Deadly chase. Four people are being held on suspicion of murder following a crash that took the lives of an 11-year-old boy and a 25-year-old woman during a police pursuit in Pasadena. The chase lasted only about 30 seconds. Authorities say a driver refused to pull over for a traffic stop last night and then plowed his SUV into a minivan waiting to make a turn. In addition to the two killed, three other people in the van were injured. They were reportedly from San Francisco and visiting Los Angeles for the holidays. Police are investigating whether anyone in the SUV was involved in a fatal shooting earlier on Christmas Day in Pasadena. KTLA
Guns gone. In response to the elementary school shootings in Connecticut, the city of L.A. is holding two hastily arranged gun buyback events today. People who trade in automatic and semiautomatic weapons will get a $200 grocery store gift card. Those who hand over rifles, shotguns or handguns will get a $100 gift card. The buybacks will be held between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. at the L.A. Memorial Sports Arena and the Van Nuys Masonic Temple. Officials say they’ll accept the guns with ‘no questions asked.’ L.A. Daily News
Kwanzaa kickoff. A parade will be held along Crenshaw Boulevard today to mark the start of the seven-day African American festival of Kwanzaa. The theme of the 36th annual Kwanzaa Parade and Festival is “Freedom from Obesity.” The parade is scheduled to start at 11:30 a.m. at the corner of Crenshaw and Adams boulevards, heading south along to Leimert Park, where a festival will follow. L.A. Times
No waiver-ing. California won’t be able to avoid requirements of the federal No Child Left Behind law. The state has been notified that its request for a waiver was denied. California officials have resisted a requirement that teachers be evaluated at least in part on how well their students score on standardized tests. The federal education law requires yearly improvements in test scores and punishes districts that fail to keep up. State officials say the goals are unrealistic and requirements of the law place an unreasonable burden on school administrators. San Jose Mercury News
Bat mode. The California Institute of Architecture is getting ready to make a visual splash in downtown L.A. The L.A. Times reports work will start soon a steel-frame and fabric graduation pavilion next to the campus at the foot of the 4th Street Bridge. The pavilion will also serve as a concert venue and an outdoor gathering space for SCI-Arc. The pavilion was designed by a SCI-Arc faculty member and resembles a large bat with wings. The 50-foot-high structure will be covered in black and turquoise fabric and will be lighted at night. It’s expected to cost $170,000 and should be complete by spring. L.A. Times