Airport

Karen S. Kim BURBANK -- The Burbank City Council plans to announce tonight that it will pay a lobbyist consultant firm $10,000 per month to monitor federal legislation regarding airport policies. The City Council hired Copeland, Lowery & Jacquez, a Washington, D.C. lobbyist consultant firm, on July 16. The decision to employ the firm came as the council began to fear federal legislation might usurp local control of airports. "For us, it's scary that, all of a sudden, Uncle Sam can come in here and ram something down our throats.

Buck Wargo got the story right ("Glendale residents silent on noise," Aug. 25). I am a Glendale resident. I was in the audience. And, yes, the meeting was sparsely attended by Glendale residents. Yes, there is an apathy about the airport issue in Glendale. I chose not the speak but rather go one-on-one with both Glendale's and Burbank's commissioners. I prefer to put my remarks in writing. I think the News-Press has to take a hit this time. The News-Press failed to make any mention of the meeting in the edition of the Aug. 24, the day of the meeting!

GLENDALE — The Glendale Rose Float Assn. — the creative brains behind the city's annual entry into the Tournament of Roses Parade — got approval on Wednesday to go forward with what some say is one of the group's most ambitious float designs. The Glendale Parks, Recreation and Community Services Commission unanimously approved the design of "Bon Voyage," the city's 2008 entry in the parade. In accordance with the parade's 2008 theme of "Passport to the World's Celebrations," Glendale's proposed entry will feature a biplane soaring away from the Glendale Grand Central Air Terminal, the city's defunct historic airport.

Karen S. Kim AIRPORT DISTRICT -- Business goes on as usual today at 2650 and 2700 Hollywood Way. But just one year ago, a 108,000-pound Southwest Airlines jetliner skidded onto Hollywood Way and came to rest just 39 feet away from the two businesses -- a gas station and a restaurant. "Oh, it's not much of a concern at all anymore because we weren't here when it happened," said Cai Yi, owner of Silver Lake Chinese Fast Food. When the Boeing 737 skidded to a stop in front of Yi's business the evening on March 5, 2000, the restaurant was closed.

In response to those who say the city of Burbank is “glorifying” Sgt. Neil Thomas Gunn’s death. The candles, flowers and flags flying at half-staff are celebrating the incredible life that Gunn led. As a daughter of a retired Burbank police lieutenant, I understand the incredible sacrifice that these men and women must face while dealing with patrolling and protecting the beautiful city of Burbank. If anyone should know anything about suicide, it would be a police officer, because they are the first ones to respond.

Bring back the jury on tennis courts Maybe it’s just a hunch, but why do I have the distinct suspicion that none of the Glendale City Council members chooses to drive by the Louise and Colorado streets’ Adult Recreation Center tennis courts at sunset on their way to some South Glendale function, attending to their personal business interests, or even on a circuitous way home from work? Could that just happen to be the case because none of these grown-up men might care to actually see all the happy, healthy kids of both genders having such a fine time out on those courts — i.e., because they know their “cut costs at all costs” votes will be responsible for the wrecking crews who will, at least the last I heard myself, all too soon be swinging not tennis rackets but demolition balls where the kids now play (“Council votes to fill fund gap,” Sept.

In columns I write for our sister newspaper in Burbank, I've developed something of my own "Sports Illustrated Curse." It might have now splashed over to Glendale. In the case of the magazine, believers in the curse hold that teams or athletes featured on the cover suffer an immediate reversal of fortune, and are sure to lose their next big game, fight or race. In my case, in recent weeks when I've written about an issue up for discussion at the next Burbank council meeting, time and again I've seen those items yanked from the agenda at the last minute.

Editor's note: Doug English, who graduated from Crescenta Valley in 1999, began trying out for the U.S. World University Games team in Colorado Springs, Colo. on June 27. DAY ONE The night before my plane left, I could not sleep. So many thoughts were going through my head. Who am I going to room with? What's the food going to be like? Am I going to be able to play with these guys? So many things. When I finally arrived at the airport Friday morning, there was a line almost to the other terminal to get past security.

AIRPORT DISTRICT ? An employee who recently underwent a ?nuclear-related? medical procedure set off alarms Friday afternoon at Bob Hope Airport, briefly interrupting service while authorities tried to track down the source of the sensor reading. The Burbank-Glendale-Pasadena Airport Authority employee had recently undergone a medical procedure that involved some sort of radioactive element, causing detection equipment to produce a ?strong reading? about 12:50 p.m., airport Police Chief Ed Skvarna said.

