Fighters Intercept Pot Plane in Obama Airspace

34,000 plants growing in Topanga State Park

(NEWSER) - A $100 million marijuana plantation was destroyed by a police raid in Topanga State Park in Los Angeles on Friday. The 34,000-plant operation deep in the park's back country is the largest busted by cops in the Santa Monica Mountains in seven years, reports the Los Angeles Times . No one was arrested, but three men were spotted fleeing the scene. Park rangers and sheriff's deputies discovered the operation after finding a dam that was diverting water from a creek to irrigate the plants in the park, which is located entirely within LA city limits. More»

(AP) - The world's oldest known person has died in Los Angeles at age 115. Gertrude Baines died today at a hospital, probably of a heart attack; an autopsy will determine the exact cause. Baines was born in 1894 in Shellman, Ga., and she got a letter from President Obama on her last birthday, in April. The oldest person in the world is now 114-year-old Kama Chinen, who lives in Japan. More»

California's system has plenty of gray areas, New Yorker finds

(NEWSER) - California's legalization of medical marijuana helped create a cultivation and distribution network that promises big money for those willing to work in legal gray areas. Guided by an old friend, Blue, who's a dealer in all but name, David Samuels of the New Yorker follows the trail of Tibetan prayer flags from boutique-style urban dispensaries to lush fields in virtually lawless rural areas. More»

Machine provides 'lower prices, safety, anonymity,' says inventor

(NEWSER) - Always on the leading edge, LA is now the first city to have 24-hour medical marijuana vending machines. The bulky black boxes scan patrons' fingerprints and a prepaid card, dispensing neat green envelopes of pot. The machines provide "convenient access, lower prices, safety, anonymity," the inventor tells the AP. More»

Canyon residents ordered to leave for fear of mudslides

(NEWSER) - A storm that battered Northern California and knocked out power for more a million people today is drenching Los Angeles tonight, sparking evacuation calls for an estimated 3,000 people, the Los Angeles Times reports. Torrential rain is expected and residents of canyon areas scorched by the October wildfires have been ordered to leave for fear of mudslides. More»