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) |

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) |

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) |

A balanced meal to start your week.

• They've snuffed out cigarettes in Calabasas, Santa Monica, Burbank and Beverly Hills — and now a group of local residents has started pressing for a public smoking ban in Glendale. Advocates behind the "No Butts Glendale" campaign have been pushing the City Council since June to consider outlawing smoking in parks, lines and within 25 feet of sidewalks and business entrances. Daily News
  See their online petition here.

• Glendale-based IHOP (that's International House of Pancakes, for those not hip with the lingo) announced today it has entered into a deal to acquire Applebee's International Inc., operator of Applebee's restaurants, for $25.50 per share in cash, or about $2.1 billion. The all-cash transaction, which is expected to close in the fourth quarter of 2007, is subject the usual shareholders and regulatory approvals, of course.

• Lawyers in the Grand View Memorial Park civil suit will be doing some discovery Tuesday. News Press

• The Pasadena Star-News paid their repsects at slain Glendale College cheer captain Brittani Idom's memorial.
  

Posted by Eugene Tong at 12:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) |

A smorgasboard.

• A 24-year-old woman was killed in Glendale last night by a hit-and-run driver. The woman was hit by the car about 9:40 last night on Glendale Avenue near Windsor Road, said Glendale police Sgt. Dennis Smith. The victim was walking west across Glendale Avenue, about 50 feet south of Windsor Road, accompanied by another woman, when she was struck by a black Mercedes-Benz. Daily News CBS2 (video)

• The Times profiles Burbank's Autobooks-Aerobooks, which has been in business since 1951. It's collection of books, models and memorabillia for gearheads has drawn a celebrity clientele including Nicholas Case, Tim Allen and Jay Leno.

• Since gunfire errupted at Brand Park a couple weeks ago, frightened residents have been stroming the Glendale City Council pushing for more police patrols, security cameras and removal of the basketball hoops there, which they say draw unsavory elements. News Press

• Here's a tale involving unsuspecting travellers flying to Vegas from Burbank on Southwest, and rock god Tommy Lee. E! Online
  

Posted by Eugene Tong at 9:10 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) |

All-Star Tuesday.

• Glendale story of the day -- Brittani Idom had just finished her first year at Glendale College and was captain of the cheerleading squad there. But the life and promise held by this 18-year-old was severed last week in a senseless shooting. Daily News

• Grand View case moves another inch -- a judge yesterday allowed the city of Glendale to clean-up dried growth and other hazards, paving the way for the twice-a-month visiting hours to resume, though we're not sure when. News Press

• Glendale Water & Power wants to test drill for water near Dunsmore Elementary School to tap into the Verdugo groundwater basin. News Press

• Meanwhile in Burbank, theives are targeting fire hydrants for their bronze caps, which are fetching good prices, with metals and other building materials in high demand worldwide. "A phenomenon of three-dollars-a-pound scrap," Burbank Water and Power General Manager Ron Davis said.

• And a laser light show is no fireworks at the Starlight Bowl Fourth of July Spectacular Leader
  

Posted by Eugene Tong at 10:20 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) |

Back in action...

• Burbank story of the day -- A chat with Tim Stehr, soon-to-be chief of the Burbank Police Department. He started out as a cadet right here, and now he's about to be running the place.

• Glendale Police has been busy -- they arrested Kevin Cunningham, 22, whose runaway fireworks lit-up an apartment building on Chevy Chase Dr. Then on Thursday, they arrested two men on suspicion of attempted murder for a shooting in Brand Park a couple weeks ago.

• If you only get your news from these Internets, the biggest news to come out of Burbank last week was the conversion of the 7-Eleven on Verdugo and Olive into a Kwik-E-Mart -- part of a big fantasy-intrusion-into-the-real-world marketing campaign for the upcoming Simpsons movie.

• Lisa Burks over at valleynews.com tries to make sense of the Grand View executor Tom Trimble's cemetery bail-out plan.
  

Posted by Eugene Tong at 10:36 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) |

i-blog.

• The Armenian National Committee takes its share of credit in the LA Times Managing Editor Doug Frantz's resignation, pegging it as fallout from his spiking that Armenian Genocide story back in April. But so far, no actual reason from the Times newsroom, other than word Frantz is heading back to Istanbul to head Middle East coverage for the Wall Street Journal.

• Meanwhile, if you're still keeping score, this year's version of the Armenian Genocide recognition bill making its way through the House now has 218 co-sponsors -- a majoirty -- screams Rep. Adam Schiff in a release this morning.

  "In gaining 218 cosponsors today, we have demonstrated that a majority of the House strongly supports recognizing the facts of the Armenian Genocide,” said Congressman Adam Schiff. “While there are still survivors left, we feel a great sense of urgency in calling attention to the attempted murder of an entire people. Our failure to acknowledge these dark chapters of history prevents us from taking more effective action against ongoing genocides, like Darfur.”

  “The Affirmation of the U.S. Record on the Armenian Genocide” resolution (H. Res. 106) calls on the President to "ensure that the foreign policy of the United States reflects appropriate understanding" of the 'Armenian Genocide' and to “accurately characterize the systematic and deliberate annihilation of 1,500,000 Armenians as genocide.”

• It's new to me: The Falcon, Crescenta Valley High's school paper.

• The line was out the door and into the back parking structure at the Glendale Galleria this morning as about 150 people line-up for the iPhone, Apple's new must-have gadget....we'll have photos as soon as i upload...
  

Posted by Eugene Tong at 11:45 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) |

Free ride/ Take it easy.

A pox of thefts and rip-offs for Glendale's cornucopia of BMWs, according to the News Press

Finally, some news...

• The Glendale City Council approved a trash fee hike -- an extra $1.11 for residents to offset fuel costs. It's a 7 percent increase to $16.95 from $15.85. News Press

• The Los Angeles County Human Relations Commission is looking at potential ethnic tensions between Armenian and Latino students at Glendale High, after a student brawl last month. Some attributed inter-group tensions as a cause of the fight, though police disagreed. News Press
  Earlier: Law and order in Glendale

• For you entertainment techies -- Joost threw a party for Hollywood execs in North Hollywood, though this tech columnist thought it closer to Burbank than Tinseltown.

Posted by Eugene Tong at 9:53 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) |

I have one simple request. And that is to have sharks with frickin' laser beams attached to their heads...

• A Glendale motel clerk was bind and gagged in an early Monday robbery, according to police, and the perb got away with $250. News Press

• The Leader checks out helicopter traffic patrols police are operating over Burbank and Glendale.

• Burbank is now contemplating replacing the cancelled Fourth of July fireworks show at the Starlight Bowl with a LASER show! City leaders cancelled the event last month due to high brush fire danger. LASER is an acronym -- light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation.
  

Posted by Eugene Tong at 8:25 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) |

Today's theme: Gluttony...

• An Washington-based pizza franchise is moving into Burbank and other locales in Daily News-land (that being Simi Valley, Stevenson Ranch and Valencia), according to CurbedLA. Never had a Garlic Jim's pie, but if anyone out there has and cares to share, leave a comment below!

• Meanwhile, Daily News restaurant critic Larry Lipson stops by the year-old Porto's Burbank. Excerpt:

  Last year, Porto's came to neighboring Burbank's Magnolia Park and took off right away. It's a mega hit. Tasty, refreshing, quickly served fare at very reasonable prices. And no tips.

  What originally was primarily a bakery where there were a few tables available for a pastry nosh and a cup of coffee had turned into a hugely successful, quasi-self-service cafe.

  See the rest of the review here.

  Also, Sharon Kaplan over at our reawakened Table Talk food blog praises Porto's potato ball!

• Don't forget to check out our link to Chowhound's good eats in Burbank/Glendale thread to our right...
  

Posted by Eugene Tong at 12:13 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) |

A Hilton gets an associate into trouble, and other items of note...

Continue reading "The Occasional News Briefing" »

Posted by Eugene Tong at 9:21 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) |

I'm still on vacation -- but here are a few items that, if there's any justice in this world, ought to receive more eyeballs...

• Driving around Burbank at night could be hazardous to your vehicles with these kids on the loose -- here's some YouTube video of cars getting ambushed by youths with water balloons. Their kill zones include the Burbank Town Center and near Olive and San Fernando in downtown. As for the video, it's a compilation of several shorter ones that have been making the rounds online since last summer. Note foul language -- view at your own risk.
  
  

• Everyone loves it when cameras pan pimp rides -- here's the Armenian-American version, with some fancy HYE rides flashing the tri-color on local streets during April's genocide commemoration, all set to a kickin' beat.

• via RyanBomar: First arrival for this (SkyBus) airline on 3/28/07 at 10:47AM for a proving run from Columbus, OH (CMH) to BUR. Extremely windy day with a visual Runway 33 arrival as a United 737-300 holds short. Registration is N521VA because the plane belongs to Virgin America and is leased to SkyBus.

