DOWNTOWN — Streets were slammed with runners and spectators, giving the impression that businesses were benefiting from the influx, but the Los Angeles Marathon didn’t bring the boon that some merchants had hoped for.
SM PIER — Police reopened the Santa Monica Pier around 7:30 p.m. Saturday after determining that two suspicious packages found near the finish line of Sunday’s Los Angeles Marathon did not contain explosives.
SM PIER — During a sweep before Sunday’s Los Angeles Marathon Santa Monica Police officers found two suspicious packages, forcing them to evacuate the area and call in the bomb squad.
SM AIRPORT — The Hump, the high-end sushi restaurant facing federal charges for allegedly selling endangered whale meat, closed its doors Friday and does not plan to reopen, according to a statement on its Web site.
CITYWIDE — Lulled into a false sense of security, some locals are leaving cars unlocked, and in some extreme cases leaving keys in the ignition, leading to an increase in auto burglaries and thefts, Santa Monica police stated in a bulletin released this week.
CITY HALL — Federal prosecutors Wednesday filed criminal charges against a chef and the owners of The Hump, a highly-regarded sushi restaurant at the Santa Monica Airport, for allegedly selling banned whale meat.
SM AIRPORT — The Hump, one of the most highly-regarded sushi restaurants in the region, is the subject of a federal investigation, with investigators claiming chefs there sell banned whale meat to adventurous diners looking for something a little more exotic than yellowtail.
SM PIER — Facing two years of severe sponsorship shortfalls, Santa Monica Pier leadership is considering a reduced Twilight Dance Series or replacing the popular event with a less expensive run of free concerts.
DOWNTOWN — One school was in desperate need of new backpack racks and shelves for its kindergarten class. Another wanted to refurbish storage bins and paint concrete trash cans to make the campus more attractive.
PUBLIC SAFETY FACILITY — Police Chief Tim Jackman is extending until the end of June 2011 a patrol plan in which officers work three, 12.5-hour days per week after a detailed analysis showed response times are down significantly as well as officer-involved collisions and overtime costs.
BORDERLINE NEIGHBORHOOD — Surrounded by piles of boxed mac ‘n’ cheese, toothpaste, granola bars and Sweethearts candies, a group of women opposed to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan gathered at a home here earlier this month, putting their feelings aside in order to support the troops overseas.
Crime Watch is a weekly series culled from reports provided by the Santa Monica Police Department. These are arrests only. All parties are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
