A major freeway connector was closed in West Los Angeles as the California Highway Patrol investigated a reported shooting involving a transit bus.

The shooting was reported at 12:35 p.m. when a green FlixBus was traveling near the westbound 10 and northbound 405 freeways. The connector was closed for the investigation.

It was not immediately clear whether shots were fired at or aboard the bus.

Aerial video showed a shattered window on the bus. 

It was not immediately clear whether anyone was injured. No arrests were reported early Tuesday afternoon.

FlixBus issued a statement, saying it was aware of the reports and working to confirm information. 

The transition road from the westbound 10 Freeway to the northbound 405 Freeway was reopened as of 3:54 p.m., according to City News Service.

Los Angeles County supervisors on Tuesday officially called on the Office of Inspector General to investigate a dramatic spike in the use of pepper spray by probation officers at juvenile halls and camps.

The move came during a Board meeting Tuesday and after an NBC4 investigation found pepper spray use skyrocketed from 2015 to 2017 as many other agencies across the country are shunning its practice.

Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas, who spurred the action, called the spike in pepper spray use very troubling at a department with a history of federal oversight for the way it treats its youth in custody.

"It's clear that the board has demonstrated time and time again that reforming our probation department is very, very important," Ridley-Thomas said. "The need for reform, investigation and oversight may never have been as vital as I think it is now.

"All of us our concerned about the trauma that these youngsters have endured and we maintain that this re-traumatizes them."

The board created the OIG out of a crisis at the LA County jails in 2014.

Sheila Mitchell, the probation department's chief deputy of juvenile services, said that the department welcomes the outside review. She said the department is working first on training officers who use pepper spray excessively.

But, she acknowleged, much work remains.

When she noted a decline of 20 percent in uses of pepper spray this year, LA County Supervisor Janice Hahn told her it was misleading because the department documented a three-fold jump since 2015.

An NBCLA.com and I-Team investigation shows that probation officers are using pepper spray — the highest level of force used in the county's facilities— at a higher rate than they have in years. Pepper spray, while authorized for use in the halls and camps in LA, is deemed to be dangerous for health, especially for those who are pregnant and for those who have asthma, the investigation found.

The increase comes after federal monitoring of the department by the U.S. Department of Justice ended in 2015. The investigation found that it appears the trend is likely to continue. Between January and July of this year the department reported 404 such uses of force, according to an NBC4 analysis of probation department data.

The spike in its use comes as departments across the country have shunned it saying it exacerbates violence, has the reverse effects of rehabilitating youth, and is a potential liability.

It also comes amid a national effort to cut the numbers of youth in detention. California is one of six states that allows probation officers in juvenile facilities to carry pepper spray, according to the Council of Juvenile Correctional Administrators. A proposed law to restrtict pepper spray in the state failed this spring.

But Kenneth Batiste, who spent 25 years as a probation officer at Central Juvenile Hall near downtown Los Angeles, said the halls can be dangerous.

He recalled a time when a kid hit, kicked and choked a female probation officer unprovoked.

"When you give a lady that's 4 foot 9, 4 foot 10 and you tell her to go into juvenile hall and deal with a girl that is 5 foot 10, twice her size, you better have something to go ahead and cut down on it," he said. "I believe that you should have oversight."

But he added, "if the staff is not safe, nobody in there's safe."

A group of 170 homeowners and businesses whose properties were damaged or destroyed in the Woolsey Fire filed a mass lawsuit in Los Angeles and Ventura Counties alleging Southern California Edison ignited the fire with overhead electrical equipment located at the Rocketdyne facility in Simi Valley, according to a statement by Alexander Robertson IV of law firm Robertson Associates, LLP, which is one of four law firms to file the case.

The destructive Woolsey Fire burned 96,949 acres and destroyed 1,500 structures, causing evacuations of more than 250,000 people in Southern California.

NFL Hall of Fame running back Eric Dickerson, photographer Kevin Foley and Oscar-winning dound engineer Chris Jenkins were named as public figures included in the group filing the lawsuit.

The press release issued by Robertson cites CAL Fire as stating that the Woolsey Fire started at approximately 2:24 p.m. on Nov. 8, 2018 at the Rocketdyne facility and further cites SCE sending an "Electric Safety Incident Report" to the California Public Utilities Commission about a circuit out relay.