  
  

Posted by Eugene Tong at 8:06 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) |

Hey, it counts as an update...

Continue reading "This Week in Government Press Releases" »

Posted by Eugene Tong at 7:06 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) |

I'm off for two weeks and updates will be infrequent -- there'll probably be a few news summaries, depending on the strength of the free wireless signal I'm currently mooching off...

Posted by Eugene Tong at 5:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) |

All aboard...

• Glendale story of the day -- I visited EnVironmental Motors, one of the Valley's only car dealers dedicated to electric cars, scooters and other green alternative transports. Taryn Sokolow, the head of the venture, is the daughter of Colonial Honda owner Kent Sokolow, and she's motivated by Al Gore's movie to help drivers reduce their carbon footprint..

  Check out some ECARS photos to the right, under our new PHOTO GALLERY feature. Then watch video of the test drive below.

• In other transport news, the travel site Jaunted.com liveblogged the launch of Skybus -- AKA that airline that takes you to Columbus from Burbank for $10 a leg. Loads of photos and video from inside the cabin on this trip from Portsmouth , NH to Columbus, Ohio. Marvel at the new plane smell and the muscular calfs of flight attendants!

• Meanwhile, the Glendale City Council have disembarked from their trip to the International Council of Shopping Centers convention in Vegas. News Press
  

Posted by Eugene Tong at 6:57 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) |

To make up for my occasional absence (sometimes reporting means leaving the office), this here blog will be rolling out some new features I hope could keep things fresh -- beginning with the Breaking News feed to our right.

Only top headlines from dailynews.com for now, while I tweak the widget to gather news SOOOO local, it'll leave you wondering, WHY?

Play with it, subscribe to it, put it on your cell phones! More to come...

Posted by Eugene Tong at 11:46 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) |

With the blog a one-man show now, posts may not be as frequent as I would like given the demands of my day job. Let's see how it works out...

• Record high gas prices thoughout California. Daily News Here's the News Press' Glendale-centric version.

• 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. WBNS-10 Central Ohio

• Meanwhile, expect airline delays this summer. Times

• Local Chromium 6 clean-up hinges on a $2 million grant application with the state Department of Health Services. News Press

• New Daily News Crime blog. It's a crime

• City of Burbank has issued its first tobacco sales license. Amayak Tarkhanyan, owner of "A to Z Service Station," 2005 N. Glenoaks Blvd. was the first person to sign-up, according to a city release. The City Council unanimously approved the ordinance in March 2007, which requires all Burbank tobacco dealers to comply by July 1.

  The license costs $200 a year with a $35 application fee, and officials believe it would assist in preventing children under 18 from buying smokes. If a retailer is caught selling tobacco products to under-aged children, then this can lead to either a suspension or revocation of this newly established license which grants the privilege of selling tobacco products. Call the Burbank License and Code Service Division at (818) 238-5280 for more info.
  

Posted by Eugene Tong at 10:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) |

Not much in the way of material this morning, but I'm working on a few things...

Meanwhile, Barry Allen of Vanguard had this thought: If the latest $255,000 grant from the state office of Homeland Security for Glendale to replace expired nerve agent and antidote kits only covers 10,000 victims of a biological incident and 1,000 for a chemical one, who decides who lives and who dies?

Happy Friday!

Posted by Eugene Tong at 10:11 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) |

A couple of items of relative interest...

• More on that 13-year-old busted for bringing an airsoft gun to Toll Middle School Friday and causing a lockdown -- he won't be charged with a felony anything, just obstructing or delaying an investigation, but he might be expelled. News Press

• GUSD board member Greg Krikorian says the district should get paid for letting the city of Glendale use their facilities like swimming pools and fields, according to the News Press. You may remember a few months ago, Krikorian, who ran for City Council and lost, pushed for greater cooperation with the city regarding facilities...hmmmm...

• KABC 7 takes a look beyond the check-in conveyor belts at Bob Hope Airport, and finds four honking Explosive Detection machines.
  

Posted by Eugene Tong at 10:15 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) |

Top o' the morning...

• Burbank city revenue for 2007-08 is slated to grow 9 percent, they're also spending more due tohigher staff and benefits costs. Leader

• Burbank Unified School District is installing a $50,000 emergency phone notification system to reach about 11,000 households. Leader

• Blame the horses? A Hampton Inn still under construction on Glenoaks Blvd. near Burbank Airport "has had a sign up saying 'coming, Fall, 2006' for ages." It makes to the list of "What's that gonna be?" projects at Curbed LA.

• Lisa Burks wonders what happened to the late Grand View Memorial Park owner Marsha Howard's dogs at valleynews.com

  

  Have you seen Meeka and Ivory?

  These two gentle American Eskimo dogs, left unattended, got out of the Grand View Memorial Park residence last November during the removal of their owner Marsha Howard's body, and they remain missing.

  "Marsha loved animals. Her dogs were her family, her kids," says Betty Haskell, who was Marsha's friend and is currently the fiancé of Marsha's brother, Tom Trimble.

  Then there's Bear, a black Labrador Retriever-Chow mix, who was left locked inside the home that same evening, hiding under Marsha's bed, says Betty. Sadly, Bear was picked up days later after authorities received calls about her barking, taken to the Pasadena Humane Society and eventually destroyed.

  
  

Posted by Eugene Tong at 8:32 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) |

Cha-Cha-Changes...

• Daily News Burbank story of the day from your humble narrator-- GloZell Green has seen Leno as part of the live audience for 177 times -- and counting, and she blogs about it here.

• The News Press follows Friday's lockdown at Toll Middle School, Hoover High and Keppel Elementary with a story on charges filed against the 13-year-old Toll 7th grader who brought the airsoft gun to campus and started the scare. Two other kids were charged for misleading police. Of course, it also milks a Virginia Tech mention.

  I'm more interested in the YouTube videos from the scene that're making their way online. Here's one from outside Hoover High:

  and this one, from the inside...

• And today we bid farewell to Jason Kandel, my partner in crime in the blogosphere, who is now working breaking news-online over at our mothership, dailynews.com. I wouldn't have started this wee blog without his backing, and he kept it interesting with fresh ideas and cool community items when things got too bogged down around here with boring ol' news. Good luck, dude!
  

Posted by Eugene Tong at 10:15 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) |

Internet Explorer ate my post! Let's start over...

• The Daily News looks at crime organized and otherwise -- first with a series from Troy Anderson and Jason Kandel on Eurasian mob activity in the valley. The Sunday story is an overview of the problem and the scams, while Jason follows today with a tale of how a Ukrainian family used Medicare fraud as a shortcut to the American Dream.

  Oppressed in their native Ukraine, Konstantin and Mayya Grigoryan came to the United States a dozen years ago in search of the American dream.

  They didn't speak English, struggled to pay the bills and relied on family and friends to make ends meet. Eventually they found jobs and began to acquire wealth, opening a restaurant, starting a string of medical clinics and finally buying a $661,500 home in a gated community in Altadena.

  But this American dream was built on a crooked foundation, authorities say. Indicted by a federal grand jury in 2004, the couple was convicted of leading a Russian-Armenian organized crime ring that paid kickbacks to doctors, recruiters and patients and defrauded the U.S. government out of $20 million over five years.

• Also, DN's Tony Castro profiles Timothy McGhee, an Atwater Village gang member who is standing trial this week for two murders, seven attempted murders and five shootings. He writes:

  His spiral notebook of rap lyrics depicts McGhee as a 21st century American psychopath, devoid of conscience, who used the Atwater Village area as an urban killing field.

  In the words of Andy Teague, the now-retired LAPD detective who tracked him, "It's his high, and he does it for kicks."

  "Here I come last chance to run," McGhee writes in one set of lyrics. "Killer with a gun out to have some fun/ In my dreams I hear screams/ Pleasure I feel is so obscene."

  McGhee, after all, is believed to have killed one young man - 16-year-old Ryan "Huero" Gonzales in 2000 - simply because he thought Atwater Village wasn't big enough for two people with the same nickname.

  It is the kind of violent rampage for which McGhee came to be called in his neighborhood "the Monster of Atwater." Some cops even compared his murderous nature to that of Charles Manson.

• Meanwhile, Sunday's Armenian Parliamentary elections were deemed fair, according to international election monitors. The Life in Armenia blog has posts about observing the balloting and the day after.

• For those still following the Times spiking an Armenian Genocide story fracas, here's an account of a recent meeting between Times executives and members of the ANCA, California Courier Publisher Harut Sassounian and others. via Asbarez

• And finally, one of Glendale's blingy-est residents, rapper The Game, was arrested late Friday after LAPD searched his home in the hills for three hours. He was booked for making criminal threats, then bailed out for $50,000 Saturday morning. Here's YouTube video of KABC7's report, with The Game himself mugging for the cameras.
  

