Summit

Sometimes, just sometimes, you run across people who refuse to let anything stop them. Take, for instance, Paul Fejtek and his wife Denise. The two recently climbed Mt. Everest despite the fact that Paul has full use of only one hand. The 1988 Hoover High graduate was born with Brachial Plexus Palsy, a disorder resulting from nerve damage. The two live in Newport Beach, but will be returning to their hometown Wednesday to talk about a book they wrote about their experiences called “Steps to the Summit.” The talk is at 7 p.m. at the Glendale Central Library.

It wasn't fireworks that John Rodarte, Robert Sheedy and Mike Leum of Montrose Search and Rescue saw on Independence Day. It was snow — and lots of it — as they arrived at the 14,000 foot summit of Mt. Rainer on the Fourth of July. Reaching the peak was the culmination of three days of hard climbing. "Summit day was fourteen-hours of non-stop hiking," recalled Leum. The trip took a total of four days, three days up and one day down. Six other climbers, including four guides, completed the team.

Buck Wargo GLENDALE -- A police escort and pepper spray -- two topics that don't usually come to mind when thinking about youth sporting events. For umpire Mike Padula, pepper spray has become over the last year just as much a piece of his equipment as a chest protector and mask. It is a precaution against overzealous parents of youth baseball or adult softball players. Padula, past president of the Crescenta Sports Assn., needed an escort from sheriff's deputies a year ago when parents were angered about calls in a Babe Ruth League game in Dunsmore Park.

LA CA—ADA FLINTRIDGE ? Tobacco use is the most common gateway to alcohol and drug abuse, a psychologist who studies foothill teen substance abuse told community leaders Saturday. Psychologist Paul Royer also said that children of overly-dominant or permissive parents are most likely to abuse drugs or alcohol; older teens and young adults who would normally be away at college are hanging around town and contributing to the teen substance abuse problem; and more 13- and 14-year-olds are using drugs and alcohol.

Buck Wargo CITY HALL -- A daylong community summit on nonviolence has been planned to address problems with gangs and ethnic tensions in Glendale. The Glendale City Council will be briefed Tuesday on the plan that calls for a summit from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Sept. 23 at Glendale Community College. The goal is to build a consensus on those problems facing the community and develop a plan to resolve them. The summit is a result of the death of Raul Aguirre, a 17-year-old student who was beaten and stabbed trying to break up a fight between gang members.

Judy Seckler GLENDALE HIGH -- In two days, Glendale High School junior Nicole Abranian will begin a journey designed to make a difference. Nicole, 16, won a spot as a youth delegate to the MADD National Youth Summit to Prevent Underage Drinking 2000 hosted by Mothers Against Drunk Driving. The conference will run five days in Washington, D.C. A Web site, www.madd.org/nys, has more details involving the summit. Encouraged by her Associated Student Body teacher Errol Garnett, Nicole and each of her classmates completed the conference application.

Karen S. Kim GLENDALE -- Bolstering California's film and tourism industries to revive the state's battered economy were two key points discussed at a summit of local elected officials, economic experts, business and labor leaders. Nearly 80 power hitters in the business world convened at Disney Studios in Burbank Friday at the calling of Gov. Gray Davis. "I think some excellent suggestions came from it," said state Sen. Jack Scott (D-Glendale)

Buck Wargo GLENDALE COMMUNITY COLLEGE -- The deaths of two teenagers in La Crescenta wasn't far from the minds Thursday night of members of a group looking for answers to reduce violence in the community. A coalition of community activists, police and government officials held a study session for a community summit on Sept. 23 to address problems with gangs, ethnic tensions and violence. The idea for the summit sprung from the death in May of Raul Aguirre, a 17-year-old student who was beaten and stabbed trying to break up a fight between gang members.

Gary Moskowitz With their running shoe- laces tied tight, muscles stretched and their warm breath visible in the early morning, fog-laden air, the hikers began their journey into the Verdugo Hills. Starting at Brand Park, the route gained close to 2,000 feet in elevation and ended at Fire Warden's Cove at the summit with a hot-dog lunch. A joint effort between the cities of Glendale, Burbank and Los Angeles and the Verdugo Hills Boy Scouts Council, the second year of the Verdugo Hills Community Hike brought more than 200 hikers and runners to the Verdugo Hills.

