It's Wednesday and what? No new outbursts to report?

Emotional ones, no. But two more water mains burst in the San Fernando Valley overnight. And what do water officials have to say? "It's strange." LAT

Steve Lopez agrees. And then some.

Meanwhile, utilities have asked the state to let them pass along fire-related repair costs to customers. Daily News

Seriously? Number crunchers say the recession in California may be over. LAT

Tell that to the state's unemployed, who will easily top 12 percent by the end of the year.

On the political front, the FBI and the U.S. Labor Department are investigating Mark Ridley-Thomas' union ties. LAT

Raymond Chan replaces Andrew Adelman as (interim) general manager of the city's Department of Building and Safety Department after Adelman resigned amid rape allegations. LA Weekly

Bring 'em on! Machine guns OK'd for security at nuclear power plants. OC Watchdog

As much a fixture of the SoCal landscape as wildfires, illegal contractors are now out and about, preying on homeowners. LA Now