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

Fruit topping with your museli...

• The Armenian National Committee of America got some love from Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa after the mayor received a package from the Turkish Consul General of Los Angeles, reports Asbarez.

  In the Mayor’s letter, he states that “[T]he Turkish Consul General of Los Angeles recently sent me, as gifts, two books denying the Armenian Genocide. [The Turkish Consul General] also sent a letter protesting my support of House Resolution 106 and my request to Speaker Nancy Pelosi to bring the Resolution to a vote as soon as possible.

  “I would like to donate the books to the [ANCA] so that your organization can study them and ensure that any attempts to diminish the gravity of the Armenian Genocide are met with factual retorts."

• Glendale Police honors its finest at an award ceremony. Officer Joe Allen of the vice/narcotics detail was named officer of the year for his work and for mentoring other officers. News Press

• And finally in today's boy band news -- former 'N Sync star Lance Bass turned gas pump attendant in Burbank Thursday morning as Star 98.7's morning intern. He apparently lost a bet when boybandmate Joey Fatone had a mediocre showing.
  

Posted by Eugene Tong at 9:03 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) |

Been out of touch due to Griffith Park Fire -- we'll try to get back to our regularly scheduled program in the next few days. Meanwhile, a few tidbits...

• Here's video of an afternoon with an LA County Fire Department inmate hand crew, working the slopes Wednesday along Vista Del Valle Dr. in Griffith Park.

• JetBlue is looking at a route expansion, including Burbank. Bloomberg via AZCentral.com

• Funeral service for Roxanne Toof Paul, a single mother of two young boys who was killed by her stalker in a home invasion last Friday is scheduled tomorrow.

• Birthday wishes to the Simpson Quadruplets, who are turning 2. Ella Marie, Emma Grace, Hayley Rose and Jordan Andrew were born in May of 2005 right before Mother’s Day, and were the first quadruplets ever delivered at Providence St. Joseph Medical Center's 63-year history.

• FInally, Glendale has a new Planning Director -- only he's been on the job for a good four months already. Here's the release:
  

Continue reading "Late Update -- May 10, 2007" »

Posted by Eugene Tong at 11:56 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) |

• Atwater Village Newbie posts a great photo of the brush fire in Griffith Park.
  Atwater Village Newbie

• Here's a view of the brush fire from Atwater Village.
  Friends of Atwater Village

• Red flag warnings remain in effect today.
  Daily News

• Ongoing brush fire coverage ... 817 acres burned ...
  Daily News

• Both the Burbank Leader and the Glendale News-Press seemed to be silent on the brush fires, but the News-Press did cover a fire in Glendale that left four people without a home.
  Glendale News-Press

• A registered sex offender is in custody in connection with an assault on a 14-year-old boy.
  News-Press

• The newly reorganized Burbank City Council talks traffic, development, and the environment at a recent meeting.
  Burbank Leader

• Grand View Memorial Park will be open for Mother's Day.
  valleynews.com
  

Posted by Jason Kandel at 10:11 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) |

Here's a peak behind the firelines at Griffith Park during today's brush fire. Possibly started by an arsonist, the blaze has charred more than 200 acres of thick, tinder-dry brush.

Daily News coverage so far...including a photo gallery.

Posted by Eugene Tong at 8:48 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) |

There's a brush fire burning up the Hollywood Hills, threatening the Los Angeles Zoo, in case you haven't checked your favorite news Web site lately. Here's a photo from citizen journalist Lisa Burks, who, during a break from work at Yahoo! in Burbank, snapped a shot with her cellphone camera. I would encourage everyone else out there who passes by the smoke to take shots (carefully, please) and we'll post them here. Thanks to Burks for the shot. We'll keep you posted on the condition of the fire. Our own intrepid Eugene Tong is in the thick of the smoke now shooting video, surely to be posted here shortly. Stay tuned.

Posted by Jason Kandel at 4:32 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) |

Good morning ...

• Eugene Tong follows up on the murder-suicide in Burbank.
  Daily News

• An apartment complex in Montrose that has been trying to evict tenants is cited for safety violations by the Glendale Fire Department.
  Glendale News-Press

• Glendale Community College does a follow-up story on the march on the Turkish Embassy two weeks ago to push that country's government to recognize the Armenian genocide.
  El Vaquero

• Grand View Memorial Park cemetery in Glendale may be open on Mother's Day this Sunday, Lisa Burks writes at valleynews.com.

• Atwater Village Newbie immortalizes Glendale in song.
  Atwater Village Newbie

• Atwater Village News posts an article from the Griffith Park News in 1936 about a school open house that featured a musical accompaniment and a reasonably priced spaghetti dinner.
  Atwater Village News blog
  

Posted by Jason Kandel at 8:29 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) |

Save early, save often...

• Burbank Police nabbed one driver at their Cinco de Mayo DUI checkpoint at Glenoaks and Orange Grove. Here are the stats from the 7:30 p.m. - 1:30 a.m. operation:

  · 1334 vehicles passed through the checkpoint
  · 1280 drivers were screened for driver sobriety
  · One driver were arrested for driving under the influence
  · Two misdemeanor citations were issued for driver license violations
  · One citation was issued for possession of an opened alcoholic container
  · Fifteen citations were issued for driving infractions
  · Three citations was issued for equipment violations
  · One vehicle was impounded from a driver with a suspended license

• LAist poster Zach Behrens takes the bus from Sherman Oaks to Bob Hope Airport. It took 45 minutes.

• Burbank LIbrary Blog plugs a workshop tonight on the "Warning Signs of Teenage Drug Abuse".Mary Alice O'Connor Family Resource Center, 7 p.m.- 8 p..m., 401 N. Buena Vista Street.
  

Posted by Eugene Tong at 9:14 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) |

Westfield said it would duke it out in court with high-profile Los Angeles developer Rick Caruso to try to prevent his latest 830,000-square-foot mall project from going forward in Arcadia, the Pasadena Star-News reports. The Australian-based Westfield plans to use the California Environmental Quality Act within the next couple of weeks or so, saying Caruso's The Shops at Santa Anita is "fatally flawed" and reflective of "a political process where the City of Arcadia's haste and desire to approve the project outweighed proper and objective consideration of critical issues and long-term impacts." Arcadia Assistant City Manager Don Penman, whose city recently approved the Caruso project, says everything was done properly, according to the required Environmental Impact Report. Caruso said Westfield is simply trying to "stop competition" and is abusing the court system. Readers recall that Caruso is the developer behind Glendale's Americana at Brand, slated to open in 2008. Caruso's best-known project is The Grove.

Posted by Jason Kandel at 3:57 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) |

Notes from the MSM and beyond...

• Attorneys representing Grand View Memorial Park victim families in the civil class action against the troubled cemetery is now also suing the Hepburns, who owned the facility before Marsha Lee Howard took over. Howard was accused of financial mismangement and mishandling remains. News Press

  I supposed it's inevitable -- the Hepburns have been mentioned off-and-on in the court filings, and Howard died last year of what coroners determined were natural causes amid the legal troubles.

• The Daily News does its folo on this Burbank Housing Corporation apartment flipped to the city for a profit 10 days after seller bought it-gate.

• Adam Schiff blogs about attending Armenian Genocide survivor and Glendale resident Ghazaros Kademian's 100th birthday party over the weekend.

• For the Atwater Village-Glassell Park folks -- Eric Garcetti's blog

• This week in Vanguard: Glendale's self-styled muckraker Barry Allen looks into the Komar-Amidi flap in the developer battle over the right to build a hotel on Wilson and Maryland; also an attempt to break down the April City Council election results along ethnic lines.

  To subscribe to Vanguard Weekly News, send an e-mail to Vanguard1@charter.net with SUBSCRIBE in the subject line. Disclaimer: Vanguard's content are from its publisher, and does not represent editorial content or views of Daily News Los Angeles or its staff.

Posted by Eugene Tong at 9:21 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) |

Lisa Burks, Burbank resident, history buff, and resident gravehunter for valleynews.com, decries the loss of yet another historic L.A. home, as a developer has requested to bulldoze an old Craftsman in Montrose, one of the city's first homes, to make way for an apartment complex.
Lisa Burks Online

Posted by Jason Kandel at 4:57 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) |

News here!

