Drop Off

GLENDALE — R.D. White Elementary School parents and administrators today will debut a pilot valet drop-off program in front of the campus that aims to enhance student safety and minimize the risk of accidents on the congested roadway. The pilot program amends the current drop-off lane to include a progression of safety cones, signs and volunteer parents waiting to meet students at the car, open the door and see them safely through the entrance on Everett Street. The brainchild of concerned parents in response to a series of accidents in which students were struck by sidetracked drivers in packed loading zones at several district schools, the three-week program will uncork bottlenecks along the residential street, said parent and organizer Kara Sergile.

LA CANADA ELEMENTARY TRAFFIC DEBATED The City Council continued its public hearing period on proposed construction of a student drop-off zone on La Canada Boulevard, behind La Canada Elementary. The council is considering several projects that would result in a less congested street during drop-off and pick-up times. Sidewalks that would make walking to school safer for some students are also being considered. The council heard comments from residents who are for and against sidewalks.

Judy Seckler GLENDALE HIGH SCHOOL -- If safety is compromised at local schools and no one hears about it, does anything get done? Students, administrators and parents may be asking that very question after a "safety alert" town meeting for the Glendale High cluster Tuesday drew less than 100 people, most of them teachers and administrators. Parents and students complained about inadequate drop-off lanes and the high school's overcrowded J building entryways, but the real news was that the meeting drew far more educators than parents, according to Wilson Middle School Principal Richard Lucas.

Janine Marnien Drivers passing by La Canada High School on Oak Grove Drive during drop-off or pick-up times can often times find themselves -- well, stuck. Some lanes close to the school often come to a standstill with parents trying to get in and out of school driveways, or just stopping to let their child in or out of the car. Penny Ledbetter is one parent who has seen the traffic back all the way up from Oak Grove Drive to Foothill Boulevard past the Foothill (210)

GLENDALE — A group of R.D. White Elementary School parents and staff members plan to unveil a pilot valet drop-off program June 1 in front of the campus to better improve traffic and increase child safety. The pilot program was created to enhance the school’s already-established drop-off and pick-up lane on Everett Street in the wake of a string of accidents in which students were hit by distracted parent drivers in crowded loading zones at several Glendale Unified schools.

LA CRESCENTA ? Efforts to create a student drop-off zone at Two Strike Park for Monte Vista Elementary School could come closer to materializing after local representatives meet with county parks officials Thursday to discuss the proposal. The plan is to have two drop-off areas for Monte Vista students, one in front of the school and the second one at Two Strike Park about two blocks away. ?It is a lovely park with a great drive-through parking lot,? said Robbyn Battles, alternate Crescenta Valley Town Council member and Monte Vista mom. The new system would not only relieve some of the traffic congestion at the school, but also promote a healthy walking lifestyle, she added.

CENTRAL GLENDALE ? In a scene straight out of the Pied Piper, R.D. White Elementary parent Lauren Lustig gathered children for the morning jaunt to the school. Standing at a busy intersection, she reflected on the upside of leaving the car at home. ?It really isn?t bad ? the kids love it,? said Lustig, who often supervises her neighbor?s children on the one-mile walk to campus. ?Parents seem to appreciate the effort. It?s helped to build a sense of community here.? Lustig and dozens of other families took part in the school?

Robert Chacon On the first day that the city posted a no-left-turn sign on Fairview Road near La Canada Elementary School, Gloria Freund filmed about 40 cars doing just that. The next day, she saw about 25 cars, and on Monday that number had dwindled to about 10. The no-left-turn sign is part of a new policy started Monday by the city that is meant to ensure smoother pick-up and drop-off times. The plan also includes a demarcated drop-off zone, no-stopping zones and no-U-turn signs on La Canada Boulevard near the rear of the school.

School traffic safety issues have been brought to the forefront with recent accidents involving children and vehicles at school drop-off points. A few weeks ago, a child at Toll Middle School in Glendale was struck and killed in front of her classmates and teachers while in the crosswalk in front of her school. A few days later, a third grader careened into another car when he exited his vehicle into oncoming traffic at Palm Crest Elementary School in La Cañada. He escaped the incident with minor injuries.

