Glendale Burbank

In almost every election, League of Women Voters chapters across the United States perform a hugely important function: they sponsor candidate debates presented in arguably the most nonpartisan environment possible. League of Women Voters debates are widely regarded as the one time during election seasons when candidates get together on equal footing and debate the issues in as rhetoric-free an environment as possible. But the league does more than just stage debates.

GLENDALE — Local unemployment rates held relatively steady in March, with jobless figures for Glendale and Burbank remaining below the rate for Los Angeles County, according to a report released Friday. Glendale’s unemployment rate improved slightly to 10.7% — down 0.1% from last month — while Burbank’s remained the same at 10%, according to monthly labor data released Friday by the California Employment Development Department. The data were not seasonally adjusted, which means they did not account for variables, such as temporary jobs.

Tim Willert GLENDALE -- Terry Bailey can still recall the time she watched a presidential debate being moderated by the League of Women Voters. She was 5. "Even at 5, I was aware that all the government officials were men and everybody running for office were men," she said. "I remember seeing this debate, and I thought to myself, 'those must be very important women."' Bailey, a Glendale resident who is the outgoing president of the league's Glendale-Burbank chapter, has been nominated for the organization's state board.

Amber Willard GRANDVIEW -- A Glendale man was arrested early Thursday on suspicion of felony drunken driving and first-degree murder in a crash that killed a man who was riding in his car. Armen Aharonian, 27, was speeding on West Alameda Avenue shortly after 12:30 a.m. when he failed to stop at a stoplight at Glenoaks Boulevard and hit another car, Glendale Police said. The crash occurred at the Glendale-Burbank border and police from both cities responded.

Glendale Water and Power will host a free solar workshop for Glendale teachers grades 4 to 12 from 3:30 to 6:30 p.m. in the Perkins Community Room, first floor, 141 N. Glendale Ave., Glendale. Teachers will experiment with solar electricity, learn about the art and science of solar energy, build a solar cooker and learn how to incorporate hands-on lessons for their classrooms. For more information, call (818) 548-3381. ? The Glendale Latino Assn. will have its November mixer and toy drive from 5 to 8 p.m. at New Horizons Family Center, 744 S. Glendale Ave., Glendale.

Amber Willard BURBANK -- Two boys seeking retaliation for an earlier fight were arrested on suspicion of committing a hate crime against a Burbank man, police said. The boys, a 16-year-old Glendale resident and a 15-year-old Burbank High School student, were arrested at 4:58 p.m. Tuesday after yelling racial slurs at the 18-year-old Burbank man, who is Latino, and chasing him along Alameda Avenue and Glenoaks Boulevard, police said. The arrests were made in the 2000 block of West Glenoaks Boulevard, near the Glendale-Burbank border.

GLENDALE — Authorities pulled 3,500 marijuana plants Tuesday from La Tuna Canyon in the Verdugo Mountains on the Glendale-Los Angeles border, less than two weeks after 6,000 plants were seized above Crescenta Valley Park. A joint Glendale-Burbank air patrol unit spotted three groves within a quarter-mile of one another during routine patrol on Aug. 17 — the day after police seized two tons marijuana, with a $10-million street value,Glendale Police Sgt. Steve Robertson said.

It's that time of year again. Graduations are upon us and students are now preparing to embark on the next stage of their lives. Whether going on to school or entering the military or the workforce, this is a big moment in a young person's life. As the celebrations begin, why not give a new graduate a gift that will last for years to come? Why not help them register to vote? Voting brings us together as Americans - it is the one time when we are all equal. It doesn't matter if you're rich or poor, or young or old; elections are our opportunity to elect leaders who lift up our communities and make them better.

The Glendale Symphony Orchestra will use $15,000 to expose children to music. GLENDALE -- It will be a night of Santa Claus and Mozart for more than 200 children who might not otherwise get the chance to enjoy either. The Glendale Symphony Orchestra will use a $15,000 grant from Citibank to transport children from New Horizons and the YWCA on Friday for an afternoon of learning about classical music, meeting Santa Claus and enjoying a short-but-spirited concert. "A lot of the under-privileged kids will never know anything but Britney Spears and rap music," said Diane Hedrick, the symphony's executive director.