• A builder wants to bring down an old Craftsman house to build five apartments on a lot zoned only for two.
  Glendale News-Press
  
• A dog in La Crescenta has died after suffering kidney failure from the recent nationwide pet food contamination recall.
  Crescenta Valley Sun
  
• Glendale City Council hears concerns of residents about a mini-park and changes its plans.
  Glendale News-Press
  
• Los Angeles Councilman Eric Garcetti is creating a River Management & Maintenance Task Force made up of an alphabet soup of city and county agencies to clean up everything from vandalism to the environment in and along the L.A. River.
  Atwater Village News - blog
  
• Is Starbucks coming to Atwater Village soon? Soon is a relative term.
  Atwater Village Newbie
  

Posted by Jason Kandel at 8:29 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) |

Back in the rabbit hole...

• The Armenian National Committe of American has form letter robot on its Web site calling for the resignation of Times editor Douglas Frantz over the Mark Arax -- Armenian Genocide flap. (Y'know, I heard about this last night, but didn't get around to updating the blog until now -- then next thing I know, it's up on LAObserved! There's a lesson in there somewhere...)

• Burbank City Council has ordered an audit of the Burbank Housing Corp., a public agency that rehabs old buildings into affordable housing. A seller who bought an eight-unit building on 261 W. Verdugo filpped it by reselling it to the agency for a $360,000 profit. The council, especiall Councilman David Golonski, is not pleased. Leader

• The Leader follows Monday's fire at the Burroughs High auditorium with word from some parents who heard school officials call it a false alarm when the alarms first went of, before calling for a real evacuation.

• Stale news -- Glendale Unified Assistant Superintendent of Educational Services Gregory Franklin was selected Monday to head the 9,100 student Los Alamitos School District. The point that most popped out for me is Franklin lives in BREA and has been commuting to work in GLENDALE for the past three years! Orange County Register

• More LA River wildlife video -- slimy crayfish on the squirm. Atwater Village Newbie

• Glendale Library blog is compiling a summer reading list -- send your suggestions here.
  

Posted by Eugene Tong at 9:51 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) |

Viva la (blank) revolucion!

• It's May Day, a day now commemorated by student activists looking to make a statement about immigration by taking to the streets -- will we see any "La Gran Marcha Deux" activity in Burb-Dale?

• The News Press has this report on last nights Glendale Beeline community meeting about proposed new services.

• Burbank blogger Dan Evans found this cool craigslist ad...
  

Posted by Eugene Tong at 9:16 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) |

Happy reading ...

• Glendale Redevelopment Agency meets to vote on a 100-unit condo complex that could be a part of the Americana at Brand project. Glendale News-Press

• Glendale's Board of Education will consider hiking before and after school care fees at a meeting tonight. News-Press

• Burbank Councilmembers elect Gary Bric and Anja Reinke will be sworn in at Tuesday's City Council meeting. Burbank Leader

• Heat over comments about the Armenian Relief Society ... Leader
  

Posted by Jason Kandel at 8:38 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) |

A couple more items from the weekend:

• Relive Burbank on Parade at this Daily News Photo Gallery.

• My weekend preview of the new Glendale Adventist Medical Center tower includes a video tour -- take a stroll with hospital COO Warren Tetz.
  

Posted by Eugene Tong at 10:21 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) |

New week, new distractions...

• New extended hours at Glendale libraries.

• Raffi K. at the Cilicia family of blogs riffs about the Times-Arax affair.

• Local fans of journalist Bill Moyers have been meeting at the Glendale Library and they blog!
  

Otherwise, fairly quiet so far -- why don't we take a look back at our Armenian Genocide multimedia coverage last week here -- videos, words, pictures and more! Happy Monday.

Posted by Eugene Tong at 8:57 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) |

You mean I have to do one of these every (week)day?

• So much for Buena Vista -- Disney is changing the name of its Buena Vista Entertainment divisions (home video, tv, etc...) to just plain Disney. Bloomberg

  Buena Vista, of coruse, is the street in Burbank where Disney is headquartered.

• Interesting local story in the News Press -- Glendale Arts and Culture commissioner Amador Solis will be drumming with a band on a 20-day USO tour through Iraq and elsewhere, beginning today. Amador is the son of Lenore Solis, who as you remember ran for City Council earlier this month.

• Noted -- Blogger Joe Fein's series on the GOP concludes. Valley of the Shadow

• More local bloggers (by way of Washington) -- U.S. Rep. Adam Schiff updates his blog with a post on press freedom, pegged to a meeting he had with Guatemalan journalist Oscar Castañeda, who has been threatened for his reporting on corruption, tax evasion and other social ills. Schiff, D-Pasadena, of course, formed the Free Press Caucus, and was out front on the murder of Turkish Armenian journalist Hrant Dink in January.

  And it's really the congressman blogging back there, according to his press secretary Sean Oblack -- "It is still a work in progress but I think it is working out pretty well so far. The challenge for me is pushing him to post
  regularly enough."

• Tormorrow is Burbank on Parade!

• And after that, its equestrians for Shatner!
  
  From the release:
  

  William Shatner's Wells Fargo Hollywood Charity Horse Show enters its 17th year of fundraising with a roof-raising, spectacular affair on Saturday April 28, 2007 at the Los Angeles Equestrian Center, 480 Riverside Drive, Burbank, California. Guests will be treated to an exciting professional event by Equine Extremist, Tommie Turvey and Karen Turvey-Marshall, followed by an entertaining western dinner with a special LIVE performance by Grammy-winning recording legends, Riders In The Sky. ...
  
  Proceeds from the event will benefit special-needs children across the City of Los Angeles through local charities: Ahead With Horses and Camp Max Straus Foundation. ...

  Doors open at 4 p.m.
  

Posted by Eugene Tong at 11:23 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) |

Government in action...

• As projected here last week, former Glendale City Councilman Rafi Manoukian is back, having won reappointment to the Burbank-Glendale-Pasadena Airport Commission. As you recall, when Manoukian lost re-election, he also lost his job as one of Glendale's three representatives on the nine-member board. Last night, he was reappointed 3-0 by a majority of Ara Najarian, Bob Yousefian and John Drayman. Apparently both Dave Weaver and Frank Quintero were interested in the job, but Quintero had to recuse himself from the vote, while Weaver was absent. Here's the News Press story.

• Glendale Police foils a jewelry heist on Brand after two guys robbed a jeweler who was sitting inside his car after a trip to the Jewery Mart. News Press

• Burbank Unified School District is holding a study session on the 2007-08 budget tonight at 6 p.m., in preperation for the May revised state budget coming down from Sacramento in a few weeks. Here's the superintendent's report.
  

Posted by Eugene Tong at 8:47 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) |

Running to standstill...

• A little Adam Schiff news -- activity has picked up a bit at the congressman's new blog. A few interesting items, including his recent meeting with LA Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and his trip a couple weeks ago to Pakistan.

• Is this for real? A new airline out of Ohio called Skybus is offering $10-a-leg flights from Burbank's Bob Hope Airport to its hub in Columbus, Ohio. In fact, that the only place you can fly to (and back). Once you're there, don't forget to visit the Jack Nicklaus Museum!

• Tomorrow in Glendale is Take Your Kids to Work Day -- from the City Hall release:

  The City of Glendale will hold its 11th Annual Take our Daughters and Sons to Work Day. This program will also provide an opportunity for daughters/sons to gain a deeper understanding of employee’s role and contribution to the City of Glendale.

  At 9:30 am there will be a ceremony and presentation in the Council Chambers (City Hall) with Mayor Ara Najarian. After the ceremony, participants will be invited to the parking lot immediately behind City Hall where the kids will have an opportunity to interact with representatives from various departments, and learn about the challenging work they perform.

• An update on the development fight brewing in the Verdugo Hills Golf Course. News Press

• The Leader writes-up nurses and hospital staff picket at Providence St. Joseph Medical Center. The have been working without a contract since March 31.

• KROQ's "Doc on the ROQ," Boyd Britton took time yesterday to remind us of another geoncide in this email:

  Not to detract in any way from the Armenian horror, but if you dig deep enough you'll find the FIRST of the 20th century genocides was the attempt to exterminate the Herero tribe by Von Trotha in German Southwest Africa (now Namibia) in 1904. About 50,000 died, exceeded by later events but just as evil.

  
  
  

  Posted by Eugene Tong at 8:42 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) |

KPFK is doing special coverage today about the anniversary of the Armenian Genocide. The station aired a special edition of "Uprising" earlier, and will have another special at 4 p.m., hosted by Serge Tankian, the lead singer of the rock band System of a Down, whose documentary, "Screamers," pushes to have the genocide acknowledged across Europe and the U.S. Our own reporter, Brad Greenberg, wrote earlier today about a conservative Encino synagogue that has begun pushing for Jewish recognition of the Armenian Genocide.

To listen to KPFK's report, click here.

I was informed that the station's audio archives were down earlier, but listeners can download audio from the archives later by clicking here.

Posted by Jason Kandel at 1:50 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) |

Today, Armenians around the world remember the 1.5 million victims of the Armenian genocide.