Since 1906 the Glendale Old-Timer's Assn. has been hosting its yearly picnic on Labor Day to provide local people with a chance to see old friends and celebrate the community. And while a drop-off in attendance over the years worries some participants, association members at the 99th annual picnic Monday had hopes for a strong future for the event. "It's important because these are the men and women who made Glendale into one of the finest cities in the county," said Los Angeles County Supervisor Michael D. Antonovich, who attends the event every year.

More than 950 pounds of prescription and non-prescription drugs were collected across the region Saturday as part of nationwide drug take-back day. Residents dropped off at least 650 pounds of pills, patches, liquids at three collections sites in Glendale, according Glendale police. More than 300 pounds of medication were also collected in Montrose, La Crescenta and La Cañada Flintridge. The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration created the biannual free, anonymous event to thwart theft of prescription pills and household drug abuse.

Police collected 585 pounds of prescription pills Saturday from residents in Glendale and foothill communities as part of a nationwide drug take-back day. Four locations in Glendale - Verdugo Road, Glendale Community College, Broadway and Chevy Chase Drive and Glenoaks Boulevard and Allen Avenue - yielded 405 pounds of prescription pills, according to police. Another 180 pounds of unwanted, unused or expired prescription pills were collected from residents in Tujunga, La Crescenta and La Cañada Flintridge, police said.

Police in Burbank and Glendale will be taking part in a no-questions-asked prescription drug drop-off event Saturday as part of a national campaign to reduce household access to left over medications. Prescription drugs that remain at home are prone to misuse and abuse, particularly among teens, according to police. And flushing unneeded medications down the toilet or sink can have environmental implications. In Burbank alone, Burbank police, in partnership with the Drug Enforcement Agency, collected nearly 250 pounds of pills and medications at last year's Drug Take Back event, according to the department.

A 15-year-old Glendale girl who went missing last week after bolting from her mother's idling car has been found safe. Meleny Guerrero was dropped off Tuesday night at the Glendale police station by her father, Glendale Police Sgt. Tom Lorenz said. Her mother, Dominica, said Wednesday morning that she “hadn't got the full story” about her disappearance Family and neighbors of Meleny posted fliers since she disappeared Aug. 21, and were particularly concerned because she likely was not carrying cash or her cell phone.

Staples is kicking off a nationwide free electronics recycling program, with local stores accepting all types of office equipment, including computers, printers, copiers and fax machines, for proper disposal. In association with HP , the program lets customers bring their equipment to service desks at Staples stores any day during regular business hours. The equipment will be transported to a Staples distribution center, where it will later be taken to a recycling processing center.

Residents have until midnight to drop off their voter registration forms at 11 so-called "drive-thru" stations scattered throughout Los Angeles County today. A drop-off point has been set up by the county registrar-recorder at Glendale City Hall, 613 E. Broadway, and will accept voter registration forms for the upcoming Nov. 2 election until midnight. Today is the deadline for the forms, which must be postmarked by today for the general statewide election, in which a number of controversial propositions, combined with a heated gubernatorial race, should generate better-than-usual turnout at the polls, political experts say. Registration forms can be downloaded at www.lavote.

LA CRESCENTA — Los Angeles-area drug enforcement officials said they plan to conduct more pill drop-off drives, following the success of an inaugural program last month that yielded 8,190 pounds regionally. Having a designated day to drop off prescription drugs and having several deposit sites proved to yield a large amount of pills, drug enforcement officials said. The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration is now hoping to have such events every six months and increase the number of police departments that serve as deposit sites, said Special Agent Sarah Pullen, a spokeswoman for the agency.

CENTRAL GLENDALE ? In a scene straight out of the Pied Piper, R.D. White Elementary parent Lauren Lustig gathered children for the morning jaunt to the school. Standing at a busy intersection, she reflected on the upside of leaving the car at home. ?It really isn?t bad ? the kids love it,? said Lustig, who often supervises her neighbor?s children on the one-mile walk to campus. ?Parents seem to appreciate the effort. It?s helped to build a sense of community here.? Lustig and dozens of other families took part in the school?

SOUTH GLENDALE — Car sales have plummeted since the end of the federal “cash for clunkers” program, which had many area lots working double duty to keep up with consumer demand in August. Automobile sales spiked at such a level in August that the sharp drop-off in nationwide activity since then — a 10.4% slide — accounted for a 1.7% drop in retail figures in September, according to the U.S. Commerce Department. That drop in sales has been mirrored at many area dealers, which have returned to the low levels of activity seen before the program brought surges in foot traffic.