San Bernardino

Ron Kaye's July 21 column, “ Restructuring the GWP ,” serves as another supportive voice for the city's bad policy presented under the guise of being balanced. Electricity rates should have gone down nearly every year for the past four years, but they went down only the year before the last election. Glendale's electric power comes from purchased electricity and from its own gas-powered generators. According to the city's financial reports, GWP customers cut electric usage by nearly 10% so the GWP was less dependent on wholesale purchases from the grid.

Jack Ivie is returning to Glendale Memorial Hospital and Health Center -- this time as its president. Ivie was the hospital's assistant executive director and vice president of hospital operations from 1980 to 1992, and was most recently the vice president of the Inland Empire area for Dignity Health and chief executive at St. Bernardine Medical Center and Community Hospital in San Bernardino. Besides his past employment, Ivie, a Pasadena resident, has other ties to the hospital.

Alecia Foster NORTHWEST GLENDALE -- Glendale school district officials plan to ask the state Board of Education to waive a penalty levied against Lincoln Elementary after a teacher there was accused of helping students cheat on a standardized test. District officials had been watching and waiting to see what happened with a similar appeal by the San Bernardino City Unified School District. "That's one of the reasons we were holding back before submitting our request," said Don Empey, deputy superintendent of educational services for Glendale Unified.

Alex Coolman LYNWOOD -- When Dennis O'Neil says he has a million people to see, that's exactly what he means. O'Neil, who grew up in La Crescenta, recently was appointed the new auxiliary bishop for the Roman Catholic Diocese of San Bernardino. In that role, he will be responsible for meeting with the parishes of San Bernardino and Riverside counties, a 27,000-square-mile territory that's home to about a million Catholics. "It's really been undergoing tremendous growth in recent years," O'Neil said.

Josh Kleinbaum The Most Rev. Dennis Patrick O'Neil, auxiliary bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of San Bernardino and a former elementary school student in Montrose, has died of natural causes. Diocesan officials found O'Neil, 63, late Sunday morning in his Grand Terrace residence after he failed to show up for several events over the weekend. O'Neil was the first of 10 children of Robert and Patricia O'Neil. He was born in Fremont, Neb., but moved to Montrose and attended Holy Redeemer Elementary School.

ANGELES NATIONAL FOREST ? Montrose Search and Rescue crews returned home Wednesday evening after taking part in a successful two-day effort to find a 44-year-old South Los Angeles man on Mt. San Antonio in the Angeles National Forest, authorities said. The man was rescued after spending three days alone on the mountain with bone protruding from a compound fracture to his ankle, said Mike Leum, reserve chief of Search and Rescue for Los Angeles County and member of the Montrose team.

The following people were arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence. As with all arrests, they presumed are innocent until proved otherwise. Bryon Baalbergen, 21, Sun Valley Gary E. Baird, 25, Canoga Park Pablo A. Bolamos, 36, North Hollywood Colleen C. Estrada. 47. Glendale Joe Farr Jr., 43, San Bernardino Theodore J. Ferrara, 28, La Crescenta Agustin V. Garcia, 47, Los Angeles George Hernandez Jr., 30, Glendale Elyssa A. Levy, 31, Montrose Hector M. Monroy, 40, Altadena Shin Voong Lee, 48, Glendale Daniel Remos, 28, San Gabriel Jesse Roberts III, 53, Pasadena

Claudia Peschiutta GLENDALE - The announcement must have been music to her ears. Grace Sheldon-Williams, a music teacher at Glendale High School, on Monday night was named one of 10 finalists for the 1999-2000 BRAVO Award, honoring innovative arts instructors and programs in Southern California. The winners, who were to be announced at a gala awards dinner hosted by director Garry Marshall, were Palm Avenue Elementary School in San Bernardino County and teachers Carol Wright Dobbs of the Los Angeles Unified School District and Samantha Carson of the Saugus Union School District.

JOHN PHILIP SCHMIDT John Philip Schmidt, a longtime La Canada Flintridge resident, died March 3, 2003. Mr. Schmidt was born Oct. 15, 1915, in Mt. Vernon, Ind. He served in the U.S. Navy during World War II. He joined the Glendale Fire Department, and rose to the rank of captain before he retired in 1974. He is survived by his daughter and son-in-law, Judi and Doug Renn; son, Steve; daughter and son-in-law, Carol and Rudy Pulice; granddaughter, Jessica Pulice and numerous step-grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

Alecia Foster DOWNTOWN -- The state Public Employees Retirement System regional office has made Glendale its home. The Los Angeles regional office, one of eight in California, opened its doors on North Central Avenue May 1. The office handles inquiries and customer requests, offers financial seminars and assists with other retirement related needs. Howard Cannon, a former Glendale city employee who retired in 1979, said he was happy to learn he would no longer have to drive to West Los Angeles to utilize some of the services.