• The blood-stained carriage and the smoldering city still seemed fresh to the Rev. Vartan Dulgarian as he recalled personal memories of what many believe was the first genocide of the 20th century, Eugene Tong writes in today's Daily News.

  "The garbage wagon - all the bodies just piled up - the blood was flowing for three days," Dulgarian, 96, said Monday as he recounted memories of a massacre of Armenians in Izmir in 1922. The city on Turkey's Aegean coast, then held by Greeks, was set ablaze by invading Turks.

• A remembrance at Glendale Memorial Hospital ...
  Glendale News-Press

• The Armenian genocide was inspirational to Hitler.
  Daily Kos

• Still can't call it a genocide, though ...
  Chicago Tribune

  More ...
  

Continue reading "Morning Briefing -- April 24, 2007" »

Posted by Jason Kandel at 8:23 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) |

Granola goodness...

• Sentencing is scheduled this morning for Rafael Yepiz, lead defendant in the federal racketeering case against the Vineland Boys street gang, whose turf includes Burbank. Yepiz was convicted of racketeering, drugs and weapons charges last year, and he could face up to life in prison.

• The January 2005 Glendale Metrolink crash has made freight rail line owners around the nation leery of allowing commuter and light rail trains on their tracks. Rocky Mountain News (Denver)

• More Americana on Brand news -- books and media mega-mart Barnes & Noble has signed a lease to house a store at the Caruso "lifestyle center" slated to open next year. From today's release:

  NEW YORK -- Barnes & Noble, Inc., the world’s largest bookseller, announced it has signed a lease agreement to open a new Barnes & Noble bookstore in Glendale, California, which is in the Los Angeles area. The bookstore, expected to open in April 2008, will be located in The Americana at Brand on Colorado Street between Central Avenue and Brand Boulevard. The day prior to the opening of the new store, the existing Barnes & Noble at 245 North Glendale Avenue in Glendale will close. The new store will stock close to 200,000 book, music, DVD and magazine titles and include a café serving Starbucks coffee.

  Store features include a "giant" newsstand and pay as you go Wi-Fi. Wonder how rival Borders with react, with its two-story store just down the street in the Marketplace...

• On the right, more from local blogger Joe Fein; On the left, it's guns, Wolfowitz and the Superfriends from the Burbank Democratic Club.
  

Posted by Eugene Tong at 7:42 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) |

A tapas plate before the main course...

• Yet another Times take-out on bigger, badder malls popping up around the Southland -- the hook is developer Rick Caruso, who recently won approval from the city of Arcadia to build his 830,000 square-foot "Shops at Santa Anita." Caruso, of course, is the man behind the Americana on Brand here in Glendale and the Grove over in LA's Fairfax neighborhood.

• Small fire and explosion in Burbank Saturday night damaged two apartment buildings on the 200 block of Ash Avenue. No injuries. NBC4 has video here -- just have to sit thorugh the Sit 'n Sleep guy before you're FREEEEE to see it. (y'know, it's not a bad-looking Web site for a local mattress store...)

• Security cameras are coming to Burbank and Burroughs high schools. Leader

  

• From WBEZ Chicago (by way of Burbank), it's This American Life. The public radio show recently shot a episode of its new television series at the Burbank Senior Artists Colony and it's been airing since Thursday on premium cable Showtime.

  The theme -- Growth Spurt -- a story in two acts. Act One -- in which we follow Suzanne Knode's odyssey in getting her first ever screenplay made at age 63. Knode, a Colony resident, wrote the 10-minute short "Bandida" in a screenwriting class, and she's got big plans for it. The page here has a few clips.
  

Posted by Eugene Tong at 2:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) |

Locke or Hobbes?

• Glendalians for Mitt Romney? -- Lisa Friedman of Daily News' Washington Bureau runs the numbers on the major 2008 presidential contenders and breaks contributions down by local geography:

  An analysis of the records found that close to $1 million has been given since January by donors who identified themselves as living in San Fernando Valley-area communities. And contributors who identified themselves as being from Los Angeles - which could include Valley residents - gave more than $3 million.

  Valley donors gave twice as much to Democrats as to Republicans, with Clinton easily leading the field. But Republicans - particularly former Massachusetts Gov. Romney - still have found pockets of strong support.

  This handy contibutions table shows Romney withdrew more than $58,000 from Glendale donors, followed by Encino and Woodland Hills with about $14,000 each. Glendale's other pick is Illinois Democratic Sen. Barack Obama, who received about $7,997 from area donors.

  Burbankers favored Democrats -- New York Sen. Hillary Clinton led with about $35,000, while Obama trailed with $16,900. But Romney again led the Republican ticket here with $5,700 from donors, followed by Arizona Sen. John McCain with $2,100.

• Glendale Community College teachers finally finished drawn-out salary negotiations -- the 700 Glendale College Guild members will be getting up to a 7.5 percent raise for the current school year. News Press. That leaves Glendale Unified School District and the Glendale Teachers Association still stuck in salary talks -- and with a state mediator involved.

• City of Glendale reminds us a blood drive will be held Sunday, April 22, as Glendale’s Week of Remembrance activities continue. The blood drive will be held from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., at Saint Mary’s Church, 500 E. Central Avenue. The one day event is being put on in coordination with the American Red Cross. For an appointment call (818) 243-3444.

• The Times noted sub-prime lender WMC Mortgage in Burbank is cutting another 771 jobs.

• Bond rating news! -- Burbank Public Financing Authority's revenue bonds, 2007 series A (Golden State Redevelopment Project). Excerpt:
  

Continue reading "Morning Brief -- April 20, 2007" »

Posted by Eugene Tong at 7:38 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) |

Enjoy your Web surf with a little Raisin Bran ...

• Eugene Tong writes a tale of two cities ... Burbank makes a $9.65 million deal with its schools to open athletic fields to the public. Glendale, on the other hand, might follow Burbank's lead, if its city's bosses can all agree on how to work it out.
  Daily News

• Glendale residents mourn the loss of the Virginia Tech students and family members who suffered in the senseless shootings.
  Glendale News-Press

• Gravehunter Lisa Burks is getting reader mail. One person wants to know how to find a loved one buried at the beleaguered cemetery. She tells him how.
  valleynews.com

• La Crescenta holds its first Crescenta Valley Town Council land-use meeting of the year and the group will mull a 26-unit condo project that would cut into a hill.
  Glendale News-Press

• For those interested in keeping tabs on the work of developer Rick Caruso, the Arcadia City Council just approved his latest development for an 825,000-square foot project, called the Shops at Santa Anita, on a part of the 304-acre Santa Anita Park property. Readers recall that Caruso is developing the 475,000-square foot Americana at Brand.
  globest.com

Posted by Jason Kandel at 7:59 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) |

A regular part of a balanced breakfast...

• NEW FEATURE: East of the 5 on YouTube!

• The News Press has a write-up on Sudanese genocide survivor Valentino Achak Deng, who gave a talk at the Glendale Library last night. Dave Eggers novelized his story in "What Is the What."

• The News Press also has a round-up of rest of the City Council committee assignments for the year.

• Glendale College -- meet your new golf coaches! PGA pro Greg Osbourne and actor James Caan are taking on the program, writes Daily News columnist Jill Painter: "Osbourne, who landed the job as head coach in February, and Caan are both competitive and passionate about the game of golf. They hope to breath some life - and a little humor - into a program that was cut in 1985."

• Checking in with Will Rogers -- the local newshound parses the Burbank election results in an eagerly-awaited column (for me, at least!). Scroll down a bit for the April 16 entry. Up top on the same page is a piece about Burbank Councilman David Gordon outlining allegations he mixed optometry with politics. Now I haven't looked into this -- judge for yourself. Also, we may see a lot more of Will's pontifications online. Thanks for the kudos!

• Just in time for tax season -- a release from the IRS Criminal Investigation Los Angeles office.

  April 17, 2007 -- Los Angeles, California – A former City National Bank Vice President who was found guilty of participating in a conspiracy that was designed to structure cash deposits into accounts in a manner that was intended to aid his coconspirators avoid bank reporting requirements, was sentenced yesterday to serve 21 months in federal prison followed by three years of supervised release.

Continue reading "Morning Briefing -- April 18, 2007" »

Posted by Eugene Tong at 9:48 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) |

I went over to Woodbury University in Burbank today to do a video on the reaction from faculty and students about the shooting tragedy at Virginia Tech. Here's a couple of clips. One is of the vice president of academic affairs who recites a poem she wrote to remember the tragedy. The second clip is a brief interview with one of the students.

Posted by Jason Kandel at 5:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) |

Before getting off to our morning routines, I'd like to offer condolences to those dealing with the senseless tragedy in Virginia this morning ...

