Homes

Several blocks in East Glendale were left without water Friday after a 12-inch water main broke, officials said. Water was shut off to homes in the 2300 to 2700 blocks of Canada Boulevard and the 1700 block of Capistrano Circle, according city spokesman Tom Lorenz. Repairs to the iron main break were expected to be completed by 5:30 p.m. The break occurred about 11 a.m. at Canada Boulevard and El Rito Avenue. -- Veronica Rocha, veronica.rocha@latimes.com Follow on Google+ and on Twitter: @VeronicaRochaLA .

The real estate market in Glendale saw continued steady growth last month as median home prices were driven up by a limited number of homes and lots of potential buyers, according to the latest real estate report. The median price of a single-family home rose 10.1% compared to February 2012, from $622,000 to $685,000, according to statistics compiled by Realtor Keith Sorem with Keller Williams Realty in Glendale. The median price of a condominium also increased, rising 14% for the second straight month.

I read in the News-Press an article (“Smoking restrictions back to dais,” Sept. 25) about the Glendale City Council considering a law that would make it a violation to smoke in your apartment. I do not see why this a government problem. When someone rents or leases an apartment they sign a contract. If in that contract is says “no smoking,” they agree to it with a signature. It is the duty of the landlord, not the government, to enforce that agreement. If someone who lives next door does not like that person smoking in their own home then they should notify the landlord, not some government agency.

A brush fire that broke out just north of the Ventura (134) Freeway Tuesday climbed a nearby hillside and briefly threatened homes in adjacent Glendale before it was extinguished shortly after noon, officials reported. The fire, reported at 10:48 a.m. near the westbound lanes in Eagle Rock, prompted authorities to prepare residents on Sleepy Hollow Drive in Glenoaks Canyon to evacuate as water-dropping helicopters and ground crews from several fire agencies, including Glendale, battled the slow-moving blaze.

Pressure is mounting on the California Department of Transportation to sell the 460 properties it owns on the Long Beach (710) Freeway corridor, but officials say it could be years before any decision is made. For decades, Caltrans has owned hundreds of homes in Pasadena, South Pasadena and El Sereno. The agency acquired the homes in the 1950s, '60s and '70s to accommodate plans to extend the 710 Freeway from Alhambra to the Foothill (210) Freeway in Pasadena. The project has stalled amid lawsuits, funding problems and political controversy, and now it appears regional transportation officials favor digging a 4.5-mile tunnel to connect the 210 and the 710. As a result, calls for Caltrans to sell the homes are growing louder.

More homes face high risk of being destroyed in a wildfire in densely populated Los Angeles County than in any other county in the state, according to new insurance industry research that underscores that fire danger is not confined to rural areas. The analysis, released Wednesday by the Insurance Information Network of California, places more than 2 million homes in the high-risk category statewide. Slightly more than half of them are in Southern California, where huge, wind-driven fires have charred thousands of houses in the last decade.

Tickets go on sale Wednesday for the 55th annual Hoover High School PTA Tour of Homes, scheduled from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Dec. 8. The tour raises funds for senior scholarships. A new feature this year will be a refreshment area at one of the homes, where local merchants will be selling food and donating back a portion of the sales to the tour committee. The four homes featured will be festively dressed for the holidays. The styles of homes selected this year are an American Colonial Revival built in 1936, a French Normandy built in 1937, a Spanish style built in 1927 and a California Ranch house built in 1937.

Buck Wargo CITY HALL -- As part of a get-tough stance on variances and conditional-use permits, the Glendale City Council rejected a developer's plan to build two homes on steep hillside lots. The 4-1 vote means developer Mark Abrahamian of Glendale will have to return to the drawing board to submit a plan that would be acceptable to city officials and residents of Chevy Chase Canyon. The Chevy Chase Estates Assn. asked the council to overturn decisions of the zoning administrator and Board of Zoning Adjustments allowing Abrahamian to build three-story homes on two lots in the 2400 block of Cascadia Drive.

Driving down the streets of La Crescenta, friends and neighbors are pleasantly surprised (and often in awe of) the elaborate lawn displays that people erect to celebrate the Christmas season. Altadena may have Christmas Tree Lane and Woodland Hills Candy Cane Lane, but the foothills aren't exactly a Grinch when it comes to decorating. For the next few issues of the Valley Sun, we'd like to shine a spotlight on those homes that have made the extra effort to make everyone feel good when they travel down their street.

The number of foreclosed homes that sold in the Glendale region plummeted in November to only a handful, according to the latest real estate figures Four bank-owned properties sold last month, a dramatic decline from 23 in November 2011, according to statistics compiled by Realtor Keith Sorem with Keller Williams in Glendale. In the La Crescenta-Montrose area, only one bank-owned property sold in November, compared to six the same month last year. Broker Hamlet Nersesian, who owns Armex Realty in Glendale, said the drop in bank-owned properties for sale is a mystery.