The lawsuit also alleges that SCE was responsible for another fire that stated in the Thousand Oaks area about an hour before the Woolsey Fire due to sparks falling from SCE's power lines.

"These fires are happening more frequently and with increasing destruction and loss of life," Robertson said in the statement. "Edison and its shareholders should be held solely responsible for incinerating thousands of homes and businesses and should not be allowed to pass the costs of their negligence onto the ratepayers."

An internal panel on Tuesday recommended that a Los Angeles Police Department commander detained after she was found asleep in an unmarked police car off duty in Glendale be terminated.

After a closed-door hearing of the police department's Board of Rights, Nicole Mehringer, 47, was found to have violated department policies after facing a disciplinary proceeding following her April arrest.

Mehringer's lawyer said he tried to convince the Board of Rights that his client was being treated more severely than other officers who kept their jobs after doing much worse.

"I believe that my client is being treated differently than the male employees," said attorney Brad Gage. "I believe there's evidence that male employees have been charged with greater allegations and not even been disciplined at all."

Mehringer submitted a document to the Board of Rights, an official familiar with the case confirmed to NBC4, that named a number of high-ranking LAPD officers who had allegedly been involved in DUI crashes, arrests, and other incidents involving alcohol intoxication.

The document made a variety of accusations that those incidents were better covered-up by the LAPD, and therefore, were not known to the public, according to the official.

The Mehringer incident in Glendale April 27 was widely publicized. A portion of the incident was recorded on cellphone video by a bystander. It showed her being led out of the passenger side of a Dodge Charger sedan by several police officers.

Glendale officers also made several audio recordings of the encounter, according to a legal document. The Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office charged Mehringer in September with one misdemeanor count of public intoxication, according to a criminal complaint. She pleaded not guilty.

She also filed a government claim against the city of Glendale in October that alleged her arrest was improper.

The claim accused unnamed Glendale police officers and two sergeants of false arrest, false imprisonment, defamation, and other alleged harms during the incident on Brand Boulevard. A claim generally has to be filed before a city can be sued in state court.

The Glendale Police Department said it generally does not comment on pending lawsuits or legal cases.

An LAPD sergeant who worked with Mehringer has pleaded not guilty to DUI charges stemming from the same incident. James Kelly was allegedly asleep in the driver's seat of the Dodge. He also pleaded not guilty.

No sleep till, Brooklyn.

Seven different players scored in double figures, and the Brooklyn Nets handed the Los Angeles Lakers back-to-back losses, 115-110, on Wednesday night at Barclays Center.

The Brooklyn bench carried the Nets to the finish line, outscoring the Lakers 48-18 in the kaleidoscopic game that marked the end of the Lakers four-game road trip.

"That's a frustrating way to end the road trip," Lakers head coach Luke Walton told reporters following the loss that dropped the team to 1-3 on the four-game trip. "You have to go out there and take games and we didn't do that tonight. We have to make shots when we're open. We have to make free throws, and defensively we have to do a better job. We can't let guys blow by us."

Los Angeles trailed by as many as 14 points in the third quarter, but after shifting to a small lineup, they continually chipped away at the lead, getting as close as two points in the waning minutes before former Laker, D'Angelo Russell, buried a pull-up three to put the dagger in the L.A. comeback.

"He hurt us," admitted Walton. "He's a talented player and we know that. When we let him dance and get to his left, he hurt us. He had a big time game tonight. That's why this team has won six in a row. They have a lot of different guys that can hurt you."

LeBron James nearly had another triple-double, finishing with 36 points, 13 rebounds and eight assists.

"Our team is built on depth and energy, and for the last couple games we haven't had our depth," James told the media, referring to injuries to Rajon Rondo, Brandon Ingram and JaVale McGee.

Lonzo Ball had a season-high 23 points and Kyle Kuzma chipped in 22 points and 11 rebounds.

"We were trying to keep guys in front of us. We had a couple breakdowns," Kuzma told reporters. "We can't have breakdowns in the clutch like that, and it's our job to fix that for the next game."

