Holiday weekend news and notes

• It's been eight years since UTLA backing put a candidate on the Board of Education in a race in which another contender also had strong financial support. And this year, the union has quietly given up on reclaiming a majority of allies on the seven-member Board of Education in the March 8 election, writes Howard Blume in the LAT.
• Austin Beutner keeps the mayoral chatter alive, says he will decide by March. Plus from Rick Orlov: Other mayor hopefuls mentioned, inside the city of Vernon image rehab campaign, and Ben Golembek is leaving Controller Wendy Greuel's staff to be deputy chief of staff in Sacramento for Assemblyman Felipe Fuentes.
• If the city is to negotiate with AEG over the NFL stadium proposed for Downtown, it will do so in the dark when it comes to the secretive company.
• Consultants knew the distasteful campaign in the 14th City council district would turn off voters, but "we can't unilaterally disarm," says Parke Skelton.
• Challenger Rudy Martinez collapsed after a campaign forum last week in El Sereno and spent the night at Huntington Memorial Hospital.
• State Sen. Ted Lieu endorsed Councilwoman Janice Hahn in the congressional district they largely share.
• 36 Hours in Downtown Los Angeles for the New York Times.
• Carmelo Anthony was traded by the Denver Nuggets, but not to the Lakers.
• Ollie Matson, an NFL Hall of Famer and former star for the Los Angeles Rams, died Saturday of respiratory failure at his Los Angeles home. He was 80.
• Nancy Carr, SVP corporate communications for Hallmark Channels, died Friday at age 50. She had previously been with CBS.

Plus: My KCRW column today looked at the dearth of robust politics around the City Hall budget deficit and other issues in the City Council races. LA Observed on KCRW.