• A community meeting is scheduled for noon today at New Woody's to provide Woodbury University students, faculty, and staff with an opportunity to share their feelings regarding the Virginia Tech tragedy and to pay their respects to members of the Virginia Tech community and their families. "We send our condolences to the students, faculty, and staff of Virginia Tech. The tragedy which occurred on their campus today cannot be imagined – more than 33 people killed in a senseless mass shooting. Please remember their community in your thoughts," says Dr. Kenneth Nielsen, president, Woodbury University.

• A Burbank man was among those who has family members at Virginia. The Virginia Tech alumnus recounts his story of hearing the news about the shootings. He tells nbc4:
  

  I lived in a dorm adjacent to the one in which (the shooter) killed the people. I actually have two cousins there. One was at home. I was worried about both of them.

  
  nbc4

  In other news ...

• They built a science lab and improved test scores at Luther Burbank Middle School, and that helped earn the campus new status as a California Distinguished School, one of 171 middle and high schools statewide earning the distinction this year.
  Daily News

  Updated 4:30 p.m. -- Here's video of the visit:
  

• Ara Najarian is Glendale's newly selected mayor on a City Council that rotates mayors. The selection wasn't easy. Before Najarian was selected, newly minted Councilman John Drayman was nominated. He declined. Oh, and, uh, Councilman Bob Yousefian offered up himself, Dave Weaver, Najarian, and Tony Soprano ... think he's a member of Glendale's shadow government ...
  Glendale News-Press
  

Posted by Jason Kandel at 8:37 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) |

Some deep thoughts to digest with your coffee...

• Expect politiking galore tonight when the Glendale City Council installs new Councilman John Drayman, and elects a mayor. Is Dave Weaver, who won another four years earlier this month, going for another term? Do Bob Yousefian and Ara Najarian have the time? (One serves on the Burbank-Glendale-Pasadena Airport Commission and the other serves on the MTA board.) What about Frank Quintero? I don't have the answer, and they're not telling the News-Press. Here's the agenda for the 8 p.m. party.

• Meanwhile, Burbank City Council is preparing to adopt tomorrow night a deal with Burbank Unified School District to share recreational facilities.

• Local blogger Joe Fein talks further about whipping the California GOP back into shape at Valley of the Shadow. Scroll down a bit to read about his take on Burbank.

• The New York Times has an editorial up over Turkey's protests of a Rwanda genocide exhibit at United Nations headquarters because it mentions the Armenian Genocide.

• The Times looks into earlier reports of fish in the LA River near Atwater and the Glendale Narrows.
  

More to come...

Posted by Eugene Tong at 9:15 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) |

The art of Paul Batou is being featured tonight at the Harvest Gallery in Glendale. His work, entitled "My Iraq ... The Destruction and Aftermath of Mesopotamia," features 25 paintings and the release of his new book, "My Last Thoughts About Iraq." His work shows the pain, humiliation and destruction from ancient Mesopotamia to today's Iraq. Harvest Gallery is at 938 N.Brand Blvd., Glendale. His reception will be held from 7-10 tonight. The gallery will be open Friday through April 27. Batou, a native Iraqi, is a Burbank resident and pharmacist by trade, who served in the Iran-Iraq War as a medic.

valleynews.com

Posted by Jason Kandel at 12:52 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) |

A couple of informative Friday items to get your day going:

• A driver was killed at about 12:30 a.m. today when he slammed his car into a tree at North Verdugo Road and Monterey Road, just north of the 134, according to Glendale Police. No word yet on who the victim is.

• Glendale City Clerk is expected to have final official election results later today after finishing canvassing all the ballots. Keep an eye out for any surprises, especially the Glendale Unified race. All those newly-elected officials have to be sworn in early next week.

• No classes at Woodbury University last night, thanks to yesterday's wind storm knocking out power at the Burbank college campus. More wind-related news news from the News Press
  

Posted by Eugene Tong at 9:53 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) |

Consider this your morning reveille ...

• Eugene Tong writes about Rocky Delgadillo's crackdown on unlicensed contractors, complete with a short online video. (Tong's getting pretty high tech)

• Jason Wells writes about the fact that Glendale is having one of its driest years on record, equaling that of the yearly average for Death Valley, and causing firefighters to be on high alert. Glendale News-Press.

• Atwater Village Newbie ribs the New York Times for its recent articles discovering life in Northeast L.A. and Atwater Village. Newbie writes:
  

  Last month the paper profiled our fellow neighborhoods in Northeast Los Angeles, or NELA. New Yorkers, it seems, are learning that some California homes are priced under $600,000 and have views of Mount Washington - "which could be mistaken for Tuscany."

  
  Read the rest here.

• Lisa Burks follows up on the unfolding situation at Grand View Memorial Park with a story asking whether Grand View is a Harley-Davidson biker cemetery, and reveals a new civil complaint filed in Superior Court alleging misplaced remains.
  Grave Concerns: Inside Grand View Cemetery

  And finally ...

• Glendale resident George Reyes has won the Dorothy Cook Lifetime Achievement Award for improving the grounds at Five Acres, a non-profit in Altadena that helps turn around the lives of abused children. Reyes is the owner of Rey-Crest Roofing in Los Angeles. Since 1994 he has done many projects on the Five Acres campus free of charge -- from painting, refencing and even installing an emergency generator. In 1998, after joining and then chairing the building and grounds committee, he became vice chair for business affairs. Five Acres says George has made the lives of the children of Five Acres better today because of his extraordinary generosity with his time and expertise and his devotion to children.
  

Have fun ...

Posted by Jason Kandel at 8:20 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) |

In the never-ending saga of one Long Beach rapper, Snoop Dogg has pleaded no contest to two felony charges of gun and marijuana possession.

The court today gave the 35-year-old rapper five years probation and he'll have to perform 800 hours of community service. His sentence was suspended, meaning that if he behaves, he won't have to go to jail. Mr. Dogg, whose real name is Cordozar Calvin Broadus, was arrested in October at the Bob Hope Airport in Burbank on suspicion of transporting pot. He was popped for the gun charge after Burbank cops found a weapon while searching his home in November.

Think we'll see Snoop picking up trash in an orange vest on the side of the road as part of that community service?

UPDATE at 4 p.m.
As to the trash -- don't think so. Read below.

Here's the District Attorney's press release.

PASADENA – Rapper Snoop Dogg pleaded no contest today to felony charges of gun possession by a felon and sale and transportation of marijuana. He was sentenced immediately by Pasadena Superior Court Judge Terry Smerling.

The 35-year-old entertainer, whose real name is Cordozar Calvin Broadus, entered the plea at his arraignment. The case was filed against him yesterday. The plea was the result of a negotiated settlement.

Deputy District Attorney Marian Thompson outlined the plea prior to it actually being taken by Judge Smerling. Broadus was sentenced to three years state prison, but the term was suspended. He was placed on five years probation with the understanding that if he violates probation, he will be sentenced to three years in state prison.

Broadus also is to do 800 hours of community service. Only half of that – 400 hours – can be the time he already volunteers with his youth football league. In addition, restrictions were placed on people in the rapper’s employ as well as his entourage. He cannot employ anyone in a security or driving capacity who has a criminal record or is gang-affiliated.

He also must employ California-licensed security personnel. They must be licensed to carry firearms if they are armed. Defense attorney Donald Etra told reporters outside of court that all of the rapper’s staff and entourage will be “completely vetted.”

Broadus, wearing a black fur-lined leather jacket, black jeans and a tee-shirt, answered only, “Yes, sir,” or “No, sir,” when the judge inquired about the plea agreement. When asked his plea to each count, the defendant replied, “No contest.”

He did not meet with reporters after the court session. His attorney said he had a prior commitment.

Broadus was first arrested Oct. 26 at Burbank Airport. Thompson said he had 39.14 grams of marijuana – some of it in individual canisters – at the time of this arrest. A search warrant served at his home in Diamond Bar in November turned up a semi-automatic handgun, she said.

Two prior felony convictions – drugs in 1990 and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon in 1997 – were admitted by Broadus as part of the plea agreement.

The rapper also waived his appellate rights and agreed to comply with the Compassionate Use Act of 1996 that allows possession of a certain amount of marijuana for medicinal purposes. His attorney said in court that Broadus has a medical certificate to use marijuana. Outside court, he told reporters it was for migraines.

Posted by Jason Kandel at 2:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) |

Just a couple of things this morning:

• Burbank election results -- Bric and Reinke are in, beating the Berlins nearly 2-1 at the polls; meanwhile, voters defeated the hotel occupancy tax hike and the appointed city clerk and treasurer proposals; but they embraced the other four measures. Daily News

• Interesting precinct-by-precinct analysis of the Glendale elections in the News-Press.
  

That's all for now -- I gotta run to an assignment, but will be coming back with more Burbank election goodness, including photos, video and notes later in the day.

