Internet

For Larry King, the death of Osama bin Laden provided an awakening. The veteran talk show host had been nudged toward the door by CNN in 2010 after 25 years of interviewing such titans as Frank Sinatra, Tom Cruise and Barack Obama. After that, King had been giving inspirational speeches in far-flung countries, doing an occasional stand-up comedy routine and taping a few TV specials for CNN. One was supposed to run on a Sunday in May 2011. King had dinner guests over that night for a viewing party.

Gretchen Hoffman The 24 computers that line the walls of Net Caffe have been used by people with every level of computer experience. During the day, adults take advantage of the fax machine and printer, and they join in on classes on computer basics such as e-mailing and navigating the World Wide Web. After school and on weekends, however, the crowd is decidedly more tech-savvy. Teenagers surf and talk in chat rooms or hook up with friends to compete head-to-head on Counter-Strike, Medal of Honor and more.

The Glendale City Council accepted $23,778 in federal funding to pay for equipment that will allow Glendale police detectives to more effectively investigate computer and Internet-related crimes. The U.S. Department of Justice issues grants to local police agencies to improve public safety and reduce crime. Police have used similar grants in the past to purchase “less lethal” weapon technology, training supplies, tactical equipment, digital evidence photography systems and update computer equipment.

Claudia Peschiutta BURBANK -- The opportunities the Internet offers to small business owners will be the focus of a free seminar on June 16 hosted by state Sen. Adam Schiff (D-Glendale). "How to Expand Your Small Business Using the Internet" will be presented by Kent J. Burnes at the breakfast meeting to be held from 7:30 to 10 a.m. at the The Castaway restaurant, 1250 Harvard Road in Burbank. The seminar will cover topics such as online marketing and securing credit card sales.

Amber Willard GLENDALE -- A local digital entertainment company will keep only a handful of its 80 workers after announcing layoffs that will start by week's end, officials said. "We will retain a small staff to support our creative endeavors," DreamWorks SKG spokeswoman Vivian Mayer said of POP.com, which was started less than a year ago. The site, whose content was to be a mix of live action and animation produced exclusively for the Internet, was backed by DreamWorks founder Steven Spielberg and Imagine Entertainment head Ron Howard.

Karen S. Kim GLENDALE -- A bill by Assemblyman Dario Frommer (D-Glendale) that would require age verification for tobacco purchases made over the Internet has been passed by the Assembly with a 52-17 vote. Frommer introduced the bill after his staff successfully purchased tobacco over the Internet using the name of a 2-year-old girl. No age verification was required, Frommer said. "More and more kids are using the Internet to get around the ban on purchasing cigarettes," Frommer said in a statement.

Judy Seckler TEXAS -- Parents with children who are not performing well and unmotivated by school can get help on the Internet. A free checklist developed by Michael Whitley, a child psychologist, describes 18 characteristics of an "underachiever" and can help pinpoint a child's problems in school. To view the checklist log onto www.greatstudent.com. A special report titled "Why Smart Kids Make Bad Grades," explaining why these problems exist can be found at the same site.

Legislation that would crack down on people selling cigarettes to children over the Internet won support from both houses of Congress with a 51-15 vote. The bill now requires the approval of Gov. Gray Davis. Introduced by Assemblyman Dario Frommer (D-Glendale), AB 1830 would prohibit sales of tobacco products online without age verification. "More and more kids are using the Internet to purchase cigarettes," Frommer said in a press release.

Robert Shaffer GLENDALE -- Glendale-based DreamWorks SKG is joining forces with Imagine Entertainment to create POP.com, a company that will broadcast Internet-only programming. Broadcasts, to be launced in the spring, will be a mix of live events and animation. Some features will include video segments under six minutes, which the company is calling "pops." All programs will be interactive, and users will be able to create their own pops. The best submissions will be rewarded with development contracts with DreamWorks and Imagine.

GLENDALE — Bob Hope Airport, hoping to better suit the needs of modern travelers, is considering offering free high-speed Internet. But the plan could be derailed by a struggling economy and sagging passenger figures. At the Oct. 6 Burbank-Glendale-Pasadena Airport Authority meeting, Commissioner Carl Povilaitis asked staff members to research the viability of providing free Internet throughout the airport, including the legal ramifications of terminating contracts with the three current providers.

