Ryan Carter

Ryan Carter LA CRESCENTA -- Andrew Adelman says he enjoys the small-town feel of La Crescenta. He loves the fact that the unincorporated community is so close to metropolitan areas, and yet it keeps its Mayberry U.S.A. flavor, he said. But the flavor of the town he will now help represent won't stop him from trying to enhance the image and prestige of the unincorporated foothill area of 21,000 people, he said in an interview. And it hasn't prevented him from musing on the idea of incorporation.

The Healthcare Foundation at Glendale Adventist Medical Center will have its annual fundraising gala at 5:30 p.m. Sunday at the Hilton Glendale, 100 W. Glenoaks Blvd. Funds raised from the event go toward the purchase of new hospital equipment and an X-ray room. Headlining the gala will be Deborah Gibson, now a Broadway performer, but who broke into the pop music scene as a teen with hits like "Only in My Dreams" and "Foolish Beat." Also performing is Justin Bahrami, a local flutist.

Free screenings designed to detect alcoholism will be given from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. today at the Alpha Treatment Center, Suite 240, at Glendale Memorial Hospital, 1510 S. Central Ave. The screenings are in conjunction with National Alcohol Screening Day, which was Thursday. Along with two licensed clinicians available to talk to, literature and other materials will be available. Clinicians will also be available to loved ones of individuals who think those individuals might have an addiction.

A bill introduced by Assemblywoman Carol Liu (D-La Canada Flintridge) to prohibit the state from contracting with companies that use foreign labor has passed the Assembly's Business and Professions Committee. The bill is a response to offshoring issues, in which companies use foreign labor because it is cheaper. Liu cited a report by Forrester Research that suggests the nationwide loss of jobs to offshoring could lead to losses of more $34 billion in federal, state, and local taxes.

Rep. Dennis Mountjoy (R-La Crescenta) has introduced a bill in the House of Representatives that would place more rigorous reporting requirements on healthcare professionals. Dubbed the Sexual Abuse of Children Reporting Act, the bill would require health-care providers to report to law enforcement any knowledge that a minor has a sexually transmitted disease or is pregnant. Law enforcement could investigate for abuse of the child. If abuse was found, the investigating agency would put the child in protective custody.

Legislation that seeks to prevent confiscation of automobiles under certain circumstances was introduced by a local state legislator. Dennis Mountjoy (R-La Crescenta) introduced the bill this week in the Assembly. The legislation would prohibit code enforcement officials from confiscating a car if it has a certificate of nonoperation on file with the Department of Motor Vehicles and if it is not readily visible from the street, Mountjoy said. Mountjoy was reacting to what he said was the unwarranted confiscation of cars that are not "junked" cars that people keep in their backyards as part of a collection, or for other reasons.

Three healthcare bills long sought by a local legislator have been signed by the governor. The bills were introduced by Assemblyman Dario Frommer (D-Glendale), who is also chairman of the Assembly's health-care committee. One seeks to ensure that patients receive continuity in their health care during contract disputes between insurance companies and health providers. Another bill, designed to prevent price gouging, would require hospitals to make public their sticker prices for medical procedures.

Schiff receives national parks award GLENDALE -- An award for members of Congress who work to promote conservation has been given to Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Glendale). The award was given to Schiff by the National Parks Conservation Assn., which partners with the federal government and local groups with a goal of preserving the nation's park system. The award is based on legislators' voting records on bills, which the association deems significant to the park system.

Hostilities in Iraq are "just" and "necessary," according to a statement released by Rep. David Dreier (R-La Crescenta). Dreier, chairman of the House Rules Committee, affirmed support of U.S. Armed Forces in Iraq and the duration of the time they could be there. "As the president said, this action may prove long and difficult," he said. "But its goal is just and necessary. With the support of our allies, we will move forward with decisive action to liberate the Iraqi people and once and for all rid the world of the threat Saddam has posed for far too long," Dreier added.

The nomination deadline for the YWCA of Glendale's Women of Heart & Excellence Awards is rapidly approaching. The deadline is March 28 to let the YWCA know of a woman in the community whose professional and personal life has shown a commitment to improving the lives of women and girls. The nominee should be able to accept the award May 14 and live in Glendale, Burbank, La Canada Flintridge, La Crescenta, Eagle Rock, Silver Lake, Sun Valley or other neighboring areas.