Posted by Eugene Tong at 9:15 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) |

Good morning. Here are a few items to go with your morning Cheerios.

• Arthur Pilavyan, the owner/operator of A & L Nursing Registry located in Pasadena, was arrested by Special Agents of the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation and Federal Bureau of Investigation recently on charges stemming from his indictment last week on federal criminal charges including health care fraud and money laundering.
  Click here to read the press release from the IRS.
  
• Irish Police are investigating the apparent theft of 122 R.E.M. concert tickets for the band's forthcoming sold-out Olympia Theatre show on Saturday, June 30.
  marketwire.com
  
• The next meeting of the Los Angeles River Master Plan Advisory Committee is Wednesday, April 25 at 9:30 a.m. at Southern California Edison's Montebello Service Center.
  

  Presentations include:
  Edison’s guidelines for river adjacent properties
  Trust for Public Land’s Parks for People – Los Angeles Program
  Location: Montebello Service Center, Conf. Room A
  Address: 1000 Potrero Grande Dr., Monterey Park, CA 91755

  
  
• Vahe Balabanian at hyelog has more on the Armenian genocide.
  
• More than 50 Nobel laureates from around the world have appealed to Armenia and Turkey -- Can't we all just get along?
  rferl.org
  
• Glendale-based Focus on the Children Now, Inc. (FCN), an organization that helps needy children in Armenia, has recently completed its first successful clothing drive for people in Gavar and Sevan who make about $500 a year.
  more
  
• A little bubble gum ... A Burbank resident is among the final four on "The Apprentice."
  The Bushido Way
  

Posted by Jason Kandel at 8:15 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) |

A couple of goodies to tie you over 'til lunch...

• Burbank municipal election is just a day away. It's Carolyn Berlin and Phil Berlin, Gary Bric and Anja Reinke squaring off for two City Council seats, followed by seven ballot measures including a visitors occupancy tax and a couple amending the city charter to turn city clerk and treasurer from elected to staff jobs. Drop off those ballots at these designated collection centers by 7 p.m. tomorrow.
  
• Awfully quiet in Glendale this week post-election. The biggest item is probably the council and the housing authority (who happen to be the same people) deciding how spend this year's nearly $3.6 million in federal Community Development Block Grant money. It's mostly for construction projects, though 15 percent can be allocated toward social services providers like PATH Glendale. Here's the list of potential grantees (big 10 MB file -- you have been warned.)
  
• Last but not least -- The Times decides to pay attention to the Glendale election results.
  

Posted by Eugene Tong at 10:58 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) |

For the folks who are into it, Happy Easter:

• Two separate car crashes killed two elderly Burbank residents early Friday. One of the drivers who drove the wrong way on the 134 and struck a 73-year-old driver head-on, is in custody on suspicion for vehicular manslaughter and a DUI. Another driver ran over a woman going home from breakfast on Olive Avenue.
  
• Meanwhile, Glendale Police caught a hit-and-run driver Thursday with a little detective work. The elderly victim was only injured, and the 21-year-old driver turned himself in.
  
  
• Valleynews.com prep softball blogger Richard Colon has a write-up on this week's match-up between cross-town rivals Burbank and Burroughs.
  
• Also, Grand View blogger Lisa Burks has two new posts -- one about the case of a pair of missing headstones; the other has a few thoughts about the nature of news coverage and sensitivity to Grand View's victims.
  
• Schiff, Bono Introduce Comprehensive Arson Legislation -- now when I saw this in the email inbox Friday, I thought whoa, our own U.S. Rep. Adam Schiff working with the U2 front man on a campaign to save the world from, uh, arsonists? But no, it was referring to U.S. Rep. Mary Bono, republican of the 45th congressional district, which includes Palm Springs. And short of third-world debt relief, they're proposing a database to track arsonists.
  
• A word from local state Assemblyman Paul Krekorian, who's pushing an Assembly resolution Monday condemning the Armenian Genocide, just in time for the annual remembrance in two weeks. Excerpt from the release:

Continue reading "Weekend Update -- April 8, 2007" »

Posted by Eugene Tong at 1:45 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) |

Here's something from the stupid crooks department ... Three people, one a 17-year-old La Crescentan, stab a cabbie in Bullhead City, Az., carjack him, drive the cab to the Inland Empire in California, crash the cab and get cuffed by cops in Corona. Sounds like something out of the Wild West. Except these folks are no horse wranglers and Bullhead City is not Dodge.

pe.com

Posted by Jason Kandel at 10:15 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) |

Back in the saddle after two days of Glendale election madness with the MSM...

• But first, more Gledale election aftermath -- Did the ethnic divisions in Glendale's City Council elections spill over to the school and college board races? Daily News
  
• A few words from -- well, there's no other way to say this -- the losers, via Glendale News Press. MIA -- Rafi Manoukian, who word has it, win or lose, is taking a break with his family.
  
• More election analysis from my idol Will Rogers. It starts with "They elected who?" -- financing, identity politics, attitude adjustments -- it's all here.
  
• Here's Pasadena Weekly's take.
  

• The News Press comes through with gavel-to-gavel coverage of Carlos Palma and Julian Martinez, who were found guilty of first degree murder in the 2004 New Years' Eve drive-by shooting death of 16-year-old Carlos Pinon in Glendale. Palma, the shooter, faces 50 years to life while Martinez, the driver, could see at least 25. Here's a partial copy of the charges.
  
• Burbank Library Blog! -- I know it's been online for a year since last August, but it's new to me! And any blogger who digs author Haruki Murakami and Mike Judge's underappreciated Idiocracy is worth plugging in my book (hey -- book! get it?).
  
• It's an actor's life in Burbank -- from the Branford Era in Pennsylvania.
  

Finally, for Burbank folks looking to serve the city, it's commission application season once again! Follow the link...

Continue reading "Morning Briefing -- April 6, 2007" »

Posted by Eugene Tong at 7:52 AM | Permalink | Comments (2) |

Good morning ...

• Eugene Tong explains the back story to the twists and turns of the Glendale elections.

  He writes ...

  How did the best-financed incumbent lose his City Council seat, a mayor widely believed to be vulnerable retain his and a community advocate who once fell short of a win emerge as top vote-getter?

  For Glendale City Hall pundits, Tuesday night's surprising election results could be rooted in an odd political convergence: a strong grass-roots campaign by the newly elected John Drayman, who rode an anti-incumbent tide into office, coupled with a miscalculation from those counting on Armenian politics to win the day.

  Daily News

• More news about the Gyumri Mayor shooting in Armenia ... The chief of Armenian police vows to find and punish those responsible for the attempted killing of Gyumri Mayor Vartan Ghukasian armeniandiaspora.com

• An annoucement of the April 24, 2007 events marking the 92nd Anniversary of the Armenian Genocide.

  hyelog

  
  

  Posted by Jason Kandel at 8:42 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) |

Glendale elections are tame, fortunately, compared with what's going on in Armenia right now. Yerevan reporter Marianna Grigoryan writes that a car with no plates sprayed bullets into a Mercedes carrying the mayor of Armenia's second-largest city and his entourage. Nobody's been arrested and there's no motive for the attack. But Democratic Way Party Chairman Manuk Gasparian predicts more bloodshed as the country is set to hold a contentious parliamentary election on May 12.

Grigoryan writes ...

Vardan Ghukasian, mayor of Armenia’s second largest city, Gyumri, and his staff came under gunfire late in the evening of April 2 while returning to Gyumri from a meeting of the ruling Republican Party of Armenia in Yerevan. At the gathering, party leaders made acting chairman and Defense Minister Serzh Sarkisian their choice to become prime minister, replacing Andranik Markarian, who died from a heart attack on March 25.

A car with unidentified license plates sprayed Ghukasian’s Mercedes-Benz automobile and another car accompanying the mayor with automatic gunfire near the town of Ashtarak on the northward-bound Yerevan-Gyumri highway. Three security guards died on the spot; Ghukasian, Deputy Mayor Gagik Manukian and the mayor’s driver were badly wounded. The driver subsequently died from his wounds. Ghukasian and Manukian were reportedly in serious, but stable condition.
...

One opposition leader argues that the shooting is a sign of trouble to come in connection with Armenia’s upcoming May 12 parliamentary vote. "During a press conference this year, I said that blood would be shed in Armenia during the elections, and this is only the beginning," commented Democratic Way Party Chairman Manuk Gasparian. Like other observers critical of the government, however, he notes that it "is not ruled out" that Ghukasian’s alleged business interests played a role.

eurasianet.org.