For Larry King, the death of Osama bin Laden provided an awakening. The veteran talk show host had been nudged toward the door by CNN in 2010 after 25 years of interviewing such titans as Frank Sinatra, Tom Cruise and Barack Obama. After that, King had been giving inspirational speeches in far-flung countries, doing an occasional stand-up comedy routine and taping a few TV specials for CNN. One was supposed to run on a Sunday in May 2011. King had dinner guests over that night for a viewing party.

The Glendale City Council accepted $23,778 in federal funding to pay for equipment that will allow Glendale police detectives to more effectively investigate computer and Internet-related crimes. The U.S. Department of Justice issues grants to local police agencies to improve public safety and reduce crime. Police have used similar grants in the past to purchase “less lethal” weapon technology, training supplies, tactical equipment, digital evidence photography systems and update computer equipment.

For years, Chris and Jennifer Davis have given their students the task of interviewing senior family members as part of an oral history project for the couple's humanities class at Clark Magnet High School. But the cheap recorders used to collect the audio data were increasingly insufficient. So earlier this month, Chris Davis turned to the nonprofit website donorschoose.org , where he posted a request for eight, high-quality digital recorders and a description of how they would be used.

A handful of Clark High School students dressed in formal business attire had a meeting with the commander of the joint anti-corruption task force in Afghanistan - over video conference. Sixteen-year-old Greg Grigoryan, who arranged the call for the school's Geopolitics Club, said he's been a fan of Brig. Gen. H.R. McMaster since watching him on “Charlie Rose” in 2008. From his hub in Afghanistan, McMaster explained the military's stance on the war. “Our forces here are engaged in an enemy that is the enemy of all civilized people,” he began.

I am so sorry to hear that “City Views” is no longer published. I feel awful for people who don't have Internet, especially retired seniors. Even me, I don't and can't read well on the screen of computer. I understand there is budget problem. But I do believe that we should still issue this flier, for this might be the only one to reach those who don't have Internet or computer. These people certainly do have the right to know what is going on in our society. How can they participate without knowing the events or issues?

Internet and phone service has been sporadic Sunday for thousands of Southern California homes and businesses after one of the area's largest providers, Time Warner Cable, experienced outages, the Los Angeles Times reports . The problem began just before 7 a.m., according to Jim Gordon, a Time Warner spokesman. "Our engineers are working to deploy a fix," Gordon said. The company's television service did not appear to be affected. Gordon said Time Warner was still investigating the problem.

Residents who have not been able to attend meetings to share ideas on Burbank long-range planning guide have instead turned to the Internet to be heard, officials say. The online site for the Burbank 2035 master plan, burbanktownhall.com , has generated at least 2,050 visitors since it launched June 20, said Tracy Streinkruger, a senior planner in the city's planning and transportation division. “We have 115 registered users, and I expect many other persons have, at least, viewed the site but opted not to participate,” she said.

The famous Salvation Army Red Kettle is synonymous with bell-ringing volunteers outside grocery stores, but now the campaign has a little more rock 'n' roll. Rock the Red Kettle concert was broadcast live online as young performers Emily Osment from Disney Channel's "Hannah Montana," singer Ashlyne Huff, New Hollow, One Call, Savvy and Stevie Brock met a crowd of young fans Wednesday night at the Americana at Brand. This was the first benefit show to raise awareness through the Salvation Army's text-to-give program, which allows donors to text the word "GIVE" to 85944 and make a $10 donation to the Salvation Army of Southern California.

CENTRAL GLENDALE — The past week has been a whirlwind for 22-year-old Glendale resident Elyse Porterfield, who became an Internet sensation after starring in an online hoax about "Jenny," a disgruntled assistant who quit her job via a dry erase board. Since Porterfield was revealed as the actress behind the famous photos , she's been spoofed by comedian Jimmy Kimmel, given dozens of interviews to media outlets and received hundreds of marriage proposals from love-struck men across the nation.

CITY HALL — The mayor of Topeka, Kansas signed a proclamation renaming the city “Google” for the month of March. The mayor of Duluth, Minn. jumped into icy Lake Superior to proclaim his love for the Internet giant in a video posted on YouTube. Glendale officials this week joined the fray — launching a “Google4Glendale” Website as a part of its campaign to be chosen as a test site for Google’s experimental high-speed Internet system. Under the company’s “Google Fiber for Communities” pilot program, one or more cities will serve as test locations for the the company’s super high-speed fiber optic network.