L.A. city councilman Jack Weiss, whose district includes Westwood, held a meeting for Village business owners and community organizers Thursday to discuss lack of parking ““ a problem many merchants point to as a prime reason for business woes in the Village. Read more...

The beat of downtown Los Angeles on Saturday was best characterized by a young activist with a bullhorn, rapping to the vibrant rhythm of throngs of cheering people: “We don’t want to hear it / We don’t want to see / We don’t want to be in a World War III!” This performance and others like it were the rule rather than the exception that afternoon when the streets were taken by storm as thousands of flag-waving, drum-pounding protesters flooded city blocks, crying out against a prospective war with Iraq and declaring their solidarity with much of the rest of the world. Read more...

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Illinois Governor George Ryan offers some hope in an age when politicians are too eager to please and too afraid to take an unpopular stand against the status quo. Read more...

Recycling is worth the effort The article, “Recycling programs trashy, say students” (News, Jan. 8) was completely disheartening. I was appalled that students are unwilling to recycle because it is not “easily accessible or convenient.” The life span of an aluminum can is 80-100 years, a plastic bottle lasts 700 years, and a glass bottle endures for 1 million years. Read more...

Lloyd Monserratt, chief of staff to L.A. City Councilman Nick Pacheco who won an election to be president of UCLA’s Undergraduate Student Association Council in 1988, passed away Thursday due to complications during surgery. Read more...