed more than 4 million times. Tonight on Larry King Live we can find out how it all went down. You can see it for yourself right here.......

Would you vote for Paris? See Paris Hilton Responds to McCain Ad and more funny videos on FunnyOrDie.comSee more funny videos at Funny or Die......

Photo by marcn via Flickr Not too soon after McCain was berated for avoiding Los Angeles on the campaign trail, an announcement comes this morning that he's opening a campaign headquarters in Torrance at 23211 Hawthorne Blvd. Also today, the campaign announced its California Small Business Leaders for McCain coalition members, that is small business owners who endorsed John McCain's economic plan (list below). Some interesting LA figures: three landscaping/florist shops, a furniture store,......

Presidential candidate John McCain is saying it is now unlikely they will host any town halls with Democratic Presidential candidate Barack Obama. All this could mean California being left out of the mix. Earlier this month, McCain proposed the two of them hold ten town-hall style debates, but Obama said five would be suffice. "That package of five engagements would have been the most of any Presidential campaign in the modern era," wrote the Democrat's......

The LA Times and Bloomberg just released a poll at 2 p.m. on the presidential race. Obama now holds a 12 point lead over McCain. Perhaps the most interesting part of the poll is that among white voters, Obama and McCain are dead even at 39% each. Also, the Gallup Daily shows a much tighter margin with "Obama winning on key issues." Today, Obama is in Los Angeles at the Music Center fundraising with Hollywood.......

Barack Obama is scheduled to ask Hollywood's most celestial bigwigs to open up its pocket books on Tuesday during a fundraiser in the Walt Disney Concert Hall. It will be Obama's first Los Angeles appearance after securing the Democratic presidential nomination said Variety's political blog Wilshire & Washington, who broke the story Friday: "Barack Obama's fund-raiser at the Los Angeles Music Center on Tuesday is expected to draw a sizable contingent of stars and Hollywood......

Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., goes for a bike ride in Chicago, Sunday, June 8, 2008.(AP Photo/Alex Brandon) Presidential candidate Barack Obama took a relaxing Sunday bicycle ride with his family to a friend's house and then on a beachside ride. It's sexy that he's sporting a helmet, too (even if some say it was an unflattering choice). Republican blogger, The Cycling Dude, plans to vote for McCain, but always is on......

TALK Matt Welch, editor of Reason magazine and author of McCain: The Myth of a Maverick will be providing his take on the Republican Presidential nominee at the Deconstructing McCain chat. Sure to be a thought provoking and stirring presentation and of growing importance given the fast approaching election. 7:30 pm // Los Angeles Central Library, Mark Taper Auditorium // 630 W. 5th Street, Los Angeles // Free READING Michael Ondaatje, author of The......

Photo of the Vincent Thomas Bridge by Jonathan Alcom (Sundogg) via the LAist Featured Photos pool on Flickr We've been covering the city's police force a lot lately -- and before you think those officers just sit around eating donuts all day, you should definitely check out the LA Times guide to the Best Eats on the Beats. (Think Mexican food.) In more fun food news, EaterLA gives us the breakdown of Los Angeles......

When it comes to basketball, anyway. The Republican nominee today unveiled a new feature on his website: compare your picks for the 2008 March Madness tournament with his picks. You can even donate your points to the university of your choice so your school can win. Gimmicky? Absolutely. But brilliant. In order to compare your picks, you must create an account; the only required information is your email address and zip code. That’s golden......

As the country waits to see what the future holds for crusader turned illicit copulater Eliot Spitzer, it is worth examining what impact his prostitute predilection might have on the Democratic Party. Spitzer, the once immensely popular governor of New York that swept into office with 70 percent of the vote, was an early and avid supporter of Hillary Clinton. He is a Clinton superdelegate and helped solidify the support she enjoys in the state......

Nick's, home of delicious breakfast burritos, by Rebecca~James via LAist Featured Photos Pool on Flickr Remember when we told you that Los Angeles tap water was the best tasting in the world? Turns out that our delicious H20 might have been sprinkled with delicious drugs. The AP found that a multitude of pharmaceuticals, like antibiotics, anti-convulsants, mood stabilizers and sex hormones, have been found in the drinking water supplies of at least 41 million......

