Well, the Tonight Show may be leaving town in a couple years, but all is not lost for fans of a good monologue. Sure, he's not as well known as Jay Leno, but Will Rogers can tell a good story. On Dec. 6, the veteran journalist will put on a one man show at the Colony Theatre in Burbank. All proceeds from the show will go to the Burbank Temporary Aid Center, a food bank for the poor.
In a press release on his Web site, Rogers explained why it's a charity show:
“Face it,” Rogers said. “A lot of people who might otherwise be interested would never buy a ticket if they thought there’s a chance the cash they’ve worked hard to amass through city redevelopment projects and rampant cronyism could ever make its way to me.”

Posted by Alex Dobuzinskis at 9:52 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) |

With each passing day since the House Foreign Affairs Committee passed a resolution condemning the Armenian Genocide, the chances that it will be approved by a full House vote seem increasingly unlikely. Today comes a story in the New York Times highlighting House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's slow backing away from the proposal. Radio Free Europe reports that Armenian Prime Minister Serzh Sarkisian begins an official visit to Washington, D.C., today and will meet with Vice President Dick Cheney and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. Apparently the Armenian prime minister will not be meeting with President George W. Bush, who yesterday angered China by meeting with the Dalai Lama. The Times article mentions that the chief House sponsors of the Armenian Genocide resolution point out the inconsistency of risking poorer relations with China but not risking a formal recognition of the genocide.

And on a totally different topic, Ellen DeGeneres is calling for a truce in the dog fiasco that she started by crying on-camera during a taping of her show at NBC Studios in Burbank. The Daily News carried a story today about the death threats that the dog agency's organizer says she is receiving as a result of DeGeneres' on-air plea.

Posted by Alex Dobuzinskis at 12:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) |

OK, this is inexcusable on my part, but I missed a vital piece of information in the O.J. Simpson robbery saga. Way back on Sept. 21, uber community columnist Will Rogers wrote an unbelievable story about Alfred Beardsley, one of O.J.'s alleged victims in the Las Vegas robbery. Rogers and Beardsley had a run-in, or a series of uncomfortable encounters culminating in a wild car chase through the streets of Burbank. To find the story, click here and then click on the Sept. 21 column "Council Candidate a Victim in Alleged OJ Rip-Off?" There's also a similar story at The Smoking Gun. Anyway, here is a passage from the Will Rogers piece:

At one point I was racing at high speed in reverse up Hollywood Way, and at another (Beardsley) was driving for blocks at a time in the oncoming lanes of Hollywood Way after I’d avoided him with a “k-turn” just like those I’d seen performed for years on “The Rockford Files.”

Throughout the event I was on the line with a Burbank police dispatcher. The episode came to a close when we were finally descended upon by a phalanx of Burbank police motorcycle officers, patrol cars, unmarked detective vehicles and even the police helicopter.

Will Rogers' account makes the bit of backstory I turned up look pale in comparison, but you can click here to find out about Beardsley's slugging match with the KKK and his involvement with the late Irv Rubin.

Posted by Alex Dobuzinskis at 11:27 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) |

Ellen DeGeneres made a heartfelt plea during the taping of her show in Burbank on Monday. She wants her dog back, or more specifically, she wants the dog that she gave away to her hairdresser to be returned to her. You see it's not the hairdresser who has it; the dog was taken away by a rescue agency called Mutts and Moms. Ellen cried real tears, according to the Associated Press story about her on-air plea. The whole thing involves a written contract between Ellen and the rescue agency, and Ellen says she didn't read the contract carefully enough. What's this? A Hollywood star getting ripped off by not reading a contract? How could it be?

The show airs today.

Posted by Alex Dobuzinskis at 12:37 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) |

Little known fact, but Providence Saint Joseph chief flak (and former Daily News staffer) Dan Boyle is an author who has just finished his second novel, "Housecleaning." The book was published by The Haworth Press and it concerns a gay scientist who is busily trying to unravel the secrets of the universe while caring for his dementia-suffering mother.

I haven't read the book, but that summary Dan provided me bears a striking resemblance to "Proof," the Pullitzer Prize winning play by David Auburn. In "Proof" the reclusive daughter of a brilliant but insane mathematician struggles to prove his theorum after his death, and after spending the best years of her life caring for him.

Still, it sounds like there are some big differences from "Proof." First of all, the dementia-suffering mother takes the reader back in time, and Boyle uses the device to write about the 1925 Scopes Monkey Trial, the 1936 Berlin Olympics and the 1963 Civil Rights March on Washington. Boyle, who grew up in Washington State, also weaves in descriptions of the Pacific Northwest and the Los Angeles area.

