• Chef Juan Carlos Cruz, Food Network’s former “Calorie Commando” who allegedly tried to hire homeless men to kill his wife, pleaded no contest and faces up to nine years in prison. [LAT]
• An El Pollo Loco in Duarte was robbed last night by five men, with an employee saying that one of the thieves was in a Halloween mask of Barack Obama. How long before John Boehner blames The President for this? [KTLA]
• Paula Deen will be the grand marshal at next year’s Rose Parade in Pasadena. [Star-News]
• Lakers Ron Artest and Derrick Caracter helped hand out food at The L.A. Regional Food Bank last weekend. [NBA.com]
• A study using 23 samples of soda bought in East L.A. finds that the beverages contain way larger amounts of metabolism-damaging fructose than previously thought. [L.A. Times]
• Ten students at Torrance’s North High School were injured last Friday at a Korean BBQ fundraiser for UNICEF, after a portable butane stove malfunctioned, leaving some students with first and second degree burns and one hospitalized. [L.A. Weekly/Squid Ink]
• The New York Times says candy gets a bad rap, but then wonders if it’s really any worse than, like, soda. [NYT]
• Chain-restaurant stock prices are on the rise. [USAT]
