Radar

The victims of the 2008 Metrolink train disaster in Chatsworth are being remembered today with at least two ceremonies, KTLA reported. Twenty-five passengers were killed and another 135 were injured -- 46 critically -- when the commuter train crashed head-on with a Union Pacific freight train. Authorities said Metrolink's engineer, 46-year-old Robert Sanchez, had been texting teenage train enthusiasts in the minutes leading up to the collision.

As a web editor, I'll give you one guess as to what I spend most of my day doing. Hint: it involves a computer, coffee and a reliable Internet connection. Yes, I'm surfing that metaphorical wave on the web. Besides updating Times Community News' websites and blogs, I'm constantly searching for what else is out there. Events. Breaking news. Weird news. You name it. Since I tend to share whatever I find with the newsroom staff anyway, I figured I'd also share these items with you. Hence, this daily blog with the monkier 'On the Radar.' I hope to gather informative and useful news and events from around the area.

A fire at a 100-year-old Echo Park home Wednesday night prompted the use of water-dropping helicopters, according to ABC7 . The blaze broke out Wednesday night on the first floor of the 1300 block of Elysian Park Drive home, the news site reported. Fire officials told ABC7 there were 100 firefighters on scene, and it took an hour before the blaze was knocked down. The house was badly damaged but there were no injuries. Paper or Plastic? Try neither.

Governor Jerry Brown vetoed a bill Tuesday that would have doubled fines for illegal cellphone use while driving, Laist.com reported. The bill would have also held bicyclists accountable to the same laws as drivers. The governor said he supports discouraging the use of cellphone in the car, but didn't want ratchet up the penalties for such infractions. The bill's author, Sen. Joe Simitian (D-Palo Alto), said Brown's veto is “a lost opportunity to save more lives," according to the news site.

Booze conosuers are putting forth their best efforts to get Gov. Jerry Brown to sign bill into law that would overturn a ban on serving cocktails made with infused alcohol in the state, Laist.com reported. For almost the past 100 years it has been illegal for bars to serve a drink made with spirits infused with other flavors, including herbs or vegetables, when the infusion is not done prior to the bottling process. Music with a local flare The Glendale Latino Assn.

Jackson Bell California Highway Patrol officers have introduced one more tool to slow motorists who speed on the Foothill (210) Freeway: radar enforcement. As soon as Caltrans installs new signs that point out radar enforcement, officers at the CHP Altadena station will begin using new radar equipment while patrolling the 210 between Sylmar and Arcadia -- including La Canada Flintridge, La Crescenta and Montrose. "This area of the 210 freeway has certain stretches that are well known for [motorists]

The draining of Echo Park Lake has created quite the stench. Following several complaints over the weekend, the Los Angeles Department of Public Works deposited lime in parts of the lakebed to combat the stink, according to Echo Park Patch . According to a Field Poll released Tuesday , 91% of California voters say the Golden State's economy is experiencing "bad times. " It's the third year in a row that more than 90% of voters have depicted the state's economy in a negative light, the Los Angeles Time s reported.

Tim Willert and Karen S. Kim CITY HALL -- The City Council on Tuesday considered whether to introduce an ordinance that would increase speed limits on dozens of city streets based on radar traffic surveys required by state law. Police officials told the council that adopting the survey recommendations is necessary for upholding speeding tickets in court. Recent legal rulings now require speed limits to reflect the speeds at which 85% of drivers are traveling.

Joshua Pelzer Drivers could get the green light to be more on the go, as the City Council considers raising speed limits on 35 stretches of Glendale streets. Speed limits would increase by 5 to 10 mph on the streets, should the council follow a recommendation by the city's traffic and transportation division The proposed revisions are based on the findings of a radar-speed survey required by the California Vehicle Code for setting speed limits and allowing the use of laser and radar for ticket enforcement.

CLASSES Resume Writing — Jan. 24, from 1 to 2:30 p.m . The La Cañada Flintridge Library is offering a free program for job seekers covering how to write a great resume, presented by Toby Solorzano. Learn why you need a resume and how to write one that looks professional, but grabs the reader right away. The program is free and light refreshments will be served. The La Cañada Flintridge Library, 4545 Oakwood Ave., La Cañada Flintridge. For information, call (818)

Glendale will host a series of community meetings to discuss a schedule of electricity rate increases that city officials say are needed to pay for badly needed infrastructure upgrades and to improve the utility's financial footing. The meetings come nearly a year after city officials first proposed a 14.7% rate hike to be spread over four years, starting with a 3% bump in 2013. But that plan was put on hold as the election season heated up and public sentiment at a series of outreach meetings was less than supportive.