Reportedly, the nurses and orderlies at Providence responded to Boyle's book announcement by lining the hallways and shouting "Author! Author!" OK I made that up.

Posted by Alex Dobuzinskis at 1:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) |

Well, there's been a lot going on in the past 24 hours, almost too much to keep up with. First off, NBC announced it is moving the "Tonight Show" and a grip of other shows out of its Burbank facility and across the border to Universal City. Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa is anticipating that the move will pump $3 billion into Los Angeles' economic veins. Burbank officials are glum about the move, and a few of them told me that NBC didn't bother to inform them about it before yesterday's announcement, although the move has long been talked about and the announcement came as no big surprise. Our own David Kronke and Gregory J. Wilcox did a great job of covering the announcement.

And there's more big news, as the House Foreign Affairs Committee on Wednesday voted 27-21 to recognize the Armenian Genocide. When the same proposal was approved by the Foreign Affairs Committee in 2005, the Republican House leadership blocked it from getting to a full House vote. Now it looks like a bill that would recognize the Armenian Genocide is not only heading for a full House vote, it looks like it will pass. Check out our article on the vote here.

Posted by Alex Dobuzinskis at 10:17 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) |

Burbank police had a wild chase last night, after a robbery at a Burbank liquor store lead officers on a chase all the way to Santa Clarita, as the officers dodged bottles thrown at them by one of the suspected robbers. Burbank blogger Dan Evans happened to stop by the store that was robbed, Burbank Reese Market, at 1701 W. Burbank Blvd., because his wife was suffering from a case of the munchies. He relates the following depressing exchange between the robbery victim who worked at the store and a TV reporter, after the clerk told the reporter that he got punched during the robbery.

"But I've seen worse," [the clerk] said. "I'm from Cambodia. I escaped from far worse people."

Whoa.

"You mean Pol Pot?" I asked.

He nodded.

"Who?" asked the reporter.

"The dictator," I said. "The Khmer Rouge. You know?"

"No," said the reporter.

"Yeah," said the clerk, lifting up his shirt to show a constellation of long-ago scarred burn marks. "They did this. Those kids, they nothing."

Dan Evans is suitably depressed about the reporter's ignorantly breezing past the Cambodian Genocide, but who knows, maybe the TV reporter was just annoyed at the spontaneous intrustion on her interview by one Dan Evans? I don't know, I wasn't there. Having seen a TV reporter a couple months ago mention the non-existent "city of Sherman Oaks," I can definitely relate to Dan's frustration at the "Duh" moment.

Anyway, back on the trail of these alleged robbers, police followed them for 43 minutes. Burbank police reports that one of their men in blue spotted the suspects just a few minutes after the robbery and started the chase, which went up to Santa Clarita. As we reported in the Daily News story:

Live footage from KCAL9 showed a man leaning out of a driver's side rear window, throwing full beverage bottles at pursuing officers. The [suspects'] SUV nearly struck a white car during the chase.

The suspects parked their vehicle on 14 Freeway near the Via Princessa offramp and surrendered to police.

Burbank police report today that the suspects were a 23-year-old from Los Angeles, who was booked on robbery and felony evading arrest, an 18-year-old from Alhambra, who was booked on robbery, and a 17-year-old from Los Angeles, who was arrested for robbery and assault with a deadly weapon. All three of the suspects are suspected gang members, according to Burbank PD.

Posted by Alex Dobuzinskis at 1:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) |

Following up on yesterday's blog post about Alfred Beardsley, 46, we learn today that the sports memorabilia collector and former Burbank or Glendale resident (now tangled up in the O.J. Simpson robbery case) was a friend of the late Irv Rubin, leader of the Jewish Defense League. Interestingly enough, Rubin's widow, Shelley Rubin, says that her late husband and Alfred Beardsley met at O.J. Simpson's murder trial.

"Al, I remember that he said he collected O.J. memorabilia even back then," Shelley Rubin said Thursday in a phone interview. "He was on the periphery during that trial, I guess he would try to ingratiate himself with the O.J. people, which really infuriated my husband and I guess that's how they started talking."

