Flags

When flags representing Mexico, South Korea, eco-justice and gays and lesbians were stolen from St. Luke's of the Mountains Episcopal Church - leaving just the American flag standing - the message was conspicuous and unwanted. So on Sunday, as community leaders gathered to reinstall the flags after weeks of fundraising, the message to the perpetrators was just as clear: “You brought the community back together again,” one said. Speaking to the crowd during the dedication on Sunday, church Vicar Bryan Jones said his congregation offered up donations to replace the flags the day after the flags were stolen on May 19. “They left one flag standing and that was an American flag,” Jones said.

LA CRESCENTA — The Crescenta Valley Town Council will research the feasibility of providing safety flags at crosswalks throughout town to help pedestrians alert motorists to their presence, members said at a public meeting Thursday. Councilwoman Robbyn Battles borrowed the idea of using safety flags while she vacationed with her husband at Kirkland, Wash. There, she said, pedestrians pick up orange flags from a bucket and return them to another bucket waiting on the other end of the crosswalk.

Amber Willard GLENDALE -- American flags at local fire stations will return to half-staff this morning to honor their New York comrades who were killed Sept. 11 while responding to terrorist attacks there. The lowering of the flags comes with permission from city and county officials. Initially, the International Assn. of Fire Chiefs had submitted the request to President George W. Bush, who approved it with the contingency that local officials had to also sign off on the request.

Alex Coolman CITY HALL -- The Planning Commission will meet today to discuss an ordinance dealing with the display of flags. The ordinance has been in the spotlight because of the case of Kelly Khoury, whose Pacific Avenue gas station at one time flew as many as 20 flags. The Planning Commission in February rejected possible ordinances that would restrict only the size of flags flown by businesses. Commissioners say they hope to restrict the number of flags that can be displayed.

Jenna Bordelon FREMONT PARK -- Shell station owner Kelly Khoury has more than 20 American flags snapping in the breeze around, above and under the gas station canopy at 625 Pacific Ave. The city has ordered him to take almost all of them down. "It ceases to become a patriotic thing and becomes a commercial one," Neighborhood Services Administrator Sam Engel said. The city has received four separate complaints about the flags, he said. City officials will allow Khoury to keep two flags per street frontage.

Alex Coolman CITY HALL -- Residents should feel free to fly as many flags as they like, the Planning Commission said Monday as it shot down restrictions on the way such banners can be displayed. The meeting looked like it would see strict limits set on the display of flags. Commissioners in February rejected a pair of ordinances related to flag flying as being excessively lenient. But on Monday, they seemed to be in a tolerant mood. "I would not be comfortable in any way, shape or form limiting anyone's ability to display the American flag," Commissioner Nancy Burke said.

Happy Tuesday! As you get ready to relax and watch the fireworks tomorrow, check out what's happened in the 818.  A church in La Crescenta replaced a group of flags, representing diversity, in a ceremony Sunday. Participants said the theft had the opposite of its intended effect, bringing people together. Glendale News-Press A writer mourns the loss of Chez Nous in Toluca Lake, the third closure of an eatery in that neighborhood in a year. North Hollywood Patch  The Mutual UFO Network of Los Angeles is taking a July 1 sighting of a... something...

? Contributed by Tricia Flynn      On Thursday, Oct. 16, St. James the Less Catholic School received a new American flag and California State flag as donations from a St. James family and the school’s own Girl Scout Troop 626. The flags that were being raised every morning by the school’s student council members were old, torn, and ready for retirement. The flags had flown over the school for many years so new ones were appreciated by principal Susan Romero.      Father Ed Dover, after finishing Mass with the whole school, took the students and their teachers outside where he led them in a Blessing of the Flags ceremony, a ceremony that is very symbolic for a Catholic school.

Two front-page News-Press stories regarding the flying of flags at a local gas station were incorrect. The stories were Saturday's "City staff gives thumbs down to Old Glories" and Monday's "Old Glory keeps flying." In the stories, the News-Press reported that city code enforcement officials on Friday cited a Glendale gas station attendant for flying American flags at his station, and that the officials ordered the owner not to fly the flags. City officials were not contacted by the News-Press for comment on the alleged incident, an error in direct violation of this newspaper's firm belief in balanced and fair reporting.

After reading Francesca DuPage's letter regarding the lack of American flags flying on Memorial Day, I must say I completely agree with her ("Lack of flags is disheartening," Tuesday). It's woefully shameful beyond description. To answer her rhetorical question, I do think that it's an apathy borne out of a general narcissism and a sense of entitlement corrupting American culture as of late. More and more, America isn't a country that provides and protects liberty and is worthy of our allegiance to it, rather it's merely a vehicle to achieve whatever materialistic desires we have.