Russell led the Nets with a team-high 22 points and 13 assists, but Spencer Dinwiddie (18), Joe Harris (19), Rondae Hollis Jefferson (17), DeMarre Carroll (13) and Jared Dudley (13) all scored in double-figures. 

Brooklyn has now won an NBA-best six consecutive games, the first time they've accomplished such a streak since 2013.

Los Angeles continued to struggle from the free-throw line, shooting a paltry 56 percent from the charity stripe. They also struggled from beyond the arc, shooting 32 percent from three, compared to 41 percent for the Nets.

Brooklyn has scored 70 points in the first half in back-to-back games, but scored 62 points in the first half on Wednesday night.

Notes and Next

British singer and actress Cynthia Erivo forgot the words to the National Anthem and apologized via Twitter after the game, blaming the mishap on nerves and fatigue. 

Lakers center JaVale McGee missed his second consecutive game with the flu. Rajon Rondo (broken right hand) and Brandon Ingram (sprained left ankle) were recalled from the South Bay Lakers and are expected to practice with the team on Thursday.

The Lakers will host the New Orleans Pelicans on Friday night at Staples Center.

Highlights

Facebook denied Tuesday night that its dozens of "partners" — companies like Microsoft, Amazon, Netflix, Spotify and Yahoo — were able to misuse Facebook users' personal data, NBC News reported. 

The company, however, didn't address explosive new allegations that it gave those companies far broader access to private data than it has previously acknowledged. The New York Times reported Tuesday that Facebook for many years gave more than 150 companies extensive access to personal data — including private messages and contact information for users' friends — than was previously known and without users' explicit consent.

The Times said it based its reporting on more than 270 pages of internal Facebook documents and interviews with more than 50 former employees of Facebook and its so-called integration partners, as well as other former government officials and privacy advocates.

Facebook has said it is ending the "integration partnerships," some of which The Times reported extend as far back as 2010 and some of which were still in effect this year.

Two teenagers who were staying at a migrant center in central Tijuana, Mexico, were killed in an attempted robbery, NBC News reported.

The two boys, estimated to be ages 16 and 17, were stabbed and strangled Saturday, according to Baja California Deputy Attorney General Jorge Alberto Álvarez Mendoza. Their bodies were found shortly after 7 p.m., he said. A third boy with the victims managed to escape. 

The bodies were found in an alley in a neighborhood named for the Mexican state of Quintana Roo, Álvarez Mendoza said. Authorities believe the trio were headed to another migrant shelter, the Benito Juarez sports complex, which was officially closed down after heavy rains doused the open-air encampment earlier this month. 

The violence highlights the dangers migrants face in Tijuana as thousands await a slim possibility of pleading their case for asylum at the U.S. border. Some were part of a caravan that was politicized during the midterm congressional election in November.

Newly elected Texas congressman Dan Crenshaw said he reached out to "SNL" star Pete Davidson over what he called Davidson's "devastating" Instagram post over the weekend, NBC's "Today" show reported. 

Davidson, 25, had alarmed fans and friends after sharing a message that seemed to suggest he was having suicidal thoughts. Davidson, who has been candid about his struggles with depression and borderline personality disorder, then deleted his account.

New York police performed a wellness check and the comedian appeared briefly on Saturday's "SNL." 

Crenshaw told KPRC2 Houston that he talked to Davidson on Sunday. "We don't go back very far. We're not good friends," Crenshaw said. "But I think he appreciated hearing from me. I told him everyone has a purpose in this world. God put you here for a reason. It's your job to find that purpose. And you should live that way."

Crenshaw and Davidson first made headlines after Davidson poked fun at the  former Navy SEAL's appearance. Crenshaw lost his eye in an IED attack in Afghanistan.

They pair appeared together Nov. 10 on "Weekend Update" where Davidson apologized for his remark. 

If you or someone you know is at risk of suicide, please call the U.S. National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-8255, text TALK to 741741 or go to SpeakingOfSuicide.com/resources for more additional resources.

Gently waged quibbles are an understandable staple of the sparkliest season, for we're all feeling a bit more heightened, a bit more pushed, and very, very busy and more than a little tired.