At a press conference today wih presumptive Republican nominee John McCain, Pres. Bush (who, despite popular opinion, is still president) officially endorsed the Arizona Senator and took a few questions from those wacky reporters who still have the gall to ask questions. During the ten minute media bonanza, Bush showed how little he cares for the free press and, apparently, for McCain. He continually interrupted the Senator and attempted to show, with body language and......

Not that we did not know already, but now it is official: Mike Huckabee announced shortly before 6:30 p.m. PST that he is dropping out of the race. The presumptive Republican nominee, John McCain is expected to hold his victory speech later tonight in Dallas (UPDATE: McCain began his victory speech at 6:48 p.m. PST -- "Stand up and fight for America, the contest begins tonight" MSNBC live on air reports that his teleprompter failed......

Did John McCain have a sex scandal? Is Perez Hilton going to have a deal with Warner Brothers? Both stories come from the New York Times with uncorroborated sources, the latter today in which the facts of Hilton's story were "confirmed by several other people associated with the talks who spoke on condition of anonymity because no deal has been made." Whether or not it is true or will go through, it is interesting nonetheless.......

Diebold Accidentally Leaks Results Of 2008 Election Early The electronic voting machine company, Diebold, has accidently leaked the results of the 2008 Election. Still, the company and the country will go on with the election to please the people. "This country is based on the fantasy that the government is the voice of the people," one Diebold representative said. Related on LAist (and in reality) -- Secretary of State Debra Bowen Checks Out NH Voting......

Campaign Buttons, by JSF539 via Flickr Thomas Pynchon once said, "If they can get you asking the wrong questions, they don't have to worry about the answers." But if they find you in the romantic embrace of a lobbyist and you happen to be a Senator from Arizona, it doesn't matter what they're asking, just what they are reporting and late Wednesday, the New York Times broke it wide open. In a piece that had......

But what about Ron Paul?!?!......

Mitt Romney, by pauladamsmith via Flickr Mitt Romney, a Republican Governor from a Democratic state, quit the presidential race today following huge gains made by John McCain on Super Tuesday. Romney received 175 delegates on Tuesday, compared with at least 504 for McCain and 141 for Huckabee. In his goodbye speech, made today at the at the annual Conservative Political Action Conference in Washington, Romney sought to end the Democratic march toward the presidency,......

Yes, kids, Clinton took the state for the Dems, and McCain nabbed a GOP victory here in California, but the rest of yesterday's ballot had some very important propositions and measures on the line. Here's how things shook out:Proposition 91 (Gasoline Tax): DEFEATED Proposition 92 (Community College costs lowered): DEFEATED Proposition 93 (Term Limits): DEFEATED Propositions 94-97 (Indian Gaming): PASSED LA City Proposition S (the "phone tax" prop): PASSED Area-specific Measures: Measure B, a communications......

Whatching the results, by Denis Sarkic via Flickr . If for some oddball reason you decide not to watch election results with all your favorite LAisters, there are many options for you politicos who want to see where the electoral chips will fall. While all the major candidates will be in their home state to watch the returns tonight, local events around town have been organized by the major candidates so you can watch......

Not sure how to cap off your Super Tuesday voting experience? Why not grab a drink with LAist! We'll be at the Seven Grand in Downtown from 7-9 p.m., and your first drink is free if you're sporting the hottest accessory in town tomorrow: Your "I Voted" sticker! 21+ only, please. The body of a 32-year-old woman who fell off a cliff late Saturday morning near Chantry Flats on Mount Wilson has been recovered. Recovery......

"You would think that something affecting millions of voting Americans would top the list of talking points for every one of the candidates. Yet most of those stumping for the nation's highest office have offered little more than platitudes: When it comes to transportation, they're basically for it."...

"Found on sidewalk near Hope & 8th" Ball-busting: The City of Los Angeles is considering mandating spaying and neutering for all cats and dogs because shelters are overcrowded and so many animals go unadopted. Enforcement is expected to be easygoing, as in if your pet minds its own business you'll stay under the radar, but if your neighbor logs in a complaint about your barking dog and his junk is still ready to make......

Arnie and Johnny Mac had their little love-in this morning with Rudy G looking on. But Gov. Schwarzenegger's public endorsement of McCain was sandwiched by an abundance of pandering. Even the host CEO of Solar Integrated Technologies, took full advantage of the hundreds of journalists in attendance to pimp his company. "This is an example of how much excitement solar energy can create," said Schwarzenegger. "I love it." But the excitement had little to......