Van Nuys Airport, one of the busiest general aviation centers in the country, will receive an $18.4-million federal grant to reconstruct and replace its main runway, government officials announced Friday. The Federal Aviation Administration funds will pay for rehabilitating the entire 8,000-foot runway, which has several key sections that have become severely worn and cracked. “This funding will help improve Van Nuys Airport's infrastructure and will keep aircraft moving safely and efficiently,” said U.S. Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood.

Good morning, readers. Today is Thursday, July 19, 2012. In the mood for some Shakespeare? What about a zombie parody of one of the Bard's plays? The Antaeus Company, which often puts on quality double-cast productions, is bringing "Macbeth" to North Hollywood . Down the street, Zombie Joe's Underground Theatre is competing with their own deranged version of the play. L.A. Weekly A few blocks over from the NoHo Arts District, a teenage boy was killed in an apparent gang-related incident.

Credit agency Fitch this week downgraded its rating on Burbank-Glendale-Pasadena Airport Authority bonds, but noted the airport is in healthy financial shape overall. The agency dropped its rating to A+ from AA- on $53.5 million worth of outstanding 2005 bonds and assigned that same rating to $82.7 million of new bonds the airport plans to float to build a transit center. In a release Tuesday Fitch gave the airport a “stable” outlook, up from “rating watch negative.” Fitch listed several reasons for the rating downgrade, including “the volatile nature of operating revenues, which are influenced by recently weakened traffic performance.” Bob Hope Airport has been battling declining passenger numbers and revenues the past four years and suffered another blow when American Airlines pulled out of Burbank in February.

Bob Hope Airport officials this week authorized more than $82 million in bonds to pay for ancillary structures associated with a new regional transportation center. The Burbank-Glendale-Pasadena Airport Authority signed off on the two, 30-year bonds for $82.7 million at a special meeting Monday - shoring up the last major piece of funding for center that will bring public transit and rental car facilities together for what officials hope will make for a better customer experience.

Bob Hope Airport will soon be known as Burbank Bob Hope Airport as part of a new summer ad campaign to drive more passengers to the regional airfield during its peak travel time of the year. The temporary name change comes as officials respond to airline concerns about the lack of a city identifier in the name of the airport , said John Hatanaka, the airport's senior deputy executive director. Dan Feger, the airport's executive director, said that, for now, the name change was only for the summer advertising campaign.

Bob Hope Airport launched an online questionnaire on Monday asking for input on various issues - including the possible construction of a new terminal - in order to expand on the information collected from a round of telephone surveys earlier this year. Residents in the Burbank-Glendale-Pasadena area can log onto www.bobhopeairportsurvey.com and complete the questionnaire, which contains fewer questions than the telephone survey, and which have room for more open-ended answers . The site also contains results from the telephone surveys.

Bob Hope Airport was among eight airfields across the nation that ranked in the top eight best alternative airports in the latest edition of Inc. magazine . Here's what the magazine had to say about Burbank's airport: With an on time departure rate comparable to that at LAX, Burbank is another excellent alternative airport that offers travelers an easy airport experience with lots of cheap parking, short lines at check in and security,...

A business dispute between two aviation companies at Van Nuys Airport is threatening emergency helicopter flights for injured and severely ill children from around Southern California to Children's Hospital Los Angeles. The disagreement could result in flight delays or even cancellations, according to executives at Helinet Aviation, which owns and operates 15 helicopters at the airport. Flights carrying donated organs for transplantation could also be affected, Helinet executives said.

Nominees for president of the Burbank-Glendale-Pasadena Airport Authority may soon no longer have to leave the room when fellow members deliberate and vote to fill the position. The California Fair Political Practices Commission recently approved an amendment to its conflict-of-interest regulations allowing public officials to participate in their agency's decision to appoint them to certain paid positions. Members of the authority, which owns and oversees the Bob Hope Airport, were informed of the change during their meeting on Monday.

Construction bids for a new transit center and parking structure at Bob Hope Airport came in under budget this week, a reversal in fortune for a project that was put on a diet last year after the first round of building proposals came in at far more than anticipated. In June, the so-called intermodal transit center - which will include facilities for rental cars and rail and bus lines to better connect passengers to the terminal - was scaled down after bids for the project came in $47 million to $75 million above the originally projected cost of $112 million.