Armenia

A career detective with a knack for breaking down cases and a cop who had more than 160 arrests in the past year were honored Thursday with the Glendale Police Department's top awards at the Police Dept.'s annual recognition ceremony. Having made numerous felony and probable-cause arrests in the past year, Officer of the Year Jeff Rivas didn't stop there. He came to the aid of a family of five who were living inside their car, buying them food with his own money. Rivas also helped a grandmother seek justice and medical treatment for her 6-year-old granddaughter, who had been molested.

More than 140 people suffered burns or other injuries Friday in Yerevan, the capital city of Armenia,  when bunches of balloons at a concert and political rally exploded. The balloons were supposed to be filled with helium but may have instead been filled with methane, said  Aghasi Yenokyan, director of the Center for Political and International Studies, a Yerevan-based think tank. The incident occurred in downtown Republic Square during events organized by the ruling Republican Party of Armenia as part of the parliamentary election campaign.

DOWNTOWN — Stakeholders in Armenia’s economic and civic vitality cast a guardedly optimistic picture of the country’s winding path toward democratization in a panel discussion Monday night at the Glendale Central Library. Hosted by Rep. Adam Schiff, whose district includes Glendale, the forum invited experts on the post-Soviet republic to weigh in on the evolution of the rule of law in the country. “We need to look healthily but critically [at Armenia]

Darleene Barrientos Glendale Community College students are preparing for a summer trip to Armenia, the first study abroad program offered at the school. College trustees are expected to approve the travel arrangements for the Armenia trip and another study abroad trip to Italy during its meeting Monday. "The kind of trip we're doing is a formal academic program combined with a lot of excursions and on-site lectures," trip coordinator Levon Marashlian said.

GLENDALE — Glendale city officials rolled out a red-carpet welcome for Yervand Zakharyan, mayor of Yerevan, Armenia, as he paid a visit to the city Wednesday to see what life is like in one of the nation's largest Armenian communities. Zakharyan is working with Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa to make Yerevan a sister city with Los Angeles. One of Zakharyan's interests while in Glendale was to see how the city conducts public services such as waste pickup and police and fire, said Glendale Councilman Rafi Manoukian, who was with the mayor for the day. "I'm really honored to have him here to share some of his concerns and hear some of our concerns," Manoukian said.

ANI AMIRKHANIAN The summer of 1992 was a life-changing experience. It was the year I traveled to Armenia for the first time and came back with memories that are with me to this day. Let me first say that I traveled to Armenia during a turbulent time. The nation had just gained its independence, in 1991, from the former Soviet Union, and people were adapting to social, political and economic change after 60-plus years of communist rule. I went with not the greatest of expectations, but also promised to keep an open mind about a country I had never seen.

GLENDALE — Nearly a year ago, police discovered the body of a 24-year-old Glendale woman — who friends and family say was bright and full of promise — in the trunk of a car. It was months before Odet Tsaturyan's boyfriend — suspected of her murder — was tracked down and taken into custody in Armenia. Today, 25-year-old Artur Khanzadyan's murder trial is set to begin in Vanadzor, Armenia — thousands of miles from where Tsaturyan died. While police and the Tsaturyan family would rather have the trial here, a trial in Armenia is better than no trial.

GLENDALE ? Ghapan State Engineering College in Armenia is poised to receive expertise and technical support, thanks to a resolution passed Monday by the Glendale Community College Board of Trustees that declared it a sister institution. "The Armenian educational institutions like Ghapan State Engineering are in dire need of the support of American institutions like Glendale college ? expertise, know-how, technical, equipment, support, all that," said Artin Manoukian, president of the Glendale-Ghapan Sister City Assn.

A fund-raiser dinner for Habitat For Humanity, Armenia, will be at 7 p.m. Wednesday at the The Brandview Collection, 109 E. Harvard St. The San Gabriel Valley Habitat for Humanity will host the event, which will be attended by Glendale City Councilman Rafi Manoukian and other dignitaries. Armenia chapter President Vartan Toumayan and other representatives from Armenia will be honored guests. The fund-raiser supports the building of low-cost homes for the needy in Armenia, the same role the local chapter has here.

Photographer Sara Anjargolian is focusing on making people more aware of the need for health care in Armenia. Anjargolian, who grew up in Glendale, lived in Armenia from 2002 to 2004. An attorney for the city of Los Angeles, she went to Armenia on a Fulbright Grant to teach law at the American University of Armenia. She spent her free time capturing in documentary-style photography life in Armenia’s most economically deprived areas, she said. Ten of her photographs will be featured along with those of Vahe D’Ala and Sevag Vrej in the show “A Journey to Armenia” on Friday at the A&I Gallery in Hollywood.