In case anyone's wondering, Irv Rubin was at the O.J. trial because Ron Goldman was Jewish, and the JDL wanted to show solidarity. Eventually, Irv Rubin and Alfred Beardsley got to talking, and Beardsley became a good friend of Rubin, a firebrand Jewish activist who was later arrested and accused of plotting to bomb the King Fahd Mosque in Culver City and the office of Arab-American congressman Darrell Issa. Before that, Beardsley and Rubin appeared together on "Jerry Springer," where they got into a brawl with some Ku Klux Klan members. When Rubin died in federal lockup from what authorities describe as a suicide, Beardsley spoke to the Daily News about his late friend. "I've always found him fascinating and intriguing," Beardsley said. "This is a guy who spoke right from the heart."

Now, Beardsley is in custody on a parole violation case, just days after he emerged as an alleged victim in O.J. Simpson's new robbery rap. Check out the Daily News article here on the latest developments with the case.

Shelley Rubin says that O.J. Simpson had given personal possessions to Alfred Beardsley because Beardsley was part of Simpson's entourage during the murder trial.

"I think Al Beardsley is quite in awe of celebrities," Shelley Rubin said. "I think that might be part of Al’s problem.’’

But while he was friends with her late husband, Beardsley was reliable, she said. "The way Beardlsey acted toward my husband was like a bodyguard. But he was very annoying and he talks about himself a lot.’’

Posted by Alex Dobuzinskis at 1:18 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) |

For your viewing and calendaring pleasure, here is short notice that LA Shorts Fest 2007 in Burbank will soon be over. The short film festival started on Sept. 5 and it runs through Sept. 17, which is Monday, when the closing night awards happen in Hollywood at CineSpace. The festival has categories for everything, including foreign, horror, latin, and sci-fi. This year, writer/director James Toback won the "Maverick Film Achievement Award" for being the reckless artistic prodigy that he is. Toback, in case you didn't know, wrote the screenplay for the 1992 film "Bugsy."

The opening night venue was the AMC Burbank 16, but now that they're in the festival's daily grind, it has moved over a few hundred feet to the AMC Burbank Town Center 6. Enjoy!

Check out the Web site for the festival here.

Posted by Alex Dobuzinskis at 5:27 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) |

It's a deal. Workers at Providence Holy Cross Medical Center have approved a four-year contract with the hospital. These are the workers who were about to go on strike on June 13, but they pulled back from the brink. On Thursday, hospital officials said Los Angeles City Councilman Richard Alarcon helped them and Service Employees International Union reach a deal. Here's our story in the Daily News:

BURBANK — Nurses and other workers at Providence St. Joseph Medical Center have approved a contract giving them a 5.25 percent pay rise in the next year, a hospital spokesman said Thursday. The four-year contract approved Wednesday also includes a wage scale based on experience and also bans subcontracting for services, spokesman Dan Boyle said. Officials credited Los Angeles City Councilman Richard Alarcon with helping to avert a threatened strike by the 1,500 nurses and other workers represented by the Service Employees International Union.

Posted by Alex Dobuzinskis at 5:45 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) |

On Wednesday, nurses and other caregivers at Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center in Burbank will vote on a deal union negotiators reached with the hospital last week. The union, Service Employees Internation Union, is pretty vague about what the deal entails, at least until after their members vote. They do say it would grant 1,500 workers at the hospital "their first ever wage scale system," and that it would ban subcontracting and provide wage increases.

The union narrowly avoided a strike at the hospital back on June 13. The proposed contract would go through September 2011, so presumably there would be no near-miss strikes until that time. But then again, you might not want to count on that. Unions and hospitals aren't exactly getting along these days.

Posted by Alex Dobuzinskis at 6:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) |

Higgins Development Partners announced this week that it has broken ground on a $130 million office building at the 2300 Empire Center project. The seven-story project is the last phase of Empire Center, which is a mix of shops, offices and hotel rooms. The project is at West Empire Boulevard and Buena Vista Street, close to the Golden State (5) Freeway.

It seems the development company thinks Burbank's quite a plum city to build an office tower in, because office vacancy rates are lower than in any other city in the Los Angeles area. Companies such as Paycheck and Employers Compensation Insurance recently moved to the city, according to Higgins.

Meanwhile, look for the Glendale City Council next week to approve a 16-story condominium project in the downtown area.

Posted by Alex Dobuzinskis at 11:18 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) |

At the Bob Hope Airport, as you go up the stairs to the meeting room for the airport authority, there is a photo of the camouflage netting that used to cover the airport during World War II (at least the photo was there when I last stopped by more than a year ago.) During World War II, the airport was a Lockheed plant. Eager to keep the plant protected from Japanese aerial bombardments (which never came by the way), the government had it camouflaged so that it didn't look like an airplane plant from the air. Well, the folks at www.newlaunches.com have just posted some killer photos of how the Lockheed plant looked from the air. Apparently, they tried to make it look like a rural subdivision, which is what you can see in the photo above. Check out the rest of the photos here.

