The Village is getting a new restaurant

Good morning. It’s Thursday, and I’m reading about the best pop-ups in Los Angeles. Onto the five USC, LA, and California stories you need to know for today.

1.

Bruxie, a fast casual chain that specializes in fried chicken waffle sandwiches, will replace the now-shuttered Honeybird in the Village. The restaurant does not have an official opening date, but should start operations sometime this fall, the chain’s CEO said. Check out the menu here.

2.

In other USC food news: Moreton Fig, which was once a sit-down restaurant with a full bar and private rooms, rebranded as a cafe. The diner-style seating and coffee options now cater to students looking for a quiet place to study — rather than faculty or private events.

3.

Southern California firefighters are stretched thin as they battle three major blazes that have torched over 100,000 acres. Simultaneous fires in Oregon, Idaho, and Washington aren’t helping the resource strain: Some crews can’t even find mobile shower caterers, leaving them to toil in poison oak blisters.

4.

A judge struck down a high-profile law that would’ve phased out oil drilling in the city of LA, arguing that only the state has the power to implement such a ban. The ruling was a win for the oil company that sued to overturn the law — and a potential loss for LA County, which is facing a similar suit against its own ban.

5.

USC’s Undergraduate Student Government commissioned a mobile mural that’ll showcase colorful depictions of South LA culture. The artwork — an attempt to penetrate the “USC red-brick bubble” — will initially be on display in the windows of Dulce in the Village.