Featured Articles from the Glendale News-Press

A driver who got out of his car following a crash on the Ventura (134) Freeway in Glendale early Saturday morning died after being struck twice by oncoming traffic, according to California Highway Patrol investigators. The name of the driver, who was black and in his 40s, has not been released pending notification of next of kin, Los Angeles County coroner's office Lt. Cheryl MacWillie said. The initial crash occurred at 12:24 a.m. after a 2001 Honda CRV stopped for unknown reasons in a middle westbound lane just before Pacific Avenue and was rear-ended by a 2005 Toyota Solara traveling at an unknown speed, California Highway Patrol officer Monica Posada said.

UFO watchers' eyes were set ablaze recently by reports of what looked like a stony rodent lurking among the rocks on Mars. The so-called Mars rat, spotted in an image taken last year by the NASA rover Curiosity's Mast Camera, captured imaginations even as it inspired several new parody Twitter accounts. But, just so it's clear, this Red Planet rodent - which looks rather more like a guinea pig to this reporter's eye - is no more real than the Man in the Moon. In fact, the rat likely comes from the same source as that lunar visage: the human brain.

Phil Jackson 's book tour continues on Wednesday with "An Evening With Phil Jackson in Conversation With John Salley . " Hosted by the Alex Theatre in Glendale, Jackson will discuss his memoir, "Eleven Rings: The Soul of Success. " Jackson writes about his formative years with the New York Knicks , his run of six titles with the Chicago Bulls and his two sets of championship teams with the Lakers . Salley played for Jackson with the Lakers and Bulls. Continue reading > > -- Eric Pincus, Los Angeles Times

A Hollywood woman who was convicted in May for selling bogus Disneyland tickets to families , was arrested this weekend and charged for the third time in Glendale after allegedly peddling drugs from her mother's condominium, police said. Alisa Yenokyan, 22, was also charged with two counts of possessing a controlled substance for sale and one count of possessing ammunition following her arrest on Sunday, according to the Los Angeles County district attorney's office. She and two men - Oganes Davityan, 22, and Eduard Hakopyan, 26 - were taken into custody about 4 p.m. in connection with drug sales after police received an anonymous tip about suspicious people hanging around the 300 block of West California Avenue, according to Glendale Police Sgt. Tom Lorenz.

It hasn't quite sunk in yet for John Huh that he's on the verge of completing the grand slam tour of major championships within the first 18 months of his burgeoning career. The 2008 Crescenta Valley High graduate has already participated in the British Open, PGA Championship and the Masters. Now, he's set to participate in the United States Open. Huh will make his inaugural appearance in the 113th U.S. Open, when he tees off at 4:51 a.m. PDT Thursday at Merion Golf Club's East Course in Ardmore, Pa. "It's going to be great to be a part of this and competing against a lot of the best players in the world," said Huh, last year's PGA Tour Rookie of the Year.

A 55-year-old Glendale transient faces possible assault charges after he was arrested Monday for allegedly threatening to stab a local florist with a pair of scissors, police said. The man - who gave his name to police as Farrel Bear - apparently goes by multiple aliases and was taken into custody on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon and threatening to stab the owner of Buzzy Bee Flowers in the 100 block of West California Avenue, according to Glendale police. [Updated 5 p.m.: A police spokesman said Los Angeles County prosecutors declined to file charges against Bear.

Recent mountain lion sightings in the hillside neighborhoods of Glendale prompted city officials on Thursday to release a new website that will allow residents to report wildlife sightings and check out other sightings logged in the area. The site, created by city tech staffers, was designed to track public sightings of mountain lions, bears, bobcats, coyotes and deer, but is not a substitute for reporting an emergency. “We still expect you to pick up the phone and call 911 if you feel you are in danger,” said city spokesman Tom Lorenz.

As has frequently happened, another letter appeared in this paper decrying the shortcomings of Bob Hope Airport (“ Why LAX is successful ,” June 5) re: the lack of non-stop flights, as well as the ticket prices offered and the cost of parking. All nothing new, but has anyone thought about some of the practicalities involved? Consider the reason for not offering many non-stop flights. It depends on the size of the aircraft. Larger aircraft have greater fuel capacities, which means longer distances can be flown.

Ted Boeke and Karlsen Termini set their standards high entering their senior seasons on the baseball diamond. Boeke of Crescenta Valley High and Termini of Flintridge Prep knew they would each be counted on to lead their respective teams at the plate in a quest to win a league championship. Boeke and Termini both got the job done and were subsequently rewarded for their hard work, as they each received All-CIF first-team accolades after the CIF Southern Section office unveiled the first teams for the seven divisions on Tuesday afternoon.

Prosecutors charged two Glendale men on Friday for assaulting a homeless man, officials said. Oganes Manvelyan, 23, and Vahan Kiourktzian, 22, each face one count of assault with deadly weapon in Wednesday's attack of the homeless man, according to Jane Robison, spokeswoman for the Los Angeles County District Attorney. She said the alleged attack came for no apparent reason. The pair initially claimed the homeless man began harassing them, but a police investigation revealed that was not true, Glendale Police Sgt. Tom Lorenz said.

Zack Snyder's new take on the most famous of comic book heroes could just as easily be called "Superman Returns...Again," but Warner Bros. presumably was in no hurry to remind us of Bryan Singer's 2006 disappointing "Superman Returns. " Compared to the four-film run of the 1978-1987 series, Singer's Superman apparently returned just for a quick visit. The events of that film have vanished into the Phantom Zone in the world of this re-reboot. In the lead, Henry Cavill ("Immortals")

A Hollywood couple accused of disclosing confidential court records to members of the organized crime group Armenian Power was sentenced Wednesday to federal prison, officials said. U.S. District Court Judge Michael Fitzgerald sentenced Nune Gevorkyan, 36 - a clerk in the federal court's criminal intake area - to six months in prison, and her 41-year-old husband, Oganes Koshkaryan, to 57 months in prison for his role in the scheme. The couple, who must also serve three years supervised release, was ordered to cease any association with members of Armenian Power.

Two Florida men were arrested this week on suspicion of possessing a half-kilogram of cocaine after they were stopped for talking on a handheld cellphone while driving, officials said. The men - Herwood Barrington Walters, 25, and Courtney Lalor, 28 - were taken into custody about 9:18 p.m. Tuesday on North Central Avenue and Glenoaks Boulevard on suspicion of possessing cocaine for sale, according to Glendale police reports. The pair provided officers with few clues about why they were in Glendale, but police believe “they were probably trying to sell the cocaine,” Glendale Police Sgt. Tom Lorenz said.

America is becoming more rude. That's the opinion of several writers and bloggers, and they're backed up by a Rasmussen Report survey that says 76% of Americans believe the nation is becoming less civilized. A similar study by Weber Shandwick says 65% of respondents believe there is a major problem with civility in the U.S. Writing on www.npr.com, Linton Weeks berates the fact that fewer people seem to be using basic pleasantries such as “please” and “thank you,” and say “no problem,” “sure,” or “you bet,” instead of the traditional “you're welcome.” Weeks quotes Lisa Gache, the co-founder of Beverly Hills Manners, who blames today's casual attitudes for the decrease in manners.