Posted by Alex Dobuzinskis at 12:50 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) |

A few things to wrap-up the week:

• It's The New York Times' turn to quiz IHOP CEO Julia Stwart about her Glendale-based company's impending takeover of Applebee's. Who knew her nickname among the franchisees is "Velvet Hammer?"

• Burbank city leaders are anxiously monitoring the effort to rescue the Utah coal miners trapped after a mine collapse. The city -- along with Glendale, Los Angeles, Anaheim, Pasadena and Riverside -- owns a stake at a Utah coal powerplant that gets 5 percent of its fuel from said mine. Leader

• Two new executives at Burbank Unified School District -- Lori Ordway-Peck was appointed to the position of Assistant Superintendent, Business Services, and Kathy Granger was appointed to the position of Director, Human Resources Services. Ordway-Peck comes to the District from the Palmdale Unified School District where she has served as Deputy Superintendent. Granger comes to Burbank from the West Covina Unified School District, where she served most recently as middle school principal. via BUSD release.

• Santa Clarita realtor and blogger Linda Slocum left a review of a Garlic Jim's pizza pie from the chain's Valencia outlet in our comments box. The Washington-based chain is opening an outlet in Burbank.

Posted by Eugene Tong at 1:41 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) |

Sorry about the lack of updates the last few days -- granted, it's been busy with the shooting at that Burbank apartment building Thursday night that left three people dead and one in the hospital. Police say it's the first multiple homicide in the city in some 20 years.

All the details are here -- the grief and shock of a neighborhood in mourning.

Meanwhile, valleynews.com blogger Lisa Burks, who lives nearby, has this account of the scene Thursday night.

Posted by Eugene Tong at 1:06 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) |

The seedier side of Burbank -- police arrested two women at a hotel near Bob Hope Airport last Thursday on suspicion of prostitution in a sting.

Jessical Gonzales of Fremont and Raeanna Valencia of Fairfield, both 19, were arrested for the misdemeanor and have bailed out, police Sgt. Matt Ferguson said.

The women were allegedly offering escort and massage services in the Burbank-Glendale-Pasadena area on Web sites such as Craigslist. Police, following a tip, set up a rendezvous with at the hotel. They weren't actually based out of the hotel, Ferguson said.

Both the ladies were from out-of-town, though police suspect they may be linked to a prostitution ring operating in the San Fernando Valley.

Here's the Leader's version.

Posted by Eugene Tong at 3:15 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) |

"Sleepy" got pulled over in Burbank for driving without a seatbelt, but little did authorities know at the time, they've hauled a big fish from the world of Russian-Armenian organized crime.

The crime ring canvassed truck yards from Oxnard to Chino, sneaking in at night and lumbering away with big rigs full of fancy TVs, children's clothes, new tires - even a $55,000 shipment of Gatorade.

They hauled the loot - worth some $10 million in all - to a Van Nuys warehouse that served as a central drop-off point, where they unloaded the cargo in the middle of the night. Later, they'd take an inventory, sort it and sell it on the black market.

If not for the arrest of a guy named Sleepy and the carelessness of the group's ringleader - who forgot to buckle up while driving through Burbank late last month - the stolen trucks might still be rumbling through the night, authorities say.

Read the rest of Daily News reporter (and East of the 5 alum) Jason Kandel's story here.

Posted by Eugene Tong at 11:34 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) |

Meanwhile in beautiful downtown Burbank, City Council meetings could start at 6 p.m. instead of 6:30 p.m., and it'll require a majority vote for discussion to go past 11 p.m., according to the Leader.

This in a town where meetings often run past midnight (I personally have stayed till 2:30 a.m. during that Whole Foods in the Rancho flap a couple months ago). It was a 4-1 vote to introduce the changes last week, which also includes combining into one the two seperate public comment periods.

Councilman David Gordon -- that beacon of contratrian freedom and targeted populism who is still fighting the good fight despite backing the losing horses in the council race earlier this year -- dissented. He wanted the start time kept at 6:30 p.m. to accomodate people's work schedules.