A career detective with a knack for breaking down cases and a cop who had more than 160 arrests in the past year were honored Thursday with the Glendale Police Department's top awards at the Police Dept.'s annual recognition ceremony. Having made numerous felony and probable-cause arrests in the past year, Officer of the Year Jeff Rivas didn't stop there. He came to the aid of a family of five who were living inside their car, buying them food with his own money. Rivas also helped a grandmother seek justice and medical treatment for her 6-year-old granddaughter, who had been molested.

More than 140 people suffered burns or other injuries Friday in Yerevan, the capital city of Armenia,  when bunches of balloons at a concert and political rally exploded. The balloons were supposed to be filled with helium but may have instead been filled with methane, said  Aghasi Yenokyan, director of the Center for Political and International Studies, a Yerevan-based think tank. The incident occurred in downtown Republic Square during events organized by the ruling Republican Party of Armenia as part of the parliamentary election campaign.

The YMCA of the Foothills is reaching across the world to boost the organization's message of fellowship and community. The local Y, which has facilities in La Cañada Flintridge and Tujunga, recently provided $20,000 for a YMCA in Spitak, Armenia. YMCA of the Foothills President Tyler Wright went to Spitak to consult with YMCA leaders there. Noting that local Armenian Americans make up the fasting growing groups of people that the YMCA serves in the region, Wright said in a statement that the organization's goal is to connect with “our global friends.” “Our desire is to be a diverse and inclusive voice in this community, making life-changing impact while also bridging any ethnic divides that may still exist,” he added.

I read an article in the News Press & Leader about one of our local doctors giving his time and talents in Armenia making kids and adults whole again (“ Local doc finds way to give back to Armenia, ” Dec. 14). What a talent. All I have to say to the doctor, Armond Kotikian: If you ever start a foundation and return to do more of the wonderful and great things, please let us know and I will be one of the first to put something in the hat to help the cause. Mike De Santis Montrose

As powerful Santa Ana winds howled Wednesday night, Glendale resident Nareq Keshishyan could only stand and watch as his family's Christmas tree operation on Highland Avenue and Glenoaks Boulevard was torn to shreds. Winds lifted a massive tent from the Evergreen Christmas Trees lot and tossed dozens of Christmas trees around the property, he said. “We tried getting close, but it was way too dangerous,” Keshishyan said. “There was nothing we could do but stare and watch.” The Keshishyan's second lot at Colorado and Everett streets also sustained damage during the windstorm.

As it continues to grapple with the aftermath of a massive earthquake, Turkey has declined disaster assistance from Armenia and Israel, two nations with which Ankara has strained relationships, according to Reuters . Ankara's rejection of most offers of help -- including from the U.S., Britain and Germany -- comes as workers continue to sift through the rubble caused by the magnitude-7.2 earthquake that struck on Sunday. The death toll so far is at 239 . Reuters is reporting that Turkey has only accepted aid from Iran, Azerbaijan and Bulgaria.

About two months ago, a woman with bruises on her arms came to Glendale's YWCA begging to sleep in the building, as she feared going home to her husband, a convicted sex offender who abused her verbally, physically and sexually. She didn't speak any English and moved to the United States from Armenia with her husband, who she believed would love and care for her. She didn't know about his criminal past or a prior divorce. The 48-year-old is one of many who experience domestic violence every year, said YWCA Executive Director Michelle Roberts at a candlelight vigil held Thursday to raise awareness of the crime.

The president of Armenia on Sunday helped christen his nation's new consulate in Glendale, drawing hundreds of onlookers. At the grand-opening ceremony for the consulate, which moved from its Glenoaks Boulevard location to 346 N. Central Ave., Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan called on members of the Diaspora to visit their homeland “regardless of whether they like our government or not.” “One thing is eternal, and it's your fatherland,” he...

On a mild summer day, itching to get out of Yerevan, I took a Soviet minibus known locally as a marshutka to the northern Armenian city of Vanadzor. After weeks in the congested capital, Vanadzor's lush landscapes, wide spaces and crisp air put me at ease. Picnic blanket in hand, I walked past neighborhood backgammon games in the middle of the street and trunks full of watermelons for sale to a forested area where I was hoping to relax. Instead, I ended up having lunch and several rounds of homemade vodka with three local builders who had just finished installing a khachkar, which is a stele that bears the image of a cross - a yearlong stonecarving project that had found a home in a city known for its Soviet chemical plant history and summer retreats.

Burbank police are searching for a man caught on videotape burglarizing US Armenia Studios last week on West Alameda Avenue. The man reportedly made off with cash, checks and iPod after breaking and entering the studio at 2727 W. Alameda Ave. at about 1:30 p.m. Sept. 8, according to police. Anyone with information on the suspect or incident was encouraged to contact the Burbank Police Department Communications Center at (818) 238-3000 or Det. Doug Brown at (818) 238-3278.