News and notes are hidden after the jump. Follow updates here or on Twitter during the day. Mark is on hiatus at LA Biz Observed.

• Ryan Jenkins, the former reality show finalist wanted for questioning in ex-wife Jasmine Fiore's murder, apparently escaped on foot into Canada yesterday. Fox News
• Two days after his father died of cancer, Torrance police officer Steve Kroesen died of cancer. Daily Breeze
• Candidates for the Legislature and statewide offices raised more than $60 million for their campaigns during the first six months of 2009, a non-election year. Capitol Weekly
• Roberts and Trounstine look ahead to a possible race between Barbara Boxer and Carly Fiorina: "Not since Madonna’s smack down with Paris Hilton over Kabbalah has there been such an intriguing match-up of big-name narcissists." Calbuzz
• Going back over the details from the Andrew Adelman sex scandal investigation. LA Weekly
• City Councilman Tom LaBonge endorsed Tamar Galatzan in the CD2 race. Via release
• Who's behind the push to cut the pay of L.A. city officials. LA Weekly
• Four fantasy candidates for LAPD chief, and remember — "a fantasy is not necessarily a dream." LA Daily
• LAUSD Supt. Ray Cortines and Green Dot's Steve Barr talked to Warren Olney about the district's test scores. KCRW/WWLA
• Birmingham High School begins its new life as a community charter school. LAT
• Ann Powers and her editor talk about how the Times pop music critic will contribute to the paper from her new home in Alabama. LA Weekly
• it looks like the Pig'n Whistle restaurant name will return to the Downtown Fine Arts Building space it occupied between 1926 and 1952. Blogdowntown
• A Northern California enviro group is trying to save the Sebastopol Gravenstein apple line. LAT
• Campbell's has taken a risk and reduced the sodium in its traditional tomato soup recipe by 30%. Sacto Bee
• The Journal of Legal Education has moved from Georgetown to Southwestern Law School. SoCal Minds