If I were conspiracy minded, I would read this as just another erosion of our right to free speech in the name of efficiency, while limiting City Hall accountibility to the public; an overall affront to civil discourse and democracy, the very foundations of our system of government....

But I'm not. I guess we'll see how it all works out, but it won't be happening tomorrow -- the council's dark this Tuesday, 8/7.

Posted by Eugene Tong at 6:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) |

If you're into following the money, the latest round of Form 460 campaign disclosure statments covering March 18 - June 30 have hit the Web, at least in Glendale.

(In case you're wondering, the Burbank forms were not too exciting...check this space -- the City Clerk may have it up soon.)

According to latest campaign finance disclosures due last week, Rafi Manoukian, the incumbent councilman who lost despite spending nearly $222,000, was the top fundraiser in the April council election with $150,382 from the first half of 2007.

First-place finisher John Drayman collected $73,740, while reelected Councilman Dave Weaver received $68,771.

In comparison, Gray Bric, who won a seat on the Burbank City Council in earlier this year and was the race’s top fundraiser, received just over $21,000 in contributions in the same period. Burbank has a $250 per donor contribution limit, unlike Glendale, where the sky's the limit.

But Bric and candidate-turn-Councilwoman Anja Reinke, who raised nearly $13,000, both enjoyed support from an independent political committee. Working Californians, spent more than $18,000 campaigning for Bric and about $5,000 for Reinke.

Among the biggest donors in the Glendale race — Weaver received a total $17,500 from developer Rick Caruso’s Americana at Brand LLC, the company behind its namesake downtown retail and residential project.

The Glendale Management Association — a City Hall union — gave Manoukian $11,000.

CREPAC/BORPAC, the political arm of the California Association of Realtors, gave $4,000 to both Weaver and Drayman. Local contractor Alen Builders Inc. also gave Drayman $5,000.

Posted by Eugene Tong at 3:32 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) |

To the disappointment of the Glendale and Burbank police departments, pregnant celebutant Nicole Richie will doing her four-day DUI jail sentence at a Casa de Baca -- or Lynwood jail, the same county slammer where Simple Life co-star Paris Hilton served most of her sentence.

Richie was sentenced to four days in jail, three years probation and 21 days in a drug rehab program for her Dec. 11 DUI arrest in Burbank -- she was driving her black Mercedes SUV the wrong way on the Ventura Freeway. The reality-TV star and Hilton BFF (still? I've lost track..) failed a field-sobriety test and told police she had taken a pain killer and smoked marijuana.

Last Friday she entered a guilty plea -- her second DUI conviction (the first was in June 2003) and she could have been jailed for up to a year.

She was allowed to choose between a county and city jail. Although a city jail is considered less arduous, she would not be eligible for early release and would have to serve her full sentence there.

Earlier this week, Richie told the sheriff’s department she will serve her time in a county lockup, said sheriff’s spokesman Steve Whitmore. Lynwood is the only county jail for female inmates, which is where Paris Hilton served most of her 23 days behind bars for driving on a suspended license while on probation for HER DUI arrest.

Richie has until Sept. 28 to serve her time. Because county jails are overcrowded, some are guessing nonviolent inmates like her could score an early release.

Earlier:
Getting elbowed in the head on the Nicole Richie beat

Posted by Eugene Tong at 7:34 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) |

A few bits of news of nominal interest:

• Two Vineland Boys members pleaded guilty to drug trafficking and murdering a witness and accepted terms of life in prison without parole. Jose "Peps" Ledesma, 24, and Javier "Coco" Covarrubius, 23, faced multiple charges stemming from the 2003 murder of 16-year-old Martha Puebla, who was going to testify against one of the gang members, and for dealing methamphetamine. Both men, who are from Sun Valley, pleaded guilty as jury selection for their trial got under way. They would have faced the death penalty if convicted. Daily News

  But it's not over yet -- besides David Garcia, who is facing state murder charges for the 2003 slaying of Burbank Police officer Matthew Pavelka, word this morning from Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark Young (whose team got a commendation for the Vineland Boys prosecution) is Horicio Yepiz may yet see his day in court. He was in an institution after he was ruled incompetent to stand trial, but that could change with a compentency hearing Monday.

