Houston

Walter Gragg, 75, of Burbank is an actor and retired attorney. Of all the filmed versions of the tale of the defense of "The Alamo," this is the best I have seen. It delivers moving scenes of character growth by Davy Crockett (Billy Bob Thornton), Jim Bowie (Jason Patric) and William Travis (Patrick Wilson) during 13 days before certain death, but is still a fast-paced, heroic action thriller. This story underlies the cry "Remember the Alamo!" the Texans' 1836 equivalent of "Remember Pearl Harbor!"

MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL NAME: Mark Loretta TEAM: San Diego Padres LOCAL TIES: St. Francis, class of 1989 THIS SEASON: Entering Friday's game against the host Chicago White Sox, Loretta was batting .293 with five home runs and 22 runs batted in. Loretta, an infielder who previously played for the Milwaukee Brewers and Houston Astros, has scored 24 runs and recorded 65 hits this season. He's recorded 11 doubles and one triple. LATEST NEWS: Loretta registered a double in an 8-5 loss to the host Cleveland Indians on Tuesday.

UFC fighter Matt Mitrione was suspended indefinitely earlier this week for disparaging comments he made about transgender fighter Fallon Fox. UFC women's champion Ronda Rousey agrees with him, though not with the language he used. She told the New York Post on Wednesday that Fox, who was a man until undergoing gender reassignment surgery seven years ago, "can try hormones, chop her ... off, but it's still the same bone structure a man has. It's an advantage. I don't think it's fair.

A cast of six singers with the Gay Men's Chorus of Los Angeles shared stories of facing discrimination and finding hope with Glendale High students on Tuesday during a sneak peak of a new musical to debut Feb. 1. The personal testimony and intimate performances brought huge applause from the hundreds of students who attended the event. The chorus reached out to Glendale High to perform part of their new musical in conjunction with the It Gets Better Project, an organization that promotes positive messages for lesbian, gay and transgender youth.

Charles Rich GLENDALE - o7 A look at how local major league baseball players are doingf7 : LORETTA CONTRIBUTING The Milwaukee Brewers haven't enjoyed much success on the field this season. That hasn't stopped second baseman Mark Loretta, a 1989 St. Francis High graduate, from trying to make a positive contribution. Loretta drove in two runs to lead the Brewers, the team with the worst record in major league baseball, to a pair of victories against the host San Diego Padres on May 31 and June 1. He drove in the game-winning run in the ninth inning with a sacrifice bunt to give the Brewers, who last played in the postseason in 1982, a 4-3 win Saturday.

Charles Rich Mark Loretta will finally have a new tag: All-star. Loretta, who graduated from St. Francis High in 1989, was selected as a reserve to the National League All-Star Team. The 75th All-Star game will be held at 5 p.m. Tuesday at Minute Maid Park in Houston. Loretta, who entered Tuesday night's game against the visiting Houston Astros batting .318 with six home runs and 34 runs batted in, was selected by NL Manager Jack McKeon. It will be Loretta's first appearance in an All-Star game, and he will be the lone Padre.

Editor's note: Brett Houston died on July 29, 2002 at the age of 40. For 25 years since the age of 15, he received weekly dialysis treatments because of acute kidney failure. Through it all, Houston was a tower of strength despite standing just 5-feet tall and weighing 115 pounds. It was on golf courses throughout Southern California that he found his greatest success, mainly because of a tremendous will to succeed and an even better short game. The Crescenta Valley High graduate was known as "The Legend" or "The Ledge" because of his feats on the golf course.

MANHATTAN BEACH MIRA COSTA 68, CV 34 CV....................7 7 7 13 -- 34 Mira Costa......28 6 27 7 -- 68 First Quarter MC-Haley 73 pass from Dobush (Houston kick) 9:22 MC-Okwo 2 run (Houston kick) 6:32 MC-Adair 59 pass from Dobush (Houston kick) 5:38 CV-Orozco 22 pass from McGuinness (Orozco kick) 0:22 MC-Haley 85 kickoff return (Houston kick) 0:10 Second Quarter CV-Orozco 20 pass from McGuinness (Orozco kick) 8:52 MC-Okwo 3 run (kick failed)

Army Pvt. Brenda Y. Piedra, daughter of Humberto Piedra of Burbank, has graduated from the unit supply specialist advanced individual training course at Fort Lee in Petersburg, Va. She is a 2000 graduate of Burbank High School. Air Force Airman Artin Avetyan, son of Jirair and Hasmik Avetyan of Burbank, has graduated from basic military training at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio. He is a 2002 graduate from Hoover High School. Marine Corps Pfc. Gilbert S. Ruiz, son of Linda Ruiz of Houston, Texas and Juan Santiago of Glendale, graduated from the Marine Aviation Operations Specialist Course.

Singer Bobby Brown, ex-husband of the late Whitney Houston, was arrested on suspicion of driving while intoxicated in Tarzana early Wednesday morning, his second such arrest in the San Fernando Valley in about six months. Los Angeles Police Department Officer Venus Hall told the Los Angeles Times that officers pulled Brown over near the intersection of Ventura Boulevard and Corbin Avenue about 1 a.m. and "when they approached him, they smelled the alcohol. " Hall said it was unclear if Brown took a Breathalyzer test but said he was booked and released.