More desk cleaning
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.

Looks like
Three-story Targets are all nice and good, but for Echo Park blogger
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?).
*Update -- Check out the photos by DN Photographer Hans Gutknecht 



Here's a look at Baskin-Robbins, which has been trying to shed its old, linoleum-ecnrested image for something more hip in order to compete in a crowded marketplace.
Meanwhile, Daily News restaurant critic Larry Lipson stops by the year-old 

via 
In other transport news, the travel site Jaunted.com liveblogged the
If driving's too expensive, try flying! Skybus, that Columbus, Ohio-based startup airline with the $10 seats, is taking off the tarmac this morning with flights bound for Burbank's Bob Hope Airport, Kansas City, Mo., and Portsmouth, NH. All flights include a stop in Columbus, which means it's not a bad deal if you're flying west to east.
Dr. Debs at 

