Strip Mall

A man injured in a suspicious fire that destroyed three businesses last week continued to recover Monday from the burns he suffered and is expected to undergo surgery today. The 36-year-old man, whose name and city of residence were not released, was being treated Monday at the Grossman Burn Center in Sherman Oaks. The man and Glendale Firefighter Robert Bishop were injured in the blaze that broke out about 6:40 a.m. Feb. 15, which destroyed three businesses at 4121 Pennsylvania Ave. and caused about $1.4 million in damage.

Darleene Barrientos Glendale Fire officials continued to investigate Monday a fire that destroyed three businesses and injured two people, including a Glendale firefighter. Officials continued the investigation by collecting evidence samples and bringing in a Los Angeles County Sheriff's arson dog to sniff out possible accelerants, Glendale Police arson investigator Miguel Porras said. The three-alarm blaze caused an estimated $1.4 million in damage after it was initially reported at 6:39 a.m. Sunday at a strip mall at 4121 Pennsylvania Ave. The fire began in one of the destroyed businesses, Safari Tan, but what sparked it was not known Monday, Porras said.

A transient man suffered life-threatening head wounds after he appeared to have fallen Tuesday at a strip mall, Glendale Police said. A delivery driver apparently found the man, in his 50s, at about 7 a.m. on the sidewalk in front of Ron's Photo, 625 E. Colorado St., and called 911, Det. Jeff Newton said. Another transient man was with him but was allegedly passed out when officers arrived and too intoxicated to provide information, Newton said. Police reviewed a surveil- lance tape and determined it was an accidental fall, he said.

Zankou Chicken restaurants are famous for the tender, roasted chicken and tasty garlic spread they serve, but not so much for the nondescript, cafeteria-like decor. The Southern California chain, owned by the Iskenderian family of Glendale, is planning to break with its reputation for good food but bad ambience by opening a Mediterranean-inspired restaurant with 27,000 square feet in Burbank. The building will include the chain's first patio seating, and a dome will grace its southeast corner.

Jackson Bell A 30-year-old woman smashed her SUV through the Red Ribbon BakeShop Monday afternoon, pinning one of the customers against the counter, police and witnesses said. At about 3 p.m., a motorist, whose name was not released, drove her gray Toyota 4Runner over the sidewalk and into the Filipino bakery on East Colorado Street, Glendale Police Sgt. Tom Lorenz said. The driver of the SUV told police and patrons that she hit the accelerator instead of the brake by mistake as she pulled into the parking lot, Lorenz said.

CITY HALL Winning genocide memorial design revealed The Armenian Genocide Monument Council revealed the winning design for a monument commemorating the Armenian Genocide. The winning design belonged to local designer Sevak Petrosian and features a long strip of cracked concrete, from which 24 obelisk columns rise, representing the date of the anniversary -- April 24. The monument will be placed at Glendale Civic Auditorium, but no date has been set. The City Council approved transferring a surplus $150,000 from the Libraries Division to its book fund.

When President George H.W. Bush wanted Chinese food, he did not have to travel far from the White House. His favorite restaurant was only a few miles away in a nondescript strip mall. Most restaurant reviewers in Washington, D.C., agreed that the food was OK but nothing you would consider “presidential.” I know a place in Burbank that would make “41” stop the motorcade. On your first glance, Sun Moon Garden does not seem that inviting. It is on San Fernando Boulevard inside a rather ordinary strip mall and across the street from a car wash.

LA CRESCENTA — Tucked behind oak and palm trees, creeping plants and an ornamental wrought-iron gate on the grounds of the Rockhaven Sanitarium are several Spanish-style buildings rich with history and Hollywood lore. Rockhaven served as a women-only rest home until earlier this month, when its remaining patients were forced to move because its owners shut it down, said representatives of the property's owner, Ararat Homes. Since its closing, rumors about the La Crescenta landmark have swarmed like paparazzi at a red-carpet event.

Cheers to ‘My Thoughts’columnist Just wanted to write on how much we enjoy Jim Chase’s in the Crescenta Valley Sun. It’s so well titled, “My Thoughts, Exactly.” His innate sense of humor makes a great companion to that few moments of paper-reading at the breakfast table. It’s a great counterpoint to all the negative headlines we see, even in the great “Wall St. Journal” (we do not take the L.A. Times). In fact, Chase is the reason we have now moved the Sun to an important priority.

Concerned about growth in Montrose We are Glendale residents who strongly support responsible oversight of the Montrose Shopping Park's future growth ("Shopping park zoning will remain as it is," June 8). We moved to Montrose a year ago in large part due to its charming small-town character and the unique business offerings of the shopping park. Montrose's character is strongly tied to the eclectic collection of small businesses in the shopping park. While we understand that change is inevitable, we are concerned that decades of well-managed growth could be permanently destroyed by aggressive developers with no vested long-term interest in the Montrose community.