Those quibbles might deal with the ideal Christmas movie, or whether it is "legal" or not to open more than one present on Christmas Eve, and if candy is an appropriate breakfast while opening gifts.

Then, of course, there is the age-old, or at least decades-along, debate regarding yule logs, those creamy, cakey, tube-shaped, frequently chocolate-y concoctions that pop up in bakery windows around the second half of December.

Yea or nah: Does a yule log actually need to resemble a log-log, as in the hunk of wood that sits in a fireplace?

Let the gentle quibbling commence.

If you stand in the more fanciful and artistic camp on this topic, be gladdened, for Pitchoun!, the French-style patisserie found in DTLA and Beverly Grove, is baking up lovely logs that boast a whimsical bent.

There's the Kauai yule log, which includes mango fruit gelée, passionfruit chocolate ganache, pistachio jocund biscuit, and caramel pearls. 

And the Aspen yule log is all about the chocolate ganache, dark chocolate mousse, chocolate "choux" puffs, and coco biscuit.

The Mont Blanc yule log is for chestnut lovers, so if that's your jam, best go that route. And there's a traditional yule log, too, if you're feeling the sponge cake and butter cream combo.

You'll want to phone the bakery lickety-split, though, and order one of these logs, by Dec. 20: Christmas is coming and the time for loggin' up your dessert table will soon draw to a delicious close.

San Francisco Mayor London Breed has written a letter asking for outgoing Gov. Jerry Brown’s help to free her brother, who is not eligible for parole for another 15 years in a notorious homicide case.

Back in 2000, he pushed a young mother out of a car and into Golden Gate Bridge traffic. Napoleon Brown, 46, is now serving a 44-year term in Solano State Prison for manslaughter, robbery and other crimes tied to the death of Lenties White.

Both White’s family and legal experts question Breed’s letter, which was obtained by NBC Bay Area’s Investigative Unit.

Breed wrote to the governor as part of an official application in October that while she did not think the four-decade sentence against her brother was fair, “I make no excuses for him. His decisions, his actions led him to the place he finds himself now.”

She says her brother has been through addiction, parenting and other programs in state prison. Outside, she assured, he would have “strong” family support.

“I guarantee we can secure him access to a job, to a good home, to the counselling and services he and every other addict need for the rest of their lives.”

His freedom, she says, is “what’s best for both Napoleon and society overall.”

But Sandra McNeil, the mother of the 25-year-old victim, disagrees.

“I don’t think it would be justice,” she said. “She’s the mayor, so she’s got a little power, so she thinks she can get her brother out.’’

Veteran prosecutor turned defense attorney, Chuck Smith, said the mayor’s letter raises all sorts of ethical questions.

“The timing of it is troublesome,” Smith said. “She could have written this letter six months ago, when she wasn’t mayor -- and she didn’t. The governor obviously is leaving office soon.”

In writing the governor, Breed left out that just last year, according to court records, her brother was caught with heroin in prison. As a result, he had another two years tacked onto the sentence he was already serving for manslaughter, robbery and other crimes.

Brown had a prior robbery on his record when he was originally convicted of murder and robbery and sentenced to 44 years in prison back in 2005. While the murder verdict was overturned by a judge for technical reasons, Brown ultimately agreed to plead to involuntary manslaughter. He was eventually resentenced to 42 years.

The extra time for the drug offense brings his term back to 44 years. He is eligible for parole in 2032.

McNeil says another thing Breed left out in that letter was that Breed herself tried to provide her brother with an alibi, testifying in the trial that Napoleon Brown was sleeping on their couch at midnight. That was when prosecutors said Brown robbed a Marina District restaurant and later pushed White from the getaway vehicle.

The jury heard evidence that White’s dying words implicated Napoleon Brown as her killer.

The governor’s office declined to comment, citing a policy of not discussing such pending requests.

Breed issued a statement, stressing that she was joining in her family’s request to reduce her brother’s term, given that he has already served nearly 20 years.

“I do believe that people need to face consequences when they have broken the law, but I also believe that we should allow for the rehabilitation and re-entry of people into society after they have served an amount of time that reflects the crimes committed,” she said in a statement issued Tuesday.

