Bowling Alley

LOS ANGELES — A jury found a 39-year-old man guilty Tuesday of killing his wife in a Los Angeles bowling alley before attempting to kill several Glendale police officers during a two-hour standoff at Forest Lawn Memorial Park. A motionless Rene Munoz gazed straight ahead as a court clerk read off guilty verdicts for 14 counts related to the April 3, 2008, murder of Kelly Munoz, and the attempted murder and assault with a firearm charges against an officer. “It’s a victory for the family,” Glendale Police Det. Keith Soboleski said.

Plans to turn the Jewel City Bowl into a parking lot for a new 110,000-square foot courthouse on Broadway are off the table, according to a state report, but courthouse construction may still jeopardize the longtime facility. Acquisition of the bowling alley proved to be too costly for state court officials, who decided to obtain the Board of Realtors site on Isabel Street for the new courthouse's secured parking structure, said Teresa Ruano, Administrative Office of the Courts spokeswoman.

Glendale's Grand Central Airport closed down in the 1950s, and eventually the property was developed as a business park called the Grand Central Industrial Center. One of the new buildings was Grand Central Bowl, a $1-million project at the corner of Sonora Avenue and Flower Street. The bowling alley, designed by William Rudolph of Pasadena, was developed in mid-1959 by Sports Arenas Inc., according to the Los Angeles Times, May 31, 1959. It included a restaurant and cocktail lounge, coffee shop and children's playroom.

Kathy Reger Souza, who spent many hours at Verdugo Hills Bowl in her youth, has fond memories of the now-demolished bowling alley. "It all started in 1970 with a brochure distributed by the city of Glendale Parks and Recreation Department at the end of third grade," she wrote in the June, 2010 Crescenta Valley Ledger, published by the Historical Society of the Crescenta Valley. Among the many offerings was "beginning bowling," which looked great to her mother, Norma Reger, who needed to get Souza, then 8, her two older brothers, Steve and Paul, and younger sister, Marianne, out of the house a few mornings a week, Souza explained in a recent e-mail.

LOS ANGELES — A 39-year-old man convicted of killing his girlfriend and trying to kill four Glendale police officers during a shootout at Forest Lawn Memorial Park was sentenced Thursday to serve 227 years to life in prison. Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge John Fisher denied issuing probation to Rene Munoz, who was convicted in May of killing Kelly Collins-McCowen, 37, outside a Los Angeles bowling alley on April 3, 2008. He also refused his attorney's motion for a new trial.

A bowling alley is not the first place you?d associate with food. Intermittent wafts of deodorizing foot spray? Yes. Discordant clanging and the likelihood of chipping your manicure? Yes. But as a viable suggestion for a refreshing repast, bowling alleys probably rate a notch above gas stations. Sure, nachos or chicken fingers are fine between frames, but I wondered if the food at Pickwick Bowl in Burbank or Glendale?s Jewel City Bowl could stand up to a sit-down meal. ? Pickwick Bowl Tucked inside the arcade area, Pickwick?

Janine Marnien GLENDALE -- Bulldozers and construction workers are busy making way for a Vons market on the site where Verdugo Hills Bowl once stood. For many, the sight is a disheartening one. The bowling alley served as a popular hangout for decades, from when it opened in 1959 to when it closed suddenly in 1996. "They had a huge senior league," said Crescenta Valley Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Jean Maluccio, a former coach and manager at Verdugo Hills Bowl.

About 30 to 40 children bowled and participated in a question-and-answer session about drug use with two Glendale police officers as part of the “Say No to Drugs, Yes to Bowling” program at Jewel City Bowl on Tuesday. The program was created to keep children away from drugs by distracting them with bowling. Jewel City Bowl employees go to all Glendale Unified School District elementary schools and hand out cards for free bowling game to students. The children get a free game of bowling and free shoes.

Once again windows were blacked out and lighting and camera equipment were rolled into Montrose Bowl on Honolulu Avenue. This time a romantic drama was being filmed by students from the American Film Institute in Los Angeles. The Montrose location was the backdrop of two lovers who had been separated for 20 years only to be reunited at the bowling alley. "The film will only be viewed at AFI," said producer Ryan Canon. This is part of a short cycle film program. The films are approximately 15 minutes long and are judged by the instructor on a pass or fail grade, Canon added.

LOS ANGELES — Witnesses testified Thursday during the preliminary hearing for a man accused of killing his wife outside a bowling alley in April and later shooting at Glendale police officers during a three-hour standoff at Forest Lawn Memorial Park and Mortuary in Glendale. Witness Lorraine Page wiped tears from her face as she looked at a photo of a puddle of blood from Kelly Munoz, whose husband, Rene Munoz, 38, is charged with her April 3 shooting death and the attempted murder of four Glendale police officers.

