Morning Buzz: Thursday 1.29.09 *

• Cardinal Mahony responds to reports in the Times and Wall Street Journal about a grand jury investigation, and his lawyer says Mahony is not a target. KNX
• One way to get rid of supergraphics on your building: call the fire department. L.A. Now
• Statewide PPIC poll finds most Californians approve of President Obama's stimulus plan, they don't think highly of Gov. Schwarzenegger or the Legislature, and feel the state is headed in the wrong direction. PPIC, LAT, Dan Walters/Bee, Capitol Notes
• Fix-it tickets, recently free, now can cost drivers a lot of money. San Jose Mercury
• The County Fed endorsed Judy Chu for the seat in Congress replacing Hilda Solis, assuming she is ever confirmed as Labor secretary. LAT
• The Times editorial page raised a ton of questions about Measure B but withholds judgment until more is known. LAT Opinion
• The L.A. City Council approved a $20.5-million settlement in the Rampart LAPD lawsuits. LAT
• For the past 40 years, rivals Inglewood Mortuary and Inglewood Cemetery Mortuary have been stealing bodies from one another. But neither firm will change it name. CityBeat
• Former Daily News reporter Beth Barrett shows up in the LA Weekly with a story so DN-ish — "the San Fernando Valley is emerging as the poster child for middle-class flight" — it even quotes David Fleming. * My bad: It's Daniel Flaming! LA Weekly
• Phil Anschutz's Baltimore Examiner folded, admits it never caught on. Romenesko
• Longtime woman about local media Teresa Strasser talks about her latest gig on Adam Carolla's radio show. LAist
• Of Center Theater Group's 14 regular productions last year, only one scene in "The Little Dog Laughed" was set in L.A. Shouldn't be, says longtime critic Don Shirley. CityBeat
• Eastsider L.A. sent out a correction to its blog item: Council President Eric Garcetti was not a victim of the Tweaker Tom thief in Echo Park.
• Garcetti gives his annual 8th annual State of Hollywood speech at a luncheon sponsored by the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce at the Music Box @ Fonda.

Mark Lacter's Morning Headlines | Native Intelligence