“Too many people, particularly young black men like my brother was when he was convicted, are not given an opportunity to become contributing members of society after they have served time in prison. I believe my brother deserves that opportunity.”

“I am not asking for my brother to be pardoned or for his conviction to be wiped away, but simply for the Governor to consider initiating the commutation of his sentence. This would only be the first step in a long process that involves a thorough investigation by the Parole Board and a decision by the California Supreme Court.”

“My family and our community is ready and willing to help support my brother, and we will take this responsibility seriously if his sentence is commuted. I believe he will better serve society, the community, his family, and his children outside of prison. Ultimately this determination is up to the Governor and the courts, but I join my family in making this request.”

But attorney Smith said he is troubled by the fact that the letter leaves out key information, like the heroin possession and Breed’s role as an alibi witness.

“If there are negative facts,’’ he said, “it is the obligation of the office holder to bring forth those negative facts and address them. Rather than just try to sweep them under the rug…. It smacks of ethics which are not exactly up to par in my opinion.”

McNeil said the clemency effort, and the mayor’s letter, is reopening old wounds.

“I thought it was done and over,” she said, “Justice was served and that was the end of it -- I never knew there was going to be another beginning of it.”

With the start of the new year, the California Department of Motor Vehicles announced a few changes due to laws going into effect as of Jan. 1, 2019.

These are the new laws or changes to the laws already in force for 2019:

Temporary Paper Plates (AB 516): Authorized California dealers must place a paper plate with a number and expiration date on every vehicle they sell, whether new or used. The objective is to reduce the number of offenders passing through payment booths and improve road safety.

Gender Identity: (SB 179): With this new law, people who apply for a license or identity card will have the option to select their own gender, which includes the categories for female, male or non-binary. Those who choose the "No binary" option will receive a card with an "X" gender category. 

Breathalyzer on Engine Start (SB 1046): Between Jan. 1, 2019 and 2026, repeat offenders for DUI or those who receive a first DUI offense and have caused injuries, must install a breathalyzer on the engine ignition (IDD) for a period of 12 to 48 months. These regulations apply to DUI infractions involving alcohol consumption or the combined use of alcohol and drugs.

Verification of Polluting Emissions (AB 1274): The exemption from smog verification for vehicles that have been purchased new will extend from six to eight years. During the two years of this exemption, the vehicle owner will not have to do the smog check but pay $25. The charge of $20 during the first six years of exemption to verify smog will continue. 

Driving Privileges for Minors (AB 2685): Courts will no longer be able to suspend, restrict or delay issuing a minor's driver's license for one year for truancy or for being under the guardianship of the state. Suspensions or delays reported to the DMV prior to Jan. 1, 2019 will remain in effect.

Motorized Scooters (AB 2989): People over 18 years old will no longer need to use a bicycle helmet to use a motorized scooter. This law also amends existing law that prohibits a person from using a motorized scooter on a highway that has a speed limit greater than 25 miles per hour, unless it is on a special Class IV bikeway as well as Class II.

Unsafe or Unattached Loads on Vehicles (AB 1925): The DMV must include at least one question on 20 percent of knowledge tests (written exams) on traffic laws about California's unsecured load code. The purpose is, in part, an effort to verify that applicants understand  that abandoning or dumping any animal is a criminal offense. 

Decals for Low Emission Vehicles (AB 544): The green and white decals for the circulation of low emission vehicles in collective transport lanes (HOV) will be valid until Jan. 1, 2019. The DMV created a new sticker program to allow certain low-polluting vehicles to travel in HOV lanes regardless of the number of passengers in the vehicle for a period of four years. Vehicles that have received a green or white decal between Jan. 1, 2017 and March 1, 2018 will be eligible to request a red decal and will give them access to the HOV lanes until Jan. 1, 2022. The DMV will also issue light violet color decals in 2019 that will grant access to the HOV lanes until Jan. 1, 2023.

Passing Waste Service Vehicles (AB 2115): Driver approaching a waste collection truck with its amber lights flashing must move into an adjacent lane, if possible, and pass at a safe distance. If you can't change lanes, slow to a safe and reasonable speed. It's part of an effort to protect sanitation workers. 

