A NEW LOOK FOR THE NEW YEAR ... AT OUR FAVORITE FIXER UPPER!

                  

Change was in the air this morning at Our Favorite Fixer Upper as a work crew arrived on the scene, intent on beginning a badly-needed renovation.  "You won't recognize this place when we're done," said the Construction Supervisor, "We're doing major repairs and reconstruction.  We'll be done next week!"  The home in question -- at the corner of 7th and Alta -- achieved notoriety several years ago when it was purchased for $1.7 million by a would-be investor, presumably as a "tear down."  However, rather than tearing it down, the new owner simply abandoned the property, leaving it to the elements.  In the space of a few short years, the home subsequently suffered every indignity imaginable:  The Santa Monica Police Department accidentally used it for target practice, leaving a gaping hole in the roof;  An enterprising high school student broke-in, turning the home into his very own "Love Shack;" and a Homeless Man took up residence, burning the floorboards for firewood and transforming the master bedroom into a makeshift toilet.  Today's news that the home is finally being renovated was greeted with skepticism locally.  Said one area resident, "Forget the work crew, what that place needs is a Wrecking Ball ...!"