Posted by Jason Kandel at 4:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) |

A quick briefing today -- got a load of work today:

• I'm sure Glendale folks are reeling this morning at the surprising City Council election results. John Drayman, the head of the Montrose Shopping Park Association, came out on top, and Mayor Dave Weaver, who many thought was vulnerable, kept his seat, leaving incumbent two-term councilman Rafi Manoukian out in the cold. Here's how the numbers break down:

  1. John Drayman 8,576
  2. Dave Weaver 6,582
  3. Rafi Manoukian 5,906
  4. Greg krikorian 5,754
  5. Chahe Keouroghlian 4,351
  6. Vrej Agajanian 2,330
  7. Herbert Molano 2,314
  8. Lenore Solis 892
  
  If you're into ethnic politics, this spells an end to the three-out-of-five Armenian American majority on the council. It's two of Armenian descent, a Latino, a returning councilman who's white and married to an Asian Amerian, now joined by a self-proclaimed Jewish atheist. It almost reflects the city's demographics. More Daily News coverage here.

• The Burbank City Council finalized the details and enacted the Second Hand Smoke Ordinance early this morning by a 3-2 vote. I'm still trying to sort out all the changes.
  

Now I have to make sense of all this, or you can check out tonight's Armenian American Real Estate Association mixer. Flyer coming up...

Continue reading "A little late Morning Briefing April 4, 2007" »

Posted by Eugene Tong at 9:41 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) |

Get your news here -- Cemetery update, election news and hurt feelings over the Jermuk water recall ...

• Blogger Lisa Burks writes today at valleynews.com about the first burial to be done at the beleaguered Grand View Memorial Park in Glendale since the state cut operations last June for suspected malfeasance. Read the story here.

• Eugene Tong in the Daily News writes about last-minute shenanigans of the Burbank City Council race and reports how much money the campaigners have spent so far in the lead-up to next week's runoff election to fill two seats. Phil and Carolyn Berlin, the controversial husband-wife team, have spent the most money so far. Read the rest here.

• Local Armenians are insulted by the news about the Jermuk water recall ... abc7.com.
  

Posted by Jason Kandel at 8:45 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) |

Just when you think you can rest easy -- another week chock-full of action and excitement ahead...

• Glendale election day is tomorrow -- make your list and check it twice before 8 p.m. Tuesday, April 3. The city's election information is here.
  Earlier: Mark those ballots

• The Times is doing their definitive folo on the Jermuk mineral water recall. Jermuk, as you will recall, is the popular Armenian brand of bottled water that's been subjected to an FDA recall due to high arsenic content.
  Earlier: Another Jermuk Recall

• The Daily News does its definitive folo on that married couple for City Council debate that is the rage in Burbank for the past two months.
  Earlier: Mailers bust Bric, Reinke

• A Burbank resident is pushing the City Council to move-up its second reading of the Second Hand Smoke Control Ordinance (that's the final vote to enact the thing, for those not versed in city hall-ese) on the agenda Tuesday night. It's #8, which means it'll be way late in the night when the item comes up. The petitioner wants it to be the first item to give more time for the public to weigh-in and reopen discussion. For the conspiracy minded (and a good chunk of this town tends to think this way), it's another way by the council to squelch further discussion, though second readings are usually routine votes. A sitting council wouldn't dare make any real changes or there'll be a lot to answer to.

  If you recall, opponents in the Whole Foods Market in the Rancho squabble wanted the council to shut-up and pass the thing already when it came to second readings, and got into a fit when the council was perceived to give the developer exceptional courtesy when they failed to show for the second reading and got an extension. The moral is Always Be Closing, I guess.
  Earlier: Burbank smoking ban extended

• City Hall's looking for an intern to work on the usual slate of summer community events. Yes, it's a paid position. From the release:
  

  The City of Glendale Cultural Affairs section of the Parks, Recreation and Community Services Department is seeking applicants for a full-time summer internship position. The paid position is being funded through a grant from The Los Angeles County Arts Commission. Eligible candidates must be full-time undergraduates who either reside or attend college in Los Angeles County. Candidates must have completed one semester of college by June 2007 and will not graduate before December 2007.

  The Administrative Intern will work with the Cultural Affairs section and the Arts and Culture Commission on several projects, including the 4th annual Open Studio Tour and gallery exhibition and Unity Fest. The internship is full-time for 10 weeks between June and September.

  Send letter and resume to Eve Rappoport at erappoport@ci.glendale.ca.us; fax to (818) 548-3789 or call (818) 548-2780 for more information. All applications must be received by April 19.
  

Posted by Eugene Tong at 7:59 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) |

Lisa Burks, who has been writing for valleynews.com about the beleaguered Grand View cemetery in Glendale, took a break to put on her fire coverage hat this afternoon and posted great photos of a large white/gray plume from a brush fire in the hills of Universal City. She writes ...

I took these photos from the fifth floor balcony at Yahoo! Search Marketing headquarters in Burbank, located at 3333 W. Empire Ave., between Buena Vista and Hollywood Way, near Bob Hope Airport.

Check out the rest of her photos here.

Posted by Jason Kandel at 3:15 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) |

News from afar and near...

• News on the Armenian Genocide ... A planned vote by Congress that could classify the killings of Armenians by the Ottoman Turkish government during World War I as a genocide angers the Turks.

• In this week's Vanguard: The REAL Mr. Glendale; The political sign removing white van, City payroll increased $30,000,000 in five years and the school board didn’t follow state guidelines when awarding contracts. To subscribe, contact Barry Allen by email at Vanguard1@charter.net with SUBSCRIBE in the subject line.
  

Posted by Eugene Tong at 9:18 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) |

A blogger out of Chicago has taken interest in Burbank's new smoke ban outdoors.

Fanningtheflames writes:

I can't help but think we are rolling ever faster down this slipperly slope of eroding personal freedoms and government intrusions into all aspects of our lives.

Read more here.

You agree?

Posted by Jason Kandel at 5:18 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) |

A few choice items for the mid-morning coffee break...

• Making sense of Burbank's new public smoking restrictions -- it's not as bad as it could've been.
  Daily News

• Will Rogers continues to follow the money behind the recent hit mailers against Burbank Council candidates Gary Bric and Anja Reinke. Also a folo from the Leader.

• A plug for a Glendale City Council candidate forum tonight, hosted by the Northwest Glendale Homeowners Association's and moderated by Will Rogers,
  Brand Library & Art Center at 7 p.m. 1601 West Mountain Street in Glendale.

• Relive the spills and thrills of Tuesday's Glendale City Council meeting in which a much touted hillside view protection ordinance was debated. Watch video here -- item starts about 58 minutes in. Spoiler: the council asked city planners to study the issue some more and come back with a report for a possible ordinance.
  

Posted by Eugene Tong at 10:03 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) |

To get your Wednesday morning started right, here's a few newsworthy items from around the Web:

• Smoke if you got 'em. The City Council mulls a smoking ban for the outdoors in Beautiful Downtown Burbank.
  Daily News
  Burbank Leader

• Here's the latest news from Washington on the ongoing debate over the Armenian Genocide recognition:

  Senior US officials had taken a number of measures to defuse a looming crisis over a draft bill tabled before the House of Representatives calling for formal recognition of the so-called Armenian genocide, Washington’s ambassador to Turkey said late Tuesday ... The draft bill calls on the US to recognise claims that the Ottoman Empire committed an act of genocide against its Armenian citizens during World War One.

  Read the rest from ntvmsnbc.com.

• Check out my blog, Walk beside me, for the latest scoop on a notorious Atwater Village gangster, who's set to go to trial next month for three killings and six attempted killings.

• And on the greener side. Flintridge Prep's Annual Golf Tournament, sponsored by the Fathers Club, will be held on Monday, April 30, 2007, at La Canada Flintridge Country Club. Read Flintridge Prep's blog.
  

Posted by Jason Kandel at 8:16 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) |

Glendale and Burbank headlines for Tuesday, March 27, 2007:

• Glendale incumbent Councilman Rafi Manoukian is the only 100,000-dollar-man so far in campaign fundraising among the eight candidates running for City Council April 3. More financial breakdowns at the Daily News. The raw Form 460s are here.
  Earlier:
  Council Hopefuls Speak Out
  Candidates -- In their own words

• Trial against two Echo Park gang members charged with murder in the 2004 shooting death of a 16-year-old Glendale boy is wrapping up. More gavel-to-gavel coverage from the Glendale News-Press.

• Looks like the price tag for the Mountain Street widening that's part of Glendale Commuty College's new $24.7 million parking structure project has hit $1.67 million_ higher than its original estimate of $910,000. From the News-Press.

• Get ready for a double header tonight at the councils: Burbank will be hearing out a smoking ban ordinance at 6:30 p.m.; Glendale will be looking at a hillside view protection ordinance at 6 p.m. Check out the city's slide show on the subject.
  Earlier:
  Burbank Council to kick some butts
  

Posted by Eugene Tong at 6:41 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) |