• Beeline service cutbacks for Glenoaks Canyon. News Press

Posted by Eugene Tong at 1:09 PM | Permalink |

Policy wonking and mad-cap violence:

• Amid concerns about a soft real estate market, the Glendale City Council on Tuesday finalized the details of a proposed fee on local development projects to finance parks and libraries. The draft Development Impact Fee ordinance -- considered a watered-down version by at least one councilman -- could return for approval later this month. Daily News

• As for bizzare crime -- a 61-year-old Tujunga man has been arrested for allegedly shooting three men and a women in a south Glendale apartment after an argument. Police arrested Valodia Balabekyan on suspicion of attempted murder at the South Belmont Street unit 7:45 a.m Tuesday. The victims were all related and were in staple condition. News Press

• Burbank City Council, where free speech is valued at the expense of time and meetings usually run well past 11 p.m, is once again talking about ways to streamline their meetings. One proposal would require a majority vote for a meeting go run past 11 p.m. What did they decide? We don't know since that meeting ran long and past the Leader's deadline.

• A milestone at Bob Hope Airport -- passenger traffic of 2.86 million for the first half of the year is 23 percent higher compared to the same period in 2001, before the air travel industry tanked after 9/11. Leader

Posted by Eugene Tong at 1:03 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) |

Looks like another flap between six Southern California cities (including LA, Glendale, Burbank and Pasadena) and Utah area cities over the Intermountain Power Project.

The Salt Lake Tribune reports the California cities, which take 75 percent its power, are blocking the construction of a third coal-fired generator to the 1,800 megawatt plant. They cite California state laws aimed at rolling back greenhouse gases, but the 23 Utah cities operating the power plant say they could use the extra juice.

Six California cities, concerned about global warming and greenhouse gas emissions, are refusing to allow a third coal-fired generating unit to be built at the Intermountain Power Project near Delta.

Their action promises to pit California's tough new environmental laws and the state's commitment to rolling back greenhouse emissions against the interests of thousands of Utah consumers who eventually may need the electricity that a third generating unit could provide.

The six California cities take 75 percent of the electricity generated at the IPP. As a result, their votes far outweigh those of the 23 Utah municipal members, which are represented by the Utah Associated Municipal Power Systems, or UAMPS, and Rocky Mountain Power.

The whole matter could wind up in court, with the Utah municipalities and Rocky Mountain Power vowing to do whatever is necessary to clear the way for the new unit.

"We have no problem if they don't want to participate in building that unit," said spokesman Dave Eskelsen of Rocky Mountain Power, which takes 4 percent of the power produced by IPP and is interested in getting more to meet its customers' demands.

Rocky Mountain Power, however, considers it improper for those California cities - Los Angeles, Pasadena, Anaheim, Burbank, Glendale and Riverside - to block needed generating capacity in Utah to satisfy California's environmental laws.

You may recall last fall when Intermountain asked the six cities to renew their energy contracts until 2044 (the current contract expires 2027), but the Sierra Club pressure them to sit it out. All did except for Burbank, which unknowingly signed the renewal, and later managed to wiggle out of it after Intermountain agreed to extend the deadline until 2023.

Still, the Six Cities won't be cutting ties to the plant any time soon-- they lent $3.2 billion to construct the project and it has paid them back in cheap power at the cost of roughly 15 million tons in carbon-dioxide emissions per year.

Posted by Eugene Tong at 7:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) |

Looks like about-to-be-sworn-in-Wednesday Burbank Police Chief Tim Stehr will be joined by Springfield's finest. With 7-Eleven ending its Simpsons Kwik-E-Mart promotion and the stores reverting back to their boring ol' 24-hour convenient selves, they're donating the props to Children’s Miracle Network hospitals, some of which will auction them off for charity.

Except for the life-size Clancy Wiggum cut-out -- he's heading to the Burbank Police Department and will appear at community events.

Posted by Eugene Tong at 12:27 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) |

A 36-year-old Van Nuys man was arrested after a technician at a Burbank Best Buy store servicing his computer found child pornography on its hard drive, Los Angeles police said Monday.

Kenneth Chernow, 36, was arrested Thursday at his home in the 13500 block of Hart Street on suspicion of possessing child pornography after the Best Buy technician reported the discovery to authorities. He was released on $20,000 bail.

The LAPD’s Computer Crimes Unit conducted an analysis of the computer and confirmed the presence of several images of child pornography on the machine.

Police searched Chernow's home, which also turne dup more evidence. No victims have been identified. Anyone with information was asked to call LAPD Juvenile Division Carlos Monterroso at (213) 485-4220 or (877) 529-3855 evenings and weekends.