GLENDALE ? A group of eight Glendale High School students traveled halfway around the world in their attempt to save it. They arrived back in Glendale around 3 a.m. Tuesday, suffering from jet lag but years wiser diplomatically. The group's elected leader, Diana Perez, met President Bush and verbally delivered part of a communiqué to the heads of state of the world's eight most prosperous nations during the Group of 8 Summit in St. Petersburg, Russia. "It was exciting," Diana said of sitting between Bush and Japanese Prime Minister Koizumi Junichiro during a round-table meeting of the heads of state Sunday.

A Dan Evans column on Jan. 22 incorrectly stated that all proceeds from the book "Steps to the Summit" would be donated to the Challenged Athletes Foundation. Instead, all profits from the book will be donated.

Sometimes, just sometimes, you run across people who refuse to let anything stop them. Take, for instance, Paul Fejtek and his wife Denise. The two recently climbed Mt. Everest despite the fact that Paul has full use of only one hand. The 1988 Hoover High graduate was born with Brachial Plexus Palsy, a disorder resulting from nerve damage. The two live in Newport Beach, but will be returning to their hometown Wednesday to talk about a book they wrote about their experiences called “Steps to the Summit.” The talk is at 7 p.m. at the Glendale Central Library.

Students in the Alcohol/Drug Studies program and the Alcohol/Drug Studies Club are sponsoring "Addiction Summit 2010: Counselors, Clinicians and Community" from 5:30 to 10 p.m. Sept. 29. The event will feature guest speakers and focuses on the treatment profession. The summit is free and open to the public. Renee Zito, director of the Department of Alcohol and Drug Programs for the state of California, is the keynote speaker. She will discuss the treatment profession from a global perspective.

Los Angeles County Supervisor Mike Antonovich slammed state lawmakers on Wednesday at an economic summit at Woodbury College in Burbank, blaming them for much of the financial stress that has forced local governments to shed jobs and cut services. The event, sponsored by the Armenian American Chamber of Commerce, drew about 65 people. Antonovich called for a "structural overhaul" in Sacramento, where lawmakers are struggling to address a nearly $20 billion budget deficit.

GLENDALE — Heading into its CIF Southern Section Division V first-round boys’ volleyball match, Glendale Adventist Academy and Coach Hugo Gomez knew little about host Summit, the San Andreas League champion. But after first glimpsing their opponents, the Cougars seemingly knew enough. “We were a little intimidated I think,” said Gomez in reference to the opposition’s size. But it was the height and skill of the Skyhawks that ultimately keyed their overwhelming sweep of the Cougars, as Glendale Adventist’s season came to a first-round end after a 25-10, 25-10, 25-13 loss on Tuesday evening.

I think a registry of convicted animal abusers (“Animal abuse registry in works,” Feb. 26) makes good sense to anybody who wants to see animals protected from animal collectors, dog-fighting rings and many other kinds of abuse, but I don’t see why the public needs to have access to it. It would be a better idea to have the registry available, nationally, to pounds, humane societies, rescuers, sanctuaries and reputable breeders responsible...

LA CRESCENTA — One game into its current postseason run, the 2009 Crescenta Valley High softball team can now say it has officially been playoff tested. The Falcons’ lineup was tested in Thursday’s CIF Southern Section Division III first-round contest against Summit by an early deficit that it quickly obliterated. Their pitching and defense were put to the test on several occasions with runners in scoring position but never faltered amid a string of six scoreless innings to end the game.

GLENDALE — The softball teams from Crescenta Valley High and Flintridge Sacred Heart Academy will both be active in the first round of the CIF Southern Section Division III playoffs today. The Falcons, seeded third in the division, host Summit, while the Tologs travel to Westlake Village to play second-seeded Oaks Christian after passing a wild-card round test against Arroyo Grande on Tuesday. Both games begin at 3:15 p.m. Crescenta Valley’s playoff opener pits a group of postseason neophytes against one of the most playoff-seasoned programs in the division.

Association holding summit The Glendale Teachers Association invites parents and community members to join them for a summit on the current temporary teacher situation within the Glendale Unified School District. According to organizers, teachers will share information, facts and stories of current and former temporary district employees. Alan Freemon, GTA president, said that it is important for parents to understand what a temporary teacher is and how that status impacts the teacher and school.

On Friday, June 13, the San Gabriel Valley Council of Governments held a summit to discuss the impact of gangs on southland communities. The meeting gathered together representatives from across the San Gabriel Valley to explore the impact gangs have on communities and the possible programs that would help change the cycle of gang membership and violence. Crescenta Valley does not have the gang problem of inner city Los Angeles, however the influences of surrounding areas are felt within the community.