Uber and Lyft have dealt a swift, brutal blow to the Los Angeles taxi industry, city records show.
Since the ride-hailing services began operating in Southern California three years ago, the number of L.A. taxi trips arranged in advance has fallen by 42%, according to city data, and the total number of trips has plummeted by nearly a third.
The steepest drops were in the city's most popular nightlife and tourist destinations: the Westside, Hollywood and downtown.
The grainy video clip popped up on the Staples Center scoreboard toward the start of Wednesday’s pre-game festivities.
There was Kobe Bryant as a rookie, talking to legendary Lakers broadcaster Chick Hearn and predicting he would play “19 or 20 [years], at least.”
Who knew that the brash, uniquely gifted teenager would end up being correct?
Bryant, 37, played the final game of his 20-year career Wednesday, ending an era with five championships, 18 All-Star game appearances and way too many outsiders’ opinions, pro or con, to ever tally.
His 1,556th and last box score showed a stunning 60 points on 22-for-50 shooting in a 101-96 Lakers victory over the Utah Jazz.
It was chaotic, it was beyond memorable, it was so very Bryant.
The raucous crowd couldn’t care less about the final score, cheering with piercing volume every time Bryant scored during his 42 minutes.
“Man!” he exclaimed after the game when handed a microphone at midcourt. “I can’t believe how fast 20 years went by. This is crazy. This is absolutely crazy.
“We’ve been through our ups and we’ve been through our downs. I think the most important part is that we stayed together throughout.”
Gov. Jerry Brown today signed into law a measure increasing California's minimum wage to $15 over the next six years.
Brown signed the legislation in Los Angeles, joined by the state's top two legislative leaders, Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon and Senate President Pro Tem Kevin de León.
The actor and Hollywood bad boy is a suspect in an ongoing criminal investigation involving alleged threats Sheen has made, according to the Los Angeles Police Department.
The LAPD is not releasing more details at this time or naming the victim, due to the nature of the crime.
The criminal investigation is the latest in a string of bad news for the former "Two and a Half men" star. His former fiancée Scottine Ross filed a lawsuit in December accusing him of assault, battery, false imprisonment and failure to disclose to her that he was HIV-positive.
The lawsuit alleges that, on several occasions, Sheen locked Ross in the bathroom, pushed her, dragged her by the arms, placed her in a chokehold and pointed an unloaded gun at her and repeatedly pulled the trigger.
Ross, an adult film actress known as Brett Rossi, and Sheen were in a relationship from November 2013 to October 2014, according to the suit.
Sheen's attorney has denied the allegations, saying Ross is trying to extort money from the former "Two and Half Men" star.
Charlie Sheen and former fiancée Scottine Ross, a.k.a. Brett Rossi.
Representatives for Sheen did not immediately respond Thursday to a request for comment.
The actor has been mostly out of work since his FX series, "Anger Management," was canceled in December 2014. After several years of erratic behavior, Sheen, 50, announced in November that he is HIV-positive and that his hard-partying days were behind him.
The LAPD said its Threat Management Unit is leading the Sheen investigation.Source: cnn.com
There could be quite a few empty seats at the Olympic Games in Rio this summer.
With just half of tickets sold and only four months before kickoff, Brazil's new minister of sports, Ricardo Leyser, is looking into ways to boost ticket sales.
He told Brazilian newspaper Folha that the Brazilian government may purchase tickets that will be distributed to public schools. He said public officials must also work to boost worldwide confidence in Rio's ability to host the games and ensure travelers' safety.
It's also unclear whether construction of the Olympic facilities will be finished as organizers have faced steep funding constraints -- the budget was slashed by $500 million in January.
And there's concern that Brazil won't be able to attract tourists to the games over fears about high crime rates and terrorism. Brazil plans to use twice as many security agents as were used during the games in London in 2012.
