KPCC: Stories by Steve Julian

Rockin' 'n' rollin' with the play 'Baby It's You'

Fri, 13 Nov 2009 09:24:34 -0800

After writing, directing, or producing a number of A-list movies, from “Freebie and the Bean” to “Dick Tracy,” Floyd Mutrux decided to step away from Hollywood. From the film industry, anyway.

He turned to his love of music and wrote six anthologies of American pops, including one based on rock 'n' roll’s first black all-girl group, The Shirelles. That play, “Baby It’s You,” opens tonight at the Pasadena Playhouse.

Intel to pay rival $1.25 billion

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 08:45:29 -0800

The world’s largest maker of computer processors has agreed to pay a rival more than $1 billion to settle antitrust and patent lawsuits.

State panel recommends coastal water areas designed to protect marine life

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 08:41:41 -0800

A state panel has recommended a patchwork of areas in coastal waters designed to protect marine life. If state fish and game commissioners approve them, new rules would limit commercial and recreational fishing in some key spots between Santa Barbara and the Mexican border. (Audio: KPCC’s environment reporter Molly Peterson spoke to Steve Julian about what this all means, and why the state is doing this.)

King of Pop Michael Jackson's burial cost $1 million

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 07:29:46 -0800

Court documents show the cost to bury pop star Michael Jackson in September approached $1 million. The funeral nearly didn’t happen as scheduled.

Commuter rail traffic delayed

Mon, 09 Nov 2009 05:41:18 -0800

Derailment in Los Angeles caused delays for Riverside Metrolink commuters.

California lawmakers agree on water deal

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 09:07:42 -0800

Sacramento lawmakers worked until 6 this morning to pass a historic water deal. The package of bills is designed to improve the state's water supply.

Facebook wins anti-spam case

Fri, 30 Oct 2009 06:21:21 -0800

Social networking site Facebook says it has won a multi-million dollar award in an anti-spam case.

Free H1N1 vaccinations today in LA County

Thu, 29 Oct 2009 05:57:04 -0800

Priority group gets vaccines in Azusa, Boyle Heights, and Watts.

Women's Conference 2009 opens in Long Beach

Tue, 27 Oct 2009 09:46:54 -0800

The Long Beach Convention Center opens today to “The Women’s Conference 2009.” The event has grown in each of its 20-plus years.

Top 3 Bratton replacement finalists to be announced

Tue, 27 Oct 2009 09:41:49 -0800

The L.A.police commission today is expected to release its top three finalists to replace Bill Bratton at the helm of the police department. KPCC’s Frank Stoltze talks to Steve Julian about what happens next after the announcement.

Newspaper circulation continues to decline fast

Mon, 26 Oct 2009 08:48:49 -0800

New figures show declines in newspaper circulation are accelerating, as free information becomes more available online. The declines follow a trend in a loss of advertising revenue.

Wildfire near Santa Cruz forces residents to evacuate

Mon, 26 Oct 2009 05:46:34 -0800

Dozens of residents near Santa Cruz are under mandatory evacuation orders as a wildfire moves toward their homes. The blaze so far has burned 800 acres.

Man suspected of starting 2003 'Old Fire' indicted

Wed, 21 Oct 2009 06:02:57 -0800

A prison inmate faces arson and murder charges in Southern California. The suspect has been named in a grand jury indictment for a wildfire in 2003.

AG Brown to unveil fraud allegations against major institutional bank

Tue, 20 Oct 2009 05:32:21 -0800

California’s Attorney General will unveil fraud allegations against a major institutional bank at 10 this morning.

California nurses threaten to strike

Tue, 20 Oct 2009 05:30:15 -0800

Thousands of nurses in California will strike later this month if certain protections aren’t made available from the swine flu.

Actor Davis Gaines on his role in 'Parade'

Thu, 15 Oct 2009 16:26:32 -0800

On August 25, 1913, a Brooklyn Jew named Leo Frank was convicted of killing 13-year-old Mary Phagan in a pencil factory in Atlanta, Georgia. Frank was the superintendent; Phagan, a lowly worker who made $1.20 that week. The trial came at a crucial time in the South, when memories of the Civil War still lent hostilities toward northern industrialists, like Frank, who'd settled there.

The play "Parade" at the Mark Taper Forum depicts the events surrounding Leo Frank's arrest, conviction, and subsequent lynching.

Mudslide danger for Angeles National Forest fire-affected areas

Tue, 13 Oct 2009 09:29:10 -0800

An unusually strong October storm is bearing down on California. KPCC’s Steve Julian reports the rain is of particular concern to residents whose homes back up to the Angeles National Forest.

A chat with Oscar-winning actress Estelle Parsons

Tue, 13 Oct 2009 08:29:42 -0800

Tracy Letts won a Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award for his play, “August: Osage County.” It’s set in the stifling hot Oklahoma house where the Weston family lives. It’s the most dysfunctional home you might find on the Great Plains, and as the audience spends time with the Westons, that dysfunction sometimes bubbles angrily; sometimes explodes.

Dodgers win; Angels hope to

Thu, 08 Oct 2009 07:44:48 -0800

LA takes opener against Cardinals. Angels kick off their series tonight.

Cool weather in Sheep Fire area expected to warm up

Wed, 07 Oct 2009 08:32:41 -0800

The latest wildfire in southern California is now 75 percent contained. KPCC's Steve Julian says the cooler weather that helped firefighters battle the fire is turning warmer.