Meanwhile, two Valencia Best Buy Geek Squad members -- those house-call making service techs in the black-and-white VW Beetles -- have been suspended and the entire local operation is under investigation after a former employee accused his former co-workers of snooping in files in computers left for repairs, a company spokeswoman said. Daily News

Posted by Eugene Tong at 11:51 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) |

Burbank Water and Power has a goal generating 33 percent of its electricity from "green" sources by 2017, compared to the 35 percent goal set by LADWP, according to story on green power from the Pasadena Star News.

The story actually looks at what Pasadena is doing to diversify its energy portfolio, but this tidbit from Fred Fletcher, BWP's assistant general manager, was rather eyepopping:

Public opinion polls showed a large number of Burbank residents would be willing to increase their energy bills by $15 a month in exchange for greener power, Fletcher said. The average bill for BWP customers is about $50.

Are we talking about same city where people often grouse about too much money going to City Hall? Burbank, I hardly knew ye...

Posted by Eugene Tong at 1:21 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) |

Two on smoking -- First comes word Disney will remove smoking from all films released under its own label (which isn't too difficult I guess -- when was the last time you see some one light-up in one of their family flicks?).

Also, the Burbank-based company will "discourage" smoking in films released under its Touchstone and Miramax arms. Now that's going to be tougher. YOU try telling Quentin Tarantino or Kevin Smith or some European auteur snuff out the butt in their films...

via Associated Press:

By GARY GENTILE, AP Business Writer
LOS ANGELES (AP) — The Walt Disney Co. will eliminate smoking from all its films released under its label and will discourage smoking in films released under its Touchstone and Miramax brands, the company said Wednesday.

Disney chief executive Robert Iger made the pledge in a letter to U.S. Rep. Edward J. Markey, D-Mass, chairman of the House Telecommunications and the Internet Subcommittee, who last month held a hearing in Washington, D.C., on the topic.

“The Walt Disney Co. shares your concern regarding deaths due to cigarette smoking,” Iger wrote.

Continue reading "The Mouse House kicks the butt; the truth behind the "anti-smoking" movement" »

Posted by Eugene Tong at 6:21 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) |

At least that's what the Burbank Tournament of Roses Association has in mind with their design for the 2008 Tournament of Roses Parade in Pasadena. The Burbank City Council gave their nods yesterday, and it's now up to the group of local volunteers to build and decorate the thing. (Other towns, like the City of Glendale, has all the work contracted out to professionals...)

The Burbank association also is taking applications for an Oompah band to perform on the float, and some backup dancers.

Posted by Eugene Tong at 2:15 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) |

Finally a free morning to get our blog on...

• Along for the Ride columnist Sue Doyle rode out east early this week and visited some folks whose rides have more than 200,000 miles on the odometer

  GLENDALE - The upholstery on the driver's seat is in shreds. Masking tape patches a cracked taillight. And the odometer reads 223,626 miles.

  To some, it would definitely be time for a trade-in.

  But to Suren Rostonmyan, the 1986 Toyota pickup still has a lot of kick left. By staying on top of oil changes and continuing the TLC, he figures the reliable red truck could hit 300,000 miles without a hitch.

  Check out Suren's rig in the photo galleries to our right.

• Convictions in the 2004 beating death of 17-year-old William Maldonado -- a jury yesterday found William Torres, 24, Pedro Pena, 25, and Fredy Gudiel, 21 guilty of second-degree murder with a gang enhancement. Maldonado was riding his bike to his sister's house when the trio attacked him with baseball bats. Daily News

• Angry residents near Glendale High lashed out at the Glendale City Council last night about broken sprinkers and In-n-Out wrappers littered in their 'hood. They blame the campus' stadium, which holds too many events for their liking. News Press

  What do you guys think? Do they have to live with it since they did move next to a high school ? or do we blame the city and the school district? Me -- I blame society.

• Target at the Galleria -- "We're a normal Target." Good. News Press

  *The CurbedLA crowd marvels at the tri-level Vermaports inside the new Target store.

• The Times catches-up with the Burbank 7-Eleven turned Kwik-E-Mart. Since making the switch as part of a month-long marketing campaign for the Simpsons Movie, business has shot up 300 percent, and hot dog sales jumped from 800 to 3,000 a week.

