Bird

If you need just one more New Year's resolution for 2006, then we recommend the following to anyone wanting to get the most out of their California getaway travel; resolve this year to book your getaways and vacations early. We have friends who own a couple of timeshare memberships and it always amazes us that they seem to have something like a five-year plan for their vacations. Spur of the moment is not in their dictionary -- and probably not a common experience for most timeshare owners, because the best condos in the best destinations are always booked years in advance.

GLENDALE — It didn't take long for Gregg Zaun to have his name removed from the free-agent list. Zaun, a 1989 St. Francis High graduate, resigned with the Toronto Blue Jays on Tuesday. The veteran catcher signed a two-year deal worth a reported $7.25 million. The 35-year-old Zaun, who was born in Glendale, had reportedly drawn interest from the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox. However, he chose to return to Toronto, where he will be the starting catcher in 2007 after he split the catching responsibilities last season with Bengie Molina.

I've been ecstatic to see hip huggers make a return visit to women's popular fashion. I'm outraged to see opposition to war again characterized as evidence that one is unpatriotic. And it's weird to see former Colorado Sen. Gary Hart resurfacing to run for president. But of all the possibilities under the heading "everything old is new again," I thought I'd never again see Glendale's City Council address the issue of poisoning pigeons. But that's what happened this week.

Eleven mosquito samples in Burbank have tested positive for the West Nile virus, and an infected dead bird was found in Glendale, prompting local officials to renew calls for eliminating standing pools of water where the insects prefer to breed. “It's been such an epidemic year,” said Truc Dever, a spokeswoman for the Greater Los Angeles County Vector Control District. The infected house sparrow was found dead in the 1000 block of Willard Avenue in Glendale. The 11 mosquito samples that tested positive for the virus in Burbank were from sites scattered across the city.

The owner of the Pretty Bird pet shop reported that 14 birds worth a combined $4,550 were stolen on New Years Eve, Glendale Police said Monday. The owner told police that when he returned to work about 11 a.m. Friday, a door had been kicked in, and the alarm and telephone lines were cut, authorities said. The business' alarm company told police that there were no interruptions in the alarm system, authorities said. Among the stolen birds were a blue and gold macaw worth $1,000, and a yellow nape Amazon worth $800, police said.

The Crescenta Valley Sierra Club presents Arthur Langton's "Birds of the Sierras" at the next club meeting which is held at the community room of CitiBank at 2350 Honolulu Ave. in Montrose. The meeting takes place on Tuesday night, June 12 at 7:30 p.m. Langton's slide presentation features his own bird photos and those of others that have been collected throughout his travels in the Sierras. He is the past president of the San Fernando Valley Audubon Society and an avid backpacker and Explorer Scout leader.

Josh Kleinbaum Local lawmakers took to the skies Friday to get a look at the damage caused by several mudslides, as the state's Office of Emergency Services recommended Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger declare a state of emergency for Los Angeles County. A countywide state of emergency would allow Glendale and its residents to obtain state and federal funds for damages caused by two weeks of rain storms. "When you see how these slopes have failed, it gives you a whole new perspective on the awesome forces at work here," Assembly Majority Leader Dario Frommer said.

In court for a pre-trial hearing Friday, attorneys for the man accused of creating an aircraft safety hazard at the Bob Hope Airport by feeding a large flock of pigeons called his arrest an overblown media frenzy stoked by authorities. Attorneys for Charles Douglas, owner of Precise Roofing Co. on Hollywood Way, requested more time in Los Angeles County Superior Court to review transcripts they said they only received this week and to discuss the matter with the Burbank city attorney's office.

The Glendale Model Railroad Club held its spring open house this weekend, giving the public a chance to inspect a vast miniaturized landscape of Southern Pacific Railroad operations between Los Angeles and Bakersfield. Represented in the 100-plus mile scene are stations in San Fernando, Saugus, Lancaster, Mojave and Caliente. The club, formed in 1949, provides this description of the scene: As a visitor views the layout, the foreground from right to left is occupied by the Los Angeles Union Passenger Terminal and supporting coach yards, roundhouse, diesel facilities, Taylor Yard (the massive facility that in real life stretched for more two miles along San Fernando Road)