The Children’s Place is recalling thousands snowsuits over metal snaps that could detach, posing a choking hazard to young children.

The children’s apparel chain on Tuesday issued a recall for around 14,900 girls’ infant snowsuits that come with matching print hoods with small ears, detachable mittens and a zipper down the front that is covered with a fabric snap flap at the chest.

The New Jersey-based retailer received one report of a metal snap detaching from a snowsuit, but hadn’t received any reports of injuries as of Wednesday, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission said.

The recall includes two styles of girls' infant snowsuits sold in sizes 0 to 18 months.  The style number 2111187 was sold in White Sophy floral and Jazzberry ladybug patterns. The style number 2111188 came in Rosebud heart. The style number can be found on the label sewn in to the side of the seam.

The recalled snowsuits were sold in stores and online between August 2018 and November 2018 for about $50.

Anyone who has purchased one of the snowsuits should stop using them and return them to the chain for a full refund, the commission said. For more information, contact The Children’s Place at 1-877-752-2387.

Both coasts are expected to be hit by wet and windy weather just in time for the busiest travel days of the holidays, NBC News reported.

Heavy rains and wind gusts up to 60 mph are expected from Northern California to Washington state Wednesday night and into Thursday. On the East Coast, Central and Southern Florida are anticipating heavy winds, hail and possible tornadoes, forecasters said. The North Carolina coast is facing the same as the storm marches north.

By Thursday, the nation's worst day to travel, the storm will start affecting the Northeast, according to the National Weather Service. Travel hubs Washington, D.C., New York City and Boston could all see up to 4 inches of rain and possible flooding between Thursday night and Friday night.

Before the forecast, holiday travelers were warned that they could see traffic that would multiply their travel time by four. A record-breaking 112.5 million Americans are expected to take to the roads, skies and rails this holiday weekend, starting Wednesday, according to AAA.

Justice Department policies that made it harder for immigrants to claim asylum if they were victims of domestic or gang violence were dismissed Wednesday by a federal judge who found they violated existing immigration laws, NBC News reported.

The policies were announced in June by then-Attorney General Jeff Sessions, who said that fear of domestic abuse or gang violence was an unacceptable basis for granting asylum.

But U.S. District Judge Emmet Sullivan in Washington, D.C., permanently blocked government "from continuing to apply those policies and from removing plaintiffs who are currently in the United States without first providing credible fear determinations consistent with the immigration laws."

Sullivan ordered the Justice Department to return plaintiffs in the lawsuit who'd been deported and give them new interviews over whether they could credibly claim asylum.

Since Rihanna excited the crowd with her surprise appearance last year, this holiday concert has become a hot ticket.

LA-based record label, Top Dawg Entertainment, has teamed up with the Nickerson Gardens Housing Projects to host their fifth annual concert and toy drive. Kendrick Lamar, Jay Rock, Ab-Soul, SiR, and REASON are among the home-grown rappers who are performing Wednesday in Watts at the TDE Holiday Concert and Toy Giveaway.

The concert is not charging any admission fees, but TDE is asking attendees to bring unwrapped toys for kids living in the housing projects.

Rapper Jay Rock, who is from Watts, will distribute all the toys gathered from Wednesday's concert - alongside TDE artists and management - and distribute them on Thursday. ScHoolboy Q, SZA, Isaiah Rasha, and Lance Skiiiwalker will also be performing, and rumors are swirling about who will show up this year to surprise the audience.

Doors open at noon and close at 4 p.m. Follow @NBCLA on social media for access into the concert, and refresh this page to see updates on this story.

If you've uttered "everything hurts and I'm dying" or "I am a goddess, a glorious female warrior" or "you are a beautiful, talented, brilliant, powerful musk ox," you've likely been studying the supreme ways and deep thoughts of Leslie Knope.

And if that's the case, you're most definitely a lifelonger when it comes to "Parks and Recreation," the small-town sitcom with the big, civic-minded heart. 

It aired on NBC from 2009 to 2015, and its absence from the small screen has left many a Pawnee person wishing they could have a bit more quippy cheer and heartfelt friendship-a-tude, plus a lot more Ron Swanson.

