Seat Belts

Montrose Search and Rescue was called out on Sunday to respond to a small SUV that had plunged over the side of Angeles Crest Highway. "We were in the area training when we got the call, so all of our members were there," said Captain Janet Henderson of MSR. According to Henderson, around 9:30 am on Sunday morning a man driving a Toyota SUV hit a patch of black ice which caused him to lose control of his car and go over the edge of Angeles...

While more tank-sized SUVs cruise down streets on flashy chrome wheels, the city of Glendale will offer auto lovers a chance to switch gears at the 14th annual Cruise Night Car Show and Street Party and re-visit a time when gas cost 36 cents a gallon and seat belts were just starting to catch on. An estimated 35,000 people of all ages are expected to stroll down Brand Boulevard to view classic cars from 5:30 to 10:30 p.m. July 21, said Ritch Wells,...

Darleene Barrientos With 16 years experience as a firefighter and a captain under his belt, Glendale Fire Capt. Carlos Guerrero is ready to tackle a new project -- educating the city and the Spanish-speaking community about fire prevention. Guerrero, 41, began his stint as the Glendale Fire Department's public information officer this week and already has big plans to reach out to communities that might have gone under the radar during past public education campaigns.

Darleene Barrientos Cheerful yellow and white balloons belied the mood Tuesday at Incarnation Parish Elementary School, where students, teachers and staff members mourned an 8-year-old classmate killed in a car accident. A prayer service and balloon release honored Gina Fenton, a third-grade student at the school, who died from injuries she suffered Saturday night in a crash in Sunland. Gina was a witty child who loved to sing, and was cherished by friends and teachers, Principal Anne Regan-Smith said.

Gary Moskowitz Residents planning to set off fireworks this weekend be advised: Local police and fire officials will assemble a fire arson task force to douse the sparks. Glendale Police officers and firefighters, as part of the Fourth of July task force, will be on the lookout Sunday night for anyone setting off fireworks within city limits, and are prepared to confiscate all fireworks, issue citations and make arrests if necessary, officials said.

Jackson Bell As motorists hit the road Friday to start their Memorial Day weekend, local law-enforcement agencies were out in force to crack down on drinking and driving. At 8 p.m. Friday, officers from various agencies rolled out of the Glendale Police station on Isabel Street to roam the streets to hunt for drunken drivers during the latest push of the countywide "Avoid the 50 DUI Task Force." The 50 refers to the number of law-enforcement agencies engaged in the Los Angeles County task force, police said.

Darleene Barrientos With the Fourth of July on the horizon, local authorities want drivers to be extra safe this weekend. Drivers preparing for a holiday road trip and those staying close to home need to remember safety does not take a day off, authorities said. "The most common problem is going to be drinking and driving," California Highway Patrol Officer A.W. Ahten said. "There's nothing wrong with driving, nothing wrong with drinking -- the problem is when they drink and drive."

NORTHEAST GLENDALE ? The students in Faith Abboud's kindergarten class at Fremont Elementary School couldn't take their eyes off of multi-colored buckets of toys and candy Glendale Police officers brought to them on Friday. But when Glendale Police Officer Julie Daum and Sgt. Mike Glassick started asking the students about safety, their attention was suddenly focused away from the buckets and onto the officers. Nearly 10 officers, cadets and employees from the Glendale Police Department's Cops for Kids program delivered Easter buckets and bags to the more than 600 students at Fremont Elementary School on Friday, as a way of building trusting relationships with them.

Claudia Peschiutta PACIFIC-EDISON -- A man was killed and three people suffered critical or serious injuries Monday evening in a fiery head-on collision on a Golden State (5) Freeway offramp, officials said. The 25-year-old man and a companion were in a Camaro that was going west on the Colorado Street onramp when it jumped the low center divider and crashed into a Chevrolet pickup truck on the opposing offramp at about 5 p.m., said Officer Vincent Bell of the California Highway Patrol.

An end might be in sight for the existence of controversial "push trains." Local legislator Dennis Mountjoy agreed at a Wednesday morning rail safety committee meeting to sponsor or support legislation to allow Metrolink trains to be turned around at the end of their run, effectively ending the need for trains with the engine in the rear. Mountjoy is a member of the rail safety committee chaired by Glendale Assemblyman Dario Frommer. The committee was created after a Jan. 26 railroad crash in Glendale that cost 11 lives and injured more than 200 people.