During the height of the Cold War, UCLA and the U.S. Veteran's Administration dumped radioactive waste underneath a field where kids now play and Brentwood residents walk their dogs, reporter Michael Collins revealed in articles published May 18 and May 25 in CityBeat. Relenting to community concerns that were rekindled by the CityBeat articles, the federal government announced this week that it will test both sites, reports the Los Angeles Times.

Continue ReadingLA CityBeat Investigation Leads to Nuclear Dump-Site Testing

For 32 years, the Village Voice's annual music poll has "enjoyed an almost unchallenged run" as the gold standard of year-end Top 10 lists, says the New York Times. But the angst created by New Times' takeover of the paper, and the ensuing departure of music critic and poll organizer Robert Christgau, has emboldened a music blog to mount a challenge to Pazz and Jop's hegemony. After Christgau turned them down, Gawker Media's The Idolator hired former Seattle Weekly music editor Michaelangelo Matos to organize the competing poll, which "will largely be modeled after Pazz & Jop," according to the Times.

Continue ReadingAnnual Pazz & Jop Poll May Have Competition