• And finally, ain't no party like a Burbank party in which a couple of possibly uninvited guests blasted a few holes in the ceiling during a wedding reception Saturday night at Castaway restaurant. No injuries, no arrests and few are talking. Leader

Posted by Eugene Tong at 10:51 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) |

via Bob Hope Airport (bolding by yours truly...):

Airport Mounts Campaign to Make 11th Annual Airport Blood Drive Largest in City

WHAT: The Bob Hope Airport business community – including the airport, Burbank Airport Marriott Hotel and Convention Center, Yahoo!, several airlines, and companies within the Media Studios North campus are teaming up for a huge blood drive to benefit patients in hospitals throughout the San Fernando Valley – including Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center in Burbank and Providence Holy Cross Medical Center in Mission Hills. The event is expected to be the largest blood drive in the history of the city of Burbank.

Participants will have great views of airplanes taking off from and landing on the runway as they donate blood in the Bob Hope Airport’s Skyroom. All participants will also be entered into drawings for several roundtrip airline tickets and hotel stays, courtesy of JetBlue Airways, Southwest Airlines, Alaska Airlines, US Airways and the Airport Marriott. Employees from Yahoo!, Technicolor, Central Staging, GMAC and many other businesses in the airport business community will be shuttled throughout the day between the Burbank Airport Marriott Hotel and Bob Hope Airport.

Continue reading "Blood Drive at Bob Hope Airport" »

Posted by Eugene Tong at 2:09 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) |

Robert Phipps, one of the local activists who helped shepherd the second-hand smoke control ordinance through Burbank City Council earlier this year, has a new proposal for our local officials -- past a resolution in support of troop withdrawal from Iraq.

But our council -- unlike those in West Hollywood or Santa Cruz -- wasn't in the mood to play. Only Mayor Marsha Ramos and Councilman David Golonski addressed Phipps' comments, and both said it was inappropriate for city councils to deal in federal issues.

Here's a copy of Phipps' remarks at Tuesday night's council meeting:

Mayor Ramos, members of the council, I’m Robert Phipps, a Burbank resident, and a grateful citizen of the United States.

Some of us have loved-ones in the military. Some have probably lost loved ones in the military.

Every member of the military is a hero. They, like our police officers, fire fighters, rescue workers, and others, have made it their job to keep the rest of us safe. They have agreed to put their lives on the line to protect our lives. They have said to the President, or other leaders, “We trust you to do what’s right for our country, and we will go into harm’s way whenever and wherever you say we must.”

But we have learned that sometimes our presidents lie to us. Presidents Johnson, Nixon, and now this President Bush have shown us that they will go to war for reasons of their own and then lie to us about those reasons.

I am not a hero, and I do not trust presidents, and I did not agree to sacrifice my loved ones to a folly.

We’re a smart people and we can learn from our mistakes. And I don’t think we want to wait ten years and lose 58,000 of our family members and friends like we did in Viet Nam before we finally decide to make a change. If someone is lost in the military, their family’s emotional survival demands, they believe the cause was noble. But in advance, I doubt there are many people in Burbank--even if they voted for Bush--who would willingly sacrifice a loved one for Bush’s … reason of the month. Bush will be gone in eighteen months. This war will soon end. But a lost love is gone forever, and the pain in the heart lasts forever.

Therefore, I ask you as the collective voice of all 105,000 people in our city, to pass and send a resolution to President Bush--with copies to Congress and the major news media--telling Bush that the people of Burbank are not willing to lose any family members or friends for his unnecessary and counterproductive war in Iraq, and to remove all our troops from there immediately.

Thank you.

Posted by Eugene Tong at 7:01 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) |

*Update -- Check out the photos by DN Photographer Hans Gutknecht here. You won't regret it...

Also at Burbank Airport today -- more shameless Simpsons Movie marketing!

JetBlue Airways, The Official Airline of Springfield, Unveils First-Ever Specialty Aircraft in Celebration of The Simpsons Movie Release

WHAT: JetBlue Airways, recently named The Official Airline of Springfield, will christen its first-ever specialty aircraft “Woo-Hoo! JetBlue!” in celebration of The Simpsons Movie release.

WHO: *Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie Simpson

*The Simpsons Movie filmmakers and producer Denise Sirkot
*JetBlue crewmembers and executives

WHEN: Tuesday, July 17 11AM - 12 PM
*Please allow adequate time for parking and set up.

WHERE: Million Air Burbank
2800 N. Clybourn Ave Burbank, CA 91505

VISUALS: Plane christening with Buzz Cola from Kwik-E-Mart/7-Eleven
Life-sized, 3-D The Simpsons Movie couch theater display
Interior of aircraft (Airbus A320) will be available for media tours, featuring a continuous offering of Simpsons episodes on FOX Channel 41.

We may even have photos later...

Posted by Eugene Tong at 10:25 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) |