Plans to turn the Jewel City Bowl into a parking lot for a new 110,000-square foot courthouse on Broadway are off the table, according to a state report, but courthouse construction may still jeopardize the longtime facility. Acquisition of the bowling alley proved to be too costly for state court officials, who decided to obtain the Board of Realtors site on Isabel Street for the new courthouse's secured parking structure, said Teresa Ruano, Administrative Office of the Courts spokeswoman.

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Glendale's Grand Central Airport closed down in the 1950s, and eventually the property was developed as a business park called the Grand Central Industrial Center. One of the new buildings was Grand Central Bowl, a $1-million project at the corner of Sonora Avenue and Flower Street. The bowling alley, designed by William Rudolph of Pasadena, was developed in mid-1959 by Sports Arenas Inc., according to the Los Angeles Times, May 31, 1959. It included a restaurant and cocktail lounge, coffee shop and children's playroom.

GLENDALE — State officials this week said they were in talks to buy the Jewel City Bowl on South Glendale Avenue to demolish for a parking garage that would serve a new $123.9-million Glendale courthouse on Broadway. Representatives for the state Administrative Office of the Courts, which is moving forward with plans to build a new 110,000-square-foot courthouse at 600 E. Broadway, said during an environmental review input meeting Wednesday that they also planned to acquire the adjacent Board of Realtors building on Isabel Street for parking.

Kathy Reger Souza, who spent many hours at Verdugo Hills Bowl in her youth, has fond memories of the now-demolished bowling alley. "It all started in 1970 with a brochure distributed by the city of Glendale Parks and Recreation Department at the end of third grade," she wrote in the June, 2010 Crescenta Valley Ledger, published by the Historical Society of the Crescenta Valley. Among the many offerings was "beginning bowling," which looked great to her mother, Norma Reger, who needed to get Souza, then 8, her two older brothers, Steve and Paul, and younger sister, Marianne, out of the house a few mornings a week, Souza explained in a recent e-mail.

LOS ANGELES — A 39-year-old man convicted of killing his girlfriend and trying to kill four Glendale police officers during a shootout at Forest Lawn Memorial Park was sentenced Thursday to serve 227 years to life in prison. Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge John Fisher denied issuing probation to Rene Munoz, who was convicted in May of killing Kelly Collins-McCowen, 37, outside a Los Angeles bowling alley on April 3, 2008. He also refused his attorney's motion for a new trial.

LOS ANGELES — A jury found a 39-year-old man guilty Tuesday of killing his wife in a Los Angeles bowling alley before attempting to kill several Glendale police officers during a two-hour standoff at Forest Lawn Memorial Park. A motionless Rene Munoz gazed straight ahead as a court clerk read off guilty verdicts for 14 counts related to the April 3, 2008, murder of Kelly Munoz, and the attempted murder and assault with a firearm charges against an officer. “It’s a victory for the family,” Glendale Police Det. Keith Soboleski said.

DOWNTOWN — Glendale inched closer to ushering in a transformation of a struggling downtown corridor last week when officials approved initial design plans for a proposed five-story, mixed-use development that could house a popular Lucky Strike Lanes location. The proposed Broadway Lofts would replace the former home of Circuit City with 248 studio and loft apartment units and, tentatively, a Lucky Strike Lanes and Corner Bakery Cafe. Plans for the development inspired hope for a revival of the retail area surrounding the nearby Exchange on Maryland and the Glendale Marketplace, business leaders and members of the City Council said, although some were concerned about the property’s density.

A bowling alley is not the first place you?d associate with food. Intermittent wafts of deodorizing foot spray? Yes. Discordant clanging and the likelihood of chipping your manicure? Yes. But as a viable suggestion for a refreshing repast, bowling alleys probably rate a notch above gas stations. Sure, nachos or chicken fingers are fine between frames, but I wondered if the food at Pickwick Bowl in Burbank or Glendale?s Jewel City Bowl could stand up to a sit-down meal. ? Pickwick Bowl Tucked inside the arcade area, Pickwick?

LOS ANGELES — Witnesses testified Thursday during the preliminary hearing for a man accused of killing his wife outside a bowling alley in April and later shooting at Glendale police officers during a three-hour standoff at Forest Lawn Memorial Park and Mortuary in Glendale. Witness Lorraine Page wiped tears from her face as she looked at a photo of a puddle of blood from Kelly Munoz, whose husband, Rene Munoz, 38, is charged with her April 3 shooting death and the attempted murder of four Glendale police officers.