Bears

Residents of the Chaney Trail neighborhood report increased bear activity around garbage day, and it's recommended to keep your garbage inside and bring it out the morning of trash collection.  (There was some discussion as to a good deterrant -- a perimeter of predator urine, available online, might keep them away, and so might a "fence" of omnivore -- i.e. human -- urine. How you draw the perimeter is up to you, but small boys might find this chore fun  ...) And reader Lee Johnson spotted a bear a few feet from the picture window at the 200 block of Taos Road on Aug. 15: "Easily scared away but too close for comfort, especially with open windows.

The bear that wandered over the 210 Freeway and into Montrose early Sunday morning has been tranquilized and is being taken back into the Angeles National Forest. The bear was sedated around 10:30 a.m. after it had been seen in the area of Florencita Lane and Montrose Drive. It had already been loaded into the back of a truck by 11 a.m. Officials were unsure if it was male or female. It did not harm any humans or damage any property. The animal was first sighted around 7:30 a.m., according to officials with the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department.

LA CRESCENTA — Summer heat and charred hillsides have prompted the tell-tale signs of wildlife coming down into urban neighborhoods for respite and food. Bears, bobcats, deer and coyotes have been spotted recently in backyards and on neighborhood streets as much of their habitat recovers from the massive Station fire and subsequent mud flows. Black bears have been spotted roaming the Briggs Terrace neighborhood, said Los Angeles County Sherriff's Lt. Angela Shepard. The bears have been wreaking havoc on gardens, and leaving piles of dung behind.

Gary Moskowitz Damon Bruner, a chef at Glendale's Cinnabar, doesn't normally prepare a meal that contains 15 pounds of raw fruit and vegetables and nothing else. Then again, Bruner doesn't usually serve breakfast to two American black bears. Bruner and eight other chefs from area restaurants catered a meal for two black bears Tuesday at the Los Angeles Zoo. The feeding was a preview event for the zoo's June 19 Beastly Ball fundraiser. The Greater Los Angeles Zoo Assn.

Colorado officials say the popular Glendale bear known as “Meatball” - trapped and taken to a temporary rescue facility in San Diego County - will not be permitted residency at a sanctuary in the Rocky Mountain state. “This bear can't come to Colorado,” said Randy Hamilton, spokesman for Colorado Parks & Wildlife, pointing to state regulations that prevent sanctuaries from accepting wild animals. There's been a tug-of-war over the 400-pound bear since he was caught last week in La Cañada Flintridge.

A 300-pound California black bear seen rummaging through garbage Friday in a La Crescenta neighborhood has prompted officials to remind residents that leaving trash bins unsecured is like an open dinner invitation for wildlife. Glenwood Oaks resident John McLeod's son first spotted the bear digging through their trash bin about 1 a.m. Thursday from his car's rearview mirror after pulling into their home driveway. They spotted the bear the next day at about the same time, he said.

“Meatball,” the Glendale bear that was to be shipped off to a Colorado wildlife sanctuary after being trapped last week by a fish and game warden, has now found himself in caged limbo. The 400-pound black bear that returned to the La Crescenta-Montrose area despite twice being relocated deep inside the Angeles National Forest remains in a 15-by-20-foot cage at the Lions, Tigers and Bears sanctuary in Alpine in San Diego County while officials decide his fate. At issue is whether a Colorado law allows wild animals to be housed at sanctuaries in the Rocky Mountain state.

Just as the memory of "Meatball," Glendale's favorite bear, may be fading, it appears a new bruin has taken to the city. And this black bear - described as 3 to 4 feet tall and weighing about 200 pounds - has a fondness for hummingbird sugar water and a taste for honey. This dietary insight is based on its snacking habits during multiple visits over the course of at least six months to the Chevy Chase Canyon neighborhood. In some cases, the bear has knocked down hummingbird feeders hanging up to 8 feet off the ground.

Rima Shah Girl Scouts are sending tsunami victims some much-needed bear hugs. Los Angeles-area Girl Scouts visited the Build-a-Bear Workshop at the Glendale Galleria Thursday to get a head start on a "Stuffed with Hugs: Project Bearlift" event Saturday. The first 300 guests at each store Saturday are invited to make a bear to be shipped to children in India, Sri Lanka, Maldives or Myanmar who survived the Dec. 26 tsunami. More than 40,000 bears are expected to be sent through the program, said Dayna Delfoss, assistant workshop manager at the store.

Glendale resident Frank Bacino, 75, is at it again. The retired veteran has created another patriotic addition for his yard on Oberlin Drive, this time in the form of smiling teddy bears dressed in U.S. Marines, Navy and Army uniforms and carrying flags. The teddy bears are members of his wife's 100-bear collection, he said. The bear carrying the POW-MIA flag boasts Bacino's old U.S. Army uniform, from when he served during the Korean War, while the other two bears are suited in uniforms Bacino borrowed or bought.