The brother of the "Wild Bill," a La Cañada transistent who was found dead at Hahamonga Watershed Park last month, spoke out to La Cañada Patch earler this week. Erik Chavez told Patch he is comforted to know La Cañada residents cared enough to plan a public remembrance for this brother at Hahamonga Park on Nov. 13. "He had a lot of friends, mostly homeless, and a lot of times society looks away from those people," Chavez told the news site on Wednesday.

Burbank, Glendale and Pasadena residents may see a ban on plastic bags in the new future, which may pose a lifestyle change for some shoppers. Fear not, Angeleno Heights resident Beth Zeigler wants to help people get organized with reusable bags, the Eastsider LA reported. Zeigler has set up collection boxes at b usinesses across Echo Park and Silver Lake , according to the news blog , and will redistribute the donated reusable bags on November 12 at Vons in Echo Park and Trader Joe's in Silver Lake along with tip sheets on make the most out of reusable bags.

Has Halloween snuck up on you this year? Only to scare you since you don't have a costume yet for tonight's festivites. Eagle Rock Patch has compiled some pretty good last-minute ideas. Woman's ashes stolen from SUV found A woman's ashes stolen from a parked SUV at a shopping center in Woodland Hills last Monday were returned to the same parking lot Sunday, the Daily News reported. Security guards at the shopping center at the Westfield Promenade found a duffel bag with a container of the ashes in the parking lot, the newspaper reported.

A fire at a 100-year-old Echo Park home Wednesday night prompted the use of water-dropping helicopters, according to ABC7 . The blaze broke out Wednesday night on the first floor of the 1300 block of Elysian Park Drive home, the news site reported. Fire officials told ABC7 there were 100 firefighters on scene, and it took an hour before the blaze was knocked down. The house was badly damaged but there were no injuries. Paper or Plastic? Try neither.

San Marino Police Department apologized to residents in a statement Thursday for not doing more to stop a protest outside Wells Fargo CFO Tim Sloan's San Marino home Wednesday night, accodring to San Marino Patch . About one hundred protesters were on Sloan's lawn Wednesday night for a non-violent but lively protest. Officers said they were busy handling other matters during the protest, including reports of smoke coming out of a manhole cover that turned out to be unfounded.

The draining of Echo Park Lake has created quite the stench. Following several complaints over the weekend, the Los Angeles Department of Public Works deposited lime in parts of the lakebed to combat the stink, according to Echo Park Patch . According to a Field Poll released Tuesday , 91% of California voters say the Golden State's economy is experiencing "bad times. " It's the third year in a row that more than 90% of voters have depicted the state's economy in a negative light, the Los Angeles Time s reported.

Booze conosuers are putting forth their best efforts to get Gov. Jerry Brown to sign bill into law that would overturn a ban on serving cocktails made with infused alcohol in the state, Laist.com reported. For almost the past 100 years it has been illegal for bars to serve a drink made with spirits infused with other flavors, including herbs or vegetables, when the infusion is not done prior to the bottling process. Music with a local flare The Glendale Latino Assn.

Somehow, someone on the web has declared today, September 19, as International Talk Like a Pirate Day . The wacky concept has apparently caught on, however. There's a global map on their website showing who and where is participating in Talk Like a Pirate Day . Feel free to bust out a 'argh' or 'matey' at work or home today, because the other 364 days of the year you can't use the excuse that it's International Talk Like a Pirate Day . Get your tickets The Burbank International Film Festival begins tonight with screenings of films by more than 100 filmmakers starting at 6:30 p.m. at theAMC 16, 125 E. Palm Ave., Burbank.

Amid increasing enrollment and state budget cuts, UC tuition hikes are on the table, A BC7 reported . UC undergraduate students currently pay approximately $12,000 for basic tuition. Beginning in the 2015-2016 academic year, tuition under the proposed plan could get as high as $22,000, which doesn't account for room, board or campus fees. The bees-knees of Silver Lake Russell Bates and Amy Seidenwurm took it up the hobby of chemical-free beekeeping in their Silver Lake backyard, Laist.com reported.