Glendale Galleria

It was just like any other day at the Glendale Galleria. Swarms of teens crowded the walkways and benches. Some young couples cuddled, as if unaware that the biggest sale of the season was in progress around them. Burbank resident Liz Martinez, 36, likely walked by a few as she executed her expertly planned  operation, with stops to pick up bargains at the Disney Store, Gymboree and Abercrombie. “I came to buy all the expensive clothes for my daughter I can't afford,” said Martinez, arms full with nine large bags of toys and clothing.  At Glendale's Americana at Brand, Glendale resident Adrian Villanueva, 19, was winding down -- and it was only 5:30 a.m. He had already traveled to Best Buy, Fry's Electronics, Target and Krispy Kreme.

The owner of the Glendale Galleria emerged from bankruptcy protection Tuesday with a new operating plan that officials said would have little immediate impact on local consumers. A spokeswoman for the Galleria's owner, Chicago-based General Growth Properties, said there were no immediate plans for changes at the Glendale mega-mall. General Growth owns or operates more than 200 malls. Under the plan, the company restructured roughly $15 billion of project-level debt, and obtained $6.8 billion in new capital, according to an announcement.

A 19-year-old Los Angeles man was robbed of his wallet and cellphone early Monday as he waited at a bus stop near the Glendale Galleria, police said. The man was sitting alone about 2:30 a.m. at the bus stop on Brand Boulevard, just south of Colorado Street, when he saw another man cross the street and walk toward him, according to Glendale police spokeswoman Tahnee Lightfoot. The man told him “Give me everything you have,” she said. Fearing for his life, the victim handed the man his cellphone and wallet, which contained cash and credit cards, police said.

Microsoft on Monday announced plans to open a temporary storefront in the Glendale Galleria for the holiday shopping season -- part of a nationwide push to increase the company's retail presence as it launches the new Windows 8 operating system this October. The only other city in California slated to get a pop-up store so far is San Francisco. In its announcement, Microsoft said the store would officer customers “an engaging way to experience the best of Microsoft's products and services.” In addition to its new operating system, the company is expected to also unveil a number of new devices with Windows Phone 8. Currently, Microsoft has stores in 20 cities with many major markets not among them, including some of the ones getting temporary stores, according to the Los Angeles Times.

A second man in less than two months has been banned from the Glendale Galleria after inappropriately touching himself inside Macy's. Keane Dean, 25, of Santa Clarita was banned from the mall for three years in connection with his Feb. 28 arrest at the department store, according to Glendale police spokeswoman Tahnee Lightfoot. Prosecutors this week charged Dean with indecent exposure, vandalism and burglary, according to Los Angeles County Superior Court records. Dean's arrest marks the second time since Jan. 17 that police have arrested someone for indecent exposure inside Macy's.

When Bloomingdale's opens its new store in the Glendale Galleria on Friday, it will put a cap on a yearlong transformation of the mall from a 1970s-era brick monolith into a new, sleeker shopping center that fits in with the city's bustling retail hub downtown. Larry Martin, the Galleria's general manager, said Tuesday the renovations went hand in hand with the mall's effort to remain a retail flagship in Glendale, along with the neighboring Americana at Brand. “Clearly, this is really a three-block area in downtown Glendale that is a synergy area driving retail sales and customers to the area,” he said.

A 24-year-old former Target store employee was arrested this past weekend on a warrant for allegedly masturbating outside the Glendale Galleria in front of two women last year. Los Angeles police stopped the man, Hanover Mares, early Saturday in the 100 block of Los Angeles Street and arrested him on the outstanding warrant for indecent exposure, according to Glendale Police Sgt. Tom Lorenz. The women, who were employees at American Eagle Outfitters, reported the indecent exposure incident to officers on April 18, 2011, according to Glendale police reports.

A 44-year-old Hollywood man has been banned from the Glendale Galleria for allegedly sexually harassing a group of teenage girls at the mall while dressed in a zebra-print spandex outfit complete with a feather boa and fedora. The man, Scott Basko, pleaded not guilty Tuesday to three misdemeanor counts of child molesting for making sexually explicit gestures at the girls - who ranged in age from 13 to 15 - on Monday, according to the Los Angeles County Superior Court criminal complaint.

Claudia Peschiutta GLENDALE -- Look out. A new eye-wear store is set to open at the Glendale Galleria today. Solstice is owned by LVMH Group Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton, an international luxury brand company. The 1,000-square-foot Glendale location will be one of only a handful of Solstice stores throughout the U.S. In November 1999, the company opened a watch store known as Synchrony at the mall. LVMH later decided to close its Synchrony stores because they did not prove to be as successful as the Solstice locations.