Ask Montrose Shopping Park Assn. President John Drayman what's different about this Sunday's Kids 'n' Kritters Day on Honolulu Avenue and you might end up consulting a dictionary. "How about 10,000 children and every imaginable kind of animal ? everything from crocodiles to kinkajous," Drayman said of the event, which is from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the 2200 block of Honolulu Avenue. It's the fifth annual Kids 'n' Kritters Day, which falls on the same day as the Shopping Park's weekly Harvest and Thieves markets.

Fred Ortega and Ryan Carter A 2-year-old girl was mauled to death by her grandparents' Rottweiler at their Via Saldivar home Tuesday night, Glendale Police officials said. The incident happened at about 7 p.m. as the child and her mother were housesitting at the gated estate on the 2300 block of Via Saldivar, Glendale Police Sgt. Tom Lorenz said. The mother was holding her child while giving the dog water when the male Rottweiler, which was about 150 pounds, neutered and between 4 and 5 years old, attacked, Glendale Police spokeswoman Sherri Servillo said.

Ryan Carter A man working on an underground vault at the city's Grayson Power Plant was injured Thursday after equipment he was working on failed, knocking him unconscious, authorities said. The man, a worker on contract with the city, was clearing conduits and pulling line through a vault at the city's main power plant around 11 a.m. when the equipment failed and he suffered blunt force trauma from the equipment, Glendale Fire Capt. Carlos Guerrero said.

Ryan Carter An Orange County company bought an office building at 600 N. Brand Blvd. for $21 million, seller Reading International Inc. announced Thursday. Escrow closed on the sale Tuesday, allowing TWS Realty to buy the building from Los Angeles-based Reading International, Inc., Reading Chief Financial Officer Andrzej Matyczynski said. "It was the last remaining non-entertainment property on our books, and an offer came along," Matyczynski said.

Ryan Carter A lack of business and an inability to attract downtown lunchtime traffic has forced the Glendale Farmer's Market to move for the second time in two months. Beginning on May 26, the market's roughly two dozen vendors will move temporarily to the grassy lot owned by the Ohio State Teachers' Retirement Fund at the corner of West Wilson Avenue and North Brand Boulevard, while street reconstruction continues on Brand, officials said. The market's hours will be 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., with access from Orange Street, officials said.

Ryan Carter Police Officer Armando Montalvo patiently and capably answered a close call on Sept. 24. Montalvo answered a call to an apartment in the 400 block of East Chevy Chase Boulevard that day, bringing him into contact with a man threatening to kill his wife and himself with a razor. After fleeing in a car, the man returned to the apartment, where his had mother shown up. The man confronted Montalvo with a knife, but Montalvo didn't use force, instead trying to talk the man down.

Ryan Carter A man who took issue with the "W" in YWCA has lost his battle for abused men to gain access to women's domestic violence shelters, including the Glendale YWCA. The California Supreme Court Wednesday denied review of Eldon Ray Blumhorst's case, which claimed that the Glendale YWCA was one of 10 domestic violence shelters that discriminated against him because of his gender. Blumhorst filed the lawsuit in 2003 after trying to call several women's shelters, telling them he had been abused and needed their services.

Ryan Carter The beauty in a Pasadena car showroom didn't come from the lines of a fancy Jaguar or Porsche. It came from all over Asia, and Glendale. Beautiful women representing countries from throughout the Asia mingled with about 90 guests, snacked on truffles and salad and listened to jazz Saturday in the Rusnak Jaguar showroom in Pasadena. Silva Yesayan of Glendale is Miss Armenia. The Glendale Community College student won the event's "Miss Rusnak Jaguar Queen for the Day" award.

Ryan Carter Edward Blecksmith knows war. As a Marine during the Vietnam War, he saw the carnage. But he never knew a day like Thursday. That was the day -- Veterans Day -- when he and his family found out that his son, J.P. Blecksmith, was killed in Iraq. Blecksmith, 24, a 1999 graduate and former standout quarterback at Flintridge Preparatory School in La Canada Flintridge, was killed Thursday afternoon during a military operation in Fallouja, Iraq, his father said.

Ryan Carter The Redevelopment Agency on Tuesday approved the design for a condominium and retail building, paving the way for more housing in the downtown area. The agency voted 4-1 on the design of the building, proposed by Arizona-based SNK Development Inc., to be built on the southwest corner of Louise Street and Broadway. It will include 34 condominium units and 3,900 square feet of commercial space. Agency member Dave Weaver dissented, arguing that that though such a project is needed, the plan will add more parking and traffic congestion in too small of an area.