I attended the Glendale Homeowners Coordinating Council meeting Jan. 14 regarding the charter amendments on the upcoming April 2 Glendale ballot. The main argument for keeping the city treasurer an elected office is that important positions like city council and congressional representatives are elected, and that someone who must stand for election is more answerable to the people. However, I see a big difference between policymaking bodies such as those and a professional position such as city treasurer.

Jack Ivie is returning to Glendale Memorial Hospital and Health Center -- this time as its president. Ivie was the hospital's assistant executive director and vice president of hospital operations from 1980 to 1992, and was most recently the vice president of the Inland Empire area for Dignity Health and chief executive at St. Bernardine Medical Center and Community Hospital in San Bernardino. Besides his past employment, Ivie, a Pasadena resident, has other ties to the hospital.

It's been a while since the Glendale Community College football has had its head above water and it's a feeling the Vaqueros don't want to let go of any time soon. Not only over .500 for the first time since October of 2009, but batting 1.000 after opening the season with a 27-10 road win over El Camino Compton College on Saturday, the Vaqueros are well ahead of pace from the last two 1-9 seasons that saw the team go winless until well into its Pacific Conference American Division schedule.

Ron Kaye's July 21 column, “ Restructuring the GWP ,” serves as another supportive voice for the city's bad policy presented under the guise of being balanced. Electricity rates should have gone down nearly every year for the past four years, but they went down only the year before the last election. Glendale's electric power comes from purchased electricity and from its own gas-powered generators. According to the city's financial reports, GWP customers cut electric usage by nearly 10% so the GWP was less dependent on wholesale purchases from the grid.

Two games into the Little League District 16 Major Baseball Tournament, the Crescenta Valley All-Stars have looked unstoppable. In two games that have lasted a combined eight innings, Crescenta Valley has scored 30 runs, belted eight home runs and limited its opponents to a total of two runs. Half of those runs and three home runs came Sunday, as Crescenta Valley defeated Burbank, 15-1, at Montrose Park to advance to the championship game of the tournament. The game was called at the end of the fourth inning because of the 10-run mercy rule.

The body of a woman discovered in a shallow grave July 15 has been identified by San Bernardino Sheriff officials as a former La Crescenta resident, according to La Cañada Flintridge Patch .  Christine Jo "CJ" Kunstmann, 44, most recently of Rancho Cucamonga, grew up in the Foothills. Her body was discovered in Beaumont, a rural area approximately 30 miles east of Riverside, the site reported. 

PASADENA — Thanks to stellar defense and solid pitching, the Arroyo Seco Saints didn't really need to score any more runs than the three spot they put up in the first inning — but they did anyway. The Saints scored six more to be exact, and shut out the San Bernardino Nationals, 9-0, at Jackie Robinson Field Sunday to advance to the championship game of the Southern California Palomino League Regional Tournament, which will take place at 6 p.m. on Tuesday AT Jackie Robinson.

LOS ANGELES — Glendale resident Edgar Torosyan clutched a small American flag on Thursday as he waited to take the oath that would declare him a United States citizen. "This is a dream come true," said Torosyan, a Glendale resident who was a teenager when he immigrated to the United States from Armenia with his family 18 years ago. "We love it here. We call it home." Torosyan was one of the 3,340 Southern California residents who packed the Los Angeles Convention Center on Thursday to be sworn in as U.S. citizens.

BURBANK – Hoards of fans surrounded the perimeter of the Forest Lawn Memorial Park and Mortuary in the Hollywood Hills this morning, waiting for a caravan of SUVs and limousines carrying the family of Michael Jackson. The California Highway Patrol temporarily closed parts of the 405, 101, and 134 freeways for the procession. The eastbound Riverside Drive was also closed, as was both directions of the Forest Lawn Drive ramp. Crowds outside Forest Lawn, which began gathering late last week, meandered around the sprawling facility in search of access.

GLENDALE — Three points is all that separated the Glendale Community College women’s cross-country team from its second straight state title. Those two points did little to dampen the spirits of Vaqueros Coach Eddie Lopez, however, who was more than content with the seasons turned in by both his women’s and men’s teams, the storied tradition of the Glendale college program that continues to grow and the sheer drama that he witnessed on Saturday at Fresno’s Woodward Park at the 2008 California Community College Championships.