GLENDALE — Burbank, Glendale and Pasadena are working with the Metropolitan Transit Authority on a high-quality, express transit system that would connect rail systems in Pasadena to North Hollywood via the Ventura (134) Freeway, officials said on Monday. "There are a lot of commuters that go from Pasadena, and beyond Pasadena, through Glendale, through Burbank and through the San Fernando Valley in a westerly direction and in an easterly direction," Glendale Traffic and Transportation Administrator Jano Baghdanian said.

BURBANK - Defense has long been a cornerstone for Crescenta Valley High girls' water polo success. Thus, on Thursday, as a lack of offensive execution and production drew the ire of Falcons Coach Brent Danna, it was defensive dominance throughout that still afforded Crescenta Valley a comfortable 13-1 victory against Glendale in the Pacific League Tournament final at Burbank High to wrap up the league crown. “Everything's defense,” said Crescenta Valley's Elissa Arnold, who had four goals and four steals.

Good morning, 818 readers! Today is Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2014. Weather in the Glendale area is expected to hit a high of 63 degrees and a low of 44. We're rounding up the top headlines in the region: Five lanes were shut down on the northbound Glendale (2) Freeway yesterday afternoon after a multi-car collision near Mountain Street, officials said. Five people were taken to local hospitals for minor injuries. Brian Hoke, 33, was arrested Sunday after he allegedly broke into the Scholl Canyon Landfill and tried to steal a Glendale Water & Power truck , which he planned to use to return home to Long Beach, police said.

BURBANK - Challenged, but never overtaken, the surging Glendale High girls' water polo team continued its impressive push through the Pacific League by holding off Burroughs High, 9-7, on Tuesday afternoon. With the victory, the CIF Southern Section Division V ninth-ranked Nitros (11-2, 4-0) head into an undefeated showdown at four-time Pacific League champion Crescenta Valley, the third-ranked team, on Thursday afternoon. “We're going to give them our best. Crescenta Valley is a great team, but we're going to play our hardest,” said Nitros junior goalie Lara Thomas, who finished with six saves in two quarters of play.

BURBANK - When Burroughs High's and Glendale's girls' basketball teams met in Friday night's Pacific League bout, it was a game that featured two squads dealing with different realities. For the Indians, they're positioning themselves to repeat as league champs. For the Nitros, they're trying to get the season in gear before it's too late. Burroughs kept its hopes in line, in turn further disrupting the Nitros', as the Indians prevailed, 67-30, at home. The Indians, who have won three straight and five of their last six, improved to 10-6 overall and 2-0 in league.

Good morning, 818 locals! Today is Thursday, Jan. 9, 2014. The National Weather Service predicts highs of 67 and lows of 45 in the Glendale area today. Here are your top news stories in the area:  A reputed gang member shot himself in the foot Tuesday night after reportedly carjacking a vehicle , and then fired several rounds at a Good Samaritan who stopped to ask if he was hurt on the Glendale (2) Freeway, police said. During the police investigation, a section of the freeway was shut down.

Rescued creatures large and small contributed to the year's headlines.   Cat resuscitated after fire A 12-year-old cat that was resuscitated by Glendale firefighters during an apartment fire in February was adopted from the Pasadena Humane Society after its former owners, who were contacted, according to fire officials, did not come forward to take it. The black cat with golden eyes, named Glinda, was brought back to life after...

Authorities warned residents on Friday that people are posing as Glendale and Burbank utility employees who threaten to shut off services for those who refuse to pay their bills using money cards. At least three Glendale Water & Power customers shelled out $1,000 to $2,000 each in the last week to the impostors, who posed as customer service representatives when they called them about making a utility payment, according to Atineh Haroutunian, the utility's public information officer.

In a letter to the California Department of Public Health this month, Glendale City Manager Scott Ochoa applauded the agency's draft limit on a cancer-causing water contaminant, but the majority of water agencies whose representatives spoke about the matter at a public hearing on Friday opposed the change. Those who oppose the draft limit, including Pasadena Water & Power, the Coachella Valley Water District and the San Gabriel Valley Water Assn., called the draft limit of 10 parts of Chromium 6 per billion cost-prohibitive and unnecessary.

Join Times Community News editor Dan Evans and reporter Joe Piasecki for a LIVE chat about the eight Armenian American television stations and nearly a dozen Armenian American newspapers in the Jewel City. To view an archive of the live chat, held Oct. 8 at 12 p.m., click here .  Check out the recent story on this issue:  Glendale and Burbank are Ground Zero for an emerging Armenian media landscape . Local Armenian diaspora press links: Television Armenian American Broadcasting Corp.