Kimora Lee Simmons is giving her e-commerce fashion site JustFab a bricks-and-mortar home. The new 3,000-square-foot flagship store is set to open at the Glendale Galleria with a grand opening celebration from 2 to 4 p.m. Saturday. Simmons, the company's president and creative director, will be on hand to meet customers. Stylists George Kotsiopolous and Jessica Paster are also expected to attend the event, which will include Champagne, desserts and music by DJ Chris Carter, the Los Angeles Times reported . The creator and former designer of the Baby Phat clothing line and host of the Style Network show "Life in the Fab Lane," Simmons joined the Manhattan Beach-based subscription e-tailer in 2011.

The Glendale Galleria, which underwent a major renovation that was unveiled last fall , is gearing up to offer a slew of new stores and eateries in the coming months and news about what will take over the former Nordstrom space could come as early as May. Meanwhile, the Americana at Brand will soon welcome a few new tasty offerings. The upcoming openings come on the heels of the opening of a Bloomingdale's store last November in the Galleria on the corner of Brand Boulevard and Broadway.

From the booming downtown development scene to new retailers at the Americana at Brand and Glendale Galleria, there are plenty of positives to highlight in Glendale, but there are also looming problems that could take the wind out of the city's sails, Mayor Dave Weaver said at the annual State of the City luncheon Thursday. Weaver was referring to two separate lawsuits aiming to end the annual transfer of tens of millions of dollars from Glendale Water & Power to the city's General Fund that pays for police and other general services as well as a proposed ballot measure to repeal the utility users tax, which also supports the General Fund.

Three new eateries ranging from fancy to fast casual are arriving in the heart of downtown Glendale. On Wednesday, Bourbon Steak held a grand-opening ceremony at the Americana at Brand. The restaurant is run by celebrity Chef Michael Mina, who also operates two more Bourbon Steak locations. The American fare ranges from the signature 18-ounce dry rib-eye steak to a classic bacon cheeseburger with no shortage of duck-fat fries. Truffle doughnuts are just one of the dessert items on the menu to cap off dinner.

Two of the top 10 intersections with the highest collision rates in the city are situated in Glendale's busiest neighborhood: downtown. Police logged 43 collisions at North Brand Boulevard and Goode Avenue, which leads drivers off and onto the Ventura (134) Freeway, according to 2013 statistics from the Glendale Police Department. The same number of collisions occurred at 201 S. Central Ave, where entrances for the Americana at Brand and Glendale Galleria are across from each other.

More than a dozen bicyclists riding without required lights were stopped this week in downtown Glendale and gifted a set of lights during a traffic safety operation. The light donation was part of Operation Firefly, an effort carried out by Walk Bike Glendale on Tuesday to ensure cyclists were riding safely at night, group member Nathalie Winiarski said. Nearly all cyclists who rode past Winiarski and a group of volunteers at the intersection of California Avenue and Brand Boulevard didn't have lights, even though they knew lights were required.

Hoover High School won the 24 t h annual Glendale Unified Scholastic Bowl this week. The academic competition pits teams from the four high schools in the district, including Crescenta Valley, Glendale and Clark Magnet, against each other. Hoover High topped the pack with 71 points, winning $500. Crescenta Valley High placed second with 69 points and won $250. Third place went to Clark Magnet High with 62 points and bringing home $150, while Glendale High won fourth place with 41 points, winning $100.

Good morning, 818 readers. Today is Thursday, March 6, 2014. The Glendale area will have a high of 72 and a low of 52, according to the National Weather Service. To the delight of parents and students, a unique crossing-guard program at a Rosemont Middle School has not only been extended but may expand throughout the county . On Tuesday, the Los Angeles Board of Supervisors unanimously approved making the trial program at Rosemont Middle School permanent, and also put in place a process for middle schools in unincorporated areas to apply for funds for crossing guards.

Investigators recovered bomb-making materials this week inside a big rig, which they reportedly linked to a Glendale man who was being investigated for assaulting his ex-girlfriend with a sledgehammer, police said. Prosecutors charged Hambardzum Rushanyan, 32, on Wednesday with possessing explosives-making materials, according to a Los Angeles County Superior Court criminal complaint. The materials were found in a big rig parked in a storage yard in Santa Clarita, Glendale police spokeswoman Tahnee Lightfoot said.

Turns out the state law that forced Glendale to hold onto dozens of vintage arcade machines doesn't apply to the games at all, paving the way for an upcoming auction of the machines last valued at a total of roughly $100,000. More than 50 games, which have been collecting dust in storage for roughly three years are to be appraised by a specialist and then sold at auction, according to a City Council decision made this week at a City Hall meeting. The council had to decide what to do with the arcade machines, including two Ms. Pac-Mans and a Galaga game, after state Department of Finance officials said they didn't care about them.

A second man in less than two months has been banned from the Glendale Galleria after inappropriately touching himself inside Macy's. Keane Dean, 25, of Santa Clarita was banned from the mall for three years in connection with his Feb. 28 arrest at the department store, according to Glendale police spokeswoman Tahnee Lightfoot. Prosecutors this week charged Dean with indecent exposure, vandalism and burglary, according to Los Angeles County Superior Court records. Dean's arrest marks the second time since Jan. 17 that police have arrested someone for indecent exposure inside Macy's.