Red flag warnings were issued Wednesday across Southern California as heat and dry winds were expected to turn Los Angeles and Ventura County mountains and valleys into a tinderbox. The National Weather Service said the red flag warnings would be in effect through Thursday for the mountains of Los Angeles and Ventura counties, the Santa Monica Mountains, the San Fernando and Santa Clarita valleys and Ventura County valleys, the L.A. Times reported. Temperatures on Friday could rise past 100 degrees from Burbank to Pasadena, according to the weather service.

What was supposed to be a drier, gustier day across some parts of Southern California - prompting a red-flag fire warning from forecasters - won't be as dry and gusty as anticipated. The National Weather Service has canceled its red-flag warning for the Los Angeles and Ventura county mountains, as well as valley areas in the Santa Clarita region and Ventura County. The warning was expected to expire early Tuesday afternoon, but was canceled by 9 a.m. Monday. The reason, meteorologist Bill Forwood said, is because the weather conditions didn't develop as forecasters expected.

A red flag warning has been issued until 6 p.m. Tuesday for parts of Los Angeles County, including local mountains and the Santa Clarita Valley, as wind gusts and dry conditions increase the threat of fire. Wind gusts on Monday could reach 50 mph in the mountains before starting to subside on Tuesday, according to the National Weather Service. Temperatures in the tri-city area are expected to warm into the mid-80s through Wednesday before clouds return, bringing with them a 30% chance of rain Thursday evening, the weather service said.

The National Weather Service has extended a red flag warning for much of Los Angeles and Ventura counties because of high winds and low humidity, which have elevated the risk of wildfires. The warning, first issued at 3 a.m. Thursday, was set to expire at 6 p.m. Friday but has been extended until 2 p.m. Saturday, Los Angeles County fire officials said. Sustained winds of up to 20 mph and gusts of up to 40 mph are forecast, and an additional 150 firefighters have been positioned throughout Los Angeles County as a precaution, said Tony Imprenda, a spokesman for the county fire department.

Weather forecasters have issued red flag warnings for much of the Southland for what "will likely be the strongest and most widespread Santa Ana wind event of the season. " "These critical fire weather conditions combined with very dry fuels will bring extreme fire danger to the Southland," the National Weather Service said in a statement Wednesday. Red flag fire warnings signaling extreme wildland fire conditions have been issued for Southern California counties because of Santa Ana winds of up to 65 mph that are expected to blow across the region.

With record-high temperatures expected across Southern California on Monday, the National Weather Service has issued a red-flag warning for several areas. The scorching temperatures, combined with gusty winds, single-digit humidity and dry vegetation could indicate high fire danger. The warning is in effect through 6 p.m Tuesday for the Santa Clarita Valley and the San Gabriel Mountains in Los Angeles and Ventura counties. The Angeles National Forest in L.A. County and Ventura County's Los Padres National Forest are also under red-flag warnings.

TAMPA, Fla. -- The last person many would expect to see at the Republican National Convention is the chairman of the  Democrats ' rival effort next week. But there was Los Angeles Mayor  Antonio Villaraigosa  on Sunday night, mixing and mingling with reporters and  GOP  strategists at a late-night dinner here. Villaraigosa, who will head up the  Democratic National Convention  next week in Charlotte, N.C., was spotted at the swanky Mise en Place supper club after dining with GOP strategist Ana Navarro.

A red-flag fire warning is in effect, but Southern California temperatures are expected to cool Wednesday, with a slight chance of showers and thunderstorms over Los Angeles and Ventura counties, according to the National Weather Service. In the tri-city area, temperatures aren't expected to get past the low-90s through the weekend. "We are seeing some relief after all these days of heat," Curt Kaplan, a spokesman for the weather service, told the Los Angeles Times . The red-flag warning, which signifies an increased threat of brush fires, began at midnight and is expected to end at 5 p.m. for the mountains, deserts and valleys of Los Angeles, Ventura and Santa Barbara counties.

Happy Tuesday! As you get ready to relax and watch the fireworks tomorrow, check out what's happened in the 818.  A church in La Crescenta replaced a group of flags, representing diversity, in a ceremony Sunday. Participants said the theft had the opposite of its intended effect, bringing people together. Glendale News-Press A writer mourns the loss of Chez Nous in Toluca Lake, the third closure of an eatery in that neighborhood in a year. North Hollywood Patch  The Mutual UFO Network of Los Angeles is taking a July 1 sighting of a... something...

When flags representing Mexico, South Korea, eco-justice and gays and lesbians were stolen from St. Luke's of the Mountains Episcopal Church - leaving just the American flag standing - the message was conspicuous and unwanted. So on Sunday, as community leaders gathered to reinstall the flags after weeks of fundraising, the message to the perpetrators was just as clear: “You brought the community back together again,” one said. Speaking to the crowd during the dedication on Sunday, church Vicar Bryan Jones said his congregation offered up donations to replace the flags the day after the flags were stolen on May 19. “They left one flag standing and that was an American flag,” Jones said.