A combination of high pressure and offshore winds should send temperatures soaring later this week, according to the National Weather Service. After hitting the upper 70s on Wednesday, highs in downtown Los Angeles are expected to be well into the 80s for the rest of the week, according to Stuart Seto of the National Weather Service. Seto said the peak will likely come on Friday, which should see a high of 89 degrees downtown. In the Burbank-Glendale-Pasadena region, temperatures are expected to following a similar trajectory, possibly hitting 90 degrees on Saturday, according to the weather service.

Just as the memory of "Meatball," Glendale's favorite bear, may be fading, it appears a new bruin has taken to the city. And this black bear - described as 3 to 4 feet tall and weighing about 200 pounds - has a fondness for hummingbird sugar water and a taste for honey. This dietary insight is based on its snacking habits during multiple visits over the course of at least six months to the Chevy Chase Canyon neighborhood. In some cases, the bear has knocked down hummingbird feeders hanging up to 8 feet off the ground.

A large bear was spotted early Wednesday outside a home in the Chevy Chase Canyon neighborhood in Glendale, police said. Residents saw the bear at about 6:27 a.m. three feet away from their home's front window in the 3000 block of Buckingham Road, Glendale Police Sgt. Tom Lorenz said. The bear had already fled the neighborhood by the time police arrived, he added. The last reported bear sighting - in December - was also in the Chevy Chase Canyon neighborhood. At that time, a black bear was spotted digging through a home's outdoor trash bin in the 3200 block of Cornwall Drive.

When our forefathers wrote about the right to bear arms they had no clue of what the future would hold. “Arms” to them was a rifle that fired a single bullet before reloading, and it was the fear of a threat against their hard-fought freedom against the English. Those who now try and distort what is currently taking place with assault rifles and other weapons that create havoc on the public, wish only to deceive the public. The public is well aware that in the 21st century, the right to bear arms must adapt to the realities of modern weaponry.

Perhaps it should have been a given that a black bear with a taste for Costco meatballs, that came back for seconds and thirds - despite being relocated twice - and that had no problem holding his own on live TV would become a media sensation. But in March, when “Meatball” first burst onto the scene, few could have imagined just how deep he'd end up ingratiating himself in the hearts and minds of thousands of fans, many of them in different time zones. One of them created a Twitter account on his behalf, taking on the name “Glen Bearian” and the task of generating a huge amount of social media buzz that, ultimately, saved the ursine's life.

I feel concern should be directed toward a free-roaming bear in the area of Chevy Chase Estates. This bear has been seen recently raiding garbage cans on the street, on Sheridan Road. Perhaps the same method could be used to trap this bear as was used with “Meatball.” I feel this bear remains a danger to people and pets living in the area. If it is necessary to contact a state game warden, the Humane Society could contact them and get the bear back to the area where it should be. Betty Paul Glendale

A large black bear was spotted Sunday night digging through a trash bin in a Chevy Chase Canyon neighborhood, police said. The bear, which residents described as between 500 and 800 pounds, was sifting through an outdoor trash bin in the 3200 block of Cornwall Drive, Glendale Police Sgt. Tom Lorenz said. Officials said the size of the bear, if accurate, is extremely rare. Glendale police who responded to the scene flashed their patrol car lights and used an air horn to scare the bear off into a nearby hillside and out of sight.

The person who submitted the highest EBay bid for a package of memorabilia commemorating Glendale's most famous bear, “Meatball,” never expected to win, but when she did, she gave some of the items back. For San Diego resident Pamela Ricci, her $2,000 bid was more about raising money for the wildlife sanctuary that's become the bear's permanent home than getting to keep the collectibles. In August, state officials took the now-500-pound bear to a San Diego County sanctuary after he snacked on food in local trash cans and roamed foothill neighborhoods for months.

After being ranked atop the polls all season long en route to claiming the No. 1 seed in the CIF Southern Section Division V playoffs, the Glendale High boys' water polo team has no shortage of confidence entering today's 7:30 p.m. semifinal match against Riverside Poly at Mount San Antonio College in Walnut. "I think they're coming in intimidated by us, since they were spectating our [quarterfinal] game," Glendale driver Arman Momdzhyan said. "I think it will go good, for sure. " Riverside Poly Coach Mike Cardey admits the Nitros' reputation precedes them.

RIVERSIDE — In preparing for its CIF Southern Section Division V quarterfinal match, the Flintridge Prep boys' water polo team figured it had every nugget of information covered concerning Riverside Poly. The Rebels, looking to advance to the semifinals for the first time in the program's history, learned about some of the schemes that the Bears tend to run on offense and that they're well-conditioned. What the Rebels didn't have was any information on utility player/driver Robert Bentley.