Karlsen Termini couldn't help but notice a gradual increase of fans who have flocked to the Glendale Sports Complex to watch the surging Flintridge Prep baseball team compete this season. The contingent has seen quite a turnaround campaign from the Rebels, who gained a share of the Prep League championship since 1997 and won a playoff game for the first time since 1999. Termini and the Rebels will have another chance to dazzle their fan base when fourth-seeded Flintridge Prep meets visiting Crean Lutheran at 3:15 p.m. Friday in a CIF Southern Section Division VI quarterfinal game at the Glendale Sports Complex.

The real estate market in Glendale ticked upward again last month after a brief stall in March, reflecting an ongoing limited number of homes for sale and a multitude of potential buyers, according to the latest real estate report. The median price of a single-family home nudged up 2.4% compared to April 2012, from $625,000 to $640,000, according to statistics compiled by Realtor Keith Sorem with Keller Williams Realty in Glendale. The median price of a condominium increased more dramatically, rising 19.5%, from $266,000 a year ago to $318,000 last month.

Several blocks in East Glendale were left without water Friday after a 12-inch water main broke, officials said. Water was shut off to homes in the 2300 to 2700 blocks of Canada Boulevard and the 1700 block of Capistrano Circle, according city spokesman Tom Lorenz. Repairs to the iron main break were expected to be completed by 5:30 p.m. The break occurred about 11 a.m. at Canada Boulevard and El Rito Avenue. -- Veronica Rocha, veronica.rocha@latimes.com Follow on Google+ and on Twitter: @VeronicaRochaLA .

Two sisters who were fighting with each other on Saturday allegedly decided to take their rage out on a police officer by punching and kicking him, officials said. The sisters - Delmi Carranza, 21, and Patricia Carranza, 28 - were fighting and screaming at each other about 7:41 p.m. on the porch of a home in the 600 block of Arden Avenue, according to Glendale police. They were reportedly fighting because the father of Delmi Carranza's baby was allegedly having an affair with her sister.

ARCADIA - It appeared hope for capturing the Pacific League baseball title and avenging a previous loss against its rival was running low for the Crescenta Valley High baseball team Friday night. Down two runs headed into the bottom of the seventh inning, the Falcons appeared to be down to their final out after consecutive strikeouts. The second, however, came on a wild pitch to CV's Joe Torres that rolled to the fence. Torres beat the throw to first, representing the tying the run and bringing the potential winning run to the plate.

Los Angeles police officers arrested a Glendale man Wednesday afternoon after he led them on a pursuit near La Cañada Flintridge, officials said. The man, who was not immediately identified, was stopped on Foothill Boulevard near the Glendale (2) Freeway at about 11:37 a.m. after officers observed him possibly purchasing narcotics, said Los Angeles Police Lt. Andy Neiman. He started driving northbound on the 2 Freeway and led officers on a pursuit before it was abandoned due to safety concerns, said Neiman.

LA CAÑADA - Whether it has been playoff basketball or postseason volleyball, the fanatic students at Flintridge Prep have seen their share of memorable contests. They saw another thrilling match Tuesday night when the Prep boys' volleyball team took on Cerritos Whitney in a first-round contest of the CIF Southern Section Division IV playoffs. PHOTOS: Flintridge Prep vs. Whitney CIF Southern Section Division IV playoffs The Rebels took an exciting first game and dropped the next two games by a combined five points before winning the fourth game by three points, setting up a winner-take-all fifth game.

A 30-year-old woman is the fourth suspect to be charged in connection with a home invasion robbery in January in Glendale, police said. April Cobb has been charged with being an accessory after the fact, according to Los Angeles County Superior Court records. Details about her involvement in the robbery were not released because police were still investigating the incident, according to Glendale Police Sgt. Tom Lorenz. Cobb has been previously convicted of receiving stolen property and providing false information to police.

Dozens of firefighters were trying to get the upper hand on a brush fire in Glendale Friday afternoon as it threatened canyon homes and wrecked havoc on nearby freeways. Evacuation orders were issued for homes in the 500 block of Solway Street. Traffic into Chevy Chase Canyon was closed as water-dropping helicopters attacked from above. [Update: As of about 4:20 p.m., the fire had grown to 75 acres, according to the city. No injuries were reported as of 4:20 p.m. and no structures had been damaged.

SOFTBALL Flintridge Sacred Heart Academy 11, Louisville 1 (five innings): The host Tologs picked up a Mission League victory Thursday. The games was called after five innings because of the 10-run mercy rule. Flintridge Sacred Heart improved to 10-11-2 and 1-7 in league. San Gabriel Mission 8, Holy Family 2: The Gaels fell Thursday in an Horizon League road contest. Holy Family dropped to 6-13 and 3-4 in league with one league game remaining Tuesday at Alverno. The Gaels are in third place in league.