Those fans are about to get their hoped-for wish, for The Paley Center for Media revealed on Wednesday, Dec. 19 that a "Parks and Recreation" reunion will be part of PaleyFest 2019.

The first reveals for the huge television festival, which sees multiple nights of multiple casts sitting down for wide-ranging Q&As, traditionally arrive around the end of the year, a few months ahead of the late-winter festival.

Also among the first reveals?

"Pose," the FX show that "features the largest cast of transgender actors in series regular roles, ever" will have a night on stage at the festival, as will NBC's ever-obsessed-over "This Is Us," in its second PaleyFest appearance.

Tickets for the March 15-24, 2019 television festival will go on sale in January, with members of the Paley Center and Citi cardmembers getting first crack at purchasing during the Jan. 15-16 presale.

Eager to know the full slate of series set to show at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood during PaleyFest?

All will be revealed, as of Jan. 14, 2019, but count on seeing several just-debuted shows on the line-up as well as some classic casts, too,

Including, yes, "Parks and Recreation," which, like the other participating shows of PaleyFest, will see plenty of its stars show up to chat. The full roster of what actors will be on stage, for all of the PaleyFest shows, will be released as the event draws closer.

In the immortal words of one Ms. Knope, "why would anyone ever eat anything besides breakfast food?"

And to that we add: Why would any fan miss this opportunity to see several stars, in full dish mode, from a funny and timeless favorite?

A man had a heart attack and died during an arrest after he was accused of pushing a teen onto Red Line subway tracks in downtown Los Angeles Wednesday.

The attack came around 9:17 a.m. when the victim, reportedly a 14-year-old boy, was pushed from the platform at the 5th and Hill station, and both tumbled on to the tracks.

No train was coming into the station at the time.

When the boy and the attacker fell on to the tracks, there was a brief altercation. The man ran from the tracks, and was arrested a short time later after being involved in a separate incident at 5th and Flower Streets, the LAPD said. The man allegedly got into a fight with construction workers. 

The boy's father rescued him before the train arrived.

No information was immediately available on the condition of the victim.

The incident is the latest in a series of unprovoked attacks on residents or business people in downtown Los Angeles including a man who was hit by a truck after being pushed in front of the moving vehicle by a mentally ill homeless man with an extensive criminal record.

Eric Leonard contributed to this report.

The weeks or days or hours leading up to an exciting but potentially daunting activity shouldn't be stressful or daunting in their own right.

After all, if the run-up is full of hurdles, getting to doing the thing you'd like to do might seem just too dang difficult.

But when that thing is learning to ski, and spending hours with your family out on a mountain on a crisp winter day, and looking forward to a life full of schussing, the end result is worth it, for so many lovers of cold-weather sport.

And making the run-up segment easier, less stressful, and fully surmountable?

The brand-new, just-opened, super-shiny $3.3 million Bear Mountain Adventure Academy, at "Southern California's largest ski and snowboard beginner area," near Big Bear.

The freshly completed facility is devoted to getting new-to-the-sport skiers and boarders out on the snow, with a focus on kids and families, specifically kids ages 5 to 12.

The "one-stop shop" at the academy is all about "... streamlining the entire process from rentals to lesson, allowing for less time spent in line and more time on the slopes."

Can you find sustenance inside, in the fam-nice form of pizza? You bet, and wood-fired pies at that, at Flat Bottom Dough. There's also a place to enjoy a coffee or cocktail.

If this was the winter you'd hoped your tots could begin to learn to ski, Bear Mountain Adventure Academy is the place to begin the pole, we mean whole, journey.

The official grand opening? Be there on Saturday, Dec. 22 for the frosty fun.

An Ohio man trying to cash his paycheck from a new job was handcuffed and put in the back of a police car after a bank teller called 911 on the false belief the check was fraudulent, NBC News reported.

Now the bank is apologizing as reports of the incident have sparked a new hashtag, #BankingWhileBlack.

Paul McCowns, of Cleveland, went to a Huntington Bank branch in the suburb of Brooklyn, Ohio, on Dec. 1 to cash his paycheck of a little over $1,000, according to police and the bank.

McCowns told police he provided two forms of identification, as well as his fingerprints, which is standard policy for non-account holders at the bank.